When Trex spoke, his voice was muffled by the veil. He kept it so low and rough, it sounded like wheels on gravel. But as I reached the dock I was sure I heard a sharp, angry voice yelling 'fucking wraith'. Since the souls were new enough to the underworld that they were still trying to absorb the grim reality that the world of death actually existed, they were far from understanding the concept of a wraith. Especially because wraiths were hard to pinpoint with any kind of description. They were pliable clouds of stink covered chaos. And one was causing all kinds of chaos on Trex's ferry.

The hull of the ferry slipped from side to side causing some of the murky, pudding-like river water to splash up over the dock and across my boots.

"Fucking hell." I pounded my feet on the splintery dock to rid my boots of the slime. Even though I was there to help, if I stepped onto the ferry, tracking river water onto the deck, I would never hear the end of it from Trex.

I braced my feet hard on the deck, hoping my size and weight would help steady the otherwise rocky boat. Trex's veiled face turned my direction for just a second before the hunched over, old ferryman was sent flying through the air. His booted feet went straight up, and he landed with a thud on deck. The wraith that had upended him shot out from under Trex's cloak.

I pulled my gun from the holster. The wraith screeched and spewed its stink. The souls that were lined up along the railing of the ferry covered their faces to avoid the odor.

The wraith's glowing eyes twinkled with evil amusement, then it circled the ferry and sliced through the mist toward a shaken Trex, who had just pushed to his feet.

I needed to chase the fucking thing back onto the dock, so I could get a clear shot. I needed to get it right between the eyes, otherwise I was wasting ammo. I lunged forward and grabbed the ends of its tattered coat. Just as I moved to fling the beast out of the ferry and onto the dock, its clawed white hands jutted greedily forward. Before Trex could react, the wraith had grabbed hold of the black veil covering his face. The wraith screamed and released a long trail of stink as I lobbed it onto the dock.

Trex had dropped down into a ball, pulling his hood down low over his face. As an obnoxious teen, I'd always devised plans to grab away the veil, so we could get a look at what was supposed to be a hideously disfigured face. But now I just felt sorry for him. And I was mad as fucking hell at the stupid, slimy wraith for leading me on a chase.

The wraith gripped the thin black fabric in its claws as if it had won the veil as a prize, then it took off toward the horses. Wraiths hated water and they especially avoided the river. Hell, we all avoided the river.

"I'm done with this shit," I muttered as I climbed back up on the dock. I caught up to the wraith as it circled the horses and headed toward Wynter. I could have let it disappear into Wynter and hunted it down later, but I needed to get that damn veil from its claws. Once it slipped into Wynter, there were too many places for it to hide the damn thing.

"Hey, dumbshit," I called.

The wraith hadn't expected me to address it. It stopped and looked back at me with laughing yellow eyes. I raised my gun and before it could spin away from me, I fired a bullet. It screeched and writhed as it fell to the ground. I took three large steps and reached down to pry the black veil from its claws before the wraith bubbled and evaporated into a sour smelling mist. The claws had done some damage on the frail fabric, but I was sure Trex would still want it.

I hurried with long strides back to the dock. The ferry was no longer rocking back and forth. Trex was still crouched down with his shoulders drawn up over his body to hide his face. The souls waiting to be delivered across the river were sitting in a huddled, frightened mass. They'd been treated to more than the usual ferry ride.

I couldn't remember ever chasing a wraith near the river. It was almost as if this one had been sent with the sole purpose to unmask the unsuspecting ferryman. Trex had always been a sad, lonely figure sitting out on the macabre stretch of water that was filled with unhappy souls. It seemed like a horrible life, but he always claimed it was an easy way to make a living. I had no idea how old he was or how long he'd been at the helm, but it seemed like it must have been just short of forever. No one seemed to know what kind of being Trex was, but it was easy to assume he was immortal. The ferry had down times, hours when it was docked and the ferryman went off to whatever cave or hole he called home. But when he was out on the river, it was long, grim hours spent carrying rotting, angry dead people to a crappy but well-earned eternity.

I needed to get to Wynter. Stryker was hunting alone. Without thinking, I jumped down onto the deck. My massive weight sent the boat down on the starboard side. Murky water sloshed inside, and the violent movement stunned Trex. He pushed to his feet and swung around with a gasp.

The next gasp to follow was mine. Only it was more of a long, sharp breath. The word fuck came out on my exhale.

There was no deformity, unless perfection could be considered a deformity. Through the years I'd heard every description, every embellished rumor of the pathetic, hideous face hidden behind the black fabric. But a doll-like brunette with hazel eyes and cherry red lips was never mentioned once. In fact, I was sure never during my years of hearing about poor, deformed Trex had I heard anyone say that the ferryman was a ferrywoman.

Her gloved hands shot out, and she snatched back the veil. She deftly pushed it up under her hood and drew the length of it down over her face.

I stood stock-still in the center of the deck, trying to decide if I'd actually seen the pretty face or if my mind had just stepped in to help me avoid seeing the real face, the face that had been deemed monstrous.

"Thank you, now please go. I need to get across the river." The low, gravelly voice behind the veil now sounded forced.

"Hold on there, ferryman. Cuz something isn't quite right here. Now, mind you, I've been wondering for years just what I'd see if that black veil fell away from your face, but not once, in all those years of wondering, was I expecting a pair of lips like the lips I just saw."

"Must have been your imagination." Her voice was nearly at whisper level.

"Nope, not my imagination."

She looked quickly at her trembling passengers and then grabbed my hand to lead me forward to the bow. "Please, Maximus, I need you to keep this a secret."

"What? That the ancient, decrepit ferryman is actually a hot brunette?"

"Yes. No. I mean just please don't tell anyone."

"Uh, I'm going to need some kind of explanation because my head is spinning with confusion right now."

"Meet me tomorrow night after your shift ends." She had dropped the froggy throat sound and a soft, sexy voice floated out from the gauze. Her breath pulled the thin fabric against her mouth, revealing the perfect shape of her lips. I hadn't been imagining the last few moments. I hadn't been imagining the face.

"Do you want me to meet you here on the dock?"

"No, it's too dangerous." She glanced around as if someone might be listening in on our conversation. "The Whitecrest Marina. Look for the olive green trawler named Traveler. That's where you'll find me, and remember, not a word."

"So you're allowed in the mortal world?"

A short laugh fluttered the fabric in front of her face. "Go. I have work to do."

I climbed back on the dock and looked back at the ferry before walking away. There were so many questions in my head, they were getting tangled up in a confused mess. How the hell was I going to concentrate on my work now?