Grave Attraction

by Lori Sjoberg

  “You know that won’t fly with Nurse Ratched. Just a few hours, that’s all I’m asking. Then I promise to bring you back.”

  The determined expression on his face indicated he wasn’t taking no for an answer. Reluctantly, she let him grip her hand and lead her toward the door. She looked back, burning the image of Cassie into her mind. She’d do everything within her power and spare no expense to ensure her daughter’s full recovery. And when she found out who or what was responsible, she’d make them pay with their lives.

  Where to take her, Adam wondered as he drove his truck out of the hospital parking lot. He had a soul to reap in less than two hours, and he wanted her safe while he was working. His house was still a wreck, so he didn’t want to take her there, and he didn’t feel comfortable with her staying alone at her apartment. Locks and alarms only did so much in the face of a determined psycho. And while she insisted she knew how to take care of herself, he remembered her locked in that godforsaken cage.

  He slanted a glance in her direction, and every muscle in his body grew tight. The poor woman was exhausted. Her eyes were closed, her arms folded beneath her breasts, and her chin was tucked up against her collarbone. In sleep, the tension ebbed away from her face, her chest rising and falling in a deep, even rhythm.

  An aching tenderness washed over him, and he recognized the emotions for what they were. It shocked him how quickly his feelings for her had deepened beyond anything he’d ever experienced. The only question was whether they were genuine or the result of the centuries-old mate bond.

  Don’t play stupid. You already know the answer, said the voice inside his head.

  Frowning, he forced the thought from his mind and focused on where to take Marlena. He needed a place where he’d be comfortable leaving her and where she’d feel safe enough to sleep. Immediately, one name popped into his mind. Oh, yeah, she’d take good care of Marlena without asking too many questions. He pulled onto the shoulder and sent a quick text before making a U-turn and merging onto the GreeneWay.

  Twenty minutes later, he drove into a cul-de-sac set deep within a sprawling subdivision. An older couple was out walking a tiny white dog while a guy washed a car in his driveway. Adam pulled in front of one of the buildings, cut the engine, and unfastened his seat belt.

  “Kitten, wake up.” He gave her shoulder a gentle shake.

  Marlena’s eyes fluttered open, and she squinted against the daylight. “Where are we?”

  “Someplace safe where you can rest.”

  Irritation marked her expression. “I said I’ll be fine at—”

  “Don’t argue with me about this,” he interrupted, his patience thinner than paper. “I can’t do my job without knowing you’re all right.” He took a deep breath, reeling his temper back in. With everything going on, the last thing she needed was him going full caveman on her. “Come on, I’ll take you inside.”

  With the palm of his hand at the small of her back, he guided her up the walkway and rang the bell.

  They didn’t have to wait long before the door opened. Ruby Dawson stood on the other side, looking like she just got back from the gym. She wore a blue tank top over black yoga pants and a dark-colored pair of athletic shoes. The choker around her neck matched her top, and her long red hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. And even though she was sweaty, disheveled, and without a shred of makeup, the leader of the Orlando unit of reapers was an absolute knockout.

  Not that he thought about her that way. At least not anymore. They’d had some good times a few years back, before Ruby found the right man and settled down.

  “Sorry for interrupting your morning,” Adam said.

  “Not a problem. Don’t worry about it.” Judging by the softness of her Georgia accent, she didn’t mind the intrusion. To the contrary, she seemed outright intrigued by the shifter standing beside him. Her gaze went from Marlena to Adam and then back to Marlena again. She smiled. “Hi, Marley. Long time no see.”

  Recognition dawned in Marlena’s eyes, and she gave the reaper a nod of acknowledgment. “It’s nice to see you, Ruby.”

  Considering how many people Ruby knew around town, he should have known better than to assume they weren’t acquainted. She ran a pretty tight ship, keeping tabs on everything within her territory, and that included the non-human population. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all, but at this point it was too late to back out.

  Ruby stepped to the side and opened the door wider. “Why don’t y’all come in so we don’t air-condition the entire neighborhood?”

  After being outside in the August heat, the cool air inside the condo felt like heaven. The small foyer led into a brightly lit living room decorated with stylish furniture. Ruby picked up the remote and switched off the television before gesturing for them to take a seat on the couch.

  “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “No, thanks. We’re good.” Adam leaned back against the black leather couch cushions and crossed his ankle over his knee. He draped one arm over Marlena’s shoulders before realizing what he’d done.

  Ruby sat on the nearby recliner. A black and brown cat hopped onto her lap, and she smoothed a hand over its fur. “Well, in that case, what can I do for y’all today?”

  “Marlena needs a place to crash for a few hours.” He gave Ruby a quick rundown of everything going on, from the serial killers to Cassie being in the hospital, but omitted the parts involving Samuel.

  “Of course she can stay,” Ruby said after Adam finished, a pair of creases forming between her eyebrows. She shifted her focus to Marlena. “Honey, don’t you worry about a thing. Nothing’s gonna mess with you here, I’ll make sure of it.”

  Marlena gave her a tired smile. “Thank you.”

  “And you”—Ruby’s gaze swung to Adam, her tone changing from sympathetic to commanding—“have an appointment in less than ninety minutes. When you’re finished, go home and get some sleep. You look like you’re about to drop.”

  Experience had taught him never to argue with Ruby. Once the woman made up her mind about something, she became an unstoppable force. Although he had to admit she was right. Not only did he need to rest, but he also needed to swing by the apartment and pick up Buford. God only knew what the big mutt had been up to during the time he’d been left alone.

  Stifling a yawn, he twisted in his seat toward Marlena. He couldn’t stand the thought of being away from her, but he was completely out of options.

  “I promise I’ll be back in a few hours. If you need anything—anything at all, just give me a call, all right?”

  She nodded, her face lined with stress and fatigue. “Do what you’ve got to do. I’ll be fine.”

  After pressing a kiss to Marlena’s lips, he stood and started for the door.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Ruby said.

  Which meant he was about to get interrogated. Sure enough, as soon as the front door closed behind them, Ruby gripped his upper arm, stopping him from walking down the steps.

  “All right, now tell me what’s really going on.”

  Adam gave her an innocent look. “I already told you—”

  “No, you fed me a load of bullshit. Marlena helping Dmitri?” She scoffed. “Please. Everyone knows those two can barely stand the sight of each other. Now, are you going to tell me the truth, or do I have to pry it out of your girlfriend?”

  Christ, he was too damn tired for this shit. He peered down at his shoes for a second or two, unable to think of a more plausible lie but unwilling to tell Ruby the truth. “It’s complicated.”

  “Isn’t it always?”

  Adam raked a hand through his hair as protective urges flashed through him. Part of him wanted to tell her to back off, but he knew that wouldn’t go over well. But he also didn’t want Ruby giving Marlena the third degree. His little shifter didn’t know anything about Samuel, though it wouldn’t take much for Ruby to figure out whom he’d been helping this week. “How often do I ask you for favors?”


  “Aside from the one where I let a shifter bunk at my house?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Not very often. All in all, you’re pretty low maintenance.”

  “Well, I’m about to make up for lost time. I’ll tell you everything as soon as I can, but right now I’ve got to keep radio silence, and I can’t have you grilling Marlena. She’s already been through enough.”

  Those piercing green eyes stared at him for a few moments before she finally blinked and nodded. “All right. I’ll let you off the hook. For now. But you’d better have answers for me tomorrow.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  “You better.”

  Marlena followed Ruby down the short hallway and through the second door on the left. The room was small, with soft yellow walls and a queen-size bed, and she nearly wept at the sight.

  “Thanks again for letting me stay here,” Marlena said as she sat on the edge of the bed and toed off her shoes. The pull of fatigue gnawed at her bones and made her limbs feel impossibly heavy.

  “My pleasure. If you like, I can give you something to wear while your clothes run through the washer.”

  Marlena glanced down, noticing for the first time in hours how her clothes were smudged with soot and reeked of smoke. “God, you must think I’m a slob.”

  “After what you’ve been through? Don’t be ridiculous.” Ruby sat on the bed and laid a hand over hers. The reaper’s well-manicured fingernails were a stark contrast to Marlena’s chewed stubs. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about what happened to your daughter. I don’t know Cassie all that well, but I’ve heard she’s one hell of a woman. If there’s anything I can do for you, just say the word.”

  “Thank you.” Marlena thought of her daughter, kept alive by machines, and a ball of emotion lodged in her throat. All she wanted was to go back to the hospital and see Cassie, but exhaustion reared its ugly head and demanded she rest and recharge.

  Ruby’s mouth curved up on one side. “So. You and Adam, eh?”

  “Is there a problem with that?”

  “No, not at all. He’s a good guy, and he deserves to be happy. I just hope you’re as serious about this as he is.” There was a note of protectiveness in her soft Southern voice, along with genuine concern. But there was also something in the reaper’s eyes, a familiarity that instantly aroused Marlena’s territorial instincts.

  “I am,” Marlena said. “He’s my mate.”

  Surprise flashed across Ruby’s features before they returned to their casual state. “Does he know that?”

  “He does.”

  “In that case, congratulations.” The smile she gave reached all the way to her eyes. She stood and walked toward the door, her hand on the knob as she turned back to say one last thing before leaving. “The bathroom’s across the hall. If you need towels, they’re in the closet behind the door. I’ll be back in a couple minutes with something for you to change into.”

  After a long, hot shower, Marlena dressed in the T-shirt and shorts that Ruby had left for her on the bed and crawled beneath the covers. Before she knew it, she’d passed out cold, and it wasn’t until a horn blared outside that she woke from the depths of her slumber.

  Her eyes cracked open, and it took her a few moments to remember where she was and how she got there. The fire. The hospital. The memory of Cassie’s battered body flashed through her mind, right along with an avalanche of what-ifs.

  The haze of guilt left her numb and lethargic, but she forced herself to get out of bed. How long had she been asleep? An hour? A day? She’d left her phone in the glove box of Adam’s truck, so she couldn’t check the time. Groggy, she padded to the window and peered through the blinds. The position of the sun indicated that it was midafternoon, which meant she’d been out for five or six hours.

  Her pulse jumped. She needed to check on Cassie. God only knew what had happened to her daughter while she’d slept. Determined to leave, she’d made it halfway across the room before noticing her clothes neatly stacked on top of the dresser. In the back of her mind, she made a mental note to thank Ruby for taking care of her laundry.

  Quickly, she changed and laced up her shoes. There wasn’t anything wrong with the outfit Ruby loaned her; she just felt better wearing her own stuff. She opened the door and heard what sounded like the television playing in another room. She also smelled something delicious. Her stomach growled, reminding her of how long it had been since the last time she’d eaten.

  Following the aroma, she walked down the hallway. When she reached the living room, she stopped short at the sight of a man sitting on the leather couch. He appeared to be in his early thirties, with short brown hair and a handsome face. The jeans he wore were turning white at the stress points, and his T-shirt was faded from wear. He held a bottle of water in one hand and the remote control in the other. The cat was lying beside him on the center cushion, its tail flicking every few seconds.

  As if sensing her presence, the man looked in her direction.

  “Hi, there,” he said, his voice friendly and warm. “I’m Jack, Ruby’s husband.” His scent was human but had an odd tinge she couldn’t quite pin down. It also struck her as vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she’d encountered it before.

  “Marlena. Nice to meet you.”

  He set the bottle of water on the coffee table. “I’m sorry to hear about your daughter. I met her once, about three years ago. She helped me with a problem I was having.”

  That might explain why she recognized him. “Oh? What kind of problem?”

  “Well, at the time I thought I was cursed. Nothing could break it, so she referred me to a priestess in St. Angelique.”

  Ah, now she remembered him, even though she’d never met him directly. He’d visited the house at least a half dozen times, which would explain why she recognized his scent. Cassie had racked her brain trying to break the dark magic, but even her strongest potions had failed. “Did you ever find a cure?”

  “No, but I’m at peace with it now. That wouldn’t have happened without Cassandra’s help.” He gave her a genuine smile. “Are you hungry? There’s stew in the crock pot. Help yourself. Bowls are in the top cabinet by the fridge.”

  The mention of food made her stomach growl. “Thanks.”

  The bowls were exactly where he’d said they’d be, but it took a few tries to find the right drawer for the silverware. She lifted the lid on the crock pot, and the smell of beef stew made her mouth water. She scooped out a few ladles and carried the bowl to the table.

  The stew tasted even better than it smelled. She nearly inhaled the bowl before going back for seconds. While she ate, she heard one of the doors in the house open, followed by footsteps down the hallway. A few seconds later, Ruby walked into the living room and spoke with Jack in hushed tones.

  She’d finished the stew and was washing the bowl when Ruby strolled into the kitchen.

  “You don’t have to clean that,” the reaper said. “Put it in the sink, I’ll take care of it later.”

  Marlena shook her head. “The least I can do is clean up after myself. Thanks for the food, and for washing my clothes.”

  “Not a problem. But the credit for the stew goes to Jack.” Ruby opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a carton of orange juice. Instead of getting a glass from the cabinet, she took a drink straight out of the carton. “When I heard you get up, I called the hospital. Cassandra’s condition is unchanged from this morning. Critical but stable.”

  The tension eased—just a little—inside Marlena. “I appreciate you checking.”

  Ruby nodded. “Do you want me to take you down there? Visiting hours end at six.”

  Marlena glanced at the digital clock on the microwave over the stove. It was a little past three, giving her just a few hours to see her daughter. But if Ruby dropped her off at the hospital, she’d either have to wait for Adam to pick her up or take a taxi home.

  “If you want, you can just drop me off at my apartment. It’s closer
, and then I can drive myself to the hospital.”

  Ruby pressed her lips together, obviously unhappy with Marlena’s request. “Sorry, hon, but I promised Adam I’d keep you safe. He’d have a fit if he knew I let you drive around town all by yourself.”

  “I’ll be fine. I do it all the time.”

  “I don’t care. I’m not letting you out of my sight until Adam comes for you.” Ruby’s accent thickened, making it clear she had no intention of breaking her word.

  Inside, Marlena bristled at the thought of having a glorified babysitter. She was a four-hundred-year-old shifter, for Pete’s sake. She knew how to take care of herself. But deep down she knew Ruby was watching out for her safety at Adam’s request, so she swallowed back her need for independence.

  “In that case, I’d appreciate a ride to the hospital.”

  “You got it, sugar. I’ll send Adam a text letting him know where we’re going.” Ruby pulled out her phone and started typing. As her fingers danced over the screen, she called out, “Honey, we’re going to the hospital. You coming?”

  “Yeah,” Jack replied from his spot on the couch. “Give me a minute to put on my shoes.”

  A shifter, a reaper, and a cursed human walk into a hospital. It sounded like the beginning of a bad joke in search of a punch line. She only hoped the joke wasn’t at her expense when they reached the intensive care unit.

  Chapter 23

  There had been no improvement in her daughter’s condition, and Marlena’s nerves were shot to hell.

  While she was gone, they’d placed Cassie in a medically induced coma to reduce the possibility of complications stemming from the injuries to her head. The breathing tube was still in her throat, and yet another IV had been inserted in her arm, this one pumping nutrients into her bloodstream. The bruising on her face had darkened to purple, while her lips were almost twice their normal size.

  Marlena sat in the chair beside the bed, barely blinking as she watched the steady rise and fall of her daughter’s chest. The machine to her right monitored Cassie’s vitals, beeping every couple seconds.