Waking the Dead (The Second Rising Series Book 1)

by Amber Garr

  “Nope,” he said. A second later, he’d scooped me up into his arms as he studied the glass ceiling with concentration.

  “What are you doing?” I asked hesitantly but got no reply. Instead, Noah walked around in circles, looking for something I couldn’t see. “Noah—”

  My voice was cut off when one of the panels suddenly opened. A rush of ice cold air blasted down on us, causing me to bury my head against his neck. And then we were floating. Scared to open my eyes, I instead listened to the wind around me. As we climbed out of the restaurant, the howling increased even though the sounds of the city below us tried to compete. It felt like we were rising into space until Noah let go of me with one arm and forced me to set my feet on a hard surface.

  With my eyes still squeezed shut, I let him guide my hands to a metal railing. “Open your eyes,” he whispered in my ear.

  I shook my head. “I really don’t think I can,” I said, voice and body shaking like crazy.

  “You can,” he said. “You have to see this.”

  The marvel in his voice made me smile. Wherever we were, Noah Hawke loved it here. So to see what the fuss was all about, I counted to three and opened my eyes.

  “Oh, wow….” I couldn’t even finish a cohesive thought as my vision interpreted every ounce of the wonder. On top of the tallest building around, we could see for miles. Hundreds of miles probably. The clouds had almost cleared, giving us an unobstructed view of the cities yet still feeling like we were in a world of our own. The wind whipped through my hair like a siren’s song, the smell of the earth caressing my soul. At no point before had I ever felt so alive.

  “What do you think?” Noah asked and I looked at him. Really looked at him. His once lavender eyes now blazed a golden yellow, his skin seeming to emulate the same effect. I swear an aura of red surrounded his body, but that would have been impossible to truly see. Although the peaceful and nostalgic expression on his face showed me that something meaningful was happening to him up here.

  “It’s amazing,” I breathed, still watching that aura pulsate around him.

  “It’s the closest thing to flying that I have now.” His voice softened in sadness and I reached out toward him. But just as I did, a large gust of wind danced by us and I nearly lost my footing on the tiny access walkway.

  “Be careful,” Noah said when he grabbed my arm to steady me. “It’s a long way down.” He winked and I grew dizzy. I guessed I wasn’t a huge fan of heights, I just didn’t know that until right now.

  “So you come here often?” I asked.

  “I do.”

  “To think?”

  He tilted his head to the side so that he could see me. He had only one foot and one hand resting on the walkway and railing. The rest of him hung over the edge, dangling out in the open space like a tease. “And to listen.”

  “Listen?”

  “I love the sound of the wind. And the branches. And all of the parts that make up life.” In the distance, ambulance sirens went off right on cue. Noah chuckled. “It’s all changed so much over time. I just don’t want to forget it.”

  I marveled at how just a few of his words could mean so much. He’d experienced many lifetimes over and yet it all still seemed new to him. I wondered if that was part of the phoenix nature or if that was just Noah.

  “This is pretty cool,” I said.

  Noah squeezed my hand that clung to the railing like a lifeline. When he skirted his way around me so that we were facing each other, I gazed up at his eyes and felt myself getting lost in them. “I’m glad you’re here with me,” he whispered, tucking my hair behind my ears.

  “I don’t want you to leave,” I blurted out uncontrollably. It was the truth, but it was probably something I should have never said out loud.

  Noah stopped moving; frozen like the dead. His lips pressed together and his jaw grated from side to side. I could see whatever interior struggle he faced painted all over his expression. He made no attempt to hide it, and when he let out a breath, I feared what was coming next.

  “I need to right my wrong,” he whispered. His forehead rested against mine, our lips only inches apart. “I need to fix this.”

  “Fix what?” I asked, afraid that if I said the wrong thing, he would leave.

  “It’s not time yet,” he replied. It wasn’t an answer, but I had a feeling it was all that I could get right now. So when he lowered his lips to mine and kissed me more passionately than we had ever kissed before, I ignored his enigmatic response.

  As the wind wafted around us, and the evening sounds of two cities serenaded our senses, Noah and I lost time on top of that building tower. His warm breath, the feel of his hands on my cheeks and combing through my hair, the guttural need that grew inside of me—all of it wrapped me up in a package of ignorant bliss. I temporarily forgot that he would leave someday. I forgot about my mom, my brother’s warnings, all of the dead bodies that I’d raised. My scars quivered in anticipation of what Noah’s bare skin would feel like against mine. It was as though they called out to him, begging to be caressed. Never had a regular human affected me in this way.

  Never had any guy affected me like this.

  As the minutes passed and our kisses slowed, I knew that our time up here was coming to an end. So when I dropped my head, I tried to force myself to follow through. “I have an early class tomorrow,” I said. What a stupid thing to say, but the truth none the less.

  Noah kissed me quickly on the lips and brushed his nose against mine. “Then we should go.”

  I nodded and let him wrap his arms tightly around me. Still facing each other, I decided not to close my eyes this time. When my feet left the security of the railing, I let out a little squeal. Noah tightened his grip, and as one, we floated down slowly through the open panel in the skylight.

  “How are you doing this?” I asked.

  “Telekinesis baby,” Noah answered sarcastically. “But I don’t trust it to take us long distances, so we’re going to use the elevator the rest of the way.”

  Fine by me, I thought. After the ceiling panel snapped back into place, Noah weaved his fingers through mine. On the silent ride down in the elevator, my thoughts drifted to what was to become of us. I had a feeling no guy would ever live up to the standards Noah was setting now. And he probably didn’t even know how he was changing my life every day he was in it. And I probably would never tell him that.

  Neither of us spoke the entire way back to my apartment but we also never let go of each other. The silence was comforting. We didn’t need to speak in order to say what we wanted to. The two of us, in a car, holding hands told enough of the story for now.

  After several days of boring classes, I was excited when someone knocked on our door Thursday evening. I hadn’t seen Noah all week, and that had caused me more anxiety than I wanted to admit. He said that he was busy taking care of some things, which only made me more paranoid about the downfall of a relationship I didn’t even know I’d really had.

  “I’ll get it,” Brit called out from her room at the second knock.

  I stayed sprawled out on my bed, trying to write a business statistics paper that was due tomorrow. But nothing could hold my attention today, so I definitely welcomed the distraction.

  “Oh, hi there.” I heard Brit’s tone change when she saw the person at our door. “Can I help you?”

  A stranger. Huh, interesting. Setting my computer to the side, I tugged down my tank top and decided to go see who was here. The deep voice that resonated throughout the hallway sounded vaguely familiar, yet I couldn’t quite place it.

  “I’m looking for Cressa,” he said and when I saw Brit’s face drop in disappointment, I knew what was going on.

  “Hi Rome,” I said, grabbing the door and inviting him inside. “Strange seeing you here.”

  He ducked his head to get through the door. Brit continued to stare with her mouth hanging open wide enough to catch flies, or so the saying goes. Although with the way Rome’s eyes kept dart
ing over to her, I wondered if the instant attraction was mutual.

  “I hope you don’t mind me just showing up,” he said. “Noah let me know where you live.”

  Not sure how I felt about that, I just nodded. While I still hadn’t figured out exactly what Rome was, I also didn’t think Noah would send someone untrustworthy. “Have you seen him lately?” I asked. Then I blushed in embarrassment when I realized I sounded like a desperate girlfriend.

  Rome caught on quickly and ignored any alternative explanations to my question. “No, he’s been traveling all week.”

  “For work?” I asked. Still having no clue what the “job” was, it seemed like the most obvious, and safe, explanation.

  Rome nodded and then focused on Brit. “I’m Rome,” he said with a slight smirk meant to be flirtatious.

  I thought Brit had forgotten how to speak. But then she lifted her hand. “Brit.” Her small frame looked dwarfed in comparison to Rome. His large hand swallowed hers and I thought that he let the contact linger a little longer than necessary.

  “What do want?” I asked, forcing the two of them to notice life around them again.

  “Oh, I uh…” Rome stumbled over his words and that sent warning flags through my mind. “Do you think you can help me with something tonight? It’s work related. For both of us,” he quickly added.

  “Sure…” I said hesitantly. “Does Noah know about this?”

  “He does, and he’s going to meet us there.”

  Those words comforted me quickly. If this was a Noah sanctioned outing, for lack of a better description, then it must be legit.

  “Okay, sure. Let me just get dressed.” I spared a quick glance at Brit who’d starting asking Rome all kinds of questions about his name and his impressive size. As I closed my bedroom door, I smiled when I heard Rome answering every single one without hesitation.

  A few minutes later, Rome and I were walking toward his SUV. “Thanks for doing this, Cressa. It’s a huge help.” Once we climbed in and he blasted the heat, I started to drill into him.

  “Okay, you need to spill. What are we doing?”

  Rome pulled out of the complex and merged onto the highway before he spoke again. “Have you figured out what I am yet?”

  The way he said it, with a teasing tone that only egged me on, I had one guess. “I think you’re an Imp. A soldier of the demons.”

  Rome huffed and pushed out his lips in thought. “Good, Cressa. I thought it might take you a little longer.” We merged onto another highway that would lead us into the adjacent city. “What gave me away?”

  “The sulfur smell,” I said. “And the fact that while I was at your house, I couldn’t think clearly.” I turned in my seat to face him better. “You had a block on me, didn’t you?”

  Now Rome laughed. It sounded like a hundred men enjoying a night out and I swear I heard multiple pitches of laughter coming out of his one voice. Creepy. “Very good,” he smiled. “I knew I liked you.”

  The silence stretched between us for the next several miles. I was debating over and over in my mind if I should ask him yet again what I was doing here, but then I thought that maybe he needed to tell me in his own time. As long as I knew before we arrived at our destination.

  “Have you heard of the Dan River Killer,” Rome suddenly asked.

  “Sure. He’s the serial killer who attacked a bunch of college students like fifteen years ago, right?” It was before I was really old enough to watch the news, but I had remembered one thing. “They thought he might be a Fiend, right?”

  Rome nodded while he turned the steering wheel hard left. “Yes. That’s what the human media said. But the truth was that he was just a psychotic human being. No supernatural explanation.”

  “How do you know this?” We were at a hospital. Not the one in Durham where all of us with a magical persuasion had to register, but at the regular one in Raleigh.

  “I work for the Imperium,” Rome stated.

  I reached for the car handle, a thousand thoughts swarming through my mind—all of them kicking into survivor mode as I contemplated how to get myself out of this situation. I couldn’t be here. With Rome. It was a trap.

  “Relax, luv,” Rome said once he parked. “I work for a section of the Imperium that assists the human police with cases that have gotten out of their control. My loyalties certainly don’t lie with those assholes.”

  “The human cops?” I asked, so confused right now and not really able to think cohesively.

  “No, the Imperium. I could care less what they want me to do. But it’s a job and I have to work in order for them to let me stay.”

  “Stay?” I asked quietly.

  “Stay above ground. In the sun,” he added when I gave him a questioning glance. “Otherwise it’s back home to Hell for me.”

  “I thought Imps always lived up here with us?” The words sounded so strange coming out of my mouth that I actually smiled.

  “Only the good ones, luv. Only the good ones.” Rome turned off the car and jogged around the front to open my door. “I need your help tonight with something that has to do with a human matter. Not a magical one.”

  “But you work for the Imperium,” I said without getting out. “How do I know you won’t turn me in?”

  “Really?” Rome asked in exasperation. “What does a guy have to do to earn your trust?”

  I couldn’t help but think that comment was double-sided even though I also couldn’t gauge how much Rome knew about Noah and me. And speaking of, a silver sports car pulled into the spot next to us and my phoenix stepped out with a smile.

  “Hey Cressa,” Noah said and then kissed me quickly on the lips. He let his warm breath linger there just a little bit until Rome cleared his throat. “Why are you sitting in here?”

  “Because she doesn’t trust me,” Rome interjected.

  Glaring over Noah’s shoulder, I narrowed my eyes at Rome. “Do you know that he works for the Imperium?”

  “Yes,” Noah said with a shrug. I crossed my arms and switched my glare to him. “What?” Noah asked. “You think he’d ever turn you in?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Oh, for the love of Satan,” Rome grumbled. “What would I have to gain from turning in one lowly necromancer?”

  “Keep digging your hole, Rome,” I said.

  “Will you please talk some sense into her, man? I don’t have all night.” Rome walked away from the SUV and pulled out his cell phone. I wanted to hear what he was saying but Noah grabbed my chin and made me look at him.

  “Rome would never turn you in. He hates the Imperium worse than Hell. Any chance he gets to stick it to them, he does.”

  “Why am I here?” I asked, ignoring the rest of what Noah just said.

  Rome joined us again and answered my question. “Because we have a lead in the Dan River killings, but someone may have squeezed him just a little too hard and he kind of…well, died.” The guilty look on Rome’s face suddenly made me laugh.

  “So you accidentally killed a suspect and now you want me to raise him so that you can question him?”

  Rome slapped Noah on the back. “She’s smarter than she looks.”

  Noah groaned and then gave me a look that sped my already spastic heart. “Can you please do this for him? I’m sure he’ll pay you.” He said that last part loud enough for Rome to hear, who only made a sound of disgust in response.

  I slid out of the vehicle and nestled up against Noah’s side. “He doesn’t have to pay me,” I said, then focused on Rome. “But some day, you will owe me a favor.”

  “How about I don’t turn you in?” Rome said it in jest, but Noah punched him in the arm.

  “Not funny.”

  Rome rubbed the spot on his bicep, and I wondered if it was just for show. “All right. All right.” He leaned forward and tapped me on the nose. “I’ll owe you.”

  I glanced up at Noah. “I thought Imps always lied.”

  “Hey, I never—” But Rome stopped argui
ng when he realized I was just toying with him. Probably not the smartest thing to do with an agent from Hell. “Fine, let’s go,” he muttered and we all started to walk into the front entrance.

  But instead of entering the main part of the hospital, Rome directed us to a stairway off to the side. “Back way,” he muttered when Noah said something. Three floors later, we emerged in the basement where they kept all of the dead bodies. I felt every single one of them just like I had that night in the mausoleum.

  “My partner is going to meet us.” Rome pressed his palm over my mouth when I tried to speak. “And he won’t turn you in either. He’s actually pretty cool with all of this.”

  “Does he know about you?” I asked as we followed him through one particularly empty hallway. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered, giving the sensation that a spirit was playing with us.

  Rome shrugged but didn’t look back at me. “Kind of.”

  Noah grabbed my hand and I squeezed. “What does that mean?” I whispered.

  “It means that Rome hasn’t been totally truthful,” he whispered back with a wink.

  “I can hear you,” Rome mumbled ahead of us. We finished our walk without another word, only the clicking of our shoes carrying through the dead silence.

  “This is really creepy,” I mumbled to myself.

  Rome’s phone suddenly rang, the ringtone an appropriate “Staying Alive” tune, and I jumped about ten feet in the air. “Relax, we’re right outside,” he said and then shoved the phone back in his pocket. “My partner gets a little antsy when he has to be with a dead body all by himself.”

  As he finished making fun of the man helping him on this case, he slapped his hand on a door that flew open and banged against the metal wall behind it.

  “For fuck’s sake, Rome! Do you always have to do that?” A man much smaller than the Imp, although still an impressive height, jumped to his feet next to the only table with a body on it. He looked like a cop with his short brown hair and day-old stubble. “You’re such an ass—” He stopped his slew of profanities when he saw me standing in the doorway. “Oh, sorry miss.”