Death's Dilemma (DHAD #2) (2 page)

“Hi, I’m Catherine,” she said like I didn’t know who she was. Like I’d forget that day. Like I’d be able to forget her skinny, chicken legs wrapped around Trevor’s waist. Hell, I’d almost ended her life that day, but not that she was ever aware. If only I’d known how to aim the electricity that left my fingertips. But, I guess I did have her to thank for me discovering the electrifying effects my fingers were capable of emitting. Too bad my aim was off. I would have loved to make her long, wavy, brown hair stand up like a porcupine. I walked past her, ignoring the “how rude” comment she said to Trevor as she rolled her emerald green eyes at me.

Rude? Seriously, she was at my assignment? I let out an exaggerated breath as I went up the stairs and opened my bedroom door. What the hell was she doing in our house? How could this day get any worse?

“What is she doing here? Conjugal visit?” I asked Trevor as he entered my room behind me.

“This isn’t prison.” He smiled.

“Says who?” Sure felt like it sometimes, especially with how much time I spent in this room. Granted, it was a pretty decent size, and if you counted the walk in the closet that connected my room to Lacie’s, it was twice the size of the one I’d had back home. I did miss my red paint job though. This room was painted daisy yellow with brown edging. Nothing hung on the walls except for a painted picture of pugs playing poker. Lacie said her overweight pug, Debbie, got it for me for guarding her so well. That ball of fluff didn’t leave me alone from the moment we arrived.

“Bite him, Debbie,” I commanded as she jumped off my bed. If only she’d taken one obedience class, but Lacie thought they were cruel. The damn pug didn’t listen to a thing I said. And no matter how hard I tried, she wouldn’t even leave my room. I didn’t mind it so much on the few nights that were cold. She was like having a mini heater, but most nights, she just kept me up with her snoring. For some reason, the thing would whine until it slept with me. Lacie said it was because Debbie was her guard dog and she still assumed I was trying to take Lacie’s soul, so it was her duty to watch me, monitoring my every move.

“Seriously though, what is she doing here, Trevor?” I asked as Debbie wobbled out of my room.

“She’s a Guardian.”

“You’ve got to me kidding me.” I turned to face him, making sure he saw my eyes roll.

“No, I’m not kidding you. She’s a first level.”

“Do they let just anybody join? We at least have restrictions and a course we have to pass.”

“So do we. She may have gotten help getting in, but she’s really not bad.” He was lying.

“Okay. Let me guess. By mere coincidence, she was assigned to protect a child in this school? And please tell me she’s not staying here.”

“She’s not staying here, but she will be over occasionally, I assume. And yes, she was assigned to a child at the school, but why do you care?”

“I don’t. I just don’t think the distraction is needed.” Not to mention, I didn’t need another person around who wanted me gone; the list seemed to be multiplying daily.

“Distraction?” He ran a hand through his hair again and started laughing like I didn’t get it.

“Yes, she distracts you. I don’t want you making out with her in the corner or something when Lacie is in trouble. It’s just tension, and annoying, and well, again, we don’t need those kinds of distractions around here.” As I finished my sentence, he really started to crack up. Was I spitting out jokes here?

“Have you lost your mind? She doesn’t distract me. Never has and never will. She may try to fault my attention, but it’s not with ill will. She likes being around me, unlike some. No, there is only one thing that takes my mind from my mission, and it’s something I’m working on.”

“What?” I tried to get out, but he interrupted

“Have you figured out how to control your light yet?” he asked, throwing me off my question.

“I think so. It comes out when I’m angry, apparently, so I’d watch it if I were you,” I threatened.

“How did you find that out? And how long have you known?” he questioned.

“I figured it out yesterday. It just came to me that each I’m really angry, it deploys.” The timeframe was a lie, but I didn’t want to tell him how or exactly when I discovered it.

“Like the tree outside when Catherine came to see me after your trial?” he asked, and I felt my mouth drop.

“You...”

“Well, make sure you learn to control it. We might need it soon. If you need to picture me making out with Catherine for it to come out, that’s fine.”

“That wasn’t it. I wasn’t…” I stuttered out as he let out a breath and raised his brow. The look in his eyes let me know he called out my bullshit. “I wasn’t mad you were making out with her. Why would I be? I was mad because of the situation. I don’t want anything distracting you from what our mission is. That’s why that made me mad. It had nothing to do with the fact that you were making out with her.”

“Okay, Cendall. Whatever triggers it is fine with me, and it’s nice knowing something that I’ve done resonates up there,” he said as he poked me in the forehead. My cheeks burned, exposing he’d found the truth. The penalties of fair complexion sure liked to get in the way.

“Why hold that information for so long? To catch me off-guard?” I asked him.

“Of course. That is the only time that I get a slight glimpse into what’s going on in that head of yours. It’s the only time you let the wall down, and I can see how you really feel. You’re very hard to read, Cendall, I have to use any advantage I have.” He smiled wide and gave me a wink before turning away.

I hated him so much.

Chapter Two

Finally Friday

“Good Morning,” Lacie said as she walked through the closet connecting our rooms.

“It is Friday finally, isn’t it?” I said as I felt a smile hit my lips. Like most humans, I worked an eight hour shift, except my shift only ended because then the house was guarded by like thirty other Guardians. So, it wasn’t like I technically got off, but I at least got to go to my room, or the bathroom, alone. One Friday a month, which just so happened to be today, they actually gave me an entire night to myself following my duties at the school. I’d heard through the grapevine of Guardian Angels who also protected Lacie that their shifts were polar opposite of mine. They had two different shifts. One would stalk us at school, in the shadows, while the other would guard her when she got home. All of them followed this except Trevor, of course. That overachiever was always striving for the employee of the year award; he barely left her side. He was the only one who was around her more than me. Not distance wise, as when she was at school, I was typically within a foot of her, but he was always lurking. I understood it being he was her head Guardian and all.

If Lacie were anyone else, the protection wouldn’t be this insane, but since Demons didn’t work within Reaper guidelines of only taking a soul when it was vulnerable, they could strike at any time, which was why, even when I had my “time off”, I stayed by her side. But this Friday would be different.

Lacie left to get ready, and I quickly put on my leather leggings and oversized, black silk shirt. Today, only because it was Friday and I was feeling a little edgy, I picked the one that had small gold studs on the shoulders. For some reason, the fad of this generation seemed to be leggings. It was a moment of clear bliss when I found black leather ones. I, at least, could then argue with Lacie that they were in style. The comfort and fit reminded me so much of my old outfit and would still give my skin that extra layer of protection, just in case. I bought ten pairs and then proceeded to buy shirts that I could at least move in and somewhat went with the leggings. Most were black, but to stop Lacie from complaining, I bought a few in color. Every day, I would complete my perfect ensemble with black, thigh-high boots. They, again, seemed to be made for me as they perfectly fit my scythe as long as it wasn’t in its elongated form. On the first day of school, I heard “hooker” a few times, but that stopped when someone tried to test his hypothesis.

His name was Eric, and he’d thought that we would bond over his secret piercing. He attempted to pin me against the locker and ask if I “wanted to see it”. Horrified, Lacie stared at me like she wanted to die when I agreed. He started to unzip but not before I grabbed it through his jeans. At first, his eyes grew in excitement; then, I asked him a question.

“What are the odds that I can rip that piercing out without you even try and push me away?”

“You wouldn’t dare bitch,” he muttered, and I pulled.

Sure enough, the odds were good. He should have taken the bet. His screamed rang through the halls, and soon enough, every student packed into the hallway to watch the rest of the event occur. After his scream, he doubled over, hitting his head on the locker as he fell to the ground. Realizing I’d probably moved too quickly and this could be seen as sexual assault, I leaned down to his ear.

“Listen, asshole. You don’t tell anyone what happened, and I’ll just tell them I kicked you in the balls for hitting on my cousin. Neither of us can afford to get suspended for this shit. Deal?”

“Deal,”
he squeaked out between sobs. Two of his friends helped him up and walked him to the bathroom to clean up. I, on the other hand, was hauled off to the principal’s office for the first time. After a stern talking to, I was sent to after school detention, and Lacie was forced to get in trouble so she wouldn’t be alone. It was hilarious watching her try and “be bad” in our AP English class. After three failed attempts at throwing a paper ball at the back of the teacher’s head, she finally just stood up, frustrated.

“This shit is stupid. Can we move on already?! I’m fucking bored!” She later blamed it on a temporarily lapse in sanity and said she was still shaken up from something in her home life. For being a good girl most of the time, she sure was good with getting people to believe her.

After detention that afternoon, I received my first “take this job seriously” lecture from Trevor.

“Don’t be excited to get a day off,” Trevor said, and it felt like a repeat.

“Funny you’d say that. I was just reminiscing on you lecturing me. Thank you for the refresher.”

“Nice to know you’re thinking about me,” he said as he put an arm around my shoulder. My body relaxed against his in surrender. I batted his arm away when my mind caught up with my heart rate.

“Why are you sucking up to me?” I asked, and the corner of his mouth went into a smirk.

“Me? Never. I came to tell you that Lacie was just saying how we should all go out to a movie or something tonight. I know it’s your day off, but she’s really excited about seeing it.”

“And what movie is that?” I asked, not believing a word he said.

“Some sci-fi flick. I wasn’t really listening. She just was going on and on about some movie.”

“And you’re the first to know about it? Somehow you mysteriously overheard her talk about it even though I’m like a millimeter away from her at every waking moment?”

“Yes.”

“You know today is my day off.” Of course he did, that’s what this was about.

“I know, but you know she doesn’t feel comfortable leaving without you.”

“She has you.” Seriously, this week was the longest week ever. I spent every moment anticipating this small sliver of promised freedom. They had even called in extra backup. Yes, I felt guilty, but Lacie said she understood why I had to go.

“I know, and the rest of our group, but she’s just a young girl.”

“We’re the same age.”

“I know, but if my life was in danger all the time, I’d want a Reaper by my side that vowed to protect me.” He was really laying it on thick.

“Why don’t you ask Catherine? I’m sure she’d love to go into a dark movie theatre with you,” I sparred, and his eyes went from wide to slanted in two point five.

“She’s only been on this mission for a day. You probably haven’t even seen her at school.”

“No, but that’s probably because she’s too busy making out with you in the janitor’s closet.”

“Seriously, you know that’s not true.” I walked past him and into my bathroom, daring him to follow.

“It’s not about the movie. You should be around her at all times,” he shouted as I furthered the distance between us.

“PRIVACY PLEASE I’M IN THE BATHROOM” I yelled a little too loud, and I heard him leave the room. It was a lie but, it did the trick. All men, whether human, Guardians, or Reapers, seemed to be freaked out by anything to do with woman and the restroom. I didn’t feel bad though. He didn’t need to guilt me into staying tonight. It was one night out of the month that I asked for. There were enough Guardians out there to watch her; they could give me a day off.

After Lacie was finally ready, we walked down the stairs and out the door to the bus stop. I attempted to ignore the eye rolls and disappointed stares as I walked past the Guardians. Trevor must have told them I refused to stay tonight. These Guardians were not my keepers. Who were they to judge me? Yes, I use to be their born enemy, but weren’t we fighting for the same purpose now? And unlike their brothers, they didn’t care if I made it out of this assignment alive. The only one who probably did was Lacie. To the rest, I was that first quadrant of soldiers that were sent out to break things up, but the expectations weren’t high for me coming out alive, which was why I needed tonight off. I had to find out more about what my dad said at the trial. Maybe it would help get me out of this mess in the end so I didn’t wind up dead.

The words he said in court that day echoed in my head.
“Find out more about where you come from to find out who you are.”
It had to mean to find out who my mother was. All I knew about her was that she died during my birth, and no one had met her. Great clue, dad. It was, however, a start to explaining why I was able to shoot electricity from my fingertips and heal Trevor when we battled. Before that moment, I didn’t know I possessed gifts that were normal to Guardians and Angels but foreign to Reapers.