Excerpt From The Official Reaper Rulebook:
7. Atheists are to be kept at peace in their coffins—no exceptions.
Riley crawls forward and rolls Dracula onto his back, searching for any sign of life before letting out a relieved sigh. There was no pulse or heartbeat, the corpse pliable under her hands as she tilted his chin up. His eyes had turned pitch black, looking more like a demon in a Supernatural episode the longer she stared.
"It's done," she calls to the others," he's dead." There's a crunching of snow underfoot and then the group was surrounding her, careful not to get too close as she set to work. The soul was easy to extract, a golden vapor that poured out of his mouth and settled in her hand. She puts it in the bowl before taking up the dagger and opening the journal, flipping through the pages until she finds the one she needs. "I've never actually done this before, so I'm not quite sure what to expect."
"We trust you," Malcolm says, probably not realizing just how comforting those words are. She sucks in a deep breath and holds it as she draws the blade across her palm, letting some of the sapphire blood pour into the bowl with the soul; she uses the dagger to mix it all together, adding a sprinkle of graveyard dirt. The mixture began to bubble, the bowl heating up between her hands as she raises it.
The magic flows out of her as she began reciting the spell, the words tumbling off her tongue in a rush that even she barely understood. Riley spoke them in Chinese, her first language easier than English to her.
"The night—tho' clear—shall frown—
And the stars shall not look down,
From their high thrones in the heaven,
With light like hope to mortals given—
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever.
The buried, dead, and slain rise again!"
Riley says the words over and over again, repeating them until the wind was whipping around her like a miniature cyclone and the mixture in the bowl was nearly boiling over. Still repeating the spell, she tips the bowl forward and onto the grave, focusing on the liquid as it soaks through the snow and into the dirt.
"In the name of Grim," she yells over the noise," I command Vanessa Ives' soul be released to reenter her body! In the name of Anubis, I command Vanessa Ives to rise again and walk among the living! In my name, I command Vanessa Ives to live again!" She beats a fist against the earth once and a ball of light shoots out of the ground, driving her backwards.
When she sits up again and the dust clears, a woman is standing in a small crater, her dress settling around her legs once again as the wind died down. She was beautiful, porcelain skin nearly whiter than her dress with black hair that fell across her shoulders in beautiful waves; her eyes were round and blue like sea glass, nose thin and narrow over a pair of pink lips.
There's a moment of silence, like everyone was too shocked to do much more than stare before Ethan and Malcolm surged forward and took her in their arms. Vanessa's eyes widened at the sudden contact, staring around blindly for a moment before what was happening seemed to click into place. She lets out a strangled noise, clutching at the men like they were the only things keeping her grounded.
"Ethan," she chokes out," Malcolm? I don't understand…. How is this possible?" Ethan just hugs her tighter against him, one arm around her waist while his free hand moved over her hair again and again. "Is this a miracle?"
"Something like that," Malcolm says through tears. "The only thing that matters right now is that you're back." Cat and Andrew kneel on either side of Riley, both of them grinning like lunatics as they watch Vanessa climb out of her grave with some help from John. Vanessa still seemed dazed—and who could blame her?—but she was rolling with the situation as best she could.
"Cat?"
"That's right," Cat nods, helping Riley to stand. "You didn't think I'd miss seeing you brought back to life, did you?" Tears gathered in the brunette's eyes, but she held them back valiantly. "Let's get you home."
It was a week later before Riley and Andrew returned to Grandage Place, the snows finally gone and the weather growing warm as summer approached. Andrew was still adjusting to being a full-fledged vampire, staring around with wide eyes at things he'd never noticed before like the fine lines of a spider's web floating past a familiar metal door.
"You okay," she asks, running her fingers through his dark hair. It was starting to grow longer and shone under the sunlight, rat free and silky from having proper baths now that he lived with her. Like Cat had predicted, Andrew had become stuck to her side and didn't seem to be going anywhere soon.
"I'm great," he says, grinning up at her. It would be maybe a year before he was taller than her, though that wasn't a great feat if she were being honest. He was going through a growth spurt which meant eating her out of house and home and Riley spending long hours trying to adjust Han's clothes to fit the broader boy. "I've never been to a party before."
"You're gonna love it. There's a lot of food to eat and people to annoy."
"And a certain faerie warrior that you like." Riley can feel a deep blush coloring her cheeks at the mention of Cat, sending a suspicious glare in Andrew's direction. "Relax, I already know the agreement. I get all the snacks I want as long as I don't tell Catriona that you actually want to do more than kiss."
"You're a fast learner." With one last smile sent his way, she raises her hand and raps her fist against the door. She could hear a conversation trailing off just inside the hallway and then the door was swinging open to reveal Vanessa and Cat. Now that she'd bathed and had some recovery time, Vanessa looked healthier than the last time Riley had seen her, dressed in a dark plum color that brought out the flecks of green in her eyes.
"I was beginning to think you two weren't coming," she says, stepping aside to let them in. "Thankfully, Cat restored my faith." She sends a teasing smile at the redhead, winking. "Speaking of, I think the two of you have something to discuss." Riley's brows knit together as she tries to think of anything important, drawing a blank. "Come on, Andrew, you and I will have some cake while these two announce their feelings for each other."
"Hey," Andrew says when Riley glares down at him," you said I couldn't tell Cat about that romantic mush, you never said I couldn't tell everyone else." He loops an arm through Vanessa's and leads the way into the kitchen, leaving the two women behind to talk about things Riley would rather not think of. Okay, so she thought about those things more than is probably advised, but could anyone blame her?
"That seems about right," she sighs, kicking the door shut.
"Vanessa's promised that we'll have the sitting room to ourselves for a bit," Cat says, nodding towards the room. "Would you like to take advantage of the quiet?" Riley nods, worrying at her bottom lip as she walks beside Cat into the spacious room. With the fire roaring, it was comfortably warm and Riley's bare legs were thankful.
"So…. Feelings…."
"Feelings," she echoes with a nod. They stand in awkward silence for a few minutes, looking anywhere except at each other until Cat clears her throat. "Why is this so difficult when we've both been alive for centuries?" Riley didn't have an answer for her, never good at relationships that were anything except familial. "Look, I'd really like to spend more time with you besides just making out whenever we can. Would you like to go on another date sometime?"
"I'd love to." Riley gives her a relieved smile, the tightness in her chest easing up when she realized Cat wasn't breaking up with her. "My hour glass is almost full again, so maybe we can hit a steakhouse sometime in the next two weeks."
"That's sounds fun. We can throw peanut shells at homophobes until we get kicked out."
"Wow, that's the perfect date." More comfortable, they settle down on the couch with Riley pressed against Cat's side. The position was so natural to fall into, their bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces as they get cozy. "I'll have to find a babysitter for Andrew, though."
"Get Grim to do it. After all, he's gonna need practice if you plan on officially adopting our little vampire."
"I haven't talked to him about it yet, but I'm hopeful." The truth was simple, Andrew's only remaining family was an older brother that had sold him to Dracula nearly a month ago and he held nothing but ill will towards the human. His parents had died when he was seven, he couldn't remember them much, so it made sense that he was so starved for affection. He's spent the past week sleeping beside her, at least one foot touching her at all times as though he was afraid she'd disappear in a puff of smoke.
"You alright inside that head of yours?" Cat taps a finger against Riley's temple for emphasis, cocking up a brow. "You look panicked."
"Just thinking about all the changes about to happen."
"Well, relax because I'm going to be by your side during all of them. We'll work through everything together and anyone that disagrees can go fly a kite, preferably very close to Cerberus so there's a chance of them being devoured."
"Now there's a comforting thought." She leans her head back, accepting Cat's lips against her own and reveling in the softness of them. The faerie tasted of sugar cookies and chocolate, a wonderful combination that made Riley's head swim as the kiss deepened. She could feel Cat's hand on her knee, thumb brushing the area right below the hem of her jean skirt. She could have lost herself right then and there, but a sound of absolute revulsion made them break apart.
"Save that for your bedroom," Andrew complains, nose scrunching up. Victor was pulling much the same expression, watching them over the rim of his glass. "Why do adults think they have to kiss all the time?" He looked up to the scientist for the answer, Victor offering up a shrug.
"Why do children think they need an entire plate filled with cookies," he returns.
"Because cookies are delicious, Victor. Kissing's just gross." He plops down on the couch, wiggling his way between the two women until he was comfortable. "Maybe some space will make you two act better."
"What if something else happens," Riley asks, sending Cat a wink over his head. The faerie catches on, shifting a little closer. "What if the lack of affection turns us into monsters?" He looks up right as the women strike, their fingers working up and down his sides as he wriggles to get away, laughing hard as they tickle him until all three were sprawled out on the floor.
"Alright, alright, go back to the kissing!" Cat drops a kiss to the top of his head and he shoves her away, quickly rubbing the spot with the sleeve of his coat. "Yuck, not me!" Before Riley could give him the same treatment, Andrew gets to his feet and moves to hide behind Victor.
"He's going to need therapy once he's grown," Victor points out with a smile.
"Isn't that every mother's prerogative," Cat asks," to drive her son mad with her affection?"
"I suppose it could be worse. Come on, Andrew, let's get you to the dining room before you trod any more cookies into Sir Malcolm's rug." The man leads the child out of the room, Cat and Riley not far behind him. It would be time to eat soon and they may as well find some good seats at the table. Deciding to give poor Andrew a break, Riley picks a chair next to John and lets the little boy sit between Ethan and Victor at the other end of the table.
"What's up, big guy," Riley greets, patting his shoulder. He was still as pale as he was the first time she saw him, but there was a happiness growing in him that made him look more alive.
"I…. Don't know how to answer that," he replies with a slight shake of his head.
"How are things going for you?"
"Oh, then I guess things are no worse than usual." She nods, taking a long pull of the wine John pours for her. Booze was definitely something she'd earned and she'd punch anyone that argued otherwise.
The dinner passed with good-natured conversation and teasing, the wine and brandy flowing freely well into the night. Turns out certain faerie warriors couldn't hold their liquor, so it only took a bottle of Malcolm's finest scotch to knock her out for the night.
"Yes, Shelley's good," Riley was saying as she hefted her girlfriend up and off the couch," but keep an eye out for a man named Poe. He won't be popular at first, but you'll fall in love with his stories and poems, big guy."
"Filled with all sorts of melancholy," John asks, a not-smile curling at one corner of his lips. "A troubled mind seeking respite and receiving none?"
"You hit the nail in the head." He makes a low sound, contemplative almost as he looks down at the book Victor had let him borrow. It was a thick tome filled with all sorts of flowery poetry from Wordsworth. Riley wasn't a big fan of the romantic stuff, she preferred a darker edge to the things she reads, the reality of tortured minds and grief.
"Clare may be to your tastes, Miss Liu."
"Maybe I'll check him out and send you some notes." I'm not drunk enough to discuss poetry with Frankenstein's monster. And yet here she is, doing that very thing with a Kailen fae drooling on her shoulder. "If y'all need anything in the future, just recite the spell I left with Vanessa and I'll come running. Well, maybe not running, but I'll definitely be jogging."
"Thank you so much," Vanessa says, stepping forward to capture her in a hug. "I can't begin to repay you for all you've gone through just to bring me back to my family."
"Repay me by not dying again until you're at least eighty." Vanessa pulls away with a smile, wrapping her arms around Ethan's waist. They made a beautiful couple, him all rough edges and her making up the softer side, though no less sharp. A perfect match if Riley's ever saw one, sure to have a difficult life, though it'll be filled with all kinds of love and adventure. The family that hunts monsters together, stays together. "Stay safe, y'all."
"Tell that blue-haired angel thank you for being so kind to me while I was dead." Riley and Andrew pause halfway to the front door, the Reaper looking back to Vanessa over her shoulder. "He gave me the grand tour of my private heaven and let me peek down at you all from time to time. He said he was breaking all kinds of rules, but that he'd figure it all out later on."
"Yeah, that sounds like Todd."
"The night—tho' clear—shall frown—
And the stars shall not look down,
From their high thrones in the heaven,
With light like hope to mortals given—
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever." Spirits of the Dead, Edgar Allan Poe
"The buried, dead, and slain rise again!" Beetlejuice
