Drip Drop Teardrop, a Novella Read Online Free PDF Page A

he
huffed, actually seeming affronted by her manners. He folded his
large body into her aunt’s armchair and Avery almost smiled at how
ridiculous he looked against the floral pattern of the fabric
covering. “My name is Brennus.”
    “ And you’re
Death?” Avery asked warily, trying to remember if she had
accidentally taken some hallucinogens in the last 24
hours.
    He shrugged. “Depends on
what you mean by Death?”
    Avery rolled her eyes at
his blasé tone. “Death. As in Angel of. Grim Reaper. Black hooded
cloak. Big scythe.”
    Brennus chuckled and sank
back into the chair, appearing completely relaxed. “Well that’s not
right at all. For a start… there isn’t only one Death.”
    The breath whooshed out
of her body. “You mean you’re not… alone?”
    Seeming amused by the
idea he shook his head slowly. “You really think one guy can take
care of all the deaths in this world?”
    Well… when he
put it like that… no.
    She replied with a jerky
shake of her head.
    “ There are
many of us. Once ordinary men and women, we were offered the chance
of immortality in exchange for ferrying the dead into their
afterlife.”
    Avery felt
sick. She shivered, her eyes narrowed on him. “You chose to do this? Why
would you do that?” This man, this immortal, who she was at once
attracted to and wanted to run from, was some soulless creature who
had sold himself to the underworld for the chance at immortality.
She was disgusted with herself for being drawn to him.
    Brennus’ face darkened,
his eyes flashing dangerously, reminding her who he was and how
powerful he was. “You misunderstand, little one.”
    Even though her breath
was coming in shallow gasps, Avery was determined not to be
browbeaten by this… creature. “Then explain.”
    “ We don’t
kill people, Avery. We just show them the way when their time is
up.”
    “ But why
would you want that kind of job?”
    “ Someone has
to do it.”
    At his sad answer Avery
felt a little faint and she let her body slide down the wall until
her bottom hit the wooden floors. “What do you want with
me?”
    Sighing, Brennus leaned
forward, his elbows on his knees. His gaze had softened again as it
washed over her face, tallying her features. “We’re called the
Ankou. Or the Thana, depending on where you’re coming
from.”
    Avery just stared at him,
not even asking what he meant.
    “ My province
was London,” Brennus continued. “I was responsible for seeing the
safe journey of the dead there over to their afterlife-”
    “ For how
long?” Avery interrupted, needing to know, no matter how upsetting
(could it get any more upsetting considering she was sitting here
talking to Death?).
    “ Nearly two
thousand years,” he replied promptly. “When London was Londinium
and much smaller, I might add. I had more free time back
then.”
    She gave a little guffaw
of hysterical laughter, ignoring his glare. She waved him off. “I’m
not laughing at you. I’m just laughing at this.” She gestured
around her. “I think all the trauma has finally gotten to
me.”
    Brennus stared her down.
“You know this is real, Avery. You know me.”
    She shook her head.
“No.”
    “ Yes. You
do,” he insisted, his voice hardening under her denial.
    She shivered, clutching
her stomach, heat blossoming on her cheeks. She felt a little
feverish. “Why?” She desperately wanted to cry as she pinned him
with her forthright blue gaze. “Why are you so
familiar?”
    Brennus exhaled, a
relieved smile playing on his lips. He had a beautiful mouth, she
realised distantly. He relaxed back into the armchair. “I only took
over New York nine years ago. I came here for a reason. When she
was ten years old, a little girl and her parents came over from the
U.S. to Britain, and they were involved in a tragic car accident. I
came for them all.”
    Avery
swallowed past the lump in her throat, not sure if she had heard
correctly over the rushing of blood in her ears. “Them all