Reaper Mine: A Reaper Novel (14 page)

“Yes, do it again and I’ll split your other lip,” Victor said.

“Elle?” Skylar looked at Elle as he spoke.

“Don’t do this Skylar.” Kyra tried to step between the two men. But Ryder grabbed her around the waist and picked her up to pull her back against him.

Victor growled low, Elle looked confused as she looked at Skylar and back at Victor.

“Yes?” Elle looked at Skylar and back at Victor.

“We haven’t been introduced,” Skylar said holding out his hand. “I am Skylar.”

Elle took it and Skylar shook her hand gently. “Nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” she said with a tentative smile.

“Do you mind if I call you sweetheart?” Sky asked with a devilish smile not releasing her hand.

Elle caught her breath as Victor pulled her back severing their linked hands; she grabbed Victor before he did something stupid. “Um…Elle is fine thank you.”

Skylar laughed. “Then Elle it is.”

Elle turned from him and back to Victor. “We need to leave. And you promised I could call Helena as soon as we were safe.”

“Um Elle,” Skylar emphasized her name and Elle turned back to him. “Did you miss the part where we have slavering monsters at the gate? Cause if so I can show you a picture. Falcon, show the girl a picture.” He elbowed a large man standing next to him.

Things were getting out of hand; this wasn’t the way this was supposed to go. Helena was probably out of her mind with worry, it had been several days since Elle had checked in. This wasn’t how this whole thing was supposed to work out.

Elle’s mind was going in several different directions at once, and she looked around the room. They were all in danger now because of her. And to make matters worse, Kyra was a Druid. And although she was as tough as nails and a Elemental Enforcer, she was still not immortal. This was dangerous for them all. Her ever present guilt kicked up several notches.

Even with her shields up, Elle could feel the love between Kyra and Ryder. It was like a beacon. Especially when they were in the same room. When they touched, a blue light shined between them, making Elle catch her breath. It was something she had never seen before, and lovely to view. The Gods would never forgive her if she destroyed something like that.

“I need to call Helena,” she said around the lump in her throat. The sooner she was able to contact her sister the better. She couldn’t put these people in danger.

Kyra stepped forward and offered her a phone. “Here you can use mine. It can’t be tracked.”

She thanked her and turned to leave. Victor stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t go far.” His words should have irritated her. But they didn’t. His worry warmed her. She had never had anyone ever worry about her before. It was a novel experience. But she knew she shouldn’t get used to it. She gave him a smile and moved down the hall to make her call.

“Elle?” Helena picked up on the first ring.

Elle let out a gasp. “Helena?” It was good to hear her sister’s voice. After everything that had happened over the last couple of days, she was sure concern was there.

"Elle, where are you? You were supposed to be here two days ago!" Helena shouted.

“I told you the last time we talked, things weren’t going the way I had planned. I had to use the emergency number and call a Reaper. I was munched on by some horned green Freak and had to hide in a graveyard. I was attacked in a motel, then stabbed in the chest on the side of the road.” The words tumbled out of her like a damn had been broken.

“My gods, Elle,” Helena exhaled. “Where are you now?”

This is where Elle’s tongue froze to the roof of her mouth. She had been hours away, now she was days away. Being hidden by Trackers and Druids, Helena’s number one rule for Elle was to stay hidden.

When she didn’t immediately answer Helena asked again, “Elle, where are you?”

“I’m still with the Reaper,” she said avoiding the question. But Helena had known Elle her entire life. “You remember him don’t you, the one I accidently sold my soul too?”

“Elle where are you?”

“I believe I am in Illinois,” Elle said holding her breath.

Helena let out an audible sigh. “How long until you get here?”

“To the safe house?” Elle asked.

“Elle, how many times do I have to explain you are in danger? I can’t keep you safe if you don’t get here.” Elle wondered, not for the first time, why Helena hadn’t come for her herself. But then Helena never did come for her. She sent others to come for her, always had.

"I know, Helena. The situation is out of my hands at the moment," Elle explained. "Why don't you tell me, what the hell is going on. I feel like there's something you're not telling me." Like usual.

“Why would you say that?” Helena barked.

“Because it is usually the case,” Elle barked back then bit her lip. It was unlike her to snap at anyone much less Helena.

“When have I ever steered you wrong Elle? Who has taken care of you for the last millennia?” she asked curtly.

Elle felt a tug of irritation when she knew she should feel bad for snapping at her sister. Helena was right. She had been the only one of her siblings to not turn her back on Elle, after she'd been cursed.

“And you would turn on me now? When so much is going wrong?” Irritation layered each word, and Elle did feel horrible now. “After everything I have done for you, Elle. I can’t believe you. You would be a mindless slave if it wasn’t for me. It’s bad enough you let yourself get cursed but now after I warned you about getting out of the cabin. You turn on me?”

“You told me to leave the cabin. It wasn’t a warning,” Elle argued. “You told me to leave.”

She could hear Helena take an outraged inhalation. “A warning,” she argued. “Those things were coming to get you. If I hadn’t warned you. You would have been a sitting duck just waiting to be grabbed.”

“You’re kidding right?” Elle asked. She could have made a stand in her cabin. She had a safe room there, weapons, enough food and ammunition and wards to keep her safe for years. “I was safe there.”

Helena huffed. "Don't kid yourself, Elle. I need you here with me. Where are you? How soon can you get here?"

Elle felt the lump in her throat sink into her stomach. Who was this woman she was talking too? Was Chaos right? Who were the bad guys in this war?

“I’m safe where I am,” Elle said with more conviction then she had felt in years.

“Elle, don’t joke with me. This isn’t funny.” She could almost hear her sister grind her teeth together. “Tell me where you are.”

“I told you somewhere in Illinois.”

“Dammit, Elle. There is more at stake than your sorry ass in this war,” Helena ground out.

"Explain it to me, Helena," Elle pleaded.

"If I thought for half a second you would understand, Elle, I would." Helena said Elle started to cry. “Why do you do that, Helena?”

“What?” Helena bit out.

Elle cried quietly for a minute listening to her sister breathe. “Treat me like such a child?”

“Because you are a child, Elle.” And then Helena hung up. Elle pulled the phone away and stood there for a moment, staring at the phone in her hand. Clutching it to her chest, she leaned against the wall and sank to the floor.

She had known her sister felt that way about her, for a long time now, maybe even her entire life. But to hear her say the words were like a knife to her heart. All of her siblings had abandoned her, one at a time. Some rather quickly, after she'd been cursed. Being the eldest, Helena had stayed with her. Finding her hiding places and identities. She hadn't actually seen Helena in several centuries. So in her way Helena had abandoned her as well. Elle sobbed for the loss because she knew it was real now. Elle truly was alone, had no ties to anything or anyone in the world. And the reality of it made her feel so small and insignificant it was over-whelming in its completeness.

And now, she had dragged all of these innocent people into a fight. They could be hurt or possibly killed for no reason, other than being good people. Well she couldn’t allow this to happen. She was done hiding. Done being a victim and done being a child and burden on everyone else. Tired of a game she didn’t know the rules to. It was time for this shit to end.

“I’ll need your blood and of any of your brothers if you plan to have them come and go through the extra wards,” Kyra explained.

Victor nodded watching the door. Elle still hadn’t returned and it had been almost twenty minutes. He was starting to get worried.

“Gods, why don’t you just go check on her?” Ryder asked.

“She deserves her privacy,” Victor said. Turning back to the group.

“She stopped crying if that is what you are worried about,” Skylar offered. As he dug into the steak he'd been making on the inside grill. Oh Gods she had been crying. He had refused to listen to the call she had made with her sister. He wanted her to have her privacy but now he wanted to kick himself.

“Yeah her sister is a total bitch by the way,” Sky said around his mouth full of steak.

“You’re an ass,” Victor said and he pushed himself away from the counter.

“We got a problem,” Bowen said over the intercom system.

Everyone stopped, and Falcon shot to his feet. “What’s the problem now?”

The screen over the table flickered to life showing a color image of the front gate. The monsters stood motionless, which was eerie in itself. But what stopped Victor in his tracks was the image of the woman slowly walking toward the gate.

“Christ on a cross.” Falcon swore.

Victor was already running. He couldn't Flash. He couldn't use a Portal. All of his Reaper abilities were on lockdown, because of the damned wards Kyra had put into effect that morning. He screamed in frustration, hoping Kyra or one of the Trackers had something up their sleeves that they could use inside of the wards. Cause if not, he was going to kill them all! He was half way to the gate when Ryder pulled up next to him in his souped up cart, he didn’t even slow down as Victor jumped in next to him. “Marlee took off in wolf form and Kyra was able to Shift.”

Victor said nothing. He was thankful the Lycan was there and that Kyra was able to Shift.

They heard the commotion of the Freaks, and the fight a second later. The cart skidded to a halt, spitting out gravel as Ryder slammed on the breaks.

Somehow, two of the Freaks had been able to get through the gate.

“What the fuck?” Ryder scrambled from the cart, pulling a gun as he went. Victor knew he wouldn’t get a shot off without risking Kyra or Marlee. Who were both in hand to hand combat with a Freak.

Elle lay in the dirt several feet from the gate. Victor let out a guttural roar and ran toward her. Kyra spared him a sad look and he recognized it before he reached her what he would find.

Sightless eyes stared up into the evening sky. “No, no, no. Gods please.” He shook her and pulled her into his arms. She’ll come back he told himself. But he didn’t know for sure. He didn’t know if this was the time she wouldn’t come back. “What were you doing?” he shook her again. “Come on, Elle. Time to come back.” He willed life back into her limbs rubbing her arms. Nothing was happening. And anger permeated him, so deep he couldn’t think straight. Leaning down he kissed her forehead and closed her eyes. “I’ll be right back sweetheart.” He kissed her cold lips and laid her gently on the ground.

He walked calmly over to the fight. Ryder was fighting off the bigger of the two combatants. “Who killed her?” Victor asked.

Kyra side kicked one Freak making it grunt in pain. “This one,” she said slightly out of breath. She stepped forward trying to get into position for another blow but Victor’s blood boiled over and he grabbed the thing spinning him around.

“Your Aldon’s pet, yes?” Its eyes glimmered in acknowledgment. Victor pulled a scythe from his back and sliced a deep groove down the thing’s chest.

It barely winced. So he sliced through a bicep leaving his left arm totally useless. Still no noise left its mouth. Victor could see Ryder and Kyra had moved into to help Marlee and heard the sound of a gun and knew the other one had been taken care of.

Victor stepped out of the way as the thing swung his right arm out, he ducked and rolled swinging the scythe as it went cleanly, cutting the back of his knees out. He sunk down to its knees with a moan.

Victor was back up on his feet and standing behind him. His breathing hard, he wrapped an arm around his neck. He bent to whisper in the things ear. “You soulless son of a bitch, I will do this to you and all your brothers. As for your master? I will personally take his soul to Lucifer himself.” Then he snapped his head from his shoulders and tossed it over the gates and into the dozens of Freaks on the other side.

“How the hell did they get through?” Ryder asked.

“They grabbed an arm” Kyra said. “Touching her was enough. Once they had her they popped through. One let go and charged Marlee the other broke her neck.” Kyra turned to Victor. “I…”

Victor waved off Kyra. “She’ll be fine.”

Kyra had tears in her eyes, and turned back to Ryder. “He’s in shock.”