Unreap My Heart (The Reaper Series) (7 page)

She remembered the time when Niko first became her Chemistry lab partner. Before that, he’d never even known she existed. She’d been equally nervous and excited, and had ended up dripping hydrochloric acid on her hand. What a total spaz she’d been, and in some ways, she still did spazzy things. But she couldn’t deny what Tomas said. She’d walk through fire for Niko. They’d been through so much together already, and she wasn’t about to throw all of that away just because she didn’t know what would happen next.

And that scared her witless.

“I can do this,” she said, more for herself than for Tomas’s benefit.

He nodded then scanned the tables. “Is there anything else you might need that isn’t here?”

“A picture of the Redeemer?”

“Alas, that I cannot give you. Redeemers are rare and difficult to find. But if there is someone who could find one it will be you.”

“Because I’m human.”

He followed the red thread coming from Arianne. “And because you’re still tethered to the human world.” He touched his fingertip to the center of her chest. “Trust in what your heart says. You’ll know who the Redeemer is when the time comes.”

Her gaze dropped until it landed on the red thread. “What about the thread? I feel like I need to protect it or something.”

“Right now only someone from the Crossroads can see it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t vulnerable. So, yes, you do need to be careful.”

Then Arianne asked the question she’d been afraid to ask. “What happens when it breaks? Do I…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. Ben had sacrificed himself so she could live. She didn’t want his sacrifice to become useless by dying.

Tomas shook his head, suddenly even more serious than when they first returned to the room. “Worse.”

“Define worse.”

“Arianne, if the line is cut, you will eventually become a Wraith.”

“Wraith?” The term made her skin cold all of a sudden.

“It’s a creature who lives on the souls of others because it doesn’t have one of its own anymore.”

“So I die.” She spat it out as fast as she could.

“Your body in the human world will slowly die, yes. But you will forever be trapped in the Nethers.”

Another term she didn’t know. “The Nethers.”

“A place you don’t ever want to go,” Balthazar answered from the door. “What’s taking so long? You don’t need makeup where we’re going.”

Arianne took a deep breath. “I’ll be right there. Just need to change.”

Balthazar gave her one of those pointed looks she’d been getting since they met in Death’s office. She started to think Balthazar looked at everyone like that.

He blinked. “Five minutes and then I’m leaving without you.”

“You can’t leave without me. What’s the point?”

He seemed to think about it. “Then I’ll come in here and drag you out with me in whatever state of dress you’re in at that moment.” Then he grinned before exiting the room.

Tomas twisted Arianne around so she looked up at him. “If your line is cut, even if you haven’t found the Redeemer, you have to come back here as soon as you can,” he said urgently. “We can fix it. Promise me.”

“You can fix it?” Arianne repeated dumbly.

He shook her a little. “Promise me.”

“Okay, all right. I promise.”

That seemed to calm Tomas down a little. He let her go and proceeded to walk out of the room. “You better get changed,” he said over his shoulder. “Balthazar was serious when he said he’d drag you out no matter what you have on. Or don’t have on.”

“How long do we have to find the Redeemer and get back?”

Tomas stopped at the door and bowed his head. “Balthazar will know. But hurry.”

Chapter 7

STBY

B
ALTHAZAR
R
AKED
A D
ISCRIMINATING
G
AZE
over the girl standing before him. Tight leather pants and a jacket over a sweater and a thin shirt replaced the shapeless robe. Who would have thought a girl as tiny as her—well, compared to his bulk and height—had curves that could tempt a man? He shook his head mentally and reminded himself she was human. A teenaged human at that. He’d gag, but he didn’t want to waste precious minutes trying to explain why. The only thing in her whole get-up he approved of were the boots. At least the chit had sense enough to wear flats. Then his eyes landed on the knife strapped to her thigh. He crossed his arms and snorted.

“What are you?” he asked. “A Lara Croft wannabe?”

“Don’t hate,” she answered coolly then flicked her braided hair over her shoulder. “I’m surprised you know who that is. You seem like the shut-in type. You know…the Unabomber type.”

“Just because I’ve spent the better part of a millennium in the Nethers doesn’t mean I can’t keep up with everything that happens outside the Underverse.”

“Underverse?”

He spread his arms wide. “Everything and anything here. The Crossroads and everywhere else that isn’t in the human world is part of the Underverse. I’d say you should know that, but you’re human, so…”

“Don’t look at me like I’m learning impaired, you jerk!”

“Ouch! That the best you can do?”

“No, but I don’t want to hurt your feelings, pretty boy.”

“I’m not gratifying that with a response, little girl.” He leaned closer until his face stopped inches from hers. She still didn’t flinch, so he grinned, making sure to bare his sharp canines. She stepped back then, but didn’t gasp as he’d hoped. This girl had more backbone than he’d initially thought. “Good.”

She tilted her head in question.

“For what we have to do, you need some backbone,” he clarified. “But a knife? Do you even know how to use one?”

“Tomas told me it will know what to do when I need it.”

Balthazar dropped his gaze to the knife again. When she opened her mouth again, he interrupted her with a word that would make the f-bomb blush. He reached for the knife, but Arianne danced away from him. She put both her hands on the knife’s hilt as if it needed protection. To get at it, he’d have to get physical. He stepped back and exhaled long and slowly.

He raised his head toward the ceiling and said, “Damn you, old man! Where’d you find that knife?”

No response came, but Balthazar thought he heard a distinct chuckle from somewhere in the Crossroads. Needing release for his mounting anger, he growled at Arianne. She flinched and backed away shaking until a wall stopped her from moving any farther.

“If you so much as accidentally nick me with that thing, I don’t care about our bargain, I will eat you alive. Do you understand me?”

She blinked at him several times. “I’m not gonna kill you, Balthazar, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“You say that now.”

“I don’t think I can hurt anyone with this thing.”

“Again, you say that now.” Balthazar shook his head for real this time then turned on his heel. “Come on. I want to reach the Sorrow Flats before nightfall.” Then he walked away without looking back. A second passed before the patter of her footsteps caught up with him.

“Is that where the Redeemer is?”

“You have so much to learn.”

“Then educate me,” she said from his side.

He flicked a sideways glance at her before he took a left down a dark hallway. “No one just finds the Redeemer. You need to ask the Voyeur for information.” Even as he said it, Balthazar had to suppress a shudder. He’d rather carve out his own liver and feed it to crows than see the Voyeur again, but he had no other options. He could only hope she’d forgotten about the last time they’d seen each other. He still had the scars down his back to prove it.

“So the Voyeur is at the Sorrow Flats?” She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. “Will you slow down?”

He glared at her hand until she yanked it back. “Don’t do that,” he said through his teeth.

She cradled her hand to her chest like he’d burned her. “Do what?”

“Touch me. Don’t do it again.”

“Well, if you slowed down a little, then I wouldn’t have to take two steps for every one you make.” Her tone was challenging, even if fear still showed in her eyes.

Balthazar breathed to calm his instinct to hit her. No one lived long after touching him without permission. Only his bargain with D prevented him from causing her any bodily harm. He had too much at stake to lose it now. It took him a full minute, but when his bloodlust went from a boil to a low simmer, he continued down the hall. He slowed his pace despite his purposeful stride. The girl had to learn to keep up or she wouldn’t survive the journey. She already had so many things going against her, and being with him wouldn’t help in the least. He’d increase his pace little by little until she could keep up with his regular stride. She may complain now, but when they had to run, her keeping up would help save their asses better than if he had to carry her.

“The Voyeur wouldn’t be caught dead in the Sorrow Flats,” he said in answer to her previous question. “We have to go see Granmare Baba.”

“Okay, way too many names. Who’s that?”

“Witch.” Balthazar paused at the end of the entrance hallway of the main building. The number of wisps quivering and wailing seemed to have doubled since he’d last passed through here.

Arianne covered her ears. “Why are they all crying?” she asked above the panicky wailing.

Balthazar kept going. Whether whisps parted for them to pass or not, he had to get out of there before he snapped his fingers and regretted burning all of them. They were the souls of the unborn, for crying out loud. Harmless and fiercely devoted to D—or whoever currently held the title of Death. Killing them off wouldn’t serve his purposes. But if he did step on one or two—which caused a sickening squelching beneath his boot—it wasn’t the end of the world.

“Hey!” Arianne lifted her hands to push him, but she seemed to remember his threat and kept her hands to herself. “Don’t crush them!”

“They’re whisps, little girl. It doesn’t hurt them.”

“But they’re so small. Don’t hurt them.”

“If this is how you’re going to react the whole way, I might as well commit a murder-suicide here because we’re not surviving this trip.”

Arianne stopped at the entrance to the main building, her stance wide and her arms crossed. “You’re such an arrogant ass.”

“I don’t apologize for anything that comes out of my mouth. Suck it up or I leave you here.”

She glared fireballs at him, but he couldn’t mistake the frightened quivers running through her rigid stance. “Then leave me, see if I care.”

“I don’t have time for this.” He tossed Arianne over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and continued walking. She screamed and thrashed, which drew the attention of the shadow guards and minions. Balthazar ignored their stares and jeers. Let them find a distraction from the slow loss of control of their precious Master by watching him carry a thrashing teenager to the wall. He’d rule over them soon enough, and things would definitely change around here.

Arianne thumped her fists on his back, and he laughed.

“A little lower,” Balthazar said. “I’ve had a knot down there for so long.”

She froze and screeched. Then she became deadweight, her arms and legs going limp.

“Did you faint?”

“No,” she mumbled.

“Good.” He reached the wall. “Because you’re about to.”

Not giving her any warning, Balthazar jumped. Her answering scream followed closely by laughter baffled him when he cleared the wall and landed at the other side. He put her down, and she stumbled back, still laughing. He grimaced.

“Woohoo!” She jumped in place, clapping. “Can we do that again?”

Balthazar rolled his eyes to the pewter sky and walked past her. If he were a praying man, he’d have asked for strength, patience, and perseverance. But since he didn’t pray, he contented himself with pumping his fists to release some of his murderous urges. What Nikolas saw in this girl baffled him.

She hopped to his side and adjusted the pack she’d brought with her. He didn’t get why she needed supplies. She didn’t have to eat or go to the bathroom. In fact, the pack would only slow them down.

Her slightly piercing voice broke the pleasant silence.

“Why do we have to see a witch?”

“Not a witch.
The
witch.”

“I don’t see the difference.”

He heard the shrug in her voice. “Granmare Baba is the source. All the witches in your world draw their powers from her. Everyone has their own personal image of her. No one really knows what she actually looks like.”

“Okay, I know I’m asking a lot of questions—”

“Could have fooled me.”

It never occurred to Balthazar how much silence would mean to him until he’d begun this suicide mission with a human girl. He’d spent a good part of three centuries with no one to talk to in the Nethers, and it had almost driven him insane. Now D forced him to travel with someone who couldn’t stop yap-yap-yapping. His luck must have run out somewhere along the way.