Grim's Daughter: The Death Chronicles, #4

By J.E. Taylor

I wasn't supposed to be possible.

 

Dead means dead, and the dead don't reproduce. But when Lucifer ceased to exist, things went a little haywire for a while, opening a strange supernatural phenomena that made a lot of things possible, including me.

 

Not that I'm complaining, but being the living, breathing daughter of Death and Fate has its own set of challenges.

 

Like career day at school. Every year it was the same thing. And every year I was sent to the principal's office and scolded for terrifying the other kids when I told the truth about my parents.

 

So much for being honest.

 

Which brings me to my current predicament.

 

No one knows what my destiny is supposed to be. It's not written in any of my mother's books, and although the reapers think I'm destined to take over as the Grim Reaper, my father does not want me to go into the family business.

 

But I'm not sure I have a choice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JET-Fueled Fiction
• Release date: Apr 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393366997

J.E. Taylor

J.E. Taylor is a USA Today bestselling author, a publisher, an editor, a manuscript formatter, a mother, a wife, a business analyst, and a Supernatural fangirl, not necessarily in that order. She first sat down to seriously write in February of 2007 after her daughter asked: “Mom, if you could do anything, what would you do?” From that moment on, she hasn’t looked back. In addition to being co-owner of Novel Concept Publishing, Ms. Taylor also moonlights as a Senior Editor of Allegory E-zine, an online venue for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and co-host of the popular YouTube talk show Spilling Ink. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and during the summer months enjoys her weekends on the shore in southern Maine. Visit her at www.jetaylor75.com to check out her other titles. Sign up for her newsletter at https://app.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/y2z2x6 for early previews of her upcoming books, release announcements, and special opportunities for free swag!

Book preview

GRIM’S DAUGHTER

I wasn’t supposed to be possible.

Dead means dead, and the dead don’t reproduce. But when Lucifer ceased to exist, things went a little haywire for a while, opening a strange supernatural phenomena that made a lot of things possible, including me.

Not that I’m complaining, but being the living, breathing daughter of Death and Fate has its own set of challenges.

Like career day at school. Every year it was the same thing. And every year I was sent to the principal’s office and scolded for terrifying the other kids when I told the truth about my parents.

So much for being honest.

Which brings me to my current predicament.

No one knows what my destiny is supposed to be. It’s not written in any of my mother’s books, and although the reapers think I’m destined to take over as the Grim Reaper, my father does not want me to go into the family business.

But I’m not sure I have a choice.

Grim’s Daughter Chapter 1

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I SAT OUTSIDE THE principal’s office with my legs stretched out and my arms crossed over my chest. This wasn’t the first time they had marched me to the office for telling the truth, but I couldn’t bring myself to lie. Any time I attempted to fib, my mouth filled with such a bitter, sickening slime, it was as if I licked a bloody wad of snot. So, I would just rather tell the truth and pay the consequences than experience that horrendous taste.

I glanced at Holly Ryan in the chair next to me—my best friend, roommate, and partner in crime. She grinned at me and shrugged. She had the same affliction for getting in trouble that I did. It was as if whenever I got reckless, she gladly joined in. And here we sat. Again.

Movement caught my attention, and I looked out at the hallway as kids passed to their next class. Only one pair of eyes glanced into the principal’s office. My heart jumped at the sight of Zane Bradley staring at me as he walked by. The corner of his lips tilted in a smile that made me momentarily forget that we were in serious trouble this time.

You see, my parents were Death and Fate. The Grim Reaper and the Queen of Providence in the flesh. But at least I wasn’t Lucifer’s granddaughter. Holly had that market cornered. Faith, Holly’s mother, found out she was Lucifer’s daughter just before her mother succumbed to cancer. That is not the kind of news anyone wants to find out when their world was falling apart.

On career day, when everyone was oozing over what their parents did, I got a little hostile, and inevitably blurted out my parents’ vocations. Of course, on the heels of my announcement, Holly pipes in that she’s Lucifer’s granddaughter. It never ceased to amaze me how utterly comical the teachers’ reactions were. They always, without fail, acted like we had just committed some horrifying sin. They wouldn’t know the truth if it bit them in the ass.

I glanced back at Holly, and dimples dotted her cheeks. We looked away before we started to laugh. From experience, we knew that would get us into more trouble. Detentions were likely, but the number of times we had pulled this stunt might just get us suspended instead, and that wasn’t great on college applications, which was something we’d have to deal with soon, if we didn’t completely screw up our future with our time remaining in high school.

Our smiles disappeared when her father walked in the door. The glare he sent us stifled whatever humor had been dancing on our lips, and we both stared at the floor. Heat filled my face and a sideways glance at Holly confirmed the blushing embarrassment was there in her cheeks, too.

Alex Ryan was as much of a force as Holly’s mom, who was a kick-ass redhead who sparked fire when she was angry. As far as parents go, I guess since mine couldn’t be around, having the Ryans as my guardians was pretty cool, except for times like this when they had to come to the school to smooth over the waves Holly and I created.

A few minutes later, Alex walked out with the principal. Neither one of them were smiling like they usually were after one of Alex’s conversations. Holly and I traded a glance, and I shifted in my seat. They stopped in front of us, and both of them crossed their arms, waiting for one of us to speak.

When neither of us did, Alex cleared his throat.

I’m sorry, Holly and I mumbled at the same time.

"You two need to stop this, unless you want me to homeschool you," Alex said in such a way that I didn’t dare speak. His warning came through loud and clear.

I kept my gaze on the floor and nodded. I gave Holly a sideways glance, and she captured my entire attention. She just stared up at her father. Her gaze turned more feral than I had ever seen it. Even I recoiled away from her.

You dangle that in front of us like it’s a bad thing. She crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair. Papa always said he’d homeschool us if we wanted and I’d rather him do it than you. She pursed her lips at her father. Her hands clenched into fists, but I caught the blaze not only in her eyes, but the sparks that danced over her fingers like a moving wave of static electricity.

It’s okay, I whispered, trying to calm the inferno waiting to turn us all to cinders.

Holly glanced at me and shook her head. But it isn’t. We get in trouble for telling the truth, and then Dad dangles that threat over our head, like going through public school was our idea to begin with. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather sleep in and study on my own timeline and not the State of Maine’s timeline.

Alex’s arms fell to his sides and his mouth popped open.

Although I knew how Holly really felt, having her finally voice it in front of the principal was ballsy as Hell. She had hinted at home at how much she hated high school, but I was never sure whether Alex and Faith were actively ignoring her or just not listening hard enough. They certainly couldn’t read her. Holly had the same natural block against their mystical meddling that I had. They couldn’t see into either of our heads like they could with just about anyone else.

Holly’s family happened to be the most powerful supernaturals in existence.

Ever.

Their power came from being the descendants of archangels. That apparently came with some mega magic that didn’t seem to be found anywhere else but in York, Maine. Thankfully, none of them were into power, or politics, or world domination. Otherwise, the world would be bending a knee to these psychic superpowers.

The world was blissfully clueless as to the abilities they held in their minds and their blood. The only one who had been shoved into the limelight was Alex’s father—Holly’s paternal grandfather—and to this day, when he sang, people stopped and listened as though his voice were the Heavenly host itself. It was, but no one was the wiser. He just mesmerized the masses with his velvet croon whenever he was on stage.

The world also didn’t realize both Death and Fate were real beings. Nor did they realize they had been just mere humans before they took the jobs some fifty years ago. My parents were closer in age to Nana and Papa than they were to Holly’s parents. Yet, neither one of my parents looked any older than Holly or me.

Death and Fate were forever stuck in the bodies of eighteen-year-olds. If they weren’t my parents, it might have been humorous. It gave a new meaning to the saying forever young.

Why don’t we go home and discuss this? Alex’s frustration made his voice more of a sharp bark of authority rather than the easy-going rhythm he usually had.

Fine. Holly stood. She grabbed my hand and yanked me along. Whether or not I wanted to go.

I really wanted to go back to class and sulk in the back row while the rest of the class interacted. At least I could hear Zane Bradley laugh. That was always the highlight of my day in school. But it looked as if I was going to miss that today.

I didn’t even have time to put up an argument before I found myself in the backseat of the car, in my usual place.

The tension bound by the silence inside the car made me shift in the seat. It was only a short ride, but it was enough to make me want to flee across town to Papa’s house to avoid any sort of reprimand.

But it was no use. The moment we stepped inside the house, Holly turned on her father and let her hands fully engulf in flames of aggravation.

Alex pointed at her. Cool your jets, he snapped.

I wouldn’t mess with him if that dark warning glare was aimed in my direction, but I wasn’t a true terror like Holly. She just laughed at her father’s order.

Darkness passed over Alex’s features, and I swallowed the fear that bloomed in my stomach, spitting acid all the way to the back of my throat. Lucifer had once possessed Alex Ryan, and every now and then, I thought the devil’s essence still haunted the man.

Now was one of those moments.

I could almost see Hellfire burning in his irises, and I wished I could disappear into the wall. I stepped back to distance myself from this mounting fight.

Cold water rained down over Holly. Conjured out of who knows where, but it was enough to douse her flames and soak her clothing. Alex’s furious gaze jumped to me before it went back to Holly.

Go to your room. Now. His voice was nothing more than a low growl.

I went to move.

Not you, Missy. He pointed at me and then toward the couch, sending a silent command that I was helpless to ignore.

My body marched to his will until I sat on the middle cushion. Although Alex couldn’t get into my head to see what I was thinking, he certainly could make my body move against my will. Many a time he had marched us up to our room when we were in trouble. Holly climbed the stairs with the grace of an elephant. Each step bore her own mad exclamation points, rocking the floor as she went. When our door slammed, Alex turned his attention to me.

Every. Single. Year. He closed his eyes for a moment and his nostrils flared. When his eyes opened, they were like a laser drilling into me. Why? Why do you do this, knowing the outcome? His exasperation filled the room like an uncomfortably humid day.

I shrugged. I didn’t have an excuse. At least not one that I could articulate. Perhaps it was because my parents had been absent most of my life. I opened my mouth to say just that when he put his hand out.

I don’t need you to give me the same bullshit you’ve been shoveling for years about career day. Getting into trouble won’t bring them here. You already know that.

Boy, he certainly knew how to cut right to the point. And he wasn’t wrong. Sometimes I acted up just to see whether my parents would make an appearance, and career day was one of those days that drove me batty enough to test the barriers. I lowered my gaze and my cheeks heated.

He sighed and took the seat across from me. Missy, we’ve been over this a thousand times, he said in such a deflated tone that I had to look up.

Why was I even born? The question slipped out before I could stop it.

Alex just shook his head and shrugged. Magic. Destiny. The right mixture of possibilities. He looked out the sliding glass door behind where I was sitting and cocked an eyebrow.

The swish of the door made me turn and the blonde who stood in the doorway sent my heart thundering in my chest. I was on my feet and running toward her. Mom! I threw my arms around her.

She hugged me back, but then pushed me away and pursed her lips. I understand you caused some trouble today, and this isn’t the first time.

The disappointment pulling her lips into a frown was like a one-two punch. But that rebel inside me started revving her mini-motorcycle of aggravation.

You and Dad haven’t visited me since before I started high school, and you have the audacity to look disappointed in me? My inner voice raged, and it seemed my mouth temporarily forgot its gag order.

Missy, you know...

No. It’s Melissa to you. Only those closest to me get to call me Missy. I crossed my arms, making my point even sharper.

My mother took a deep breath and let it out slowly, but the blaze of anger in her eyes and the rigid set of her shoulders announced her displeasure. "You know