Soul Bound (27 page)

Jace ran his palm over his face, realized no beard covered his chin even though he couldn’t remember the last time he’d shaved. “If Lia’s been cloaked, why was she attacked yesterday?”

“The Rogues didn’t track her. Large human gatherings tend to attract them. From what I understand, there was some kind of event going on at the library, which made it the perfect feeding ground—remote and packed to the hilt with unsuspecting souls. Rogues usually target highly populated areas, but lately they’ve changed their feeding patterns. News of city attacks travels much faster, and Cal has men stationed at all potential locations he suspects the Rogues might target. Places like the Lincoln City Library are not usually on our radar, so we don’t police them. Throw in an event of this magnitude, and it’s an opportunity they just can’t pass up.”

He had so many questions. Unfortunately, every time Regan answered one of them, another ten sprang forth. “Give me a couple of minutes to wash up,” he told her. “Then we can get this show on the road.”

This time her smile bordered on heartfelt. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

One second she stood in front of him, the next she was gone.

Jace made a mental note to ask her to teach him that particular trick. With a wag of his head, he headed to the bathroom and braced himself for another cold shower.

Lia awoke with a start, her heart pumping a million beats a minute, her skin glazed with a thin coat of sweat. Memories of the giant’s mouth on hers, sucking the oxygen from her lungs, buffeted her. She could still taste his mint-flavored breath, and it turned her stomach. Drawing a few, long inhalations to settle her pulse, she sat up in bed and wrapped her arms around her bent legs.

“It’s over,” she reassured herself. “He’s dead.”

She perched her chin on her knees, stayed like that until the ugly images faded. After everything she’d witnessed yesterday, she hadn’t expected to sleep at all, but surprisingly enough her slumber had been deep and dreamless, even peaceful.

Of course, the illusion of peace could only last so long, and reality had risen with the sun to douse her. It was hard to feel safe in a world where even your soul could be killed. She’d never been particularly religious, but the idea of an afterlife still provided some measure of comfort. Now even that small solace had been stolen from her, and she felt exposed and vulnerable.

He failed.
She grasped that irrefutable truth, clung to hope.
Your soul can’t be taken.

Which confirmed what she’d been telling Jace all along. She was immune. Maybe now he’d finally believe her.

Voices chimed outside, and she reluctantly left the safe haven of the bed and ventured across the room to the window. Jace stood in the yard with Regan—it was hard to think of the woman as his mother. She looked so young. Younger than Jace. Even younger than Lia.

From the looks of it, Regan was teaching him some battle moves. Jace struggled to deflect her blows, stumbled back and landed flat on his back. Amusement tickled Lia’s throat. The only thing he’d hurt in the fall was his pride.

She still wasn’t sure what to make of the woman, but she liked the idea of having her in their court. There was only so much they could accomplish on their own, and Regan’s guidance was sure to come in handy.

Slipping out of the satin nightgown she wore, she hastened to shower and dress, suddenly anxious to join them.

The day was bright and balmy, with a thin ribbon of mist unraveling to carpet the ground. Trees shivered, scraping a too-blue-to-be-true sky, which struck Lia as odd. How could sunlight and fog coexist so seamlessly, as if they’d reached an agreement not to invade each other’s turf? In the distance, the sea moaned.

Lia approached Jace and Regan, who turned in concentric circles, on guard, each waiting patiently for the other to launch an attack. The instant Jace sensed her presence, he inclined his head her way, which gave Regan the opening she needed to pounce. Jace went down—hard.

“You need to stay focused.” Regan towered over Jace, her hands riveted to her hips. “All it takes is one second and you’re out.”

Jace clambered to his feet, dusted himself off and lunged. Regan vanished. A heartbeat later she appeared behind him and swiped his legs out from under him. Jace struck the mud-caked ground with a loud clunk and a colorful curse.

“You’ve gotta teach me that disappearing act,” he grumbled.

Regan’s only reply was a cryptic smile. “Some things can’t be taught.”

He turned toward Lia, swept his gaze over her with a warmth that liquefied her bones and made emotion cartwheel in her stomach. “Can I have a minute?”

Regan studied them, her expression both curious and pensive. “I’m feeling generous. You can have two.”

In a flash he was beside Lia, his hands gripping hers. “How are you feeling?” The silky quality of his voice whispered over her flesh and made her pores thrum. Everything inside her came alive at his touch.

“I’m fine. I’m a tough nut to crack, remember?”

His mouth twitched at the corners but failed to curve into a smile. “You gave me one hell of a scare. I thought I’d lost you.”

Molten heat pooled in her chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Regan cleared her throat. “I’m, uh— I’m going to go make a phone call, check in with the Watchers before they decide I’ve gone rogue and send a posse after me.” She whipped out the tiniest cell phone Lia had ever seen, then melted into the woods.

“How are things going with her?” Lia pried one of her hands loose and raised it to his cheek. His skin was smooth, as soft as velvet with only a fine blanket of stubble. He nestled his face in her palm, brushed his lips over her skin in a way that made her heart trip and crash.

“Better than I expected.” He took a sudden step back, established a safe distance between them. “There are benefits to not being shackled to the past. No baggage. I should be pissed at her for what she did, but I can’t muster up enough resentment to blast her.”

“Good thing. It’s pretty obvious she’d wipe the floor with you.”

This time, amusement curled his lips. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“You’re welcome.”

He stared at her face with an intensity that shook her. “Are you sure you’re okay? For some reason, I can’t read you right now.”

“Maybe I’m learning to shut you out. A girl needs her privacy sometimes.”

He palmed her cheeks, searched her eyes. “Not now. I need to know what’s going on inside you.”

“Take a number,” she quipped.

A shadow swept in to dull the bright glitter in his gaze. Because he touched her, she was able to catch glimpses of his thoughts, and what she saw terrified her. Purpose and determination swamped him, and she knew exactly how far he was willing to go to protect her.

“Your two minutes are up.” Regan’s voice pierced the sunny, fog-draped morning, prying Lia out of Jace’s mind and leaving her with a sinking feeling in her abdomen. She couldn’t bear the thought of him dying for her. If she didn’t become more adept at protecting herself, she feared he’d do just that.

Straightening her back, Lia walked up to the other woman, her fists clenched, her entire body wired with conviction. “I want to learn, too.”

Regan assessed her from head to toe, then nodded hesitantly. “Can’t hurt to teach you a couple of moves.” She reached beneath her three-quarter-length leather jacket and pried a dagger from its scabbard. “Let’s see how good you are at wielding a blade.” She placed the knife in Lia’s hand, opened her arms wide in a sweeping gesture that was undeniably graceful. “Go ahead. Stab me.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Lia stared at Regan with a wide-eyed look that reflected her shock and confusion. “Excuse me?”

“The blade’s harmless,” Jace explained, fighting the urge to carry her back to the house and lock her in her room. The idea of Lia going to battle blistered his gut, but he swallowed his reservations because deep down he knew she needed to learn how to defend herself in the event he wasn’t around to do it. “There’s no angel’s blood on it. It won’t even leave a scratch. On us anyway.” Regan had already stabbed him several times, so he knew for a fact what he told her was true. “Just be careful not to cut yourself.”

Annoyance flashed in her eyes. “I know my way around a knife.” Her knuckles blanched as she tightened her grip on the dagger.

“Do it,” Regan insisted. “I promise it won’t hurt.” When Lia hesitated, Regan shoved her. With a surprised gasp, Lia went stumbling backward.

Fury suffused Jace. “Don’t touch her.” He took a dive forward, intending to tackle his mother, but Regan raised her hand, and he slammed into an invisible wall.

Regan pushed Lia again, this time with more gusto. Lia lost her footing and fell.

“Come on.” His mother circled her, a tiger on the prowl. “Don’t be such a limp flower. Fight. Show us what you’re made of.” She kicked her in the ribs, and Lia made a mewling sound that froze Jace’s blood.

A snarl clawed its way up his throat. “Stop it. Now.”

Regan ignored him. “Are you worthy of him? Think you can keep up with us, or are you just going to slow us down?” With a disgusted shake of her head, she walked away. “Dead weight,” she muttered. “That’s what humans are. I’m wasting my time.”

Lia’s anger echoed off stone and brush as she vaulted to her feet and propelled her body forward, dagger held low. Regan turned in time to take an upper-hand thrust to the chest. The metal glanced off her, sundering her clothing but failing to break her skin.

Regan smiled and examined the tear in the fabric. “Good blow,” she praised. “Smack in the middle of the heart. Maybe there’s hope for you yet.”

Jace pushed at the wall she’d erected around him. Purposely capturing his mother’s gaze, he said, “Now that you’ve had your fun, release me.”

Regan instantly complied, then shook her head, momentarily disoriented. “I heard you could mess with our brains, but I never realized how effective it is. That’s one mighty weapon you’ve got there. The ability to use your enemy’s mind against him.”

“It only works when I’m close enough to make eye contact.” Weakness crawled through his limbs, as pervasive as the fog curling around his feet. “Then it drains me. Especially when I use it on one of us.”

His mother reflected for a second. “Let’s try a little experiment.” She drew Lia to him. “Take his hand.”

Lia did as she was told, wrapping her fingers around his and infusing him with warmth. Instantly, strength seeped back into his blood, revitalizing him.

“How do you feel now?” Regan probed.

“Better. Stronger.”

Regan nodded, satisfied. “I thought so.”

“Care to explain it to me?”

“The dark energy that sustains us is very powerful. It prevents us from aging or dying, makes us virtually indestructible. We don’t burn or bleed. We feel no cold unless we get wet. We see things humans can’t. We can manipulate matter, plant suggestions, run at unimaginable speed.

“But there’s one thing it denies us—the ability to replenish ourselves. Only a soul can do that. That’s what feeds the hunger, why so many end up turning rogue. There’s nothing more addictive than power, nothing more seductive than emotion, two things we receive when we ingest a life-force.”

“I didn’t take Lia’s soul,” he countered.

“In this case, you don’t need to. You’re still drawing on your old soul to refuel, and that soul is now attached to Lia’s. All she has to do is touch you and you reap the benefits.” Regan traced the thin scar on her wrist. “The Watchers share a similar connection. When we take the blood vow, we merge our energies, reinforce our connection to all the souls we’ve lost. We can help each other refuel with a simple touch. As a group, we’re stronger than we could ever be as individuals.”

Jace forced himself to release Lia’s fingers, took a step toward his mother. “Sounds pretty creepy. Do you share one brain, too?”

Regan quirked her lips. “Not exactly, though sometimes I feel Cal wishes we did. It would make his job so much easier. No more acts of mutiny, no more recruits going rogue, no more potential spies living in secret among us.”

“What happens if a Hybrid doesn’t join the Watchers?” Surely there were others like him who didn’t want to be part of a collective.

The gleam in his mother’s eyes dimmed. “Honestly? They either get killed by Athanatos or end up going rogue, at which point we’re left with no choice but to terminate them ourselves.”

“Could that happen to Jace?” Lia asked.

“Only if the connection to his lost soul is severed. Or if he decides to stop fighting his dark nature and embraces it.”

“What happens if—” Lia aimed a hesitant look at Jace. Whatever she was about to say, he wouldn’t like it. “What happens if he takes back his own soul?”

“I’m never going to—” he argued, but Lia cut him off.

“Hypothetically speaking. What happens?”

Regan studied him for a second, a deep, pensive look on her face. “Cal’s theory is that it would sustain him indefinitely, kinda like a perpetual battery.”

“Which means what, exactly?” Lia persisted.

Jace began to pace in frustration. She obviously had no intention of letting this go.

“It means he’d have all the benefits of an immortal being with none of the drawbacks.”

“Wouldn’t the darkness inside him kill it?”

“A Hybrid can’t extinguish his own soul. Remember, that same soul coexisted with the darkness for over thirty years. It only makes sense that it could do so again. Plus, word around the complex is that your soul is special, that it’s practically impossible to snuff out. Of course, that doesn’t mean it can’t be broken and ingested. Maybe not by your average Rogue or Kleptopsych but certainly by an Ancient. From what I understand, having your soul trapped within a creature like Athanatos for all of eternity is a fate worse than death. You might as well hand it over to Jace.”

A chime disrupted the eerie stillness, finally putting an end to this ridiculous conversation. Regan fished her cell from her pocket. “I gotta take this.” She flipped it open, gesturing that they remain quiet. “Yeah. Where? I’m on my way.” She pocketed the phone and proceeded to retrieve her weapons, except for the one she’d loaned Lia. “Looks like I’m going to have to cut this training session short. Feel free to practice without me.”