Elle threw her hands in the air. “You are so impossible. Please stop saying that.”
Victor pointed to the food. “Eat.”
Elle glared at him. “I’m not hungry.”
Victor glared back. “I didn’t ask if you were hungry. You need to heal and regain your strength. In order to do that you need to eat.”
She crossed her arms over her chest obviously ready for a fight. Victor almost smiled because she had no idea what she was up against.
“I need to find my sister.” She glared back at him.
He starred at her, and pointed at her food. “Eat.”
They starred at each other; but Victor won like he always did. Elle picked up her food and started eating again. When she had eaten enough to satisfy Victor, he took up the conversation again. “Why do you need to find your sister?”
“I need to make sure she is okay? The Tribunal is after us. She warned me they were coming for me. That they may attack me.” Elle chewed her bottom lip as she finished.
Victor pulled a phone from his pocket and tossed it at her. “Call her and let her know you’re okay. Will that be enough?”
Elle caught the phone and stared at it like she had never seen it before. “Where the hell did you get a phone?”
Victor rolled his eyes. “Just because I’m a Reaper doesn’t mean I have my head in the sand.”
Victor kicked his shoes off and leaned back on the bed. “Call your sister Elle. And sleep through the night.”
“You said last night I had until tonight,” she accused.
Victor sighed. “That was until I realized you wouldn’t be healed and well. We can’t travel with you like this.”
“One more night, Elle. And then we are moving. The Tribunal will be moving in on us,” Victor couldn’t afford to keep them holed up for much longer. It was only a matter of time before who every was looking for her found her.
****
“Where the hell are you?” Helena shouted into the phone. “I’ve tried your phone fifty times.”
“But my seventy-two hours isn’t up.” Elle started.
“That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t answer your phone. The Tribunal has been going crazy everywhere.” Helena explained. “Now explain why you haven’t answered your damn phone.”
Elle held the phone away from her ear, and looked over at Victor. He didn’t make any move to show he was listening, but she didn’t doubt he was listening to her conversation.
“Did you know the emergency number you gave me would sell my soul to the Reapers?” Elle asked.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Helena shouted just as loud as her other questions. “The only damn way it would happen is if you used your own blood to scribe the call. And since I never taught you to use your blood as the medium it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Information that would have been helpful a couple of days ago,” Elle said more to herself then to Helena.
“Please tell me you did not do what I think you did!” Helena screeched.
“Just stop screaming,” Elle said. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she was starting to get a headache. Even through the phone she could feel frustration and anger Helena barely held in check through the phone.
“You should be close, where the fuck are you?” Helena demanded.
“Well obviously I’m not. I was attacked by some Freak who tried to tear my foot off,” Elle explained.
“How long before you can get here?” Helena demanded.
Elle felt like she was about to cry just a little sympathy. Could Helena give her a little sympathy? “I don’t know. I’m not in control of the situation.”
“For the love of the gods Elle, I don’t have time for this bullshit. Isn’t it enough we have to wait for you?” Helena asked.
“I called a Reaper, and now he is in control,” Elle said looking again at Victor.
She could practically see Helena shake her head in frustration. “Then get away from him. He probably has better things to do then babysit a cursed demi-god.”
Her words shouldn’t hurt, because they were true. But gods did they ever hurt. Like a damn ice pick to the fucking heart they hurt. Elle swallowed past the lump in her throat. “What’s the plan?”
“Get to Atlanta, stay in touch dammit.” Helena hung up.
Elle starred at the phone for a minute before placing it on the bedside. She curled into her side and pulled the sheets up to her chin. She took several deep gasps and forced herself to relax. Thank the gods her body was still trying to recover and she finally feel into a deep sleep.
****
Victor stuffed a burger into his mouth and glared at the phone as he remembered the words from Elle’s phone call the night before the waspish tone of her sister’s words still ringing in his mind. Her sister was a piece of work, and she had certainly upset Elle. Why that upset him he didn’t know, the only thing he knew was his brothers would never speak to each other that way.
If Elle believed for one second she could run from him she had another thing coming. The assumption was laughable at best. If he ever got the chance he was going to tell this Helena a thing or two about what it meant to be family.
At the moment Elle needed him, and although he hadn’t wanted to at first he knew Elle didn’t have anyone else in the world, after the conversation he had overheard Helena didn’t count. Victor swore and tunneled a hand through his hair. “What have I gotten myself into?”
“Are you talking to me, Reaper?” Elle asked her voice scratchy from sleep.
“Damn, I thought you were going to sleep all damn day.” Victor tossed a bag of food toward her.
Elle wrinkled her nose at the food. “Do you eat anything besides hamburgers and fries?”
Victor shrugged. “When on the mortal plan, not really.”
She smiled at him. “Well I like to eat more than hamburgers and fries,” she said pulling herself from the bed she tested her weight on her leg. “It feels much better today.”
“Let me look.” Victor sat on her bed and held out his hand. She placed her foot in his hand, and Victor looked at the wound. It was almost healed. The skin was puckered and pink but almost totally healed. “Good, almost totally healed. How are you feeling otherwise?”
Her brow furrowed again in thought and his hand itched to rub the furrows away. “I feel better than I have in a long time. It’s weird, typically when I’m in a new place I feel horrible.” She shrugged, and he wondered if she recognized she did it and her aura shimmered an almost golden hue trying to break free. She should have shown with it, bright like the sun, being a demi-god she should have shimmered with it. However, it was muted.
When he watched her closely he could have missed it, but watching close enough he saw just a shimmer of her aura. A goldenness so beautiful and lovely it made him want to reach out and touch her, his hands itched to touch her.
“Why is it when I look at you I feel like I’ve made a deal with the devil?” She exhaled her voice catching.
Victor recognized he needed to put some distance between them even if it was metaphorical. He moved so fast he knew she wouldn’t be able to track the movements and he was leaning over her boxing her in a hand on either side of her head he leaned down so they were face to face. She may not like his devastating smile, but she wouldn’t be able to resist him when he turned on the charm. He inhaled her scent. She smelled of the motel’s cheap soap, but there—something beneath, something only an Other would be able to detect he identified to be uniquely her. Victor drew it into the center of his being, memorizing it for later.
“Not the devil, Elle,” he exhaled as she sucked in a shocked breath. “But close.”
Elle’s eyes crossed as she tried to focus on him and a crease formed between her brows. Then she made a harrumphing noise and stuffed half a burger in her mouth.
Victor pulled back glaring at her, he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting but a sudden need to eat hadn’t been at the top of his list of reactions. He wa
s about to say something more make another move when a knock at the door startled them both.
“Housekeeping,” a heavily accented voice called out.
Victor turned and glared at the door for several long moments.
Elle had a bad feeling. “What?” she whispered, pushing herself to the edge of the bed her food forgotten.
“I don’t spend a lot of time on the mortal plane, but since when did housekeeping come to a room at eleven o’clock at night?” he asked in a stage whisper.
Elle looked around for an escape. They were basically trapped. “What are we going to do?” she whispered.
He turned to her and smiled showing her a row of straight white teeth. Victor pulled a weapon from his back and flipped it open with his wrist. An eight inch long scythe extended gleaming in the low light. “We fight.”
He moved to stand next to the door. “Not really a good idea.” she said as quietly as possible as she rolled to the opposite side of the bed she eased herself onto the floor the only thing she could do was hide and it made her want to scream. She sometimes hated who she was.
“What are you doing?” he asked giving her a look like he had never seen her before.
“I can’t fight. So I’m hiding.” She looked between the bed and the wall where she had wedged herself.
She would have laughed at the look he gave her but she didn’t think it was funny. “What?”
“Empath,” she said pointing to herself. “Not a great fighter, more of a…” She let it trail off. Then: “I feel the pain I inflict.” She had been known to fight when her emotions were out of control. Take for instance the Freak from the night before. Although she rarely ever fought because the backlash was just too much, the end result was always what had happened the last twenty-four hours; she had to sleep off the horror of the rage and pain.
“Bloody balls of Satan.” Victor swore. “Fragile, freaking…” he didn’t get to finish as there was another knock on the door followed by a jiggling of the handle.
“Won’t you feel stupid if it’s really housekeeping?” Elle asked with a nervous laugh she eyeballed the hotel door.
“I’m not the one hiding under the bed,” he glared at her, she was about to tell him what she thought about him when the door flew open slamming so hard into the wall behind it embedded partially into the soft wall.
Elle sucked in a gasp, and stared out the doorway into the dark night. She forgot to breathe as she peeked around the end of the bed.
Victor looked at her and she shrugged and leaned forward so she could see out the door. Her breath caught deep in her chest as shadows coalesced, and Elle was pretty sure her eyes were going to bug out of her skull at what she saw.
A burnt orange arm reached through the shadows, a gold cuff encircling the wrist. The hand turned into an arm and a bare chest. A cloven hoof stamped into the room and this time her eyes did bug out. The Freak, stomped and looked around making eye contact with Elle who backed tracked behind the bed.
“What the hell?” she felt the words tumble from her mouth. And she pressed herself into the wall and slid against it she backed as far away from the massive Freak as she could get.
****
“Fuck.” Victor looked down at the cloven hooves and the burnt orange legs it was attached to, a loin cloth covered the crotch and besides the gold bands at wrists, and ankles it wore nothing else.
Victor trailed his eyes to the face, and just stared unable to believe what he was seeing, harsh lines and cheek bones. But it took a backseat to the huge horns, the size of his forearms the protruded from the things head.
“What the hell are you supposed to be?” Victor asked in shock.
“Your worst nightmare,” It spat between its sharp and pointy teeth. “I want the girl.”
The Freak looked over to Elle, its black eyes gleaming unnaturally.
“Why don’t you tell me why you want her so bad and we can make a deal,” Victor offered.
Elle made a very unlady like noise from behind him.
“No deals, I want the girl. Give her to me.”
“Okay then. No deal?” Victor asked. When the thing shook his head, Victor shrugged. “Why don’t you try and take her.”
The thing threw his head back and laughed. “I am going to tear you limb from limb and enjoy it,” it snarled.
Victor wondered what exactly the Tribunal was working at, first the Freak with puck green skin, now this thing. “Let me guess you have no soul.”
The thing shook its head and swung one meaty paw at Victor’s head. It was surprisingly fast considering it was 300 pounds of muscle. Victor swung his scythe and was gratified when it sliced through the upper arm, black goo oozed from the wound. Victor shook his head.
“What are you?” Victor asked again.
Blood red eyes surrounded in black glared at him just before it barreled at Victor driving a massive shoulder into Victor’s stomach. All the air was pushed from his lungs just milliseconds before he was driven into the wall. The flimsy plasterboard gave way and they tumbled out into the parking lot. Victor saw stars as he drove his elbow into the thing’s shoulder and neck.
The giant fell to his knees unfortunately he didn’t release Victor as he fell. And Victor felt ribs break as he was crushed. Victor raised his arm holding his scythe and drove the blade down making contact with one of the things horns. The beast bellowed in pain making Victor’s ears ring, but it also got it to release Victor who took his scythe with it, as he jerked out of Victor’s hold. The Freak stood shooting fire at Victor. He obviously hadn’t expected this much resistance.
Victor rolled to his feet taking several pained breaths, and motioned for the Freak to come forward. He wasn’t about to back down or give him an inch of ground.
The Freak growled low in his throat, reaching up and pulling the scythe free, he tossed it into the shadows of the hotel parking lot. “I am going to make you suffer.”
Victor shrugged, ignoring the pain it caused. “It will take more than just you to bring me down. Did you bring along some friends?”
He nailed the beast with a superman punch as it rushed him. Then nailed it with a swift kick to the stomach. It doubled the Freak over and Victor swept his legs out from beneath him. Victor acknowledged he needed to keep the upper hand. Keeping the thing on the ground until he found his scythe was going to be a problem. Victor stomped on one bare orange leg making the Freak roar in pain. The thing rolled trying to get away from Victor’s combat boot. It swept one meaty arm out taking Victor off his own feet. Victor hit the ground hard and rolled away. Just as another arm came down trying to smash his head into the ground.
They both rolled free, and back onto their feet. Breathing heavily they glared at each other. Victor very much wanted his scythe so he could bury the damn thing in the Freak’s chest. And by the look the Freak was giving him he wanted to break Victor in half.
“Give me the girl, and I don’t have to hurt you any further,” It snarled spitting out blood.
This time it was Victor who laughed. “Who said I was hurt?” Victor asked, showing the rough Reaper smile they were all known for.
The Freak didn’t appreciate it and rushed Victor slamming into him. He drove them both back and into a cement post. Victor felt like his spine might have just been crushed but it didn’t stop Victor from fighting. Victor leaned back and drove a fist directly into the ear of his opponent.
The Freak howled, so Victor followed it up with a punch to his Adam’s apple. Shutting him up rather quickly as the Freak gasped and gurgled. The thing released Victor and stumbled back holding his throat.
Victor pushed himself to his feet and went in search of his scythe, time to cut the damn things head off. He was done playing with it. And how much longer before the mortals came looking for what was making so much noise?
The Freak slammed into Victor just when he found his damn scythe, knocking the air from his lungs again. “Damn it.” Victor tried to breathe, but it came out like a gust of air.
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He hated to admit it, but this piece of shit was kicking his ass. It head butted him in the back of the skull and Victor saw stars and hit the ground. He couldn’t kill this thing on his own and he wasn’t sure what chapped him more about that, but he did know when to call for help.
“Christian, Celeste,” he muttered around gasps of air as he tried to push himself to his feet. But the thing was still on his back. But he felt more than saw his siblings arrive and then the Freak was off of him, and someone was slipping an arm around him. “Lean on me.” Celeste whispered urgently.
“Kill it,” he said to Christian.
Christian looked over at the Freak and grimaced. “What is it?”
The beast growled and barreled at Christian, the other Reaper was taken by surprise at how fast the Freak was and didn’t move as a shoulder was buried in his stomach and he was pile driven into the gravel parking lot. Victor couldn’t help it he got a little pleasure out of it.
“Mother fu…” Victor winced when Christian’s words were broken off by a fist to his face.
Victor pushed away from Celeste, motioning for her to help their brother out. “You should probably help him.”
Celeste smiled, and leaned Victor against the SUV she turned to the Freak and pulled out a short sword from each boot and charged with a smile on her face.
The beast’s eyes rounded at her. And was standing there bleeding from several spots before his fight reflexes kicked in. A meaty fist came out and glanced off of Celeste’s shoulder. She was fast, and he looked like he might be shadow boxing. “Now you’re just pissing me off,” Celeste taunted.
Victor steeled himself against the pain he was in and found his scythe with it in hand he moved to fight alongside his sister. She glared at him. “I have this.”
But her momentary distraction was all the Freak needed and he clocked her with a back hand taking her right off her feet tossing her back in the air. She skidded to a halt against the ice machine.
Reaper Mine: A Reaper Novel Page 5