Chapter 36 #2
Crew’s eyes are black as he growls, exposing his razor-sharp teeth. He slowly rises, keeping the gun pointed at Sam, feeling every emotion that swirls in my body as if we are one. His anger radiates into my chest, but I swallow the feeling of losing control.
Sam speaks again, “Now he is dead, and we can convince Lowell that all the plans are still in motion. This only helped us, Mara. We came to terms years ago that Josh would die.”
“You are no better than them.” I release my hand, step back from him, and freeze as my senses scream.
I slowly turn, fearful yet aware of what looms behind me, and dread washes over me as I see the Grim standing behind Josh’s lifeless body. The large scythe catches the light in the room, creating a crystal-like effect that dances off his black cloak.
I hear Sam speaking behind me. “If you can see him, Mara, talk to him about the plan. Be our mouthpiece.”
This was his plan all along.
Adeafening silence sweeps over the room, accompanied by a dark fog that seems to pulse around me like a numbness.
“Does it hurt?” I speak to the cloaked figure. “Dying?”
The Grim turns toward me, making my hair stand on end.
A coldness sweeps around me like a December night breeze, and I shudder as a chill runs through me.
I hear the sliding metal scraping against the wall as he turns, dragging the scythe across the concrete.
In the past, I’ve always seen the same unusual man as the Grim, but today, no face appears beneath the hollow cloak.
Hollow.
“No,” a hissing voice answers. “There is no pain.”
“Is Sam telling the truth?” I ask, remaining completely still in his presence.
“That’s a broad question, Mara,” the Reaper responds. “Narrow it or expect an unfulfilling answer.”
“Are you helping him kill the Elders?” I clarify.
The hollow hood nods. “I am assisting them across the black lake.”
“Why?”
“Promises,” he says. “Four souls for one are enticing. There is a balance shift happening. Larger things are at play that you all can’t understand yet.”
I step forward. “So, you are doing this because it was designed that way?”
He nods again. “In a sense.”
“How can you kill an Elder?” I ask. “How did you kill Griffin Kaa?”
“I didn’t,” he responds. “Samuel did.”
“How?” I snap.
“Sam is powerful, reborn, and made anew.”
I roll my eyes. “What does that mean?”
“You will find out in time, my child.”
“Who is next in this bigger design? Who is the next Elder?”
“…Theodore.”
“Who killed my father?”
“You know the answer to that already.”
“Shaw and Lowell,” I whisper, letting the words sink in. “Why?”
The Grim leans down, gently touching the tip of the scythe to Josh’s chest. I watch as a small light travels into the sharp blade before fading into the metal.
A chilling breeze rushes around me, and for a second, I hear someone take a heavy exhale, as if all the breath just escaped his lungs for the final time.
“That is your journey, Mara,” he responds.
“What else is in my journey?” I ask, knowing my time is running out.
A smile appears through the dark hood of the Reaper. Fear courses through me as the twisted smile emerges into the light. Nearly rotting teeth glisten, and my eyes widen as the Grim seems amused by my question.
“Many, many painful things,” he whispers.
“Tell me more,” I begin to beg. “How do I make this right?”
“More questions come with a price,” the Reaper says, fading into the darkness. “Play the game better than the Elders.”
“All.”
“Of.”
“Them.”
Iblink back into the dimness of the warehouse. The musty stench, the overwhelming sense of confinement, and the presence of men—Crew, Riggs, and Sam—make me waste no time getting to my feet.
Crew reaches me first, his eyes wild with worry and rage. I immediately clutch my chest, feeling the overwhelming emotions from him traveling through the bond.
“Are you alright?” He grabs my arm, dragging his hands over my body to check for anything out of the ordinary.
“No,” I say, brushing off the dust. “He was here.”
I glance back at Josh’s lifeless body and the pool of blood around him, turning dark from the time that’s passed. I couldn’t have been talking to the Grim for more than a few minutes, so the thick liquid sparks confusion.
“You were in a trance for over an hour,” Crew says, wrapping his arms around me. “You went blank. I couldn’t feel anything coming from you.”
I kiss his cheek before pulling away. “I promise, I’m alright.”
I sent a vibration through the bond, easing his nerves, but make sure to add in hesitation. What the Grim says replays in my mind, and I don’t think I’ll forget it.
Play the game better.
“What did the Reaper say?” Sam pushes forward, demanding my attention.
My hair stands on end at the sight of the Elder after what I heard, but I calm myself, knowing that if I’m the one who can see the Reaper, I control what happens from here.
“How did you kill Griffin and Emalyn?” I respond.
He tilts his head. “So, you asked how to kill an Elder?”
“Of course I did.”
Crew tries to step between us, but I stop him.
“Tell me.”
Sam laughs harshly. “I don’t think I trust you enough to explain how you can kill an Elder, but don’t let his twisted words fool you.”
“How am I supposed to join you if we don’t trust each other?” I speak. “You’re making this incredibly difficult for yourself.”
Sam steps back, glancing between Crew and me.
He widens his stance and closes his eyes.
I watch as he starts to open and close his fists, his wings spreading wide across his back.
Even within the confines of the warehouse, a breeze swirls around him.
A light begins to shine on his palms as he opens them, facing Crew and me.
I step back, and Crew furrows his brow, watching as power flows into Sam’s chest. A chill washes over me like an icy wave, and instinctively, I grab Crew’s hand, unsure of what’s happening.
“Sam,” Crew calls.
The light continues to swirl around Sam as if he’s being blessed by the High Elders above, and as much as my system is uneasy, he looks euphoric, doused in a golden light that nearly takes my breath away.
In my many years around Lowell, I’ve seen him engulfed in light only once.
Sam opens his eyes, and the golden light floods through his eyes as if it’s too much for him to bear.
My jaw drops as he steps forward, almost floating on air, his large wings seemingly propelling him across the floor effortlessly.
Crew and I stand side by side, his frame towering over mine.
I feel his grip tighten, holding me steady as the Elder approaches.
The Elder, in his true form yet even more powerful, lifts his glowing hands and places each one on our chests.
The heat radiating from his palms nearly burns my skin, but the pain quickly dulls, as if he’s ensuring this is painless.
I gasp as I feel the power flow into my system like a warm drink.
My vision turns black, and all I can see before me is a golden sphere—the bond.
I watch as it comes together, closer than before.
The essence of Crew overwhelms my senses.
I can taste smoke and deadly nightshade as if it’s being injected directly into my veins.
I feel my head tip backward from sheer bliss as the Elder tightens our bond.
The world stops, the light dims, and all that remains before me in my mind is Crew—to protect and defend—as the bond wraps around my soul, deeper than I ever imagined.
My vision clears, revealing the dimly lit concrete walls around us.
Sam is no longer glowing, and I glance at Crew.
I don’t see him as an individual before me any longer.
I see him as someone I would die without.
He is me, and I am him. Completely intertwined together, as if the air he breathes is what I need to live.
His eyes shine into mine, and I can sense from our bond that he feels the same. It’s beautiful yet overwhelming, but it’s calm and peaceful to know that someone out there is bonded to me and I to him.
I will defend Crew, and I will wipe out every Elder on this earth to protect him.
“What was that?” Crew asks, his gaze still on mine.
Sam creates distance, giving us a moment to catch our breath.
“I sealed your bond,” he says. “You may now choose to hide it from others should you see fit. You two live to protect one another, and revealing your bond could risk that protection. Your powers will only reveal the intensity of your connection if you choose to.”
“So—” I begin to speak, but Sam cuts me off.
“No other being on this earth will sense your bond unless you give them permission to,” Sam says. “It’s how many Elders have protected their loved ones for centuries. Your powers are stronger now because you can feed off one another.”
“Why did you do that?” I bark.
“To help you,” he says. “And earn your trust.”
I feel Crew’s stare like a beacon in the darkest night, and my chest rises and falls rapidly. He slides his fingers through mine, and I feel as if my body is being zapped with small bursts of electricity.
“You two can travel back into the city,” Sam says. “Undetected. Complete the next assignment that Lowell and Carver give you. Act normal. And I will meet you in the Ashmeed District. Our normal spot, Bannermin.”
Crew nods.
“Do you have a plan?” I ask.
“Theodore Ren is next,” Sam says. “I will be there in a few days to make sure another Elder takes his last breath. Panic is going to ensue. Orders are beginning to fall, and the Grim will be watching around every corner for the death toll to rise.”
“And?” I urge him to continue.
Sam smiles. “Riggs will be watching and will help keep eyes off you two. Josh is dead. Your assignment is complete.”
“I don’t like this,” I reply.
Crew squeezes my hand, and I let out a heavy exhale.
“You wanted to know how I can kill an Elder, Mara, without the blade you stabbed in my heart? The blade I made Riggs destroy?” Sam angles his head. “I use the power that flows through my veins now. It’s easy to access, like a flicker of a flame in a newly lit candle.”
“How?”
“Lowell has kept you close all these years because you wield something he is afraid of.”
I clutch the necklace under my shirt, feeling the familiar tingle move through me.
Sam pauses. “You have the same blood as James Castten. You may think he was nothing but a mortal, but you are wrong.”
My stance wavers, and Crew wraps his hand around my arm to keep me upright. A deep growl escapes Crew’s throat as he senses my discomfort, and I can feel him going mad internally because of it.
“You can drain the soul from anyone on this earth with the power flowing in your veins, and the only thing that was stopping you was not being bonded to someone for assistance.”
Shock ripples through me, and I think about my life to this point.
The death, the high I felt when I took the lives of so many men around Halcyon City—it felt right, natural, and good.
I immediately feel like I may vomit. I’ve been so successful as an assassin because I was designed to be one, and everything is clicking into place.
“How?” I spit.
“You are special,” he replies. “And talented.”
“Bullshit,” Crew hisses. “Tell her!”
Sam steps toward the door, and Crew steps forward to bound after him, but I stop him. Sam shouts over his shoulder one last time before disappearing around the corner.
“You can slowly begin to suck the life from Carver and Lowell with your powers, Mara, and I think you should start right away.”