The Revolt (The Reapers: Book Two) by Katharine Sadler Read Free Book Online

at Varius want what’s best for their
children and the corporate pairing works.”
    I could never imagine myself in a situation
where I’d be okay with something like that, but I was willing to
try to understand that others might. “It didn’t work for
Caleb.”
    “Caleb was an… indiscretion of my mother’s.
She always felt guilty, like it was her fault he only had one weak
skill. She spoiled him to make up for it.”
    “Oh,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “So
who would I be paired with?”
    He hesitated and then shook his head.
“Corporate makes those decisions.”
    “You know it wouldn’t be Caleb. So make an
educated guess, Jed. Who would it be?”
    His expression was hard and empty. “They
usually pair strong mediums with people who are strong in other
ways, like telekinesis. Their goal is a medium with super psychic
abilities.” He sighed. “I’m the strongest supernatural there, so
we’d probably be… you know.”
    My breath left in a whoosh and I suddenly
felt very small. I realized Jed was right, I didn’t know anything
about him and the idea of creating children with him, with a man
who killed people for a living, terrified me. “So will you… you
know, let them mate you to me so that our children will have
superpowers?”
    He hesitated, then opened his mouth to
answer, when a loud knock on the door stopped him. He checked the
peephole and opened the door. I could see the top of a blonde head
dart around his shoulder, like she was trying to see past him, but
Jed stood his ground.
    “Hey, Jed. Is Kelsey here?” said
Angelica.
    “She might be. Before I let you in, I want to
make sure you understand that this residence is warded and if a
reaper is inhabiting your body in anything other than a permanent
manner, that reaper will be violently ejected from the body.”
    “Um, what? It’s me, Angelica. There’s no one
else here.”
    Jed stepped aside and waved her in without a
word. He watched her as she crossed the threshold and closed the
door behind her only after looking her carefully up and down. I
figured he was checking her aura, but whatever he was doing it was
annoying.
    She walked into the living room and stopped
behind the armchair closest to the door.
    “I would ask her a couple of questions that
only she would know the answers to,” Jed said, as he started back
to his room. “I’m going to pack the car. We have to go in five
minutes.”
    “I thought you checked her out.” I smiled at
Angelica in a lame attempt to reassure her. She looked like she was
ready to bolt at any moment.
    “Yeah, for a borrowing, but if she’s been
reaped…” He shrugged as he walked into his room.
    “I’m sure she’s fine,” I said, mostly to
myself. I wasn’t ready to believe I’d lost Cat and Angelica in the
same week.
    She shifted from foot to foot, twisting her
hands together. “I was hoping you could talk to someone for
me.”
    It was a simple question, but my stomach
dropped with fear and sadness. “We’re about to leave, but I can
call someone once we get to Varius if you want.”
    She looked over my left shoulder, like she
was studying something behind me. “I can’t bring her here. I think
you might be able to, though. Kelsey…”
    “Please tell me you’re talking about a person
who’s alive. You promised you would never ask me to talk to any
other kind of person.” The anger that coursed through me surprised
me, but she had made a promise and she was supposed to be my
friend. The first real friend I’d ever had. The first person who’d
liked me for me, and not for what my ability could do for her. If
she asked me to perform for her, she fell into an entirely
different category and I didn’t have enough friends to lose any of
them.
    “It’s for Bruce. I know he’s cursed
and the only person who can help him…”
    “You should leave.” Anger pushed those words
out of my mouth. Anger and hurt. Maybe my emotions were amplified
by what I’d seen happen to Cat or