Chapter Sixteen
I materialized in the guys’ living room, coming face-to-face with the one person on Earth I didn’t want to see.
“Are we being haunted?” Lochlan asked, a teasing smile spreading across his lips.
“In your dreams,” I snorted, glancing around the room in search of Rhodes or Evander.
“Boo, I dream about you every time I close my eyes.” Lochlan stood from his seat and took a step toward me, only to stop when I took a panicked step away.
He frowned. “Everything okay?”
“Uh. Yeah. Fine.” I couldn’t bring myself to meet his piercing green eyes. “Is Evander around?”
Of the four men in my life, Evander was the least intimidating, and right now, that made him the most approachable.
“Evander is out with Rhodes on an errand. Is it something I can help you with?” Loch took a single step forward, which I countered by stepping to the side.
“No,” I answered a little too quickly.
Why did it hurt so much to be in the same room with him? I’d gone my entire adult life without falling in love, and somehow, I’d given up my heart to four guys in about a week’s time. A stranger shouldn’t have been able to hurt me so much.
I was saved from any further awkwardness by the front door swinging opening. To my relief, Rhodes strode in with Evander behind him.
“Axelle!” the pair shouted in unison.
The relief and joy on their faces had bats banging around in my stomach. I’d convinced myself they were just having some fun with me while in town, and I’d come to their house fully prepared to treat this as a cold, hard fact-finding mission. But seeing the affection shining in their eyes, I questioned if I’d been wrong.
Lochlan had looked like a kicked puppy when I stepped away from him, and now Rhodes and Evander were looking at me as though they’d just been handed the lottery. Unsure of how to react, I remained frozen in the middle of the room, like a terrified rabbit that didn’t know whether to run or hide.
In two long strides, Rhodes closed the gap between us. Gathering me in his arms, he held me against his chest as though he thought he’d never see me again.
“We were so worried about you.” My hair muffled Rhodes’ words. “Is everything okay?”
“I… I’m fine.” My voice wobbled, but I held it together.
Lochlan gave a harsh bark of laughter. “That’s a lie. She’s nervous and practically shaking with anxiety. She’s acting like I’m going to eat her, but not in the fun way this time.”
“What happened? Did someone hurt you? Threaten you?” Rhodes’ voice vibrated with the type of growl I didn’t think humans were supposed to make.
In my romance books, I’d always questioned how I’d react if a man growled at me. It was a tossup between squirting him with a water bottle until he stopped acting like a naughty dog, or throwing myself at him and begging him to mark me as his mate.
It turned out both were the wrong answer, and I was the one who ended up getting a little wet.
“Yes, please,” I whispered, then realizing I’d spoken out loud, I added, “No one has threatened me.”
Unless you count Saul threatening me with a good time.
“You disappeared. We searched the library and the tunnels, but couldn’t find a trace of you.” Evander stepped close, brushing the back of his fingers along my cheek. “Are you up to telling us what happened? Was it something we did to scare you?”
If he’d ordered me to tell him, I would’ve shown him my shiny new spine and my two middle fingers. It was his gentle touch and willingness to let me decide that was nearly my undoing.
Nope, I’m definitely not going to break down into tears. Why? Because I’m a monster-freaking bad-apparition on a mission.
I had a catch phrase, now all I needed was a theme song, and I could have my own TV show.
Bad ghouls, bad ghouls, whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do when they exorcize you?
Hmm. I’d need to circle back to the song later. Right now, my priority was getting control of my tumultuous emotions. Knowing I couldn’t concentrate as long as he was holding me, I pushed away from Rhodes’ chest and moved to sit on the couch.
Not quite trusting myself with small talk, I got straight to the reason I’d come. “Do you guys know someone named Philetus?”
Rhodes’ eyes widened slightly. “Yes, I do. All the collectors know the names of the reapers.”
It was my turn to be surprised. “You know the name of every single reaper?”
Lochlan chuckled. “Don’t look impressed. They are a dying species, so it isn’t like we have to memorize thousands, or even millions, of names.”
Leaning back against the sofa cushion, I stared at the three men. “I don’t understand. Aren’t reapers immortal?”
“They are immortal, but not invincible,” Evander explained, moving to sit beside me. “Over the centuries, there have been accidents where reapers have died. This, and the last female reaper dying, has caused their numbers to dwindle.”
Lochlan scoffed. “Maybe if the reapers weren’t so stuck up about the purity of their bloodlines and took a partner from another species, they could turn things around. But that isn’t going to happen.”
“Lochlan, show some compassion,” Rhodes snapped. “Not all reapers are arrogant pricks. Many are simply solitary by nature and prefer to avoid interacting, even with their own kind.”
“Well, introvert or not, if my species was about to go extinct, I think I’d get out and do some mingling.” My stomach churned at the disdain for reapers that was etched across Loch’s face.
He wasn’t going to like it if he found out I’d spent the night in a reaper’s bed.
Evander leaned forward. “Philetus was pushing for that change. Remember? He even took a collector as his wife.”
“A lot of good that did since he disappeared before they could produce a child,” Loch shot back.
Rhodes scrubbed a hand down his face and sat in the armchair across from me. “Philetus didn’t leave. He was murdered.”
Fear trickled down my spine like ice water. “Someone is murdering reapers? Who would do something like that?”
Evander shook his head. “Either the reapers don’t know, or they aren’t telling.”
We sat in silence for several minutes, which was good because my brain had a lot to process. Why did Zacharias care where Philetus’ scythe was?
Rhodes was the first to speak. “Evander, did you figure out the name of the reaper who attacked us?”
My forehead creased in confusion. “I thought you knew all the reapers?”
“We know all their names, but we wouldn’t recognize them all in person. Some we know because we’ve bumped into them more often than others, and there are others we know by reputation,” Evander, ever patient, explained. “The one who attacked us is named Zacharias, and we only know him through rumors.”
“Zacharias?” Loch sat up. “Are you sure?”
Evander nodded. “He matches the description on file and the inscription on his scythe matched the records as well.”
“If Zacharias is in town, then Saul is close by as well,” Rhodes murmured, exchanging a dark look with the other two collectors.
Saul .
An invisible hand seemed to squeeze my throat closed, making it impossible to speak. Which was fine, because I was afraid if I spoke, the guys would catch a tremble of emotion in my words.
“I’m not surprised they’re involved in whatever shady business is going down in Amberwood.” Lochlan stood and began pacing in front of the window.
“How do you know?” I tried to act nonchalant, shifting positions and tucking my leg under me in an effort to avoid eye contact.
“Saul, Philetus and Zacharias were close for as far back as their records go. If you bumped into one, the other two were nearby. Since Philetus’ death, Saul and Zacharias are usually spotted in the same vicinity, at least from the gossip I’ve heard.” Evander grabbed a notebook from the coffee table and flipped idly through the pages.
“Yeah, well, according to some collector friends, Saul went off the deep end in the past few years and Zacharias has been forced to pick up the pieces.” Lochlan turned from the window and crossed his arms over his chest. “Even the reaper court is fed up with Saul and his unwillingness to follow protocol. If it weren’t for Zacharias’ dedication to keeping his friend out of trouble, Saul would have gone dark.”
A memory of glittering purple eyes with cat-like slits leaped into my mind, followed by the memory of the inky shadows that had wrapped us in a protective cocoon while we slept.
Those were normal traits for all reapers, right? I didn’t have a clue, and this didn’t seem like the best time to ask.
“Then it’s possible Zacharias attacked us to protect Saul,” Evander mused aloud.
“Do we know who the second reaper was?” Loch asked.
Evander and Rhodes shook their heads. My fingers drummed against my thigh as my anxiety spiked. Saul said he hadn’t attacked us, but could I trust him?
“None of us got a good enough look. It would make sense if it were Saul, though. Maybe he showed up and Zacharias gave up fighting us to focus on getting Saul away from there?” Evander laced his fingers through mine, and gave them a gentle squeeze.
“I think that’s the theory we go with right now.” Rhodes sighed. “If any of us encounter any reapers while alone, back away and do not engage. Is that understood?”
Clearing my throat, I clarified, “By engage, do you mean don’t start battling it out?”
Rhodes nodded his head. “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”
“Okay, got it.” I gave him a little salute.
Rhodes’ dark eyebrows drew together. “What else did you think I could be talking about?”
Trying to look innocent, I shrugged. “Oh, nothing in particular.”
I had no plans to battle a reaper, but despite my irritation with Saul, I was still intrigued by the idea of engaging with him… in bed.
Rhodes kneeled in front of me, taking my hands in his. “Please be careful, Axelle. I’d prefer to keep you hidden away here in the house until this whole mess is over, but I know you’re too independent to go along with it. You need to understand that a reaper has never attacked a collector before. We are in uncharted waters and I don’t know what kind of danger that could put you in.”
I leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his check. “Don’t look so worried. I’ll be careful. Besides, I spend most of my day hiding in the archive room reading. How much trouble could one ghost actually get into?”
My laugh was met with three grim expressions.
“By the time you see Saul, you are already in grave danger.” Rhodes’ grip tightened on my fingers. “Do whatever you must in order to escape, but do not antagonize him.”
I thought back over my time with Saul and winced. Too late.
His warning had come a little late. But were we even talking about the same Saul? I was having trouble reconciling the man who’d danced for me, healed my injuries, gave me his energy, rocked my world, and then held me while I’d slept with the unstable, violent man the collectors seemed to fear.
I was going to have some questions for the sexy reaper the next time I found him.
“Okay, I think that’s enough depressing talk for the evening. Let’s watch a movie. I’ll get the popcorn!” Evander winked and headed into the kitchen.
“I have some reports I need to read first. If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my room.” Rhodes grabbed his laptop from the kitchen counter and disappeared up the stairs.
Evander returned less than four minutes later, plopping down on the couch beside me.
I peeked at Lochlan from beneath my lashes, hoping he was going to excuse himself, too. The arrogant man knew I was watching him. Raising a brow in challenge, he grabbed the remote and sat down on the couch.
The heat of his body seeped into my left arm and hip, instantly sending a sense of reassuring calm through me as it always did when the men touched me. Not in the mood for catching any feelings off him, I scooted closer to Evander, pressing myself against his side.
“Hey. Don’t fret, Axe. I know you’ve had a rough few days, but you’re safe here with us. Relax and enjoy the movie.” Evander dropped a soft kiss on my forehead.
My heart melted at the faint blush spreading across his face. Saul, Rhodes, and Lochlan were all alpha men who walked with confidence and sucked the oxygen from every room they were in. Evander wasn’t a small man, but there was a gentleness to him that was equally attractive.
Lochlan flicked through the streaming menu, hitting the play button on a brand-new horror movie. I’d rather have watched a ten-hour marathon of the worst sequels of all time than a scary movie, but I kept my mouth closed.
I was a ghost. Scary stuff was our bread and butter. Besides, how bad could it be?
Within five minutes, I was clinging to Evander’s arm so tightly I was cutting off the blood flow.
Thirty minutes in, I was shrieking louder than the poltergeist who kept jumping at the screen every five seconds.
I made it forty-five minutes before clambering onto Evander’s lap and clinging to him with the ferocity Rose should’ve used to hold on to Jack.
“We can turn it off if you’re scared, boo,” Lochlan teased.
“No need,” I said between clenched teeth. “I love horror movies.”
It probably would’ve been more convincing if I hadn’t been stuck to Evander’s chest like an octopus. I expected Lochlan to call me out on my boo-crap, but when I peeked in his direction, I was surprised to find all his usual mischievousness had been replaced by sadness.
He’d seemed happy this morning at the café, so what had changed?
Turning back toward the television, I watched as the blonde who hadn’t died yet arrived on a college campus. The campus’ initials were UT, and a flash of inspiration hit me.
I’d just figured out how to ask my second question without raising suspicion.
“That’s funny! I saw something with the initials UG recently. I wonder which college it stands for.”
“Not a university. UG is the UnderGrave.” Evander popped a piece of buttery popcorn in my mouth.
Food hadn’t tasted good since my demise, and since I hadn’t needed to eat for survival, I’d opted to skip it all together. But those fluffy pieces of popcorn tasted incredible when they were being fed to me.
“What’s that? A funeral service?” I giggled, trying to act as though I didn’t really care about the answer.
Evander smiled at me. “No. It’s a club in the wildest city in the US. Someone enchanted it to keep the humans from accidentally stumbling inside, which is good since that place caters to the underbelly of the paranormal world.”
“That sounds horrible!” I shivered, not needing to fake it thanks to the creature on the screen contorting itself as it crawled across the ceiling.
Resting my head against Evander’s chest, I tried to ignore the screams coming from the TV and focused on the steady rhythm of his heart. I tilted my head back and took my time tracing the lines of his face. He had more boyish good looks, while Rhodes had a ruggedness about him and Lochlan was, well, beautiful.
I darted a glance at Lochlan to find him scowling. Was he… jealous?
Deciding I sucked at reading men’s facial expressions, I turned my attention back to Evander, the movie completely forgotten at this point. His left arm wrapped around my waist, holding me to him while he gently massaged my scalp with his right hand. Everything about this man was soothing and reassuring.
Unlike the explosive personalities of the other men, Evander was steady as a rock. Saul, Lochlan, and Rhodes would hunt down anyone who caused me to shed a tear. Evander would be there to hold me as I cried.
Flattening my palm against Evander’s cheek, I guided his face down to mine. “Are you sure you’re not a ghost?”
Evander’s eyebrows drew together. “I think I’d know if I were a ghost. Why do you ask?”
I grinned. “Because it’s spooky how good you look.”
Both guys groaned, but Evander’s groan quickly shifted to something far deeper when my lips brushed his. I’d been prepared for him to take charge like Saul and Lochlan, but Evander didn’t push for control. Instead, he let me lead. It was intoxicating, and it didn’t take long for the familiar heat of desire to stir in my belly.
Shifting positions, I straddled his lap so I could bury the fingers of both my hands into his hair. Evander was enjoying our make-out session if the hard length pressing against me was anything to go by.
His hands moved to my waist, then slid just under the hem of my shirt. I whimpered as his fingers brushed against my bare skin, fanning my desire. When he made no move to continue exploring, I rested my hands on top of his and slid them up my stomach and ribs.
Thankfully, that was all the encouragement he needed to touch me. Our slow kisses became hungry, and his thumbs had just brushed against the sides of my breasts when a snarl shook the room.
I’d been so lost in Evander’s touch and taste that I hadn’t been aware of my surroundings, and the sudden noise caused me to jump nearly a foot off Ev’s lap.
Scanning the room, I found Rhodes standing over us like a hangry grizzly. What in the Samhain was he so mad about?
“Dude! You scared her!” Evander snapped, rubbing reassuring circles on my back.
“That’s not difficult. She’s afraid of everything,” Lochlan piped up.
Yeah, well, I wasn’t scared of the big bad reaper who had them crapping their pants. Sadly, I had to keep my retort to myself to avoid unwanted questions.
“Here.” Rhodes held out a file. “I got a report about some odd deaths in the neighboring city. It seems people on the street started dropping dead, but no ghosts emerged from the bodies. You two go check it out. Now.”
Lochlan rose. “I’m going to grab my gear. Ev, I’ll meet you at the car in two minutes.”
A muscle ticked in Evander’s jaw, and for a moment, I thought he was going to argue with Rhodes. With a frustrated sigh, Evander broke their glaring match and focused on me.
“Let’s continue this later.” He kissed my forehead and the tip of my nose.
“Your grave or mine?” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.
“Enough.” A steel band circled my waist, lifting me off Evander’s lap and into the air.
“What in the apple-bobbin’ goblins—” I yelped, my words getting cut off as Rhodes tossed me over his shoulder. “Put me down!”
“Oh, I plan to.” Rhodes took the stairs three at a time. “In my bed.”