When The Grave Calls (The Veil Diaries #9) - B.L. Brunnemer Page 0,27

one?”

He looked down at his hands. “Well, a normal person can’t. It’s not like going out and adopting a cat. There has to be a danger and a need for a familiar. Even then, you might not get one. A higher power needs to assign one to you.”

“And who assigned you to Lexie?”

“Her Reaper grandmother.” He set the wrench down next to the others. “She went to my mother, and they decided there was enough need to send me. They made sure that the information on Neapolitan Mastiffs made it to Miles, they spelled the breeder, and I was brought to you.”

“That’s a lot of work to keep things a secret.”

He nodded. “You were never supposed to know I had a human form, but the circumstances warranted exposure.”

“You saved Lexie,” I said. “That’s what matters.”

“Luckily, the compulsion wiped Rory’s memory of it.” He picked up a screwdriver and spun it in his hands. “Otherwise, he’d hate me as much as Lexie does.”

Probably. Lexie had decided that it was one secret Rory couldn’t know. And frankly, I agreed. Finding out the dog you let lay on your chest while you watched football had a human form? Yeah, there’d be an issue. “She doesn’t hate you. She’s confused by you.”

He nodded as he set down the screwdriver.

“So, they give you a job and send you off as a baby?” I asked, hoping to take his mind off of Lexie. “Without instruction? Isn’t that kind of rough?”

He nodded. “That’s the way it is. Familiars aren’t running through the streets. There aren’t a lot of us. Our instincts usually guide us in the right direction. Once a contract was made, my entire purpose was to protect Lexie. From nightmares, to her enemies, shadow people, demons, humans, all of it.”

“And that’s where you run into a problem with Lexie. She’s saying the opposite of your instincts.” At least that was clear.

He nodded again.

A question came to mind, an old one. One that I needed to know the answer to. “Have you ever thought to protect her from me?”

His head snapped up, his eyes meeting mine. “No.”

“I mean”—I took a breath— “did you ever get the feeling that I shouldn’t be near her? That I might hurt her?”

“Never.” He tilted his head to the side in a very Lexie manner. “You don’t have that in you, Zeke.”

My eyes began to burn as I looked down at the floor. “How can you tell?”

“Instinct,” he said. “There’s a level of soul death that accompanies abusers, and I don’t see that in you.”

I glanced up at him. “Soul death?”

“Parts of their souls that are dead or damaged,” he explained. “It happens sometimes by going through trauma. Some are born that way, some are taught to be that way, but it all results in the same kind of rot on their souls that is deep down. You don’t have that.”

Relief had me leaning against the truck. “Thanks.”

“No, thank you,” Hades said. “I think you’re right. I should give her some space and time.”

“No problem.” I watched as the familiar walked out of the garage, still confused. I could only hope I gave him good advice. His words ran through my head. I didn’t have soul rot. I wasn’t my father.

Lexie

I was half asleep in Miles’ room when something broke the silence. A voice, small and sobbing.

I bolted upright, trying to find the source of the sound.

Miles opened his eyes. “Angel? What’s wrong?”

“Not me,” I whispered.

He sat up beside me as I searched the room.

A small, frightened whimper drew my attention to the corner of the room. A girl was curled up there. Her small face looked up at me, her light eyes wide as tears poured down her face. “Make it stop.”

My breath caught. It was the girl from my dreams. I pushed back my covers and got to my feet. In that time, she blinked out of existence.

“Did you see what I saw?” Miles got out of his side of the bed.

I nodded. “That’s the girl from my dream.”

“Where’d she go?” Miles asked, worry lining his face.

Our eyes met a heartbeat before we rushed out of the bedroom.

Miles went to Isaac’s room while I hauled ass down the hall to Zeke’s.

We both pounded on doors until everyone was awake.

After a thorough search we met in the living room.

Jessica shoved her mussed hair out of her face and squinted at us. “What is the matter with you people, don’t you ever sleep?”

“Not when a possibly dead girl is wandering around