Chapter 153

The sun was setting, painting the horizon a dull orange color. The winter air was crisp and there was a bit of a breeze at this altitude. Ru was beginning to wish she’d grabbed her gloves and hat when her thoughts froze. A man was making his way from between the shadows cast by the large rocks in front of them. Ru knew who it was instantly. She turned to Cutter and smiled. He looked confused and glanced from her to the man in front of them.

Taking a few steps forward, Ru met him near the tree. “Hi, Dad,” she said, smiling. “You made it.”

“I did.” Larkin looked much the same as he had when Ru had seen him not long ago in Kayakoy, though perhaps a bit more rested. He was wearing the same black clothing, and when Ru got a glimpse of his hands, she could see the scars didn’t seem as fresh. “It’s nice to see you, Ru.”

“You, too.” She stared into his green eyes, pleased that he had made it this far and that he had come at all. “How was your trip?”

“Long,” he said, chuckling. “But I made it. I’m afraid it wasn’t safe for me to come into town to get you.”

“That’s okay,” Ru replied. “I like your friend.” She smiled up at the bird who cawed at her once more.

Chuckling, Larkin said, “This is Max. He’s been a buddy of mine for a long time.”

“Nice to meet you, Max.” He squawked and ruffled his feathers. Ru imagined Max was likely used to gathering a similar looking young lady from her home and bringing her out here to meet Larkin. While that entire situation might’ve broken a lot of rules and made many people very unhappy, if it had never transpired, Ru wouldn’t be standing here now.

Realizing she also had someone to introduce, she turned to look over her shoulder. Cutter was still standing where she’d left him, a good twenty feet behind her. “This is Cutter. He’s a Keeper.” Then, Ru realized what she had said and added, “And a keeper.” She couldn’t help but giggle at her own joke.

“Ha, I get it,” Larkin said, also chuckling. “You have your mother’s sense of humor.”

Ru didn’t know if that was a compliment or not, but she definitely didn’t mind being compared to her mother. “I hope you’re okay that he came along.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Larkin replied. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to come on your own, not knowing where Max might lead you.”

While she was tempted to explain that she would’ve come on her own, she didn’t see the point. She was glad Cutter had come with her, after all. “Did you want me to cast the spell, Dad? The one that will make you a human?”

The question hung in the air for the briefest of moments, and Ru couldn’t blame him for wanting to consider the potential ramifications before he answered. It didn’t take long before he said, “Yes, Ru. I believe I do.”

A smile brightened her face as Ru considered what that would mean. No longer would the Keepers or angels hunt her father. He wouldn’t be a Reaper, and he could live happily ever after with her mother.

“Ru? Can I speak to you for a moment?”

By his tone, Ru thought perhaps Cutter had said her name more than once. “One second,” she said to her dad before turning and stepping back to join Cutter. “What is it?”

“Ru, are you sure about this?” he said, his voice quiet but his tone insistent. “I don’t think you should do anything that might get you into trouble.”

Raising an eyebrow, Ru said, “Cutter, it’s fine. I’m not doing anything wrong. This is white magic. Besides, like I said before, if they don’t like it, they can close their own damn portal.” She scoffed, but he didn’t seem to think it was that amusing. His concerned expression didn’t change.

“They could find someone else to close it, Ru. It might be harder, but they could do it. Now that they know where it’s at, it wouldn’t be that hard. Just… don’t push your luck, okay?”

“Cutter, I’m helping my dad. They owe me. I’ve already closed two portals.”

He opened his mouth like he might say something else but then he closed it, and Ru took that to mean he didn’t want to argue anymore, even though she was sure she hadn’t convinced him she was right. With an air of confidence, Ru stepped back over to her father who was waiting patiently, his hands stuffed deep into his jacket pockets.

“Ru, if you think you might get in trouble for this, maybe you shouldn’t. I don’t want to do anything that might put you in danger.” Larkin looked sincere, and Ru appreciated the fact that he was still trying to do what was best for her.

“You and Mom deserve to be together,” Ru countered. “You’ve both paid your dues, and besides, they need to think about the fact that it was your love—your forbidden love they hated so much—that created me. And without me, they never would’ve found the portals.” Ru despised the fact that she suddenly sounded like she thought she was more important than anyone else, and she honestly didn’t feel that way, but she did want anyone that might be eavesdropping from another realm to understand that she knew her value, even if it had taken her almost twenty-six years to figure it out.

“Okay, Ru. Whenever you’re ready, so am I.”

Ru took a deep breath and tried to center herself. Part of her was afraid this wouldn’t work, or she’d end up hurting her dad. She was also a little nervous about absorbing all of his Reaper energy. She knew the light inside of her was strong and thought it was powerful enough to overcome it, but it was something to be wary of. Without putting any more thought into it, Ru closed her eyes and recited the words her mother had taught her. “In nomine Dei patris ego omnia alia potentia malum relinquit corpus tuum. Corpus meum vas potestatem!”

Even before she finished the incantation, streaks of black began to shoot off of her father’s torso, then his arms and legs. By the time the words were finished, what had started out as wisps of smoke became thicker, turning and twisting together to form streams of black light. Twenty feet above him in the air, they formed into a sphere, one that began to spin, collecting all of his Reaper essence into a circle of energy. With a groan, Larkin dropped to the ground, the last tails of smoke and black ash releasing him.

The black sphere circled for a few moments longer, and Ru watched in amazement as it began to come closer to her. She heard footsteps behind her and knew that Cutter was alarmed. While she had asked to receive the Reaper power into her own body, she was more than a little frightened as it drew near. The thought of accepting all of that blackness into herself was more than a bit terrifying.

“Mitto ego te ad vidisse igneos puteos horrendam daemonium de inferno!” Cutter shouted, and just as the blackness began to seep into her, it vanished with an audible popping sound. All that was left of it was the scent of ash, the same one Ru noted whenever she used her Reaper power.

“What did you do?” she asked, turning to Cutter.

“I sent it to Hell,” he replied. “I didn’t want that taking you over.”

“Cutter, the spell called for me to absorb it. I could’ve done that.”

“At what cost, Ru?”

She realized he was just trying to help, but the fact that he could’ve ruined everything entered her mind. At the thought of that phrase, she froze. It wasn’t fair for her to cast that kind of judgment on someone else, especially not someone who was just trying to help. Without another word, Ru rushed to her dad who was still doubled-over on the ground.

“Dad, are you okay?” she asked, helping him sit up.

“I… I think so,” he mumbled. “I just feel… different. Very tired.”

“You’re not in any pain?” Ru asked. Cutter was standing behind her, his hands on his hips, as if he was concerned but didn’t want to touch Larkin.

“No, I’m not in any pain,” he replied. “Just exhausted.”

“We need to get you out of here, get you somewhere so that you can rest,” Ru said, letting him lean against her.

“I have a hotel room. My bike is on the other side of the hill. I’ll be fine.”

“I can’t leave you like this,” Ru reminded him.

Smiling, Larkin said, “You did it, kid. You really are something.” He scooted back a bit so he could sit further upright and groaned at the strain. “I’ll be okay. I’m already getting stronger.”

“Ru, we can give him a ride into another town, but there’s no way we can take him back to Los Angeles,” Cutter said quietly.

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine,” Larkin insisted. “Believe me, I’ve been through much worse.”

“Let’s just wait a few minutes and see how you feel,” Ru replied. She helped him scoot back so that he was leaning against a substantial rock.