Reaper Mine: A Reaper Novel (10 page)

Stumbling away from the car, her vision tunneled to small pinpoints. She wretched empting her stomach and then started to run. Blackness was closing in around her, and no air was getting in and she clawed at her chest trying to pull at whatever was clinging to her throat and chest prohibiting her from breathing.

Something stopped her, strong arms wrapped around her and Elle blinked trying to focus.

“Hello, little demi-god.” Elle looked up and all she saw were black eyes, hands so cold they burned her arms gripping her tighter and tighter. “You belong to me,” The black eyes whispered.

Elle opened her mouth to scream in pain but nothing came out. She jerked trying to get out. Get away. “Oh little one, I’ve waited so long for you.”

Elle shook her head, trying to make her voice work. Trying to draw air in. Where the hell had Victor gone?

Then the fathomless eyes turned from her. “I wish I had more time.” One cold hand released her, and pain seared through her chest. It was a pain she had felt before. With everything she was worth Elle shoved away from the thing holding her and looked down.

A pearl handled dagger sticking from just below her left breast. “Damn it,” she gurgled as blood poured from her chest.

****

Victor watched Elle tumble from the moving vehicle swearing the entire time. What the hell was wrong with her? His heart skipping. He jerked the car to a stop and jumped out trying to figure out where the hell she had gone.

“Christian,” he bellowed for his brother as he took off down the road. It only took a moment for Christian to appear next to him.

“Contrary to what you might think I do have a damn life,” he muttered.

Victor grabbed his brother by the color of his shirt and shook him. “She took off.”

Christian looked around. “How far could she have gone?”

Victor knew he had to be right but they couldn’t see anything. Then he heard a moan and both turned to see a flicker of light, and Elle stumble from dark shadow.

A man stumbled through as well wrapping his arms around Elle.

Victor and Christian both reacted; Victor grabbed Elle as Christian slammed a fist into the large man’s face.

Elle stumbled into Victor’s arms, her mouth was open in shock and he immediately wrapped his arms around her as he swung her out of the fight. “Don’t move.” She didn’t say anything, and he only hoped she was finally listening to him.

He turned back to the bastard who had thought to take Elle from him, Victor pulled his scythe out and smiled, he could feel the black soul radiating from the bastard. The pits of violence were going to feast on this soul.

“Make sure Elle is okay,” Victor told Christian, as he stepped into the fight. Christian nodded and stepped back Victor glared at the guy. “You picked on the wrong demi-god.” He swung the scythe, burying it in the man’s shoulder he cut the guy deep.

He grunted and stepped back. “She belongs to us now. Go back to the Infernos.”

“Yeah, go fuck yourself.” Victor swore and lashed out with his scythe again. The guy side stepped just barely missing another slash that would have opened up his stomach.

“Do you honestly think you can continue to run? Continue to fight us?” he laughed. “Hiding is out of the question. We know every step she takes.”

Victor snarled and lashed out again, the guy stepped out of reach yet again. Now Victor was just getting pissed off. “When I have your soul I will feed it into the pits of Violence one small piece at a time.”

This had him laughing again. “You think you Reapers have all the power. You think you control the market on suffering.” He leaned forward, black hair fell across his forehead and over his black fathomless eyes and for just a moment Victor was caught staring into them and he thought he saw an empty black eternity stretched for as far as he could see and it made him cold and empty.

Victor stumbled back shaking his head of the bleakness he had seen, but it was enough and the guy rushed him fists flying. A fist connected solidly with Victors chin knocking him back several steps, it was followed with a kick to the stomach doubling Victor over, he collapsed into the gravel it rubbed the skin of his palms raw as he slid to a halt.

He heard Christian swearing and then the sound of a shot gun action and firing several times. Then silence, Victor lay in the dirt trying to gasp for air which didn’t seem to want to enter his lungs. He finally rolled to his hands and knees. “Christian?”

“Damn man, who the hell was that?” Christian asked, helping Victor to his feet.

“Shit if I know, but I bet it would have something to do with those Freaks that have been attacking Elle.” Victor pushed his brother’s hands away from him he was bruised but didn’t think anything was broken. “Where is Elle?”

Christian’s face fell and he stepped in front of Victor. “Man…” his voice trailed off. “It was too late.” Christian kept talking but blood started rushing in Victor’s ears and he couldn’t hear him. He looked over Christians shoulder at the huddled form on the side of the road, in the dark it could have been anything. But Victor knew it wasn’t anything it was Elle and she had been terrified, so terrified she had run from him.

Ran from him right into the arms of the creature that had killed her.

The pounding in his ears turned into roaring and he launched toward the small form on the ground but Christian stopped him. “There is nothing you can do Victor.”

“Let me try,” he growled. “Let me at least try.”

Christian wrestled with him until they were both on the ground. “Let the Angels come for her.” Christian’s words finally penetrated Victor’s anger. Stopping his rage to fix what had happened to Elle.

“Fuck the Angels,” Victor snarled. “They can’t have her.” Victor tried to push past his brother but Christian held tight.

“Victor think man. She deserves to go.” Victor felt such rage he knew he wasn’t thinking straight. But Christian wouldn’t let him go.

He stopped fighting Christian and looked around. “How long has it been?” he looked around.

“A couple of minutes,” Christian said, they were both barely breathing.

“She’s not dead,” Victor said rushing forward. If she were dead then the Angels would have come for her. She was a pure soul, who could she have hurt, what ails could she have done in her life time to deserve to go to the Infernos? No the Angels would come for her, if not then she wasn’t dead.

Victor scrambled on all fours over to her, turning her over as gentle as possible he rolled her over gasping at the knife protruding from her stomach. He pulled it out and tossed it away then he checked her for life signs but found none. “Gods, please,” he found himself begging.

He placed his hand over the wound trying to heal it. But nothing happened no warming sensation like he had with his siblings. Knowing, he wouldn’t be able to heal her. Cursing he looked at Christian. “What the hell?”

He reached forward, he could feel her soul but it was still in her body. “I feel it, it’s still there.”

Christian moved, placing his hand over her heart and shrugging. “I don’t understand it.”

Victor grabbed her and shook her by the shoulders. “Elle.” He shook her. “Damn it.”

He didn’t expect anything to happen, then suddenly her eyes popped open; white orbs starred up into the dark night. She sucked in a deep gasp of air, arching up as she did it. Then collapsed back down into the dirt she took several deep shuddering breaths, desperately deprived then convulsed with bone breaking jerks, she finally rolled to her side, she let out a blood curdling scream. She scratched at the dirt, clawing for purches, for gods only knew what, until one nail came off. Her body continuing to jolt in pain.

Christian scrambled away as she groped at the dirt, her entire body convulsing. She coughed up blood, and vomited, and she screamed in pain, flipping over several times. Her pain so intense it made Victor fill utterly helpless as he tried to stop it, tried to wrap himself around her but touching her only seemed to make it worse, bloody tears ran from her sightless eyes. Blood leaked from her eyes, nose, ears and mouth, her limbs twisted and snapped.

“Blood hell.” Victor had never seen anything like this in all his life. He didn’t think anyone could go live through what she was enduring. And watching it was painful enough, it seemed like hours passed before her body settled down to small twitches. In reality he knew it had been less than fifteen minutes he felt worn out.

When her eyes opened again, they were the golden brown he was used to, she reached a shaky hand out. “Cold,” she whispered hoarsely. He could tell she was starting to shiver.

“What the fuck was that?” Christian practically screamed.

Elle’s head didn’t move but her eyes rolled so she was looking over at him. “Curse” she whispered. “Live and die like a mortal. Over and over and over again. Not immortal anymore…but not m-m-mortal either.” She closed her eyes as her body started to shiver uncontrollably. She wrapped her arms around herself and curled into a ball. “H-h-hurrts.”

Victor gathered her into his arms and rushed to the car. “You’re driving, get us to a hotel. We need to get her warm.”

Victor climbed into the back of the SUV trying to rub some warmth into her, but she moaned in pain wherever he touched her. Her body was so cold. “What can I do?” he asked as Christian took off down the road.

Bloody tears ran down her face. “Everything hurts. I feel every death.” Her teeth clacked together as she tried to speak. “Every way I have died. In the past I revisit it when I return,” she cried burying her face into his chest she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can’t get close enough,” she whispered.

Victor pulled her as close as he could pulling her knees up so he had her on his lap. She burrowed into him her bloody tears soaking his shirt. He rubbed her cold back with one hand and her legs with another hand. “Can’t you drive any faster?”

“Shut up Victor,” was Christian’s reply.

Victor leaned forward and looked at the speedometer Christian was pushing the speed at nearly 100 miles an hour. But it wasn’t fast enough because Elle was shivering uncontrollably, and her skin was pale as death.

It felt like forever but finally Christian pulled up to a motel.

“Stay here I’ll get you a room.” Victor was ready to bust someone’s head in by the time Christian came back. He jumped behind the wheel and pulled the SUV to the back of the lot. Elle had stopped crying, but her body was jerking violently. Victor couldn’t imagine how someone could live through what she was going through at the moment.

Christian had the door open and Victor rushed into the room, the motel was your standard issue and he went to the bed he laid her down and pulled all the blankets around her bundling her up he wrapped her up tight tucking her in so all he saw was her face. Standing up, he and Christian stood back and watched her continue to shiver.

“What the hell are we supposed to do now?” Victor asked Christian.

Christian rolled his eyes. “Why the hell are you asking me?”

“Should we call Celeste?”

Christian snorted. “No. That would be a bad idea.”

“H-h-hot b-b-bathhh,” Elle barely muttered from beneath the blankets.

Christian threw up his hands and glared at Victor. “I am so leaving. You’ve got this right?” he left before Victor could answer.”

Victor swore and looked around the room. “Garrett,” he called out. His other brother appeared after another moment. He looked at Victor and then and Elle.

“Do I even want to know?”

Victor grabbed him by the shirt and shoved him toward the door. “Guard the door, Christian is a pussy. If anything comes anywhere near the door kill it.” Garrett laughed and went through the door.

Victor went into the bathroom, and swore when he realized they only had a shower. What type of place only had a shower?

He turned the shower on and adjusted the knobs until they were hot, but wouldn’t burn her then went back into the room. “Elle?”

She peeked her eyes open, she wasn’t shivering as violently but she didn’t look comfortable either. “Let’s go sweetheart.”

“Hurts. “She squeaked.

“I know, you’ll feel better after your shower.” She nodded, her eyes were slightly glazed and he wondered if she knew what was going on.

He undressed her and carried her into the bathroom, she was so cold she made him shiver. He stepped under the hard spray letting its spray over him first then turning so it was spraying over her. He used one hand to anchor her to him around the waist, Elle moaned, her head falling back letting the water run over her head.

Victor used his other hand to wipe her hair back, his entire body reacting to the lush body pressed against him. The water ran down them making them slick and hot, Elle slid her arms around Victor’s neck her head rolling from side to side. “So nice.” She moaned, her legs weren’t touching the floor and they wound around his legs rubbing against his calves, one leg wound up hooking around one of his hips. She pressed into his heat.

“You’re so warm.” Her head tilted up, and water clung to her lashes as she focused on him. “Death is cold and lonely Victor,” she whispered before she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

He should have been stronger, hadn’t she been through enough? Someone was hunting her down and trying to kill her, had actually killed her for god’s sake. But she was naked and in his arms and she had instigated the kiss for all the god’s sake he just wanted to taste her.