Chapter 2

Ru’s forehead crinkled. She wondered what kind of “not good” information wouldn’t concern Nat. “Okay,” she replied, picking up her phone off of the nightstand and shoving it in her back pocket as she followed him out into the hallway and down the stairs. Chills went up her spine as she considered all of the possibilities, but she tried to keep herself calm until she knew whether or not there was really something to panic about. Rider could be jumping to conclusions.

Angel Grove was well over two hundred years old. The house had been constructed just before the Revolutionary War when Keepers realized there was a portal in the area and that they needed to be nearby so as to control the flow of Reapers from one world to the next. They had thought for many years that the portal lay dormant, yet about the time that Sky, Lyric’s sister and their lifeline to the realm where an entirely different group of Keepers operated sort of behind the scenes, instructing teams of Keepers on Earth, found out that there was a possibility Ru was in New York, activity around Reaper’s Hollow began to increase. That was one of the reasons Cutter had determined it was worth it to look at Reaper’s Hollow more closely, which had led him to Ruin Roberts, fourth grade teacher at Thomas Elementary School, Keeper of the Light, lost to the Keepers as a small child when her mother fell in love with a Reaper and was nearly destroyed by the Archangel Raphael. It all sounded like something out of a myth or a fairytale, and yet that was her life.

Cutter was sitting on the sofa in the parlor exactly where he’d been sitting the night he revealed to her that she wasn’t who she thought she was, and in fact, her name wasn’t even what she believed it to be. He’d shown her a birth certificate with her real name, Rune Seraphina Raphaels Ronobes, on it; she’d freaked out and demanded to be taken home by someone else immediately. That someone else, Lyric Gabriels, sat in a chair beside him, running a hand through her short pink hair, looking nervous. On the other end of the sofa, sitting in a matching chair, Ivy Uriels chewed on her bottom lip while running her hands down her long, blonde braid.

“Wow, everyone looks so… anxious,” Ru said, laughing as she entered the room in an attempt to lighten the mood. “What’s up?” She took a seat next to Cutter, though not right next to him. Things had been a little off again since she’d practically held up a neon sign that read, “Kiss me!” the other night in her hotel room, which he’d either misread or run from. Giving him some space seemed like a good idea.

Rider sat down in a chair across from the couch and nodded at Cutter, who inhaled deeply before he said, “We have an issue, and I’m not sure what we can do to fix it.”

“Okay…” Ru said, drawing both vowels out a bit longer than necessary. “What is it?

“It’s your mom,” Cutter explained. “There’s a chance she might be in danger.”

Ru felt her stomach tighten and a bout of nausea swept over her. “What?” she asked. She’d just found her mom. The thought that something bad might happen to her now that they had finally reconnected made the panic well up inside of her. “What kind of danger? Rider said that this didn’t involve Nat.”

“It doesn’t,” Cutter assured her, though his voice didn’t sound any less stressed. “This is a different threat, and while I’m almost certain she won’t actually be harmed, she’s not going to like what’s about to happen.”

Ru looked from Cutter’s face to the others, one by one, trying to read them. Everyone seemed to know something she didn’t. She returned her eyes to her mentor, the Keeper who’d taught her just about everything she knew about who she really was. “Well, if it’s not Nat, what is it? Another Reaper? A demon? The devil himself?” Thinking back to the story her mother had told her about how an Archangel had come down from Heaven and banished her father to Hell, she said, “Oh, my God, is it Raphael?”

“No,” Cutter said, reaching out and placing his hand on her knee. “It’s…”

“It’s my sister.”

Ru turned her head to look straight into Lyric’s blue eyes. Confusion hit her like an ocean wave at high tide. “What? Your sister?”

“Sky.” Ru nodded, still confused, but at least she knew exactly who they were talking about now, although she’d never met Sky. She knew she was pretty powerful, though. “She’s headed that way.”

“But…” Ru began, shifting her eyes back to Cutter, “I thought you said you didn’t tell her where we were going.”

“I didn’t. I promise,” he said, and by the look on his face, she could tell he was being honest. She returned her gaze to Lyric.

“Hey, I was just as shocked as you are.” Once again, she saw nothing but honesty. She looked at Rider and Ivy and knew it hadn’t been anyone in this room.

“Then who…?”

“I have no idea how she found out,” Cutter answered before the question was even fully out of her mouth. “We will figure it out, but for now, we need to get over there and warn your mom. There’s a chance we might be able to stop Sky from whatever she is trying to do, but we can’t do it from here.”

“I’ve tried to contact my big sis, but she’s ignoring me,” Lyric said, her words laced with sarcasm even as her voice trembled in exasperation. “She didn’t take her whole team, but no one else whose back at her base knows what her intentions are.”

“And what do we think it is?” Ru asked, afraid of the answer.

“Hopefully, she just wants to bring her home,” Cutter said with a shrug.

“I sure the hell hope that’s all,” Rider muttered. It wasn’t like him to be so quiet, so Ru knew he was genuinely concerned.

“Okay, well, then, let’s head to the airport,” Ru exclaimed standing up and spinning around, like she didn’t even know where to begin.

“Hold on there, Ru,” Cutter said, reaching out for her arm and pulling her back to the sofa so that she was sitting right next to him. “We don’t have time for that.”

“Huh?” she asked, looking into his eyes for clarity.

“Sky left hours ago. We just found out about it. She is physically already in London.” Ivy’s voice sounded meek, almost a whisper, and Ru turned to face her. “There’s a good chance she’s already driving to Holy Island.”

“There are obstacles that might slow her down. Tides, the causeway, all of those things…. But there’s no reason to mess with them when you don’t have to,” Lyric continued. “Especially when it’s faster to do it the other way.”

“The other way?” Ru questioned, shifting her eyes from face to face again. She was glad for Cutter’s hand on her arm. His touch helped to center her, despite the surge of adrenaline beginning to take over her body.

“Manifestation,” Rider reminded her.

She’d only seen it once, when Rider had shown up in her bedroom in Los Angeles after she’d had a run-in with Nat. She’d never even tried herself. “You think Sky will go to my mom in person so that she can physically take her out—but we can get there first if we manifest and warn her—and what else?”

“Ward Sky off, hopefully,” Lyric explained. “Maybe if I get there before they take your mom, I can talk some sense into my sister. Although, she’s never been that sensible.” The last part was a mumble, barely audible, and it didn’t make Ru feel better.

“So… we need to get over there as soon as we can,” Cutter said, his tone even and soothing. “That way, your mom will have a fighting chance.”

“But I have no idea how to do that,” Ru reminded them.

“I know,” Cutter nodded. “And hopefully, I can show you. But if you can’t do it, Ru, we won’t have any choice but to go without you.”

“Go without me?” she repeated. “No, I need to be there. My mom needs me.”

“Okay, then,” Cutter agreed. “Then you and I are going to head to the dark room while these other three go ahead and make the jump. You guys, find Maggie, and keep an eye on her. Try not to approach her until I get there at least. I’ll see if I can bring Ru with me, but if Sky shows up, do what you have to.” He was looking at Lyric then, and she nodded. He glanced at Rider, whose ire was clearly up, and Ivy had a resolute expression on her face as well.

With a deep breath, Ru stood up again, praying that she would be able to do this in time to help her mom. The idea of leaving her body behind and manifesting in another location on Earth and manifesting seemed so unbelievable to her, she had no idea how she could ever pull it off, but she had to try, for her mother. Cutter took her hand and hurried her toward the stairs. She followed, trying to concentrate on her breathing.