Death Eater Complete Collection

by Catherine Stovall

  A large padlock rested on a chain entwined around the gates, barring their way. On a pole near the entrance, a no trespassing sign stood. Riddled with bullet holes, the first edges of rust had begun to creep up the white paint like a cancer.

  “Death. I’m so damn sick of death,” Vega muttered as she scanned the fence line.

  “I know, babe.” Zane wrapped an arm around her shoulders and placed a kiss in her hair. “I think we can climb over it okay. I’ll go first and help you down on the other side.”

  She nodded, refusing to give voice to the fear rattling in her head. The graveyard was a risk, they both new it. If something triggered the demon inside him, he could kill her on the spot. The threat of being discovered also bothered her. With all they’d done, all she had done, they didn’t need the authorities to come.

  Zane scurried up and over the fence, and then Vega hesitantly made her own way up. At the top, she swung her legs over one at a time, but the morning dew had made the metal slick. Her foot slipped, and the weight of her body falling backward broke away the iron rose she had been gripping. Vega fell, a little gasp of surprise escaping as she tensed, ready for the impact of the hard ground.

  Two strong hands caught her, breaking what might have been a nasty landing. Her body slammed into Zane’s, knocking him backward. His arms encircled her, squeezing tight, and his face hardened.

  Vega placed her hands on his chest, feeling the short, rapid breaths rise and fall, and tried to push away. For a moment, the demon clouded his eyes, and she wanted to scream. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, Zane’s madness faded. Only the fiercely protective man remained.

  “Zane?”

  He blinked rapidly, and looked at her, a question in his eyes. “You all

  right?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go.” Vega tried to shrug away the fear and doubt, but it clung to her like a second skin as they picked their way through the graveyard.

  The tombs dated back hundreds of years, displaying barely readable names and dates that meant nothing. Vega and Zane wound their way between the stones, searching for some clue, anything that might point them in the right direction. The sun slipped farther up the horizon as they searched beneath the gold streaked sky.

  Exhausted, Vega slunk down next to a tall crucifix, the marble Jesus looking down at her with sadness in his blank eyes. “I don’t know, Zane. I don’t think we are going to find anything here.”

  With a sigh, he turned to join her and froze. “Vega, baby, I want you to come here.”

  “Why, I jus—”

  “Now!”

  The urgency in his voice made her scamper on hands and knees across the wet grass until she reached his legs. Zane’s strong hand yanked her up as a feral growl escaped his lips, and she tried to pull away, afraid the demon had risen to the surface. When he didn’t move his eyes to her, she followed his gaze and screamed.

  The apparition stood behind the cross, empty eye sockets staring from a blank face. He, for he had surely been a man when alive, wore a button-down shirt and worn trousers. Even though his form was nearly transparent, the frayed material on his knees showed.

  “What do you want?” Zane demanded.

  The apparition stood still for a long moment, its ghostly countenance never changing. At last, with slow, exaggerated movement, it turned toward the very top of the hill and pointed.

  Too afraid to move, the couple remained huddled together, their bodies shaking as they held tightly to each other. The mysterious phantom glanced back at them before fading into nothing once more. A cold breeze and the smell of roses brushed across the graveyard, gently swaying the trees. Vega shivered as she looked into Zane’s worried face. The question stood between them, unspoken in their fear. When he nodded his head to indicate he planned to follow the spirit’s direction, she resisted the urge to protest and gripped his hand a little tighter.

  The morning sun lit their way, casting long shadows from the trees and taller tombs as they neared the peak. A small vault stood before them, the rusted metal door agape. The darkness inside seemed too black, as if the light could not enter there, and a deep chill leeched outward from the entrance.

  “I don’t think I want to go in there.” Vega hesitated as Zane took a step forward. “How do we know we can trust that thing?”

  “We can’t, but what other choices do we have?”

  Zane went first, and Vega followed close behind. The quiet morning faded into the sounds of birds chirping, insects buzzing, and the smoosh of their shoes on dampened grass. Vigilance waned into silent trudging, the long night weighing down on their shoulders and bowing their heads in exhaustion, as they climbed farther upward.

  Vega opened her mouth to complain, but clamped it shut again. Her eyes squinted against the sunlight as she looked down the way they’d come. With her head cocked sideways, she studied the graveyard below.

  “Come here,” she commanded, holding her hand out for his.

  Zane stepped up beside her. “What?”

  “Look at the graves. We never noticed it down there, but from up here, do you see it?”

  “It’s a spiral…and we are standing in the center of it.”

  “You ever see something like this?

  “No. Never.”

  A shiver streaked across the back of Vega’s neck, and she knew without looking, the ghost had returned. When she mustered the courage to turn around and face the apparition, it stood at the door of the tomb, staring back at her with its gaping eyes.

  “What?” Exasperation laced her voice. “Do you really want us to go into that creepy thing?”

  “Vega!” Zane hissed through his teeth. “Don’t piss it off.”

  “I’m tired of demons, priests, visions, dead bodies, and now ghosts. I get it, it’s trying to help us…or kill us. So, why shouldn’t I just get to the point?”

  The spirit frowned, the dark gray lines around its mouth deepening as its brow furrowed. Without a sound, it passed through the doorway and disappeared.

  Heaving a sigh, Vega threw her hands up. “See? Totally unhelpful. Let’s get this over with. If it’s some kind of demon trap, there’s little we can do about it. If it’s not, then we might finally get some answers. Right now, all I want is a warm bed and some alone time with you.” Her squinted eyes widened just for a moment, and a seductive smile turned up the corners of her mouth. “Because, this time, we’re not going to fade away into nothing at sunrise.”

  Before he could reply, she laced her fingers with his and stormed toward the vault. At the entrance, Vega peered in through the open door. “Pitch black. Wish we’d thought to bring a flashlight or something.”

  Zane nudged her aside, digging a Zippo lighter from his pocket that he’d found in some of Bill’s old stuff. With a flick of his wrist and a quick snap of his fingers, the little flame came to life—barely illuminating more than a few inches beyond the door. He leaned farther in, trying to discern what lay within.

  “There’s a lantern on the wall. Let me light it first. Then you can come in.”

  “Zane Allistor, you are not going in there alone!” Vega shrieked, sincere concern lacing her voice. She wasn’t about to let him go, not even for her own safety.

  With a shrug, Zane conceded. “Fine.” She may not clearly remember their centuries together, but he recognized the look of determination in her eyes. She wouldn’t budge, so there was no point arguing.

  Together, they pushed on the heavy door to make a space wide enough to enter. Rusted hinges screamed in protest, but after several minutes, they managed to enough space to enter. The darkness ate up the sunlight as it tried to push through the doorway, but Zane’s lighter gave off enough illumination for them to fight the cobwebs and reach the lantern.

  The tin lamp was rusted, but the glass was whole, and a little fluid still sloshed in its base. Miraculously, when Zane removed the globe and touched the flame to the wick, it came to life.

  “Oh.” Vega gasped and tightened her grip on Zane
’s arm.

  When he turned, the light fully brightened the room, revealing a bittersweet sight. Two statues stood side by side. The female clasped a bouquet of lilies to her chest with one hand and gripped the male’s hand with her other. Their faces seemed solemn, thoughtful, and perhaps sad as they gazed down upon their observers with sightless eyes.

  “It’s us.” Zane breathed the words in quiet shock.

  Vega stepped closer, studying the face of the stranger who had once been her. “She’s beautiful.”

  “You were, still are, very beautiful. You have been so in every life. No matter how Eurynome tried to destroy you, he couldn’t take your beauty away.”

  “Do you miss this face, the one I used to have?” Fear and need filled her voice and tension knotted her muscles.

  “No, baby. I loved you heart, body, and soul then, and I still do. No matter what form you take, you are always you on the inside. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

  She ducked her head, a smile on her lips and a single tear tracing down her cheek. “Whoa! Look. There’s writing here. You can barely see it.”

  Zane shifted the lantern, the obviously hand-chiseled groves becoming more visible.

  Άγνωστος

  Ζούσαν, αγάπησε και πέθανε σύμφωνα με τις δικές τους δαίμονες

  “What does it mean?”

  “I have no clue. It’s Greek, I think.” Zane ran his fingertips over the stone, feeling the chill of the ancient marble run deep into his soul and wrapping an iron fist around the place where the demon hid.

  Vega attempted to sound out the words. The last one stung her tongue as if it were a wasp. “Daimones…? Demons! I know that word means demons!” Pulling her cell phone out with one hand, she tugged Zane’s arm closer, illuminating the stone as much as she could.

  A little embarrassed, she admitted, “I guess I should have thought of the phone a few minutes ago.” Her finger slid down the menu screen and clicked the flashlight button. “Sorry.”

  Zane laughed as she struggled with the light and the camera until she could document the inscription and the statues.

  When she was satisfied at last, Vega gave one last look up to the hardened faces looming above them. “What a terrible way to spend eternity. Someone should tear this crypt down and let them into the light.”

  Zane took her hand and led her away, and she wandered if his silence was caused by thoughts of his eternity spent drowning in darkness. The warmth of the sun felt wonderful on her shoulders as they stepped out of the door. The heat radiated into her heart like a secret promise he’d never again be chained and kept from the light again.

  Fingers entwined with his, Vega turned to look at Zane. His eyes grew as bright as the clear day, and his hope became so strong it glimmered around him.

  In the haste of their reunion and the troubles they’d faced since, there had been no time to remember the passion that had always burned between them. They’d not had the opportunity to re-kindle the flame that had burned across time, space, and dimensions. The moment was not right, the place was all wrong, but nothing could keep them apart any longer.

  Slowly, he drew her to him, and her body ached to feel his embrace. Their lips met in a perfect balance of tenderness and passion, drowning Vega in a dizzying spell of need. As he deepened the kiss, Zane ran his hands over her hips, gripping her waist so his thumbs rested above her hips bones.

  Vega responded to his passion with a fierceness that surprised even her. Her hands tightened, nails pricking his skin through his shirt, and a quiet little gasp echoed in the brief space between their kisses. She pressed her body tighter against him, not seeing anything beyond the man she loved.

  “You. Hey! What are you two doing in here? Damn kids!” The gravelly voice boomed from the bottom of the incline, and a man in dirty overalls waved a rake above his head.

  As if they were children caught with their hands in the cookie jar, both Vega and Zane jumped, putting a foot of distance between them. Then, remembering where they were, they locked their hands together as they stared at the stranger, wondering if he was real or another ghost.

  “Get down here. You got no right to be messing around up there.” The stranger lurched forward, climbing the hill with some distress. “Move it!”

  Zane and Vega, realizing the man was just a man, hurried down to where he huffed and puffed.

  “We’re sorry. We didn’t damage anything, I promise.” Vega tried her best to look innocent, though she knew he’d seen them in their passion.

  “Damn kids. Always coming ‘round here making trouble. Disrespectful to be behaving that way in a place meant for the dead. Got no morals, kids these days,” the man grumbled to himself. Then, as if seeing them clearly for the first time, he stared with an opened mouth gape.

  “Look, we weren’t hurting anything. We just came here to look for something. We’re sorry if we upset you.” Zane tried to make amends. “We’ll just be going now.”

  “You?” The man blinked rapidly, bringing the fist not clenching the rake up to rub his eyes. “It can’t be, but it is.” His tone was matter-of-fact, but his face showed wide-eyed wonder.

  “Excuse me,” Vega interjected, “but are you okay?”

  “I can’t believe my eyes. You look just like them, but it can’t be. He said this day would come, but I thought it was the drink. Never believed it was real.”

  “Like I said, we’ll be going now.” Zane pulled Vega behind him, his eyes never leaving the man’s bewildered face. “Come on, Vega. Let’s go. He’s crazy.”

  She pulled back, hesitating. “Sir, are you okay?” she asked, her voice low and gentle.

  He shook his head, deep brown eyes clearing. “It’s a long story. Sorry if I startled you. These kids, they come here to make out and party. They damage the stones and paint graffiti on the tombs. If you want to know about that old tomb, I have a story to tell you about a girl, a boy, a priest, two statues, and the devil himself.”

  Chapter Four

  Vega sat next to the window, her elbows on the rough surface of the wooden table. To say Gerald, the groundskeeper, lived rough was an understatement. She turned her face away from the forest view and shot her elbow into Zane’s ribs to remind him they shouldn’t have agreed to follow a total stranger to his crumbling cabin in the deep woods.

  Zane gave her a lopsided grin and squeezed her thigh, sending a shiver of lust up her spine as a reminder of how badly she wanted to finish what they’d started outside the tomb. Yet, inside her, a dark cloud formed

  At the time, Vega hadn’t considered what passion might have brought out in Zane in the heat of the moment. But, while waiting in the quiet little shack for Gerald to make coffee, she wondered if she had come close to waking the demon once again.

  To distract from such worrisome thoughts, she studied their host. Ancient by any standard, Gerald seemed older than time. Wrinkles and creases folded the weathered skin of his, and his clothes were stained and frayed. But his thinning gray hair was well groomed, and his nails were trimmed.

  Though his large hands were twisted with arthritis and looked as rough as sandpaper, he handled the coffee cups with a sure gentleness. The single gold band resting between swollen knuckles glinted in the light, and Vega wondered if his wife still lived.

  Gerald turned and caught her staring at his hand. Looking down, he smiled wistfully. “My Ira has been gone for five years now. That’s when I moved out here on a permanent basis. That old house just wasn’t a home anymore once she’d gone. I could have lived in a dumpster if that woman was by my side, and you can bet your buttons she would’ve made it homey. Without her, well, I’m just not the same man.”

  “I’m very sorry. Death is such a sick and demanding thing. It’s a thief, taking everything and giving nothing in return.” Vega sighed, accepted the steaming mug, and ducked her head to hide the tears brimming in her eyes.

  “That’s nonsense, girl. When you’ve seen too much
of the wrong kind of death, it may seem that way, but it isn’t always a cruel thing. My Ira passed with the sweetest smile on her face. She was ready to be rid of the human shell that had begun to fail her, and I gave her my blessing to leave me behind.

  “I couldn’t begrudge her a single thing in life, and I certainly wouldn’t have done so as she passed. She knew she’d go on to be with the ones she’d lost and I’d join her soon. I’m guessing you’ve just had it rough.”

  Zane scoffed. “You have no idea.”

  “I might know more than you think, boy.” Gerald raised one bushy eyebrow as he sat down across from them at the table.

  Sensing the man did know more than he was letting on, Vega couldn’t contain her sharp tongue. “I don’t mean to be rude, but why are we here?” She took a sip of her coffee, enjoying the sweet cream and warmth, despite the stuffy conditions inside the little cabin. “You said you wanted to tell us a story, but why?”

  Gerald sipped his own drink, his expression returning to one of awe for a moment before his forehead furrowed. “When I was a young man, there was a legend told about this place. I couldn’t have been five or six when they buried my grandfather, the last surviving person to have lived in the town that once surrounded the graveyard. He told me that legend, and now, I will tell it to you.”

  Vega shifted, leaning forward, desperately hoping he wasn’t some lonely old man who had decided to talk about myths and history instead of calling the police. Her thirst for information and desire to save Zane would not tolerate being toyed with.

  “Some say that, during the war of independence, there was no fighting in this area. Those folks are wrong. My family lived here then, they’d come over on the very first boats and built themselves a little homestead with the rest. At least until the curse came and destroyed the town.”

  “A curse on the town?” Zane leaned forward as well, intrigued by the idea that there was something about their situation he did not already know.