Nina pointed a finger at her and gave her a stern look, but there was a twinkle in her eye. “You be sure you do that.”
“Aye-aye, Captain,” Rocky acknowledged, rising herself to kick off her shoes and put them neatly in the corner.
Nina began to whistle “Don’t Fear The Reaper” as she made her way into Marty’s room.
“Very original, vampire! As if I haven’t heard that a hundred times before!”
Hudson ventured farther into the room, passing a laughing Nina. He eyed Rocky for a moment before he asked, “Mind if I sit for a little while?”
She shrugged, hoping to keep her attitude of indifference in check. She had to keep the wall between them in place. “It’s a free country.”
But he just kept right on smiling, dropping down on the couch and patting it to invite Muffin to sit with him. As she hopped up and curled into his lap, he asked, “So you’re really a reaper?”
Looking anywhere but directly at him, Rocky nodded, sitting on the other end of the fluffy couch. “I’m the real deal. Spooky, Gothic robe, death and all.”
“Interesting line of work.”
“Reaping? Taking lives as opposed to your saving them?”
If it were possible, he grinned harder, his eyes twinkling, but he’d clearly picked up on her defensive tone. “Easy there. I’m just trying to make friends. We’re all in this together.”
She leaned into the back of the couch, crossing her leg over her knee, and said casually, “I have plenty of friends. I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to protect Marty from the reap.”
“Okey-doke then. No friends for Rocky. Friendship is absolutely off the table. Do not make friends with the reaper,” he teased, sending a ripple of irritation along her spine.
She couldn’t be his friend. It wasn’t allowed. Not only because of her superiors but because of her heart.
Yet, looking at his face, so open and totally unaware of their past experiences on the In Between, guilt poked at her guts. He didn’t know why she harbored some resentment. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t remember her, and in the interest of keeping the peace for all concerned and not causing a ruckus, she decided she could be a little friendly.
But only a little.
With a sigh, Rocky leaned farther into the cushions on the couch. “Look, I don’t mean to come off so harsh. I’m just focused on doing what needs to be done. I don’t have the kinds of abilities these women do. Aside from my scythe, all I have is my big mouth and reason on my side. If they ever show up, it’s going to take a lot of fancy footwork to convince my superiors that this is a mistake.”
He nodded in understanding, his dark eyes going soft. “Listen, no one gets red tape better than me. You do remember Dr. Valentine is my superior, don’t you?”
She let out a small chuckle. “Yeah, he’s kind of a bag of dicks. A fair point if there ever was one, indeed.”
“So can you be fired for doing this? Do reapers get the boot for misconduct?”
“No, but we can go to reaper jail for disobedience.” And she’d heard it was a none-too friendly place with tighter security than Fort Knox. “I think refusing to collect a soul classifies as willful disobedience at its finest.”
He sat up, the muscles in his arms rippling beneath his dark green cable-knit sweater as he repositioned himself on the couch to face her, and she had to look down at her hands to forget those arms had once held her.
“So you’re risking going to jail to keep Marty’s soul intact?”
Okay, when Hudson said it out loud, it sounded a little outlandish and maybe even a little extra, but yeah. That was the gist.
“I’m just trying to do the right thing,” she whispered, her heart contracting before she steeled herself against the memory of their intimate conversation so long ago.
His eyes gleamed under the soft lighting. “Look, I know nothing about reaping, but I have to hand it to you for taking this to the next level. It’s pretty brave.”
Dwayne Johnson lifted his head and grumbled in his sleep before rolling over and resting his head on her foot.
Rocky shrugged. “It’s not totally selfless. If I’m honest, I don’t want the bad press and backlash for taking an immortal as famous as Marty. Do you have any idea what paranormal Twitter is like? They’d eat me alive. There’d be ugly hashtags and trending topics with me as the star punching bag. This is self-preservation from her rabid fans.”
He barked a laugh, then covered his mouth with his wrist and shook his head. “I’m not much for social media, but that you came here and had the guts to tell these women, especially Nina, says a lot about your character and your moral compass.”
Enough about her and bravery. Talk like that made her uncomfortable. She did what she did. He didn’t need to know her personal reasons for doing it.
“So what made you decide to take this job? It couldn’t have been easy to arrange to leave the hospital. Did Dr. Valentine pitch the fit of all fits?”
As they’d eaten dinner, and she’d heard bits and pieces of the offer the ladies and their husbands had made to Hudson, but she didn’t understand why he’d taken the bait. He had a solid job at the hospital, why would he leave and risk losing it? Money, maybe?
He shrugged, his eyes taking on a distant look as he stroked Muffin’s back. “I guess I’m just impressed with how determined they are to see their friend through this. They’re loyal as hell. How often do you see that kind of loyalty?”
“As a phoenix who’s seen many lives, I’d think you’ve seen it quite often.”
He cocked his head, his eyes instantly sharp. “How did you know I was a phoenix?”
Yeah. How did you know that, Rocky?
But she just shrugged despite the two red spots on her cheeks and kept things vague. “It’s not a secret, is it? I think I heard one of the housekeeping staff talk about it. I can’t really remember.”
“I don’t know if I can really fully explain what made me take this job. It just felt important, and over the month Marty’s been in my care, I’ve come to like these people.”
“Even Nina?” she couldn’t help but ask with an impish grin. “Does anyone really like Nina?”
“Why am I hearing my name, Reaper?” Nina crowed.
“Rocky was just remarking on how hard it is to believe anyone likes you, Nina, but I assured her, I like you best of all,” he said, shooting her a mischievous grin then setting Muffin on the couch and hopping upward.
“Way to throw me under the bus, Hudson” she drawled at him, tinting her voice with as much sarcasm as she could muster.
He grinned on a chuckle, a deep, delicious, husky chuckle that sent shivers along her arms. “I aim to please. Now, I’m going to go check on my patient one last time before bed. Oh, and don’t think I’ve forgotten this. I still say I know you from somewhere, Rocky.”
“No you do not!” she singsonged, trying to keep a teasing tone to her voice, even though a bit of panic was beginning to set in. “In what world would a lowly janitor like me know a fancy, rich, Mercedes-driving cardiologist like you?”
He chuckled again as he made his way into the bedroom, the sound settling in her ears, a sound she found all too pleasant—a sound that left her belly warm and her heart skipping beats.
But then she looked up at Nina, glaring down at her with a question written all over her gorgeously flawless face, and she sat up straight, clearing her throat.
Nina frowned and gave Rocky’s leg a shove as she sat down on the couch, before leaning forward and scooping up Dwayne Johnson, cuddling him on her lap.
As she cupped his bulky chin and he grunted at her, she smiled and cooed, “Tell your Flirty McFlirt mommy now’s not the time to start a bad romance. We have shit to figure out and it fucking doesn’t involve kissy-face.”
Rocky couldn’t help but laugh as she snuggled into the couch, pulling a pillow to her jittery stomach to tamp down her fears.
The long hours of the night worried her most. It was probabl
y the time a reaper would most likely appear. It was oftentimes easier on the reaper to take a soul if they didn’t have to witness sorrow-filled family and friends, grieving over a loved one. This job was hard enough as it was—even when the soul was ready.
Still, there were some souls that broke your heart into a million pieces; even the most hardened reaper would tell you that. The children. Those who had suffered, be it from disease or life’s cruelties and injustice. Minimal emotions surrounding the body always made the reap less difficult. A reaper would avoid them as often as possible.
So, as she listened to Nina list some possible suspects from their past battles with half an ear, she also listened for the distinctly low hum of the reap.
And held her breath.
And prayed.
Chapter 6
“Mistress Rocky, might I offer you more cheesy eggs?” Archibald asked, his smile warm across the long table where they all sat, finishing up breakfast for dinner.
Rocky ran a hand over her stomach and shook her head with her impish smile—one Hudson found he was growing fonder of by the second, even if she gave him the cold shoulder at every opportunity.
“You’ve cheesy-egged me into a food coma—” She stopped short, realizing her insensitivity, he guessed. Her eyes went instantly to the women as she nibbled at her lower lip. “Oh, hell… I’m so sorry—”
But Nina only cackled as she bounced Wanda’s baby, Sam, on her knee, his lightly tinted green face wreathed in a gummy smile. “Don’t be stupid, Reaper. Marty’d damn well laugh her ass off. She uses that expression with Arch all the time.”
Keegan half-smiled, even if it was only for a brief moment before his eyes clouded back over. “Nina’s right. She wouldn’t want you walking on eggshells.”
Blowing out a breath, her chest rising and falling, Rocky tucked a lock of her long chestnut hair behind her ear, so shiny, so soft, Hudson wanted to thread his fingers through the silky strands. “Okay,” she whispered, still clearly unsure.
Wanda reached out a finely boned hand and squeezed Rocky’s arm with a chuckle. “No, really. She’d definitely get a kick out of this. And when she wakes up, and we tell her everything she’s put us through, she’ll laugh even harder.”
Darnell, a big linebacker of a man in jeans, a football jersey and high-tops seated next to Rocky, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a light squeeze. “She’s tellin’ ya true, Rocky. I can’t wait for you ta meet our girl. You’ll see. She’s got a sense a humor. Yep, she does.”
Carl, who sat on the other side of her, thumped her hand with his duct-taped fingers and nodded, his sweet, open face genuine. “Yes. Thhh…the…” He paused, pursing his lips. “Truuuth.”
Carl had really developed a thing for Rocky. He sat with her outside Marty’s room as often as possible, his eyes moony and round, and today, he’d brought her a bouquet of broccoli, making Hudson’s chest tighten.
Rocky patted him on the arm and smiled warmly, flashing her white teeth as she pushed out her chair. “Thanks, Carl. Come upstairs later and we’ll read together, okay? For now, I’d better get up there. And thanks for an amazing dinner, Arch. You’re one of the best parts of my day.”
Arch nodded his head, the tuft of hair atop his balding skull bouncing in unison. “You are always welcome at my table, Mistress Rocky. I hope you saved room for some cake. I made a delightful German chocolate. Extra coconut because I heard a rumor you’re rather fond of it.”
Rocky went around the table to Arch’s side and gave him a quick hug. “You really are the best thing that’s ever happened to my palette.”
He barked a laugh and cupped her chin before she turned to leave the dining room and head toward her post.
They’d been together in Marty and Keegan’s beautiful home for two days straight now, all of them doing what they did on a mostly normal basis. They’d eaten meals in Marty’s room with her, they played games with the children, they read to her, and in general tried to go on doing what they might do if the circumstances were normal.
Keegan’s sister Mara, and his brother Sloan, and their respective spouses had shown up, too. Everyone had skin in the game. They were all deeply invested in Marty waking up.
Yet still, nothing. Marty’s vitals remained the same, strong and steady, and so did her status as un-reaped. But no one had shown up to collect her soul. In fact, there seemed to be no inkling anyone on the reaper side even knew her soul was still alive and well.
All the while, he’d tried to get to know Rocky, as resistant to the idea as she appeared. That niggling feeling in the back of his brain that just wouldn’t let him rest said they knew each other.
Spending time with her to try to discover their origins felt like the thing to do. So he hung around the fringes of her presence as much as possible when his responsibility to Marty didn’t take him away.
And yeah. She was short with him. Sometimes she even outright ignored him. But every time he thought he’d let this nagging feeling be, because he wasn’t into forcing himself on anyone, especially a woman, she’d smile or laugh at one of his jokes and he was sucked in all over again.
Today she looked exhausted, and as they excused themselves and left the table to head up the stairs, her for another long shift of watching out for shadows in the night, and him to check her fluids and stats, it showed in her weary footsteps.
“I can’t believe I said that,” she muttered, rolling up the sleeves of her sweatshirt when they hit the top of the stairs and made a hard right toward the sitting room.
Her dedication to this, her heart, drew him to her like a moth to a flame. A life spent with so few attachments, even immortal ones, always made him wish for dinners like the one they had every night with the OOPS gang.
Unfortunately, his lifespan was typically five hundred years, which, sure, seems like a long time—until you die, reincarnate, and forget almost every single person and possession you had. It meant starting all over again every damn time. And he always started a new life fully grown—a fully grown adult with amnesia.
Not total amnesia. He always remembered where he lived and the occasional face. But enough that it made it hard to revisit anyone and expect the other party to walk you through your life and help you relearn things like how to use a cell phone or call an Uber.
So he’d made an effort not to become too attached since as far back as he could remember. An inconvenience was the last thing he wanted to become to anyone.
Refocusing on Rocky so as not to dwell, Hudson stopped for a moment and touched her arm. “I think they made it clear Marty would find it funny,” he reassured, gazing down at her worried face, so beautiful with the light sprinkle of freckles over her nose. “Don’t fret.”
Her round eyes clouded as she twisted her fingers. “Is it funny to use a word like that when Marty’s like this?” She pointed to the interior of the bedroom, where Marty still lie hooked up to machines, fresh from the sponge bath Keegan had so tenderly given her, all while he told her how much he loved her. “I think not. It was insensitive and rude, after they’ve all been so kind to me when I showed up on their doorstep unannounced and declared myself some kind of guardian angel. Which I’m most definitely not. In fact, I’m the exact opposite.”
He sensed she was overwhelmed. Not just in her tone or her words, but her body language, which he’d swear on his next five lives, he knew.
“Hey.” He tapped her lightly on the shoulder as she took her place on the sitting room couch, her standard modus operandi these past couple of days as she sat watch. “I think you’re forgetting something here. You’re doing them a favor, too, Rocky. You’ve been in this sitting room for two days with only snippets of sleep, looking out for their friend. You’re anything but insensitive. You don’t even know these people. Yet here you are, staying up all night long to watch over Marty.”
She waved him off with the wrinkle of her nose and settled into the couch, snapping her fingers to show Dwayne Johnson he should follow. “Just be
cause you’re doing something kind, that doesn’t give someone a pass to be insensitive. What I said was insensitive.”
As Dwayne hopped onto the couch, burrowing under one of the knit throws against her leg, Hudson sat down, too, facing Rocky. “And you apologized. The end. Now, you really need to get some sleep. You’re exhausted. Why not lie down and I’ll take a shift?”
Pulling a throw around her legs, she rubbed Dwayne Johnson’s ears, making him hum his approval with a snort. “A, because you’re her doctor and you have other things to worry about, like keeping Marty alive and stable. B, because you won’t hear the sound of the reap.”
He cocked his head and frowned, running a hand over his stubble-covered jaw. “You can hear the sound of a reaper?” Man, you learned something new every day.
Just when he thought she was coming out of her shell, she retreated, her lips stiff and tight when she said, “I can. You can’t.”
“So you really are the only one who can do this.”
“That’s correct. Not that I’d trust anyone else anyway. There aren’t many rule-breakers like me. Reapers are all a bunch of sheeple who do the cosmos’s bidding without question. So I kept my mouth shut about my intentions with Marty. Only one person knows where I am right now, and I hope to keep it that way.”
“I hear a lot of bitter in your tone.”
Rocky sighed. “You heard right, I guess. Not everyone’s an exception to the rule. If a reaper didn’t take the souls he or she was assigned strictly based on our tender feelings, we’d have more than an overpopulation problem. But I’ll never understand why no one’s ever questioned a reap before me. We just blindly reap.”
“Ahhh,” he drawled. She really was the reaper with a heart. “So you’ve done this before? Questioned a reap?”
Rocky made a face, pushing her hair from her flashing eyes. “Not to this degree, but I have questioned the sanity of a reap or two, and you know what I got back? There has to be a balance of good and evil, Rocky. That’s just the way it goes. The universe unfolds the way it was meant to unfold,” she mimicked in a smug tone. “I’m not sure why the universe can’t be filled with only good, but I guess people have to have something to fight for, right? A purpose, a reason to get up in the morning. But Marty’s reap isn’t just about my feelings, Hudson. It’s just wrong. It’s damn well wrong, and I’m tired of shutting up and following some unknown, faceless leader. I’ve been doing it for too long, and it’s time to take a stand.”
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