Soul to Shepherd (49 page)

“No!” Quinn screamed with every ounce of strength he had left in his body. “M!”

I watched Minerva teleport to Quinn’s side. She ripped the tethers that bound him and stood over him as if unsure what to do. Her eyes were taking on a reddish hue again, and her body was shaking. She’d absorbed more of the Servants’ power.

“Do it! Now!” Quinn demanded.

She looked at me, her eyes flickered brown as she smiled sadly. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed.

“No! Don’t!” I screamed with everything I had left. But it was too late. She’d kissed Quinn, transferring to him some of the Servants’ power. I knew his body couldn’t possibly endure the energy surge. He’d never survive this.

Quinn instantly leapt off the platform and rushed Brady, who was now wielding the knife over me again. “Get away from her!” Quinn snarled. His eyes were as red as Brady’s, but Quinn’s aura was still perceptibly his, and his soul still called out to mine.

I watched Quinn fight his brother—his
former
brother. Brady was stronger, but not by much, and Quinn was a more skilled fighter. I wondered how long his mortal shell would be able to physically withstand having demonic powers coursing through it.

I began to feel lightheaded. I was so concerned for Quinn, I didn’t realize I was bleeding out. I was now too weak to heal myself, and I knew I wouldn’t last much longer. I collapsed onto the ground, closed my eyes, and listened to the shrieks of slain Servants falling around me.

“Eve. Eve, it’s me.”

I opened my eyes just enough to see Peter kneeling over me. He’d been bitten in the shoulder.

“Hurts like a bitch, doesn’t it?” I joked feebly, as I reached up and touched his wound.

He smiled faintly. “Eve, I am so sorry. I hope some day you’ll understand—you’ll know why I did what I did.” He then did something completely unexpected. Despite his already weakened state, he healed me, after which he dropped to the ground and lost consciousness.

“Peter?” I shook him. “Peter?”

“K.C.! A little help here please!” Dylan cried out as two Servants were closing in on him.

I grabbed the knife Brady had dropped on the ground when Quinn collided into him.

“Hey, you!” I yelled out, which, thankfully, made both Servants gunning for Dylan turn around and look at me. I threw the knife and hit one right between the eyes, while Dylan got the other one.

Dylan teleported to my side and handed me the knife. “We missed you.” He smiled at me.

“Likewise.” I smiled in return, feeling better than I had in a long time. I turned around to see Quinn putting Brady in a headlock.

“Our boy is doing just fine,” Dylan remarked in surprise.

“He is, isn’t he?” I replied, equally amazed. Maybe M was wrong. Maybe Quinn could handle the energy transfer. As soon as the thought entered my mind, however, I saw signs of his body breaking down.

“Oh no,” I muttered.

“What?” Dylan asked.

“It’s too much. He can’t handle it.”

Five Servants suddenly ambushed Dylan and me. Two grabbed me, two grabbed Dylan and the fifth was juggling three knives dangerously close to us.

“Oh come on, now you’re just teasing us,” Dylan joked.

“Call off the dogs, Mathius, or I end him right here, right now!” Minerva called out, standing behind Magnus, holding his arms behind his back. “Your choice—I can either drain him dry or give him a power overload.”

We all froze in place, demons included, to see what Mathius would do.

“Mathius,” Magnus pleaded.

But Mathius said nothing.

“I’ve hidden the other brother,” Minerva announced. “The ritual is over.”

I scanned the area and noticed Quinn was gone.

“So,” Minerva continued, “you can take what’s left of your ‘fraternal order’ and leave, or you can lose this one and take your chances walking out of here unscathed.”

Just then, I noticed the knife-wielding Servant near me and Dylan was preparing to attack.

“Tell the rest of your goons to back off!” Minerva shouted. Magnus’s body began to shake uncontrollably—she’d obviously opted for the power overload.

“Stop!” Mathius ordered the advancing Servant. “Careful, Minerva,” he continued, redirecting his attention to her. “You don’t want to do anything you’ll regret.”

“How do you know my name?” she asked uneasily. Magnus’s body slumped over and his tremors had decreased.

“It’s remarkable how much you resemble your father,” Mathius noted.

“Order them all to leave!” she shouted, her red eyes confirming the Servants’ energy was still pumping through her body. Magnus’s body began to seize.

“Mathius,” Magnus whimpered.

“Your move,” Minerva challenged. “But you better make it fast. Your friend here has less than a minute before he goes ‘Kaboom.’”

“Ruthless like a true demon,” Mathius mused through gritted teeth. “Brothers!” he called out. “We have gained one new brother tonight, but lost several others. Let us retreat and pay homage to those who have fallen.” He turned back towards Dylan and me. “We will be back to fight another day.”

The remaining Servants mumbled and, one by one, began to disappear, taking Brady with them.

“Let him go,” Mathius demanded.

Minerva shoved the Magnus in Mathius’s direction, causing Magnus to stumble into his arms. Then, the two promptly disappeared. I looked around and noticed Peter was missing as well. Had he managed to escape? Or had the Servants taken him?

Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating the sky above for miles around Dylan, Minerva, and me.

“Where’s Quinn?” I asked frantically.

“Quinn!” I called out, running towards him. Minerva had teleported Dylan and me to the location she’d stashed Quinn towards the end of the fight—behind a pile of rocks a few miles from where the ritual had taken place.

“Quinn! Hold on! I’m here.” His aura was so faint. I tried to heal him, but he wasn’t responding.

“Evie,” Quinn gasped.

“You stay with me! You hear me?” I took him in my arms and kissed him, hoping our bond would make him better, but it wasn’t working.

“Dylan, help me!” I screamed. “Do something!”

Dylan was instantly by Quinn’s side, but he couldn’t heal him either. The immortal energy coursing through Quinn’s body had destroyed it beyond repair.

“Minerva?” I begged.

She shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry.”

“Damn demon juice,” Dylan grumbled.

“It’s got one hell of a kick, especially when combined with Shepherd’s blood,” Minerva explained.

“A lethal combination,” I said, grimly.

“It made me a lethal
weapon
,” Quinn joked feebly. “I’m glad you’re okay.” He squeezed my hand lightly before coughing, turning his head as he winced. I knew he was trying to hide his pain from me.

“Yeah, I’m okay. But you—you’re kind of a mess,” I said, trying to be lighthearted for his sake.

“Dylan, thanks, man—for everything.” With each breath, I could hear fluid slowly filling his lungs.

“Any time, College Boy,” Dylan replied sadly. “You just say the word.”

“Do me a favor and take care of this one for me.” Quinn squeezed my hand again.

“Consider it done—if she’ll let me, that is,” Dylan tried joking, but the look in his eyes said he felt anything but humor.

“M, thanks for your help,” Quinn stated.

“I’m so sorry it came to this,” Minerva responded.

“Don’t be.” Quinn coughed again, wincing. “I knew what I was getting into.” He smirked slightly. “It was the only way.”

“You two had already
agreed
to do this?” I asked in shock, turning towards Minerva.

“Hey.” Quinn squeezed my hand once more to get my attention. “Don’t be mad at her—this one’s all on me. I made her promise.” His breathing began to sound more labored. He was running out of time.

No! This wasn’t happening! This couldn’t be happening!
I wanted to scream and cry—to go off and hunt down every Servant I could find, but I couldn’t. Quinn needed me. I had to be strong for him—for both of us.

“You flashed her the smile with the puppy dog eyes, didn’t you?” I asked, fighting back the tears welling up in my eyes as best as I could. My body, my soul, my
everything
was collapsing, falling apart before my eyes, as the love of my life, my true soul mate, was dying in my arms.

“She never had a chance.” He chuckled softly and his sapphire blue eyes twinkled faintly. “No regrets?”

“No regrets.” I forced myself to smile. “You?”

“None.” He started to close his eyes.

“Quinn,” I whispered. “Please don’t give up. Please don’t leave me.”

“Hey, don’t cry.” He reached up and caressed my cheek, wiping my tears away. “I’m not a demon.”

“No, you’re not,” I replied, shaking my head.

“And my soul is safe.” He started to grin, but it was interrupted by pain as he winced and clutched his chest.

“Yes, it is,” I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks.

“Then I’ll find you.” He took another, more labored breath. “In the meantime,” he gasped, “hang on to these for me.” He grabbed the patron saint and his wedding band that hung around his neck, yanked the chain, breaking it, and handed them to me.

“Quinn, I don’t want it to end like this.” A huge knot formed in the back of my throat, suffocating me, as tears blurred my vision. “I love you so much.”

“I love you,” he whispered. A crooked grin graced his beautiful, broken face before he struggled to take another labored breath.

“Quinn, please, I
need
you,” I cried.

“You always did.” He smiled at me again, closed his eyes and took his last breath.

“Quinn?” I called out frantically. “Quinn?”

“K.C.” Dylan put his on my shoulder. “K.C., he’s gone,” Dylan said forlornly.

“
No!”
I screamed. The pain was so intense, so crippling, I felt like I was dying all over again.

I stayed there holding Quinn. Every memory I had of him, of us, suddenly seemed wrapped up in my touch, and I was afraid if I let go, I’d lose every connection I ever had with him.

“K.C.,” Dylan called out softly. “It’s time.”

Unable to speak, I just shook my head in refusal.

“You’ve got to let him go so his spirit and soul can move on.”

And how are my soul and my spirit going to move on?
I asked myself. Tears flooded my eyes again.

“It’s so unfair,” I choked out. “We saved his soul, but I can’t feel it anymore. It’s gone … He’s gone.”

“Dylan and I will stay with Quinn. Go. Grieve.”

I looked at Minerva through tear-filled eyes and nodded.

“Until we meet again,” I whispered mournfully in Quinn’s ear before kissing him one last time.

I thought of what Quinn’s parents would go through when they heard of their son’s death. I thought about how they’d never know they’d actually lost
two
sons today. They’d never know how their boys really died. They’d never see their bodies to say good-bye. I felt so bad for them—I felt responsible for not bringing their sons safely back home to them. It made me want to go home.

It was the middle of the night, and I knew my parents would be sleeping, so I teleported myself into my old bedroom, opening the door just enough for Justice to squeeze through, and lay down on my bed. Sure enough, Justice bounded in a few minutes later to greet me, eagerly wagging his tail. He was ready to play, but he soon realized something was wrong, so he jumped onto the bed and curled up next to me, occasionally nudging me sweetly with his nose as if to say everything would be okay. I sobbed silently all night long, with Justice at my side the entire time.

Just before dawn, I straightened up my bed and gently shooed Justice out of my room, closing the door behind him. Then, I teleported to the beach a few miles from my parents’ house. I walked along the shoreline, before sitting down near the dune grass, digging my bare toes into the cold sand, and waiting for the sun to rise.

I heard the birds chirping, welcoming the new day as the first rays of light warmed the Earth. I closed my eyes and felt the sunrise instead of watching it, desperately wishing I could soak up even the tiniest bit of hope and promise the new day offered. I heard the peaceful lull of the water rhythmically lapping up onto the sandy shore. Only when I could feel the sun’s light shining on my entire body, did I open my eyes and look at the huge ball of light hovering just above the horizon.

The full moon was gone. Quinn was gone. I hoped I’d be able to make sense of all of this someday, but right now ‘someday’ seemed an eternity away. Tears streaked down my face.

When I caught sight of the first walkers a couple miles down the shoreline, I returned to the house to find my mother making coffee while my father watched the morning news in the family room off the kitchen. I missed them so much. I needed them.

I knew I shouldn’t, but I walked up behind my mother. I phased in just enough to catch a whiff of the freshly brewed coffee. Instantly, she froze, letting go of the mug she was holding.

“Beth, everything okay in there?” my dad called out from the family room upon hearing the mug crash onto the floor.

“Evie?” she barely whispered as she gripped the counter with both hands for support. “Evie, is that you?” Tears were brimming in her eyes. Of course she knew it was me; she was my mother.

I placed one of my hands on top of hers momentarily. She felt me, but she couldn’t see me.

“Oh my God,” she gasped as tears rolled down her cheeks. She took a deep breath and turned around, searching for me. “Mike! Come here!” she called out. “It’s Evie! She’s here!”

My dad came flying into the room. I’m sure he had no idea what to expect, but he looked disappointed and confused when he didn’t see me.

“Beth,” he said in a concerned voice.

“She—she’s here,” my mom insisted. “I felt her, Mike. I
felt
her.” My mother was smiling and crying at the same time.

Justice was barking excitedly and spinning around in place. It was like he was saying, “I’ve been trying to tell you this all along!”

“Beth, I know things have been rough, but I don’t think it’s very healthy for you to go down this road.” I could hear the distress in my dad’s voice.

“Mike, I promise you. I’m telling you the truth. How can you not feel her here with us?”

My dad stopped and looked around. There was no point in letting him think my mom had gone nuts. There was no point in denying him the small gift I’d just bestowed upon her—if that’s what it was. I knew this was forbidden. I knew this could backfire and send them reeling backwards in the healing process instead of moving forward, but I’d already crossed the line and it was too late to turn back.

I walked over to my dad and phased in just enough to put my hand on his arm. It was a whisper of a touch, but the emotional effect impact was huge. He started trembling, and his eyes glistened with tears. Speechless, he just smiled at my mom, who was still beaming from ear to ear.

I bent down and pet Justice, who began doing all of the tricks I taught him—tricks my parents must’ve wondered how he’d learned. They looked at each other and smiled, realizing that I’d been there before.

I stood up and walked in front of the wall of windows in the kitchen. I phased into view enough for them to see me. I was barely visible to anyone who wasn’t looking—but my parents
were
looking, and they saw me. They gasped in awe. Justice barked excitedly and ran to my side.

“Evie,” my dad whispered.

“Hi, Dad. Hi, Mom,” I greeted them. “I don’t have much time. I shouldn’t even be doing this, but I never was very good at following the rules, was I?” I joked. My mom chuckled slightly and clasped her hands over her mouth.

“Thank you for being there for me during my life—and since,” I continued. “I want you to know I’m fine. I help people now—or, at least, I try my best anyway. And I have friends. We look out for each other. You’d like them.” I smiled. “So, please, don’t be sad for me anymore.”

“Evie, we’re your parents. We miss you. We’ll always be sad you’re not with us,” my mom managed.

“I know.” I smiled. “But, hopefully, now you can be a little less sad.” I took a deep breath. “This will be my last visit here. It has to be. I realize now you can’t move on if I keep coming back—you can’t let me go until I let go of you.”

I bent down and pet Justice behind the ears. “You take good care of my parents, got it, buddy? They need you.” The dog barked and spun around in another circle.

“Evie, please stay,” my mom begged.

“I really wish I could, but that’s not my destiny. And it’s not yours.” I sighed. “I want you to find happiness again—together. Believe it or not, I did,” I said, fighting back the tears. The last thing I wanted was for my parents to think I was hurting.

“And just know I’ll always love you.” I phased into my full form and walked over to them, kissing each of my parents on the cheek. Both my mom and dad raised their hands and touched the spot where I’d made contact with them again. Then my dad grabbed me and gave me a huge hug. My mom joined in, and I embraced them both.

“We love you so much, pumpkin,” my dad said, crying.

“So, so much,” my mom added.

“I know,” I managed, choking back the tears. After a minute, I took a step back and smiled. “And I’ll love you both—for eternity.” I hugged them again. “Take care of each other, okay?”

They both nodded.

“You take good care of yourself, too, okay?” my mom added.

“Okay,” I agreed with a slight nod. I saw Justice, now sitting at my parents’ feet. “Bye, buddy.” I looked up at my parents staring at me in awe. “Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad.”

“Bye, pumpkin,” my dad said, choking up.

“Bye, sweetheart,” my mom managed.

I waved as I phased out of view and left.

I spent the rest of the day on the beach, sitting invisibly in the thick dune grass as I watched families frolic in the water. To them, it was just another beautiful summer day. To me, it was the first day of my own “private hell,” as Peter had called it.

The beach cleared, and I phased into view to watch the sun dip below the horizon. It was my favorite time of day—or at least it used to be. I no longer had a favorite
anything
anymore.

“I almost forgot how beautiful a
real
sunset could be,” a familiar voice called out behind me.

I turned around and saw Tara not five feet from me.

“Council Member Tara!” I exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing down here?”

“Looking for you.”

“Oh,” I replied, somewhat confused. “Sergei too busy to fetch me?” I asked snidely. I was
so
not in the mood to be lectured for whatever mistakes and errors in judgment she thought I’d recently made.

“I preferred to deliver this news to you personally
without
the interference of hundreds of curious minds.” She sat down beside me in the sand.

“What news?” I asked.

“You are going to be a mentor,” she announced with pride.

“Oh, um, I really don’t—I’m not sure I’m the right person,” I was stumbling over my words. “I mean, you know how I am at following rules—and besides, I don’t think I’m the best cheerleader for our team right now.”

“I’m not asking you to be a cheerleader, Eve, just a pragmatist. You can offer a unique perspective about the obstacles and hardships one must face as a Shepherd. Your experiences undoubtedly will provide invaluable insight when training young, green recruits.”

“I’m sure Dylan can offer the same perspective,” I replied.

“Indeed, but I’m not convinced he’s the best match for this particular case. Besides, the Order has requested that you personally mentor this new recruit, so the matter is out of my hands.”

Great,
I sighed heavily to myself. Images of Peter introducing himself as my mentor filled my head, making me shudder. I’d never been so wrong about someone.

“Did you know Peter survived the explosion in Amsterdam?” I asked soberly.

“Not right away but, yes,” she replied.

“Did you know he was a traitor?” I heard the bitter edge of my own voice.

“It is not that simple, Eve.”

“Funny, that’s what he said right after he
kidnapped
me.”

“Peter has had to make some very difficult choices in the past. He has had to walk a fine line between what is morally right and what he is implicitly bound to do.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Peter was not the traitor you think he was, Eve.” Tara sighed. “A long time ago, when Peter confessed he had been doing ‘favors’ for the Servants, initially to save his charge and eventually to save himself, the Order saw an opportunity. Peter was given a ‘choice’ to either lose his immortality or continue his arrangement with the Servants. Since Peter had developed the unique ability to
lie
—” She paused as my eyes and mouth shot wide open.

“Yes, I knew about that,” she answered my silent question. “Peter’s unique talent afforded him the ability to feed Mathius false information about us while being able to covertly gather information about the Servants, including that about Mathius, his right-hand men, his plans—even his strengths and weaknesses.”

“Holy crap, he was a spy!” I exclaimed in shock. “Peter was your source.” Surprise began to give way to guilt as I realized I really had been wrong about him—in the worst way.

“Yes, but it cost Peter dearly. It scarred his soul and made him vulnerable to lapses in good judgment.” She looked at me and frowned. “I will admit he has certainly made some mistakes, but his heart told him it was for the right reasons. In the end, he sought to protect you at all costs—he still does.”

“‘
Still’?”
I asked aloud. “He wasn’t destroyed last night?”

“No. Just incredibly weakened after saving you.”

“Where is he?”

“In hiding. Tartuf is tending to him until we can figure out what his next step should be.”

“I—I can’t believe it. I had no idea.”

“Very few did. It had to remain a secret in order to protect him.”

“Will I ever see him again?” My voice was trembling as I struggled to come to grips with how much Peter had sacrificed for all of us.

“Quite frankly, I don’t know. Peter is a hunted soul. The Servants will stop at nothing to get their revenge for his betrayal,” Tara added in a grave voice.

“Well,” she said, inhaling deeply. “Enough about that. You have your own full plate to deal with. And I can assure you that your new mentee will be quite a challenge. From what I have observed, he’s as stubborn and headstrong as you.” Tara was holding out a brown file folder. “Go ahead,” she urged. I could swear she was fighting back a grin.

Déjà vu
hit me, and I was reminded of the last time I’d been given an assignment. My hands began to tremble as I took the folder. Could it be?