Reaper Dreaming: A Reaper Novel Read online

  “Well, who the fucks responsibility is it then?” Victor asked. “Her glorious Guardian, who took such stellar care of her? Maybe these idiots? Uriel perhaps?” Victor kicked the Fallen at their feet as he spoke.

  Hunter grunted and rolled his eyes, “Hell, I don’t know. I don’t even know how I got so involved in her life. I should never have allowed myself to get this close to her in the first place. Dante told me to return her to the mortal plane, but I got involved when I shouldn’t have. Now I don’t know how to untangle myself.”

  Victor laughed, “It’s too late now brother, you’re in ass deep.”

  “No I just need to get her someplace safe, then I’m walking away,” Hunter promised.

  Victor’s mouth actually dropped open, “Yeah, let me know how that works out for you,” Victor said slapping his brother on the back.

  “She is going to be a goddamn Angel. And not just any Angel, but an Arch Angel. I want nothing to do with her except to get her someplace safe then I want my life to return to normal,” Hunter snapped.

  “I’m ready,” Lailah said quietly from behind him, causing Hunter too spin around in shock.

  “Lailah?” Hunter needed to say something to fix what she had heard. But nothing immediately came to mind. And the look she now gave him spoke volumes, maybe it was for the best it would be easier for him to walk away if she hated him.

  “The Infernos right? I’m ready whenever you are,” Lailah said pulling what looked like an overnight bag over her shoulder. she walked over to Victor avoiding looking at Hunter, “Are we just going to Flash there like how we got here to my apartment?” she asked him.

  Hunter wanted to reach out to her, to reassure her. Lailah had obviously heard what he had said. But he also knew she had to understand he was no good for her. She was meant for better things than him. Lailah was going to be an Angel, anyone could see by just looking at her she was of the light. And he was a Reaper for god’s sake. He shouldn’t even be in the same room with her. He did lies and deceit like most people did their laundry. She was light and goodness. He would only drag her down.

  So why did it hurt when she turned from him to Victor, and why was he ready to pound his brother in the face for merely touching her?

  “I’ll Flash her,” Hunter offered taking Lailah by the arm. He just couldn’t stand the thought of Victor putting his hands on her

  “Where are you going to keep her?” Victor asked.

  It was on the tip of Hunters' tongue to keep Lailah in the apartments Hunter had built in Treachery but he knew he couldn’t keep her so close and not touch her. Not taste her again. Not give into the fantasy’s he had been having of her. Gods the fantasies he had had about her. Hunter mentally shook himself and focused on what needed to be done right then. Because they weren’t going to go anywhere if he didn’t pull his mind out of the gutter.

  “She can stay with me and Elle. My fortress is large enough for another person,” Victor offered.

  “Thank you, brother,” Hunter said. Victor took Lailah’s hand and attempted to Flash himself and Lailah to the Infernos. Nothing happened, at first, Victor looked at Hunter with a confused look on his face and tried again. Everything stopped when Lailah let out a horrible scream of pain and fell to her knees. She folded in on herself cradling her left hand.

  Hunter immediately kneeled down, “What?” he asked her.

  “Oh. My. God.” Lailah cried out. “It hurts so badly.”

  “Let me see,” Hunter demanded.

  Hunter pried Lailah’s hand from the cradle of her body and opened her fingers. The center of her palm was branded with an angry looking brand.

  Swirls in a Celtic pattern surrounded the letter ‘T’. He had seen the brand before, and for a moment, Hunter couldn’t believe what he was looking at. Hunter heard a rushing sound in his ears as he tried to focus. Then everything rushed back to a pinpoint, with the brand at the center.

  Hunter shook with rage as he tried to gather himself together and breathe again. As the world came rushing back into focus he looked up into Lailah’s beautiful green eyes.

  “When did this happen?” The cold hearted Reaper was back. Hunter would kill whoever had given her this brand. He would tear them limb from limb. Hunter would make them suffer horribly.

  “I didn’t want to tell you,” Lailah rushed. “I wasn’t sure what it was or if it mattered. I was freaked out about everything else. So much is going on. I thought I could wait to explain it.”

  “How could you think being branded would not be important?” Hunter asked shocked. “You should have said something immediately.”

  “There was more important stuff going on actually. You were near death, then you were rushing me out of the bookstore. And then we were being attacked, and I was being told I had to leave the mortal plane. Oh and let’s not forget the Fallen,” Lailah practically screamed the last part defensivily. Hunter actually couldn’t blame her. Now he was aware she was wearing a Tribunal brand, the shit had definitely hit the fan.

  Victor looked over his shoulder and swore when he saw the brand on Laila's palm. “Shit, shit, shit.” Then without warning, he Flashed away.

  “Lailah I need you to tell me when, where and who gave you this brand,” Hunter said trying to keep his voice as calm as possible.

  “Detective Banner gave it to me right before you showed up at the bookstore.” As soon as the words left her mouth Hunter jumped to his feet.

  “Celeste,” Hunter called out to his sister. “Now.”

  Hunter flew over to the window and looked out onto the street.

  Lailah looked at him her eyes wide with worry, “What, what is happening? Hunter?”

  Celeste showed up, with her guns drawn. Marcus with her. A long black sword in his hands. “What’s the situation?”

  “Lailah has been marked with the Tribunal brand?” Hunter explained looking over his shoulder back to Lailah for a moment then back to the street. “I need recon on the street. Get me a two block safe zone.”

  Victor Flashed back to the apartment, this time with Elle, Christian, and Garrett.

  Lailah jumped to her feet. “Stop, everyone just stop, Hunter what is going on? What does this brand mean? I thought we were going to the Infernos?”

  “Garrett, Christian, you’re with me and Marcus,” Celeste said. And they all Flashed away.

  “Victor let’s get these Fallen out of here,” Elle said. Hunter waited until Victor and Elle had Flashed the tied up Fallen out of Lailah’s living room, before he moved over to her.

  Taking Lailah’s branded hand, he sat her down on the couch. “Lailah,” Hunter whispered her name. As if whispering would make all the harshness of the situation go away somehow. “This brand, it’s a calling card. It’s a brand for the Tribunal. The ruling body over all the Other class on the mortal plane.”

  Lailah was shaking her head, “No that’s not possible, Detective Banner gave it to me. He doesn’t work for this Tribunal, he is a detective for the Chicago police department. I’ve seen his badge, I’ve seen his gun, I’ve seen his card with his name and title printed in nice bold little print on it,” she insisted between her teeth.

  “I don’t know who Detective Banner is, but I will know by the end of the day trust me. What I do know, Lailah, is this brand? This brand belongs to the Tribunal, and if Banner gave it to you he is working in some way for them.” Hunter wasn’t sure how much he should tell her, how much detail he could say without freaking her out. “The Tribunal has been cataloging all Others on the mortal plane in the last six months.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” Lailah asked.

  Hunter shook his head, “They are doing it to control them, control us. They have a vendetta against the Reapers and Dante. They would like to see Dante and especially the Reapers stopped.”

  Her beautiful face scrunched up in thought, and Hunter wanted nothing more than to rub the worry away. “Wouldn’t doing that somehow mess with the natural order of things? I mean how would souls move on w
ithout the Reapers?”

  Hunter gave her a sad smile, “Exactly. In the Tribunals quest for power and dominance, they have sent out Inquisitors to question certain Others.” Hunter explained. “Others they find interesting. Others that could, by their very existence, be a threat to their power. We have run across four other bodies with the same exact brand, in the last month.”

  Hunter let the information sink in, he didn’t have to wait long. Lailah just looked at him then her mouth dropped open. “Wait, other bodies, as in not alive, sort of bodies?” Lailah asked quietly. Hunter nodded. It took Lailah all of four seconds to respond to the information.

  “MOTHER OF GOD!” Lailah jumped up from the couch where she had been sitting twisting her hands. She backed away from Hunter, shaking her head as if it would somehow change the situation. “Somebody got their shit wrong. Like seriously, horribly, stupidly, wrong… Wrong, Wrong! ‘Cause I am just a low-level type of Other. I can barely heal people. I do not belong in this fight. I am a blip on the map here, Hunter. This shit is so above my pay grade it isn’t funny. I have no power here, like when you got shot, it took me five minutes to draw out one bullet. If you weren’t immortal you would be toast! TOAST!” she shouted. “I can sometimes read people but only on a really good day. You think the Fallen are here for me to protect me, but I’m not even worth that type of protection, and —having the ability to threaten the sitting power of the Other world? Are you shitting me? Someone got the memo wrong, you need to fix this.” Lailah paced back in forth in front of Hunter.

  “Okay Lailah, calm down,” Hunter said holding up his hands. He tried to use a calm voice but he didn’t really think Lailah heard it as she ranted and raved. She had started to glow around the edges. Something he had only seen Elle do before and Elle’s glow was golden, almost like a warm fire light. However, Lailah’s was a pure white light. Like someone shining a flashlight in your face, not painful to look at but a spectacular light. “We will figure this out,” Hunter reassured her.

  “You bet your sweet hot ass we will figure this shit out. Because someone made a mistake. I am a nobody,” Lailah repeated as she sunk to the floor pulling her knees up to her chest Lailah wrapped her arms around her knees and hid her face. She rocked softly muttering to herself quietly. “I mean Victor could Flash me here. Why not Flash me to the Infernos? What happened to hiding there?”

  “It makes sense we can Flash you around the mortal plane. Just not off it. There must be something in the brand to keep you mortal side,” Hunter said sitting down next to her on the floor he gathered her into his arms, he pulled her onto his lap, he just couldn’t help it. Lailah just looked so lost, he had to do something.

  “I will fix this, Lailah, I promise.” Lailah nodded. Hunter sat there just holding her rocking back and forth. Before Lailah, comfort had been a foreign emotion to Hunter but comforting Lailah felt natural. Hunter felt like he could just sit there and hold her for hours. It felt nice, and right in a world that was becoming uncertain and wrong.

  Finally, Lailah looked up, their faces were so close together he swore he could see eternity in the depths of her green eyes. Hunter caught his breath, caught himself just staring into eyes he had dreamed about. He was paralyzed as one of Lailah’s hand drifted up and traced the scar that bisected the side of his face and then ran into his hairline. He had sworn he would never allow her to touch him like this again but now she was doing it he couldn’t bring himself to stop her. Hunter leaned into her touch, soaking up the warmth she offered. Gods her soft skin felt so amazing against his cold scars, all he knew was pain and torture there. To have something as soft and lovely as her touch so gentle and kind against them. He caught his breath and held it as she caressed the puckered and ruined skin.

  “What happened?” Lailah whispered.

  Nobody asked him about his scars. Probably because he allowed no one to get this close to him, but her quietly whispered question didn’t seem like an intrusion.

  “I was attacked while in Treachery, it was a play for power by the souls of the damned.” Hunter’s laugh was self-depreciating. “I should have known better. Because of it I asked Dante to pour salt in the wounds so I would carry the scars forever. To remind me I am never safe as the ruler over Treachery. Treachery and lies everywhere.”

  “So you never have peace?” Lailah asked.

  “As the ruler over Treachery, and a Reaper there is no peace to be had. There is always lies and deception. Someone begging for a deal to be made in order for their lies to be justified.” Hunter knew his words sounded callous but this was the world he lived it.

  Lailah’s eyes filled with tears, “Oh Hunter this makes me sad for you.”

  The last thing he wanted was her pity. Hunter stiffened ready to pull away but Lailah threw her arms around him before he could. she buried her face in the crook of his neck, and pressed a warm kiss against the column of his throat freezing him to the spot.

  “I have had so many people lie to me. Many people hurt me physically and emotionally,” she said not pulling away. Her words brushed warmly against his skin, burning him. “Please don’t think I pity you because that is far from how I feel.”

  When Lailah finally leaned back the look in her eyes was anything but pity. Hunter knew he should set her aside and get as far away from her as possible. This, whatever it was between them, was burning out of control. But he didn’t move, gods help them both. Instead, he leaned into her, her light was like a beacon in his dark and hate-filled world.

  Like their first kiss the moment his lips touched hers he was lost. Lost in the feelings wrapping around him. Lost to her touch, to her taste, and lost to the soft little sound she made as their lips met. Her light burned him to the core, burning away all the darkness in him. He was sure it was what attracted him, and Hunter new he would never get enough and he would be damned to Hell and back because of it. And come back begging for more, desperate for her. The smell of her, the taste of her. She was soft where he was hard. And her unique smell; vanilla and roses. Hunter was sure he would be able to smell it while he burned in Hell for what he was doing. What he was thinking about doing to her. Then she opened her mouth and gods help him, he couldn’t stop himself.

  His tongue swept in to take advantage of her sweet mouth, and the sounds she made in the back of her throat letting him know she was enjoying everything he was doing to her. It only made him crazy for more.

  He finally had to break the kiss to breathe, but then it was to drag his lips across her beautiful full cheeks to her ear. He tongued her earlobe making her breath catch. Hunter could feel her nails digging into his shoulders, and he wished he was shirtless so he could feel those nails scratch against his bare skin.

  “Hunter,” Lailah whispered his name brokenly. What he would give to hear her scream his name on her release.

  Hunter needed to bury his tongue in her mouth again and his lips were headed back to her mouth. When they were interrupted.

  “Um…”

  “Shit,” Hunter grunted.

  Lailah looked up, dazed. Then turned three shades of red. Before burying her face into Hunters' shoulder.

  Hunter glared at Victor and Elle, Elle gave Hunter a huge smile. Victor just shook his head, “Ass deep I told you. How’s your back feel?” Referring to Dante’s preferred means of punishment.

  Immediately Lailah’s hands dropped from around Hunter and into her own lap. Hunter glared at Victor.

  “You’re an ass,” Hunter told his brother, as Victor reminded him of what he had said earlier and what the punishing would be for defying their father.

  “Dante demands an audience,” Victor announced.

  Hunter grunted. This was the last thing Hunter wanted to deal with. The thought of leaving Lailah unprotected on the mortal plane left him cold.

  But you didn’t say no to Dante without invoking his wrath “Okay.” Hunter stood with her still in his arms. “I need to leave,” He explained to Lailah. “Who is staying?” Hunter asked his brother.


  “Celeste and Elle,” Victor said, “Celeste has the street covered and Elle will be in here in the apartment. Not the best solution but right now it’s all we’ve got, brother. If the Tribunal makes a move with one word Celeste can have all of us here. Same with Elle. We shouldn’t be gone long.”

  Hunter didn’t like this, not one bit. But he couldn’t ignore Dante not without paying a price. And Hunter wanted to remain on Dante’s good side.

  “I’ll be back,” He promised Lailah, she gave him a small smile than he and Victor Flashed away.

  Chapter 4

  Dante sat reclined on his throne, all the brothers stood in a semi-circle at the foot of the stairs. He made eye contact with each of them but said nothing for several long minutes.

  “Explain something to me,” Dante said finally. “Who the fuck is in charge here?”

  Dante never once raised his voice, and all the brothers stood unmoving. They all knew this was a dressing down. Dante was pissed, he didn’t need to raise his voice. Didn’t need to scream and yell, he could bring about any kind of hell to the Reapers and they all knew it. So they would take whatever type of punishment Dante dished out.

  “Would someone like to explain to me, why mortals and Others are popping up dead, dead as fucking doorknobs with gods-damned brands on them and no souls to speak of,” Dante demanded. “And what you, my dedicated sons, must be doing about it. Since I have no fucking clue what is going on?” Dante asked, one extended foot twitched. It was the only show of agitation. “You’re sitting on your collective ass’s fucking your women. Hiding on the mortal plane, or following around some asinine wanna be Angel.” Dante’s eyes flickered to Hunter showing him, that Dante knew full well what Hunter had been doing on the mortal plane.

  “I want the bastard branding my mortals, and I want my souls.” Dante had finally raised his voice. “Do you understand me?”

  The Reapers all nodded in unison. “Hunter, find the treacherous bastard and chain his soul to Treachery for me before any more innocent souls are lost.”