Raising the Dead Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Author Notes

  Dedication

  Reviews

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  After the End

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  About the Publisher

  Additional Titles

  RAISING THE DEAD

  By

  D. B. Sieders

  ***

  Copyright 2018 D. B. Sieders

  Edited by Amanda Roberts.

  Cover Design by MiblArt and Tina Moss. All stock photos licensed appropriately.

  Published in the United States by City Owl Press.

  www.cityowlpress.com

  For information on subsidiary rights, please contact the publisher at [email protected]

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior consent and permission of the publisher.

  The road to hell begins when the reaper darkens her door.

  Don’t miss book 1 in the Soul Broker series, WAKING THE DEAD.

  A chance encounter with a dying stranger opens an empathic connection between down-on-her-luck caregiver Vivian Bedford and the world of spirits. The supernatural seek her at every turn, and the cost of protection isn’t worth the price. When guardian spirits make an offer to help as long as she works on their side of afterlife management, she soon learns these guardians are no angels.

  With her ability to channel energy from the living, she has only one bargaining chip left to play. And becoming a soul broker might cost her more than she’s willing to pay, even if the grim reaper comes in a seductive package. Will Vivian’s power be enough to save her soul and her disabled sister, Mae, from a fate worse than death?

  Only death knows.

  BUY NOW

  For Stephanie, who always believed in me

  PRAISE FOR THE WORKS OF D. B. SIEDERS

  “A unique cast of characters drives this beautifully crafted tale that demands you keep a box of tissue on hand. WAKING THE DEAD is a soul-wrenching look into the decisions one must make about life and death, not only for one’s self, but for a loved one. Ms. Sieders knows how to put words on paper that touch the heart, and invigorate the mind.”

  - 4.5 Stars from InD’Tale Magazine

  “D.B. Sieders is a unique storyteller. CROSSCURRENTS is a mix of science fiction and fantasy that is woven together perfectly. Ms. Sieders’s characters are distinctive and the story is imaginative and fun.”

  - 4.5 Stars from InD’Tale Magazine

  “For paranormal romance readers who are looking for something a little different, LORELEI'S LYRIC could be your first step into a whole new world.”

  - Romantic Reads and Such

  “Sieders delivers a well-written and intriguing supernatural world with a plot that pulls you in and characters that keep you turning pages until the very end in FIRESTORM.”

  - Amazon Reviewer

  “In WAKING THE DEAD, there is an emotional, raw honesty in Vivian and her struggles to care for her sister, Mae. It's so rare to find a heroine, one we root for, who is not a saint but is desperately trying to do the right thing and is not always perfect.”

  - GoodReads Reviewer

  “D.B. Sieders has a charming way with language, bordering on zany, sarcastic, and gritty. WAKING THE DEAD is realistic, unique, honest, humorous, bittersweet, a little flirty, and a dark journey of hope. It is an addictive must-read!”

  - 5 Stars from Liz Konkel, Readers’ Favorite

  PROLOGUE

  The woman appeared on her deck.

  He’d been watching her for a long time, at least by mortal standards. Flesh was such a limiting state. The departed reckoned time a bit differently than the living. It was one advantage—or disadvantage—of their eternal natures.

  Of course, time had never worked in his favor on either side of eternity.

  Hidden in the nearby tree line, he stared up at the back door to her home, the white of its recently painted frame eerie as it glowed in the moonlight. Deck chairs and a small table cast long shadows as a gust sent a shiver of ripples through the fabric of a large umbrella. Empty a heartbeat before, and then all of a sudden, there she stood.

  She took his breath away. Always had.

  She didn’t step out of the back door, nor did she casually stroll up the stairs. She materialized, as if she’d conjured her body out of thin air.

  Not possible for ordinary mortals, of course. She was still technically among the living. Only powerful incorporeal guardian and reaper spirits could conjure a corporeal form from the elements. But this almost-mortal woman had learned a few of their tricks, including some she hadn’t bothered to share with the guardians for whom she worked.

  Her auburn curls whipped in the wind as it howled through the dark night. She fought to push the rogue strands out of her face while she waited for her dark guest, or so he suspected.

  She hadn’t told her guardian supervisors about him, either. His fists clenched as emotion exploded through his body, which threatened to shatter into the dust from which it came.

  Rage to be sure, and jealousy, perhaps—or, more accurately, a deep sense of betrayal—nearly consumed him, but he struggled for calm. He was here to observe, not to intervene. That would come later, and only if he caught her in the act.

  Playing both sides was a dangerous game, and one that came with the risk of dire consequences.

  He’d learned that lesson from a rather unpleasant personal experience.

  He half-hoped he was wrong about her. The heart he now possessed longed for it.

  Vivian Bedford had intrigued him ever since he’d been assigned to monitor the rare mortal soul broker. Nearly broken under the weight of an unbearable burden, she’d proven tenacious, fiercely protective of those she loved, and surprisingly cunning in her dealings with afterlife management. She’d taken the hard road, clinging to mortal life in spite of being forever bound to the world of spirits. Death would have been the much simpler choice, if less courageous.

  Pride mingled with anger and jealousy.

  He’d had a hand in shaping her into the formidable soul broker she’d become, and he’d paid a heavy price. But it seemed she was seeking guidance from another mentor now. Right on cue, the man in white appeared, and she welcomed the reaper with a brief but passionate kiss.

  With that one act, she’d given him the ammunition he needed. Now, he only had to pick the right moment to pull the trigger.

  If he could.

  CHAPTER 1

  Vivian stood o
utside of the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, watching and waiting. She’d almost gotten used to that, the watching and the waiting part, but this was a major multitasking day. Eleven-year old Annabelle, eight-year old Kaitlyn, and two-and-a-half-year-old Conner a.k.a. “Scooter” Clemmens, the unholy trinity, were under her care. Fortunately, the girls were cooperating with one another in the shared task of dominating their little brother.

  That gave Vivian time to scope out the spirit scene.

  Two warms at the entrance, one lost and lonely lurking behind the bushes…cold ones?

  She gave a quick nod to the two guardians at the entrance and they returned her greeting without obvious surprise. She’d gotten pretty good at communing with the spirits around her without alerting the living. That was essential, since she didn’t want to end up endangering anyone else or wind up in the nut house. Spirits remained invisible to normal mortals, but not to her, and sometimes it was still hard to sort the living from the dead—especially the powerful spirits who could assume a corporeal form for a short time and blend in with the living.

  She still didn’t detect any chilly spirits after a third scan of the area. Breathing a sigh of relief, Vivian reached out to the minds of the invisible guardian spirits and requested a courtesy meeting. At least, she hoped she’d sent the right message. She couldn’t read thoughts like a true guardian could.

  Maybe you have to actually be dead to do that.

  She still wasn’t sure. The details were a little fuzzy, and her not-so-forthcoming mentor guardian spirit, Ezra, wasn’t helping. But she’d found she could manage to send out a sort of mental text message to those nearby. Only short messages so far; anything else still required a face-to-face. But the skill still came in handy. These included greetings like, “Hey! I’m here and I see you, but I’m no threat,” or “Ezra asked me to help with this soul crossing,” or “Back off, reaper, this one’s mine!” Luckily, she had some spiritual firepower to back her threats up. Even luckier, she’d only ever had to face one reaper on her own. That encounter had resulted in a rather…complicated relationship. Vivian shivered. She knew enough about the darkness lurking just beyond the perception of the living to fear it.

  She suspected there was far more to fear there than she could ever imagine.

  Must practice a bit more. Add that to my mile-long list!

  She also needed to find a way to balance normal life with her otherworldly activities, which included looking after her dear friend’s darling children. Of all days and all places, why did these guardian spirits have to show up at the zoo, and on her supposed day off?

  Only one way to find out, and stalling wasn’t it.

  Taking a deep breath, she worked on settling the kids. She gave each a juice box, handed them her smart phone so they could watch YouTube videos, and then asked them to sit tight outside the zoo’s entrance while she ran back to the car. She made sure they were still in her line of sight, but occupied.

  After a quick check to make sure there were no living folks nearby, Vivian opened the driver’s side door and hopped into her old but reliable hybrid. The male guardian materialized in the passenger seat and his female sidekick appeared in the back. They’d both assumed corporeal forms, which surprised Vivian, though she tried not to show it. She hoped they wouldn’t leave dust all over her seats when they left.

  “You must be Vivian,” said the man, his voice curt and dripping with disdain. He wore a well-tailored business suit with creases as sharp as the angles of his face. Probably mid-fifties when he’d died—likely sometime in the 1950s judging by the suit’s style—he had aged gracefully and would have turned heads if not for the clenched jaw and deep frown.

  “I am,” she replied. “And you are…or were?” She raised her eyebrows and invited him to fill in the blanks. Living or dead, she didn’t appreciate his tone and lack of manners. If he wasn’t willing to extend basic courtesy, she didn’t see any reason to offer hers.

  “I am called Wallace, and my partner is Jeanne. Shall I help you disappear from view while we chat?”

  “Pleased to meet you both,” she said. “And no thanks. I can manage on my own.” She channeled her spirit energy and became invisible. She’d picked up that handy trick through her work with guardian spirits, not to mention someone working for the other side.

  Wallace’s gaze went wide with apparent shock. Good. Served him right for being dismissive.

  “By the way, why go through the trouble of conjuring corporeal bodies if you were planning to make yourself invisible to the living?” Vivian asked.

  Wallace bristled, but Jeanne answered, her voice warm and filled with eagerness. “I wanted to practice. Gotta keep my skills sharp if I’m to fulfill my duties as a guardian.”

  Jeanne was the polar opposite of her companion. Young, exuberant, and engaging, her honey-colored hair hung loose on her shoulders and framed the beautiful oval of her face. She wore jeans and a T-shirt. The shirt displayed a skeletal figure cloaked in black and carrying a scythe. It read, “Are you flirting with me?”

  Vivian liked her immediately.

  Now safely out of sight, at least to any living folk who might wander close to her vehicle, Vivian called the meeting to order. “I’m not here on business, but I wanted to let you know I’m here and I’m…aware.”

  Ezra had instructed her to check in with any guardians she ran across in her daily life. “Don’t be shy, Miss Vivian,” is what he’d actually told her, but shyness wasn’t the problem.

  No, having to make lame excuses and slip away from her living companions was the problem. A big one, and one she hadn’t counted on when she’d agreed to take on the role of living soul broker.

  Not that she’d agreed so much as had been made the proverbial offer she couldn’t refuse.

  “Duly noted,” Wallace said sardonically, pulling her out of her musings and back to reality.

  “Any reapers in the area? I’m here with kids, so you’ll understand why I don’t want any trouble,” Vivian said.

  “There are none in the zoo, though an unfortunate will be claimed by reapers at Southern Hills within the hour,” Jeanne chimed in from the back. Wallace shot her a look, but she ignored it. She put her hand on Vivian’s shoulder, sending a delightful jolt of warmth and well-being into her through touch. That was another nice thing guardian spirits could do for the living.

  “Don’t worry,” Jeanne said, squeezing her shoulder. “We’re here to guard the children visiting today. You and your companions will be safe.”

  “Thanks, Jeanne,” Vivian said with genuine gratitude. Southern Hills hospital was just far enough away for Vivian’s comfort, and both reapers and guardians hung around medical centers anyway, for obvious reasons.

  Even without her comment about keeping her skills up, Vivian would’ve pegged Jeanne for a newly recruited guardian spirit. For one thing, Vivian hadn’t seen her around before, and for another, she was friendly. Like most older spirits, Wallace was not. Many older guardians she’d met weren’t keen on training, nor were they too thrilled with a mortal who was able to see them, much less one who shared some of their powers.

  Given Wallace’s reaction to her, Vivian put him somewhere between colonial and older than dirt.

  “Speaking of children, I’d better get back to the ones I’m watching. Call if you need me.”

  Glad to have her courtesy call out of the way, and glad she didn’t stay to hear whatever snarky comment Wallace made about her offer to help, Vivian walked back to the Clemmens kids. They stopped whatever mischief they’d been up to, which their expressions of manufactured innocence betrayed, and sat at attention.

  “Listen up,” she said. Best to get eye contact before issuing orders. That way, she’d only have to repeat them twice instead of five times.

  Vivian didn’t talk to children like they were idiots or small dogs. First of all, it was irritating. Second, she’d found that they just responded better to civilized conversation most of the time, or direct commands if that fai
led. Kay Clemmens, their mother, had advised her to lay down the ground rules early. Like any good commanding officer, she approached the troop with confidence and prepared to brief them on the rules of engagement.

  “We’re all going to have a good time as long as you behave like normal people and not like monkey butts.”

  That got a few sniggers from the older girls.

  “So,” Vivian continued, “do not pick your noses, scratch your heinies, or pee on the floor.” The last order was directed at the two-and-a-half year old, with good reason.

  “Speaking of that, does anyone need to go to the bathroom?” she asked. All she got in response was a series of grunts and unintelligible grumbles.

  “Okay, I don’t speak caveman, so how about a ‘yes, ma’am’ or a ‘no thank you?’”

  “I want need go pee pee,” came the deceptively angelic voice of Scooter.

  “Anyone else?”

  “No, ma’am,” offered Annabelle and Kaitlyn in unison.

  She left the girls on their own to peek around the gift shop, warning them not to bend, spindle, or mutilate anything, while she took Scooter to do his business. It wasn’t all that bad, though truth be told she was grateful his pull-up was clean. After months of cleaning and changing her full-grown invalid sister, Mae, before she passed, Vivian didn’t think she would ever be able to handle diapers.

  Of course diapers were required with children, part of the whole motherhood package.

  And the point of this entire exercise, Vivian suspected, was to let her give motherhood a test drive.

  Kay meant well, and Vivian was glad to help with her brood, but motherhood was the last thing she needed…or wanted.

  Well, at least she was sure about the first. Being a part-time liaison between the living and dead, a title she’d imagined printing on a business card more than once, wasn’t really compatible with family life. It might not be compatible with Jace, the man in her life, either, but that was an entirely different issue.