Soul Thief (21 page)

DAD TOOK ANOTHER PICTURE
of me in my evening dress, a dark blue, knee-length dress my parents bought me for my sixteenth birthday but I always refused to wear. If today was the day I might die, I might as well make sure I looked pretty doing so. Plus, it made them happy.

Mom and Dad probably thought I was going crazy. I'd hugged them each more than a dozen times today. I'd even taken the time to play a game with Cass and she too had gotten a fair share of hugs until she complained about them.

“You look beautiful,” Dad said. “I'm so proud. It's like you're going to prom.”

“It's just a charity party,” I told him. “No big deal.”

“Don't be so gloomy,” Mom said. She held up a pair of silver earrings. “Here, wear these.” She walked over to me and paused when she saw the necklace. “Where did you get that?” she asked.

“This?” My hand went to the silver. “Gran gave it to me. Why?”

She shook her head. “I thought I'd seen it somewhere before, but I'm probably wrong.” She helped me put the earrings on. “You look like a princess.”

A car horn sounded from outside. I hugged them both one more time and then I had to do the hardest thing I'd ever done… leave them behind. Step out of that door, out of safety, and confront the real possibility I may get killed. No, worse than that, the possibility my soul may be sold to Hell for all eternity.

I eventually managed to tear myself away from them. I smiled and turned back a few times while going toward Leander's car — he was my official date for tonight. By the time I finally made it to the car, I cried.

To his credit, Leander didn't ask if I was all right. He just started driving and I tried to compose myself. I'd spent last night with my family, enjoyed every moment I could with them. Before that, I'd given him a quick call, explained to him about the party and about Seraphyn's involvement in all this. We both had no idea why she'd want me gone, and why, if she did, she saved my life in the first place.

But all of that wasn't important if I wasn't going to survive tonight.

“I'm scared,” I said after a while.

Leander took my hand. “You know what I told you before about Hell?”

“An endless, meandering labyrinth, I know.”

“If he steals your soul,” he said, and squeezed my hand, “then I'll come for you.”

“What?” I choked on the word. “You said that was nearly impossible. Don't do something so stupid.”

“It is nearly impossible. But I'm responsible for you and I really care for you. I wouldn't do it for anyone else, Riley, but I would for you.”

It was the most romantic thing in the world. My heart melted and I squeezed his hand back. “Thanks. But it won't come to that.”

Leander didn't reply. We stayed silent for the rest of the ride, just enjoying each other's company, until he pulled onto Stacey's driveway. Stacey lived in one of the grandest, most majestic houses in the neighborhood. It was a white, colonial-style mansion with three floors, four marble pillars at the entrance, and a balcony running across the entire front of the house. Cars were parked down the street and people buzzed in and out of the house.

We got out of the car. A cool breeze picked up and I enjoyed the way it played with the loose strands of my hair. It was strange, but the closer I came to dying, the more I felt alive.

“You're beautiful,” Leander said. He took my hand. “The most beautiful creature I've ever seen.”

“Stop it,” I said, although I didn't really mean it. I could listen to him complimenting me all day.

We walked inside the building into a grand entrance hall fit for a fairytale. It was a miracle that Stacey was so sweet and caring considering she had more money than I could ever dream of.

She stood on a balcony overlooking the room below. I looked for Katie, Mich and Craig, but couldn't find them anywhere. We'd agreed to look for each other as soon as we got here.

“Let's go outside and wait for them,” I said, but before we could move, Stacey waved at us from the balcony.

I groaned and waved back. The last thing we needed was Stacey on our backs. She flew down the stairs, smiling so brightly she could have starred in a toothpaste commercial. “You made it,” she said and hugged me.

I hugged her back. “Yeah, we did. I couldn't back out after we aced that biology project.”

Stacey waved her hand. “Biology is a piece of cake. Setting up this party however? That was hell on earth. I'm never doing this again for a boy. My Mom hosts parties all the time, but that's like her only hobby.”

“I'll leave you two to talk,” Leander said.
I'll search the house, see if there's any sign of Myron.

“Okay,” I said. “See you later.”

“He's cute,” Stacey said after he left. “But isn't that your school therapist? Or am I wrong?”

“We kind of started dating.”

I'm not sure what I expected, but certainly not the smile breaking on her face. “Well done, Riley. Impressive.”

At that moment, Katie, Mich, and Craig walked in. Katie looked stunning as usual. Even Michelle had put some effort into dressing up in a dark green, knee-length dress and heels. She kept pulling the dress down. Craig wore a brown suit that made him look more like a nineteenth-century university professor than a teenager going to a party.

I waved at them. Craig was the first to notice me. He waved back and they made their way toward us.

“Where's Leander?” was the first thing Katie asked. She had a harsh look in her eyes, or maybe it was panic.

“He's around,” I said, hoping she'd get the message. I turned back to Stacey. “So, what's the plan for tonight?”

“Well, at ten o'clock, we'll take the mike on stage,” she said, pointing toward a makeshift stage that seemed larger than my entire living room, “and talk about the charity event. Then people can start making donations. We'll go around with a collection box, but you can also deposit donations to a bank account we set up especially for the event. Like I mentioned, you don't have to donate a lot. A dollar is more than enough, just to show you care.”

“You must really like this boyfriend of yours to go through so much trouble,” I told her.

She shrugged. “He's amazing. That reminds me, I still need to introduce you two.” She glanced around. “I can't see him anywhere, but I'll go find him. See you later, guys!”

Stacey took off and the four of us were left staring at each other. Normally, there was never a moment of quietude between us. Now the silence lingered on, as if we'd all become strangers overnight.

“So Leander is scouring the premises?” Michelle asked, finally.

“Yep. Ah, there he is.” Leander appeared in the entrance. He looked grim and shook his head. He approached us.

“I didn't find anything or anyone. Bugger knows how to hide himself.”

“Or he isn't here yet,” Katie said.

“Just because you didn't sense him doesn't mean he isn't around,” I said. “He may be able to camouflage his aura to stop you from sensing him.”

“I didn't just sense for him, I went inside every unlocked room I could find.” Leander's eyes flared with anger. I would've been scared if I hadn't known the anger wasn't directed at me, but at Myron.

“Looks like we're going to play the waiting game for a while,” Michelle said.

“He wouldn't lure us here if he wasn't going to show up. He's probably gearing up for the big finale.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “I'm so pissed off about all of this. I'm stressed out, I can't think. I had to say goodbye to my parents, knowing it may be a real goodbye. That was the hardest thing I've ever done, but I'm just too scared to really think about it.”

To my surprise, it was Katie who reached for me and pulled me into a half-hug. “We'll get through this. We'll show that bastard he can't mess with us. No one can.”

I hugged her back. “Thanks.”

If Katie could live through this, then so could I.

“Come on, let's dance,” Craig said. Music blasted through the stereo speakers and he pulled us along. I swayed to the music but couldn't stay focused. My gaze darted from left to right through the room, waiting for Myron to show up. I noticed Stacey talking to a boy — her new flame, from how she clung to his arm. At least he didn't have a golden glow.

A slow dance came up and Leander took my hands and pulled me toward him. “I'm not much of a dancer,” I said.

“You'll be fine. Dancing is probably the least scary thing that could happen tonight.” He looked me in the eyes and his gaze dropped to my lips. He didn't kiss me though, and I wasn't sure whether I was disappointed or relieved. The butterflies were gone, either from fear, or because this didn't seem like the right time, or maybe because he was just too perfect for me. He had no obvious flaws, if you discounted his psychopathic ex-girlfriend. He'd been sweet, friendly, and supportive from the moment I met him. He would always do the right thing, would always put others' needs before his own.

He pulled me to his chest and I felt his heart beat at the same rhythm as mine. A burst of energy connected between the two of us.

He was sexy as hell, but he wasn't for me. I wasn't perfect. I wouldn't always put others' needs before mine. Even when Myron threatened all my friends, I'd still fought for my own life.

Then the nagging voice in my head told me that I was the one crazy enough to swear I'd get those girls' souls back, even if it meant going to Hell. Yeah, I told myself, but that's another selfish act on my behalf. I'm not doing it for them — I'm doing it to get rid of my own guilt.

But I wanted someone who was like that too, someone who could be selfless, but who was selfish sometimes as well. Someone who'd say, “Screw the rules, if you want to go to Hell, we'll go to Hell together.” Maybe I didn't need a knight in shining armor, but a cunning wizard who'd do whatever it took to set things right, even if that meant doing something bad once in a while.

The song came to an end, and with that, it seemed our relationship, or our chance at one, did too. My heart broke but I couldn't let it show, didn't have the energy to deal with that now.

“Everything okay?”

“No, nothing is okay,” I said. “I just need to be alone for a while. Don't worry, I'll stay in sight. I'll go talk with Stacey for a bit.”

He grabbed my arm. “Riley, if this is about us…”

“It's not,” I lied, and yanked free. “I'll see you soon.” Then I disappeared into the mass of guests, but not so far away that I couldn't keep an eye on my friends, and vice versa. I'd spotted Stacey in here just seconds ago, but now that I'd gotten myself in the middle of the labyrinth of bodies, I couldn't find her.

I was about to give up and go back to my friends when I saw him. Myron. He stood on the balcony, and even half covered in the shadows, I could still see his trademark smirk plastered on his face. The glow around him seemed fainter than before, as if he wasn't up to full strength yet.

I turned around and waved at my friends, but they were too busy talking amongst themselves to notice me. I twirled back toward the balcony and my mouth dropped to the floor.

Stacey stood next to Myron, all alone. She asked him something and he replied. She led him toward a room and opened the door. Before he went inside, he glanced down at me as if to say,
come and stop me
. Then he went inside the room and Stacey followed him.

For a second, I was frozen to the ground. He was going to hurt Stacey, the person who least of all deserved his wrath. The nicest person I'd ever met. I looked at my friends and motioned for them one more time. But making my way through the human mass to them would cost too much time.

Are you there?
I asked Leander mentally.
He's upstairs, I need help.

And then, without thinking it through, I pushed people out of my way and rushed up the stairs two steps at a time. As I made my way to the lion's den on my own, I wondered if maybe I wasn't still a little selfless after all.

I BURST INTO THE
ROOM
Stacey and Myron had disappeared into and my breath caught in my throat.

Stacey was lying down on a couch, her face ashen grey. Her chest moved slowly as if she was in a deep sleep. Her soul was already lingering halfway above her body. Myron stood in front of her, a challenging look in his eyes.

Before I could think, I rushed at him, grabbed him and pushed him to the ground. A loud snap echoed through the room.

He pushed me away from him and crawled forward, grabbing hold of a beautiful golden light. He conjured a vial from his pocket and opened it up. The golden light disappeared into the vial.

“What the heck?” I asked.

“This,” Myron said, holding up the vial, “is your friend's soul. Or half of it, at least.”

Bile rose up in my throat. I struggled to get up but Myron pushed me back to the ground. He straddled me and dangled the vial in front of me. “This one is on you, little Angel. If you hadn't pushed me away, her soul wouldn't have broken in half like that.”

“How is that even possible?” I tried to hit him but he grabbed both my wrists with one hand and pushed them to the ground above my head.

“It's rare, but I've had it happen before. I had to pull her soul with all my strength and then when you attacked me it just snapped. That's because her soul is rare. Did you see how golden it was? If I can get the other half they'll pay me a fortune.” He put the vial back in his pocket.

I spat at him. “Why? My soul alone wasn't enough for your sick games?”

“Don't get all jealous,” Myron told me. “Your soul is special too. But the moment I saw her, that beautiful aura surrounding her, I had to have her.”

“You sick bastard!” I struggled in his grip, but he was too strong for me. When a physical fight didn't work, I tried my mind. I sent a wave of energy his way. He did fall backward a little but it wasn't strong enough to send him flying through the room, which had been my intention.

“That won't help, little Angel. Maybe in a year or so you'd make a worthy opponent, but now you're just prey. I wish we could stay here but I'll teleport us somewhere quieter, somewhere your friends won't find us.”

I'd been a fool to go up here on my own and now I was going to pay the price. But at least this way he'd leave my friends alone. I glanced at Stacey's unmoving body, trapped in a sleep she couldn't wake from. Another dead person on my conscience.

The room began to shake. Time and space blended into each other in a mass of brilliant colors. I took the opportunity to send another energy wave at him. This time Myron was unprepared, so the wave hit him straight in the chest. He let go of my arms. I grabbed his arms and rolled around, so I was on top of him this time.

Golden fire burst from my angel necklace.
Take control of his mind
, the voice in my mind said.
Teleport to the graveyard
.

I had no idea how to do either of those, but instinct led me. The angel necklace guided me, told me what to do, even though it was more a feeling than actual instructions. I probed around in Myron's mind. His mental wall was strong, probably stronger than mine. But it had crumbled here and there, thanks to the energy the teleportation and the soul stealing had cost him. My energy jumped over the rubble inside his mind.

He'd pictured an abandoned warehouse to take us to.
No!
I shattered the picture and gritted my teeth. Drops of sweat dripped down my forehead.

A forest,
I said instead.
A clearing inside the forest at the edge of town.
I pictured the forest, the clearing, the graveyard with the five abandoned graves.

The world stopped spinning. I almost fell down from exhaustion. My body weighed a thousand pounds and my head throbbed like I had the mother of all migraines. I rolled off Myron onto the forest ground and took a few deep breaths. My heart beat so fast it felt like it might jump out of my chest.

Myron recovered first. He sat up and glared at me. “So you did bring us to the forest after all. Impressive.”

I couldn't even sit up straight. I rolled around and tried to get up, supporting myself on my arms.

Myron approached me. He grabbed my hair, pulled my head backwards and then pulled me up. That didn't hurt nearly as much as my heart, racing as fast as a speed train.

“I'm done playing games,” he said, turning me around. If he hadn't held me up, I doubt my legs would've been able to support my weight.

I screamed for help in my mind. Help from anyone — Gran, my friends, Leander. But while Gran and my friends had a connection, it didn't include me, and Leander couldn't hear me. No response came. I'd never felt so completely and utterly alone. Nobody would find me here.

“If you hurt me, I'll steal your soul too,” I coughed. My heartbeat finally slowed down.

“I have no doubts you'll try. But here's the thing,” Myron said. “You look awfully weak. So I doubt you'll do any real damage before I've completely annihilated you.”

I pushed against his mental wall again but it was back, as strong as ever. There were no cracks, no rubble where the wall had come crashing down.

Strength returned to my legs and arms. Ever so slowly, energy filled me up.

“Wait,” I said. “I can help you take down Seraphyn.”

“Nobody takes down Seraphyn. But it's a nice idea. Bye, now.” Myron said. He held his hand above my chest and pain already began spreading through my veins.

Fight
, the angel necklace said. And fight I did. Survival instinct kicked in, and even though I may not have had a lot of strength, I had a lot of survival instinct.

I kicked his knees as hard as I could. He yelped and let go of me.

Run!
The necklace screamed this time. Not like I needed the incentive though. I was already sprinting toward the graves onto the hallowed ground.

Except, I was too slow. Seconds later, I was back on the ground, my head pressed down in the dirt.

Thunder crashed in the sky. In the blink of an eye, rain poured down from above.

I pushed my arm back and hit Myron's ribs. He cried out in anger, grabbed my arm and pulled it back until a sickening sound told me it was broken. The useless limb hung next to me and I grimaced in pain.

“I can go on like this for a while,” Myron told me. “I'll break every bone in your body if I have to.”

“Do it,” I said. “Do whatever you want with me, but I'm not giving up.”

“Brave but stupid.” He put his hands around my neck and squeezed. I yanked his hands but he had an iron grip on me.

Then he touched the angel necklace and he cried out in pain and let go. “What the hell?”

I grabbed the angel necklace with my good arm, yanked it off and pressed it against his chest.

He screamed this time. The necklace was engulfed in flames, but for some reason it didn't hurt me. I pushed him back and got up.

Glancing around me, I saw the grave where we'd built the trap. But then Myron smashed the necklace out of my hands. The small angel statue went flying through the air, disappearing into the night.

I ran. He was right behind me, but I ran as fast as I could. The rain picked up as if the sky itself was weeping for my upcoming demise. I jumped over holes in the ground, plants, and small bushes, making my way toward the grave.

I stopped right in front of the Angel trap. We'd done a good job camouflaging the trap. It was barely visible unless you looked for it very carefully, as I did. I panted and tried to catch my breath.

“I give up,” I said. “Do it. Take my soul if you must.”

“Finally, you've got some sense,” Myron said. “Turn around.”

I slowly spun around on my heel. My broken arm burned with pain. My hair hung limp from my head, as wet as if I'd just taken a shower. My dress was ruined, my knees dirty and scraped.

He took a step toward me and took hold of my good arm. He used his other hand to pull at my soul.

The pain in my broken arm was nothing compared to this pain. I could've sworn it hurt even more than before. A glaring, overwhelming storm of pain engulfed me. In this world, there was nothing but screams.

My good arm was stuck in an iron grip. I couldn't even move my bad arm. I sent an energy wave its way, willing the broken bone to heal.

To my surprise, it did start to heal. The bone reconnected, sending more glaring pain my way. A red haze drifted in front of my eyes.

Part of me wanted to just let go and give up. In a few seconds, maybe a few minutes, it would all be over.

But that stupid survival instinct wouldn't let go. So I lifted up my broken arm and screamed some more from the pain it caused. Luckily, this scream got lost in the sea of other screams, so Myron didn't even notice.

I hit him as hard as I could. He let go of me and stumbled backward. I grabbed his shoulders and threw him straight into the Angel trap. He fell to his knees as the prison bars rose up around him, trapping him inside

“Angel mortis guardium,” I said. Golden light burst from seven pillars surrounding the trap. They rose up, forming a cage around him.

“You should know by now,” I said, “that I never give up.”

I slumped to the ground, exhaustion spilling over me. I searched my pockets for my cell phone and breathed a sigh of relief when I found it.

“Please pick up,” I whispered into the cell phone. It only rang about three times before Leander picked up.

“Where are you?” he snapped, although I could tell that it was more from worry than anger.

“I'm at the graveyard in the forest. I got him in the trap.” I breathed out slowly.

“Are you okay?” Leander asked next. His voice already sounded softer.

“I… What are you doing?”

Myron's arm was bleeding. A long, bloody cut ran all the way up his arm. He dipped his fingers in the blood and spoke an ancient language that wasn't Latin and didn't even really sound human. I couldn't make out more than few growling sounds.

I closed the cell phone and ran toward the trap. Just as I reached it, another being appeared inside. I couldn't quite make him out, as if he wasn't really there. He was nothing more than a dark, wavering shadow. Whenever I focused on him, his shape went blurry.

Myron handed the figure the vial containing Stacey's soul. “No!” I screamed. I grabbed the bars of the cage and rattled them, even tried to reach through it, but an invisible wall blocked me.

The dark shadow glared at me. A shiver of ancient, primal fear ran down my spine.

Then the shadow flew out of the cage, right above my head. I tumbled back, nearly falling to the ground.

I gazed at Myron, my mouth wide open. “What…”

“That,” he said with a smirk, “was a demon. Half of your precious friend's soul is now in the hands of a demon.”

I couldn't even speak. I was too tired to feel anger, but I did feel sadness rolling over me in waves like the ocean.

A noise erupted from behind me. Footsteps and voices. I turned around to face my friends, who'd appeared only feet behind me. Michelle promptly threw up. Craig sat down, holding his head. Katie looked the least affected by the teleportation, although she did hold onto Leander's arm rather tightly.

“I'm sorry, they wanted to come along and I couldn't persuade them otherwise, even though I told them it would get rather ugly,” Leander said. He took a step forward and looked at Myron. “Well, looks like you got what you deserved.”

“He just handed Stacey's soul to a demon,” I blurted out. “Half of it. Now what do we do?”

“Stacey?” Katie let go of Leander's arm and took a few steps forward. To her credit, she swayed a bit but it didn't lessen her anger. “You stupid son of a bitch. Stacey is one of the nicest people I've ever met. She's my friend.” She shook her head. “I hope you rot in that prison for the rest of all eternity.”

Myron didn't reply. Instead of looking at Katie, he looked at me, his eyes fixed on my face, searching for something I didn't even know. All I could think about was defeat. How four souls belonged to demons now because of me.

“What will happen to Stacey?” Michelle asked. She stood up straight now, slightly recovered. “If he only stole half her soul, will she look dead too?”

“Comatose,” Leander replied. “But she'll never wake up if she doesn't get the other half back.”

I could help you get her soul back, you know,
Myron's voice said in my mind. I shivered and was about to shout at him to stay out of my brain, when he continued.
Let me go, and I'll bring you to the demon who I gave her soul to.

Do you think I'm stupid? I don't trust you. The moment I let you go, you'll rush at me, rip my soul out and then go your merry way.

Ask me to say an Angel oath. I'll swear that I won't attack you or your friends. Ask your boyfriend here about how these oaths work.

He's not my boyfriend.

“Riley, what's going on?” Michelle asked, grabbing my arm.

“Huh?” I blinked a few times.

“Was he saying something to you? Don't let him get into your mind,” Leander said. He turned to Myron then. “Haven't you done enough already?”

Why would you help me now, all of a sudden?
I stared at Myron, waiting for a response.

I'm not so fond of the idea of going to prison for a few centuries. Been there, done that.

“You're a coward,” I said out loud. “Prison is what you deserve.”

“Maybe.” Myron kept on glaring at me and the longer he stared at me, the more uncomfortable I felt. “But what do you deserve? Can you live with what you've done?”

“She hasn't done anything,” Leander said, rushing to my defense.

I didn't respond. Instead, I just looked at him and wondered how he'd managed to look straight into my head without even really doing so. How he'd figured out I'd never be able to live with this.