My Soul to Take
Page 56
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I froze in the middle of my fuzzy purple rug, horrified by the very thought of standing between a reaper and his intended harvest. Nash, he was doing us a favor. But they both ignored me.
You come to my work again, and Ill haunt your ass like the ghost of Christmas past! Tod snapped.
That was a one-night haunting, Nash mumbled, but the reaper made no reply, and finally Nash sighed. Then springs squeaked as he dropped onto what I assumed was his couch. Hes gone.
Why didnt you tell me he was dead?
Because I was already throwing information at you left and right, and I was afraid one more supernatural fact of life might really freak you out.
No more secrets, Nash. Irritated now, I sank onto the rug and plucked at the twisty purple threads in the dim glow of my lamp. Im not fragile. From now on, tell me everything.
Okay. Im sorry. You want to know about Tod? His voice went distant, as if he regretted offering before hed even finished speaking the words.
I crawled onto my bed and turned off the touch lamp, then lay with one cheek on the cool surface of my pillow. Not everything. But at least whats relevant to me.
Nash exhaled deeply, and I could almost feel his reluctance. Part of me wanted to take it back, to tell him he didnt owe me any answers. But I didnt, because the other half of me insisted I needed those answers. Tods behavior scared me, and if Nash had information that could help me understand what I was getting into, I wanted it.
Ive known him forever, Nash began, and I went still to make sure I didnt miss anything. It was weird in the best possible way, talking to him in the middle of the night, in the dark, in my bed. His voice was intimate, almost like he was whispering in my ear. And that very thought made my pulse whoosh harder and warmed me all over.
We used to be close. Then he died a few years ago, and the reapers recruited him. He took the job because thats the only way to stay here. With the living. But he had a hard time adjusting to the work. Nash paused, then his voice became almost wistful. Thats why I thought hed be able to help you understand deaththat its a necessary part of life. Because he went through the same thing, wanting to save everyone. But he got over it, Kaylee, and his adjustment came with serious consequences. He doesnt think about things the way we do anymore. Doesnt have the same values and concerns. Hes truly a reaper now. Dangerous.
I frowned, thinking of what I now knew about Tod that Nash didnt. Maybe hes not as dangerous as you think. Maybe he just needscompany.
He broke into my house to find your phone number. If he were human, Id have him arrested. As it is, there isnt much I can do, short of ratting on him to his boss.Which was as good as killing Tod. I swear, if he wasnt already dead, Id kill him myself. Im sorry, Kaylee. I should never have taken you to him.
Alone in my room, I sighed and turned onto my left side, holding the phone at my right ear. He got the information for us.
Plus a little, it sounds like. Nash exhaled heavily, and seemed to be calming down.
I sat up in my bed and slid my cold feet beneath the blankets. He was trying to help.
Thats the thinghes not a bad guy. But since thechangehe only helps on his own terms, and wont do anything that doesnt benefit him. Putting yourself in debt to someone like thatespecially to a reaperis a very bad idea. We should have figured it out without his help.
I had no idea what to say. Yes, Tod had crossed a very important line. Several lines, in fact. But by Nashs own admission, the reaper wasnt a bad person. And hed come through for usin a manner of speaking.
Springs groaned as Nash shifted in his seat. So whats the plan? We still dont know who the next girl will be, or if there will even be one.
I squeezed my eyes shut, unsure how hed react to my news. I called in the cavalry.
The what?
My uncle. And my dad. Feeling mostly awake now, I touched my lamp again, and the room got brighter. Uncle Brendon said theyd find out what was going on if I promised to stay out of it.
Nash gave a gravelly chuckle that sent a bolt of heat blazing through me. I knew I liked your uncle.
I smiled. Hes not bad. All the lying aside. Ill tell them about the list in the morning.
Fill me in at the memorial?
On the drive, assuming you still want a ride. A warm feeling trickled through me at the thought of seeing him again.
I would love a ride.
15
IN THE MORNING, I woke to find daylight streaming into my room between the slats of the blinds, and my bedroom door shaking and thumping beneath someones fist. Kaylee, get your lazy butt out of bed! Sophie shouted. Your dads on the phone.
I rolled over, pulling the covers askew, and glanced at the alarm clock on my nightstand. 8:45 a.m. Why would my father call when hed see me in less than an hour? To tell me hed landed? Or that he hadnt landed.
He wasnt coming. I should have known.
For a moment, I ignored my cousin and stared at the thick crown molding along the edge of the tiered ceiling, letting my temper simmer just beneath the surface. I hadnt seen my father in more than eighteen months, and now he wasnt even going to come explain why hed never told me I wasnt human.
You come to my work again, and Ill haunt your ass like the ghost of Christmas past! Tod snapped.
That was a one-night haunting, Nash mumbled, but the reaper made no reply, and finally Nash sighed. Then springs squeaked as he dropped onto what I assumed was his couch. Hes gone.
Why didnt you tell me he was dead?
Because I was already throwing information at you left and right, and I was afraid one more supernatural fact of life might really freak you out.
No more secrets, Nash. Irritated now, I sank onto the rug and plucked at the twisty purple threads in the dim glow of my lamp. Im not fragile. From now on, tell me everything.
Okay. Im sorry. You want to know about Tod? His voice went distant, as if he regretted offering before hed even finished speaking the words.
I crawled onto my bed and turned off the touch lamp, then lay with one cheek on the cool surface of my pillow. Not everything. But at least whats relevant to me.
Nash exhaled deeply, and I could almost feel his reluctance. Part of me wanted to take it back, to tell him he didnt owe me any answers. But I didnt, because the other half of me insisted I needed those answers. Tods behavior scared me, and if Nash had information that could help me understand what I was getting into, I wanted it.
Ive known him forever, Nash began, and I went still to make sure I didnt miss anything. It was weird in the best possible way, talking to him in the middle of the night, in the dark, in my bed. His voice was intimate, almost like he was whispering in my ear. And that very thought made my pulse whoosh harder and warmed me all over.
We used to be close. Then he died a few years ago, and the reapers recruited him. He took the job because thats the only way to stay here. With the living. But he had a hard time adjusting to the work. Nash paused, then his voice became almost wistful. Thats why I thought hed be able to help you understand deaththat its a necessary part of life. Because he went through the same thing, wanting to save everyone. But he got over it, Kaylee, and his adjustment came with serious consequences. He doesnt think about things the way we do anymore. Doesnt have the same values and concerns. Hes truly a reaper now. Dangerous.
I frowned, thinking of what I now knew about Tod that Nash didnt. Maybe hes not as dangerous as you think. Maybe he just needscompany.
He broke into my house to find your phone number. If he were human, Id have him arrested. As it is, there isnt much I can do, short of ratting on him to his boss.Which was as good as killing Tod. I swear, if he wasnt already dead, Id kill him myself. Im sorry, Kaylee. I should never have taken you to him.
Alone in my room, I sighed and turned onto my left side, holding the phone at my right ear. He got the information for us.
Plus a little, it sounds like. Nash exhaled heavily, and seemed to be calming down.
I sat up in my bed and slid my cold feet beneath the blankets. He was trying to help.
Thats the thinghes not a bad guy. But since thechangehe only helps on his own terms, and wont do anything that doesnt benefit him. Putting yourself in debt to someone like thatespecially to a reaperis a very bad idea. We should have figured it out without his help.
I had no idea what to say. Yes, Tod had crossed a very important line. Several lines, in fact. But by Nashs own admission, the reaper wasnt a bad person. And hed come through for usin a manner of speaking.
Springs groaned as Nash shifted in his seat. So whats the plan? We still dont know who the next girl will be, or if there will even be one.
I squeezed my eyes shut, unsure how hed react to my news. I called in the cavalry.
The what?
My uncle. And my dad. Feeling mostly awake now, I touched my lamp again, and the room got brighter. Uncle Brendon said theyd find out what was going on if I promised to stay out of it.
Nash gave a gravelly chuckle that sent a bolt of heat blazing through me. I knew I liked your uncle.
I smiled. Hes not bad. All the lying aside. Ill tell them about the list in the morning.
Fill me in at the memorial?
On the drive, assuming you still want a ride. A warm feeling trickled through me at the thought of seeing him again.
I would love a ride.
15
IN THE MORNING, I woke to find daylight streaming into my room between the slats of the blinds, and my bedroom door shaking and thumping beneath someones fist. Kaylee, get your lazy butt out of bed! Sophie shouted. Your dads on the phone.
I rolled over, pulling the covers askew, and glanced at the alarm clock on my nightstand. 8:45 a.m. Why would my father call when hed see me in less than an hour? To tell me hed landed? Or that he hadnt landed.
He wasnt coming. I should have known.
For a moment, I ignored my cousin and stared at the thick crown molding along the edge of the tiered ceiling, letting my temper simmer just beneath the surface. I hadnt seen my father in more than eighteen months, and now he wasnt even going to come explain why hed never told me I wasnt human.
