When the Dead Come Home

by B. L. Brunnemer

  “Yeah”

  “Jake told me some of it,” I admitted. “How is he?”

  “He’s in hospice homecare now,” he croaked.

  My heart dropped. “I’m so sorry, Dylan.”

  “They say he doesn’t have long, a couple of months maybe.” He sniffed. “Look, I know I have no right to ask you, but…”

  I gritted my teeth, dreading the next words from him.

  “Could you make some of Mom’s cookies for him?”

  I relaxed. “You can’t follow the recipe?”

  “I can, but I fumble the execution every time,” he said. “I’m sorry to ask, he’s just mentioned the cookies a few times, and I’d do anything to get him to eat something.”

  My eyes burned. I liked Dylan’s dad. He was sweet. “Yeah, I’ll get Asher to make sure that they’re edible too.”

  “Thank you.” He sighed.

  “Anything else I can do?” It slipped out before I realized it. Fuck!

  He hesitated for several heartbeats. “No, just the cookies. Thank you, Lexie.”

  Chapter 15

  Friday

  “Good,” Uma said. “Now hold it.”

  I bit back a curse as I fought to keep my focus on the small ball of flame in my palm. It was no bigger than a quarter, but it took everything in me to keep my barriers open and the energy flowing from outside in.

  “Very good.” Uma walked around me, watching. “Now, we’re going to increase the size slowly. Try for a silver dollar size.”

  Keeping my breathing even, I focused on dropping my barrier more. Energy flowed through me in a rush. Too much. The flame exploded in my hand and blew out in a flash. I cursed as I slammed my barriers shut.

  “Too much energy too fast,” Uma stated the obvious.

  I wiped the sweat from my face and looked up at her. “Remind me again why I’m doing this?”

  She grinned. “Because unless you’re near a cemetery at this point, you’re screwed if you’re attacked.”

  I nodded. “And I haven’t even raised a zombie yet. Yeah, I get it.”

  Uma sat down cross legged across from me. “You should be proud of what you managed today. Louis struggled for years only to get to where you are now.”

  “Oh yeah?” My cheeks grew warm.

  “Yes. He had a difficult time with the concept.” She picked up a stone ball and rolled it in her hands. “Even when he finally grasped it, he only managed a flame the size of a pea.”

  I smiled. She had really loved Louis. The warmth in her voice when she spoke about him… “I’m sorry he’s gone.”

  “He’s with Rose. That’s what matters.” Her grin turned sad. “I always knew he wouldn’t be a reaper.”

  I started cleaning my thumbnail with another fingernail.

  She noticed. “What?”

  “I don’t know what kind of choice that is.” I shrugged. “Live as a reaper, cross the dead, or move on. Why would someone choose to be a reaper?”

  “Ahh.” Her grin faded as she leaned her elbows on her inner thighs. “That’s a good question.”

  I lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “I can’t see not moving on and not seeing the people you love after you die. I can’t imagine it.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “Well, you could see them, from what Louis told me. You just wouldn’t be able to stay with them.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Reapers can move through the ether, a lot like your friend Zahur,” she said. “That includes the afterlife of those you love. You just can’t stay with them. You can’t make it home.”

  “I still don’t understand reapers, not really.” My face burned for no reason. Being a necro, I should understand these things.

  “Well, Louis said there are two types of reapers.” She continued to play with the crystal ball in her hands. “Those who are born reapers, and those who turn after death.”

  “But, aren’t they dead?”

  She shook her head. “No, they’re not. Their life cycle has been… paused, like a movie. They get to a certain age and they just… stay there.”

  I thought that over. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “It sounds like hell to me.”

  “Hell?” Was she serious? “You wouldn’t die, at least not again. You could still see your family. It doesn’t sound so bad to me.”

  “But you don’t change,” she countered. “Everything will stay the same. Stagnant. You’d have duty, and memories. That’s it.”

  That didn’t sound so fun after all. “But friends, family…”

  “You wouldn’t be able to see them, not while they’re living.” She set the stone down with a click. “Being a reaper means you’re surrounded by the dead all the time. You’ve already had a small taste of that. Does that sound interesting to you?”

  I thought about. Only the dead to keep you company? No, it sounded awful. I shook my head.

  Her face filled with approval. “Good girl. Remember that when they offer you the world to become a reaper.”

  “I’m not planning on giving them the chance for a long time,” I countered.

  The corners of her mouth drooped. “No one ever plans to die early, Lexie. But you know it happens.”

  I nodded in agreement.

  “Besides, I think you might be right.” The light was back in her face. “A necro that can use natural energy is a frightening opponent indeed.”

  I grinned.

  “Now, let’s get to work on protective barriers.”

  Ethan

  * * *

  “You’re going out with Lexie today,” I stated.

  Miles didn’t even look up from his alchemy table. Bottles and metalwork covered the surface. “It’s not my night.”

  “I know, it’s mine,” I bit out. “I’m giving it to you and trying to help your ass.”

  Miles shook his head absently. “And I’m trying to save everyone.”

  “Miles, you need to keep your relationship with her tight,” I tried again.

  Miles simply didn’t seem to hear me. He had tuned me out. I sighed in defeat. There was no point talking to him when he was like this. “Fine, be a shitty boyfriend.”

  He didn’t even twitch.

  I turned and stormed out of the conservatory. When Miles concentrated like this, he ignored everyone and everything. And something had gotten up his ass today.

  Fine. I’ll take my girlfriend out.

  I found her in my bathroom. She was drying that waterfall of curls with my hair dryer, giving me an amazing glimpse of her backside in those jeans. I simply stood and watched with my body growing harder.

  Her gaze found me in the mirror. She smiled a bright smile as she shut off the hair dryer. “How long have you been there?”

  “Long enough.” I smiled back.

  Her cheeks tinted a slight pink as she started cleaning up her makeup. “So, where are we going tonight?”

  “It’s a surprise.” Fuck Miles, I was going to make her smile all night long like she deserved.

  * * *

  Lexie

  * * *

  “Strike!” I turned and did an arm pump. “You lose, sucker!”

  Ethan chuckled as the pins reset.

  Beaming, I dropped into the seat next to him and looked at the score. “Oh.”

  He shook his head. “You still got more strikes.”

  “Yeah, but it was the gutter balls that killed me,” I muttered. It had killed my average. “You didn’t used to be this good.”

  His smiled faded a little as he set us up for another game. “My back used to hurt too much.”

  “And now it doesn’t.” I bumped his shoulder with mine.

  His grin came back as he turned to me. “And now it doesn’t.”

  “I’m sorry New Orleans happened,” I admitted, the guilt still eating at me sometimes. “But I’m not sorry for the outcome.”

  He shifted to face me, his arm moving across the back of my chair. “Me eit
her.” He tucked a stray curl behind my ear. “I’d go through it a thousand more times if it meant that I felt this good.”

  I reached up and played with a wrinkle in his shirt on his chest. “I just wish Evelyn had been allowed to fix your back.”

  He shrugged. “It’s fixed. I feel great. And I’m with you. That’s all that matters.”

  Light shining through me, I leaned forward and gave him a kiss. When I pulled back, his eyes were warm.

  “You better go first this time.” He smiled.

  It took a moment for his meaning to sink in. Once it did, I rolled my eyes and got to my feet. A chill ran down the back of my neck, and not the ‘there’s a ghost around’ kind. I made a point to send my ball down the lane before glancing around the bowling alley. There. Several people our age. Probably from school. The girls were watching us and whispering to each other.

  “Okay, Beautiful,” Ethan said as he came to my side at the ball return. “I see what you’re doing.”

  “Oh yeah?” I grinned as I picked up my ball.

  Ethan moved his hand to my lower back and walked me to the line. “You keep throwing to the right.” He moved me further left. “Roll from here.”

  I looked up at him. His face was full of mischief while his back was to the group watching us closely. “You’re taunting them.”

  He flashed me a smile full of teeth. “No, this is.” He leaned down and captured my lips before I knew it.

  I fought not to melt into him and pulled back. “You’re awful.”

  “I know.”

  I stepped away from him and threw a horrible gutter ball. “This secret really isn’t going to stay quiet.”

  He snorted before he took his shot. “I think that boat has sailed.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered, watching as one of the guys watched me and Ethan. “How long do you think the gossip will last?”

  Ethan came back to sit beside me. “As long as we’re not hiding it.”

  “Do you think we should have tried harder?” I asked, cleaning my thumbnail.

  He scoffed. “Fuck no.”

  I looked up at him.

  He wrapped his hand around the inside of my knee. “I’m not ashamed of sharing you. And there’s no way I’m going to pretend to be.”

  My chest grew warm. “Really?”

  He nodded. “You’re ours, Lexie. You always have been.”

  I reached up and brushed my thumb over his chin. “And you guys are mine.”

  Ethan leaned close enough that his lips brushed mine. “Always.”

  * * *

  I was almost asleep around midnight when the first chill ran up the back of my neck. I had just turned off my phone and cuddled with Hades. I didn’t have anything left today.

  Hades’ head shot up. He was at my bedroom door before I could blink, making a low growl. I got up, opened the door, and followed at a slower pace. The house was dark, only the kitchen light over the sink on. It threw enough light that I could make out the shapes of the furniture and Hades at the back door.

  At the back door, I grabbed his collar before opening it. Nothing but darkness filled my vision. Too much darkness. Yeah it was night, but most nights you could see the stars. There was only darkness. Without taking my eyes off the back yard, I flicked the switch for the outdoor lights.

  The lights turned on, flooding the grass and patio with light. But that’s where the light ended. Pitch black human figures stood around the edge of the lawn. Familiar black figures. Shadow men. I had run into them before, in an old abandoned hospital a few miles from town, though there hadn’t been that many. The figures kept pressing against the air and pawing like a cat at a door. I let go of Hades and stepped out into the crisp night air. There had to be twenty of them here. What the hell did they want?

  A figure dropped in front of me. I jumped and started to scream. A strong hand covered my mouth. My heart all but leaping out of my chest, I looked up into Samuel’s sparkling eyes.

  “It’s just me.” He grinned.

  I smacked his hands away from me. “You are such an asshole.”

  He chuckled a rich laugh as he stepped back away from me and turned to the line of shadow men. “Sorry, I was doing my usual checks when I saw this. I thought I’d take a look.”

  “What the hell are those things doing here?” I muttered, looking them over again.

  Samuel tilted his head to the side. “Well, no one quite knows what they are. There’s several theories.”

  “Do any of them explain why they would be here?” I asked dryly.

  “Well, yes.” He kept watching the shadows move. “A complicated bit of magic and then they can be sent after a target.”

  My gaze snapped to him. “What?”

  He looked down at me. “Someone is trying to kill you.”

  I sat down hard on the chaise, stunned.

  He knelt in front of me, bringing him to my eye level. “What has changed in town?”

  I racked my brain. “Everything?” I rattled off everything that had happened in the last few days.

  His eyes narrowed on mine, his voice turning sharp. “No. There has to have been something else. Think.”

  I turned back to the ring of shadows. “I don’t know, but they’d be inside if it wasn’t for the wards.” My heart dropped. The wards. My house was the only one warded. “Give me your phone!”

  I took it and called Miles.

  “Yes?” His voice was tired.

  “Miles, are there any shadow men in your house?” My heart beat in my throat.

  “Lexie, what—”

  “Answer the question.”

  “No. Everything is normal.” He sighed. “What’s going on?”

  “Call Zeke and Asher. I’ll call the twins and ask them. If there are, get to my house.” I hung up and called the twins.

  “Huh?” Was Isaac’s only answer.

  “Are there shadow people in your house?” I demanded.

  Sheets rustled. “No, we were fine until you called. What’s going on?”

  I watched the shadows move. “Nothing, go back to sleep.”

  I hung up and called Miles again.

  “Zeke’s fine,” Miles answered. “He’s getting ready to go to your house.”

  I growled. “Fuck.”

  I hung up the phone and called Zeke.

  He answered on the first ring. “What’s wrong?”

  “Stay put,” I snapped. “My house is surrounded by shadow men, but the wards are holding them off.”

  “Lexie—”

  “Stay put,” I snapped. “If you show up, they might swarm you. I’m safe and okay.”

  He cursed a good long streak. “Fine. But if the wards look like they’re going to go—”

  “I’ll get safe and call,” I promised. “Fill Miles in.”

  “Alright. Please, be careful.”

  My heart warmed at the soft note in his voice as I hung up and handed Sam his phone back. “That was fun.”

  “Good to know it’s just you,” he quipped.

  I shook my head. “It looks like I’ll be warding the other houses tomorrow.”

  “Before nightfall, that’s when they come out,” Sam said, watching the shadows. “That’s when they get to play.”

  “How strong does someone need to be to send them?”

  He straightened to his full height and approached the line of shadows. “Someone with a great understanding of magic, conjuration, and with the ability to collect enough magic to power it. It’s a complex spell.” He looked at me over his shoulder. “And since a lot of people have suddenly come into town, that doesn’t narrow it down.”

  I put my emotions to the side and focused. “So, we could safely assume a witch.”

  “I would say so, or whoever closed the Veil.” He sat down beside me.

  I eyed the line. “But like you said, why now?”

  “Exactly.” He raised an eyebrow waiting for my answer.

  “Why now?” I racked my brain as the shadows continued to
move. “Honestly, I think Jadis has been in town for a couple of weeks. They had plenty of opportunity.”

  “Something’s different,” he agreed. “What?”

  My stomach dropped as I thought it through. “If they’ve gone from trying to control me to trying to kill me”—I turned back to him—“it’s because they don’t need me.”

  He watched me, as still as a statue, waiting.

  I looked out at the writhing mass of murderous shadows. “It’s because they don’t need me anymore…” My stomach dropped. “They found him.”

  “You’re now expendable to them,” he said, approval filling his voice. “They’d need something of yours to target you. Hair, clothing, even an eyelash would do it. What witch has had access?”

  I thought it over. There was only one witch that would do this and had ever gotten that close to me. Serena. Rage boiled through me. “That fucking bitch.”

  “I take it you know who did this?” he asked.

  I scowled at him. “There’s one witch, besides Uma, that I’ve been close enough to, and that’s Serena.”

  “Well, it looks like you have a place to start,” he said.

  I nodded and watched the shadow men slam against the barrier.

  “You need to keep an eye on your wards,” he warned.

  I huffed. “Goodbye to the five hours of sleep I was hoping for.”

  He glanced down at me then turned back to the shadows again. “Go to bed, I’ll watch them tonight for you.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think I’d be able to sleep anyway.”

  Sam sat on the other chaise and watched the shadows try to break in. He took the left and middle: I took the right, searching for any sign of the wards breaking down.

  It was a long time until sunrise.

  Chapter 16

  Saturday Early Morning

  Miles

  I pulled up to the diner across the lot from the new Cadillac. He was already here. I sighed as I got out. What did I expect? Of course, he got here early. He always needed to have his bodyguards check out whatever area he was going into. Today wouldn’t be any different.