‘Do you ever wish you could return to Angellin?’ Sam asked.
Rhonda shook her head. ‘It has been almost thirty years since I was there last. Even if I could return, with no one to challenge Cade the word of Clan Godden would be law. Besides, without wings I would need to be carried to even gain access to the city.’
Chris raised an eyebrow. ‘As interesting as all this is, it doesn’t help us with our current problem. We need to find Rebecca before whoever is targeting Killian’s men gets to her, if they haven’t already.’
‘Chris is right, and if Killian won’t help us find the Davilians then it is up to us.’ I turned to Sam. ‘Is it possible to check police reports in other towns or states to see if any of them mention victims with similar scarring on their backs, or unexplained deaths in abandoned houses?’
‘I’ll head into the station in the morning, see what I can come up with.’
I looked over at Chris. ‘I need you to go back to Killian’s compound. Find out where he’s hiding the Davilians, what his dealings were with the men who were murdered, and why he’s fortifying the compound.’
Chris grimaced. ‘The guy may want me to marry his daughter, but he’s close-mouthed at any time other than when he’s telling me what is expected of a son of Godden.’
‘What expectations would those be?’ Sam asked, eyes narrowed.
‘Keep a level head, avoid scandal, and be the best in the business.’
‘So that’s why your name hasn’t been coming up in the tabloids recently. You’re keeping your nose clean, on Daddy’s orders.’
‘Why, Lockwood, have you been keeping tabs on me?’ Chris screwed up his mouth. ‘If you have, you’d realise my lack of enthusiasm for playing the field has nothing to do with Daddy’s orders. After everything that happened last time I was in Easton, the party scene seemed rather tame by comparison.’
Sam gave a grim nod. ‘Yeah, nothing like almost getting killed to set your priorities straight.’
‘Exactly. I left Easton determined to make a change, to see if I could make a real go of being Chris Bradbury rather than using the name as an excuse to get away with all the things I didn’t get a chance to do in my first life.’
‘Speaking of changes,’ said Rhonda, a wry twist to her smile, ‘if you’re the one who gives out orders now, Tyler, what is it you want me to do?’
I pulled my gaze away from Chris, still amazed at the new maturity he displayed, and focused on my step-mother. The changes in her had been just as marked as those in Chris. A short time ago she’d said she was going to skip town, and now she was offering to help.
‘You said Easton is where some of the Tr’lirians came after losing their immortality. Are any of them still here, who might have been missed by Killian and Cade when they were rounding up those who sided with Almorthanos? Surely not all of them were involved in the battle. We need every little scrap of information we can get, so if you could find even one of them it would be a huge help.’
Rhonda set her coffee mug down on the table, spinning it around in her hands. ‘Those who have fled Angellin due to disability don’t usually want to be found and someone like me, who was sent here for a purpose, would be the last person they would want to associate with. Even though I didn’t willingly relinquish my wings, they would still see me as someone who gave up what they would give anything to have back.’
‘What about the ones who were here to work with Talaom? Would they all have been involved in the battle or is there a chance one of them might have gotten away.’
‘I’m sorry, Tyler. I might as well be the last Tr’lirian on Earth for all the good it does me. I’m a pariah. Traitor. I chose family over clan, and I’d do it again if it came down to it. No one is more important to me than my son.’
I gave her a reassuring smile. ‘It’s okay. We’ll figure out another way to find what we need. Cade and Killian can’t have rounded up every single Tr’lirian on the physical plane.’ The trouble was I didn’t believe what I was saying. A cold ball of dread sat in the pit of my stomach, and it was getting bigger with each passing minute.
Giving out orders and acting like I knew what I was doing didn’t change the fact I was missing something. None of it added up, least of all why Killian would want Chris to marry his daughter.
The compound was being fortified. Men he had business dealings with were being murdered. He refused to tell Sam and me where any of the exiled Davilians were.
Visions of hundreds of people crammed into concentration style camps, backs still bleeding from where their wings had been torn away, filled my head each time I closed my eyes. And there was a possibility Talaom had taken a new body and was getting revenge on those who killed his master.
I rubbed my temples, trying to soothe away the tightness starting to build inside my head. The last thing I needed was a migraine.
Strong hands covered mine. ‘Enough. You’ve done enough for tonight. It’s time to get some rest.’
I looked into Sam’s steady gaze. ‘There’s no time. We have to figure out what Killian is up to, and find Rebecca.’
‘We’ve got no leads, so there’s nothing we can do about any of that now. First thing tomorrow I’ll go to the station and log into the national database, check for any signs our guy has been active anywhere besides Easton. Bradbury here can put his Sherlock Holmes hat on and go sleuthing. In the meantime, you need to take care of yourself. Chances are you’ll be called to reap through the night. You’re going to be no good to your clients if you’re in the grip of a massive migraine.’
I knew he was right, and from the looks on the faces of Chris and Rhonda so did they. But that didn’t mean I had to like it. ‘What if the next client I get called for is Rebecca Killian?’
‘Then we deal with it, just like we’ll deal with everything else. In the morning, after you’ve taken your medication and gotten rid of the headache I can see building up.’
‘Go home, Tyler. All your problems will still be here in the morning,’ said Rhonda with a sympathetic smile, ‘but maybe a good night’s sleep will help you look at them with more clarity.’ She plucked the empty coffee mug out of my hands and stood.
‘I can’t say it was wonderful to have you drop in, considering the circumstances, and right now I’m regretting not installing a wine cellar. Although, with how long it’s been since I had a drink I’m pretty sure one glass, let alone a bottle, would send me to oblivion. Might not even sober up in time to see you save the world, again.’
Her comment forced a laugh out of me. ‘I didn’t exactly save the world.’
‘You saved Connor, and for me he is the world.’
I gave a nod, recognising the truth in her words. And I had saved Connor, but so many other people had been lost in the process, on both sides of the battle. I only hoped the coming conflict I sensed was just around the corner would have a better outcome.
I’d been pulled back into a world I thought I’d left behind six months ago and the death count was already rising.
How many more would lose their lives before I figured out what was going on and how to stop it?
How many innocent souls would I have to reap before it was over?
‘Can you drop me at the Plaza?’ Chris asked as we walked to Sam’s car. ‘I’ll stay in one of the suites and head back to the compound in the morning.’ He yawned and rubbed his face with one hand. ‘Don’t think I’m up to playing Sherlock tonight.’
‘Fair enough,’ said Sam, looking like he was trying to stifle a yawn of his own.
I didn’t even try, eyes watering as weariness hit me. I gave Sam a smile as he opened the passenger door for me, then slipped into the seat and buckled up. I leaned back, eyes closed, and let my body relax. The only tension came from my temples, where the thud thud thud of my pulse throbbed through my head.
I felt the engine start, keeping my eyes closed as Sam pulled away from the kerb and drove off down the street. Unlike earlier, the silence did not feel uncomfortable. I guess
bonding over a potential threat had worked out all the awkwardness.
‘Anybody want to grab a bite to eat before heading home?’ Sam asked.
My stomach immediately grumbled, loudly.
He laughed and said, ‘I guess I have my answer.’
I opened my eyes and gave him a sheepish smile. ‘It’s not my fault. We skipped dinner, and I didn’t even know I was hungry until you mentioned food.’
‘Any preferences?’
I twisted around to look in the backseat. ‘What do you feel like eating, Chris?’
He opened his mouth to speak but never got a word out.
Headlights gleamed in the window beside him a split second before a car rammed into the side of Sam’s unmarked police car. The sound was intense, explosive in such a confined space. The concussion flung me sideways, head slamming into the window beside me.
The seatbelt pulled tight, securing me in my seat.
A loud bang sounded, white powder filling the car as the front airbags deployed. Metal screeched, the car skidding out of control. Sam shouted out, calling my name.
Then came silence.
11
Ears ringing, chest hurting, I struggled to focus. I pushed at the air bag in front of me, trying to see around it. ‘Sam? Chris?’
A faint groan was the only answer I received.
Hand fumbling for the seat belt, I fought down the rising panic threatening to engulf me. My hands found the seat belt buckle and I depressed it, sighing in relief as the pressure around my middle eased.
Relief fled when the hollow below my neck went cold.
Someone was dying, and I had no urge to travel to get to my client. That meant whoever was dying had to be close by.
No. Not Sam. It couldn’t be Sam.
I choked back a sob as I pushed and pulled until I could see past the airbag. Sam was slumped in the driver’s seat, partially hidden by the driver’s side airbag. I couldn’t see his face. I thrust out a hand and grabbed his arm, pushing down the reaper within me, feeling my way until I found his wrist.
I latched on, feeling for his pulse, crying out in relief when I felt it strong and unmistakable.
But the call to reap was undeniable.
I tried to twist around and reach into the backseat, but couldn’t see Chris. Could hear nothing but my own harsh breathing.
‘Chris. Can you hear me? Chris. Are you okay?’
A faint groan sounded from somewhere in the back. He was alive, for now.
I pushed aside my fear and focused on the call to reap. The pull of it was to my right, not the backseat, presumably coming from the car that hit us. I sagged into my seat and allowed my astral form to rise out of my body. I slipped out of the car, gasping as I caught my first glimpse of the mangled wreck it had become. A white sedan was wedged into the side of it, bonnet crumpled, windscreen smashed.
No air bag obscured my view of the other driver as I flew to the sedan’s window.
Blood coated his short blonde hair and streamed down his face where he leant back in his seat, eyes closed, breathing shallow. His eyes opened as if he sensed my presence, pain-filled blue gaze meeting mine.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, voice little more than a whisper. ‘He made me do it. I didn’t want to hurt you or your friends.’
A shiver swept through my astral form. ‘The crash? It wasn’t an accident?’
He shook his head, groaning, teeth clenched. ‘He said he’d kill Rebecca if I didn’t do what he said.’
I froze. ‘Rebecca Killian? Do you know where she is? Who has her? Please, you have to tell me.’ I wanted to reach out and touch him, reassure him, shake him so he would answer me, but couldn’t risk accidentally releasing his soul.
He opened his mouth to reply, but his eyes rolled back in their sockets and he slumped in the seat.
The need to reap intensified. I called his soul out of his body but did not attempt to touch it.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘I can’t release you, not yet. I need you to show me where Rebecca is. Can you do that?’
The soul’s light brightened. It darted off to the left, stopping after a moment to see if I was following.
I looked back at Sam’s car. He and Chris were still inside, unconscious. I didn’t want to leave them, but this might be the only chance I had to find Rebecca. I had to take it.
Sirens could be heard coming closer. Ambulance. Police. They would soon be here to take care of them, and my physical body. I had no idea how badly any of us had been injured. I had to act now, while I was still capable of doing something.
Decision made, not wanting to leave Sam and yet knowing I had to, I turned and followed the soul as it led me towards where Rebecca was being held captive.
The soul led me across the river, and over South Easton. I frowned as we soon left the town behind, heading along the western highway. There were a number of small towns out this way. Was Rebecca being held in one of them?
Half an hour out of Easton, the soul I was following veered off the highway to the right, towards an old abandoned service station. The concrete driveway was cracked and choked with weeds, the windows in the front of the service station broken and boarded up. The soul ignored the dilapidated building and passed over the top, heading to a large shed behind it.
I slowed my pace as the soul slipped through the door of the shed with no sign of hesitation.
What if all of this, the accident, the mention of Rebecca, was a trap? Whoever was targeting Killian’s men could have created the accident as a way to lure me out here, disconnected from my body. Had I left Sam and Chris, and my physical body, in even more danger?
Then again, what if Rebecca Killian really was inside the shed, in danger, and I was the only person who could help her? I had to go inside, to be sure.
I sucked in a deep breath, silencing the clamour of questions in my head. I spread my wings to their fullest extent, and slipped through the wall of the Colourbond shed, alert for any sign of the dark reaper. A dim light on the far wall illuminated the interior of the shed, allowing me to see it was virtually empty, except for a battered black van.
The soul of the man who’d hit Sam’s car appeared at the side of the van, spinning in slow circles. Eyes darting throughout the empty shed, still not convinced this wasn’t a trap, I slowly flew over to him. When I drew close, he slipped through the side of the van and I forced myself to follow.
A young woman lay on a thin mattress on the floor of the van, wrists and ankles tied together with rope, with what looked like a patterned scarf acting as a gag. Her eyes were closed, sleek blonde hair covering most of her face, the slow rise and fall of her chest letting me know she was alive.
She was alone.
I moved forward, concentrating on giving my astral form substance as I knelt beside her.
‘Rebecca,’ I said, keeping my words low so as not to startle her. ‘Rebecca Killian. Wake up.’ I gently touched her shoulder, giving her a slight shake.
Her eyes flung open, and she shrank away from my touch. Her dark blue gaze searched the interior of the van, darting here and there, body trembling.
‘Rebecca. It’s okay, I’m here to help you.’ I reached out and gently pulled the gag out of her mouth.
She jerked away from my touch. ‘Who’s there? Why can’t I see you?’ Her eyes widened. ‘Are you dead?’
‘My name is Tyler, and I’m not dead.’ Not yet anyway. I had no idea what condition my body was in. ‘I don’t know how much time we have. We need to get you out of here.’ And I needed to get back to make sure Sam was okay, and Chris as well.
I tugged on the ropes tied around Rebecca’s ankles, talking all the while to stop her from freaking out. ‘I know your dad. He asked me to help find you.’
She pulled her hands away from me, expression hardening. ‘Are you one of them? A Tr’lirian?’
‘Not really. It’s complicated.’
‘Then un-complicate it.’
‘I will, I promise, just as soon as we
get you out of here.’ The rope was stiff, hard to manipulate, and I had to keep focused on maintaining solidity so I could work at it. Minutes passed before I was able to unravel the first knot. From there it was easier going, and I soon had her hands free.
She bit her lip, grimacing as blood returned to her hands, rubbing them together to restore circulation while I went to work on the rope binding her ankles. Once she was free and able to move she made for the van’s rear door and struggled to open it. She wiggled the handle.
‘It’s locked.’
‘Move to the back of the van,’ I said, moving in front of her.
‘Why? What are you going to do?’ Rebecca asked as she sidled backwards on her knees.
‘This,’ I said as I sent out a concentrated blast of aether, aiming for the lock. The door burst off its hinges, flying several metres through the air before crashing to the shed floor.
‘Holy shit. How did you do that? Can you teach me?’
I smiled and shook my head, forgetting for a moment that she couldn’t see me.
‘Sorry, it’s not the kind of thing you can be taught.’
She scrambled out of the van, holding on to the side of the opening to steady herself as she looked around. The soul that led me to her buzzed around her head and then came over to me.
I reached out and tapped it once, sending it on its way to rebirth. Its light blossomed until it filled the shed before it disappeared, leaving Rebecca and me alone.
‘Okay, time to get you out of here,’ I said as I looked for the switch for the roller door. ‘Rebecca, can you see if the keys are in the van. It’s a long walk back to Easton.’
While she climbed into the front of the van I floated over to the panel beside the roller door and studied the buttons, trying to figure out which one to push.
I reached out to tap the button I thought would open the roller door, snatching my hand back when it started to open before I could do so.
I zoomed backwards, using my wings to increase my speed as the door cranked open to reveal a black sedan with tinted windows. I couldn’t see who was in the driver’s seat and didn’t waste time trying. Instead I reached the van and slipped inside, shouting at Rebecca.
Silver Reaper (Reaper Series Book 3) Page 6