Raven's Breath (The Women of Purgatory) (4 page)

6

He lifted the lid and my stomach dropped.

It was a pure white satin dress––the same dress the woman in my dream had been wearing, and apparently Garrett had ordered it. "Who is that for?" I couldn't hold my tongue.

"Again, I'm not sure. But according to the note inside I'm suppose to put it in back and someone will be by later today to pick it up." He shrugged like the mysterious package was no big deal.

My head threatened to burst and my wings ached. I was losing control. I had to get out of here before my inner light ignited and I sent Drey on a ride straight to Heaven or Hell.

"Is something wrong, Raven? You look like you're about to go off."

"I'm sorry, Drey. Thanks for everything, but I have to go."

I rushed from the shop, extended my wings, and shot into the air. Flying always helped to calm my nerves, and right now I definitely needed to calm down or I was going to kill Garrett. How could he lie to me? Apparently, he
had
known more about the female if he'd ordered her a fucking dress.
UUUGGHHH!

I pushed faster into the gloomy sky, closing my eyes and letting myself drift amongst the phenoms, their soft wisps caressing me as I flew. Rain pelted my face and I began to calm; the drops washing away the sting of betrayal
I couldn't help but feel. It was one thing for Death to bring on a new female for whatever purpose, but it was another for my best friend to lie to me about it. I thought it was the bite of the storm against my skin that reminded me that while I was technically dead, I was still very much alive, but in reality, it was the pain piercing my heart that drove the fact home.

I soared through my window and threw the now soaked bag of shirts onto the bed, following them down until my face was buried in my periwinkle duvet.

Jolted by the buzzing in my pocket, I dug out my phone and snarled as I read the text.
"GARRETT: Just got done with my meeting, where you at?"

I debated texting back
, "In Hell, wanna come meet me!"
but I doubted my angry response would have made much sense to him at the moment. So, instead I simply replied,
"At home."

"Cool. Wanna grab
lunch in an hour?"
How could he act like nothing had happened? Like lying to me was an everyday occurrence?
Hmph.
Maybe it was.

"Where?"

"Digger's?"

"See you there."

Could he sense the anger in my snappy texts? Did he have any idea the fury he was about to face?

Highly doubtful
.

Forty-five minutes later the inside of my cheek was raw. I couldn't wait any longer. I darted back out of my bedroom window and veered towards
Digger's
. It was one of Garrett's and my favorite restaurants. The atmosphere was that of a graveyard, with eerie lighting, tombstones, and caskets intermingled throughout. Top that off by the fact that the owner, Digger, had been an actual grave digger in his previous life, it was all rather poetic.

I pushed through the heavy door and walked to the furthest booth in the back. It was a semi-circle of black leather and brass studs, the curved back reaching high above my head.
Perfect.
While I didn't think our conversation was going to be a pleasant one, I wouldn't embarrass Garrett or myself in public.

"Hey, Raven!" Garrett excitedly slid in next to me.

"Hey." I lowered my head, avoiding his eyes. Apparently my subdued response wasn't enough of a giveaway to my mood because Garrett immediately started rambling on about his meeting.

"Raven! Are you even listening to me?"

I wasn't. Clearly. But the second I started paying attention my anger fizzled like a cheap ball of bath salts.

"I just told you that I know the identity of the new female Reaper, and you're not going to believe this! Death had me special order a dress for her this morning. A white satin dress, just like the one you saw in your dream!"

"Wow. That is crazy."

"Oh, and her name is Holli...with an 'i'," Garrett stated.

Of course it is.

Garrett and I continued to discuss what he'd learned during his meeting. Apparently, Death had given him the same old story about wanting another female Reaper to help collect the lost souls.

I shook my head. I wasn't buying it. I couldn't forget the sexual tension that overshadowed what I saw in that dream.

"I'm telling you. There's more to it than that," I argued.

"Well, I'm telling you, that's all I know. Her name is Holli, she'll be here tomorrow night, and he demanded that a white satin dress be sent down from topside immediately."

"Tomorrow night, huh? I wonder if he's going to keep her all to himself for a while, or make a big presentation of her?"

"Actually, there's a party scheduled for All Hallows Eve."

"Oh for fuck's sake. Can he be any more dramatic?" I wanted to gag at the fanfare I knew Death would be putting on.

Garrett laughed at my obvious disgust. "Come on, Raven. It's only a few days away and you know how he loves the holidays. It's only natural."

"Are you defending him?"

He shrugged. "Defending him against what? He hasn't done anything wrong. He's recruiting another female Reaper and will be announcing her at his favorite party. So what! If you remember correctly, we celebrated you for at least a week straight when you showed up."

I flopped back against the booth, crossed my arms, and tried to reel in my bottom lip. He was right. It was Death's choice to bring on whoever he wanted for whatever reason, and presenting them to the rest of Reapers at a party had always been a normal occurrence. So, why was this bothering me so much?

Jealousy, plain and simple.
Whether Holli was meant to be Death's girlfriend or not, she was still a hit to my ego.

"Raven, just let it go. You will always be the
first
female Reaper in history, no matter how many other women Death drags into Purgatory."

I reached for his hand and smiled. Again, he was right.
Now, if only I can get rid of this terrible feeling.
I had ice in my veins.

7

Garrett and I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing my errands which included a trip to the dry cleaners, a run to the market, and a visit to a liquor store called
The Last Stop
. It was now early evening on the first day of my vacation and I had no idea what to do. Normally, being alone was my first choice and I was comfortable with that, but I couldn't deny the needling feeling that I should be living it up before Holli arrived and completely shifted my world.

Live it up?
Ha!
We lived in Purgatory for crying out loud. An endless expanse of gray and gloom, reminiscent of old London. I supposed Garrett and I could run across the rooftops, pretending one of the phenoms was the infamous Mr. Hyde, and see how we'd fair at tracking and catching the notorious beast, but instead I simply took Garrett out for a flight above the rooftops. When we returned, I found myself happier and more at ease than I thought was possible only a few hours ago.

"That was fun! I don't remember the last time you took me flying." Garrett flopped down on my couch, out of breath.

"Yeah, it was, we should do it more often. Hey, do you want some wine?"

"Sure. That sounds good."

I popped the cork, poured two glasses, and returned to the living room. Garrett was just about to reach for his when a loud knock resounded from the front door.

I looked at the clock and glanced at Garrett. His eyebrows lifted as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Who is it?" I called out.

"Death."

I froze, the glasses threatening to slip from my grasp if I took even one more step.

Death had never visited my home before, and his appearance here tonight did not bode well.

"Just a moment, please." I didn't know what else to say. I sat my glass down and took a second to gather my thoughts. I didn't want to seem flustered in front of Death, in fact, I always made it a point not to.

I opened the door. "Please come in." With a swipe of my hand I gestured inside.

"Thank you, Raven. I'm sorry to call on you at this hour." The ring of sincerity in his words surprised me.

"Of course, it's fine. Garrett and I were just sitting down to watch a movie. How can I help you this evening, Sir."

Death stole a quick glance at Garrett before continuing. "Unfortunately, I have to cut your vacation short. Another outbreak of phenoms has just been reported topside. I'll need you to start gathering them right away."

My shoulders fell and I exhaled sharply.

"Is that a problem?"Death asked, his terse tone enough to snap me to attention.

"No. Of course not. Just let me get changed and I'll be on my way."

"Great. You'll need to use portal seventy-five."

I started towards my bedroom but halted when Death continued.

"Oh, and Raven, just one more thing."

8

I turned around and froze. Standing in my living room was the beautiful Holli, her white wings filling my doorway as her satin dress pooled on my floor.

"Raven, this is Holli. I'd like her to accompany you tonight."

I clenched my fists. Was he kidding? I couldn't believe this. Not only had Holli showed up a day early, but now he thought it was a good idea to shove her down my throat on a mission?

"Um, with all due respect, Sir. I don't think sending a new recruit on a gathering mission as their first assignment is a good idea. As you said yourself, I need to hurry and she would only slow me down." I lifted my chin and crossed my arms.

The look on Death's face sent chills down my spine. Silence hung in the air and Garrett seized the opportunity to jump up from the couch and reach for Holli's hand.

"Hi, Holli. I'm Garrett. It's nice to meet you."

I'm gonna kill him.
How dare my best friend speak to her, let alone be nice to her.