Souljacker (13 page)

She opens her mouth but no words come out. I
want to pinch her cheek and call her a fish-face but somehow, I
don’t think she’d appreciate it.
Slow and steady wins the race,
Iofiel. Don’t freak her out by getting mushy.
Finally she
huffs. “Well… I found a donor.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Someone’s donating
soul? Where do I get in line?”

She rolls her eyes and shoves me with her
free hand. I stumble and catch myself, grinning so wide that it
almost hurts. “It doesn’t matter, okay? But she knows who I am, and
what I do, and she’s okay with that. So.”

She shrugs and swings our connected hands in
a way that reminds me of schoolgirls playing jump rope. She may be
tough on the outside, but inside? She’s sensitive, younger than she
pretends to be. I squeeze her hand and let our arms swing between
us as we wind down the tunnel of the abandoned railway. She doesn’t
say anything, so I don’t either; I just let us lapse into a
peaceful silence.

“Where should we meet?” She pipes up
first.

“When?”

“Whenever I want to see you.”

Alarm spikes in my veins. “No. I’ll find you.
It won’t be safe to meet at the same spot, in case one of my
brothers gets the bright idea to tail me. But I’ll come back for
you. I promise.”

With that, I tug her closer, placing a chaste
kiss on her lips. Her reaction is a sweet smile. It fades as I
gently remind her, “You have curfew, remember?” Wishing she didn’t,
wishing she could stay here with me, even if that’s risking
everything.

Lucy sighs. “I hate curfew. But you’re right.
I’d rather not get grounded.”

“And I’d rather not get caught. Here.” I
raise my hands and focus on the energy rippling there, forming a
current midair. Lucy’s forehead creases as I pull a Portal from
thin air. She crosses both arms over her chest and looks at me with
a pointy expression on her face. “Voila. Portal to your place.”

She opens her mouth to say something, then
quirks a brow. “How do you know where I live? Are you stalking
me?”

“Only on four legs.” I wink.

“Then you should know I hate Portals.
Hate
them. I’ll walk home.”

“Lucy.” I catch her gaze and hold it. “I
don’t want you to get eaten by a Wraith and I can’t follow you
home. I have duty in…oh, eight minutes.” I look to the glimmer of
the Portal, then back to her. “Please? For me?”

She groans loudly, but finally nods. She
wavers, watching me for a minute, before giving a smile so small it
could barely be classified as a smile. “You’d better not forget
about me, Iofiel.”

“Not for the world, love,” I promise and
watch as she steps through, her appearance fizzling out and
disappearing into static that fades to nothing.

Then I’m standing here alone, wishing I could
follow her. Instead, I shift and lope down the tunnel so fast my
paws kick up gravel.

Someday
.

Chapter 15:

Lucy

The street shimmers before me and I step
through, the Portal depositing me right outside my place. Damn,
Iofiel really
does
stalk me on four legs. An amused giggle
creeps up my throat and I shake my head, excitement still traipsing
through me, a high from his kiss. I’ve never been kissed before,
but if it’s always like that? I’ve been missing out.

I take a deep breath. I’m probably late,
which means Mr. Rockwell will be pissier than usual. He’ll lay down
the law, ground me, forbid me to see Iofiel. Part of me doesn’t
give a damn; I’ll do it anyway, but my heart skips a beat as I push
through the front door.

I expect him to be sitting in his armchair, a
glower on his face, arms crossed over his chest as he ticks off the
minutes on the clock. Instead, the living room is bathed in
darkness, the only light coming from the dimmed panel above the
kitchen sink. I creep through the living room, careful not to make
too much noise, and into the kitchen.

Mr. Rockwell’s shoes are gone and his car
keys aren’t hanging on their hook. I poke my head into the garage
to find it empty and relief builds up inside of me. I’m not that
late—he can’t be out looking for me; besides, I don’t think he
cares that much. He knows I’ll always come back here. What other
choice do I have?

Now that the impending doom is over, relief
washes over me in a wave and reality sinks in. Oh my God. I was
kissed. By a boy. And not just any boy—
my
boy. A grin
spreads across my face, unbidden, and I touch my cheeks to find
them hot. I give a little squeal-and-dance, totally out of
character for me, but no one’s here to tattle.

Caddie
has
to know about this. I reach
for my cell in my bag. Except my bag’s not here. I left it back at
Cosmo.

Which means I left Sync with Caddie.

Oh crap, she’s gonna be mad. She already
thinks I’m ignoring her. What am I supposed to say about that? I
haven’t left Sync anywhere since that time I was eight and I forgot
her in my desk at school on Friday. I fretted all weekend, over
whether she’d be okay or not, whether the janitors or whoever
worked there would steal her, that maybe I’d never see her again. I
even burst into tears when we were reunited Monday morning, much to
the teacher’s chagrin. She wasn’t happy then, but I was a child and
she forgave me.

Now? Now I’m pretty sure I’m screwed, but at
least I know Caddie will take care of her.

I unbuckle my boots and slide them off,
placing them by the front door so that when Mr. Rockwell comes
home, he’ll see I’m here. My feet ache; blisters have swelled and
popped as I peel my socks off and toss them in the dirty laundry.
I’m still in Caddie’s borrowed dress and I need a shower from my
run through the woods. Hot water will make anything better.

I limp up the stairs and pass the colorful
flicker of Mrs. Rockwell’s Holoscreen. I grab night clothes out of
my dresser and lock myself in the bathroom.

I crank the water up and close the curtain to
keep the heat in. Then I strip out of my dress and take off my
makeup with a little cleansing pad. I place my hand on my flat
stomach and look at my reflection, to the way my boobs perk up,
even if they are a bit on the small side.

I tip my head back and my hair falls over my
shoulders. I smile at myself, liking the gentle way my lips curve,
wondering if Iofiel likes them too. I shake in a silent laugh as
steam fogs the mirror over and I step under the spray of hot water
that flows over my aching muscles, pounding the knots out of my
neck.

Our kiss plays through my mind on repeat. I
can still taste him, still feel the buzz of energy as his lips
pressed against mine. A hundred kisses would never be enough. He’s
an addiction I never want to break. My head thrums with the beat of
my pulse as I finish up. I want to tell Caddie, Sync, anyone. I
want to shout it to the world.

Lucifer Swift is in puppy love.

I wrap a plush towel around myself, using a
second to squeeze water from my hair. Streaks rain down from the
tips of my hair, trickling down my back before soaking into the
towel. I dry off and pull on a pair of cotton PJ pants and a tank
top. I pad barefoot down the hall, passing Mrs. Rockwell’s room
once more. She’s sitting up in bed and she cranes her head towards
the door as I pass it. So I pause and knock.

“Hi,” I say, standing in the doorway. She
smiles, her eyes clear and bright. She pats the bedspread beside
her and I feel nerves skitter down my arms. I ease down onto the
bed and pull my knees to my chest, watching her curiously.

“You look happy,” she says with a smile and
the dam inside me bursts. I can’t keep it in. I have to tell
someone.

“I
am
happy. I met this boy.
He’s…amazing. And adorable. And I really, really like him.”

“Not love?”

“Not yet. But it definitely has the potential
to be love, someday.”

“Love is a wonderful thing,” she says,
placing a warm hand on my knee. She squeezes it, a smile beaming
across her face. “I remember my first true love. I was a junior in
college, a straight-A student, always a high achiever. He was a
rowdy bad boy, a partier who didn’t give jack shit about grades.
And he was so handsome in his leather jacket and boots.”

I smile, thinking of Iofiel’s jacket. “What
was his name?”

“Derek. I ended up skipping a night of
studying, just to go to a party so I could talk to him. He had
girls crowding around him, practically drooling, but when he saw me
and our eyes met, it was like… I knew he was The One. My soul mate.
He asked me out and we dated a couple times before we called it
official. We were perfect for each other. He was the yin to my yang
and all that sappy stuff.

“My daddy didn’t like the idea of us dating.
I still lived at home to pay for school loans and he tried to
control me. Said I couldn’t see him, so I moved in with Derek. We
were happy and we never fought, never argued. He asked me to marry
him in front of the entire school.” She blushes and hugs her pillow
to her chest, the picture of a love-struck schoolgirl. “I loved
him.”

“He told me he was different. That he wasn’t
normal. I didn’t care—he was perfect. I got pregnant and I was so
happy. It wasn’t planned or expected, it just happened. We were
going to have a baby girl. We fixed up the spare bedroom in pinks
and purples and bought a crib and everything. And then…” Her
expression clouds, a frown tugging the edges of her smile
downwards, sad.

“We were walking home from a movie and the
Wraiths attacked us; they’d never once bothered me before. Derek
fought them off, but I fell. I was bleeding. He rushed me to the
hospital and they were able to stop the miscarriage, but Derek was
afraid. He said it wasn’t safe. That he was dangerous. He begged me
to believe him. I said that I loved him, that it didn’t matter. He
put his hands on my stomach and told me to protect our daughter
with my heart and soul. I promised him that I would, of course I
would…”

She gets quiet for several minutes, just
hugging her pillow and staring off into space. I touch her shoulder
and she gives me a mournful look.

“Derek left. I don’t know where he went. And
I couldn’t protect Aely. I tried, God, I tried.” A sob catches in
her throat and tears wash down her pale cheeks. “I thought I was so
strong. And look at me.
Look
at me! I’m a mess. I’m a
failure. I couldn’t even keep my own daughter safe.”

“You tried,” I say, rubbing her shoulder. She
shrugs out from under my touch, drawing away, crying softly.
“Sometimes, trying is all you can do.”

But she doesn’t hear me. She curls up on her
side, nibbling the corner of the pillow between her teeth. I stand
up and after an awkward moment, I pull the sheets up to her chin.
She reaches out from beneath the bedspread and squeezes my hand in
hers.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper and she shakes her
head. I back out of her room, leaving her door cracked open, but
even in my room I can hear her ragged sobs.

My own heart aches as I lay down in bed,
Sync’s familiar glow no longer my night light. I bury my face in my
pillow and try to think of Iofiel, think of tonight, but all I can
see is Mrs. Rockwell dropping to her knees, crying, as Aely is torn
away from her.

I don’t fall asleep until after her sobs have
fallen silent.

***

A little girl stands on the corner, her
blonde hair falling into her face and her too-big coat hanging on
her small frame. The rain spits down around us, too cold to be a
summer rain, and the girl hops off the curb, splashing into a
puddle. I want to go to her, to tell her to go home, to get out of
this weather; the sky is churning black clouds and lightning
streaks between them. She should be home, with her mother.

I open my mouth to call out to her, but my
voice doesn’t work. A shadow flickers at the alley as the girl
passes it, tall and hulking and shapeless and terrifying. My heart
ratchets up a notch and I scream again, but this time a cold hand
is covering my mouth, stealing my breath before I can even breathe
in. The girl jerks her head up, her blue eyes wide as saucers as
she looks up into the gaping mouth and empty eyes of the
Wraith.

She just stares up at it in awe. The Wraith
lets out a rattling shriek and the girl screams, but not before the
creature’s dark arms wrap around her, holding her tight. Her
screams echo in my ears, piercing wails that peter out as the
Wraith sucks life from her.

The girl twitches and spasms and then sinks
to the ground. She drops to her knees, head lolling forwards, hair
obscuring a face way too pale. She splashes face-down in a puddle
and the Wraith turns its cold eyes on me.

I open my mouth to scream, but all the air
has fled my lungs, leaving me an icy chill. Panic climbs up my
throat like a frightened cat, clawing painfully up my esophagus and
out my mouth. My lungs ache with cold and pressure and I feel the
hot press of tears behind my eyelids. I just pray that I die quick,
because this isn’t painless, not in the least. The Wraith’s mouth
is at my ear, whispering my name in its frigid, breathy voice:
Lucy. Lucy.

“Lucy!”

I jerk awake, toppling out of my bed and
landing in a pile of sheets and blankets on the floor. I swipe at
my face, wet with tears, and gasp for breath. My lungs are burning,
but sweet air rushes through my nose as I inhale and breathe out.
My entire body’s trembling as I stare up at Mr. Rockwell in his
blue robe. His hair is disheveled, like I just woke up him out of a
deep sleep, and his eyes gleam…concerned?

“Bad dream,” I mutter, pulling the sheets
over me.

He opens his mouth and pauses, as if he’s
trying to find something nice to say. Something compassionate. Then
he shrugs his broad shoulders. “You’re gonna be late for school,”
he says and shuffles back out of my room.