Soulless (The Heartless Series Book 2) (25 page)

Read Soulless (The Heartless Series Book 2) Online

Authors: Kelly Martin

Tags: #demons, #heartless, #thriller, #Angels, #Paranormal

BOOK: Soulless (The Heartless Series Book 2)

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I scream and fall beside Hart. Grabbing his hand. I know he can’t hear me. I know he can’t feel me, but I have to hold on to something. I’m alone. I don’t know where Lucien is or where Amelia has taken my mother. All I know is where I am, the here and now. It hurts so much I don’t think I can take the pain. I need it to stop. The pain. The darkness filling me.

I grip his hand tighter.

This pain has to stop.

I have to stop it.

I can’t turn into the Abomination.

I can’t kill the world.

No matter what I promised.

I pick up the knife and stab it into my stomach.

I won’t destroy the world. I won’t… I won’t become what they want me to be.

This is how I fight… this is…

This.

I feel nothing.

I pull the blade out, and there’s no blood. I rub my hand over my stomach, and even though I have a cut on my shirt, my stomach is smooth.

It’s too late.

It’s all over.

I let Hart’s hand go and stand, feeling the darkness take over. I feel nothing. Nothing. I’m just numb.

Numbness turns to hate.

I feel a lot of hate. Hate. Anger. Both of them swirling inside me, trying to take control. Trying to fill the spot where my soul had been. And Hart always said I didn’t have one.

Hart.

I can’t look at him. He’d be so disappointed.

We lost.

I’m alone.

All alone.

I catch a glimpse of myself in my vanity mirror next to my NYC poster—the one I’d had since I was twelve. Aunt Willow bought it for me.

My hair is black as night. No more gray streaks. No more anything.

My eyes… my eyes are white.

No irises. No color. Nothing.

I scream at my reflection as I realize fully what’s happened. I was careful. So careful!

It didn’t matter.

I’ve changed.

I’m the thing I feared.

Large black wings unfurl from my back, nearly touching both sides of the room.

Amelia won after all.

I feel nothing but hate.

No love. No loss. No humanity.

Nothing.

I take one last moment to look down at Hart, my Hart, dead on the floor. He thought he saved the world. He sacrificed himself for me, so I wouldn’t kill my mother, so I wouldn’t turn.

He never knew…

He’ll never know.

I fold my wings back and walk out of my bedroom, away from Hart, away from my life.

I’m alone.

I’ll destroy it all.

I’ll destroy the world.

EPILOGUE

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Stones River Battlefield

I
CAN’T BREATHE.

It’s dark. It’s dirty. I can’t figure out where I am or how to get out.

All I can do is claw up.

So that’s what I do.

I claw.

And I push dirt aside.

I do the best I can.

I want to breathe.

I need to breathe.

Finally.

Blessedly.

When I don’t think I can take it anymore, I feel the wind on my hand as it emerges from wherever the hell I am.

I push the other hand through and pull until, finally, my head breaks through. Air. Oh God, air. Clean, beautiful air!

Thunder rolls overhead; it’ll rain soon. Good thing it didn’t before, or the dirt would have been…

I stop and look at where I’ve been.

“Mud.”

I’m in a field.

I sort of recognize it. Not really the ground, but the rock to the far right of the field. I know that rock. I know this field.

“Hello, brother.” I follow the voice until I see him, sitting on the ground next to a deep hole. His hair is dirty, filthy, his clothes—his Confederate uniform… well, there isn’t much left. He looks like he’s crawled out of his grave.

I look down at myself. My blue pants are torn and ripped, barely there. My skin, though, looks less worse for wear. Intact at least. I feel my chest. No bullet hole. Not even a scar.

I breathe in.

I breathe out.

My chest moves, and I think… I think I’m human again.

“Jessup?” I say, watching my brother study his hand like he hadn’t seen it in years.

“Hart.” He corrects. His voice is hoarse from years of not being used. “You can call me Hart now, Lucien.”

“What the hell just happened?”

“Nothing good.” Hart stands and flinches as the thunder claps and purple lightning fills the darkening sky. “Nothing good at all.”

The End

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

S
O MANY PEOPLE HAVE HELPED WITH
this series. It is overwhelming to think about it. I wish I could take you all out for a nice dinner — or at the very least give you a big hug. Since I can't, I hope this lets you know how much I appreciate you.

I'm always afraid I'll miss people in the acknowledgements. I don't want to. It is as stressful as winning an Oscar
("I forgot to thank my husband!"
).

Laura, your covers are amazing! I love you and am so happy to have you as my friend.

Tia, thank you for rocking the editing and being an amazing '"Happy Buddy".

Casey, Angie, KD, and Rachel thank you for keeping me going and for being as excited about this series as I am.

HUGE thanks to everyone who has helped out with the Heartless and Soulless releases. I love you all!

A big thank you to the readers of Heartless who told me I couldn't watch Netflix until I finished Soulless (and Breathless). You were very good at keeping me on task. ;)

Shout out to the Nerd group. Because you ROCK!

Breathless
will be out 9/4/2016. There
may
be a surprise this summer. ;)

Just know if you are reading this that you mean the world to me. Seriously. I couldn't ask for better friends or readers.

I'll end this here...

Oh yeah, and I'd like to thank my husband. ;)

~Kelly

1/27/2016

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

K
ELLY
M
ARTIN
writes paranormal, contemporary, historical, and YA fiction. She has been married for over ten years and has three rowdy, angelic daughters. When she's not writing, she loves taking picture of abandoned houses, watching horror gamers on YouTube — even though she's a huge wimp — and drinking decaf white chocolate mochas. She's a total fangirl, loves the 80s and 90s, and has a sad addiction to paranormal TV shows. {Basically, she likes creepy stuff.} Her favorite characters are the very flawed 'good guys'—and 'bad guys' who don't know they are evil.

If you ever have a question or comment, feel free to email her at kellymartin215 @ yahoo.com ♥ You can follow her writing adventure at www.kellymartinbooks.com

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