Dead Girl Walking by Ruth Silver Read Free Book Online Page B

scroll; you can expect it to last awhile.”
    “Great,” Leila muttered under her breath.
    Jasper motioned for Emblyn to get up, and he scooted out of the bench. “Dance with me?” he asked Violetta.
    “No way.” Violetta laughed. “Not a chance in hell.”
    Jasper's eyebrows rose. “You haven't seen my moves. Come on.”
    “You have no moves.” Violetta slid out of the booth and walked onto the dance floor. “You're buying me a drink when the song is done.”
    “When don't I pay for your drinks?” Jasper held out his hand and led her onto the floor with the other patrons.
    Fascinated, Leila watched the exchange. “Are those two a couple?” She couldn’t forget the naked young man she’d seen earlier that morning sneaking out of Violetta's bedroom. Confused was an understatement.
    Wynter laughed. “No. Jasper has been vying for Violetta's attention for as long as I can remember. They flirt, but that's as far as it goes.”
    Emblyn carried over two drinks, handing one to Leila. “For a hard day's work.” She clanked her mug with Leila's.
    Wynter scooted out of the bench. “I'll get my own drink, thank you.” He walked over toward the bar, giving his order and putting a coin down on the counter. Leila sighed. The scene was all too familiar.
    “What's bothering you?” Emblyn asked. “Still adjusting?”
    “I guess that's it.” There was a lot more to it than that. First, Larkin. She worried about him. There wasn't anything she could do, but she felt responsible. In some ways, she supposed it was her fault. She owed him the truth, and it was too late. Second, the job itself. She didn't want to be around dead people. It was morbid and depressing. She was sad enough thinking about Mara and never being able to see her again. Which led to the third thing bothering her—rule breaking. She needed to know who killed her. She'd already broken one rule, visiting her past life, technically two, if she counted ignoring her first assignment. She was ready to break the rules again if it meant getting closure. The only problem was, she'd have to be careful none of the other reapers knew, including Edon.
    Emblyn took a swig from her mug. “Well, if you ever want to talk.” She stood up. “You know where to find me.” She swayed her hips and moved out onto the dance floor.
    Wynter walked back to the table, carrying his mug of ale. “Looks like it's just you and me. Unless you want to go out there?” His thumb pointed behind him at the patrons. “I don't dance, but don't feel like you have to keep me company.”
    Leila smiled, a genuine smile, as she sipped her ale. “I only dance at balls.” That wasn't entirely true. She'd danced a handful of times with Larkin at the Blue Moon Tavern in Casmerelda. Dancing with another man, reaper or not, felt like a betrayal. She wouldn't do it.
    “Good to know.” He sipped his beer, his eyes trained on the wooden table in front of him. “Quite a day, huh?”
    “You mean unburying a screaming dead guy? Yeah it was something.” Leila shuddered.
    Wynter's eyes met her stare. “We do a service for the living, Leila. I know you don't see it, but we're helping people.”
    She exhaled a heavy sigh and said, “I know.” She had learned that when she was forced to dig up a man's soul that had been buried alive. “Can I ask you something?” She took another gulp of ale and placed the heavy mug down on the table. She wiped the froth from the top her lip, with the back of her hand. “What's with the creepy asylum?” She still couldn't get over the horrible shudder that had coursed through her body when she entered that place. How could anyone willingly sleep there?
    Wynter laughed. “Edon's office is on the top floor. I'm surprised that place doesn't creep him out.”
    “How old is Edon?” Leila asked.
    “No one knows. He's the oldest reaper we’ve encountered though. I’d guess he’s been around a thousand years. He doesn't talk about his past, or how he