Keeper vs. Reaper
Graveyard Guardians
Book 1
Jennifer Malone Wright
Genre: New Adult / Paranormal 18+
Publisher: Jennifer Malone Wright
Date of Publication: August 12th
2014
Cover Artist: Regina Wamba of Mae I
Design and Photography
Book Description:
When her father died, Lucy Mae Estmond
inherited the family business. She has known all of her life that she would be
in line to watch over the souls of the recently passed, keeping them safe from
the Reapers.
The soul eating Reapers have been a
plague upon the Earth, stealing souls and leaving the Keepers as the only thing
that stands between Heaven and Hell. The factions despise each other and have
warred for generations.
Then Lucy discovers an ancient
legend predicting the arrival of the Chosen One, destined to bring forth an end
to the Reapers. The surprises continue when she realizes she is that person.
For Lucy, being the Chosen One doesn’t change much. Fighting Reapers is just
another day in the life of a Keeper.
When she meets Jack Walker, they
both realize they have an insane, mutual attraction. Too bad that he’s been
sent to prevent the prophecy from coming true.
His only mission: to kill the Chosen
One.
Excerpt:
Inch
by painstaking inch, the casket sank lower into the freshly churned earth.
The
scent of lilacs floated on the breeze, along with the heavy stench of perfume
and cologne, reminding Lucy of the fragrance aisle in a department store.
Lucy
stood beside the grave, dressed in a modest royal blue sundress. She had chosen
it specifically because her father always said the color looked the best
against her hair, which was a mix of reddish brown that shone burgundy in the
sunlight.
Tilting
her head up, Lucy looked through the canopy of the aging oak trees that were
scattered throughout the cemetery. The breeze shifted the branches, causing a
few of the leaves to pull free and flutter off into the wind. There were almost
no clouds in sky, allowing the sun to shine down over the funeral.
Her
brothers and sisters surrounded the open grave opposite of her. All six of them
also wore something fitting for a funeral, but nothing depressing enough to
send their father into a rage in his afterlife.
Smiling,
Lucy remembered the argument she and her father had during his last moments.
“Lucy!” he had shouted at her. “Don’t you dare let them bury me in a suit. I am
not going to spend eternity in a stuffy ass business suit. Make sure I’m
wearing my khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt because I’m going on the vacation
of a lifetime.”
That
was toward the end, when the cancer was so bad that her dad spent most of his
time in bed, moaning about how he should be up and about doing something. They
both knew that the end was near, but Lucy had cried only in private. Her father
wanted her to be happy he was moving on to the next life, but she couldn’t
understand in what way, shape or form, his dying was a good thing.
So
she shed her tears alone in her room until there were no more left to cry.
The
fog of the memory lifted from Lucy’s mind and she looked across the grave at
her brothers and sisters. The entire brood of Estmond siblings were born with
the same color hair as Lucy had been blessed with. Each of them, as well as
Lucy and Ethan, held a white rose in one hand. Later, before the grave was
sealed, they would each take a turn throwing one down onto the casket, as a
symbol of their wish for their father’s peaceful journey into the afterlife.
Just
behind her brothers and sisters stood the mourners who came to pay their last
respects. Most of them were town’s people whom they had grown up with, except
for one group who stood close together, most of them around her father’s age.
These were the Keepers whom her family had been closest to over the years. She
could see Gloria and Edward White, the Keepers from one of the Napa Valley
graveyards standing solemnly beside Ellen and Stanly Evans, who worked in the hospital
in Santa Rosa. There were several other Keepers surrounding them who she
recognized and made a note to speak to them later.
Beyond
them, further out into the trees, the spirits began to show themselves. They
appeared in the form of their human bodies, a bit transparent, but solid for
the most part. It was harder to see in the daylight, but their misty blue auras
swirled around them, helping form the solidity of their bodies.
The
spirits were fascinated by funerals. When Lucy was little she used to think
that they wanted to say goodbye to someone, but really it was because there
wasn’t much else to do in a graveyard except talk to each other and attend
burials.
Pastor
Brown spoke solemnly, saying kind words and telling her father’s life story.
Inwardly, Lucy cursed her father for choosing Pastor Brown, a man who had not
known her father and she was sure didn’t give a flying fuck about him either.
Her father hadn’t set foot in church since he was a child. Not because he
didn’t believe in God, he just didn’t believe in organized religion.
Sensing
her tension, Ethan squeezed her hand reassuringly. Turning to her left she
looked up and met her best friend’s eyes through the tint of his sunglasses.
Even through the dark lenses she could see the sorrow in his eyes. He had loved
her father too, just as much as any one of the Estmond clan. In response, she
squeezed his hand back and then turned back to stare at the grave again.
“And
now, Lucy Mae, Gregory’s youngest child, will say a few words about her father.” The preacher cleared his throat, signaling to
Lucy that it was time.
Lucy
had no tears staining her face. She had cried all those tears long before the
day of the funeral. Again, Ethan gave her hand a gentle squeeze and then
released her so that she could reach down and withdraw the folded piece of
yellow legal paper out of her miniscule handbag.
As
Lucy unfolded the paper she felt like it was taking an eternity.
This day is never going to end.
Finally,
the paper was open in front of her and she began.
“I
know that this speech is going to sound like the speeches given for so many
others who have passed on. But, when someone we love dies, we all feel pretty
much the same way … so here it goes. My father, Gregory Estmond, was the best
person I’ve ever known. Today, we stand here, not to mourn him, but to
celebrate him. He didn’t want any one of us to be sad that he was gone. Because
… he isn’t gone. He will always be with us. For those of us who spent each day
with him, his teachings and his love will always be with us. He taught us love,
he taught us respect, he taught us of our family heritage, and he taught us how
to live.
“For
those who are acquaintances of my father, you may have met him only once and
you are here because he impacted you in some way.”
A
few nods came from the crowd.
Lucy
continued. “He had that effect on people because he had a genuine love and
respect for human life. Which is not something all of us can say we have. He
treated everyone the same, with kindness.
“Because
my father had cancer, he knew that this day was coming and he had time to
prepare for it. We had many discussions and the one thing he consistently told
me was to embrace life. He didn’t say this because he was dying, it was his
mantra. This man lived every day of his life like it may be his last. He didn’t
wait until he was dying to find the beauty in this world or the people in it.
He was always this way.
“Remember
my father, not with sadness, but with the memories he left behind. Remember him
with love, with laughter and knowing that he is exactly where he wants to be.”
Lucy
stepped back, reaching out for Ethan to grasp her hand once again. She eyed her
siblings, none of them were crying either. Daniel, the second oldest son,
reached into his gray trench coat and pulled out a silver flask. Lucy sighed
and watched as her brother didn’t even try to hide it and took a long pull of
the whiskey she knew was inside.
Sadly,
as inappropriate as her brother was being, she couldn’t help but wish she could
take a giant swig off that flask too.
It’s almost over.
“Would
anyone else like to say a few words?” Pastor Brown offered.
Sherriff
Davis stepped forward, he had his Stetson clutched in one hand and hitched up
his gun belt with the other. As always he was wearing his uniform. The Sheriff
and her father had been pretty close … well, as close as a Keeper can get to
someone without that someone thinking that they are out of their mind.
“I’d
like to, if that’s all right.” The Sheriff looked down into the grave before
his eyes swept across the crowd of mourners.Finally his eyes met Lucy’s and she
flashed him a smile meant to encourage him to proceed.
“Greg
was my friend … and an old grump like me doesn’t have many friends. Greg knew a
lot of people in this town, but I feel damn sorry for anyone who lives here and
never had the chance to meet him. No one, aside from my own wife, Darcy, could
make me laugh like Greg could. He was loyal and respectful, even if he was a
bull shitter. Good grief that man liked to tell stories. Also, any man who can
raise a brood of children by himself and manage to keep them all out of jail is
a good man in my book.”
Lucy
could have sworn that she heard Principal Robertson blow air between his lips
like he was blowing a raspberry. A few people looked his way and then back at
Sheriff Davis.
“That
is all I got.” Sheriff Davis stepped back into the crowd.
Evelynn
Andrews, the librarian at the Summer Hollow library, raised her hand slightly.
She was about seventy years old, but didn’t look a day over fifty five. Lucy
hoped she would age that well as the years progressed.
Evelynn
pushed her glasses up her nose and closed her eyes for a moment before she
began to speak. “I don’t think I can say much more about how wonderful Gregory
was, but I wanted to make sure to pay my respects by voicing them. I’ve known
the Estmond family all the way back to when Kathleen was still alive, as far
back as when she and Greg were high school sweethearts. No one, could have been
a better father to these children. Sure, they have caused a fair amount of
ruckus over the years, but he did it all on his own and they are educated,
mostly well behaved.”
She
paused to glance at Daniel who had decided that moment would be appropriate for
another pull from his flask. “And above all, Greg gave these children a sense
of loyalty. Anyone who knows these kids knows that if you mess with one, you
get the whole bunch of them.”
A
few people giggled, even Lucy, knowing how true that statement really was.
“This
may not seem like a good thing in retrospect, but a family who stays together
so closely is a rare thing these days. It is to be cherished. Greg gave them
this sense of family and that is something to be proud of.” As she finished,
she closed her eyes again looked Pastor Brown.
“Would
anyone else like to speak?” Pastor Brown addressed the crowd of mourners.
Unexpectedly,
Ethan released Lucy’s hand and raised it up a little bit. “I need to say
something.”
Pastor
Brown nodded and held his hand out beside him. Ethan moved over to the other
side of Lucy beside the pastor. “There are very few people here who don’t know
who I am.” Ethan began. “Gregory Estmond took me under his wing a long time
ago, when Lucy and I were both very little. My parents, who have moved away
now…”
He
paused and took a breath, pondering if he should let out the deep dark family
secrets. Well, secrets that the whole town knew anyway. That was how small
towns worked.
“They
were, drug addicts and alcoholics who barely took care of me. Greg came by the
house one day to see my parents for some reason and what he found was a little
boy locked in his room with no food or water and his parents passed out in
their bedroom surrounded by drugs and trash. The story is a long one, a long
sad story. But it ended with Greg and the rest of the Estmonds making sure I
always had a place to go, that I always had food. Greg even went so far as to
pay me for making good grades, just to give me incentive to do well in school.”
Lucy
grimaced as he told the story, hating Ethan’s parents for what they did to him.
Ethan had conveniently left out the part about how her father had beat the ever
living snot out of Ethan’s dad that day he found him locked up in his room half
starved. It was hard to believe Ethan’s parents came from a Keeper line, but
sadly, not all Keepers were immune to addiction. Keepers were human, just like
everyone else.
Ethan
scanned the crowd through his glasses. “No one, except for maybe the Estmond
kids, owes more, or loves that man, more than I do. He saved me and I will never forget that. I hope that none of
you ever forget that either.”
Ethan
lowered his head and hurried back to Lucy. She immediately took his hand again,
knowing how hard it must have been for him to say all that in front of
everyone. He never spoke about his
parents. They moved away when he was fourteen and left him alone in the house.
After that he came to live with the Estmonds for good. She and Ethan were
friends long before the incident at Ethan’s house, but after he came to live
with them, they were inseparable.
Pastor
Brown closed up the ceremony with a prayer and then the bagpipes started on
Amazing Grace. Lucy stepped forward with Ethan’s hand firmly in her grasp and
looked down into the dark, deep hole where her father’s body would spend
eternity. Luckily, she knew better than most that his soul would not remain in
that body.
She
held the white rose firmly over the grave. “I wish you peaceful passage.” She
released the rose and it drifted down into the depths of the hole. “I love you,
Daddy.”
Ethan
mimicked her actions, familiar with the meaning of the ceremony from the many
deaths of Keepers past. Her siblings had moved into a line directly behind her
and Ethan, tossing their roses in as well.
The
other mourners milled about, giving Lucy and the family some time before they
headed over to her house for the wake. She caught sight of Gloria and Ellen
chatting beside the giant wreath of flowers with her father’s picture inside.
She wandered over to say hello. “Gloria, Ellen, it’s been so long since I’ve
seen you.”
Gloria
smiled, as did Ellen. “Yes dear,” Gloria greeted her. “It has been some time.
I’m sorry we couldn’t make it sooner.”
“Or
under better circumstances.” Ellen added.
Lucy
nodded. “Well, I’m just glad that you could make it here now. I’m sure my
father would be happy that you are here now.”
Gloria
and Ellen nodded, they made a bit more small talk and then Ethan appeared
beside her. “I think we had better get over to the house now.” He whispered
just loudly enough for the older ladies to hear.
“Oh,”
Lucy checked her watch deliberately. “You are absolutely right. I’m sorry
ladies, I need to get some things ready over at the house.”
Gloria
smiled again, a loving gentle smile of someone she had known her entire life.
“You go on dear, we will see you over there.”
With
a quick ‘see you later,’ Lucy backed away and then turned to join hands with
Ethan again. “Thanks for saving me. I didn’t really want to talk to them, but I
had to make sure to say hello to them.”
“You
doing all right?” Ethan asked, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.
Lucy
nodded. “I’m fine.” She turned her head to try and see his eyes through the
dark tint of his glasses. “How bout you. Are you all right?”
He
twisted his lip up a little and she knew he was giving slight eye roll. “I’ll
survive. I just miss him and all this,” he gestured to the crowd, “actually
makes it harder.”
She
nodded again. “I know what you mean. I feel the same way.” Her gaze strayed
from the grave and focused on her house. Their home sat on the edge of the
cemetery, separated from the dead by a white picket fence and about thirty
yards of grass. The yellow farmhouse had been in their family for several
generations, and now it was hers, as was the family business.
“Let’s
head over.”
She
nodded. Of course they had to get to the house. But, it wouldn’t be for
relaxing. There was food to get out and serve. People would come up to her and
tell her how sorry they were for her loss, or how much her father meant to
them, or some awesome memory they had of him. It was going to be a very long
afternoon.
Almost over,
she told herself again. Almost over.
About the Author:
Jennifer Malone Wright is best known
for her short story series, The Vampire Hunter's Daughter. Other works include
the follow up to The Vampire Hunter's Daughter series called The Arcadia Falls
Chronicles and her vampire novel called The Birth of Jaiden. Jennifer also
co-authors a series called Once Upon A Zombie Apocalypse.
She resides in the beautiful
mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children where she
practices preparing for the zombie apocalypse. Just kidding!
But seriously, between the craziness
of taking care of her children, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The
time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working
on her beloved fiction or chatting with her equally crazy friends.
Jennifer also loves coffee, has a
passionate affair with red bull, wishes the sushi were better where she lives
and dances while she cleans.
Website: www.jenniferwrightauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jennichad217
Details
for the Keeper vs. Reaper pre-order giveaway:
-Entries
will be accepted until September 1st.
-
Winner will be chosen on Sept 5th.
-To
qualify for the B&B stay you must live in the United States.
-You
must be 21 years of age to enter and winner must be able to verify their age.
-
Date of B&B stay is February 2015. The actual date will set by Jack and
Lucy who will discuss it with the winner to see which days would be best for
them.
-
The custom wine and chocolate will be waiting for the lucky winner at the
B&B
-
The only items covered in this win are the cost of ONE night stay in the bed
& breakfast, the wine and the chocolate, which will be waiting for the
winner at the B&B when they arrive. Winner is responsible for getting to
the location, spending money, meals, ect.
-Winner
is responsible for any damages or incurred costs during their stay at the
B&B.
How to Enter:
To make this super easy, we are just
going to do a rafflecopter, so click the link to enter. Again, I am going to
state that you must be 21 years of age to enter and winner must be able to
verify their age.
There are several ways to enter,
however one is to pre order or purchase (after release on Aug 12th) Keeper vs.
Reaper. Unfortunately, there is no pre-order for Amazon, but the iTunes /
iBooks app and the Nook app are free to download. These apps can be used on
devices like tablets, phones, and computers.
*~*~*
0 comments:
Post a Comment