Rachel Vincent - Reaper (Soul Screamers)

Staring down at the man on the bed, I couldnt help but suspect the coincidence. What were the chances hed be brought in on my first day at the hospital? Levi was a shrewd little bastard, and the man on the bedpractically gift-wrapped for me in a hospital gown, terror dancing in his eyeswas proof of that. I was no angel in life. Why should that be any different in death?

Okay, Im heading out Mom slid her purse over one shoulder on her way through the living room. Theres leftover lasagna in the fridge. And theres some bagged salad.

I nodded absently and flipped the channel to VH1 concert footage from one of the kids networkswhere I was not trying to catch a glimpse of my ex-girlfriend Addison, whod dumped me for a chance at stardom when she was cast in a pilot..

Tod. Mom sat on the coffee table, right in front of the television. Did you hear me?

Yeah. I leaned to the left and she mimicked my movement. Lasagna. Salad. Got it.

Im serious. Eat something green, okay? She snatched the remote and aimed it over her shoulder, and a second later the screen went dark. I started to complain, but then I noticed how tired she lookedthe beginnings of lines on a face that would look thirty years old for the next half a centuryand came up with a grin instead.

Do Skittles count?

Mom rolled her eyes. She never could resist my smile. Only if you save me the purple ones. She handed me the remote, but wouldnt let go when I tried to take it. Youre staying home tonight, right?

What am I, a leper? Its Friday night. I have plans.

She sighed. Change them. Please.

Mom

I need you to keep an eye on Nash.

Am I my brothers keeper? I tried another grin, but this time she wasnt buying it.

Tonight, youre his warden. It doesnt do me any good to ground him if I cant keep him at home.

Then why bother grounding him?

She leaned closer and lowered her voice, bright blue irises swirling slowly in dread and frustration, and the fact that she let me read her eyes was my first clue how serious she was. Humans wouldnt have been able to see itonly a fellow bean sidhe banshee, to the uninformedwould be able to read her emotions in her eyes, but she usually hid them from us too.

Because he snuck out in the middle of the night and drove to Holser House on a license still warm from the lamination! And an ineffective consequence is better than no consequence at all. At least, thats what Im telling myself. She raked one hand through her hair, then met my gaze with a worried one of her own. Hes not like you, Tod. Aside from a couple of notable exceptions, you tend to think things through, but Nash is ruled by his heart

I nearly choked on laughter. I think the organ hes ruled by is a little farther south, Mom.

She frowned. My point is that hes not taking this separation from Sabine very well. I thought some time apart would helpcool things down between them. But it seems to be doing the opposite. She let go of the remote and gave me a wistful smile. You and your brother could not be more different.

Because he thinks hes in love, and I dont believe in faerie tales?

Love isnt a faerie tale, Tod. But it isnt childs play either, and it makes me nervous how intense they are together.

You just dont want to be a grandmother, I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Thats definitely part of it, she admitted. My future grandchildren deserve better than teenage parents could give them. But beyond that, it isnt healthy, how wrapped up they are in each other. Relationships like that burn bright, but when they burn out, they leave everyone blistered. Do you understand what Im saying?

Youre condoning my playboy lifestyle, right? Because Im your favorite.

Mom laughed out loud. At least Nash doesnt get bored a month into a relationship. You, my hedonistic firstborn, are an entirely different kind of problem.

Hedonistic is another word for favorite, right? So thats a compliment?

She stood, still smiling. Eat something green. And read something without pictures. Those are not suggestions.

I turned the TV back on as she headed for the door. Ill take them both under advisement.

Nash! Mom called, one hand already on the front doorknob. Im leaving!

A door squealed open down the hall, and a minute later my little brother stood in the doorway, dark hair standing up all over like hed just woken up. And this is noteworthy because?

Because this is your official reminder that your grounding does not expire with daylight. Do not leave this house while Im at work.

Nash gave her a crooked grinpossibly the only feature my brother and I had in common. What if the house catches fire?

Roast marshmallows. And if it floods, youll go down with the ship. If theres a tornado, Ill meet both you and this house in Oz, after my shift. Got it?

I chuckled and Nash glared at me before turning back to our mother. Total house arrest. I got it.

Good. Ill see you both in the morning. Dont stay up too late. Then the door closed behind her. A moment later an engine started and her car backed down the driveway.

Mom told me to watch you. She thinks youre up to something, I said, when Nash just stared at me, leaning against the doorway into the hall.

Shes right. He crossed the room and sat on the coffee table, where shed sat minutes earlier. I need a favor.

Move. I shoved him out of the way and started flipping through the channels again.

What kind of favor?

The kind that only you and I can do, Nash said, and his hazel irises twisted in an intense storm of greens and browns. I turned the TV off and dropped the remote on the center couch cushion. Im going to pick up Sabine, and I need help convincing them to let her go.

Shit . Im confiscating your hair dryeryouve fried your brain. You cant just pick up Sabine without a court ordershes in a halfway house!

Nash nodded, like he didnt see the problem. Thats where the convincing comes in.

And by convincing, he meant Influencing. The female of our species was better known, historically and mythologically, by her iconic wail for the dying. What most of the human race didnt know was that where they heard a head-splitting scream, male bean sidhes like me and Nashheard an eerie, compelling song calling out to disembodied souls, keeping them from moving on.

Male bean sidhes' most prominent abilityInfluencewas also vocal in nature, and much more subtle than the females wail. But no less powerful. With nothing but a few words and some serious intent, we could make people do things. Make them want to do things. Like release Sabine from her court-mandated halfway house into the custody of her sixteen-year-old boyfriend.

You really think Im going to drive all the way to Holser House on a Friday night just to help you score a conjugal town pass for your delinquent girlfriend?

Not a town pass, Tod. Im not taking her for a walkIm breaking her out. Were breaking her out. You talk to whoevers on duty while I get Sabine. Then we leave. Simple. He shrugged, like things were really that easy in NashWorld.

Youre simple. I leaned back on the couch and crossed my arms over my chest, trying to figure out how to explain the problem so that even an impulsive, lovesick idiot twenty-two months my junior could understand. Okay, lookeverything youve said so far will probably work. Id certainly talked us both into and out of tougher situations before. But what happens after?