Chapter 13

Finally, Reece added finishing touches to the masterpiece. He thought he was done with it, but he’d dreamed of ways to enhance the design. The sword vibrated softly in his hands. Reece balanced it on the palms of both hands, loving the play of colors on the blade. He placed it in the leather case he’d made for it and stowed it in the safe in his workshop. The dreams he’d had of welding it were strong and vivid. In the dream, he’d seen some type of beast, one like he’d never seen before. It had a deep red coat, six horns, cold gray eyes, and sharp teeth that were curved on its lower lip.

He cleaned up before putting on his leather jacket. Reece hurried to the house to shower and wash his bike before going out later that night. It was pre-dawn, but Reece needed to finish his list of paid jobs before lunch. He saw Dexter stumble to the house from the driveway. Reece had let his brother borrow one of his customer’s motorcycles before he was set to start working on it. Something about Dexter’s stance didn’t seem right. Reece followed him into the garage. Just as he rounded the side of the building, the door from the garage to the house closed.

Dexter dropped the stuff he had in his hands on the table near the door and wiped his hands down his jeans. Reece heard a shuffle at the top of the stairs and followed Dexter to the third level of the house, which was a converted attic bedroom. Reece heard the heavy bedroom door close. He took the last step to the landing and leaned on the stair rail across from his brother’s room. Something in him felt that Dexter needed his help, but Reece didn’t want to barge in.

He took a step closer, raised his hand at the door to knock, then gave it several rapid taps in succession to their secret code. Dexter didn’t answer.

Reece tried the door. It opened. His brother was still in his clothes, lying on the bed with his face up. Dexter was sweating profusely; his eyes stared at the ceiling in horror as if something was breaking through it to get him. Reece rushed over and touched his head.

“Dex! Wake up! What happened?” Reece pressed his hand on Dexter’s trembling body, which was burning up. Reece removed his hand, unable to take the heat. His gaze dropped to Dexter’s hand and the glowing ring on his ring finger. Reece wrapped his fingers around the ring to pull it off. The blue from the stone seeped into his brother’s skin and dripped on Reece’s hand. The cold burn of the bluish glow engulfed his fingers. Reece jerked away and stepped back.

Absently, he rubbed at his stinging hand that felt like he’d soaked it in ice. Shaking his head to still his fear, he bent down and studied his brother’s brown eyes. They were laced with a blue glow that snaked around his pupils. He tried taking off his brother’s jacket, but Dexter thrashed about, yelling, screaming as his fingers tore at his skin and clothes.

“Dad…I got to get Dad.” Reece bolted out of the room and ran down the stairs. He went straight to his father’s office since his dad hardly ever slept and was likely there.

He burst through the door to his father, who was hunched over his desk working on the computer.

“Something’s wrong with Dexter. He’s convulsing, feverish and this…a weird blue ring is burning him.” Reece knew he sounded crazy, that mentioning the ring might not mean anything, but he felt the ring was causing Dexter to be sick.

Max’s eyes widened. “Ring? What does it look like?”

“The entire thing is made out of some metal, not silver or gold but something unique. I’ve never seen it before. And it glows bright blue with some threads of blue that are wrapping around Dexter like tentacles.”

“Damn! Use my cellphone and dial the number for Jeb. Type the code 4509 for the encrypted number. Tell him Dexter is cursed by a Soul Thief.”

Jeb? As in the Jeb he was making weapons for? “Uh, encrypted? Soul Thief?” Reece watched his father storm from the office. He pulled up the number for Jeb in his dad’s phone and then on his phone, and that’s when he realized the phone numbers were different. He called from his father’s phone.

The answer came on the third ring, “Speak.”

“My father Max Lewis told me to call you.”

“About?”

“Uh, he said my brother Dexter is cursed by a Soul Thief. He needs you here.”

“Reece?”

“Jeb?”

“You got that sword ready?”

“Yeah, just finished it.”

“Have it for me when I get there. I may need it.” Jeb hung up.

Reece’s jaw dropped. He shook his head as he ran out the door and up the stairs. His father was putting something in his brother’s mouth to stop him from swallowing his tongue as seizures took over his body.

“Get his feet!”

Reece grabbed his brother’s ankles and held them down. “Should I tell Mom?”

“Act normal! Tell no one.”

“But…”

“Tell no one!” His father’s eyes nailed him with desperation and fear within them. “Your mother saved me from this. The last thing I want her to know is that your brother may suffer because of my stupid decision to move here to get revenge.”

Reece swallowed. “I won’t.”

“Go. I’ve got this until Jeb and the others get here. They’ll be coming through the secret cellar entrance so no one outside will see them. Open the door on your way to your room.”

“Okay.” Reece slowly released his brother’s ankles as the seizure subsided. How could he act calm and keep this from his sisters and mother?

Reece opened the cellar.

He quietly passed Rei’s bedroom to his to get his mind to stop spinning. He still had a few hours before daylight and decided to take a shower and a quick nap. The shower was fast. He was drying his hair when Zamina’s text popped up.

Can we meet tonight?

Reece’s thumb hovered over the phone. With all that was happening to Dexter, he needed to get out of there for the night. Avoiding his mom and sisters would work best.

I’m there, do we have all night?

We will have a lifetime after tonight.

I’ll hold you to that promise.

Exhaustion made Reece lie down for a quick nap, but the nightmares of seeing his brother in the throes of sickness woke him. He dressed and grabbed his phone. Reece opened the door to his room over the garage and walked down the outside stairs at the side of the house.

A car sat in front of the house. It was old, a bit of a junker but sturdy. Reece slowed. Asher got out of the car and waved at Reece.

“What is he doing here?” Reece stopped, exhaled, and approached Asher.

“Hey. I am here to see Rei. Is she home?”

Reece lifted an eyebrow. Why was Asher there to see his sister? “What do you want?”

“Oh, I…she and I are good friends.” He cleared his throat.

“Don’t you have a girlfriend? Does she allow you to visit the houses of…good friends?”

Asher studied him a moment. “It’s complicated. Rei and I work on the school newspaper. We have to collaborate on stories. She’s been M.I.A for a few days, and Megan sent me to check on her. You know, for the paper.”

“Fine.” Reece turned toward the house. “Follow me, I’ll get her, but she’s a mess. Bad break up.”

“Yeah? Well, work might be a good way to distract her from it.”

“Maybe.” Reece took him through the garage then opened the door to Rei’s small room across from the steps.

The room was wrecked. Rei was in her PJs with her butt up in the air and her head under a pillow. Reece felt bad for her, but she had to get out of the house.

“I’ll get her out of here.”

“You’re not the one that broke her heart, are you?” Reece wondered what was going on with them. Asher looked at his sister with a longing like hunger that he concealed quickly with Reece’s question.

“No, no, we are only friends. I got Zamina…to uh, yeah, complicate my life.”

“Sure.” Reece folded his arms.

“Rei! You got company.”

“Tell them to go away. I’m going to drown in my tears and read romance novels of real love. A book boyfriend is better than a real one.”

Reece laughed. “Good luck with her. I’ll be in the garage if you need help.”

“Good to know. I might.”

Reece left the room. Asher wasn’t a bad guy, and after talking to him, he felt less threatened when it came to getting Zamina to break it off with him. Reece thought the guy would be good for Rei.

He went to the garage where he finished stacking away his tools. Suddenly, he felt someone watching him. Reece turned to find Jeb standing behind him.

“I need the sword.”

“What for? You’re not using it on my brother, are you?”

“Well, not directly, just need it to dislodge him from the trap.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’ll explain it later. Take me to the sword.”

Reece walked past Jeb toward the safe. Something in this town is terribly wrong. Maybe Megan has answers.