Deadly Kisses

Six





I paced back and forth outside the Kessler crypt in the old Acstead cemetery, waiting for Abe. I didn’t trust the way Reina took the envelope at the club, hiding it, avoiding the subject. It wasn’t like her to dodge me, but I was glad to get back to Bee and her warmth.

Bee’s soul stirred, awaking with the rising sun. The day promised to be warm for fall, and the grass dripped with morning dew. My cloak dragged, seeping up the water and leaving a path with every step I took.

I felt her being comforted by someone else. I concentrated and when I did, I sensed her brother Jaleb. He couldn’t protect her from me, but I wished he could.

I stopped short, feeling a soft touch on my soul. Bee had acknowledged that our souls were tangled together. She explored my emotions. She was a warm jet stream and I was a turbulent ocean. My breath caught in my throat and a tear ran down my face. In an inconceivable way, she was drawn to me.

I couldn’t let her know who I was. I couldn’t take her disgust if she found out I stayed behind, becoming a Grim Reaper. She wouldn’t understand that I liked my job. I was really good at helping people cross over quickly and I got to walk among the living. It was a win-win.

A dark shadow formed in the crypt, walking toward me. It was Abe. His sharp jaw and serious eyes pierced into me.

“Boy?” He walked forward with his scythe in hand.

“Abe listen, something is going on with Reina. I needed to clear my head so I went with her to this club and she had some kind of altercation. Look, I know I’m not your best pupil, but I know when something is off.”

He put his large bony hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about her. I know what she’s doing. Just be her friend and worry about your own assignment. This must be difficult for you?”

I stared ahead, a blank expression on my face. “I’m managing in my own way.”

“Does that mean you’re giving everyone the silent treatment and acting cold and distant?”

I growled. “I’m fine! I just need to know how to get our soul’s in their right places. I can’t reap her if she has half my soul.”

Abe let me go, dropping his hand to his side. “I must say, it’s a weird request to bargain with the Dark Lord for. But I’ve heard of stranger things. You can get her to break the deal.”

“I’ve heard of a Grim Reaper who helped his sister break a deal so she could pass through the Golden Gates. I’ll do that!” Hope filled my heart.

“Just don’t give her the Kiss of Death again because you could lose all of your soul. If that happens it’s considered a big mistake on the job and you’ll get sucked into the river.”

A Grim Reaper security task team has the power to control the river. If I failed an assignment, they would send a tornado of fine glass to strip me down to a skeleton, carry me to the river, and bind me to it forever. Grim Reapers try to get out, but they never do. I shuddered.

“Do me a favor, boy?” Abe tapped his finger on his scythe.

I stiffened, afraid what he would ask. “As long as you don’t give me assignments that are going to Hell, I’ll do anything.”

He clasped his scythe. “You have to get over that fear if you’re planning to stay.”

“I will. So, what do you need?” My voice shook.

“Find out if the girl knows why she can see us? It could mean the end of Ivar’s control over us, and it could mean everything. I have a suspicion about her.” Abe didn’t elaborate, walking back into the crypt, dissipating in a plume of smoke.

I would go to Bee. Staying away was causing me to ache. I needed her and deep down I knew she sensed it was me.

I left my scythe locked to my gondola. I didn’t want to scare her, and I didn’t want her to try to take it again. Knowing her, she would try. I could still call on its power as long as it was close by.

Moisture in the air made the forest smell fresh and crisp as I walked the path to her house. Dry leaves rustled in the wind and the sun’s rays shone through the naked branches. I liked walking in the forest. I had spent my whole life living in it, in a trailer that was nestled in a cove of trees near the center of Acstead. I also spent my life avoiding my home thanks to my mother.

I was almost at Bee’s house. I could see the back of it. It was a mish mash of an old farmhouse with a modern addition on top. The old weathered shingles on the original section stood out from the beige vinyl.

The curtain that hung in front of the door that went into her room was pulled back. The waves of warmth washed over me, like I had never died. I pulled my hood low over my nose.

Without knocking, I opened the door. It was unlocked. I expected it to be locked, dead bolted, and barricaded. I sucked in my breath when Bee turned to face me. She had on a pair of faded blue jeans with a band sweatshirt. Her black hair hung in messy strands over her shoulder. The blood drained from her face as fast as water went over Niagara Falls.

She stood frozen. I remained calm. If my emotions went haywire she would know. “Can I please come in?” I asked.

She pulled the sleeves of her sweatshirt down so her hands were cupped inside. “Do you plan on reaping me today?”

“No,” I croaked, trying to disguise my voice.

“Are you going to reap me sometime soon?” Her fists clenched.

“Yes.” I remained still and maintained my cool.

“Fine come in, but don’t come near me because I won’t let you kill me just yet. I know your rules. I have six more days!” She watched as I walked through the door and closed it. I picked up a blanket and held it out to her. Little bumps pricked up on her neck and her teeth started to chatter.

“Thanks.” She draped it over her shoulders, but made sure her hands were accessible if she had to fight me off. “What do you want?”

I gazed at her. My eyes had missed out on her beauty for two years. I gathered up courage because I had a job to do. It wasn’t in me to quit. “We have a little problem, and you have complicated things.”

“For the record, you complicated your own life by making me a target, but enlighten me with why I’m to blame.” Her anger caused her to buzz with adrenaline.

My mouth twitched. “When you punched me it interrupted me from collecting your soul. A part of you stayed trapped in me and a part of me was trapped in you. I want my soul back and I want to know why you would make a deal with the Devil that would do such an awful thing.”

She didn’t respond.

“My soul can’t stay with you.” I walked toward her, sucked in my breath, and put my shoulders back. She did the same. Bee was brave when it came to something she believed in, like saving herself from death.

I stopped in the middle of her room, between the end of her bed and the pink fuzzy rug. Her aura blazed a deep red with a muddied red that clouded it. Orange speckled throughout it like splatters of paint. It indicated strong-will, confidence, anger—survival.

“Let’s get one thing straight, death boy.” She poked me in the chest and jabbed a rib bone. “I’m going to set the rules here. Got it?”

“Listen, girl, my name’s not death boy. Don’t call me that, and if I were you I would be doing everything I could to stay on my good side.” A spear of pain hit me. I backed away. My cold soul in her swirled in anticipation, empowering her with energy, and it purred the closer I got. I didn’t understand why our souls reacted with fireworks, but they ached for physical contact. Bad.

“If you’re going to kill me, at least tell me your name.” Her legs shook. I couldn’t believe she was trying to make deals with a Grim Reaper.

I didn’t mean to growl, but it came out in a deep rumble. My plans for being impersonal were going down the drain—fast. “Ad.”

“Is that your name? Ad? That’s a strange name.”

“Whatever.” My heart raced in panic mode. She couldn’t know who I was. I couldn’t let her get close to me.

“Fine, be rude. It’s so not nice to meet you.” She tucked the blanket under her armpits. The cold she felt was coming from my soul inside of her. “You want your soul back, and I’m not going to give it to you.”

“You shouldn’t act so tough. It’s not like you, and it makes your cheeks puff out like a blowfish. Death is at your door and waiting around every corner. Just keep in mind that I’m your Grim Reaper. I hate to brag, but I’m damn good at it, so don’t think you can run from me or something.”

“I don’t look like a blowfish, but you look like a soulless, hollow sack of bones. Don’t ever associate us in the same sentence.”

I walked to her, my six-foot height hovering over her. I knew she could taste my black licorice soul on her breath. We were so close my cold breath brushed up against her pale skin.

“You wouldn’t.” Her voice cracked, fear pooling her brown eyes to almost black.

Of course I wouldn’t, but she didn’t need to know. I pulled my hand out of the sleeve and she gasped. Brown and reddish ligaments wrapped around bones and a rotted meat smell seeped into my nose. I brought my hand close to her and she moved back. Her body pressed as far as it would go against the wall. “Don’t you dare, or I won’t tell you anything.”

I had to try to get my soul back and she had to tell me why she could see Grim Reapers. Maybe some fresh air would make her relax. “Let’s go for a little stroll.”

I grasped her arm and pulled. Bee staggered before catching her footing. She shuddered when she looked down at the hand that touched her.

“No! You said you weren’t going to kill me. You even try and I’ll never give you your soul back.”

“I changed my mind. I don’t want my soul back right now. Keep it safe for me, will you, honey? Slip those boots and coat on near the door. It’s not cold out, but I assume you feel like it’s the dead of winter. You argue, scream, or do anything to piss me off I’ll haul you over my shoulder and carry you out. I would probably like it. Got it?”

The real me, would never call a girl honey so casually. I hoped I could carry out the façade, but deep down it killed me to make her sad.