Reaper of Earth (The Artifact Reaper Saga Book 1)

by Jen L. Grey

  “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Randy whispers those words in my ears at the same time he wraps an arm around my neck.

  He tightens it to where I can still breathe, but it’s a strain. How the hell have I already messed things up this bad? Maybe my parents have been right all along.

  “Just let her go.” Charlie’s tone is demanding.

  Randy turns us in his direction. “Like hell I will.” He pulls me closer to his front side and turns his face toward me. “She’s the one who started this. I was trying to be nice and get home.”

  Charlie glances at me. “I’m doing it.”

  I shake my head. Granted, there’s not much movement since I’m being choked. “No, it’ll break it. It has to be me.”

  The arm tenses even more around me. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Yeah, right. Like I’m going to answer that.

  When no one answers, his breathing becomes even more erratic. “Fine. If you want me to be a mean guy, I will be.”

  At this point, I think we’ve determined he’s not a great person. Granted, I attacked him first, but still. He seems to be enjoying this.

  His free hand moves and then there is a click.

  Charlie’s eyes widen and he glances at me.

  “Uh… what’s going on?” My heart races, and I can’t help but wonder if I actually want to know the answer to that very question.

  My captor’s free hand comes up to my neck and something cuts into my skin, stinging.

  Holy shit, I may be the one dying tonight. How am I supposed to get myself out of this? My breathing comes out in quick gasps and I become dizzy.

  “Aww, are you getting scared?” Randy uses his hand without the knife to pull me closer in front of him. Now, I’m completely in front of him, and his head is right above my ear.

  I refuse to whimper. I’m not going to let this son of a gun know how terrified I am. They feed off that, or at least, that’s what I’ve concluded over my long twenty years. “No, I’ve seen scarier.”

  “What are you doing?” Charlie throws his hands up.

  Yeah, I kind of deserve that. I’m either being really smart or really stupid. Not sure which. Guess time will tell, but at this point, I already have a knife to my neck. “What? Telling the truth?”

  “You’ve seen scarier?” Randy laughs. “You don’t even know who you’ve decided to mess with.” He then removes the knife from my neck and pushes me hard.

  I trip over my feet and fall hard on the ground. I roll over to my knees and, right when I’m about to stand, he kicks me in the ribs. I fall right on my face and am kicked again. My ribs throb, and pain pulses through me. Holy crap, I’ve never felt pain like this before.

  He takes his foot and pushes hard, making me roll over. He bends over me and spits. “Are you getting more scared now?”

  Yeah, I am. At least, I don’t have a knife at my throat anymore, but now I’m getting the snot kicked out of me.

  A vein bulges in between his eyes, and he bends down over me. “I asked if you were scared.”

  Before I can answer, Charlie jumps on his back and puts him in a choke hold. “Do not treat her like that.”

  Randy bucks and turns side to side but can’t get Charlie off his back. His face is turning white, and drool is coming out of his mouth. He moves toward one of the trees and steps backwards, ramming Charlie into the trunk.

  After the second time, Charlie rolls off Randy’s back and keeps him in the same hold while flipping him onto his side.

  Charlie glances at me. “Are you okay?”

  That’s a good question. I move and my ribs scream in pain, but they don’t feel broken. At least, I don’t think they do. I’ve never had one broken before to compare it to. “Yeah, I think I’m okay.”

  “Then a little help here?” Charlie’s tone is strained as Randy continues to fight, trying to get out of the hold.

  Yeah, I guess I should get on that. “Yeah, right.” I get up, trying to hurry but not push myself too hard. It hurts to even take a breath.

  Once I’m on both feet, I close my eyes and picture my magic. It’s weird because, when I picture it, it’s usually a white color, but right now when I’m trying to reap, it’s an inky black color similar to what I see around Damien.

  Since pushing it inside me wasn’t enough, I’m hoping this will help because we need to reap him fast. I imagine myself reaching out and touching the darkness. As soon as my fingers touch it, the cold that I feel when I reap is what I feel on my fingertips. I raise my hand and swat it down hard, and the power begins thrumming fast inside me.

  I open my eyes and hurry, closing the distance between Charlie and me. The power is still thrumming, even though it has slowed a little, but it’s still strong enough to serve its purpose. I stumble the last few steps and place my hands on Randy.

  He groans when my hands connect with his chest and the pulling begins. The coldness fills my body from head to toe, which intensifies the pain in my ribs. I’m feeling light headed and my vision begins to slant.

  Once the soul is inside me, the world goes gray.

  “Christina, are you okay?” Charlie’s voice is right next to my ear.

  It’s the last thing I hear before everything goes black.

  22

  The sweet scent of pine fills my nose. I take a deep breath, inhaling it in more. This smells just like the quick sniffs of Charlie I get. I bury my face in the pillow and then pause. Wait, my bed doesn’t smell like this.

  I sit up and take in my surroundings. I’m in a large bed with dark blue sheets and two oversized pillows. The room is bare except for a light brown dresser in the middle of the wall on the opposite side of the bed. The walls are a light beige color, and there is a small closet on the left side of the room.

  How the hell did I get here? Oh, dear God, please tell me I’m dressed.

  I lift up the covers and sigh with relief. My clothes are still on, so there was no undressing that occurred while I was unconscious. I throw the covers off me and slide my legs off the bed. I don’t have time for laying around. What time is it anyways?

  I have to calm down. Freaking out isn’t going to fix anything. I take a deep breath and find my cell phone beside the bed on the floor. I bend down and grab it, glancing at the time. It’s one in the morning. So, I’ve been out for around three hours, which isn’t great, but I still have a few more hours to reap the last soul and locate the crystal.

  A chill wracks me. I do feel better after my body forced me to rest. I wouldn’t have been able to reap the third soul otherwise. I reach up and touch my neck. It’s scabbed over, so at least that’s something. Ugh, I don’t know why this has to be so freaking difficult for me. It’s not normal.

  Clanking sounds from outside the bedroom. Charlie must be up to something, and it’s kind of weird being in here in his room anyways. I open the door and walk into the living room and kitchen area.

  His back is turned to me as he’s cooking something on the stove. His place is a one-bedroom apartment, and the living room and kitchen are one room. The division is where the brown carpet turns into tan vinyl. He has a small round table in the corner of the kitchen with two chairs. In the living room, there is a small television with a worn, leather couch.

  Could this be any more awkward? It’s like he didn’t hear me enter the room. “Can I help with anything?”

  He flinches then turns. “Oh, you’re up. Glad you could make it.”

  Well, we’re back at snarky comments. I thought we had gotten past that, but I guess not.

  Something pops on the stove, so he turns and grabs a spatula. “Are you feeling any better?”

  “Yeah.” I pull a chair out at the table and sit. “Has Damien come by? I need to get moving on to the third target.”

  “Nope. Haven’t seen him.” He grabs some salt and sprinkles some in the pan. “But if he saw what you did, I wouldn’t blame him for not coming back.”

  “What the hell does that mean?
” Who peed in his cheerios?

  “It means you could have gotten yourself killed back there.” He walks over to the refrigerator and grabs the milk and slams it shut. “What were you thinking? Why didn’t you just reap him and get it over with?”

  Does he think I was playing with the guy? “Because I enjoy getting a knife held to my throat and kicked in the ribs.” I roll my eyes. “It’s how I get my jollies in.”

  He sets the milk on the counter and turns to look at me with wide eyes. He raises one hand in the air and his brows furrow. “How old are you? Fifty? What twenty-year-old says jollies?”

  “I guess I’m an old soul.” I place my hand on my heart.

  He rubs a hand down his face. “You are so infuriating.” He turns and pours some milk into two glasses. “Seriously, why were you messing with him?”

  At this point, he might as well know the truth. Most everyone else does, and let’s be real, he’s already agreed to help me. “I wasn’t toying with him. My power wasn’t working.”

  “Huh.” He grabs the spatula again and rakes what’s in the pan. “So that’s blocked, too?.”

  The smell of scrambled eggs fills the air and my stomach rumbles. I wish that was what the problem was. That would be an easier solution. “No, it’s not blocked.”

  His body stiffens. “Then why would you be struggling to reap someone?”

  Good question. One I wish I had a good answer to. “I don’t know. I always have.” My pulse quickens, waiting for his reaction. I’m sure he’ll be even more disgusted by me.

  The toast in the toaster pops up, and he removes the pan from the burner. He opens up one of the cabinets and grabs two plates and two forks from the drawer. Once he has them set on the counter, he piles them up with toast and eggs.

  Why hasn’t he said anything? This is driving me insane. I need some kind of reaction. His non-reaction is freaking me out. “Well?”

  He walks over and sets a plate and fork in front of me and sits. “What do you want me to say?” He picks up a fork. “I’m just glad you aren’t stupid. However, I’m worried about how you’re going to manage to reap the next person.”

  So, we are going to have an actual conversation about this. Thank goodness. I’ve needed someone to confide in since Beth, but I never imagined it would be him—her brother. “Well, it’s always hard, but I managed the first one okay. I just felt off ever since that one, and that’s why I struggled with the second.”

  “But you have one more, and you could barely do the second one.” He frowns.

  I take a bite of food, enjoying the salty taste of the eggs. I don’t remember the last time I ate. I’m sure I have, but it’s been a minute. I take a quick sip of milk. “Well, I know I passed out, but I feel better since waking. I guess my body knew I needed to rest. I think I’ll be fine.”

  For the next few minutes, we both eat in silence. He finishes first, but he sits there waiting on me.

  This has been bugging me since I woke up here. “So, when did you move out from your parents’?”

  “I wondered when you’d ask.” He takes a sip of his drink. “A few weeks after the funeral. I couldn’t live there without her.”

  No more words are needed. We both know he’s talking about Beth. “Well, it’s nice.”

  He chuckles. “No, it’s not.”

  The sound of his laugh takes my breath away. I’ve always found him cute, but nothing could happen for several reasons. One, he’s Beth’s brother, and two, he hates me. So, all romantic possibilities are nonexistent. I take my last bite of food.

  “Why don’t you go and rest some more in my room while I clean up?” He stands and grabs our plates.

  “Well, you cooked….” I don’t want to take advantage of him.

  “You need to rest.” He raises an eyebrow. “You have to make sure you can reap that third soul. It’s important to both of us.”

  The jerk has a point. I let out a breath. “Okay, you’re right.” I turn and head back to his bedroom and shut the door.

  It seems so intimate being here in his room, but he’s right. I need my rest. I’m hoping Damien shows up soon so I can get a move on.

  A black inky circle opens up in the middle of the room, and I stumble back a step. What the hell is that?

  The circle gets bigger and bigger until it forms into a person… a man. Then the pine smell is covered by fire and brimstone as Damien appears right in the middle of Charlie’s room.

  His arrogant smirk is the first thing I see when he appears. “So, it seems you had problems with my second target.”

  Yeah, I’m sure he found it amusing. “Your little friend seemed to be a little unhinged.”

  “That’s what makes some of them so fun.” His eyes flash. “Look, we don’t have much time, and the next assignment you’ll need to do alone, without,” he points out the door toward Charlie, “him.”

  Huh, that’s interesting. I don’t know why, but I’m not in a place to argue. I’m almost out of time and need my magic unblocked. “Fine. Just give me the information.”

  He, once again, hands me a piece of paper with a name.

  George Castle

  I close my eyes, and a man with teardrop tattoos all over his face pops up in my mind. A chill runs down me just by looking at him. I force myself to look away from him and take in my surroundings. Once again, this target is in the same town that we were in earlier but on the other end of town next to a movie theater.

  When I open my eyes, Damien is close to me.

  I stumble back a step. “What the hell?”

  “Sorry, I was just intrigued.” He tilts his head. “It’s like I can feel your power pouring out of you whenever you track something.” He shakes his head. “Anyways, are you ready to go?”

  “I’ve got to figure out how to sneak out.” I glance around the room. There is a window. Maybe I can climb out of there.

  “I will transport you like the first time.” He takes a step forward and reaches for my hand.

  Crap, I can’t leave Charlie without an explanation. “Hold on, let me write a note.” I walk toward his dresser, hoping to find a pen and paper.

  “For goodness sake.” Damien flips his hand over and produces pen and paper. “Just write it and let’s go.”

  I grab it from him and jot down a note real fast.

  Charlie, I’m off to reap the third soul. Damien said I had to go alone. Thanks for the food. I will call you soon.

  Not sure what else to say, I place it on the dresser. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  Damien grabs my hand, and before I can say anything else, the dark smoke is swirling around me and I’m falling.

  23

  Once again, I can’t tell up from down, and the smell of fire is overwhelming. I hate this method of teleportation and hope this is the last time I have to travel this way.

  I see asphalt and spin so that my ass hits the ground instead of my face. I hit the ground so hard that I swear my whole spine vibrates from the impact. Ugh, I guess this is let’s see how many times I can get hurt in one day.

  I stand, and the smell of popcorn is overwhelming. I glance around and there are several large dumpsters close by. He dropped me right behind the movie theater. At least, it’s super convenient. I just need to find George and get this over with.

  The back door to the theater is open, and I can’t believe my luck when George walks out. His face is blank, and he’s holding a baseball bat in his hands. When he makes it about twenty yards from the door, he turns. “Bring him out.”

  What the hell is going on? They can’t be playing baseball back here in the dark at this time of morning.

  A loud groan echoes around the brick walls. Soon, a tall, bulky man is dragging another man out that is tied up with handcuffs.

  The man who is captured has a black eye, is limping, and is pulling on the chains, trying to get back in the doors. “Please, don’t. I’ll make it right.”

  “Oh, quit it and have some dignity,” the other man says as he pulls
on the chains harder, making the man in handcuffs stumble.

  There is a struggle for a few minutes, but soon, the man is brought in front of George.

  My stomach turns. This can’t be good. However, there aren’t any other reapers around, so this man isn’t going to die tonight. He might just wish he did.

  “You were supposed to have the money tonight, Bill.” George lifts the bat up, looking at him. “What happened?”

  Bill flinches. “Well, I thought I would, but something came up.”

  What an idiot. He owes these people money and can’t pay. I wish I was anywhere but here right now. I don’t want to watch this.

  “Something, huh?” George holds the bat in one hand and holds his open palm up so he can catch it there. “That sounds like an excuse.”

  “No, no, no.” Bill’s eyes widen. “Not at all. My brother was going to bring it to me, but he got stuck in traffic.”

  “Really?” George turns his wrist so he can see his watch. “It’s two in the morning. He’s still stuck in traffic? Your cut off was eight last night.”

  This guy is a moron. What did he expect to happen?

  “Well, you see…” Bill’s lips tremble and he glances around. “I thought you’d understand his predicament. His wife and daughter are sick at home and he really needed to turn around. He said he’d bring it first thing in the morning.”

  “Your brother, right?” George tilts his head, the lights reflecting off his face making the teardrop tattoos seem even more scary.

  Bill bobs his head like a bobble doll. “Yeah, he’s reliable, too.”

  I don’t know where this is going. Something bad is about to happen, and I’m stuck here having to watch it.

  “Bring him out,” George yells and lifts the bat again.

  “What?” Bill’s face turns white.

  After a second, the door opens and another man comes out dragging someone.

  The man being dragged is in pajama bottoms, and his hair is messy as if he was yanked out of bed. His eyes are wild, and his mouth drops when he sees his brother. “Bill?”