Souljacker (31 page)

“Tell that to the next insane Faerie queen
who tries to kill me,” I mutter and he grins.

“Lucy!” Caddie’s at my side, but her face
swims in my vision. I’m so tired… My body feels like spaghetti,
limply dangling from Iofiel’s arms. I reach for her, to comfort
her, and then her hand wraps in mine. I start to pull away as the
tug of Need bursts forwards in a rainbow display and I shudder. I
don’t want to hurt her. She’s exerted too much already.

Then I’m surrounded by all of my friends, the
kids from Polaris. My rescue team. I smile wearily at them,
blinking back tears as one by one, they place their hands in mind,
lending me strength. I refuse at first, unsure of what to even
say.

“Just take it, Lucy,” Caddie says on a
smile.

So I do.

Chapter 36:

Iofiel

As Vashna lies on the ground, lifeless, the
roar of battle around us peters to a halt. The crackle of the
castle’s magic hangs heavy in the air, untamed without a master.
All around I see the zombified Mithos warriors stumbling, dazed
looks on their faces, as if they don’t remember how they got here.
The girl with the supersonic scream is sobbing hysterically as Josh
clamps her to his chest, rocking her small body against his. Soon,
Mithos families are reunited with one another.

Seelie and Unseelie Fae eye each other
nervously, unsure of what to do next. Both queens are dead and
they’re not so sure anymore if fighting is the best choice.
Thankfully, Faeries seem to look out for themselves, first and
foremost, and that’s working to our advantage right now.

Diesel, rumpled and bruised with dirt smudged
on her face, comes forward. She lets loose a burst of energy that
jerks everyone’s attention back to her. Clearing her throat, she
stands tall. “The war, it appears, is over…” She motions to
Vashna’s and Faela’s fallen forms, their empty gazes staring up at
the blue dawn sky.

“Both queens are dead, which leaves us in
quite the predicament. Most of you don’t trust one another, and I
don’t blame you for all that you’ve been through, but I have a
proposition to make. Omega City needs a strong leader and as one of
the first Mithos created, I’d like to take over.” No one made a
sound. She smiled. “I welcome
anyone
—Fae or Mithos, Seelie
or Unseelie—to form an alliance with Omega and perhaps as one, we
can put the pieces of our lives back together. No more war.”

Sariel stands at the head of the Pack,
surveying the scene with a calm, silent assurance. It’s like he was
tailor made for this role. He steps up and his hounds are alert at
his side. Nerves dance across their pelts; I can feel it in the
air. They’re not sure what to think either.

Sariel tips his head up and looks right at
Diesel. “As reigning Alpha, I’d like for me and my hounds to be
useful in any way possible. The hatred, the blame—it needs to stop.
We’ve gotten nowhere with bloodshed and it’s time to try a
different approach. I believe we should conjoin as a whole and I’m
willing to help protect the cities. As sentries, as guardians. Not
as Unseelie beasts.”

Diesel looks a little surprised. She glances
to me and I nod; I trust Sare—I owe him my life. Her face breaks
into a tired but pleased grin. “I’d like that, actually. Diesel
Monagan.” She sticks out her hand.

Sariel shakes it swiftly, then pulls it to
his lips to grace her knuckles with a kiss. I almost laugh at the
blush that tints Diesel’s cheeks a charming shade of pink. “Sariel,
at your service.”

“I’d like for you to send your hounds out and
remove the remaining Wraiths stalking the cities. If anyone has a
chance against those heartless creatures, it’s a cyberhound.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He flares a
smile. “But there’s something we need to do first.”

***

We gather in groups and one by one, we leave
the dark queen’s city behind. We leave the dead warriors where they
fell, to rest for eternity. Sariel sends Raziel and a couple other
hounds back through the city to make sure there are no stragglers;
Raz seems torn by his loyalty to Lylan, but he doesn’t argue and
I’m proud of him. Maybe there’s hope for him yet.

Then a tall, dark-skinned Firestarter sends
sparks flickering into the city, carried through the air by the
wind. They touch the untamed dark magic, burst, and explode into a
raging wildfire. Diesel reaches out and beside her is Gale and
together, they form a barrier around the city, keeping the flames
trapped inside. The fire consumes the city like starving dogs
falling upon raw meat, glowing and burning with a heat that
radiates through the walls of the wards.

We stand there and watch it burn, hot and
hard.

Lucy stands at my side, her fingers entwined
with mine. As the city turns to embers and ashes, the flames having
extinguished their tinder in the span of an hour, the group turns
away. Smoke rises like grey-black mist through the air and I tug
Lucy after me. All I want is to go home—well, home to Omega
City—and sleep for three days straight. The day’s catching up with
me, fast.

We make it a ways before I stumble, dropping
to one knee as weakness takes its toll on my body. “Iofiel?” Lucy’s
at my side, immediately fretting. She’s the strongest of us all
now—filled with a little bit of everyone’s soul—and her aura hums
vibrantly.

“I’m fine. I just…need to rest a minute.”

“We’ll get left behind,” she says and, before
I can react, she gathers me in her arms as if I’m as light as a
feather. I struggle against her grip for a moment, but the grin on
her face has me pausing. She beams down at me. “It’s not every day
that the damsel in distress gets to carry her knight back to the
castle. I like being the strong one for once. Just relax. I promise
to take good care of you.”

I can’t help but chuckle. I reach up with the
last of my strength and place a quick, searing kiss on her lips.
“Enjoy it while it lasts, love.”

She only smiles, although it’s a little sad,
and hugs me tighter. She carries me all the way back to Omega City
and as we crawl into bed, I let out my breath in a whoosh of air.
“I can’t believe it’s finally over…” She climbs into my arms and I
wrap them around her, noting the way she’s trembling and I know she
can’t believe it either.

Then her shakes turn into soft sobs, try as
she might to hold them in, and I cradle her closer to me. She cries
freely now. I kiss the salt of her tears away and claim her lips
with mine. Neither of us is in a hurry. “What’s wrong, Luce?”

“I… I thought I was going to lose you to
Lylan. I really… I was scared.” Her voice is quiet and she presses
her face into the crook of my neck. I hold her snug to me despite
my muscles’ weak protests.

I smile up at the ceiling, thanking whatever
God there is above for giving me such a wonderful girl. “You can’t
get rid of me that easily, Lucy, I promise.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” My response is muffled by
a yawn and in minutes, we’re fast asleep.

Chapter 37:

Lucy

We gather together—Faerie, Mithos, and
cyberhound—to pay respects to the people who died fighting for our
peace. For every death recorded, our Firestarters light a tall,
white candle. Caddie is a part of the service, touching the wicks
with her fingertips and thanking each and every one.

When the candles are all lit, burning bright
like a thousand tiny souls, we bow our heads in thanks. Out of the
corner of my eye I see Caddie reach over and snag the hand of Lake,
who wears a sheepish grin, their first outward display of
affection. Their fingers twine together and Caddie looks positively
pleased and I remember the first time I held Iofiel’s hand.
Excitement trills through me. I’m happy for her.

Sync has barely left my side since we
returned to Omega City. She still can’t believe that MaXXX turned
out the way he did. “I never even saw it coming, Luce. I’ll never
trust a rock star again,” she’d claimed a few days after the big
showdown. She’d grabbed me in a too-tight android hug and promised
that she wouldn’t let MaXXX hurt me again. Honestly? I wasn’t
worried that he would.

Now, watching her glowering at MaXXX from
across the room, I touch her shoulder. She turns, a frown on her
pouty lips. “Be gentle on him,” I tell her. “He’s been through a
lot.” And he has. He’s transformed from cocky, suave, and confident
MaXXX Starfell, front man of Elysium, to stuttering nerves and
shaking hands. Aely doesn’t leave his side and I really, truly
think that without her, he’d break. He’s already a little cracked.
She’s just the tape holding his pieces together. I’m thankful that
he has her.

After the service is over and people have
begun to shuffle off, I squeeze Iofiel’s hand once, then slip away,
though I know he’s not far behind. I make a beeline for MaXXX and
Aely. Aely smiles up at me and MaXXX even stares for a minute,
although his gaze is wounded. “Aren’t you afraid of me, Lucy?”

“Should I be?” I offer him a smile and shake
my head, my voice soft around the edges. “You’re not a monster
MaXXX. Not unless you want to be. Everyone has a choice… Besides,
how could I be afraid of you when you’re the reason I’m still
alive? Without you, Vashna would’ve killed me. Thank you.”

His lips form a grim line. “I never should’ve
taken you out of Omega City. I was such a fool. I thought…” He
shakes his head and refuses to meet my gaze. His voice nearly a
whisper, he adds, “I’m sorry.” He’s so bitter, so distant. He’s
withdrawn into his shell to protect himself. Maybe in time, he’ll
be the smiling, woman-chasing singer once again.

“So what’s next?” I ask. “Are you staying in
Omega?”

He shrugs, but Aely shakes her head. Her
blonde hair’s been trimmed and weaved into a braid that trails over
one shoulder. “I’m taking him home with me,” she says brightly.
MaXXX jerks his head up, startled, as if it’s the first time he’s
heard of this. She pats his arm. “I’m going to help MaXXX love
himself again. We’ve been through too much together for me to just
give up.”

A faint smile quirks his lips and she wraps
her arms around him, reaching up on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek.
She seems much older, much wiser than her thirteen years says she
is. She pauses, one finger tapping her chin. “Though I’m not sure
if Mom and Dad still live in Rogan City…”

It’s my turn to grin. “I think I can help
you. I’m actually headed there myself.”

***

Three days later, after telling Diesel where
we’re going and saying a farewell-for-now to our friends, Caddie,
Iofiel, Sync, MaXXX, Aely, and I head back to Rogan, where this
crazy, twisted journey began.

Caddie leads the gang, eager to get back to
her mom and little brother; she’s been talking about them nonstop
for the past few days and excitement blossoms off of her in waves.
Sync trots beside her, her new navigation system telling us where
to go.

Iofiel and I walk hand in hand, our arms
swinging between us. He looks happy, as if he’s content with the
world as it is right in this very moment, and I’m glad I can help
be a part of that happiness. I know I am.

Aely and MaXXX trail behind, just far enough
away that we can only hear their hushed murmurs in the background,
the soft laughter in Aely’s voice. She’s both nervous and excited.
It’s been four years since she’s seen her parents.

We stop at Caddie’s place first. She stands
on the doorstep, all of a sudden nervous. She grips my arm
painfully tight. “What if she hates me?” She glances at me, her
face pinched. “What if they’ve moved?”

But I can hear Hope’s melodious voice barking
behind the door as we knock. I see Caddie brighten a notch. “She’s
here and she loves you. She’ll always love you, Cads,” I tell her.
A second later, the door swings open and Hope barrels out. I barely
catch the lanky dog by the collar before she darts into the road,
but upon seeing visitors—namely, Caddie—she collapses into a
wiggly, wagging mess at our feet.

“Ohmygod, I missed you so much, Hopey!”
Caddie squeals, picking the dog up in a full body glomp. Hope’s
pink tongue swipes furiously at Caddie’s face and I think I see it
go up her nose once.

“Caddie…” Her mother’s voice is strained with
disbelief. Caddie straightens up just as she’s gathered up into a
huge hug, Trista dissolving into tears. She holds Caddie so tight
that her face turns red and she squirms in the vice grip. Trista
cups Caddie’s cheeks, staring her daughter in the eyes. “God, I
thought—I never… I thought you were dead!” Her voice rides on a
sob.

“Aw, Mom… I’m sorry. Don’t cry. It’s okay!
I’m alive—look, you can pinch me and it’ll prove it.”

“That only works if you’re dreaming, Caddie.”
I stage-whisper to her.

“Oh, right. Mommmmm!” She pries herself out
of her mom’s grasp, standing tall. Caddie touches Trista’s
shoulders, a teary-eyed smile on her face, but her voice is
optimistic. “Chin up, Mom. I helped save the world. No more fear,
no more hiding. I love you.”

“I love
you
, Cads. Come inside,
please!” She takes her eyes off her daughter to study our group.
Her eyes meet mine and brighten. “Lucy… Thanks for taking care of
my girl.”

I feel my face warm up. “She does a pretty
good job at taking care of herself.”

“Do you want to come in?”

Caddie throws me a hopeful glance, but I
shake my head. “I’ll be back, though. I just gotta do a few
things.” I glance over my shoulder to where MaXXX and Aely, Iofiel
and Sync are sitting Indian-style in the patch of grass that’s
their front lawn. Io catches my look and winks, a knowing grin on
his face, and I feel a surge of giddiness spring to the
surface.

I give Caddie a quick hug. “See you soon!”
Trista ushers Caddie and Hope both inside, shouting for Caddie’s
little brother to come down as she shuts the door.