Reaper's Hollow: The Complete Series

Chapter 13-1

Chapter 13

Cutter opened his eyes and blinked a few times as his spirit form completely reunited with his body. It was a skill that had taken a while for him to learn at the age of five, but now, over twenty years later, he definitely had it down. The room was dark and a glance at the clock said it was about 3:30 in the morning.

He was sitting on his bed in what one might call a lotus position, as he had been hours ago when he’d left his body to stay with Ru. He’d tried not to spy on her; the last thing he needed was for her to think he was invading her privacy, but he’d been certain for the last few weeks that Nat was stalking her. He’d showed up a time or two while Cutter was nearby but hadn’t attempted to manipulate her again. Until tonight.

Jumping into Ru’s vision was a last resort, but it had been necessary. Nat’s promises were compelling, and he could tell from the moment he began to fill Ru’s head with fanciful lies she was starting to believe him. Nat had that effect on everyone—women or men, young or old. They looked at that face, into those eyes, and they were struck with a sense of wonder. How could someone with the face of an angel be such a devil?

He was, though. There was no doubt in Cutter’s mind that Nat’s purposes of obtaining Ru were purely selfish, and his intentions were nothing but evil. Gaining Ru would not only put the Keepers at a disadvantage, it would allow Nat to find Seraphina, and finding her would mean Larkin could be released. It was a complicated situation, but it all hung on the balance of Ru’s decisions. And she had no idea just how powerful she was.

Cutter knew the events of the night were significant, and he contemplated waking the rest of the house to let them know what had transpired, but Rider was likely still out, having determined earlier it would be a good night to hunt down a Reaper. Ivy and Lyric were likely sleeping. Even though he was still jarred by the situation, Cutter didn’t see the point in waking them. He could tell them in a few hours when they were all up for breakfast.

Still, he felt the urge to talk to someone, so he quietly climbed off of the bed. Still wearing the clothes he’d worn to work that day, he headed down the hallway. Rider’s door creaked as he pushed it open. He was sitting on top of his bed, much the same way Cutter had been, and he could tell from here he wasn’t actually there. It would be silly to call him back just to tell him what had happened, particularly if he was in the middle of an interaction with a Reaper. It could wait until the morning. Cutter closed Rider’s door and headed back down the hall, hopeful he hadn’t woken either of the girls.

Back in his room, he fell onto the bed, going over the conversation on the mountaintop one more time. Nat had tried to convince Ru she was like him, and in a way she might be, if Cutter couldn’t convince her that she was fully a Keeper first. Was it possible the Reaper in Ru could take over and lead her down a path to destruction? He couldn’t let that happen. He had to make sure she understood her own destiny. He glanced at the clock, thinking perhaps he should call her. She had to be awake right now as she’d broken the vision by jarring them all awake. Which meant Nat couldn’t reach her in his spirit form, not until she fell back to sleep anyway. While it was possible she wasn’t out of danger, now that Nat knew Cutter was watching, he wouldn’t be so quick to slip into her subconscious. No, Nat would have to find another way to reach Ru. And Cutter had to make sure she knew how to keep him at bay, though he wasn’t quite sure how to do that. “How do you convince someone who doesn’t believe in demons that they’re being stalked by one?” he mumbled aloud. Right now, he didn’t have the answer, but he needed to find it, soon, or else, he might lose Ru altogether.