Reap & Reveal (The Reaper Series Book 3) by Lisa Medley Page A

anyway.”
    “Okay, then.”
    Deacon took one last look at Maeve’s body and touched the door. Hesitating, he turned back to look at Nate. He seemed like he was about to say something, but then he shook his head, apparently thinking better of it, and opened the door. Bo bullied his way past Deacon, circling him to lie down at the foot of the bed.
    As Nate pulled the door shut behind his friend, Bo let out an exaggerated sigh. After that spare sound, the silence in the trailer was deafening. He was hopeful that he’d have a few hours of reprieve before the rest of the crew came calling.
    He wondered how long he’d be able to hold Maeve’s soul before it was too late to reinsoul her, or if that point had already arrived and he was just too blind to see it. It didn’t feel that way. He had faith that she could still be salvaged.
    At least he could do one thing—fill her body with his fresh energy. Then if he stayed here, by her side, he wouldn’t have to worry about losing her soul out in the field or wondering what was happening to her back home. Here, they would both be safe.
    Gliding his hand along her arm, he marveled at the pull of turquoise light from him. His body was a converter now, taking the energy of others to transform it into a life-sustaining transfusion for Maeve. His heart swelled at the idea that he was the only one who could give this gift to her. Surely that was more than sheer coincidence.
    She would have shrugged it off, but he knew better. He could feel in his very soul how right their connection was. Maeve’s body drew in his light like a sponge did water and her pallor improved drastically. Way too soon, he watched the brilliant turquoise dim to a pale sky blue and he withdrew.
    Exhausted by the effort, he lay down beside her once again and waited.
    Waited for her body to heal. Waited for some means to return her soul. And waited for a chance to prove to her that home didn’t have to mean death.

Chapter Nine
    Days passed and Maeve remained in her comatose state with no sign of improvement. Nate scratched at his new growth of beard, already itchy and thick. He’d left the four walls of his trailer once, at Deacon’s insistence, to join the others in the compound for dinner. Otherwise, he’d stood constant watch over Maeve.
    There had been no sightings of Camael at the compound or in Meridian since his expulsion from Maeve. While the demons continued to keep busy, their master was curiously absent.
    Nate couldn’t disguise the fact he was weary. Weary from the constant refilling and discharging of energy and the parade of dreams, his as well as Maeve’s, that played continuously every time he fell asleep.
    He was on the verge of depletion himself and with the incessant stream of well-meaning visitors, he was close to snapping. Everyone was concerned about Maeve, as could be expected, but they’d all started to look at him with the sad expressions of pity he could barely tolerate. They knew what he still refused to admit.
    He was on a death watch.
    Pouring energy into her was like pouring water through a sieve. Olivia had come in one day to give Maeve a sponge bath, dressing her in one of her own nightgowns, which had somehow visibly diminished her even further. Nate could see Maeve’s ribs pushing up against the thin fabric.
    Despite his best efforts, she was declining. His own body wasn’t faring much better. He’d taken to tucking in his shirt to keep his jeans from sliding down his hips. They were a pitiful pair.
    Efforts to contact Maeve’s remaining cousin had failed, but Deacon had managed to get word through to her parents. They had long since ascended into the Heavenly realms, though, and were unable to return to Earth. The way things were going, Maeve would soon be joining to them.
    True to his word, Deacon had arranged for the reapers to visit Nate and keep him charged, but each replenishment filled him a little bit less, like he was an overused battery. He feared that any day