Secrets From the Grave

by B. L. Brunnemer

  Someone knocked on my door. I glared one more time at the lock on the balcony doors before I answered. Isaac was there, his hair still wet. "Morning."

  "Morning, how'd you sleep?" I asked.

  "The usual." He gestured to the balcony doors in the living room. "We’re having breakfast on the balcony."

  I hesitated. "Zeke came into my room last night when I was sleeping." I kept my voice just above a whisper.

  Isaac’s eyes snapped to mine. "What did he want?" He kept his voice quiet.

  "I was half asleep but I think he just bolted all the locks on the balcony doors." I stepped closer so we wouldn't be overheard.

  Isaac snorted. “He did the same to all the doors."

  “I don't know how much more of this I can take. If he asked, it'd be fine but..."

  He nodded. "Yeah, I get crawling into your bed in the middle of the night but locking the doors…"

  I shot him a look.

  He grinned at me, unrepentant. “Come on, let's get some breakfast."

  I gave him a small smile as he led me to the kitchenette where platters of food were set up. Eggs, bacon, turkey sausage, toast, hell, even waffles.

  "Did Asher make all this?" I asked as I picked up two plates and started filling them. One for me, one with Isaac's usual breakfast. Sausage, eggs, and a small pancake. They were his favorite things for breakfast.

  "No, he was up late. So, Miles ordered room service," Isaac admitted as he poured two cups of coffee.

  "I knew he was up late but when did he finally go to bed?" I smiled my thanks as I set his plate down for him and he handed me my coffee with cream and sugar already added. He even made it an iced coffee. Best friend ever!

  "I'm not sure, it was after the bars closed on the street though," he answered as he moved to the balcony.

  And no one had woken him up. I set my coffee and plate aside and made Asher’s usual coffee and breakfast. Bacon, small veggie and cheese omelet and fruit. I headed to the room Asher and Isaac were sharing. I knocked. There was no answer. He must really be out cold. Careful of the coffee, I opened the door and slipped inside.

  The room was dim, showing Asher stretched out on his stomach with his head buried under the pillows. His pajama bottoms riding low on his hips, showing his lower back dimples and the start of the curve of his butt. What was it about dimples? And dimples there? Ugh. I set his plate on his nightstand and held up his coffee.

  “Asher,” I called softly.

  Nothing.

  I stepped closer and sat on the edge of the bed. “Asher.”

  He murmured in his sleep.

  I looked at his butt again, my wicked side came out to play. I slapped my hand down on the curve of his ass. He jerked then pulled his head out from under the pillows. “Thank God, I thought you were freaking Isaac,” he grumbled before rolling onto his back and covering his face with a pillow.

  “It’s time to get up.” I grinned down at him.

  “Go away,” he said, his voice muffled.

  I held up the coffee mug. “I brought coffee.”

  No response.

  I set the coffee down and picked up a strawberry. “I have strawberries.”

  “Fresh?” he asked.

  I grinned. “And ripe.”

  He thought about it for a moment. “Not worth it.”

  I snorted as I put the strawberry down. Then I pulled out the big guns and picked up the bacon. “How about bacon? Crisp, perfectly cooked, bacon.”

  He pulled the pillow down enough to open one sleep hazed eye. “By my standards or yours?”

  I grinned. “Yours.”

  He pulled the pillow off his face to sit on his lap and eyed the bacon in my hand. “Is there more?”

  “Yes, but it’s out in the kitchen,” I chimed.

  He reached for the bacon, I pulled it just out of his reach. “Are you going to get out of bed?”

  “It’s morning,” he reminded me.

  “I know, but I had to get up and so do you,” I teased.

  “Ally,” he said in a voice that caught my attention. “Could you leave so I can get out of bed?”

  It hit me what he meant, and why he had put the pillow in his lap. My face burned. “Oh, yeah, uh, I’ll just… Sorry.” I got up and left, making sure to close the door behind me. In the hall, I leaned back against the door and took some time to cool my face off. Boy, that was… awkward. When I was ready, I went into the kitchen and got my breakfast.

  Outside it was hot, and humid again. I could practically feel my hair frizzing in real time. I accepted defeat. Maybe I could find a ball cap or something.

  Almost everyone was there. Claire was sitting on the railing next to the table, Zeke was on the other side of the table. Isaac was beside him. I sat across from Isaac and next to Miles.

  "So, there Lexie was, five feet in the air, swinging upside down in this pink, frilly Easter dress her mom made her wear-"

  "Claire!" I couldn't fucking believe what she was telling them!

  The guys cracked up while she continued. "Then there's a loud crack. The branch breaks, dropping her into the mud puddle below the branch."

  My face burned as I ignored the guys laughing and put some jam on my toast. "I cracked my collar bone," I muttered. This time, Miles started chuckling, he was trying to hide it but he was laughing. I ignored them.

  "Then of course, her mom comes looking for her because it's time to go in for church." Claire continued. "The look on her face when Lexie walked around that church covered head to toe in mud, holding her arm to her. It was priceless."

  I shook my head and finished my bite. "Mom blew up."

  "And your dad laughed his butt off," Claire chirped. I grinned. He certainly had, at least until he realized I was hurt. He had taken me to the emergency room while Mom was huffing about how she told me to stay out of the mud. I was seven. Asher joined us, dressed for the day and carrying his breakfast.

  When the guys went back to eating, I asked, "What's everyone up to today?"

  "We're all planning to go with you to meet Louis," Zeke announced.

  I eyed him. "Seriously?"

  "Last night, we couldn’t agree on who would go with you," Miles explained. "So, everyone has decided to go."

  I sighed. There wasn't much I could do. And to be honest, there wasn't much I wanted to do.

  "How much are you going to tell him about what you know?" Asher asked as he cut into some sausage.

  I had thought about it a lot last night. Louis was stand offish. He didn't trust me and really, I didn't trust him. “For today, I'll keep my cards close to my chest. Maybe ask some questions.” I played with my scrambled eggs. "I'll learn what I can then I'll think it over again."

  "I like that plan," Zeke said. "Tell him as little as possible."

  "What about you guys?" I asked. "Are you going to explain how you have the Sight?"

  "I don't see why we would." Ethan started to put jam on his toast.

  "Let's let him think that it's natural for now," Miles agreed.

  "What are we doing after?" Isaac asked the group.

  "Sightseeing?" I stole a packet of jelly from Isaac. Isaac shot me look promising retaliation.

  Asher turned to Claire. "Is there anywhere you want to go?" My heart melted.

  Claire smiled a big smile. "Well, there's the zoo..."

  "The zoo it is," Miles announced.

  Claire cheered and practically danced on the rail. Asher and the twins chuckled.

  Isaac grabbed the last strawberry jelly pack Ethan had been reaching for.

  “Seriously? You saw I was fucking reaching for that,” Ethan snapped.

  “You snooze, you lose,” Isaac shot back as he started to put jam on his toast.

  “You’re a prick,” Ethan muttered as he picked up the raspberry.

  “Can you two ease up?” Miles asked. “We just woke up.”

  "I still have to go to the cemetery before we head over to Tulane," I reminded them, changing the subject.

/>   Zeke nodded then finished his coffee. "St. Louis Cemetery Number One No. 1, right?"

  I nodded since my mouth was full.

  He pulled out his phone and hit some buttons. "It's a short walk and there’s a bus stop nearby."

  “It might take a bit depending on how many are there,” I warned.

  “We can all meet at the bus stop,” Miles suggested.

  “Why aren’t we taking the car?” Ethan asked turning to Miles.

  “Driving through this section of the city, just to get to the hotel, is an experience in traffic purgatory I never wish to experience again,” Miles explained calmly. I grinned.

  "Stay in pairs," Zeke reminded everyone. Everyone agreed.

  I turned to Claire. “So, what are you going to do besides the zoo today?”

  Claire scrunched up her face and shrugged. “I think I’m going to the city park. Last time I was down here, there were a few ghosts my age to play with.”

  My heart ached. Dead kids, that was never easy. “Do any of them want to cross?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe? I’ll ask.”

  I really didn’t like the idea of having to cross children. Thankfully, I hadn’t had to cross very many. I went back to my breakfast a bit more somber.

  * * *

  Tulane was a beautiful campus. Old stone architecture, beautifully green pathways and trees. It screamed higher education. They must have had a summer session since the paths were full of college students. And the dead. Some souls watched from their perches in the trees. Some were lying in the grass napping. Others…were sun bathing in the nude. It was bizarre. But not as bizarre as the cemetery. Only five ghosts had shown up. They said they were the only ones who wanted to cross. What kind of ghost doesn’t want to move on? “Ah!” Ethan closed his eyes. “I could have gone my entire life not seeing old man balls.”

  I snickered. “Too much for you, Ethan?”

  “Don’t start,” Ethan warned. “There’s an old lady in her nineties showing it all over there. Why are they naked? Can they even tan?”

  I turned and looked. “Yeah, cute tattoo on her hip.” I turned back and smirked at Ethan as everyone else cracked up.

  Ignoring the rest of the dead, I led us to one of the big English looking buildings and led us inside. “His office should be on the second floor.” I tucked my phone back in my pocket before we headed up the stairs.

  “Did he say what he teaches?” Miles asked as he fell into step behind me.

  “He's the head of the Religions department.” I reached the landing between floors and headed up the next flight of stairs with Ethan beside me.

  Some guy was coming down the stairs on the left. He saw me and flashed a smile. Ethan's hand moved to my lower back as we passed him and continued up the stairs. There was muttering behind me but it was too low to make out. He didn't drop his hand until we reached the door we were looking for. I hesitated only a heartbeat before I knocked.

  Louis answered. His gaze ran over the guys. "I thought you'd bring only one."

  "Yeah, they all insisted." And I didn't put up much of a fight.

  Louis sighed before opening the door. "It's going to be tight."

  "That's what she said," Isaac and I whispered in unison. We shared a grin before we slipped inside the office. Louis was right. It was a tight fit, but eventually everyone got inside. As I closed the door, a faint white caulk line on the wall near the light switch caught my eye. Had to be a ward, though I didn’t recognize it. I couldn't really tell much about the office except that it was nice. And lined with bookcases, I think, I couldn’t really see past the guys lining the walls. I sat down in one of the armchairs.

  Louis sat behind his desk, leaned back in his chair and eyed me. "Where shall we begin? I only have a little time before my next class."

  He was sizing me up, just as I was him. So, I tried something neutral. "How's it going with the Witches Council?"

  He let out a breath. "Things are deteriorating. Tensions are high and people are getting frustrated. It's a dangerous combination."

  "That's not good," I muttered.

  "No, it's not." He ran his gaze over me again. "Tell me what you know."

  "I know we have Reaper blood," I hedged. "Otherwise, treat me like a newbie."

  He rested his elbows on his desk. “Alright. A Necromancer is created when a Reaper has a child with a normal human. Now, that blood never dilutes, so every child from that blood line from then on, who is the same gender as the Reaper, will be a Necro."

  "There's never been an exception?" I asked, my voice quiet. My heart sinking.

  "No, not in my blood line." His voice softened a little. My heart sank. I had hoped that maybe I had a chance to... but I was kidding myself.

  "So, any daughter Lexie has, will be a Necromancer?" Miles asked carefully.

  Louis turned to Miles. "Yes. And any boys will pass on the same gene."

  "Lucky that I'm only seventeen and not thinking about that." I needed them off this topic now. "What exactly is a Reaper?"

  Louis's gaze found mine. "They're the grim reaper of mythology. They collect lost souls and move them on to the Veil. They’re one of the gears that keep the world working."

  None of the guys moved.

  "What else do they do?" I asked.

  He raised an eyebrow. Shit! I'm not supposed to know what the Veil was! It didn't seem to matter since he began answering. "They have abilities. Some can enter dreams, most can travel through the ether to pop out into the physical world on the other side of the planet. But all of them can cross souls, and cross the realms and dimensions."

  "And all Reapers are born?" Miles asked, leaning against the back of my chair.

  "Well, yes and no," Louis said. "Reapers have children, yes. But those who were Necromancers... Well, after death we have a choice that no one else gets."

  The room grew silent and still.

  "What choice?" Zeke's voice was gruff.

  "To move on, or continue working and living as a Reaper," he explained. "It's a choice Claire had to make, and she chose to move on."

  I didn't know what to think of that. "So, where do they come from?"

  "Death," he stated simply. "We call him Ankou."

  "Wait, Death is a person?" Asher asked as he shifted against a bookcase.

  "More of a deity," Louis said. "I'm explaining this badly. In the beginning of existence, you have God. Now, God wasn’t alone. There was also Ankou, who is known as Death. And Apep, who is the embodiment of chaos and darkness. Now, after this dimension was created, God created several lesser deities. Among them was Anu, the Goddess of Life. There are probably many more, and many names they go by, but these are the names I was raised with and that concern us." He turned back to me. "Now, Reapers."

  I shifted forward, my hands sweating.

  "After God and Anu created humans, some bloodlines had abilities. Those became witches, warlocks, shamans, psychics and so on. Ankou, Death, met a witch and fell in love with her. They had children during her short life. Reapers are the children of Ankou and the first human witch, Lilith," he stated simply.

  “You're saying our great, great, however many times, grandfather is Death?" I all but shouted. I couldn't have heard that right. No fucking way. This couldn't be happening. My stomach twisted up on itself.

  “Yes. Death's own abilities twisted Lilith's in a way that forever changed her bloodline," he explained. "That's where we come from."

  I shook my head. "Then why do we die so early?"

  He sighed. "Because our human bodies aren't built for the kind of energy that we deal with. Our natural barriers aren’t strong enough." He met my eyes again. "There are levels of power in the world. First level is what I call the Primal level, it's the highest, that's where you have Death, God, Apep and the other lower deities. The second level is where you have gargoyles, dragons, reapers, demons and angels. Even Red Caps are on that level but not from ability, just from sheer brute strength and resilience. Below that are the witches
, vampires, and shapeshifters like werewolves. Below, you usually have weaker psychics, telepaths, and those with the Sight."

  “Where are we on that scale?” I asked, my head swimming. What the hell was a Red Cap?

  “We’re between the witches’ level and the gargoyles’ level. Along with every human born with natural abilities.” He took a breath. "Do you now understand why we die out so quickly?"

  "That's why the Witches Council want us dead," I guessed.

  His eyes grew darker. "Yes. They don't like not being at the top of the human power structure. To date, any Necromancer that has agreed to work with them has disappeared. Granted there aren't many of us-"

  "How many are there?" Asher asked, leaning back.

  "Five, well, four that I know of." His eyes unfocused. "We tend to have territories of our own. It just makes things easier. One is in Russia, one is in Texas, I am here and another is you. There was another family in Rome, however, I haven't heard from them for some time." He met my gaze again. "The fact is, we aren’t magic users. We’re stronger and they don't like the competition."

  "So... there is more than one god? As in big g?" I asked just to be clear.

  His gaze ran over me. “I don’t know for sure. This is the legend that’s been passed down my family for centuries. But, I've never met them in person. And I don't believe I want to."

  "But..." I took a breath. "How do we know it's true? That, that is where our abilities come from?"

  "Because I've spoken to a Reaper," he stated. "In fact, you probably have as well. They like to keep an eye on us half-bloods."