Death Watchers

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My blood ran cold, my soul apparently knowing what my head didn't. "And who would that be, Cole?" My anger had vanished, replaced by an all-around fear at his answer.

"My father—my real father—is my mother's Shadow Man, Aidoneus."

I didn't know how to respond, my mind having gone completely blank.

Cole sighed from the other end of the phone. "Jocelynn, I'd prefer if we were talking face-to-face so I could see your reaction. 'Cause right now I'm thinking you hung up."

"No, I didn't hang up."

His laugh was both relieved and scared. "That sounds like it's missing a 'yet' at the end."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Is this the huge secret the Shadow Man was referring to that one day you told me to get out of your life?"

"Uh, a little."

"There's more?" I seriously didn't know how I would react if there was something else. Was his mother even a Death Watcher or was she some kind of zombie? It would explain the whole undead thing.

"Well, Aidoneus being my father explains why I'm undead," Cole stated, interrupting my wild thoughts. "I was born dead, stillborn, and the doctors called it a miracle when I survived. My body temperature is lower than normal but they said it would go back up. Of course, it never did.

"And when I was seven and got sick, Mom knew my body was fighting the guardian gene, but I guess the guardian won. Go figure, right? That's why we have a bond. Because I'm technically dead, you're afraid of me but tied to me. Only the best Death Watchers have undead guardians because we have unlimited energy."

"So your mom was fully mortal, right?"

He choked on a laugh. "Yes, my mom was as normal as any Death Watcher. Which is why I want to take her back from Aidoneus. He doesn't deserve her. Jim does more than he does."

"So, because your father is dead, you're partly dead but partly alive? How is that even possible?"

The phone rustled like he had shrugged. "I don't know the specifics. I just know I'm not a mortal and I'm clearly not dead. It's why I can talk to ghosts and humans alike—dead, but alive."

"Wow. And I thought my life sucked. At least I know the status of my soul." Then something else hit. "Wait, so can every guardian fight off ghosts or are you a special breed?"

"Let's just say I'm a special breed."

"Wow. I'm lucky then, huh?"

"I guess. Although you have to deal with a dead guy twenty-four seven." There was a pause. "Meet at the coffee shop in twenty minutes?"

I thought about it. "Yeah, I'll be there." We hung up and I quickly slipped on the sweatshirt I had started wearing ever since bandages were allowed to be removed officially. No way was I going to be walking around town with my arms visible in their current condition. They still disgusted me.