Reaper's Novice (Soul Collector #1) (39 page)

My summer job consists of hopping between Mom’s flower shop and Dad’s bio foods company, helping with deliveries.

Today it’s slow at Mom’s shop. Lucy colours a picture by the table next to the cashier’s counter. Mom’s in the back office discussing flower arrangements for an upcoming wedding. Anton is helping Dad with deliveries.

I’ve been sneaking in and out for collections since morning. Thank goodness for conceal, shift, and jump. The frequency of the collections is increasing at a frightening pace. Mom and Dad look at me like they know what I’ve been doing, and it has me holding my breath.

My mobile rings. Lucy hops down from the stool, snatches it from the table beside her, and brings it to the table where I’m arranging tulips.

“Hello?”

Heavy breathing. Sniffle. The line crackles, followed by the sound of loud music. I pull the phone from my ear and peer at the screen. The number is unfamiliar.

“Hello?” When the silence stretches I say, “Whoever you are, call when you feel ready to talk.”

“Ana?” The word is slurred, but the voice is unmistakable.

My heart triples its beat, and I almost choke. The bouquet of tulips slips from my fingers. “Ro?”

“Hmm.” A cough like his chest is exploding. “I’ve missed you so much, Engel. I need you.”

“Where are you?”

He burps. “Don’t know. There are pretty lights and girls, naked girls.” He giggles, then sniffs.

Good Lord
! “You’re in a
strip
club? Where is it?” I flinch as he shouts at someone, asking where he is. A woman with a melodious voice rattles the address. She sounds close. I imagine her lips touching his ear. My heart tightens, and I’m nauseous.

My Rolf. Well, my drunk ex-Rolf.

I hang up and grab my handbag. For just a moment, the thought of this being a trap teases my mind as Schulz’s warning buzzes in my head. It takes me all of one minute of debating with myself to decide I have to check on Rolf.

Mom’s eyes shift to me quizzically when I dash in the office to tell her I’ll be back in an hour.

***

I push through the black and pink doors. The smell of liquor, leather seats, and enclosed space slaps me in the face. I peer into the dim light, taking in the shiny seats at the bar and hot pink swirly things hanging from the ceiling.

I finally locate Rolf, sprawled on a black leather seat, head tilted to the side. I dash to him and drop to my knees.

“Such a sweet boy.” The same voice from before. A tall brunette sashays towards me. Her full lips are parted, eyes wide as if surprised. She’s beautiful. And leggy.

“Is he okay?” I press my fingers to his balmy forehead. He feels cool.

She studies me. “Ana, right? No wonder he kept chanting your name the whole night.”

After that I don’t hear anything else she says. He was chanting
my
name? Maybe he doesn’t have to be like his father. Maybe I
can
save him. I squelch a grin and call a taxi for us. When it arrives, she helps me hoist Rolf to the car.

“You’re pretty.” Her eyes latch on mine. “Extraordinary eyes. Could make us lots of money. Call me if you’re interested.” She thrusts a card in my hand and flounces off.

Heat scalds my cheeks as I imagine myself in barely-there clothing. I shake the image away and dive inside the car, folding the paper in two. She thinks I’m pretty. I laugh and give the frowning taxi driver Rolf’s address.

***

“Can you undress yourself?”

Rolf blinks at me in slow motion, his eyes unfocused. He grabs my shoulders and hugs me until I feel my bones pop. I choke on the fumes wafting off him: bar and armpits and smelly socks. He needs a shower.

 “You’re here. I wasn’t dreaming.” He lifts his head, grinning sloppily.

“I’m here.” I pull away. “Come on. Hands up.” He looks confused. I lift his hands, slip the shirt off, and gasp. He’s all bones and skin and has a
tattoo
on his hip. That’s new.

Once he steps out of his pants, I push him inside the steamy shower, slam the door shut, and exhale.

Well, that was uncomfortable. I never thought the first time I’d see him completely naked would be under these circumstances. After making sure he isn’t dozing in the shower, I hurry downstairs to put together a sandwich.

His father isn’t home. Did he leave for Japan without him? Rolf yells my name in terrifying desperation. I tear upstairs. His eyes are wide and his lips tremble, as he clutches the towel to his chest. I don’t know how to handle this new Rolf. He lunges forwards, dropping the towel, and wraps his arms around me, his body flush against mine. I feel everything: his body trembling, quick breaths on my neck, sharp bones digging into me.
All
of him. I shouldn’t be thinking about that, but I am.

I shake my head.
Concentrate, Ana
. I run my hands up and down his wet back. “What happened, Ro?”

He exhales shakily. “I don’t know. I don’t know how I got in that club.” I pull away, scoot to pick up the towel, and pat him dry. By the time I’m through and he’s dressed, my face is a thousand shades of hot.

I bring the sandwich to his bed and watch as he nibbles. “I saw the tattoo. Any particular meaning?”

He stiffens. “It’s nothing.”

It’s something
. “We need to talk, Ro. I have so much to tell you.”

He places the half-eaten sandwich on the plate and pushes it to the nightstand beside his bed. “Not now. Lie down with me, Engel. Please.”

My body stiffens as he slips his arm around my waist, pulling me to him. “I didn’t know who else to call.” His thumb traces swirl patterns on my inner wrist. Heat builds up within me until I feel as if I’ll go up in flames.

After a few seconds, my body relaxes slightly, and I say, “I’m glad you called me, Ro.”
Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me
. After a few moments, I tilt my head up, determined to do the kissing. His eyes are already shut, his breathing steady, lips pulled into a tiny smile. My stomach sinks, cooling me off. I check the clock on the nightstand, slip out of bed, and brush my lips on his forehead.

After digging through his drawer, I find a pen and paper, scribble a quick “call me”, and leave.

The next day, I wait for his call, which never comes. My calls go unanswered.

The first time he broke up with me hurt. This is twice as bad. My chest aches, and I’m not sure what to do about it. So I lose myself in collections.

S
UMMER BLURS IN A FLURRY
of collections, helping Mom in the shop, visiting Lea, and shifting to places I’ve only dreamt of.

Autumn arrives in a flash of gold and orange, as well as cool mornings, warmer days, and chilly evenings.

I’ve been visiting with Bastian to get more information on what Schulz was up to since Sinteler was keeping a hawk’s eye on Schulz. The last time Bastian heard from Schulz was two months ago. Schulz was in India, searching for one of the Elite he and Kian had been tracking for a while. After Kian left him to consult with Bastian, Schulz disappeared with no trace. Zaynab and Schuster are somewhere in Iceland, waiting. For what I don’t know. And Bastian is close-mouthed about it.

Finally, I got on Bastian’s nerves and he sent me away. Told me to go enrol in the Conservatory. Good thing my application was still active. I went ahead and rejoined the winter semester. Attending classes was the only thing that kept me sane, marking my time until, hopefully, Schulz showed up again. Waiting for him was like holding my breath indefinitely. Things seemed to have cooled down for a while, though.

I step through the Conservatory doors and glance around the streets bustling with activity. Right now, I feel… directionless. All I managed to find out is that: 1) My race has existed since the beginning of time. 2) There are over a billion of us tucked away somewhere on Earth, waiting for “The Resurrection”. He won’t tell me where everyone is, because Sinteler can access my mind. 3) Ancient tablets to govern our people are buried somewhere in Iraq—ancient Mesopotamia and in Egypt—where the initial portals were before Sinteler destroyed them so no one could go back. The true name of our race is carved in those tablets. 4) We need a good army to fight Sinteler.

Just two days ago, Bastian informed me that Sinteler had captured a prize he’d been eager to get his hands on for a long time. His name is Cedric. He has the ability to breathe life into practically anything. Cedric is one of the Elite on my list.

As I round a corner, the smell of roasted potatoes slams into me, and I follow my nose to a small stand where a guy with bushy eyebrows is busy roasting potato wedges and chestnuts. I pay for my order of salted potato wedges and stroll along The Graben, waiting for Zig to show up so we can head over to Bastian’s. We’ll be meeting with other Draangel hunters to locate Cedric and try to break him out.

Collection instructions flash inside my head. Nice timing, really. I shove the potatoes inside my shoulder bag and whip out my trench. I look for a less populated street and duck in the Bräunerstrasse in the first district. I dash past Starbucks, concealing myself between one step and the next. It’s become easy with time.

The collection site is at the Wiener Prater Public Park in the second district. A crowd is already gathered around a crumpled form on the floor. Someone’s speaking into their mobile. I skirt around the group, wedge through a crack of space big enough for me to crawl through, and come face to face with—

No!
This can’t be happening. A moan erupts through the form’s lips. I drop to my knees, lifting my hand to touch his face. Brown eyes stare at me, lips pulled slightly at the sides.

“Rein.” My hand moves to his chest. When I lift it, it comes out wet. I lower my gaze, and gasp as my eyes zero in on his black T-shirt soaked with blood. What happened to him? I wipe my hand on my jeans and grab his. “Rein, look at me. You’re going to survive this. You hear me. The ambulance is on its way.”

“I don’t think—the pain. It’s too much, Ana.” His lips don’t move. He’s speaking inside my head. Soul Conversation, only possible during the last stages before one dies.

“
Of course, you will
.” I grip his fingers and swallow the panic lodged in my throat. “
Your mom needs you. Lola needs her big brother. Lea needs her love with her.
I need you to stay alive. You are the only one who knows what I’m going through. Please, survive. For us
.”

The vibrant green of his soul flickers. His breathing rattles in his chest. I pull my hands from his and dig inside my messenger bag to retrieve my mobile, then speed dial Zig.

He answers after the first ring. “Hey, lovely Ana. I’m wait—”

“Not now, Zig. Reiner—” I stop and take deep breaths.
Don’t cry.
“Rein is dying. Please tell me what to do. He
can’t
die.”

“Where are you?” I tell him. Seconds later, he shifts through the crowd and crouches next to me. He places his hand where Reiner’s heart is and shakes his head. “You can’t save him.”

“Of course I can!” I punch Grim’s number on the mobile he rarely uses. He doesn’t answer, so I yell his name in my head.

“You called, Novice?” I jerk about to see him standing with a white piece of cloth in his hand. He dabs at his mouth, eyebrows raised.

“Save him,” I manage to utter through my tears. “Please. I can’t lose him.”

Grim looks at Reiner, then back to me. “Tell me which of your family member’s souls would you like to trade with, and I will save him.”

“
What?
Can’t you just do it without trading with another soul?” Zig straightens and takes two steps back, mouth carved in a grim line. “You mentioned a test. Is this it?”

“Every collection you have done so far was a test, Novice.”

“I will do anything you ask. Just, please let him live.”

“You have nothing more to offer. As a matter of fact, you owe me. Four souls for one. Think about that.” His expression is neutral, but his eyes have darkened. “Now, collect that soul, or lose it to the Snatchers.”

I look up. A dark cloud looms above us, nearing by the second. The temperature has dropped several degrees.

I turn to Rein and twine our fingers. His eyes are glued on mine, unblinking and glassy. I drop my head to our connected hands.

“
What happened, Rein
?”

As if on command, his mind opens up to me, and I watch everything. How he received the call to meet someone who called themselves Anonymous. Reiner pulls out something wrapped in a plastic bag and begins to fiddle with it, his hands shaking. Abruptly his body convulses and jerks forwards. He screams, bending backwards. A hand holding something shiny jabs at his stomach. He collapses on the ground, writhing, his chest and stomach an explosion of blood. The same hand holding the knife snatches the bag from Reiner’s fingers. A foot kicks his back swiftly, and then, they’re gone. He never saw his attackers.

“You broke your promise, Rein
.”

“
I’m sorry. I tried to leave, but I owed them a lot. Had a couple of deliveries to finish
.” He pauses. “
I like him. Grim. He’s funky. Would be fun to hang out with him under different circumstances
.”His thoughts sound cheerful, but his breathing is shallow and irregular. “
You’ll be fine. You’ve never needed anyone, Ana
.
I love you, my best friend
.”