Free Reap & Repent by Lisa Medley Page B

had taken many opportunities to heal and sustain each other with their light. Their connection was strong enough that if Kylen had passed, Deacon would have felt the loss. As long as Kylen had his soul, no matter how black it had become, Deacon would be linked to him even if he didn’t know exactly where the reaper was.
    He rose to pace around the small hospital room, his anxiety over Kylen’s whereabouts growing. Kylen’s appearance dragged up memories better left alone.
    Memories like the battle in Kosovo.
    And Kara …
    Deacon, Kylen and Kara had grown up together and graduated from the same training class in 1833. Deacon and Kylen had always been competitive with each other, and with Kara, their competitiveness switched to hyperdrive. They’d both vied for her attention, but as soon as it became clear which way the wind was blowing, Deacon backed off. Still, his feelings hadn’t changed.
    Kylen and Kara had spent many good years together. Hell, the three of them had. But when they were pulled to that battlefield in Kosovo, everything changed. More than thirty thousand dead in a less than a month. It had taken nearly a fourth of that many reapers and a handful of valkyries, including Kara, reaping around the clock to take care of the souls of the departed.
    And when Kara died on that battlefield, Kylen’s and Deacon’s lives were changed forever …
    A steady, high-pitched beep rang out in Deacon’s ears, shaking him from his reflections and snapping his attention back to the task at hand. Hospital staff hurried into the room, administering various treatments on the woman, but Deacon watched as her soul floated up from the shell of her body and reformed beside the bed.
    He rose and walked over to collect her, unseen by the nurses who bustled by him.
    Hers would be the first of many souls collected on this long, long day.
    * * *
    Ruth drove west toward town, trying not to process or analyze things too closely. Even with the loud driving beat of AC/DC blasting through her speakers, it was impossible not to replay her recent experiences in her mind.
    Huntsbury was a small-town suburb of Meridian, about twenty-five miles away, with a population hovering near five thousand. She could accomplish nearly everything she needed to there.
    Her first stop was at the funeral home to sign the paperwork she’d arranged over the phone with the hospital before all this reaper craziness had ensued. Since her mother had already made all of the arrangements, and had opted not to have a graveside service, there wasn’t much else to do in the short term. Her mother would be in the ground the day after Memorial Day.
    That mission completed, she headed to the grocery store.
    Though she ordered pretty much everything else over the internet, she had yet to figure out how to do her grocery shopping online in a way that wasn’t cost prohibitive. The last thing she felt like dealing with right now were uncomfortable auras…and God forbid if she saw a white one. Now that she knew she was supposed to do something about that, she’d feel compelled to help in some way. Too bad, she wasn’t sure exactly how. But she was determined that this would go smoothly. No eye contact, no awkward conversations with well-meaning locals who knew about her recent loss. In. Out. No problem.
    She played that mantra through her brain on repeat as she pushed a cart in from the parking lot toward the store. She decided to start in the produce section because even though she was more than willing to get the things Deacon had suggested, she also didn’t want to throw her diet to hell just yet.
    Picking out some nice strawberries, grapes and bananas for good measure, she tossed in lettuce, hothouse tomatoes and avocados as a pure act of rebellion. She never bought avocados because they were so high fat, but hey, a girl had to live a little.
    Very little,
she thought. She was pathetic.
    Making her way around to the meat counter, she considered some steaks for