Keeper of Destinies Read online

  He looked down and realized that she was holding out the plate to him. “Thank you. My stomach was starting to protest at the lack of food.”

  “It’s no problem. I wanted to get a little fresh air as well.”

  Greg glanced around the graveyard. “Well, it’s not exactly like a walk in the park, but it gets the job done. I mean, I enjoy the cemetery, but it’s a huge part of my life, so I…” He realized he was rambling and stopped mid-sentence.

  She laughed. “It’s all right. I totally understand. I actually rather enjoy the serene peace of a cemetery. I have spent my share of time in them.”

  Greg wondered if he should ask why, or if that would be overstepping to ask her something so personal. In the end, he went with changing the subject. “Jack cooked breakfast?” he asked, lifting the paper towel. “And it’s edible?”

  He found the eggs were a little dry from sitting, but didn’t look burned. The bacon also looked uncharred. He liked crispy bacon, but not too crispy.

  Emily shrugged. “I didn’t eat yet.”

  He raised his eyebrow in question.

  “Oh, I will, I just wasn’t hungry yet. Plus, I thought I’d let everyone else get something.”

  He laughed. “Well, you better get over that quick. There are a lot of people in this family and things go fast.”

  “Which is why I brought some out to you,” she responded softly.

  “Touché.” He bowed, holding the plate out in front of him. “Would you like some of this?” he offered.

  She shook her head. “No, thank you.”

  “So…” Emily lowered her eyes, staring at the gravely path beneath her shoes. “You are patrolling? What exactly do you do during patrol.”

  He thought for a moment and then said, “As you know, we guard the cemetery from Reapers, so most days and nights we spend walking around, thinking and watching for signs of anything strange. We do have the very occasional Reaper sighting here, but for the most part its quiet. Not as quiet since my father died and this whole prophecy thing is happening, but compared to most cemeteries, ours doesn’t get much action.”

  Emily nodded and tilted her head as if she were thinking about what to say next. “You have worked in other cities, yes?”

  It wasn’t a question, he could tell she already knew the answer, but was asking him so that he would talk about it. He nodded. “Yes, I took over guardianship as Keeper at one of the San Francisco cemeteries. Now that … is a busy place. I moved there straight from here and I’d never been in a place that had more than one interaction with a Reaper every night.”

  “That must have been a difficult change for you.”

  He shook his head. “Nah, I actually liked the action. Gave me a reason to feel like I was actually fulfilling my purpose in life. As much as I love this place and the quiet of a small town, it’s hard to feel like you’re doing what you are meant to do when you see like one Reaper a year. Until this last year, that is how it was.”

  He watched Emily start to say something and then stop.

  “What?”

  “What … what?”

  Greg smiled. “You were going to ask me something and then you stopped.”

  Briefly, an expression of embarrassment flashed in her eyes and then it was gone. “I was going to ask you if you got paid for that. I know it’s strange, but I don’t know how it all works.”

  “That is a valid question. We don’t get paid for any Keeper jobs, even ones we are assigned to. Some of the larger cities allow for certain things like housing, but there is no pay involved. In San Francisco, I was provided a small apartment in a complex that is owned by one of the Keepers on the Council for the city. So, I did have to work. I chose to play guitar at live events rather than take a regular job. It didn’t pay much, but it was enough to buy food, which was all I needed.”

  “Oh. That explains a lot.”

  “Here,” Greg nodded at the house, “we own the house. No one gets paid for anything so most of us have regular jobs and we rotate patrols on the graveyard. The lack of activity that I mentioned before, plus the fact that there are a lot of us, actually make it fairly easy to maintain somewhat of a normal schedule here in Summer Hollow.”

  “Well, it seems like you all help each other out as much as you can.”

  He nodded. “Yes, we take care of each other.”

  “I can see that.” Emily smiled, and then after a moment she turned to look back down the trail. “I should probably go back now.”

  He would rather she stayed with him, but he didn’t dare suggest it. “Yeah. I have a couple more hours till Steph comes out to relieve me, then I’ll probably crash for a bit.” He hoped he didn’t sound like he was making the conversation all about him.

  “Enjoy your breakfast,” Emily told him. After flashing a small smile, she turned and headed back down the trail toward the house. He watched her the entire time, right up until she disappeared into the house.

  This wasn’t good at all. The last thing he needed in the midst of all that was going on was a distraction, and Emily was definitely that. Of all the uncertainties they were up against, one thing was for sure, this girl was going to be around for a while and that was going to make it incredibly hard not to get attached to her.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CAMILLE (THE EMPRESS)

  Her heels clicked on the marble floors, echoing through the large mansion and making the place seem larger and more sterile than it already felt. She liked the clean, simple feel, though, so it didn’t bother her in the least. She stopped at the end of the hall in the wing where her husband was being kept.

  He was still hanging on … by a thread, but hanging on nonetheless. She made time to visit him each day, though he was barely the man she once knew anymore. Only a glimmer of the healthy, strong man she loved remained in the withered shell of a body.

  She paused before opening the door and smoothed down her skirt, straightened her spine and inhaled deeply. As she expelled the breath, she reached for the knob, opened the door and stepped inside.

  Ephraim Walker lay on a large king size bed with only a sheet covering his body. It was too warm for blankets, even with the air conditioning on. Aside from a comfortable arm chair beside the bed for his visitors, the bed was the only thing in the room that wasn’t some type of medical equipment.

  She had spared no expense when it came to Ephraim. Her husband had two live-in nurses, as well as every piece of equipment they had needed or might need in the future. Currently, he was hooked up to an oxygen machine and had an IV to keep him hydrated.

  She knew that it wouldn’t be long. It had felt that way for months, though.

  “Hello, my love.” She approached his bedside and bent down to kiss his cheek softly.

  Ephraim’s eyes opened into slits and then widened a bit when he saw her. “Camille.” His voice was barely audible. “You’re here.”

  She reached out and covered his limp hand with hers. “Yes, love. I’m here. I am always here. Even if I’m not in the room, all you need to do is ask Mary to fetch me and I will come to you.”

  “Has Jackson come yet.” The words were cracked and forced, as if it took all his effort to utter them.”

  Anger surged through her, just as it did every time her husband asked for their son. Their son who betrayed them and took up with the Keepers. Their son who didn’t give a crap about his father enough to come and see him before he passed. Their son … the traitor.

  Of course, she hadn’t told Ephraim one word of that. She didn’t want to upset him and over the months she had given the excuse that Jack was on mission to find the Keeper and was deep in some undercover work.

  “No dear, he is still out of the state. I have sent word though, and he will be returning as soon as he possibly can without drawing too much attention to himself.”

  Sadness filled his eyes and he nodded gently, but didn’t say anything. She didn’t know if he was silent because he didn’t know what to say, or because he physically couldn’t. She knew he was disappointed, and that made her resent her son even more than she already did.

  Jack had renounced his family and his place in the Reaper Royalty. He had given up his place as the future leader. She knew she had always been hard and somewhat unloving as far as how a mother should treat a son, but she never thought he would go so far as to renounce them all.

  She had never really loved him. She knew that, but would never admit it to anyone. She had a son because she was supposed to bear a child to continue their family reign as the Emperor or Empress of the Reapers. She did not have a child because she wanted one. Sex of the child made no difference, a male or female child could lead just the same. She was given a son, and after her duty of bearing a child was done, she intended to have no more.

  She didn’t have it in her to be a good mother, so she hired nannies and let them deal with the boy until he was old enough to start training as part of the Reaper Army, which would in turn prepare him as a leader.

  Her son was a defiant one, too. Of all the children she could have brought into the world, she had one who talked back to her, purposely got into trouble at every turn and, when he got older, began drinking and sleeping his way through women as if they were completely dispensable. She could not believe that such a man had been born from the same genes as she and her husband.

  Not long after Jack announced that he’d left the family and all that went with it, Aiden followed. Her Aiden, the one who should have been her son. He and Jack had always been close, but it had been Aiden who had shown her he was worthy of leadership.

  Well, that is up until he chose Jack over his duty to the Guard. After that, she had punished him and he had defected from the Reapers, joining her son in his betrayal.

  No, the last thing she was going to do was tell her husband all that while he was on his death bed. She knew the consequences and that was fine, she didn’t want Ephraim to suffer anymore than he already had.

  Ephraim didn’t say anything more during their visit. She sat quietly at his bedside, as she did each day, wondering if this would be the day he finally slipped away from this world. She didn’t want him to die, but she hated that he lay here suffering, stuck in a body that would not cooperate. He always hated being sick, and he hated getting old even more. Unfortunately, the latter was simply a part of life that you couldn’t defy.

  Everyone dies in the end. Simple as that.

  And now, she had no one to leave her empire to if something should happen to her.

  She left the room as quietly as she had when she entered. After clicking the door shut behind her, she leaned against the sturdy wood and let out a long, shaky sigh. None of the guards so much as twitched. No one who worked for her would ever take a chance with their job, or their life by bringing attention to her display of emotion. She was cold and calculating, emotionless … the way she had been raised to be. And it was precisely why those beneath her feared her.

  The only reason why she let her wall down for a moment with the guards around, was because these particular men were trusted, having been with her for many years and proven their loyalty.

  But then again … so had Aiden, and he had turned on her.

  With that thought on her mind, she pushed herself upright and straightened her spine. Then, without saying anything, she continued on, marching briskly back the way she had come.

  Several moments later, she arrived at the opposite wing of the mansion. She left the guards out in the hallway without offering them so much as a nod, and slipped quietly through a door that gave no indication of what was on the other side.

  The large space she now stood in had been converted into a sort of lab. The project that took place in this room wasn’t something that she would have allowed anywhere but in her own home. This area was where they were running tests on her blood and the blood of the young Keeper. So far, they had found absolutely nothing in any combination that they tried, and she had even gone so far as to take some of Ephraim’s to test.

  The prophecy stated that the blood of a Keeper and a Reaper had to be combined for it to be fulfilled. She had thought on this countless times and could think of no other way. This had to be it.

  But, why hadn’t she found it yet? Why was it so difficult?

  She kept trying, though. Or rather, her team kept trying. Eventually they would figure it out.

  CHAPTER SIX

  EMILY

  The kitchen was now bursting with people. Dan and Reese had shown up while she was out. Even David was there, in uniform, leaning against the counter. The noise level had escalated and Emily was beginning to feel claustrophobic with everyone in close proximity. While she adored the way the family interacted, someone who was used to being alone most of the time could only take so much activity at once.

  Liv finally showed up, bursting through the door juggling two flat boxes in her arms.

  “Yes! Muffins.” James pumped his fist and headed for his sister.

  “Back off you animal.” Liv shouldered him over. “Let me at least get them set out on the counter.” James totally ignored her and plucked one out of the box. “My god. I love chocolate chip.” He bit into the baked good and moaned. “So good.”

  Liv shook her head. “I’m pretty sure you would all starve without me.”

  With a shrug, James nodded. “That’s probably true.”

  Liv deposited the muffin boxes onto the counter and backed away. “Have at it.” She threw her hands up in defeat as everyone else in the kitchen converged on her space.

  Emily smiled, but at the same time it was bittersweet. These people. Yes, they knew who she was. They were of the supernatural and the ones who were familiar with it. They knew about her abilities and accepted her, but she would never fit in with them … or anyone for that matter. She was bound to be alone for the rest of her life, she was sure of that much.

  No, she couldn’t see her own future, but the fact that she just didn’t fit the mold when it came to people and socializing of any kind, was something she knew she would never grow out of if she hadn’t already.

  She sat quietly, letting everyone move about around her. She would wait until a path was clear to get a muffin. She definitely wasn’t going to pass on muffins just because she felt uncomfortable.

  Aiden swooped in behind Liv, who had made her way to the refrigerator and slid his hands around her waist, drawing her to him. She straightened and leaned back into him. He dipped his head down and kissed her neck. Liv giggled and then elbowed him. He made an oomph sound as her arm made contact with his abdomen. He chanced it and kissed her once more, but released her before she could nail him again.

  Emily watched, fascinated by how this hard, stone cold Reaper could be so soft with anyone. All she had known of him previously was a killer. He was a man who wouldn’t have thought twice if he had been ordered by his Empress to kill. Now, here he was in a kitchen, laughing with a family of Keepers and kissing on a woman he appeared to love very much. It boggled her mind, but as much animosity as he had previously held toward him, she was happy that he had found a place of kindness that was completely opposite of what he had been.

  Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and was startled out of her thoughts. She jerked and looked up to find Lucy standing beside her.

  “Sorry,” Lucy told her. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Us girls are going to the grocery store. Would you like to ride along with us?”

  “Oh, no.” She shook her head. “I’m fine here.”

  Hannah stepped in and leaned over so that she could speak softly. “Stop that. We know that your immediate reaction is to say no. So just get up, grab a sweatshirt and come with us. We need some time away from these guys.” She jerked her head toward the crowd of guys surrounding the muffin boxes. They appeared to be having a serious discussion about the fate of last apple cinnamon.

  “I…” Emily tried to turn them down again, but was cut off before she could get any further.

  “No.” Lucy held up her hand. “Don’t. You’re coming with us.” She reached down and took Emily’s hand, gently pulling until Emily was forced to stand.

  “Let’s go girls.” Liv jiggled her van keys.

  “Hey.” James swallowed a mouth full of muffin before continuing. “Don’t forget beer.”

  “And the decaf,” Jack added.

  “Haha.” Lucy mocked. “I’ll buy that shit when hell freezes over.”

  Jack winked and bit his own muffin. “Be good girls out there.”

  Liv snorted. “Yeah, because Summer Hollow is full of all kinds of trouble we can get into. Maybe we should go see some strippers over lunch.”

  Reese suddenly coughed and choked on the sip of coffee she had been in the middle of. Once she swallowed, she snorted. “Yeah, probably don’t do that.”

  “I’ll go see strippers if I want.” Lucy lifted her chin.

  “No you won’t,” Jack called out from across the room.

  “Try and stop me, Reaper.” She turned to Reese, changing the subject. “You coming with us?”

  Reese shook her head. “No, I have to get over to the bar. We open in a couple of hours.”

  Lucy nodded. “All right, but your missing out on some serious fun. We might even stop at the ice cream freezers.”

  “Damn.” Reese flipped her long dark curls over her shoulder. “To hell with work, I need some grocery store action.”

  The girls laughed together easily and waved at the guys as they dragged Emily out of the Kitchen, through the house and out to the van. Lucy pulled open the sliding door and stepped aside so Emily could get in first. She did, sitting down and buckling up. Hannah and Lucy crawled in after her while Steph took the passenger seat.

  “Ready.” Liv asked, even though she already had the van in reverse and was turning around in the large gravel driveway.

  They cruised into town, but turned off before they got to the grocery store. “Uh…” Emily pointed the other direction. “Isn’t the store that way.”

  Liv nodded. “Yeah, but we’re making another stop first.”