Grim Gone: Reaper Files, #4

By Nicky Graves

One final stand. One last chance.

 

The guardians are my last hope against my fight with Azrael. I must dig deep to prove I'm up for the challenge. But my trainer doesn't make it easy. In fact, he's brutal.

 

To make matters worse, Lucifer is up to his tricks again. While the future of the world is at stake, Lucifer reveals what he truly wants. To save billions of souls on Earth, I must give him what he desires, but it will come at a steep price.

 

Between Azrael and Lucifer, my hands are full. Add in one grumpy trainer and two warring brothers, and life just got complicated.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pierced Heart Publishing
• Release date: Jul 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781393783244

Book preview

1

You’re weak, Jordan said as he infiltrated my mind once again. The guardian stalked around me in the training room. Running a hand through his long, white-blond hair, he stopped at an arched window to look out.

I suspected that when he stared off into the distance, he was really plotting my demise.

Maybe compared to the muscled guardian, I was weak. But I was also exhausted.

I had spent over a month with the guardians. And, in that time, the only thing I gained was a severe dislike for my trainer. I was pretty sure the feeling was mutual.

While the palace I stayed at was a wonderland of comforts with soft linens, exquisite food, and endless rooms to explore, the training room was a nightmare with Jordan at the helm. This sterile white room made me long for my home in the dead zone.

But even in my hell, I wondered what Lawson was doing. The last time I had seen him, I ditched him rather abruptly. I had been spying on the prom at my old school, realizing my high school days were officially over. Lawson found me and said we both had to move on from the past. And then he shocked me when he kissed me.

Thinking about your lover boy again? Jordan asked, prying into my mind.

Enough! I shouted, rubbing my forehead to get rid of the crawling sensation that happened every time Jordan played his mind games.

This is just the beginning, he said. If you can’t handle something as simple as this, do you really think you stand a chance against Azrael?

Azrael will not come after me using mind tricks, I said.

Jordan laughed, and I knew it wasn’t out of amusement. He thought I was stupid. And maybe compared to a guardian that had been around since the beginning of time, I was stupid. But if Azrael was going to peer into my mind, he would have done so already.

How are you the heir to his empire? Jordan asked. You’re like an infant still in diapers.

Are you done insulting me yet?

No.

I’m not taking your abuse anymore.

You came to our doorstep and wanted our help. And now you want to back out of it?

I don’t want to back out of it, I said. I want to be trained, not be your punching bag.

High Priestess Kailin assigned you to me. I’m the best she has.

You’re also the most arrogant trainer she has.

If you don’t want to be a puppet, break the tie. He glared at me with ice-blue eyes that looked as if they were going to shoot icicles at me. You are too weak to train. I have better things to do than to waste my time with you.

Better things to do? I asked. The guardians have been wasting time hiding from Azrael. At least I’m trying. If you think I’m weak, what does that make you?

Okay, I really shouldn’t have poked the bear. But Jordan had made my life a living hell for the last month. And while I knew training was going to be tough, he made it brutal. It was as if he wanted me to fail. And if that was the case, I was better off on my own.

With one more seething glare at me, he stormed out of the room. I stood alone, wondering if he was truly done with me, or if he was just pouting.

The life stone activated, soaking me in a calming balm.

I know, I said to Clarness. I need to control my temper.

Clarness, the yellow life stone, was patient and calming. When I began training, the guardians made a deal with me not to use Clarness in training.

I understood why they made this deal. I could not rely on the stone in my fight against Azrael. It could be taken from me, just like the others had. But as soon as the training was done, Clarness activated and made me wonder why I allowed Jordan to get under my skin. Maybe it was because he controlled me so easily. He wasn’t playing fair. Not that Azrael would play fair, either. But how was I supposed to learn when I was continuously getting beaten down?

I needed to visit with Kailin again.

Exiting the training room, I walked through the palace, making my way to the high priestess’s private quarters. When I had first met her, it was at a castle in the guardian realm. But for training, she took me to her private palace. She said it would be quieter. But I didn’t see how. There were guardians everywhere.

I wasn’t blind to the way the guardians looked at me with hostility and distrust. I didn’t blame them. Well, not at first. I was Azrael’s heir, after all. They saw me as a threat who should be disposed of and certainly not trained. Azrael had already decimated the guardians once. Why would they want to train another to do the same?

However, I wasn’t like Azrael. I was just me.

At least I didn’t mind the palace. The room they assigned me was gorgeous. While I never thought of myself as being a person who cared about material possessions, I reveled in the thickly padded king-size bed and the sheets that had to be made of clouds. Not to mention, I had my own bathroom with a bathtub that could fit twenty people. It always had enough bubbles to keep me content long after Jordan’s brutal training. In my room, I felt pampered. I loved every minute of that oasis. Life here would be perfect if I could get rid of Jordan.

As I reached Kailin’s chambers, I appreciated that the guardians never felt the need to station sentries at her door.

I knocked on the door and waited. When there was no answer, I opened the door a crack. Kailin? I called. It’s Riley. I was hoping to talk to you.

A guardian strolled past me in the hallway. The priestess is in the garden. She’s not to be disturbed.

Oh, okay.

I had learned that when the priestess visits the garden, no one disturbs her. I wasn’t sure what made the garden so special, but I knew enough to obey that one command.

So, instead of waiting at her door, I retreated to the comfort of my room.

As soon as I shut the door to my room, I walked over to the bed and fell down on it, allowing the mattress to absorb my frustration. I glanced up at the gold leafed ceiling and wondered what my next move would be. While I didn’t want to give up on the guardians, I also knew my limitations as well. I mean, yes, I had Azrael’s DNA in me. But I also was born from a human. The guardians were treating me as if I had the powers of a god.

I finally found you.

I looked over at the voice, wondering who was in my bedroom. I hadn’t heard the door open.

Dean? I sat up on the bed and looked at him. While I wasn’t expecting visitors, I certainly wasn’t expecting my new ghost friend.

Dean was a metal head that had died in the early 90s. His Metallica T-shirt and holey jeans could attest to that.

How did you get here? I asked.

He hopped up on the bed. Being a ghost, he didn’t make a depression on the mattress.

I’ve been looking for you forever. This place is nice, he said, looking around.

How did you find me?

Reapers leave a slight trail that ghosts can follow. But by the time I could follow yours, it was faded. I almost gave up, but figured I’d try it.

What do you mean reapers leave a trail?

Kind of like following breadcrumbs through the forest. I assume it’s so we can find you if we want to be transitioned. The trail is easy to follow once you know how to look for it.

I had no idea, I said, wondering what else I didn’t know about reapers. Did Lawson know we leave a trail?

Nice place, he said, looking around the room with golden accents. Should I call you Princess Riley now?

No. More like a royal failure, I said. Training has been rough. But, why are you here?

I figured you might need help. It’s not like I’m doing much, anyway. He flipped his dark hair off his shoulder and glanced at me. What have you been up to?

I’ve been training with a guardian named Jordan. It hasn’t been going well. None of the guardians like me. They see me as Azrael’s spawn.

Can I help?

I don’t think so.

There has to be something I can do.

Unless you can get me another trainer, I’m stuck.

He looked thoughtful for a minute, and I was almost afraid that he might try to find another guardian on my behalf.

Have you seen the others? I asked.

Yeah, he said. But, they’ve made no headway in terms of Azrael.

Are Lawson and Vance okay?

You mean after they beat the crap out of each other?

I nodded.

They don’t seem any worse for wear, but they don’t go anywhere near each other either. In fact, all communication between them is through me.

Fill me in on what the communication is about.

He shrugged. The usual. Lawson wants to know how many vampires we can get on your side, and Vance answers with unique ways of telling him to go to hell.

So, they’re still fighting, I said

What’s the deal with them, anyway?

They’re brothers with a bad history. I stood with a stretch that eased the coiling tension throughout my body. Thank you for the update. You should probably head back. Let me know if you hear anything new.

I won’t have any more updates.

Why not?

I’m staying here with you. I didn’t track you all the way here just to go back.

You can’t stay here.

Why not? It’s not like I’ll eat all the food or anything, he said with a teasing grin.

No, but I’m trying to concentrate on training.

You won’t even know I’m around.

The guardians won’t want you here.

They don’t know I’m here. Only reapers and other ghosts can see me. Well, and one or two freaky kids. But the guardians don’t see me. I’ve been wandering these halls for at least an hour trying to find you. I passed by a dozen guardians and none of them took notice of me.

Why wouldn’t they be able to see you?

He shrugged. Maybe because they’re a part of life, and I’m a part of death?

I guess. But they seem like they know almost everything. I’d think they should be able to see ghosts.

Just because they’re the Guardians of Life, doesn’t mean they know and see everything.

I guess. I should go try to speak with the priestess again.

She’s in the garden.

You were in the garden? I asked. I was told that was off-limits.

Not for a ghost, he smirked. But, I wasn’t in the garden. I was up in the tower and saw her from the window.

What does the garden look like? I asked, envisioning a secret garden of sorts with ivy-covered walls and wild roses surrounding an ancient fountain.

He gave a shrug. It’s nice. But I don’t see why it’s off-limits. It’s not that great..

There has to be a reason. What’s in there?

A lot of shrubberies and colorful flowers. There’s a statue in the middle. She was kneeling at it.

What kind of statue? I asked.

It looks like a giant oval. Nothing that would stand out. Not sure why she would kneel at it.

The statue piqued my curiosity, but I wasn’t willing to get in trouble with the guardians just to satisfy my curiosity. Perhaps the oval was their representation of Life.

I sat back down on the bed, wondering what to do next.

I wish I could feel the bed. I bet it’s comfortable, Dean said as he spread out.

It is. And I’m sure there are other beds here you can take if you decide to stay. Do ghosts need beds?

No, but I thought we could share.

I’m not sharing my bed with a ghost.

What if I wasn’t a ghost, but a reaper?

When I didn’t say anything, he sat up. Fine, I can take a hint. I’m obviously not wanted here.

I didn’t say that. Don’t be mad, I said.

I’m not mad. Just disappointed.

I’m sorry. I just need to concentrate on training. Nothing else matters at the moment. Ultimately, I have to go up against Azrael. And if people were betting on the outcome, they wouldn’t bet on me.

His expression softened slightly. I’d bet on you.

Thanks. You’re probably the only one.

Not true. You have a couple others who would bet on you, too.

Great. Pity bets.

He held out his hand, and I was hesitant to take it. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. When I grasped it, he said, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make this awkward. I guess after all these years, I’m just kind of lonely. You’re the first girl I’ve talked to in . . . I don’t even know how long.

Aren’t there any ghost girls?

Yeah. But the ones I’ve met are either poltergeist-crazy or stuck on some unrequited love.

Well, we can be single together.

Great. Single buddies. That’s what I’ve always wanted.

I laughed at his sarcastic tone. It’s the best I can offer. You’ll just have to live with it.

That’s very insensitive.

What? I asked.

Live with it? he repeated. I’m a ghost.

That’s not what I meant, and you know it.

He smiled at me. Yeah, I know.

Are we good? I asked.

He nodded. Yeah, we’re good.

Well, the day didn’t turn out as I had wanted, but at least, in the end, I had a friend in the guardian palace.

2

It was the next morning, and I arrived at the training room as scheduled, but Jordan wasn’t there. Maybe he had been serious about not training me anymore. I couldn’t say that I was disappointed, but I wondered what I was going to do now.

While I didn’t want to give up, I also didn’t want to beg Jordan to resume training.

So, instead of staying in the training room,