Soul Thief (18 page)

“You're really scared of getting stalked,” Leander said. “All right, then. But you call me the moment anything weird happens.”

“Promise.” I got up as well and stood in front of him. “Now go, before my mom comes barging in and finds you here.”

The words hadn't even left my lips before my dad's footsteps came up the stairs. I turned around to look at the door and when I turned back, Leander was gone.

I sighed and looked for my cell phone. Thankfully, Gran Herbie was modern enough to own a cell phone. She had a habit of not picking up though, so I paced around impatiently as the phone kept ringing. She finally answered, practically shouting through the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, Gran,” I said. “It's Riley. I need a favor.”

“At this hour?” There was a short pause, and I imagined her glancing at her watch. “It's eight thirty.”

I ignored her comment. “We suspect a Reaper might be after me.”

“What?” She spit out the word. “A Reaper? Why didn't you call me right away?”

“I did.”

“Good. Why do you suspect a Reaper is after you?”

“Long story. I was sort of hoping you'd have a spell to protect the house.”

There was a silence on the other end. Eventually, Gran replied. “I have a few spells. You stay put, I'll be there in half an hour.”

She hung up on me. I stared at my phone, shaking my head.

“Riley!” Mom called from downstairs. “CSI is on! Want to come watch with us?”

“Coming!” I yelled back.

WE'D JUST FINISHED DINNER
when the doorbell rang. “That'll be Gran,” I said.

Mom frowned. “Why is Gran coming over?”

“She's going to charm the house with spells,” I said. “Something to do with the changing of the seasons.” I rushed out of the kitchen to the front door to escape Mom's surprised expression.

When I opened the door, Gran appeared in the doorway, or at least a pile of boxes did. She was hidden behind the boxes and bottles. “Out of my way,” she mumbled as she hobbled into the house and to the kitchen.

She dumped her supplies right on the kitchen table we'd finished clearing minutes earlier.

Mom gasped. “Mother, what the heck are you up to now?”

“I told Mom you came to bless the house for the changing seasons,” I said quickly.

Gran looked at me and rolled her eyes, as if wondering why I couldn't come up with a better excuse. “That's right,” she said when she turned back to Mom. “Don't try to talk me out of it.”

“All right by me, Herbie,” Dad said. “I'll go pick up Cass first.”

Cass had gone to visit our aunt and uncle and their two young sons. She loved playing with the twins. They were only one year younger than she was, so they all belonged to the same magical world where unicorns existed and blanket forts were castles. I felt a pang of nostalgia when I thought about childhood and how simple things were back then.

“Drive safely,” Gran said. She focused back on the pile of supplies. “This might take a while. Let's start by cleansing this place.” She grabbed a white feather and a grainy powder, and began throwing some in every corner of the room, saying a prayer to the great spirit that lives in us all. She then walked from room to room, re-enacting the ritual. After she was done with the feather and powder, and after Mom had vanished to do the laundry, she began with some darker practices.

“Give me your hand,” she said.

I did as she told me to and she cut my hand. I winced in pain. “What the hell is that for?”

“Don't curse at me, young lady. This is for a protection spell, one for the house and one for you. Your blood is very powerful so the house will be well-protected, but just to make sure, I'll throw in some of mine as well.”

She cut her own hand and by the time she was done, mine had already healed. I felt kind of bad because hers wouldn't heal nearly as fast.

She mixed the blood in a potion and began lining the doors and windows with it. Then she threw some salt all across the house while chanting prayers in Latin.

By ten o'clock she was finally done. We were the only ones left in the kitchen; my parents had gone to watch TV and Cass was in bed.

Gran sat down in one of the chairs. She looked ten years older. The spells must have taken a lot of her energy. Her face was gaunt with thick, black circles under her eyes.

“Do you want a drink?” I asked. She nodded.

I poured her a glass of water, which she greedily accepted and emptied in a few seconds. “There's one more thing,” she said. “Sit down.”

I did as she told me to. She grabbed my hand. “Why do you think this Reaper is after you?”

I had to give her credit for doing the spells first and only then questioning me. I told her the entire story. She didn't say anything, but nodded every now and then as if to encourage me to continue.

At the end of the story she leaned back in her seat. “I think you're right. Your aura is a little darker, as if you're already tainted somehow.”

“Well, he got close once.”

“I'm not happy with this at all,” she stated, as if that would change the situation. “What worries me most is how you couldn't connect with your Guardian when you needed him and why five vampires were after you.”

“Leander said that's because my soul is like a beacon, so they can probably sense it or they can smell my blood.”

“Hm. Vampires are bad news. I don't like them at all.” She paused for a minute. “I used to date one and he turned out to be a real sucker. Pun intended.”

“Are you serious? You dated a vampire?”

“More than one, but only one of them was memorable. Anyway, I brought you something else.” She searched through her pocket and brought out a necklace. It was beautiful. The necklace had a small, silver chain with a little angel figure dangling from it.

“That's for me? It's beautiful!” The angel figure was crafted with great delicacy. It had expressive eyes, large wings, and wore a long dress. Its hands had tiny fingernails. The angel's long hair framed her face.

“It is,” Gran said, but a hint of sadness sounded through her voice. “One day, your mother came to visit me wearing this. I knew right away she was pregnant — witches feel that sort of thing. I asked where she got the necklace from and she didn't know. After you were born and I figured out you weren't entirely human, I took the necklace. She doesn't even remember it, like she doesn't remember who your father is, but I always sensed something strange about it, something protective.”

“If the necklace protected my Mom, then why did you take it?” I asked her, reducing my voice to a whisper so Mom and Dad wouldn't hear.

“Because it wasn't meant to protect her; it was meant to protect you. When you were human, I didn't want you to wear it because I didn't want the supernatural world to pay any attention to you. Any half-decent witch would feel this necklace's power, so I figured other supernaturals might as well. So I kept it hidden.”

“Why didn't you give it to me before now?”

“You were already quite upset. I didn't think you'd want anything that belonged to your father. But now… it'll help protect you and that's what is most important.”

She gave me the necklace and I stared at it. The silver felt surprisingly hot in my hands. “He must've cared after all,” I said. “Or else why would he give this to my mom?”

“Oh, I'm sure he cared,” Gran said. “He cared enough to leave. In the circumstances, that was the best thing he could do. It gave you a chance for a normal life, at least a normal childhood.”

Tears stung in my eyes, although I wasn't certain why. “Do you think I'll ever meet him?”

“I'm sure you will,” Gran said. She put her hand on mine and squeezed it reassuringly. “I'm not sure if that'll be a good or a bad thing though.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

She shrugged. “It's just a feeling I have. I hope I'm wrong though. Anyway, I should get going. It's long past my bedtime and these old bones aren't used to staying up late anymore.”

I stood up and hugged her. “Take care, Gran, and thanks.”

“Anytime.” She kissed me on the forehead. “You take care too. And if you need my help with anything, you call me. If you're in danger try to contact me as well. I might pick up on the signal even if your Guardian doesn't.”

“Thanks. Did I mention lately that you're the best Gran in the world?”

“No,” she said. “But I already know I am, so it's no big deal.”

WEDNESDAY WENT BY
in
a blur. Stacey and I presented our project for biology, which was a relative success, then I spent a few boring classes being nagged at by the guilt that was slowly engulfing me. I had a quick session with Leander in which he showed me some basic mental defense techniques and a few physical ones that actually worked. I even knocked down Leander once, mostly by accident, but my improved athleticism since I'd become a Halfling greatly helped out in that department. If a human wanted to attack me I'd probably knock them down. A Reaper was another story, however. The mental defense techniques were disastrous and I was ready to call it quits even though Leander was convinced I'd get there eventually.

After school, Katie, Mich, Craig, and I piled into Katie's car and we went to her house for the sleepover. The sleepover had completely slipped my mind until that morning, so I'd hastily grabbed some stuff and thrown it into a bag. It was only by the time I was in the car that I realized I'd forgotten my toothbrush.

“That's no biggie,” Katie said. “I'll drop you off by your house before school tomorrow so you can brush your teeth before we get there.”

“You're the best,” I said.

“I know.” She parked the car on her driveway and we all got out. Katie's house wasn't as large as Leander's, but it was twice the size of my humble home. Her father's car, a black BMW, was also parked on the driveway.

“They took my mom's Mercedes,” she explained when we all looked at the car. “They promised they'd be gone by the time we got home from school. They also said they'd leave snacks.”

Snacks? Well, she didn't have to tell me twice. We followed her inside, into a Tuscan-style kitchen bathed in sunlight. The inside of Katie's house was pretty much like a loft, at least downstairs. Her kitchen, dining room, and living room all merged into one big space. In the middle of the gigantic room stood the dining table, which was completely covered with bowls and plates filled with snacks.

“Me likes,” Craig said as he grabbed a chip. “We should do this more often.”

“I wish,” Katie said. “Unfortunately my parents don't go away all night as often as I'd like.” She grabbed a bowl of chips and moved toward the L-shaped couch with an enormous flat screen TV positioned in front of it. “Let's a watch a movie we can make fun of, and then afterward, we can move to my room and gossip and play games.”

“I like your thinking,” Craig said as he sat down next to her. “Any movie suggestions?”

“Star Wars?” Michelle said. She sat down next to Craig, as far away from me as possible. She didn't say it openly but I could feel negativity drifting from her to me.

“You always pick Star Wars, you nerd,” Katie said. “I'm more in the mood for a sleazy horror movie. How about Texas Chainsaw Massacre?”

“No way,” Craig said. “We have tons of food here, and if we watch a gore-fest movie, then I won't be able to eat anything at all.”

“Don't be such a chicken,” Michelle teased him as she gave him a friendly push. “How about The Hills Have Eyes? Uncensored, of course.”

Craig turned a little paler. He almost looked as if he was ready to throw up.

“Come on, guys, stop teasing him,” I told them. “If you want horror, we'll watch something light, like The Exorcist.”

“Your definition of light is way off,” Katie said. “But I'm in.”

Since everyone agreed on The Exorcist, Katie turned the lights off and we began watching the movie. I'd seen The Exorcist a couple of times before, so it was fun to make sarcastic comments about some of the cheesier scenes and the crappy special effects. I'd almost forgotten about the Reaper, the girls whose souls were stolen, and how it was completely my fault. Almost, but not quite.

After the movie, we moved to Katie's room. We covered the entire floor in blankets and pillows, and played a round of Truth or Dare.

“Riley,” Michelle asked, “truth or dare?”

“Truth,” I said, before I had time to think. I was feeling lazy, sprawled on the soft blankets and not in the mood to move, so I'd picked truth. But since the question came from Michelle, I should've picked dare instead.

She looked as if she hadn't expected me to pick truth either. Her eyes looked me up and down, as if she was wondering whether to give me a hard time or not. She was about to ask something, when the sound of footsteps resonated from downstairs.

Katie looked at her alarm clock. “It's only eleven thirty. It can't be my parents.” She turned to face us, her usual expression replaced by something bordering on panic. “A burglar?”

“Or maybe just the cat,” Craig whispered. We all sat in silence, waiting for another sound, but we didn't hear anything else.

Michelle's shoulders relaxed and Katie breathed out. I smiled too, and was about to mention how the movie must've gotten to our heads, when another footstep sounded from inside the house.

“There's someone in here,” Michelle whispered. “That doesn't sound like a cat.”

My usual fear of burglars kicked in. But then a small, brave part of me cursed at myself. I was an Angel of Death, for God's sake. I could deal with a burglar. Even if he tried to shoot me, I could move fast enough to dodge his attack.

Another footstep. My friends all looked at each other. Katie trembled and tears formed in her eyes. Michelle huddled closer to Craig, who put his arm around her.

If the burglar got upstairs and hurt them, it would be my fault for not doing anything to protect them. I wasn't about to let anything else happen I would feel guilty about.

“I'll go check,” I said.

“What? No!” Katie whisper-yelled at me. She reached for me, but I'd already gotten up and moved away so she couldn't grab me.

“I will,” I said. “You three stay here. Don't leave this room until I tell you to.”

“We should call the police,” Katie said.

“You'll get hurt,” Michelle predicted. “Please don't go.”

“I will not get hurt,” I said, trying to make my voice sound as convincing as possible. “You stay here and don't worry about me.”

I pushed the door open and stepped into the hallway. The only light in the hallway came from the moonlight shining in through the windows, and I decided to leave it that way. Ever since my powers were awakened, my night sight had gradually gotten better, and this might give me an advantage over the burglar.

I tiptoed down the stairs and into the large loft-like room. Everything was still in the same place we'd left it. Nothing appeared to be missing, but then again, I doubted a burglar would come to steal snacks and candy.

“Is anyone here?” I asked.

Nothing moved and there was no sound. I was starting to think it was all in our minds when something moved in the corner of my eye, a blur of golden light.

I turned around to face the intruder. He stood in the corner of the room, as unmoving as a statue. He had dark brown, short, curly hair and intense green eyes, but he managed to blend into the shadows so much that if it weren't for the glow surrounding him, I'd never have noticed him.

“Well, hello,” he said. His voice sounded melodious, like the wind playing on the water. “If it isn't the little Angel I've been looking for.”

“I know who you are.” I tried to sound as confident as possible, but in my mind I was screaming for Leander's help. “You're the Reaper who has been stealing those girls' souls.”

“In the flesh.” He bowed, but kept watching me with a mocking grin on his face. He smirked and it looked as if that was his standard expression. “I'm surprised you figured that out.”

“It wasn't that hard,” I lied. “Their names weren't in the Book of Names.”

“I must say I was kind of hoping you'd be more surprised by me being here,” he said while he moved closer toward me. “But then again, we are old acquaintances.”

“So it was you,” I said, trying to keep my voice as calm as I could.
Leander, if you could let me know you heard this, that would be great.
“Why did you save me from those vampires,” I asked him, “if your purpose was to kill me either way?” I prayed he didn't realize I was stalling him.

When he stepped out of the shadows, I was taken aback by how handsome he was. He had perfect features, with the faint shadow of a beard, and the kind of jaw line many men would kill for. He didn't look more than five or six years older than me, but I already knew looks could be deceiving. You'd think he was a runaway Hollywood movie star if it wasn't for the scar above his right eyebrow.

The scar brought back the glimmer of a memory, but I didn't have time to fully process it.

“I'm not going to kill you,” he said with the luring voice of a predator right before he attacks. “Don't be absurd. I want your soul. I promise it won't be all that painful either.”

Then he launched a ball of white, glowing light at me. I dropped down and the light only grazed my sleeve. He threw another one at me right away. I ducked behind the couch to escape it.

“Come on, little Angel,” he said. “You don't have to make this hard on yourself. I'll get you eventually. Now you're just wearing me out, which means it'll take a lot more time to pull your soul out. And, well, when I said it wasn't painful? I lied.”

Leander, HELP ME!

I crawled to the other side of the couch, desperately searching for some kind of weapon. My hand encircled a vase standing on the coffee table. Meanwhile, the Reaper walked around the couch. He didn't sprint, just walked, as if he already knew how this was going to play out.

He appeared in my view and I hurled the vase at him before he could attack me. He dodged it though, and the vase shattered in a thousand pieces behind him.

“You'll need more than that if you want to defeat me,” he said. “But bonus points for trying.”

He stalked toward me and I ran away from him. Lightning bolts flew past me and it was sheer luck that most of them missed me. One of them hit me straight in the leg, though, and I fell forward, crashing hard into the ground.

Within seconds, the Reaper was on top of me, pinning me to the ground. He held both of my wrists, nearly crushing them.

“You're a disappointing catch, little Angel,” he said. “I was hoping you'd put up more of a fight. But it seems like your Guardian hasn't been training you as well as he should.”

Besides the one self-defense class Leander taught me earlier that day, I'd never learned how to fight. But in that moment, a fury exploded inside of me. I smashed my head against the Reaper's as hard as I could. He let go of my hands to touch his head, and I balled my fist and hit him with all my strength. Then I arched my back and crawled out from under him.

He laughed, a mocking sound echoing through the room. I glanced over my shoulder to look at him and crashed into a stone wall. I stumbled back and if he hadn't grabbed my arm I would've fallen. Standing so close to him, I noticed that there was something eerily familiar about him as if I'd seen him before. Well, I had at the parking lot, but only from behind. But for some reason his face looked familiar too.

He let go of me and I stumbled a few steps back. “Why are you doing this?” I asked him. “It's not like my soul alone will tip the balance between Heaven and Hell.”

He arched an eyebrow, which made him look even more sardonic. “I don't give a rat's ass about Heaven or Hell,” he said. “It's nothing personal either, and if it's a comfort, I'm not even in this for the money. At least, money is only one reason.”

“And the others?”

“What do you think this is, little Angel?” he asked. “Some silly game? That your Guardian will burst in any moment and save you? Here's a newsflash for you. He can't hear you.”

“Did you do that?”

“I wish, but it wasn't me.” But it was someone in alliance with him, that much was obvious. Someone who knew Leander was my guardian and who could influence his thoughts. Someone who knew my age and gender but didn't know where I lived. That narrowed it down to about all Council members.

“Who was it then?”

“You don't get to ask questions,” he told me, waving his finger left to right as if to a naughty child. “All you get to do is lose your soul.”

He held me with one arm and put his other hand on my chest right above my heart, which was beating like crazy. Then he pulled at my soul. I knew it the moment he began because a pain so excruciating it made releasing my powers feel like a tiny pinch rolled over my body. I screamed with a voice that barely seemed human.

I couldn't move, frozen in time not by the Reaper's iron grip, but by the pain itself.

Fight back, you moron,
a voice in my mind said that was neither my own nor any voice I knew.
Fight back with all you have.

I pushed against the pain, tried to cast it out. The barrier in my mind exploded and hundreds of stones shattered across my mind. Power, raw, pure, and magnificent burst through the barrier. It moved down, pulsed through my veins and infected my blood.

Everything became a red haze as if someone had painted the world red.

My scream of pain changed into one of rage and I pushed back with my mind. My back cracked and a horrifying sound engulfed the room. Blood slipped down my back. My shirt ripped just below my shoulder blades and an invisible knife slashed two slices of meat away. I felt my wings protrude from my back, and moments later, feathers tickled my skin.

The Reaper let go of me and staggered backward. There was a flicker of surprise in his eyes but the smirk remained glued to his face. “So you have some power after all. Big deal,” he said. “You'll need more than that to defeat me.”

“Myron?”