Nothing happened.
Undeterred, I squared my shoulders and let my wings return, ignoring the shocked gasps from my companions. My wings had opened the portals to Angellin and the Underworld. With luck, they would allow me to enter the astral plane in my physical form.
I created a thread of aether, using it to probe the air in front of me. I slid the thread into the astral plane, holding my breath as I stepped forward
It worked.
I could feel my body settling into the astral plane and couldn’t contain my smile as I passed through the closed door. I returned to the physical plane, unlocked and opened the front door, and stepped aside so Chris and Rebecca could enter.
Chris’s eyebrows were arched as he stepped over the threshold. ‘Are you sure you’re not one of those Ha’niel types Killian was all hot and bothered over?’
‘Positive. I’m just your garden variety reaper, with a few upgrades.’ I smiled brightly, flushed with the discovery of a new talent as my wings returned to wherever they stayed when I didn’t need them.
He shook his head, blue gaze intent. ‘Believe me, Tyler, there is nothing garden variety about you. You are one of a kind.’
Rebecca cleared her throat, a stiff look on her face. ‘Hate to interrupt the lovefest, but do you have anything that will get this off? The stupid thing is stuck and I want it gone.’ She held out her left hand.
I sucked in a breath at the sight of the huge diamond solitaire on her ring finger. ‘Damn, that sure is a lot of bling.’
She grimaced, pulling her hand back and placing it against her midriff. ‘Chris insisted I wear it to appease my father and Cade. But as we are no longer their captives there is no reason for me to continue to wear it.’
I looked over at Chris but he didn’t say anything, and after an uncomfortable moment I said to Rebecca, ‘I have something in the bathroom that might work. It’s this way.’
I took two steps into the living room and stopped, gasping at the sight of Talaom stretched out on the couch, in the same position he’d been in when we’d left to go to the compound the night before.
‘What is he doing here?’ Chris’s voice was hard, cold, no doubt remembering the last time he’d seen Talaom, when he’d betrayed us at the hockey hall.
‘Is he dead?’ Rebecca asked a moment later.
I hurried over to the couch and bent down to lay my hand on Talaom’s chest. I closed my eyes as I followed the song of his soul. ‘He’s reaping.’ I frowned, getting a sense of the soul he had been called for. No, not soul. Souls.
I stepped back. ‘Dozens of people have died somewhere in Easton. He’s reaping their souls.’
Chris’s hand landed on my shoulder. He turned me around to face him. ‘You can sense that from touching him?’
I nodded, and his eyes narrowed. ‘He’s the new reaper for Easton? How did that happen, and why is he here in your home?’
‘It’s a long story, one I will explain once he has returned from reaping.’ I grimaced, wondering how Talaom would react to discovering he was going to be a reaper for the rest of his life. ‘With that many souls to send on to rebirth, he’s going to be gone a while.’
I gave Rebecca a smile. ‘In the meantime, why don’t we see if we can get that ring off?’
It was Chris’s turn to grimace as I led Rebecca out of the lounge. For her part, she loosened up the second we were out of his sight. ‘You have no idea how good it is going to feel to get this stupid rock off my finger. It makes me sick looking at it.’
I shot a glance at her over my shoulder. ‘Are you kidding? The ring is gorgeous.’
‘It’s not the ring itself. It’s what it represents. Being chained to Chris Bradbury against my will.’ She gave a delicate shudder as we entered the bathroom.
I opened the bottom drawer and fished out the tube of industrial strength cleaner Sam used to get grease and oil off his hands after he’d been tinkering in the garage. I squeezed some on Rebecca’s hand and watched as she worked it in around the ring.
‘I thought the two of you were getting on now,’ I said, leaning against the vanity.
‘I was forced to go along with this bogus engagement, and play nice with him, to keep my head on my shoulders. Not by choice. That would never be my choice.’
I frowned, surprised by the vehemence in her voice. ‘Don’t you think you’re being too hard on him? Why not give him a chance? You may be surprised by what you find.’
Rebecca didn’t look up, too busy tugging on the ring. ‘You clearly see some good in him, but all I see is a sycophant looking to curry favour. Not the type of guy I would be interested in.’
‘Chris is definitely not a sycophant.’
She raised her head, lips pursed. ‘He made a deal to marry me in return for being my father’s right-hand man. What is that called if not sucking up to the boss?’
‘He didn’t agree to marry you because of that. He did it to save me. To give me a second chance to live my life. It had nothing to do with wanting to get ahead in the new world order according to Cade. He didn’t even know what Cade and Killian were planning.’
Rebecca stopped tugging on the ring. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘I know Chris told you how I died and ended up in my cousin’s body. What he didn’t tell you is that I couldn’t handle it. I planned on dying, for good this time, as soon as I’d made sure those I loved were safe from Almorthanos and Malia. Chris knew this, so he made a deal with Killian to get my real body out of the Underworld. Marrying you and taking on the role of Cade’s son was the price they demanded for doing so.’
Her eyes dipped. ‘He agreed to sign his life over to Cade and my father, to keep you alive.’ Her words were slow and measured.
‘Yes.’
There was silence for a moment, before she said, ‘Wow. He must really love you.’ Her gaze met mine again, shock wreathed over her pretty features. ‘But you ditched him for Sam. He gave up his freedom to get you your body back, and you let him do it and then walked off with another man. That must have broken his heart.’ The shock in her eyes was replaced by pity. ‘The poor man.’
‘No. It wasn’t like that. I didn’t know about the deal until the other day. And Chris knew Sam was the man I loved, before he made the deal. He didn’t make it so he and I could be together. He made it so I could be happy. The same way he agreed to Cade’s demands so you can have a chance to be happy.’
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. ‘You think he has feelings for me, don’t you? But that’s crazy. You are the woman he loves. You’re one of a kind, that’s what he said not five minutes ago. I’m second best. A consolation prize.’
I gave her a gentle smile, realising where all her anger was coming from.
‘Believe me, Chris wouldn’t be signing his life over to Cade for someone he didn’t care deeply about.’
‘That’s impossible. He just met me. Anyway, even if I did believe he had feelings for me, or I have feelings for him too, I couldn’t do anything about it. That’s exactly what my father and Cade want, a Tr’lirian dynasty with both their bloodlines. After everything they’ve done, the last thing I want to do is go along with their plans. All the manipulation, the threats, it’s all so wrong. I won’t condone that by giving them what they want.’
‘What about what you want? You and Chris deserve the chance to be happy, on your own terms. If you truly do have feelings for each other, then there has to be a way for the two of you to be together that doesn’t require you to sign your lives over to Cade and his plans for world domination.’
It felt strange to be using such words, but that was Cade’s ultimate plan. Take over the world, one town at a time, starting with Easton.
Unless I came up with a way to stop him.
35
Rebecca and I returned to the lounge area, and I quickly checked on Talaom. He was still sprawled out on the couch, reaping. A chill settled in the pit of my stomach at the thought of how many souls he was tending to. Relief
he had been called to deal with them instead of me clashed with guilt for feeling that way. Even though the Grim Reaper said I was no longer required to act as reaper for Easton’s dead, I still felt a measure of responsibility for them.
My hand hovered over his chest. I could follow him. Follow the trail left in the aether by the dying souls. Help him. I glanced up, gazing at the canvas print on the wall above the couch. Sam and me, dressed to impress, for a charity ball.
I stepped away from the couch and looked over at Chris. ‘We need to find Sam.’
Talaom would have to handle any reaping by himself for a while longer. My priority had to be the living.
‘I wouldn’t worry. Lockwood is probably at work,’ said Chris. ‘They’re sure to have called in every available officer to help handle the current situation.’
‘Sam was fired, along with every other police officer who isn’t aligned in some way with Cade.’ I filled him and Rebecca in on everything that had taken place since they’d been kidnapped at the hockey hall, including Talaom’s involvement.
Chris ran his hands through his dark blond hair, shaking his head. ‘Unbelievable. You single-handedly saved Angellin, and millions of lives. No wonder Killian was so willing to bend knee to you. He would have laid down his life for you, if you’d let him continue to believe you were a Ha’niel.’
I shifted, uncomfortable with the reminder. ‘I’m not going to pretend to be something I’m not. And I wasn’t alone in saving Angellin. It took all of the Davilians, with their positive memories, to restore the aether. I was just the channel they flowed through.’
‘Why are you so sure it would be a pretence? What if you truly are a Ha’niel?’ Rebecca asked.
Chris looked at Rebecca’s left hand, and the ring that refused to budge despite the huge amount of hand cleaner she’d poured over it. A faint smile curved his lips as he said, ‘That’s a good question. Who’s to say Killian’s Ha’niel and the Grim Reaper’s ascended being isn’t the same thing?’
‘I am not some mythical being. I’m just me.’ I lifted my chin. ‘Anyway, we’ve got more important things to worry about. Killian can’t be the only one doubting Cade’s decision. My God, the man executed one of his own men in front of them. He would have killed Rebecca if Killian hadn’t stepped in. We don’t have the manpower to go up against him on our own. We need to discredit him, show his people he can’t be trusted, that he will sacrifice every one of them in his pursuit of glory.’
‘How are we supposed to do that? He controls everything. The police. The town council. The media. How can we counter that?’
‘I don’t know. But there has to be a way.’ I moved over to the television and turned it on, grimacing when I flicked through all the channels and found only static.
I turned back to Chris. ‘We need to get communications working again. Cade has cut Easton off, so he can solidify his position here before he branches out. If the state and federal governments knew what was happening, they’d send help. Cade can’t have infiltrated the whole country.’
‘I wouldn’t be too sure about that. He’s been planning this takeover for a long time.’
I shook my head. ‘No, he wasn’t prepared to move so soon. The rapid decline of Angellin caught him by surprise. He thought he had more time to make sure you and the other purpose-bred individuals were in positions of power. We can take advantage of that.’
‘How?’
‘When Talaom and I left here last night, to rescue the two of you, Sam was planning to visit a friend of his who is a member of the local gun club. He had Rhonda and Connor with him, and they were hoping to drum up support and weapons we can use to fight back. We find Sam, get the local gun owners organised, and take over the television station. If we can broadcast an SOS to the state authorities, we can call in reinforcements and stop Cade before he gets too powerful.’
‘I’d scratch that plan, if I were you.’
I spun around to see Talaom struggling into a seated position on the couch, one hand holding his head. ‘Man, my head is pounding,’ he said, his voice a rasp. ‘Never knew being a reaper was such strenuous work.’
‘Rebecca, can you grab a bottle of water from the fridge?’ I asked, well aware of how the intense cold from being called to reap, not to mention being in the astral plane for an extended length of time, dried out the throat.
Talaom leaned back, head resting on the back of the couch, humour dancing in his dark gaze despite the gravity of the situation as he surveyed the three of us. ‘Considering the number of times I have witnessed you achieve the impossible, I shouldn’t be surprised you managed to free these two. But I’ve got to say, when you didn’t return last night I thought you were dead for sure.’
He accepted the bottle of water from Rebecca and chugged down half of it in a few gulps.
Worry for Sam kept my smile brief as I said, ‘I very nearly was dead. And I didn’t free Chris and Rebecca. Killian did.
Talaom choked on his next mouthful, water spraying over his hands as he coughed and spluttered. When he recovered he stared up at me. ‘Killian would never go against Cade. Never. It has to be a trick. Unless…’ His eyes went wide. ‘He saw your wings.’
‘Damn straight he did. Knelt down before her and everything,’ said Chris. ‘I’ll bet if she hadn’t told him she wasn’t a Ha’niel, he would have done whatever she asked him too.’
Talaom’s eyes narrowed. ‘Bradbury is right. Killian is old school. If he believed you to be Ha’niel, he would lay down his life for you. I bet he’d even kill Cade if you commanded it.’
I shook my head vehemently, hating the thought of using someone’s faith against them in that way. ‘I would never command someone to kill another person. Never.’
‘Not even if it would save the world?’ Chris arched an eyebrow.
‘Weren’t you listening to a word Tyler said?’ Rebecca rounded on him, hands at her hips. ‘I’ve only know her a few days, and I already know she is not the kind of person to throw away someone’s life like that. She would die herself before she would let anyone suffer because of her actions.’
‘Believe me, sweetheart, I know exactly how self-sacrificing Tyler is. All I’m saying is it would be one way to end Cade’s plans once and for all. Not that I believed for one second she would go for it.’ He gave Rebecca an ironic smile. ‘Still, Killian can’t be the only Tr’lirian to hold so much faith in the idea of a Ha’niel.’
He looked over at me. ‘If thinking you were one had such a profound effect on Killian, imagine what it would do to the rest of Cade’s soldiers. You could take away half his fighting force, all by standing up and letting yourself be seen. You wouldn’t even have to say you were a Ha’niel. Just let them see your silver wings and come to their own conclusions.’
‘He’s right. The idea of a Ha’niel would be a powerful draw for any Tr’lirian,’ said Talaom. ‘Your very presence would sow doubt about the validity of Cade’s rule in the hearts of most members of Clan Godden, especially the older ones.’
‘No. I’ve already told you I won’t pretend to be something I’m not.’ I shook my head. ‘To twist a person’s faith like that, to lie to them about something that means so much. It’s wrong, and I won’t do it.’
‘What if it’s not a lie? I’m not exactly sure what a Ha’niel is, but I do know that you, Tyler Maree Morgan, are something special. Something this world has never seen before. I’ve been ready to lay down my life for you from the moment I laid eyes on you. If a Ha’niel means to any of the Tr’lirians half of what you mean to me, then I say we use that to our advantage.’
My eyes flicked to Rebecca during Chris’s impassioned speech, heart aching to see her face blanch at his declaration and hurt brimming in her eyes.
‘I said no.’ I glared at Chris. ‘We stick with my original plan, getting communication with the rest of the country back on line and calling for help.’
Talaom shook his head. ‘Your boyfriend already tried that. Didn’t work out so well.’<
br />
I sucked in a deep breath. ‘Is he okay?’ Oh God, was he one of the souls Talaom had just been reaping?
‘He’s fine, last time I saw him. If you count fine as being locked up with a hundred or so other people.’
I strode over to Talaom. ‘What happened?’
‘He went to visit his friend, like he planned, only to find himself in the middle of a raid. The cops have a list of every registered weapons holder in Easton, and they spent the last twenty-four hours confiscating as many guns and as much ammunition as they could. With phone lines cut, there was no way for members of the club to warn the others about what was happening until it was too late.’
Chris stepped forward. ‘Surely they couldn’t have got them all? In a town the size of Easton there would have to be hundreds, if not thousands, of registered gun owners.’
‘Plenty of unregistered owners too, I’ll bet,’ I said, nibbling at my bottom lip.
Talaom nodded. ‘That was the detective’s thinking as well. He and his ex-army mate took off to see if they could find anyone who hadn’t been raided yet. They sent Rhonda and her son back here to wait for us to return, to let you know what had happened. The plan was for everyone to regroup here before heading to the television station to get word out.’
He grimaced. ‘When I returned without you, I had a hard time convincing your little brother I hadn’t betrayed you again.’ He rubbed at his jaw, a bruise visible from when Sam had hit him earlier. ‘We fought until your stepmother stepped in and walloped the both of us. Then we settled in to wait for you and the detective to return.’
I resisted the urge to throttle him. ‘We don’t have time for this. What happened to Sam and the others?’
‘Okay, okay. Long story short, I got called to reap again, and when I returned to my body I was alone. Nothing happened for hours until a short while ago when I got a call to reap so intense I thought for sure I’d be frozen for life. I’ve got to say, when I realised I was heading to the television station I was not thinking happy thoughts. Even less so when I saw half the building was on fire and a gun battle was going on in the carpark. Seems your detective and his mate managed to round up a hundred or so pissed off gun owners and they were trying to break into the television station to broadcast that SOS you were talking about.’
Silver Reaper (Reaper Series Book 3) Page 20