Death Wish (Reaper Reborn Book 1)

by Harper A. Brooks

“Vampires? Really?” Was I really having this conversation? It seemed like common sense. “They’ll eat her. Or did you forget that?”

  “Trust me,” Cole said. “Andre won’t let anything happen to her because of our arrangement. He owes me. He’s in my debt.”

  “And that’s enough to convince you he won’t drain her dry?” I lowered my voice to a harsh whisper, even though it wouldn’t do much to prevent Kay from hearing me. She was standing right beside me, after all.

  “Well, yeah.”

  I threw my hands up and grunted. It wasn’t rocket science to know when a vampire went into bloodlust—all favors and decency went out the window. They became ravenous monsters at that point. I wasn’t going to risk my friend’s life to keep her safe. Where was the logic in that?

  “Andre is nearly a century old,” Cole went on. “He’s a stickler for honor and the importance of one’s word.”

  “Then, he has my word that I’ll kill him without hesitation if anything happens to Kay while she’s in there. Do you hear me?”

  “Jade.” Kay’s voice was gentle, even though it wavered a bit. “I appreciate your loyalty, but maybe Cole is right.”

  “Listen to the girl. She’s smart.” The smugness in his tone made me wish I had touched his unconscious ass back in the alley. “It’s a club run by vampires. Can you think of someone else who could take on a full demon other than a vampire with a couple of centuries on him?”

  He strolled toward the club’s front door and gave the bouncer a knowing wave. The brooding man stepped aside for Cole, and he nodded for us to follow.

  Looked like I didn’t have a choice.

  When we walked through Red’s door, I glanced at the football player of a man standing there and noticed that his eyes scanned over Cole and Kay but never found me.

  So, I was still invisible to the world. At least most of it. Was Cole right, and it was a demon thing? He was the first half-demon I’d ever reaped.

  I’d have to ask Simon once I got back to Styx.

  A knot formed in the back of my throat at the thought of Simon and Azrael. I must have broken a dozen rules tonight with getting involved in this mess. Not including the fact that I had failed my assignment with Cole. Once Azrael figured out that he had never passed through the spirit door and headed to his afterlife, he’d be looking for me. He might even send Simon after me—that was, if Simon hadn’t been Released already because of this.

  Shit. This was bad. My tablet was probably flashing with all kinds of notifications from Azrael. But I’d do damage control later. Something big was going on here. Cole hadn’t even been close to dead when I had shown up to reap him. I may have been scolded before for questioning Azrael’s assignments, but things weren’t adding up.

  The sudden appearance of haunts and a big-time demon before the solstice? Not normal. Once I made sure Kay was safe from Laurence—or Xaver—I would hike my tail right back to Styx Corp. and tell Azrael all about what was going on. He had to know another celestial being or whoever to handle these sorts of problems.

  This was way out my league. That was for sure.

  My only hope was he understood my involvement and wouldn’t hold Simon accountable for any of it.

  Kay stayed close to me as we entered the club. I slid my right glove half off, just in case things went south. The burning white light was still a mystery to me, and I didn’t how to use it again, but hopefully if the situation arose, my body would know what to do. If not, I could still kill someone with my touch.

  Just another thing I’d have to bring up to Azrael and Simon. Did either of them have magical glowing fingers? No other supernatural had the power that I knew of, so if this was actually my supernatural side finally showing itself, I had more questions instead of answers.

  Nothing was making sense here.

  We stepped into a giant, dimly lit club tinted in pulsing red lights. To the far right was a stage where a woman in the tiniest black frilled bikini swung on a pole to the thumping bass of music. A fully stocked bar lined the opposite wall, and tables, some with poles and dancers and some without, took up a majority of the floor space. All what you would expect from a shady club. But what was shocking was that unlike those other dirty establishments, Red was exceptionally clean with expensive and modern décor. Everything was either red, silver, or black and had straight lines. Sleek and sexy.

  Vampires were a complicated group, but the basics were this. Vampires were high on the supernatural hierarchy not only because of their strength, speed, and near immortality. They were feared mostly for their involvement in organized crime. Only three bloodlines carried the vampire gene and could gain another life after dying once, and every were-creature, sorcerer, and witch knew them. The Perez, DeMonte, and Omari families had their hands in drugs, prostitution, money laundering, and any other kind of illegal dealings you can think of.

  To top it all off, they all hated each other.

  A flash of movement above the main floor caught my eye, and when I glanced up, I saw cages hanging from the ceiling with young girls dancing inside them. And I said young for a reason. They didn’t look older than twenty.

  Gross. I knew age was irrelevant to vampires, but still—yuck. Some of these girls looked like they were supposed to be in high school.

  “I don’t know about this, Cole,” I whispered to him. “There has to be somewhere else we can take her to.”

  He threw me a sideways glare. “I wouldn’t bring her here if I didn’t think this was the safest place she could be right now. Vamps can put up a good fight, and they’re extremely hard to kill.”

  As much as his attitude irritated me, he had a good point. Vamps were pretty much immortal, since killing them was limited to beheading, complete blood loss, and fire, but even with those facts, my stomach still clenched with uncertainty. Even if Kay was a Medium, she was still mostly human. I couldn’t help but feel like we were throwing her to the lions and expecting them to keep her safe from the bears.

  A shadow passed along a wall of tall glass windows on the second floor. The slight tint in the glass made it hard to see any faces, but it was obvious someone was not only watching everything happening on the floor below but was very interested in the three of us as well.

  I didn’t like this one bit.

  Moving closer to Cole, who was eyeing the bar with a hungry look, I said, “I think we’re being watched.”

  Cole followed my gaze to the windows. The shadowy figure had disappeared.

  “It’s probably Andre,” he said. “He should be down in a minute.”

  Andre, huh? I guessed that was who we’d come to see.

  “Who are you talking to?” a smooth male voice whispered near my right ear, making me jump.

  When I whipped around, I gaped at the beautiful man standing so close to me that we would have brushed against each other if I were alive. His pungent cologne filled my nose enough to burn and make my eyes water. Appearing to be in his mid-thirties, he had long blond-brown hair, elegant, pointed features, and an old-world air about him with a face that could rival royalty. Those dark eyes of his, though, passed right through me. He couldn’t see me either.

  His closeness was unnerving. It was almost as if he could sense me here.

  I was just being paranoid now. Too many weird things happening lately.

  “Andre, there you are.” Cole’s body tensed, and his grip tightened on his backpack’s straps, all indications that these two weren’t exactly the closest of friends.

  Great. And I was about to leave Kay with this man.

  Andre straightened, his gaze traveling over Kay, who was trembling, and then to Cole.

  “I hope you’re not here for business,” he said, a tinge of a French accent creeping into his voice. At that moment, I had a pretty good guess what family he was from. DeMonte. They controlled most of Northern Europe from what I was told. If I were a betting woman, that was where I’d put my money.

  “No, not business exactly. Even with all your enemie
s, none have called me to take you out.” Cole grinned. “Yet.”

  “Surprising…” This time, the vamp turned toward me, and his brow furrowed slightly.

  “Cole,” I muttered between barely open lips, “why do I feel like he can see me, too?”

  He gave his head a short shake, just noticeable enough for me to know to keep my mouth shut.

  “I’m here to collect the favor you owe me,” Cole said to pull Andre’s attention away.

  “Ah, that.” Andre crossed his arms, his expression turning bored. “Yes, well, I am in your debt. So what would you like from me?”

  “I need you to protect this woman here. Her name is Kay.”

  “Protect her?” Andre asked, suddenly interested. “From?”

  Cole’s gaze hardened. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

  “I think I should know what it is that could come crashing through my door at any minute. It seems more like common courtesy than nosiness.”

  “It’s always nosiness with you, Andre.”

  For the first time since we’d come, Andre laughed. “This is true.”

  “It’s Xaver,” Cole said after a tense moment. “He possessed an amateur sorcerer and came after the girl.”

  “Of course this is about Xaver. Isn’t it always?”

  Cole clenched his jaw, a tight muscle in his neck twitching.

  Andre ignored him. “I guess my next question is how Xaver got over here in the first place? Without the solstice—”

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” I said, but then remembered I wasn’t part of this conversation.

  Cole shot me a look before repeating my words for Andre to hear.

  “I hate demons.” Andre winced as if he had tasted something sour. “Everything is too complicated with them. Too messy. Honestly, Masters, I don’t know how you do it. Even as a Halfling.”

  “I’m not a Halfling,” Cole snapped back. “Not yet, anyway. Why do you think I’m trying to get out of it?”

  I hesitated. Get out of it? Get out of what, exactly? Being a half-demon? That was impossible, wasn’t it? They were born by a demon and a human or supernatural mother. It was in their DNA. A person couldn’t just get out of it or wish it away. It didn’t work like that.

  Andre rolled his eyes. “You’re wasting your time. I’ve told you this before. There’s no way to lose your demon. It’s impossible. Frankly, how you’ve lasted this long without the beast taking over completely is a miracle in itself.”

  Cole ignored that. “Can I count on you to keep good on your promise or not?”

  Andre walked over to Kay and circled her like a tiger stalking his prey. After a few turns, he said, “What is she exactly?”

  “Huh?” Kay paled. “What am I?”

  “You’re a supernatural of some kind. I can smell it in your blood. But not a common one. I can’t quite place it.”

  “She’s a Medium,” Cole answered, annoyed.

  “Ah, that’s it.” He mused. “It was familiar but unfamiliar at the same time.” He turned to Cole again. “How long do you suspect she has?”

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I barked at Cole, who flinched.

  “What do you mean?” Kay asked, her voice high with panic.

  “Yeah, what do you mean?” Now I was getting pissed. Cole had said Kay could be in danger. The entire part of bringing her to this “safe” house was to protect her from Xaver coming back for her, but from the way they were talking, you’d think something had already happened. Like the damage was done.

  My heart hammered in my chest. What could Xaver want with Kay? He possessed Laurence to get to her. That was obvious. The only thing I knew about demons was that they possessed supernaturals to bear children.

  Ice raced down my spine as the realization hit.

  “Kay, when was the last time you and Laurence did it?” I shouted, unable to control the volume of my voice.

  Her head whipped towards me. “Uhhh…” Her cheeks reddened.

  She was never the type of person to talk about such personal things, like her sex life, but right now, it was crucial I knew.

  “Was it any time recently?”

  She didn’t answer, just looked grim.

  “Kay!”

  “After our date the other day,” she choked out.

  “Oh shit.”

  If Xaver had possessed Laurence then and had seduced her, that meant he had picked Kay to be his next victim and the mother of his child. And that meant her fate was sealed. Victims never survived the birth of demon children.

  Never. Some didn’t even last through the pregnancy.

  Andre was watching Kay with a mixture of confusion and interest.

  “You don’t think…” Her hands flew down to her stomach, still flat and showing no signs of a demonic baby within. Horror flashed across her face. “Oh my God!”

  Then, her eyes rolled back, and her body crumpled. Cole snatched her shoulders before she hit the ground and tried to get her back to her feet, but her head fell forward.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Andre watched the scene pensively, appearing more amused than worried. “Well, Masters,” he began, turning to Cole with a widening smile, “I think it’s safe to say this nightmare of yours has just begun.”

  After we made sure Kay woke from her fainting spell and Andre gave her some water and a bit of food, Cole and I left the club. Despite my protests, Kay promised me she was okay. That was enough for Cole, but for me? I’d touch and kill every single one of those vamps if they decided to make a snack out of my friend.

  Released or not. I didn’t care.

  Panic clawed at my insides. Realistically, she could have passed out from shock. Or, it could have been the demon baby she was carrying.

  Stop. Let’s not sign her death certificate yet.

  There was a chance she was fine, right? Maybe Xaver hadn’t gotten a chance to…

  Acid coiled in the pit of my stomach, telling me I knew the truth deep down. Lying to myself wouldn’t help anything.

  Was there any way to tell if she was definitely carrying a demon’s baby? Some kind of supernatural pregnancy test or something?

  “Why did Andre think Kay was pregnant?” I asked Cole as we walked back into the storm. “It was as if he knew it right away.”

  Cole hunched his shoulders as the rain pelted him. “It’s probably something to do with her blood. He might be able to smell it on her.”

  “Like a dog?”

  He snorted a laugh. “Even for a vamp, Andre definitely can be a bitch.”

  As Cole climbed into the driver’s seat of his Jeep, I searched the street for a private, covered place to draw the spirit door and cross over. I had so much to do next; it was overwhelming. First, I had to get back to Styx Corp. and tell Azrael what was going on with the spirits and demons. I couldn’t forget the mistake of Cole being labeled as a reaping assignment without being close to dead. He’d want to know that, too.

  More importantly, I had to find out whatever I could about demons and their offspring. If Kay really was impregnated with a half-demon baby, there had to be a way for us to reverse or stop it. Like I had told Cole, I didn’t know much about demons besides the basics, but even I knew demons were too powerful, even as babies. Mothers weren’t known to survive the births.

  Of course, death didn’t scare me. I was used to it by now. But Kay was my friend, the only one I had made after crossing over myself. She was the only connection I had to the living world besides my job, and I didn’t want to lose that.

  Did that sound selfish? Yes. But it was true. I had to figure out a way to save her from this. I owed her that much.

  After a few minutes, I realized Cole’s Jeep was still parked in the same spot. He rolled down the window and stared at me.

  “Are you getting in?” he asked.

  “I wasn’t planning on it.” Our dealings were done—at least for now. Kay was temporarily safe from the demon, Xaver, in the vampire
club.

  Cole shrugged. “I just figured you wanted to find a way to save your friend.”

  “I do,” I replied. “Of course. That’s why I’m heading back to Styx to find out all I can about it.”

  “Styx?” His brows knitted together in confusion.

  I froze. I had just released the name of something critical to the spirit world and unknown to the living one, and the censor hadn’t morphed my words again to hide it.

  Not a good sign. I would have to mention that to Azrael, too.

  “Er—I should go.” Reflexively, I grabbed the tablet out of my back pocket. I must have had dozens of messages from Azrael or his secretary, Maryanne.

  But when I checked the screen for the familiar flashing light in the corner, all I found was darkness. No notification bubbles or lights anywhere.

  I frowned.

  After pressing the new Contacts tab on the menu bar, I found Azrael’s face first on the list. I clicked the green call button and waited.

  A soft ringing sounded.

  It rang and rang, but the screen stayed black.

  “Everything okay?” Cole was suddenly by my side, and his closeness made me jump back.

  I shoved the tablet back in my pocket before he could see anything. “Yeah, but I should go.”

  When I looked up, a dark figure, dressed in black from head to toe, stood on the street adjacent to ours. His bald head gleamed in the hazy streetlights.

  Simon.

  I raced across the street.

  As I approached, his eyes widened. It wasn’t until I got closer that I realized it wasn’t me he was looking at but something behind me.

  “Jade,” he whispered. “Why is that man following you?”

  Skidding to a halt on the sidewalk, I glanced over my shoulder to find Cole calling my name and waving to get my attention. He paused as a car passed before crossing the street.

  I cursed under my breath. Really? Come on now.

  Simon stiffened, his exposed right hand clenching just in case.

  “I can explain,” I began, but then realized I really couldn’t. I had no explanation as to how Cole could see me. “Sort of.”

  But then that made me think—could Cole see or touch Simon, too?