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Chapter 54
The welcoming committee met them on the porch. Rider and Cutter were both out the door before they even reached the steps. “Hey, there!” Rider called. “Long time no see.” He spread his arms, and Ru dutifully stepped into a hug, not exactly sure why they would normally be so friendly. They’d only met each other once. Of course, in his mind, she was the Holy Grail.
“Nice to see you,” she said as he released her.
Cutter was not quite as enthusiastic, timidly hanging back a bit. “Hi, Ru,” he said, a cautious smile on his face. He didn’t hug her, but he did pat her on the shoulder. “Doin’ all right?”
“Just great,” she said, trying to be as friendly as possible.
“That’s good to hear.” He walked alongside her until they reached the door and then he pushed it open for her to go through before allowing Lyric in and following, Rider in the rear. “Ivy is
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Reaper's Hollow Chapter 55
Dinner was punctuated with lively conversation, mostly from Rider with the rest of them finding a way to add a word or two when he paused to shovel lasagna into his mouth. Ivy really was an excellent cook, and Ru finished the entire piece she’d been given, despite the fact that it was pretty large. She also had a couple of pieces of Cutter’s exceptionally buttered garlic bread.“I made tiramisu for dessert!” Ivy called, a large smile on her face.“That sounds delicious,” Ru said, setting her napkin aside, “but I might have to wait a while. I don’t think I have anywhere to put it.”“Why don’t we go chat for a little while, and then we’ll see about dessert?” Cutter offered.Ru wasn’t sure who “we” was, but she knew she wasn’t going to be able to eat one more bite, so she nodded. He stood, and so did she, following him out of the room. When no one else got u
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 56
Ru inhaled deeply. It was easy to forget all of this when she was at school or at her own home. When she’d been with Kyle, she didn’t even think about being a Keeper or fighting to save souls. Talking to Thanatos had confused her, and Cutter’s explanations weren’t helping any. She ran a hand through her hair, wondering if any of it would ever make sense.“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Cutter said, quietly. “Maybe that’s enough for now. But Ru… Nat still has his eyes on you. He’s not done, and he won’t be until he gets what he wants. I know you’re hoping this will all go away, but I’m sad to say that it won’t. And not only have they been hunting you this whole time, they’re hunting her, too. Sera’s been in hiding for many years. Who knows how much longer she can stay hidden.”“How have I stayed hidden for so long?” Ru asked, turning to meet his eyes.
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 57
Most of the way back to her house, they were silent. Ru had no idea what to say to him, and he seemed to be giving her some space. Once they reached town, Cutter said, “I hope we didn’t overwhelm you.”Ru guffawed. “How could you avoid it? There’s so much to think about.”“I know. And I wish we had more time to feed it to you slowly. But the Reapers are even more agitated now that we’ve taken Zu. We’ll likely all go out tonight to try to see if we can capture any more of them.”“How many do you think there are in the area?” Ru asked, assuming they needed to be close by in order for the Keepers to track them.“We’re not sure, but usually Nat has at least a couple dozen with him. Sometimes more.”Ru was surprised. “Why aren’t there more dead then?”Even in the dim light, she could see him shrug. “He’s had them searching for y
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 58
Lyric was sitting on the front porch swing when Cutter arrived back at the house. She had a thoughtful expression on her face, and he almost hated to interrupt whatever she was concentrating on. But as he approached the steps, she asked, “How did that go?”With a sigh, Cutter sauntered over and dropped down next to her before answering. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Clearly, there’s still a wall between us. I have no idea what to do about it. And this new guy—Kyle….” Cutter couldn’t finish the sentence.“Yeah, about that,” Lyric began, looking at him sideways. “I’m not sure I trust this guy.”Cutter raised an eyebrow and narrowed in on her eyes, trying to read where she was coming from. “What do you mean?” Despite what Lyric had already mentioned to him, he had thought he was the only one who was suspicious of K
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 59
The day had dragged by, and even though Ru had gotten a lot of work done for school, she was constantly looking at the clock. Finally, at 3:00, she allowed herself to go get ready for her date. Kyle was supposed to be there in an hour, and she wanted to look as good as she possibly could, considering they were going on a date that involved hiking through the woods.At first, she’d thought it was a little odd that he wanted to leave so late in the afternoon since it would be dark in a few hours, but he said he had to help Jess with some stuff in her classroom and that would take most of the day. So, even though she wasn’t really one for strolling through the forest in the dark, she hoped that would mean they wouldn’t be walking long, and then maybe they could go do something more fun. Ru had a few ideas….She showered and dressed in an older pair of jeans that still looked good. She put on a long-sleeved T-shirt and a sweater that would fit unde
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 60
“Kyle, slow down,” Ru said tripping over a branch. “Why do we have to walk so fast?”“I want you to see the place we’re going to, Ru,” he said. Something about the tone in his voice caught her off guard. He sounded strangely serious. “I think you’ll really like it.”“Kyle,” Ru implored, pulling on his hand a bit to make him slow down. “Seriously, I have to admit, you’re starting to scare me a little bit.”He stopped again, turning to face her. Even though it was growing dark and shadows began to creep in around his face, Ru could see an intensity behind his eyes, which looked oddly more green than hazel in this light. “Ru, I told you, you have nothing to be afraid of. You do trust me, don’t you?”The second time, it was not as easy to answer that question. Ru began to feel an odd sensation in her stomach, sort of like the time she’d gone to a
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 61
“Stop!” Ru shouted, clambering to her feet, despite the pain in her shoulder and a new, sharp ache in her ankle. “I told you, I don’t wish to go with you! And I know I have to choose!”“Who told you that?” he asked, folding his arms and laughing. “Cutter? He’s an imbecile. I will take you, Rune. I have to. You’re the only one who can do what needs to be done.”“No!” she screamed again. “I won’t go with you! I won’t do what you want me to do!”“Rune, think of your father! He’s locked away in constant torture. You’re the only person who can set him free.”She began to shake her head, trying to keep thoughts of what Larkin must be going through out of her head.“Your mother has been in hiding for over twenty years because of what those people,” he pointed over his shoulder, “threatened to do to her!”
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 62
VOLUME II: RUIN'S PROMISERu took a deep breath and surveyed the little faces sitting on the carpet in front of her. She sat on the chair from which she’d read dozens of stories already in just the two months that school had been in session. She thought back to how optimistic she’d been back then, thinking this would be the best class she’d ever had, and she would teach them so much before the end of the school year. Now, it was only eight weeks later, and she was preparing to tell them goodbye. The tears stung her eyes and threatened to spill over; she only hoped she could manage to get her message out before the dam gave way.Cutter had told his class last Friday and had been gone for an entire week now. His replacement, Kristin Collins, was sweet, and Ru had assured him they were in good hands. Now, it was her turn. Never in a million years had she envisioned herself leaving her classroom, her profession, but she had important
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