The Hidden - Jessica Verday [95]
“How can I stop that from happening? How do I complete him?”
“You die.”
“And are you”—I gulped—“going to be the one to kill me?”
“No, no, no.” Vincent patted me on the head. “Remember? We already had this conversation. In your bedroom? I want to keep you alive.”
“But why? I don’t understand. Why would you want to keep me alive?”
“Because once you’re dead, you can complete him.”
This was like a vicious circle without answers. “Why do you care whether or not I complete him?” I said. “If you’re a Revenant, then you’ve helped other Shades before. Why not us?”
He crossed one leg over his knee. “It all goes back to the original Revenants. Rumor has it that God and the devil made a deal and chose six representatives of heaven and six representatives of hell to help them sort out the whole reaping/death business. The representatives were split into teams of two, one angel half, one demon half. Or one light, one dark. One yin, one yang … yadda, yadda, yadda. You get the idea. Over time they were designated to help one group of souls in particular cross over—Shades and their other halves. With me so far?”
“Yes.”
“Good!” He clapped his hands together. “Eventually the six teams had been around for so long—thousands of years, after all—that they were ready to move on. Shades, the only humans allowed to stay on Earth after their deaths, were chosen to take their place. And these Shades were given a name.” He looked at me like he was giving me a hint. “Who do you know that works in teams of two? One good, one bad … Well, generally speaking.”
“Teams of two … The Revenants?”
“And the bonus round goes to …!” He touched his nose and pointed to me. “Yes, the Revenants.”
“Wait a minute. … So you’re telling me that Revenants replaced the original angel-demon teams, and all Revenants were once Shades? As in, human?”
“Ding, ding, ding! Give that girl a prize!” He clapped again.
I stared at him. “You were once human!”
“Don’t act so shocked. Jesus.”
My mind was spinning. “Is that why none of the others knew what to do?” I said. “Because you were supposed to be my Revenant? One of the ones to help me cross over?”
He leaned back and placed both hands behind his head. His smile said it all.
My fingers dug into the couch, and I found myself clenching the fabric. “Why me?” I said through gritted teeth. “What was so special about me and Caspian that you decided you didn’t want to do your job anymore? Tell me, Vincent Drake. What was so goddamned important that you couldn’t just let us alone?”
“Oh, please,” he scoffed. “This isn’t about you. It’s about me. This is all about me. Do you know what it’s like to be immortal? To not have responsibilities. Or bills. No money problems, or wondering where your next meal is going to come from?” He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes for just a moment. “It’s fucking awesome. That’s what it is.”
He moved in close and put his face inches away from mine. “I hold the fate of mortals in my hands. Each and every time I come to Earth, I am responsible for their lives and their deaths.” He smiled at me. A crazy, beautiful smile. “I like that feeling. And I don’t want it to end. Simple as that.”
“But why would it end? Aren’t you guys the new teams, or whatever? Taking the place of the angels and demons?”
“We aren’t the original Revenants, you idiot. There haven’t been many of us, but there have been others. You get a certain amount of time to do your job, and then you get replaced by the next round of Shades. And those Shades just so happen to be here. Known as Nikolas Degenhart and Katrina Van Tassel, of the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.”
I rubbed my eyelids. Trying to stuff all of this new information into my brain was making my head spin. “So … what? You did all of this because you’re going to lose your job?”
“It’s not that simple,” he exploded. “It’s never that simple. While you’re a Shade, you live forever, tied to one place. Shades are gatekeepers of sacred spaces. You know, cemeteries, burial grounds, ancient worship mounds?” I nodded, because that seemed