Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (Dead Things Series Book 1) (6 page)

9

EMBER

W
hen she came too, the world was a blurry swirl of color, everything out of focus like she was viewing it through a dirty window. Her head throbbed and her tongue felt like she’d been dragging it across a dirty carpet.

Despite her aching head, she was aware of the fact that she was on a rather comfortable couch and there were agitated voices carrying from the other room.

“So you thought you’d just disregard
everything
we’ve ever been taught and bring her here without consulting any of us, without consulting our alpha?” asked a male voice she didn’t recognize.

“What should we have done? Left her to die?” that voice was clearly Kai.

“Yes!” the other male responded in exasperation. “You are a reaper. That is your sole purpose for existing, remember? That is the textbook definition of what you were supposed to do, you dumbass. You help people who are going to die to…die” the other voice finished, sounding mildly humiliated by the lame finish to what had started out as a scathing comeback.

“You don’t get it. Tristin screamed, Rhys. She screamed for her. That means something.” Kai sounded almost frantic as he pleaded, “It has to mean something. Besides,” he added “She’s family, man.”

There was a snort of disgust, “We have no idea what your sister’s screams mean. We don’t know anything at all about banshees. How could you be this stupid? You brought her here and you don’t even know who she is. You don’t know what she is. Do you ever think before you act?” There was a sigh of exasperation, “It’s not always about you. You don’t get to just make your own decisions and let us clean up after you.”

“Oh, screw you,” Kai snarled, “I’m sorry I care about people. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stand by and watch my family member get slaughtered. I’m sure you would have just grabbed some popcorn and enjoyed the show but we can’t all be heartless robots. I’d say it must be a wolf thing but since the rest of the pack all have feelings I’m guessing it’s just a ‘you’ thing. You’re such a dick.”

“And you are too reckless. Where is this girl going to stay? Here? We aren’t an orphanage for homeless paranormal teens. There’s not a lot of room here at the inn as of late. You’re lucky the pack lets you two stay here. Isa is going to kill you when she finds out.”

“We have six bedrooms and your sister will understand.” Kai told him. “Ember’s my family. You don’t abandon your family. Even someone like you should be able to get that. There aren’t many of us left.”

Having heard enough, Ember risked sitting up, unable to stifle the groan that slipped from her lips as the world tilted on its axis. They both glanced at her sharply. Kai grimaced and looked at her with apprehension.

The other boy glowered at her, a sneer pulling sharply at one overly pouty lip. He was one of the largest guys she’d ever seen. His eyes were bright green and shone like they were lit from within. He was all heavy brows and sharp cheekbones. She supposed he was good looking if you liked that Spartan warrior look. Despite the fact that he was currently looking at her like he had homicide on his mind-which seemed to be her new type- he wasn’t really doing it for her at the moment. Maybe it was the skull splitting headache pounding behind her temples maybe it was because he looked like he wanted to murder her new found family member.

Rhys cocked his head to the side, like a German Shepard, and smirked at Kai. “Hope you know what you’re going to tell my sister. Because she just pulled up.”

He pushed past her cousin, unnecessarily body checking him into the bannister as he passed. Kai stumbled but recovered, having braced for the impact. She wondered how often he found himself shoved around by the wolf. He glanced at her, smiling in a way that was probably meant to be reassuring but instead looked like terror. He walked out of her line of vision, likely in the direction of the door.

A door opened and closed in rapid succession, confirming her suspicions.

“Hey, Isa-” Kai began. There was a muffled “Oomph,” followed by a squeak that may have been human. Ember didn’t have time to contemplate its origins before a blur of a body flew past the doorway followed by another fast moving shadow. A crash erupted along with the sound of splitting wood and shattering glass. She was on her feet before her brain even registered the decision, carrying her to the next room. The crash was the coffee table, currently crushed beneath her cousin.

On top of him was a woman. Well, she was definitely female, though the elongated teeth currently at his neck were undeniably not human.

She felt herself nodding to nobody in particular as she made peace with the realization that her cousins weren’t crazy, the supernatural was real and, there was, given the conversation she’d overheard, a werewolf about to tear her new found family member apart.

“Isa, I can explain,” Kai panted, his hands held up in surrender, throat bared in submission. She’d seen that on Animal Planet. “Please, please, please just let me explain.”

Isa growled, she honest to goodness growled, low in her throat. “Oh, too late for that, Buttercup, your sister already filled me in.”

He looked dismayed at this new information. Isa didn’t wait for further explanation; she slammed him once, then again against the wood remnants. He sucked in a pained breath. “Careful,” he grunted, “I know you’re mad but I don’t heal like a wolf; fragile human-like physique here.”

Another snarl, “You are not a human.” She hissed, “You are a reaper and an absolute idiot. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Give me one reason why I shouldn’t just tear you apart and feed you to the rest of the pack like reaper tar-tar?”

“I’m probably really gamey, like free range rabbit,” he tried joking. The low rumble that emanated from the wolf made Ember’s blood run cold. The sound Kai made when Isa’s teeth nipped his throat was not even a little manly.

Ember’s heart was beating about as fast as a rabbits and her skull felt like there was an entire drum line in her head. If this wolf killed Kai, she was sure she was next. Perspiration slid between her shoulder blades and beaded across her hairline. She pulled at her dampening sweater, why was it so hot in here?

Kai’s hand was on his neck where a tiny bit of blood dotted his skin, “Come on, Isa. I know you’re mad but you’re not going to kill me. If you want to kick my ass just do it so we can move on.”

The girl leaned back a little, still straddling his waist, arms folded across her chest. Kai sat up slightly, resting his weight on his forearms, “Aren’t you even a little curious how she popped up on my list when she’s supposedly been dead for twelve years?”

At that, the wolf turned to glance in Ember’s direction.

Embers gasp was reflex. There was no other response when faced with glowing gold eyes, a slightly elongated nose and a low drooping brow. She felt her mouth fall open. She prayed that she didn’t do something completely uncool like wet her pants. She was equal parts terrified and fascinated. She fought to keep her hands to herself and not reach out to touch the creases that marred the girl’s heavily furrowed brow.

As she watched, the wolf tossed her head back, flexing her jaw. Her long hair flowed across her face like an ad for fancy conditioner but it didn’t hide the way her features shifted before her eyes, bones sliding under skin, righting themselves until her features looked entirely human.

“Awesome.” The whisper slipped out before Ember could stop it.

She let herself drop heavily into the high backed chair behind her. Isa wasn’t tall like her brother, Rhys. She was tiny even, but they had similar coloring and the same perfect cheekbones, straight teeth and insanely long eyelashes. Her eyes were also the same startling shade of green now that they weren’t glowing gold.

She was beautiful when she wasn’t shifted and snarling with murderous rage.

Isa cocked her head in that same canine way Rhys had earlier though she didn’t appear to be listening for something; she seemed to be concentrating. Ember fought not to shrink under the wolf’s weighted gaze. Dogs could sense fear, she reminded herself. She bit down on her lower lip. She didn’t think they’d appreciate a dog joke.

“So,” the older woman began, “you’re claiming that
you
are November Lonergan.”

Ember floundered, not sure how she should answer. She opted for the truth, “Um, I never claimed to be anybody.” She shrugged apologetically at Kai, wondering absently where Tristin had ended up. Had Isa killed her? “I was minding my own business when I was assaulted in a cemetery.”

Isa snapped her gaze to Kai, her look mutinous. Kai’s eyes widened and he shrank from the wolf.

“No, not him.” Ember clarified quickly, “Kai didn’t attack me...they didn’t attack me. Some hot, sullen guy with major bedhead did.” Her heart did a weird little flip flop thing as she pictured Mace. If that was even his real name. She tried to explain further. “Well, he was going to…attack me, that is. He, um, well, he talked about attacking me. Actually, first he just insulted me a lot…then he talked about killing me but like in a weird flirty way.” The she-wolf was looking progressively more confused. “I guess that’s not really important. Kai and Tristin found me and saved me.”

“She’s definitely one of them,” Rhys muttered as he appeared in the doorway. “She rambles as bad as he does.”

She flipped up her middle finger in his direction, with a glare, hoping it wasn’t the last thing she ever did. He snorted, rolling his eyes.

There was a clatter from the front room and all eyes swung for the door. Ember was prepared for almost anything but what she saw.

10

MACE

M
ace wasn’t sure exactly how long he lay on the ground clutching his head. He wasn’t sure about a lot of things. He didn’t know where those two had come from, he didn’t know how they found them and he didn’t know which one of them had hit him but he’d happily beat them to death with the shovel they’d left behind the next time he saw them. If he could just get off the ground. He stared at the stars overhead as they swam in and out of focus. It was his own fault for indulging his curiosity.

His phone rang in his pocket which felt very far away from his hand for some reason. Whatever the girl had hit him with-Hellbore he suspected-was potent. Ember had been worth it though. She was something. He groaned as he attempted to shift himself before thinking better of it and lying back down.

If he didn’t answer, there was a very good chance they would send somebody else to follow the girl. Somebody who had even looser morals than himself. He wasn’t entirely certain such a person existed but he didn’t want said person anywhere near his newest hobby.

He’d met plenty of fascinating girls over the years. He wouldn’t be so trite as to say that she was different. They had all been unique in some way. This girl though, she was a bit of a mystery. He should know better than to make assumptions but he’d thought she would be meek and quiet. His intentions had been pure. He simply wanted a conversation but when she’d asked if he’d planned to kill her, he just had to know how she’d respond.

She surprised him. He wouldn’t let her surprise anybody else. She was his. He had to know more about her. His magic wanted hers and it seemed the feeling was mutual. If he wanted to keep her, he didn’t have much choice. With great effort he pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Mace,” he said.

“What did you do?” He held the phone away from his ear, wincing at the pain that shot through his skull at Echo’s definitely not flirting tone.

“What?” he asked, feigning innocence.

“You had one job, Mace. Watch and report.”

“I’m sorry. I realize I’m two hours late with my report but I assure you that there was nothing to report.” He lied smoothly. Just disobeyed a direct order, threatened a girl, got hit with some supernatural pepper spray and then left for dead in a cemetery. Nope. Nothing at all to report.

“We happen to know otherwise.”

“Do you?” he asked. “Fascinating. What is it you know?”

“Do you think this is a game?” she whispered.

“It’s all a game.” He grunted as he pushed himself into a sitting position, reclining against the stone building at his back.

“This isn’t a game to some of us. I get that you get some sick thrill out of flirting with a lifetime of torment but some of us would like to keep our skin on our bodies.”

His eyelid twitched. “I’m not interested in any of us losing our skin, least of all myself. I just don’t like secrets and you and I both know there is no reason for him to have chosen me for this job unless he has something else in mind for this girl.”

“So what?”

His eyebrow shot up, “So what? It doesn’t bother you that he might want to kill an innocent human?”

Echo snorted, “Oh, please. Since when did you care if humans are innocent? You lived off those innocent humans for over a century. Are you suddenly developing a conscience?”

“I’m simply saying I don’t understand why I’m being kept out of the loop. Shouldn’t I have all the information if I’m going to keep tabs on this girl?”

“This isn’t a loop, it’s a ladder and you’re on the bottom rung so just do what you’re told before you get us dead, yeah?”

“Wow. Time has made you bitter, Echo.”

“Listen to me, you go find that girl. You do exactly as you are told and not one thing more. Do I make myself clear?”

“Mm, no. I don’t think so, Dear” he told her, happy that she couldn’t see him grimacing. “New plan. Tell the man upstairs I want to speak to him directly.”

She laughed, hard and loud. “That will never happen.”

“Tell him I want to speak to him now or I’ll just rip the girl’s throat out and be done with it. I am, after all, the only one who knows her whereabouts.”

“Are you crazy?” He felt a little bad. The poor dear sounded near panic-stricken.

“Do it, Echo. This conversation is starting to bore me and we both know what happens when I get bored. I promise you, the girl didn’t go far. Tick tock.”

“Hold” she said, leaving him to listen to surprisingly jaunty music. He always expected the bad guys to have darker taste in music but he supposed that was stereotyping.

Time seemed to creep by as Mace listened to all the hits from the classics to today. He stared up at the stars, the shapes still bleeding in and out of focus, hoping that his supernatural hangover would soon dissipate. His eyelids were starting to droop when a voice came on the line.

“Mace,” the other man said, voice hissing his name like a snake. “I knew giving you this job was a mistake. I knew you were reckless but I didn’t think you were suicidal. You will not touch that girl unless I say. Is that understood?”

He rolled his eyes, “Yes. Yes. I’ll be tortured, maimed, you’ll cut out my heart. Rend the flesh from my bones. Blah. Blah. Blah. Just tell me what she is and I’ll go back to being creepy lurking in shadows guy until you let me off my leash.”

“Excuse me?”

“What is she? You must know. That’s why you’ve been waiting for her powers to show, right? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“So she did come into her power? I knew it,” the other man muttered under his breath. “Were you planning on telling Echo this?”

“I wanted to tell you directly. I’m not really one for middle management. Too much room for error. I think if this arrangement is going to work, I should just speak directly to you.”

“I’m not entirely sure where you got the idea that you were somehow the one making decisions around here but I assure you that is not the case. I will just hire somebody else to watch the girl. Somebody who knows how to take orders.”

“What do you think that somebody will do when they get a taste of her magic? I can tell you, whatever she is, she’s powerful and a bit out of control. It seems like she might be quite a weapon with a little bit of training. Do you really trust anybody else with her? Besides, she and I really hit it off quite nicely.” He thought back to their brief interaction, “I think she likes me.”

“So you disobeyed a direct order and talked to the girl?”

He smiled at that. “Oh, come on. You know me. You had to know I would. You can’t dangle a hunk of meat in front of a lion and not expect it to at least give it a sniff.”

There was a snort from the other end of the line. “I can’t figure out if you are a genius or one of the stupidest people I’ve ever met.”

“It varies from day to day,” he reasoned. “But I’m not wrong. We wouldn’t want your fancy new toy falling in with a bad crowd, would we?”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “I want you to make friends with her. Get her to trust you. Do nothing else until I say. Nothing, Mace. Until further notice, that girl is your new best friend. Are we clear?”

“Crystal, Sir. Crystal.”