Reaper's Novice (Soul Collector #1) (12 page)

“
Y
ES.
M
E.”
My nightmare throws its hands dramatically to the sides and swivels a 360-degree turn on its heels. “Doves, cats, dogs, and other animals, Soul Collector extraordinaire.”

I collect my jaw from the floor and breathe in. One. Two. Three. Breathe out. I give up. Right this second, I feel like a train heading for collision. Fast and furious. I clench my hands at my sides and blow out a hot breath.

Grim’s gaze bounces from me to Blond Guy. “You two know each other?”

The memory of the incident in the U-Bahn station flashes in my mind. I open my mouth to answer him. Nothing tumbles out. I’m too incensed for words.

Blond Guy bounces on his toes like he can’t contain himself. “Not by name. Introductions, please.”

Someone extinguish the flames blowing out of my nose.

Grim glares at him. “I remember asking you precisely
not
to visit her until I introduced you.” His voice drips with irritation, but somehow his face fails miserably to convey what his tone does.

“It’s all part of spreading the love, Ernest. Your motto, not mine.” He pushes back the locks on his forehead and grins wide. “I was merely putting it into practise.”

I feel as if I landed on Pluto. What are they talking about? And who is this guy?

Grim sighs.. His eyes are focused on Blond Guy. Adoringly. Just in the same way I catch Dad, unawares, staring at my siblings and me.

Intriguing.

“Siegfried, this is Ana, my Novice. Ana, Siegfried.” Grim pronounces the name like
Zigfreed
.

Siegfried’s long legs wrapped in dark jeans swallow the distance between us in two huge strides. He thrusts his right hand at me. “Call me Zig. It’s a pleasure to meet such a lovely lady.” I look at his hand: long, strong fingers, large callused palms. I glance at Grim, his expression hopeful. He looks at Zig, then me. I turn to Zig and place my hand on his, grudgingly. He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses the back of it, still smiling.

What a charming devil! Too bad ‘womanizer’ is stamped all over him. I smile, pleasantly I hope, and snatch my hand from his. He chuckles and bows slightly.

“Cut it out, Siegfried. I need you to behave. Ana is not like your collection of girls. Be kind enough and take her home, please.
Her house.
” Grim turns to face me. “Siegfried will brief you on what you need. The Unveiling Dinner is on Monday. He will provide you with everything.” Grim turns to leave.

Oh no. He can’t do this to me. “Ernest, please?” Right now I’ll say anything to delay being left alone with Zig. Maybe Grim will change his mind and take me home instead.

Grim halts where I stand, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder, his eyes softening. “You are in safe hands, Novice. You did well tonight. Now, don’t fret.” My skin tingles. Pine scent fills the air. I blink, and Grim is gone.

I sigh and turn to face Zig, muttering under my breath, “Yeah. Great to meet you, too.” Louder I say, “Could you please take me home now? I have school and other responsibilities.”

Zig, still smiling smugly, holds his hand out to me, palm up. I place mine on his. Seconds later, we’re inside my room. I jerk my hand from his and round on him. “How do you know where I live?”

He strides past me, towards my door. Waving his hand in an arc, he mutters under his breath, then ambles back to where I stand. I don’t know what he sees in my face when he looks at me because he says in a gentle voice, “Don’t worry. Ernest told me what to do when I got to your room. And to answer your question, anyone Ernest is interested in and invests in, I make a point of knowing. Really
knowing
.”

“Why did you ask for introductions if you knew me?”

He shrugs. “For fun, I suppose.”

I sigh and glance at the clock. 6:30. I should be leaving for school in thirty minutes.

Zig props his hands on his hips and swivels on his heels. He scans my room with ‘Hmm’ and ‘Ahh’ sounds, then says in a distracted voice, “Completely different from the room at the castle.” He looks at me. “What time should I pick you up from school? We have plans, and these plans have baby plans. So in total, a whole new family of plans.”

Plans? Room? What room?
God, I’m sleepy. “I have plans with my sister today.” I totter towards my wardrobe, push my tangled hair back from my face, and start digging inside for something decent to wear. Since it rained last night, the weather is cooler. I snatch a light cotton knit sweater and toss it on the bed.

“Yes. I’m aware you take your sibling, Lucy, to her ballet class every Friday. That’s her name, yes?”

I’m too exhausted to gape. Besides, I need him out of my room pronto. Any member of my family might drop in on us. “Can’t we make these plans tomorrow?”

“Grouchy, aren’t we?” I shoot him a glare. “Is this how you’ll treat your new work-mate and family member, lovely?” He brushes past me, towards my wardrobe, sticking his head inside. After a moment he pops out. “There’s nothing in there that would suit the dinner ball Ernest has set up for you.”

“First, drop the ‘lovely’. Ana will do.” He presses his lips together, but not before I see them twitch. He’s enjoying himself. “Second, my only family consists of people I’m related to by blood and my friends. And third, what’s so special about the dinner ball?” I stalk towards my door and place my ear to it. No voices or movement.

“It’s not just any dinner. It is your Unveiling. Picture eighteen hundreds. Black tie, waist coats, and gowns. And yes, dancing. Lots of dancing. I suspect everyone will line up for a chance to dance with you. You’ve caused quite a stir in the Afterworld Realm, lovely Ana. When everyone heard about Ernest’s Novice, they scrambled to sign up for a date with you.”

I grit my teeth at the ‘lovely’ part. “
Date?
”

Zig’s eyes widen innocently. “Yes. Date. Ernest has this policy: ‘Everyone needs love’. He’s Afterworld’s Cupid.”

A headache starts to bloom at the base of my head. Too much information and a lack of sleep. “But I have a boyfriend. And I love him.”

He shrugs. “Grey-eyed lover boy? He’s—” I cut him off with my raised hand as a door outside my room opens and closes. Footfalls shuffle closer, and when they are about to pass my door, they halt. My eyes jerk to the door, heart pounding.

A soft knock. “Silvana.” Mom. I turn to Zig, but he’s gone. The citrus scent hangs in the air. Another knock.

“I’m awake, Mom.” I cringe at my shrilly voice. Mom mutters something, and seconds later, I hear her sandaled feet shuffle away.

6:45 blinks back at me from the clock. I snatch the lacy green blouse on my bed and white sweater and head for the bathroom. The floorboards creak. I whirl around and leap ten feet in the air. “Jesus, Zig! Would it hurt to not creep up on me like that?” I say in a hushed voice.

He shoots me a wounded look, his lower lip thrust forwards. “I wasn’t
creeping
. I just unconcealed myself. I was being courteous in case your mother walked in. You wouldn’t want her to find us in a compromising position.”

“
Compromising position?
We weren’t even touching!” I shake my head. “I don’t have time for this. I need to prepare for school.” I turn to leave.

“So, I’ll pick you up after school. Just be on the lookout for blond and handsome.” I glance over my shoulder. He flashes me a grin. Does he have to look so sure of himself and hot? “Lovely, Ana, you don’t like me very much, do you?”

“Why would you say that?” He blinks and holds my gaze. I relent and sigh. “You scared me back there on the tracks, you know.”

“It was just a joke. You’re not always this grumpy. I’ve followed you around, seen how you are with other people.”

Followed me around?
“Stalked, you mean? Sorry, can’t chat for long. Unlike you, who goes around throwing yourself in front of trains for fun, I have school and a life I want to live.” Either he doesn’t hear me or he chooses to ignore me. He continues leaning on the wall. “Do you mind, Zig? No concealing yourself or whatever you did before. Just, please leave.”

“Concealment. That’s what I did. Like this.” He disappears and appears again. “See? You need to practise. Very handy. And yeah, Grim has had you in his sights for a very long time. Had to check you out to see what made him all hyper about you. He wasn’t wrong. But I wonder what is it about you that makes everyone antsy. His blue eyes drill into mine as if he expects to find answers from inside them.

I stop fiddling with my sweater. “What do mean?”

“Well,” he says taking a step closer, his gazes still holding mine. “Lately Grim has been having closed door meetings at odd hours since you became his Novice.”

“He has?” I say, pulse racing. “With who? And why is that unusual?”

Zig shakes his head, and for once I see something like fear flash across his face. “The Fates and one individual I wouldn’t be caught in the same room with. Sinteler. And it’s unusual because Sinteler kidnaps souls for his own twisted use and traps them in mirrors. I’ve heard worse theories than what I’m telling you now. See how this works against us, the Collectors?”

Fates. Again. I swallow hard, trying to process this new piece of information. Did Grim choose me for a reason?

“Anyway, lovely Ana, until later.” His eyes travel from my riotous hair to my feet in slow precision, and my body trembles at his appraisal. Not good.

In the past few minutes I’ve officially met Zig, I realise he is what Lea and I named DDF: dangerous, desirable flirt. And he has the power to make anyone forget about her boyfriend, or possibly husband.

Zig smiles as though he felt how my body reacted to his scrutiny, as if he sneaked inside my mind and heard my thoughts. “And just to make it clear, you are family. You signed up for membership the minute you joined our ranks.”

He smiles, twirling a silver wicked looking knife between his fingers. Where did
that
come from? “You know, I could make you feel better.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

My gaze slides to his lips, the upper one fuller than the lower. I shake my head.
Why am I looking at his mouth?

His eyes widen. “Oh, you didn’t think it was
that way
, Ana. Not that I wouldn’t love to kiss you until you melt. I’m afraid you would beg me for seconds.” He grins as though he is the sole reason God put women on earth and saunters forwards, halting in front of me. My face burns. Man, this is embarrassing. How could I think about kissing him? “Until later, lovely Ana.” He bows with a flourish and vanishes, leaving my mind jumbled up with thoughts of Grim, Fates, and a man whose name is Sinteler.

S
IX HOURS LATER,
I stumble out of the massive gymnasium doors of St. Johann, with Lea and Reiner in tow. Rolf left after third period. He wasn’t feeling well. I promised to check up on him later.

I look over my shoulder. Reiner is wearing a bright yellow shirt and what Lea and I call ‘don’t-touch-my-ankles’ jeans. When it comes to dressing, Reiner is braver than most. “Can’t you two keep your hands and lips to yourselves until you’re alone? One of these days you’ll burst into flames if you keep up with the kissing.”

Reiner lifts his head from the crook of her neck and looks at me. “Best way to go if you ask me.” He places a kiss on Lea’s nose. I watch, mesmerized, as Lea’s bright orange mist tangles with Reiner’s vibrant green. If anyone were to ask me the definition of soul mates, these two would fit the bill.

“Are we still meeting at Copa Cagrana?”

Crap! I forgot about that. I nod. I can’t disappoint her for the second time.

“Va bene,” Lea says. Her Italian has a way of showing up when she’s extremely happy or distressed. “Maybe Rolf will be feeling better by then. He’s been sick a lot lately.”

“I’ll give him a call.” What’s going on with Rolf? Curious errands and getting sick? Probably misses his dad. His clients get more time with him than Rolf does. And when he comes home from work, either Rolf is already asleep or his father is too exhausted to pay attention to his only child.

Rolf’s mom and dad married against the wishes of both their parents. The relationship between children and parents was on bad terms and ripped their future grandchild away. Encouraging Rolf to try contacting his grandparents isn’t easy. I never give up, though. As Mom’s mother, Oma Maria, says, “No man is an island.”

I make a show of checking the time on my mobile, then slip it back inside my pocket. “I have to run. See you later?”

Lea nods, hugs me tight, then steps back.

Reiner hugs me, then pulls back. He stares down at me, his eyes so intense I swear he can see right through me, right into my soul. I avert my eyes and look at the point slightly above his shoulders. “Ana.” My eyes bounce back to his face. “Call me if anything happens, you know between you and Rolf. Something seems off.”

My pulse races. “Why? What happened?”

Reiner and Lea exchange a look. I don’t like it.