Jack A Grim Reaper Romance (12 page)

“
Mason!
” Lilly frantically tried to push the gate open, but Mason’s body was slumped against it. The blood poured from his chest and sent her pulse racing in panic, ignoring her mind as it told her he could not die. Using the weight of her body, she managed to get the gate open enough to squeeze through.

Mason’s head lolled forward as he faded in and out. “Go after him… don’t let him get away.” Blood trickled from his mouth as he spoke. “Follow his energy.”

Lilly crouched at his side, unsure of what she should do to stop the bleeding. “I’m not leaving you.”

She did her best to pull him upright, the weight of him difficult to move. With the shots fired, she was sure it would not be long before someone came out to investigate, a complication she did not need.

“Even if I catch up to Jack, what then?”

“You shoot the bastard.” He coughed, surprising Lilly when he didn’t spray her with blood. His healing abilities appeared to surpass those of most reapers, though it did little to reassure her.

“He’s long gone. It’s more important that I get you someplace safe so you can heal, before Jack returns to finish you off.” She got her shoulder under his arm and helped pull him to his feet, a task that nearly toppled the two of them. Just then Mason’s driver appeared and took Mason’s other arm, muttering his concerns for his employer.

They got him into the carriage, while Lilly tried to ignore the tightness in her chest and queasy feeling in her gut. Mason had been terribly injured, and had he not been a reaper, he’d have surely died in her arms. The worry she felt was just one more reason why she should keep her feelings for him at bay. As chancellor, he would always be in danger, and though he’d not get himself killed, she could not stand to watch him suffer through the pain.

He grabbed her arm as he shifted towards her, pain etched on his face. “You need to go find Jack. Now, Lilly, while you still have time to track him.”

“What I need to do is get you help. You’re still bleeding.” She tried to stay calm, but the sight of his blood soaking his clothing was more than she could bear.

“Please do as I ask, love.” He brushed her cheek. “I’m healing as we speak, but if I have to go back to the Elders to let them know I let Jack escape, these injuries will be the least of my worries.”

“Mason…” She gritted her teeth in frustration. “I cannot leave you like this.”

“I need you to do this.” He brought her hand to his lips. “I promise to make it up to you.”

“In the condition you’re in, I doubt it.” But already his battle was won, and they both knew it.

“Do you still have my pistol?”

She felt the hard metal through the cloth of her jacket, though it was little comfort. “I have it. But I swear, Mason, if you die on me, I’ll not forgive you.”

He pulled her in for a hard kiss and then let her go. “’Tis hard to kill the already dead, love.”

***

Lilly managed to find Jack’s energy, faint as it was, and followed it down the garden path. She was surprised no one had come to investigate the sound of gunshots, though she knew people were disinclined to get involved in things that might be deemed unsavory—or worse, that they might somehow be implicated in a crime. It was always better to let someone else deal with such disagreeable and common matters.

Jack’s trail followed a straight path out of the garden and down the road. When she got to a small green, his energy seemed to tangle and scatter, as if he’d paced the area in every direction possible. Cursing, she tried to clear her head and think of the matter logically, instead of relying on his energy. There were six roads that fanned out around the green, but she knew not which to pick.

Circling the green with the hope Jack’s energy would return to a single thread, she soon realized he’d likely walked the entire area before triggering Mason’s spell, knowing he may need to get away without being followed. If he also took a carriage, it would sever the trace, making it impossible for her to track him, especially with her limited abilities. His sharp intellect had been one of the things that attracted her to him. Now, she found herself cursing him for it.

Walking down the dark paths of the green, she stopped suddenly when the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She spun around, but there was nothing other than the shadows of night.

“Jack?” Silence. “Jack, if that’s you, I swear you better answer me.” Something didn’t feel right.

And then she knew why. When he stepped out onto the path, Lilly took a step back, her breath catching as her heart thundered away, her pulse deafening.

“A lady should not be walking alone so late at night.” He took a step towards her, the moonlight catching on the planes of his face, casting his angular features in shadow. “It could be dangerous.”

Lilly knew it would do no good to glamour him, for he had already proven himself unaffected by a reaper’s protection. Perhaps she’d have better luck with Mason’s pistol. She took another step back as her hand closed around the cold hard metal. Steadying her nerves, she pushed aside her fear.

In one fluid motion she pulled the pistol from her pocket and leveled it at the man standing before her, refusing to be intimidated. “Who are you and why are you following me?”

“I’m sorry if I’ve frightened you, m’ lady. I mean you no harm. My name is Stefan.” He slowly spread his arms out in front of him as if to show her he had nothing to hide.

“You’ve still not answered my other question, for I doubt your presence, time and again, has been a coincidence.” Lilly’s grip on the pistol tightened when Stefan shifted sideways, stepping into the dark and away from the moonlight.

“With such beauty, who could stay away?” Lilly strained to see his movements, with little luck. “Soon, m’ lady, we will meet again and will have more time to ourselves. I promise.”

A shiver crawled down her spine and then she could see him no more. Fear clenched her tight in its grip, leaving her scared he would catch her with her guard down. Where was he? Was he still there? She thought she heard the crunching of dried leaves underfoot.

Chastising herself for letting him slip away, she moved in the direction he’d gone, the dark of night swallowing her. When she heard footsteps walking towards her, panic rose tight in her chest, her hand sweaty around the pistol’s grip. She swore she’d happily let Jack go free if he’d step to her side and keep her safe, for she knew nothing about defending herself. The footsteps neared and she raised the pistol once again, her grip tight on the trigger, ready to shoot.

“Mum?” Mason’s driver came into view, and she let out a sigh, her limbs turning to jelly with relief. “Lord Archer sent me to find you. Is everything all right?”

Lilly gave a final glance at the darkness, but Stefan must have made his escape by now—and good riddance. Hopeful she’d not need it again, she slipped the pistol back into her pocket. “Yes, I think everything is fine now.”

Back at the carriage, Lilly climbed up and settled in, happy to be back by Mason’s side. Worried about his injuries once more, she would tell him about Stefan, but not just yet. Once he was home safe and healed, she’d let him know.

“Should we go to the Elders or can you mend on your own? I’ve never seen injuries this bad.” Shot at such a close range, the damage had been extensive.

“I’ll manage it myself.” Mason shifted in the plush seat of his carriage with a groan. “Were you able to trace Jack?”

Like a dog with a bone once he had something in that one-track mind of his.

“I followed his energy as far as the green but once there, it seemed to be everywhere. I’m convinced he took the time to mask his trail before going to the house so we’d not be able to follow.” She took his hand and gave it a squeeze, for Jack’s intentions were becoming clear. “He knew you’d be waiting for him, Mason. I think he planned to injure you in retaliation for meeting with his wife.”

Mason scoffed, as he gave her a sideways glance. “And that surprises you, love? You are too naïve.”

She yanked her hand away from his. “I’m not naïve, Mason. I just try to give others the benefit of the doubt.” She shifted in her seat to pin him with a steely gaze. “How do you think we manage to maintain any relations? For certainly, I’d not come within ten feet of you if I didn’t have just a little faith in your humanity and kindness.”

“My humanity and kindness, aye?” A hard bump in the road left Mason stifling a groan and Lilly wondering whether he was healing quickly enough. Despite his condition, he leaned over and kissed her cheek, a hint of a smile upon his lips. “Well, if there’s any hope for me, then it’s to your credit.”

He was doing it again—tearing at her defenses with words unexpected. Words made all the more potent when set against his normal crass antagonism. Words that left her confused and vulnerable.

Not wanting to discuss their relations again, she decided to distract him, instead. “While I was looking for Jack, that man—the one who can see our true nature—approached me.”

“Why did you not say?” Cursing out loud, Mason grabbed her hand. “Did he hurt you?”

“No, though he did a good job of frightening me.” She hated Mason knowing how vulnerable she felt, but thought it best to be honest with him. “His name is Stefan, though he did not give me a surname.”

“And you’re not harmed?” He looked her over as if seeing her for the first time that evening, though in the shadows of night, she knew not what he expected to see.

“Mason…” She swallowed hard at the recollection. “He said we’d soon meet again and would have plenty of time to ourselves. The way he said it… it scared me.”

“I promise I’ll keep you safe, love.” He cupped her cheek, and she leaned into his hand, desperately needing to feel him close, despite the distance she’d been trying to put between them only moments earlier.

“I do not like that he keeps turning up. How does he even know where I’ll be?”

Mason pulled her into his arms, and she carefully leaned her head on his shoulder, hoping she’d not hurt him. “It could be that he’s following you, though if he’s clairvoyant, he may also be using his ability to find you. Either way, I do not like it one bit.”

“What will we do?” With her days spent wandering about London on her reaps, she knew it’d be impossible to constantly keep her guard up.

“We’ll need to speak to the Elders. They may have an easier time finding the man. In the mean time, I want you to stay with me.”

“In your home? It’s out of the question.” Her heart would not stand a chance if she started playing house with Mason.

“Is it really? When there’s a maniac following you?” And then she felt a change in him, his head cocked, his eyes hard. “Well, I’m afraid you’ve no choice in the matter. You’re not only important to this investigation, but imperative, if we have any hope of catching Jack. I’ll send someone to fetch your things.”

Lilly cocked an eyebrow and crossed her hands before her chest. “And the chancellor returns once more.”

As chancellor, he’d be infuriating, but safe. However, living under the same roof as him, even if just a temporary measure, was anything but. If there was one thing that was dangerous, it’d be having Mason close by with no way to escape his charms. Her heart wouldn’t stand a chance.

Quite frankly, she’d rather take her chances with Stefan.

***

Lilly carefully peeled Mason’s shirt from his body, the dry blood sticking the fabric to his skin. The shot had torn through his chest just right of his heart and come out the other end. Though the wound had already closed up on the surface, it was clear he’d need more time to fully heal. She kept telling herself he could not die, but she knew, had he not been a reaper, he’d likely have bled out in her arms, then and there.

“Should I send for Pierce? I’m sure he’d want to know about your injury.” Lilly knew Pierce and Mason were close.

He shook his head while she helped him lay back onto the bed. “No. He’ll do nothing but fret, and I need him to finish his investigation in the country. I sent him to check on Jack’s family outside of London.”

“You know Pierce will be none too happy when he finds out you got shot—and even less happy that you didn’t send for him.”

Mason let out a grunt of dismissal. “I’ll heal before long.”

“Well, I’m glad you can so easily dismiss getting shot.”

Still worried, Lilly retrieved the cloth and bowl of hot water. With a gentle touch, she sat by his bedside and cleaned away the blood while trying to keep her hands from shaking. How could Jack shoot him like that? Without hesitation or remorse.

Mason said nothing while she tended to him, and it only made matters worse since the silence brought her emotions to the surface. She dropped the cloth in the water now tainted crimson with Mason’s blood. “Have you sent word to the Elders?”

He pursed his lips in annoyance. “No. It can wait until tomorrow. I want a chance to heal fully before dealing with them.” He took her hand in his, fingering the silver ring she wore on her right hand. “I’ve sent for your things. I know you’re not pleased about staying here, but I’ll not risk that maniac getting his hands on you, especially when your defenses as a reaper have no affect on the man. You know not what he’s capable of, and though you cannot die again, there are horrors far worse.”

“The thought never occurred to me, Mason.” Lilly refrained from further sarcasm, still on edge from all that had occurred. “Do you think you’ll have healed fully by tomorrow?”