Shadow's Kiss (Monstrous Hearts: Fleur's Story)

Chapter Twelve

It wasn't hard to find Ben Reaper, as all the locals called him. Once in a while, fans showed up hoping to see him, and it was a known thing that he enjoyed meeting them, so it was easy for Fleur and Dario to get directions to his house.

The night had passed without event, and that fact needled at her. Dario had stayed on his side of the bed like a perfect gentleman, and she had been too nervous to do anything about it. Now, in the bright morning sunlight, she was tired and irritated, more with herself than anything. It didn't help that he looked hotter than ever, casual in jeans and a racerback tank that showed off the muscles in his arms and shoulders. For once, being left alone felt frustrating, but she was too much of a coward to broach the subject.

Instead, as they drove down a remote, uneven road, she said, "We should probably figure out our cover story about why we want to see him. I doubt anyone realizes Mason is missing."

Dario must have already thought it out, because he responded immediately. "Keep things close to the truth. Mason was going to help with a ritual but never got back to us. We're trying to find it and do it ourselves."

Sounded good to her, and she said nothing else until they arrived. "He's really out in the middle of nowhere."

The land around the single-story house had been cleared and turned into a shaggy lawn, but there were pine trees instead of neighbors, and the area behind the house seemed to be outright wilderness. Her skin prickled as she stared at the unassuming home, which appeared low and squat against the rolling hills in the distance. It had big windows in the front and a deck that wrapped around the back, but she still couldn't help thinking that it looked like a place where no one would hear screams. "Am I the only one already creeped out?"

Dario was also studying the house intently. "There's magic in there. A little of it feels very old but also dormant. Ritual tomes, I think. The rest is as much a patchwork as what his nephew cast."

"And... what do we do if he's also as evil as his nephew?"

"I'll kill him and take his knowledge." His tone sounded much too pleasant for those words.

"Drastic, but okay." Then Fleur drew in a deep breath, hoping this would go better than their experience with the ritemaster.

The man answered the door after the first round of knocks, and Fleur immediately pitched her voice into something polite. "Hi. Ben Reaper? We're friends of your nephew, Mason."

"Yeah? How's the kid doing?" His laidback voice matched his appearance, a little raspy with age but still brimming with that stoner skateboarder drawl. He had also grown a grey-streaked goatee since his appearance in Mason's video.

"We've been trying to catch up with him. He got us interested in learning about the occult and even trying a few rituals, but he didn't tell us enough to complete one."

Ben Reaper glanced between her face and Dario's but didn't seem suspicious. "I'm not surprised he ditched out on you. That kid is always wild. Can't say I know where he is, but he'll probably show up in a few days."

Then Dario spoke up, his tone casual. "Maybe you could help us? He said he learned everything from you."

Now that they were face to face, Fleur could easily see a surgery scar running up the man's left leg along his shin and another on his right wrist. She'd heard about skateboarders getting injured all the time, and he obviously had been no exception. Her gaze returned to his face as he said, "Yeah, sure. Always happy to help out Mason's buddies."

Inside, the house looked bright and airy from all the windows. The hallway from the front door was painted cream and white, blending in with the hardwood floor. Framed photos covered every inch of the walls. They all looked like images of Ben in his glory days—young, suntanned, and flashing a smile while in the air with his skateboard.