My mouth dropped open so I could issue a warning, but it was already too late. The wraith blew past Renee and threw itself at the shimmering opening.
The gate emitted a sound like a giant suction cup breaking free from glass as the wraith crossed over from our world and disappeared into the next, leaving the three of us breathless as we tried to grasp what had happened. I was the first to discover my voice.
“What the heck was that?”
Three
I didn’t know the security procedures as well as Renee so I left her to call for help while I checked on Oliver. He seemed shaken but otherwise okay, which was a relief. I helped him to a chair and grabbed a bottle of water from the vending machine against the far wall. When I offered it to him, he politely declined.
“Is help coming?” I asked Renee when she joined us.
“Yeah. The home office said they had someone in the area. He should be here within the next fifteen minutes.” Lines of concern crowded Renee’s eyes as she knelt next to Oliver. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Oliver’s smile was wan. “I’ll be fine once I settle. It simply caught me off guard.”
That was an understatement. “Yeah.” I straightened and focused on the gate. “I don’t understand why that happened.” I looked to Oliver for answers. “Why would a wraith purposely want to cross over? The whole reason it turned into a wraith in the first place is because it didn’t want to die. Racing to the other side is essentially dying, right?”
Oliver opened his mouth to answer and then snapped it shut, holding his hands palms out as he shrugged. “I have no idea. It might be different for wraiths. I’m not sure what to make of it.”
I spent the next ten minutes circling the gate. Nothing came out. Nothing went in. It was simply a gate, although the whispering increased tenfold right after the wraith jumped through the opening. It was back to normal relatively quickly ... until a new player emerged on the scene and then the whispering began again in earnest.
It was the whispering that caused me to snap my head toward the door, and I narrowed my eyes when I saw the man standing there. He seemed sure of himself, as if he belonged, but he didn’t announce his arrival.
“How did you get in without a keycard?”
He didn’t immediately answer, his eyes instead drifting toward the gate. He looked to be about thirty, broad shoulders on full display in a fitted black T-shirt. He wore simple jeans and black boots, his black hair gleaming thanks to the gate’s shimmering light display. His most striking features were his eyes — a violent shade of purple — but they didn’t as much as shift in my direction.
His refusal to answer my question grated.
“How did you get in here?” I repeated, taking a purposeful step toward him. “You need a security card to enter.”
“I have a card.” The man finally dragged his attention to me. He seemed surprised by what he saw. My fashion choices reflected the French Quarter, but those were the clothes I was most comfortable in and there had been no time to adjust my wardrobe for the colder Michigan weather. “Who are you? You’re not Cyrus.”
I drew a blank. “Cyrus?”
“He was the guy who had your position before you,” Oliver answered. “He couldn’t get out of here fast enough when he heard there was an opening in Des Moines.”
The newcomer let loose with a derisive snort. “Yes, that shows great taste. What’s in Des Moines?”
“Fewer wraiths.”
The man nodded. “Good point. Tell me what happened.”
Oliver made to do just that, but I cut him off.
“Excuse me, but ... who are you?” I tried to keep the recrimination from my tone, but it was difficult. “I have no idea who you are.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Renee found her voice as she scurried across the floor, taking up position between the newcomer and me. “This is Braden Grimlock. He’s a member of the family we were telling you about. Braden, this is Isabella Sage. She’s the new gatekeeper.”
“Izzy,” I automatically corrected. “Call me Izzy.”
Braden arched an eyebrow. “Okay, Izzy, tell me what happened.”
I wasn’t in the mood to acquiesce to his demands. After all, I was in charge here. He was simply ... well, I had no idea what he was doing here. “I’m sorry — and forgive me if this comes off as rude — but my understanding is that you’re a reaper. Why would the home office call a reaper to act as an expert for the gate?”
“I don’t believe I said I was an expert,” Braden countered. “I was called as backup because a wraith attacked. I have a bit of experience with wraith attacks.”
“Braden’s family are kind of wraith experts,” Renee explained, earning a flirty wink from Braden that caused her cheeks to flood with color. “In fact, they’re revered wraith fighters.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Braden cautioned. “We have dealt with a lot of wraiths. That’s why I need to know what happened.”
It was a reasonable enough request, but that didn’t mean I was ready to cede my authority. “Well, what’s your security clearance level?”
Braden snorted. “Seriously?”
I nodded.
“Level three.”
“I’m level four. I’m not sure how much information I’m supposed to share with you.”
“Well, my father is level seven,” Braden said. “We have special security clearance in our house. I’m sure it will be fine.”
“And what if it’s not?”
“It will be fine,” Oliver interjected quickly. “I know you’re new to the area and the hierarchy here, Izzy, but the Grimlocks will know everything by the end of the day regardless. You’re saving everyone a bit of work by simply telling him.”
I didn’t care about saving people from work. I did, however, care about getting answers. Apparently Braden Grimlock was my best shot at getting those answers. “Fine.” I told the story from start to finish. It didn’t take long because there wasn’t much to tell. When I was finished, Braden looked as confused as I felt.
“Huh.”
I waited a beat. “Is that all you have to say?”
“For the moment.” He looked back to the gate and shook his head. “I don’t know what to make of that. Has it ever happened before?”
“Not that I know of,” Oliver replied, moving to stand next to the broad-shouldered reaper. They made quite the sight. If they were in a bar women would be throwing themselves at the two of them as drool flew fast and furious. “It definitely has never happened here. And I’ve never heard of it happening elsewhere.”
“It doesn’t make much sense,” Braden admitted, his hand stroking his chin. “Why would a wraith want to cross over? Without a soul ... .”
“I thought wraiths had fragmented souls,” I countered. “Part of the soul remains, but it’s been shattered into pieces so it’s not a true soul.”
“I don’t know that we have definitive answers on that,” Braden countered. “We have learned quite a bit about wraiths in the last year or so. My brother is heading up the research.”