Reaper (Dark in You 8)

“Would you be willing to allow Piper to try to help you?” asked Knox.

Levi inwardly recoiled at the idea, biting back a reflexive objection by sheer force of will.

“Piper might not be able to see him if he has literally vanished from even your subconscious memories, but it’s not impossible,” Knox added.

Licking her lips, Missy gave a slow nod. “Okay. But can we maybe do it tomorrow?”

“Of course, I’ll bring her by then,” Knox told her, rising to his feet.

Once again gathered in the front yard with Knox and the other sentinels, Levi said, “If I was able to read emotional vibes from her house, I would probably have picked up a lot of frustration, regret, and bitterness. He didn’t like ‘making do.’ He couldn’t keep up the fantasy as well as he usually does.”

“Because it was always in the back of his mind that Missy and Kyla were sisters, not mother and daughter,” said Keenan.

Tanner scratched at his jaw. “If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s never fussed on whether the kid of his target is a boy or girl, I’d say Rosalind and Bessie were his real family. A family he lost and consistently tries to recreate.”

“It seems more likely he renamed Missy and Kyla because he needed to see them as other people, not their true selves,” said Knox. “At least now we understand why no one can ever give us a good description of him.”

Larkin cocked her head. “Imagine how hard it would be if no one ever remembered you. I mean, think about it. You’d have nobody, because you can’t build something with someone who’ll forget you if you leave their side. It would be almost like you were invisible, because you’d make no lasting impression on anyone. He said that was his ‘curse.’ Do you think he meant that literally?” she asked no one in particular.

“It’s possible.” Levi pulled out his cell phone. “An incantor will know. I’ll ask Mia.”

Keenan frowned. “Not Ella?”

Levi shook his head. “Ella has a wide range of knowledge, but her sister’s more knowledgeable when it comes to curses and hexes.”

Mia answered after three rings. “Levi, it’s good to hear from you.”

“How are you doing, Mia?” he asked.

“Good, good,” she replied. “Congrats on finding your psi-mate—Ella told me all about it. You’d better introduce Piper to us soon or we’re gonna get cranky.”

“Noted.”

“Excellent. Now tell me why you called.”

“Can someone be cursed so that they would never be remembered by others?”

There was a short moment of silence. “Such a curse does exist, but a person would have to be enraged to inflict it on another.”

“Why?”

“The cost is more than most would bear. The caster of the spell, too, will not be remembered by anyone other than the person they cursed. And there is no way to lift that curse.”

The latter was unusual, from what he knew. “Thanks, Mia.” After ringing off, he relayed the information to Knox and the other sentinels.

“Maybe he pissed someone off and this is his punishment,” mused Tanner.

“I’d say so,” said Larkin. “I mean, he was essentially robbed of relationships—past, present, and future. His family and loved ones won’t remember him, and he has no way of building new relationships to compensate for that. He’ll always be alone.”

Keenan hummed. “Someone definitely wanted him to suffer.”

“I’d say they got what they wanted,” said Tanner. “And we can’t really say the cost was the lives of the women he murdered. That was all on him.”

Keenan twisted his mouth. “Looking at the situation, I can see why he found it easy to let Missy live. He killed the other women because they weren’t what he wanted in a partner. In his view, they’d proven to be useless. He held them at fault for how things didn’t work out. But with Missy, he believed he was in the wrong, he believed he should have chosen someone else.”

“I don’t think that’s the only reason he let her live,” said Knox. “He told Missy that he was tired and wanted all this to be over. I believe he wants to be caught.”

Levi considered that for a moment. “He knew she’d pass on whatever he told her, essentially giving us clues. You know, at first, I didn’t get why he’d target Missy when she lives right next door to Sera, who’s being watched over by the Force. That’s risky. But maybe he was tempting fate, hoping that those patrolling the area might just see and stop him.”

“I think he’s hoping you’ll be the one who stops him,” Tanner said to Levi. “That’s why he’s striking at people in our lair. That’s why he wants your attention. Maybe there’s something sentimental for him about being brought down by a kid he once spared.”

“Perhaps,” said Knox. “It might be good to talk to Dez’s brother. Marshall could have seen something from outside when he was lurking around Sera’s house to watch over her and their son. Not that he’d be able to give us a description of our killer, but he may have seen or heard something helpful.”