Page 71 of The Ghost and the Graveyard (Knight Games 1)
"The flames ate her body. All was lost. She was dead. But then her charred hand lifted from her side and pointed at him. With her last breath she uttered the words, 'Akmut ghut rae mud ed tyn.' A ray of light burst from her hand and cut into the man's chest, directly over his heart."
I swallowed and tucked my hair behind my ears. "What did it mean?"
"'Akmut ghut rae mud ed tyn' means roughly 'caretaker of the light, always.'" Slowly, he pivoted to face me and traced a finger over the scythe-shaped scar on his chest.
Pain sliced through my head, and I rubbed my temple. Goosebumps marched up my arms.
Rick continued in a rush. "At first, the man didn't understand what had happened to him, but he learned. Isabella had stored a piece of her soul inside his body, along with her magic. He used that magic to seal the cemetery and imprison the supernatural within its gates. And today he keeps the balance, policing the supernatural with her and in her absence."
"This is stupid. We were up there yesterday, and the cemetery was completely normal. Not a ghoulie in sight."
He ignored my comment and continued. "Whoever sent the demon to give Monk The Book of Flesh and Bone wanted Isabella dead. But what they didn't know was that by killing Isabella the way Monk did, he bound her eternally to this place. The Monk's Hill witch, as she came to call herself, oversees this hellmouth. No soul goes in or out without her knowledge. She is judge, jury, and executioner, but she is not immortal. So when she dies, her caretaker holds a piece of her soul until she returns. And she always returns to me. All I have to do is wait."
"To you? What are you talking about?"
His gray eyes settled on my face. "I am the caretaker, Grateful." His finger tapped the scar on his chest. "And you are the Monk's Hill witch. Your soul has returned to me again as it does each time you die. Your work awaits you. All you have to do is accept your role, and it will be done."
"This isn't funny."
"I assure you, I'm not trying to amuse."
The room spun. The walls pressed in around me. My head pounded like it might split open. I stood up and backed toward the door. "You're insane."
"Think about it. Have you any other explanation for our connection? The physical and mental link we have is because we've already spent lifetimes together. We've been married. We could be married again."
"Married? I've barely known you a week!" I held the sides of my pounding head. "Besides, you took me to Monk's Hill. There were no vampires. We had lunch in front of the chapel. "
"They come at night. The sun seals the hellmouth, but after sunset, it opens again."
"I won't listen to this." I backed toward the door and placed my hand on the knob.
"Grateful, please-"
I couldn't take any more. I had to get out of there. Out the door and into the night I ran, but I did not go home. I ran straight across the street to the source of the lie, the cemetery. I was surprised to find the gate open. During our date, Rick had made a point of keeping it locked. Maybe he'd wanted me to enter. I cast the notion aside.
He was behind me the instant I crossed the threshold, closing and locking the gate from the inside. Great, now I was trapped inside the graveyard with a lunatic. This might not have been my wisest decision. I sprinted away from him the best I could in my high-heeled boots, up the steep gravel path toward Monk's Chapel. Somehow, with blister inducing effort, I made it to the top without breaking a heel.
I glanced back but didn't see Rick. Considering he could easily catch me with these patent leather torture devices zipped to my feet, I hoped he'd given up and gone home. Breath coming in huffs, my legs burned from the effort of the climb and I pitched forward, resting my hands on my knees while I caught my breath. The night was quiet except for the stones under my shifting feet and the persistent song of crickets.
Under the light of the full moon, the white walls of the chapel seemed to glow. Straightening, I moved toward it, thinking I'd have a rest inside. The door was locked. Crap. I pressed my back against the wood and looked out over the graveyard. All was quiet. Nothing. After this, Rick would have to drop his ludicrous story and tell me the truth, if I even cared to hear it. At the moment, I was leaning toward cutting the crazy man out of my life for good, although the thought made my chest feel heavy.
The hedges to my right rustled and two large yellow eyes blinked in my direction. A raccoon? The animal turned, and the moon reflected off silver skin. An opossum. A very large opossum. A loud snap to my left attracted my attention away from whatever slithered from the bushes. The looming silhouette of a man moved toward me, too far away for me to make out his face.
"Rick, is that you?" I called, but if it was Rick, he didn't answer.
"Excuse me, is there something I can help you with?" said a smooth voice from beside me. I whirled. A pale man with slicked-back red hair and luminescent blue eyes smiled at me.
"What are you doing in here?" I asked him.
"Waiting."
"For what?" He was in the middle of a cemetery at night. What could he be waiting for? I hugged my chest.
"Something to eat."
"There's a soup kitchen downtown," I blurted, but even as the words came out I had the awful feeling there was something very wrong with this man. I was a nurse. I assessed people for a living. His skin was too pale, his eyes too large in his head, and his chest wasn't moving. Whatever was in front of me was not breathing.
"I won't be needing a soup kitchen," he said and peeled his lips back from razor-sharp incisors. He held out his hand. "Why don't you join me?"
