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Chapter 126
Ru opened her eyes to take in an exquisite sunset full of pinks and oranges beginning to slip beyond the horizon. Though she stood in a desert where the sand was painted in similar tones, there was a light breeze and she didn’t feel hot, nor was the air dry. Off in the distance, she spied an oasis and headed in that direction, her boots seeming to stay on top of the sand perfectly without a cloud of dust following.
The oasis consisted of four palm trees that shaded a center area where comfortable wicker chairs with plush white cushions sat at each corner, and a table full of fruit and tropical drinks sat in the center. Her hostess occupied one of the chairs and smiled as she approached. “Ru, how are you?”
“I’m okay,” Ru nodded, taking the seat Cinder offered to her “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. How are you?”
“Busy,” she replied, though she smiled. “I hope this place is inviting enough for you. I know the heat can get to some people, but I’ve always
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Reaper's Hollow Chapter 127
Cutter waited anxiously for Ru to return to her body. As much as he wanted to accompany her when she met with Cinder, he knew he had to start letting her do things on her own, particularly now that she’d proven she was every bit as capable as he’d thought she would be. She was gone for about twenty minutes before she started to stir in his arms. She’d insisted on using the dark room to make the leap even though he was sure she would’ve been able to do it from anywhere, including her bedroom, which would’ve been more comfortable for her. But when she asked him to hold her while she was gone, he hadn’t complained. Cutter illuminated the room with his hand and saw Ru’s eyes fly open. They were wide, as if she was running from something or was shocked to discover she was back. “Are you okay?” he asked, studying her closely. Ru’s face broke into a smile. “I’m okay,” she replied. “But I don’t think your sister likes me anymore.” Tilting his head a bit, he a
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 128
“That is not what the dark room is for!” Rider shouted as Ru and Cutter slipped out into the hallway, their clothes askew and their hair more than a bit mussed. “Sorry, not sorry,” Ru replied with a shrug, though she really was a little embarrassed. What had just happened in there would’ve never been a choice her old self, the one before she found out her true identity, would’ve made, but she wasn’t ashamed of what they’d done. “It isn’t what you think,” Cutter replied, though the smile on his face assured her that he wasn’t complaining. Rider stood across the hallway, his arms crossed. But there was more than a hint of merriment in his blue eyes. “Kids these days,” he mumbled, as if he were decades older than them. “Well, I’m sorry I had to interrupt, but Lyric has some important information. She would like for us to meet her downstairs in the parlor. Once we are all decent.” Without dropping his eyes, he gestured at Ru’s top, and she looked down to see that
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 129
“Good—because having a map that just says map isn’t very useful.” Ivy’s observation was agreed upon quickly by the rest of the group. “Right. I was stumped. So, I looked at the picture more carefully, and I realized the letters were not straight cuts. Some of them were curved where they shouldn’t be. They didn’t look quite the same as they would if they were simply renditions of the letters.” She paused, and no one took the bait this time, so she continued. “They were made of numbers! Each letter is made up of a different set of numbers.” “I don’t see how we are getting closer to solving this,” Cutter said, shaking his head. “You guys! Don’t you see?” Lyric held up a piece of paper showing three pairs of numbers. “The numbers aren’t just numbers! Can’t you see what else they are?” “The phone number we call to get the men with the white jackets to come and take you away?” Rider asked. “Or take us away….” Cutter concurred. “No! They’re c
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 130
Ru's breath caught in her throat at her mother’s words. “So… Dad could be a regular person, if he wanted to?” “Honestly, it wouldn’t even matter what he wanted, Ru, if you cast the spell on him, or any other Reaper for that matter, they would become human.” “And what would happen to their power?” “Well, that was part of the problem before. Your father didn’t want me to cast the spell because, according to what I’ve read, there has to be a willing vessel to absorb the Reaper’s powers. I thought I could do it, that I could take it in, and then destroy it with my Keeper blood. Or possibly banish it while it was free of a body. But your father didn’t want to take the chance.” “You think I can do it because I already have Reaper powers?” Ru asked. “Yes.” The idea made sense. “But… what if it makes me a full Reaper? What if it throws me out of balance?” “I really don’t think that will happen, Ru. I think you are powerful enough to ta
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 131
Nat looked around the room at the shambles of his team. He used that word loosely since, like most Reapers, they really had no loyalty to him or anyone else. They were here out of a last-ditch effort at self-preservation, and that hadn’t quite gone as hoped. Raven was sprawled on a sofa near the window, which he would’ve thought odd if she were conscious since she normally hated the light. The bright sunshine streamed in, making her dark hair seem almost purple. She hadn’t been fully awake for more than a few minutes since they’d brought her here, earlier this morning. She had at least a few broken bones as well as a concussion. Nat would’ve felt badly for her if he were capable of caring about anyone else at all, which he’d accepted a long time ago would never be the case. While most people would die to have an apartment in the Dakota, Nat would’ve killed to stay out of here. Unfortunately, he hadn’t killed enough Keepers—or any, for that matter, in their last engag
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 132
Ru pulled her bedspread up around her shoulders, careful not to disturb Cutter, who was sound asleep next to her, his arm still flung across her waist. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he’d actually left his body, but he was still there with her, just worn out completely. A smile spread across her face as she relished the feel of him. When she’d initially invited him upstairs, she thought they might just play around a bit, as they had earlier in the dark room. But things took a serious turn quite quickly, and by the time she’d completely surrendered herself to him, Ru realized what they shared was something far more powerful than she had ever imagined possible. Snuggling into his arms, inhaling his masculine scent, she felt the pull of their bond and knew this is where she belonged. With her head next to his chest, Ru could hear the rhythmic beat of Cutter’s heart. Steady, unwavering, strong. Just like him. Her eyelids grew heavy, and Ru found solace in his embrace
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 133
Requesting her mother send screenshots of the spells had actually led to a FaceTime discussion of correct pronunciations, which was difficult since Ru wasn’t intending to cloak herself and certainly didn’t want to do anything to diminish her own Reaper powers since she knew they might be important to her overall strength. Eventually, she was fairly sure she had the wording right, and they’d moved on to a conversation about life in general. Ru had gotten to see Piper, who pawed at the phone frantically trying to get to Ru, which made Ru miss her even more. Ru had just finished telling her mom about her new relationship with Cutter when Lyric knocked on the door and shouted, “We’re ready!” “I’ve got to go, Mom,” Ru said, wishing she didn’t have to. But they needed to press on while they still had the element of surprise. “Be careful, Rune. I know you won’t take any unnecessary risks, but don’t underestimate anyone or anything that comes to block you.” “I won’t,
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 134
Cutter was shocked when Sky told him she would actually be on the field herself. He couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken part in something like this, but once they reached Turkey, he was glad she was there. While he didn’t mind coordinating his small group, having twenty of her Keepers alongside his own team would make things more difficult if she wasn’t there to give instructions. It was eerily quiet when he first arrived. However, the serenity didn’t last. A wave of Creepers crawled out of the nearby buildings, and he knew that would just be the advanced troops, the scouts, the expendable pawns. As soon as they’d handled them, which didn’t take much, there was a pregnant pause and then all Hell broke loose. Kayakoy may have been abandoned for almost a hundred years, but thousands of structures still stood, and it seemed a Reaper or demon emerged from almost all of them. “Holy hell,” Cutter muttered, raising his eyebrows at Sky. In the darkness, it was diffic
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