Chapter Ten
“What the hell was that about?” Alex demanded in a harsh whisper, cognizant of the other customers in the diner.
“What was what about?” While he seemed outwardly cool, Kieran’s heart was thumping hard enough to make his chest hurt. He’d come close to cracking under the pressure—torn between saving his brothers and keeping Georgia alive.
“You know damn well what I’m talking about. You were going to sit there and let her choke.”
The cords of his neck tightened, and a muscle in his jaw flexed. The accusation was a bull’s-eye. “I assumed she’d be fine. And it’s not my place, or yours, to interfere with her destiny. Or did you forget what you are, brother?”
“What I was, you mean.” A flash of grief in Alex’s eyes was followed by determination. “I made my choice.”
“That’s right, you did. And I’m making mine.”
“You’re going to let Georgia die.”
He slammed his fist down on the table, making the dishes rattle and coffee slosh over the rims of the mugs.
The entire diner went silent. Kieran glanced at the other customers.
They hurriedly looked away, but they were all listening and sneaking surreptitious glances.
He’d broken another rule of the reapers—keeping a low profile.
“Is there a problem here?” Cell phone in one hand, Susie walked over to the table but stopped a few feet away.
“Brotherly disagreement. Not the first and won’t be the last. I’m sorry for disrupting the other customers.”
She tucked her phone into her apron pocket. “I’ve got brothers, two sons, and a passel of male relatives. If the discussion’s going to get more heated, take it outside.”
Putting all his years of acting abilities to work, Kieran flashed a grin. “Yes, ma’am.”
Satisfied all was well, she left them alone. His brothers were both watching him intently. He picked up the conversation where they’d left off. “I’m going to do what I was sent here to do.”
Sam leaned forward. “You slept with her.”
It was too much to hope they wouldn’t mention it. While they’d never say anything in front of Georgia, they had no problem taking him to task. “That was a mutual decision between two adults.” How cold and calculating it sounded when it had been anything but.
He’d had sex more times than he could remember—hot and sweaty, slow and sweet, and everything in between. Last night was the first time he’d made love. Not that he loved her—he didn’t believe in it—but there’d been a level of caring and connection that had been profound.
It had been a mistake. It left him vulnerable, open to doubt when there was no room for anything but commitment. If he weakened and gave over to the softer emotions, he’d do something stupid, like try to save her. Then he and his brothers would pay far too high a cost.
“I wonder if she views it the same way.” Alex shook his head and sighed. “I never took you for a user.”
His spine straightened. “I was upfront, told her I wouldn’t be in town long. She asked me to stay. Should I have walked away?”
“Yes,” Sam snapped, keeping his voice low. “You saved her life yesterday and spent the night in her bed. Do you have any idea how betrayed she’ll feel when you stand back and watch her die?”
The food he’d eaten churned in his stomach. Every muscle in his body hardened. “I can’t change fate. No one can.” It was the one unassailable fact keeping him sane.
“What if you could?” Alex asked.
“Could what?”
“Change fate?”
Kieran shook his head. “You haven’t changed anything.
Both Adrianne and Cilla will die. All you did was delay it a few decades, maybe only a few years.
Then what? There’s no afterlife for us. You’re no longer immortal.
You’re aging. When you’re gone, you’re gone.
Both women will be reborn again and won’t even remember you. ”
The thought of his brothers no longer existing was killing him. They could hate him all they wanted. At least they’d be alive. There’d be a chance they’d eventually get over it.
“It’s worth it.”
He looked at Sam, the eldest of them, the one their father had held up to both him and Alex as an ideal their entire lives. “I don’t believe you.” He couldn’t. If he did, he’d never be able to go ahead with his assignment.
Alex sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Dad’s got you brainwashed. We sacrificed everything willingly. I speak for us both when I say a single day of loving the right woman is worth more than eternity.”
He’d seen it before, in humans, a devotion that could not be denied.
Never had he expected his brothers to fall victim to such a nebulous emotion.
There was a burning sensation in his chest, and it got harder to breathe.
His brothers had chosen human women over reaping, over their family legacy. Over him.
Adrianne and Cilla returned to the table.
Whatever he thought of them, they made his brothers happy.
It wouldn’t stop him from doing what needed to be done, but he could be grateful for the joy they’d given his brothers to compensate for all the empty, lonely years.
Then he noticed it was only the two of them.
“Where’s Georgia?” he demanded, looking past them to the empty corridor.
Cilla slid in next to Alex and rested her head on his shoulder. His brother brushed a kiss against her temple in greeting. “She wanted the three of you to be able to talk, so she decided to head to work. She’s not expecting you.”
“She left.” He was torn between running after her and letting her go.
It would be easier on them both if he kept a distance until it was time for him to step in and do what he did best. Surely he wasn’t expected to watch her around the clock?
It was hardwired into him to sense when it was a soul’s time to cross over.
He had to believe his father had allowed him to keep that much.
The four of them watched him. The sympathy in the women’s eyes made him want to rage at the position they’d put him in.
If not for them, he wouldn’t be here. Except that wasn’t quite true.
It was his brothers’ unfortunate choices that had landed him in Redemption.
Their accusing glares made him want to howl at the unfairness of it all.
He was a stick of dynamite, primed and ready. One small spark and he’d explode. Only it would be more like a nuclear blast. He’d lay waste to everyone and everything in his path. His emotions were like wild beasts tugging on their tethers. If he released them, no one was safe.
Closing his eyes, he sought the carefully constructed facade he’d worn all these centuries but could no longer find it.
It was impossible to rebuild the disguise that had protected him.
Georgia had not weakened it, she’d obliterated it.
Gritting his teeth against the pain and fury swirling inside him, he chained each volatile emotion until only a solid block of ice remained where his heart should be.
When he opened his eyes, Sam swore and Alex grimaced. The women shrank away from him. They saw the real him. They should all be afraid. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to finish this and leave. He no longer cared what happened to him, but he would free his brothers from their self-imposed bondage.
What about Georgia? Ignoring the painful cry echoing inside him, and the wrenching sensation in his chest, he stood, pulled out his wallet, and tossed enough money on the table to cover all their meals. “I’ll be in touch.”
An icy chill radiated from him, spreading across the room. Everyone watched him leave, but no one spoke. Shadows reached out to him from the buildings, caressing him as he passed. He might not have all his powers, but he was a reaper at his core. That remained untouched.
Putting one foot in front of the other, he trekked down the sidewalk. If asked, he wouldn’t be able to say for sure if he passed anyone. If he did, they got out of his way.
The familiar white building with blue trim came into view.
The broken chairs and tables had been removed from the front walkway.
The closed sign was on the door. He ducked around to the back entrance.
Nothing remained to indicate there’d been a life-threatening accident.
Everything was back to normal, as it should be. Everything but him.
His control threatened to splinter when he caught sight of her through the small kitchen window. Her cheeks were flushed, but there was a partial smile on her face. Ingredients were lined up on the counter, both the industrial mixers were running, and she was whipping something in a bowl by hand.
Caw! Malaki landed on top of a closed garbage dumpster. Rather than react, Kieran simply raised an eyebrow in question. The bird made several clicking sounds.
“Tell my father I’ll complete the assignment.” His brothers would never forgive him for what they’d view as a betrayal. And they’d be right. But he’d bear their hatred if it meant keeping them alive.
Rather than fly off, the bird turned his head to one side and studied him.
If Kieran didn’t know better, he’d think his father’s messenger was concerned.
Fortunately, he did know better. “Tell the old man he’s getting exactly what he wanted—a reaper who won’t interfere with destiny, one who’ll follow orders without question.
It’s asking too much to expect me to do this with caring.
He can do whatever the hell he wants with me when I’m done, but I expect him to uphold his end of the bargain and return all powers to Samael and Alexiares. ”
He pinned the bird with a cold stare. “Furthermore, the Grim Reaper will never again strip them of their abilities. They’re more than reapers. They. Are. His. Sons.”
Caw! The plaintive cry echoed in the air.
The corners of his mouth turned up in a parody of a smile. “Me?” He gave a harsh laugh. “These are the final souls I’ll reap. By the time I’m done, I’ll welcome the end.”