More Than Flesh & Bone

Chapter 3

SCREAM

I stared at Zed for approximately three seconds before throwing my head back and laughing. I laughed so hard that my lungs ached and tears rolled down my cheeks. I could hear him swearing beside me, but couldn't seem to stop my laughter long enough to say anything. I mean, seriously, what other reaction was there?

"Oh, man," I sputtered once I could catch my breath. "I really needed that."

He was stone-faced as he stared at me. "You done yet?"

I wiped a tear away and looked at him. He was livid. "Oh, come on, big guy. Don't tell me I managed to hurt your feelings. You tell me fairy tales are real and you expect me to what? Gasp? Faint? What reaction were you hoping for? Are you my prince charming? Did I come back to life because you woke me up with a kiss?"

From my vantage point, I could see a vein pulsing in his neck. He closed his eyes, the dark lashes tangling together as he took a deep breath.

"Not sure this is the time or place for meditation…"

His eyes flew open, and he glared at me. "Don't play stupid with me, Addison. It doesn't suit you."

My mouth snapped shut.

"I'll admit, I might not be the best person to give you the talk, but I'm what you've got, so you need to listen, and you need to listen well or you are about to find yourself in a world of shit you are not prepared for."

Something about the intensity of his stare had me nodding, my heart racing inside of my chest. "Okay," I managed, while inside I just kept thinking, Oh, shit. He might be telling me the truth.

Truth carries a certain weight to it. You know it when you hear it, and right now I was pretty sure Zed was about to bury me under a mountain of it.

"Seabrook is a supernatural town. THE supernatural town, really. Almost everyone who lives here is somehow connected to the supernatural world…"

"But…" He glared at me and the words died on my lips. I ended up nodding for him to continue.

"Everyone. That doesn't mean they all know about the world they are connected to, but at least one person in their family is a supe."

"A supe?"

"A supernatural. Someone that isn't human," he said like it was nothing at all. This was just everyday life for him.

"What are you?" I asked, not sure I wanted to hear what kind of monster he thought I was just yet. That was a little more than I could handle on an empty stomach.

"The same thing as your brother, and your father, as it so happens. I'm a Grim. A reaper… And… I think you might be too."

"A Grim reaper?" I repeated. "Like one of those dudes that wears a cloak and has a scythe?" Kinda like the bad guy in the Scream movie?"

"Oh my god…" he mumbled. "I drop this bombshell on you and you're still going on about shit that doesn't matter?"

"Hey!" I snapped. "You're the one that sprung this on me. I just had the worst night of my life, died, and came back, and now you're going on about monsters and how I may be one. What did you think I was going to do?"

"Well," he drawled, some of the anger in his voice fading. "I wasn't really sure. I've never had to do this before…"

"Clearly," I deadpanned. "You're not supposed to spring this shit on people when they're already on the verge of a meltdown, especially when they're without food. You at least try to ease them in. It's like foreplay. You have to preheat the oven before you just slide your dick right on in there."

Zed turned, blinked twice, and started talking before I could continue with my mixed metaphor. "I'm trying, okay? It's not exactly like I've done this before either. Fuck, before tonight I didn't even know it was possible for there to be female reapers."

"Didn't know it was possible?" I repeated. "If both my dad and brother were reapers, why the fuck didn't anyone tell me? I mean, Tracey and I were twins for fuck's sake. That's a pretty big thing for them to keep from me and never consider I could be one too."

"Supernatural genetics doesn't work like other genes. Especially the reaper one. Only males can be reapers. At least, that's how it's always been…" he trailed off.

"Yeah, well… Lucky me… I can't be in this town for one goddamn second without crazy shit happening." I let out a tight breath and leaned back, closing my eyes. "Can you please keep driving? I'm disgusting and would kill for a shower and food right now."

"Yeah," Zed said, shaking his head. His foot eased off the brake, and we started moving once more. "Look, Addison… I know this is a lot to take in. Are you sure you want to go home right now? I know your aunt is probably expecting you, but if you go inside looking like you do now, she's probably going to take you to a hospital, and you can't tell them what you just told me."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "This is exactly why I didn't want to get in the car with you! I should have listened to my gut… and not the hungry one!"

"For fuck's sake," Zed bemoaned, beating the palm of his hand against the steering wheel. "I'm trying to help you."

"How does telling me to lie to a doctor help me exactly?"

"Because one of two things will happen," Zed said. "You'll either get one that doesn't know anything and there's a large chance they'll think you're certifiable when there are no signs of a concussion or another head injury. Or… and I want to be clear that this is not the better of the two options… you'll get someone who knows something and suddenly the supernatural world is going to implode. Grims aren't exactly popular around here."

"Mhmm…" I swiped my tongue over my teeth. "So, let me get this straight… Not only am I the weird dude from Scream, but in terms of the supernatural lottery, I just got the shit end of the stick? Lovely."

"Addison," he started.

"Zed," I shot back in an equally exasperated tone and then sighed. "As much as I think you probably belong in the crazy house with me right now, there's a small chance you might be right and not just trying to kidnap and rape or murder me. So…"

I lifted both eyebrows.

He shook his head. "You're incorrigible, and you're kind of a brat."

"Why, thank you," I said, mockingly sweet as I put a hand to my chest. "You're just a bushel of roses yourself, Stranger Danger."

"How is she his twin?" Zed asked himself under his breath.

I grinned at him. "If you only knew how many times I've heard that before." My smile faded a little at the reminder of my brother; of why I was home. "You're probably right. Missy can't see me like this. Even if I did manage to sneak into the pool house and shower, I wouldn't have anything to change into. Everything I brought with me went up in flames with the car."

Zed blinked at me. "I think replacing your wardrobe is the least of your worries. I'll take you to my parent's house. You can clean up there and borrow some of my clothes. We'll figure out a game plan for what comes next while we're there."

"Uh, Zed… don't you think your parents might notice this? I plucked at my blood-stained shirt.

Zed's eyes dropped to my chest, following my hand gesture, and he looked away, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. "They're out of town for my little sister's cheer competition and my brother lives at the frat house. There won't be anyone there to see you."

"Or to hear me scream," I muttered.

"How many times do I have to tell you…"

"Relax, killer. I'm just teasing you. But I'm telling you right now, you do not get to be the little spoon."

"Addison," he said in annoyance.

I snickered. Getting Zed riled up was turning into my second favorite method of avoidance. As long as I was distracting myself with torturing him, the less time my brain had to think about the other, scarier things going on. Like the fact that I died. And came back. And that I was apparently some kind of Halloween freak show. Or that my brother was dead and I was here to find his murderer.

I closed my eyes and tipped my head back, wincing when I realized I was probably smearing blood into his upholstery. Fuck it. If I had to buy a new car, he could deal with getting his car detailed.

Zed and I fell into silence as he continued driving through town. My eyes flickered over the houses, watching as the old stately homes give way to McMansions. Soon the houses were fewer, and more gates and twisting drives appeared.

Another ten minutes passed as he drove. Finally, he was turning up a well-lit drive, pausing only long enough to hit a button on his visor that sent a massive gate rolling open.

I leaned forward, curious despite myself about what his house would look like. I let out a low whistle as the sprawling mansion came into view.

"Cut the shit," he said. "We both know your place is twice this size."

"True…" I said, "But size isn't everything. We both know it's what you do with it that matters." I glanced at him and waggled my eyebrows, emphasizing the double meaning in my words.

Zed groaned, cutting the engine and swinging his door open. "You are ridiculous. Come on. Let's get inside and get you cleaned up."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I couldn't let a Friday the 13th pass and not update this story. It seemed fitting. Anyway, hope you've enjoyed the sudden burst of updates! If you're intrigued so far, let me know! I'd love to hear your feedback!