Raven's Breath (The Women of Purgatory) (9 page)

"
This
is where I live," she explained, like I was supposed to understand.

"What is this place?"
Where is this place?

"Death created it for me. It's an extension of the castle but exists in an alternate dimension. No one in Purgatory can see it or sense it and no one but me, Death, and now you have ever been to it."

My heart leapt, knowing I'd just hit the jackpot. "Why would you need an entire castle in a different dimension to live in? Why couldn't you just live in Death's castle like normal?"

"I don't know. Death just said that he wanted a place where we wouldn't be watched and where I could be safe."

Eww.
That sounded sexual and gross, and possibly ominous. Why would Holli need to be kept safe?

I halted the barrage of questions flooding my brain and looked around at the structure. I needed to find a clue as to why this place existed. The hall was tiled with white marble and the walls were made mostly of glass. The view beyond them was that of Purgatory, but seen as if you were looking at a watercolor. No grays and blacks, but instead reds, blues, and purples all smeared together like a Monet painting.

Holli beckoned me to follow her and I did, eyes wide and ears open. We continued for a short stint, then turned into a large room. The area was enormous and had a high ceiling that featured a massive tangle of thin metal beams that twisted and seemed to creep up the walls, coming to an inverted point that hung down towards the floor.

"Wow. What is that?"

"Oh, that's where Death pulls the phenoms inside."

My jaw dropped. "What do you mean? Why would he need a way to pull them inside?" My tone was far too demanding and Holli paused before responding.

"Um...I'm not sure if I'm suppose to tell you or not." She started to turn away, heading back towards the hallway that led to the portal.

"Wait. Holli, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. I'm just so surprised at the grandeur of this place. It's so beautiful. You're lucky to be able to live here."

Holli lifted her chin and shifted her shoulders, her proud smile evidence that I said the right thing.

"Thanks. It's not as big as Death's actual castle but it has a lot of fun things for me to do when I'm not working with you."

I shook my head and struggled to maintain the smile I'd plastered onto my face. Using the words "Death" and "fun" in the same sentence went against the natural order of things. Then again, I wasn't the girlfriend he was trying to impress. Maybe Death pulled the phenoms inside for Holli to fly with––this room was certainly big enough for her to do so, and that was certainly something
I
considered fun.

"Would you like to see the gardens?" she asked.

"Absolutely!"
Flowers? In Purgatory? This I had to see
. My mind rejoiced at the prospect and my smile turned genuine. I hadn't touched or smelled a real flower since before I died.

We walked away from the "Phenom Room," and continued down the hallway towards another section of Holli's castle.

The level of kindness that Death had shown her boggled my mind. I couldn't imagine the amount of magic it took to pull off something like this. I swallowed hard and a sinking feeling settled in my gut.

I knew all of this was somehow related to the increased number of phenoms and Garrett's disappearance. Now, if I could only figure out how they were connected.

"So, Holli. You said that Death takes you topside for dinner every night. What is your favorite place to eat?"

"Oh wow. That's a tough question. We've been to so many great places. Le Meurice in Paris was amazing, but I also really enjoyed Antoine's in New Orleans."

Dammit
. I refused to let the green-eyed monster rear his head, but I'd never been to either of those places when I was alive, let alone once I'd died.

"I've been wanting to go to back to the French Quarter, perhaps I could ask Death to take us both there tomorrow tonight."

A wide smile layered my expression and my excitement rivaled hers. "That would be fantastic!"

Now
maybe I'd get some answers.

17

We didn't see Death again for the remainder of the night and when Holli had tried to go find him to discuss our dinner plans, we found that she too was unable to leave the room.

No surprise I suppose
.

After wriggling the door back and forth for at least a full minute, the innocent shrug of her shoulders portrayed a habit of accepting odd things without a second thought. Something I'd NEVER be able to do.

"Hmm. I guess Death wants us to stay in." She gazed toward the balcony, which was also blocked by an invisible barrier.

"Clearly," I responded, flopping down on the bed. "Holli, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you know why there has been such an increase in phenoms lately? I mean, there have always
been a few that figure out a way to run, but nothing like what's been happening since your arrival." I was sick of getting nowhere and figured I might as well just ask.

"I'm not sure, Raven. Like I
explained before, Death told me that my only job here was to help you gather the phenoms, and protect him whenever necessary." The crease to her brow made it obvious she didn't like being blamed for something she didn't understand.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to imply it's
your fault. It's just confusing to me, is all."

Holli didn't respond, but turned back towards the balcony, flaring her snow-white wings ever so slightly. I needed to tread lightly here. If Holli got mad, all it would take was one word from her and I would end up in the dungeons for real.

"Don't worry about it," I offered.

Her shoulders slumped and she blew out a shallow breath. I couldn't quite decipher if this was her way of relaxing because she truly didn't know anything, or if it meant that, in fact, she did.

I was almost grateful when Death opened the door, disrupting our awkward exchange. Holli smiled at him, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"What's wrong, my dear?" he asked, his gaze shifting to me.

I swallowed hard when Holli squinted in my direction.

"Nothing. I was just trying to come find you to ask if we could take Raven to the French Quarter for dinner and found that I couldn't leave my room."

"I'm sorry, darling. Raven isn't allowed topside unless she is on a retrieval or gathering mission."

"Oh, all right. Forgive me, I didn't know." Her voice was timid but held an edge.

Death leaned down and kissed Holli on the cheek while his eyes remained glued to mine. "It was nice of you to want to include her."

He pulled back and smiled down at Holli, then pulled her to the edge of the room. With a swipe of his scythe, a small round table dressed in white linen and surrounded by three wooden chairs appeared out of thin air. Holli squealed and I could only assume it was a table setting from Antoine's restaurant.

"Will this do, my love?" Death asked Holli.

"Oh yes. This is wonderful. Thank you so much." Her giddy response pulled a wide smile from his lips.

He motioned for us to take a seat then uncovered the silver domed serving dishes to reveal our Southern cuisine. My mouth watered as I took it all in. We enjoyed an appetizer of Huitres Thermidor; a plate of fresh Louisiana oysters baked on the half shell with a bacon and tomato sauce. The main entrée was Cotelettes d'agneau grillées; a prime center cut lamb chops grilled and served with mint jelly. Dessert, of course, was the highlight. The Omelette Alaska Antoine was a special presentation of baked Alaska and something I would never forget. I closed my eyes letting the meringue, cake, and ice cream melt on my tongue.

"Are you enjoying your meal, Raven?"

I opened my eyes to Death's hungry stare. I straightened my spine and lifted my chin. "Yes. Thank you. It was delicious," I stated flatly.

Death's
sneer was hidden from Holli's view.

What did he expect? For me to fall for this lame attempt to seduce me into some kinky three-way with an intimate dinner and good food?
Hell no!
Besides, he should be used to my rejections by now. Or, maybe he was just rubbing my face in all the extravagance I'd missed out on by turning him down all those times.
Oh well!

"I'm glad to hear it," Death replied. "Also, I have news that I think will interest you."

I tilted my head and let a fake smile rest upon my lips.

"I saw Garrett today. He was walking back from that donut shop you two like to frequent. He seemed to be lost in thought, but healthy enough. Be sure to ask him about his disappearance when you leave here tomorrow night; I'll be interested to hear what he has to say."

My inner light started to build and I clenched my fists
.

Son of a bitch!

This asshole certainly knew a thing or two about torture; it was going to kill me not to be able to reach Garrett for another twenty-four hours. Looks like Death won this tête-à-tête after all.

"Thanks for the information. I'll be sure to do just that." My tone was sharp and I couldn't care less. Death could explain to Holli why this bit of news upset me so much; I was done playing house with the odd couple from Hell.

I'd forced myself to lay down and sleep the moment Death magically cleared the remnants of our glorious feast and bid Holli goodnight with a disgustingly passionate kiss. It was no surprise when that kiss and her never-ending giggles became a recurring theme in my nightmare.

Today I'd asked Holli for some time alone, giving her the excuse that I was worried about Garrett. Thankfully, she di
dn't pry and I was able to spend the day walking through the gardens of her fake fairytale castle.

By the time I'd wandered through the maze of roses, tulips, and my favorites––peonies, I'd started to feel a bit better. Which, of course, was the perfect time for Death to make an appearance.

"What do you think of the home I've created for Holli?"

I didn't hesitate in my response. "It's lovely, but I don't understand the need for it. If you'd just let her mingle with the rest of the Reapers, this entire ruse wouldn't be necessary. What is it that you're really trying to hide?"

The edge of his thin lip twitched and I knew I'd struck a chord.

"Do you think I'd let you stay with Holli and wander around here if I had anything to hide."

That was the million dollar question, wasn't it? And by him saying those words out loud, it was also the answer. Yes. Death did have something to hide and it was evident by how hard he was trying to prove otherwise.

"Do you want to tell me about the 'Phenom Room'?" I inquired.

"The what?" he asked, his tone amused.

"The room where you pull the phenoms inside."

"It's simply so Holli can practice her flying. She enjoys having something to interact with during her training."

"That brings up another question. Why train her to fight? And what in the world could a tiny little girl protect the almighty Death from?"