My Tethered Soul: Volume 2 (Reaper's Rite) (26 page)

Mr. Poulter tightened his jaw. His face flared red as his eyes bore into me. Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer to his wife. To my surprise, his voice softened. “You’ve always been a stubborn woman.”

Mrs. Poulter’s mouth curled into a small smile. “It wouldn’t be like you to marry someone with a weak mind.”

He placed his hand gently on the side of her face, his forefinger resting just under her wounded temple. “Be careful. You know I’d be nothing without you.”

She turned her face into his palm and placed a kiss there. I averted my eyes as he left the room.

Mrs. Poulter nodded at me. “Let’s go, then.”

With a look of pure hatred, Diana slammed the healing ointment on the table and scowled at me. “I shouldn’t be helping you, but I’d rather be there when you contact an old relative of mine. In case you offend her or something. You’ve already hurt my mother. Who knows what you’ll do to the rest of the family.”

“Diana, calm down.” Mrs. Poulter set her hand on Diana’s shoulder. “No one is here out of malicious intent.”

Diana took a deep breath through her nose as she ground her teeth. “Yes, Mother.”

When we joined the others in the living room, Helene clasped her hands together. For the tiniest moment, Lilura looked impressed with me. But she quickly shifted her eyes and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief as she cleared her throat.

The echo of Helene’s high-pitched voice filled the room. “Come gather around the coffee table. We need to form a circle.”

Naomi covered her mouth with her hands. “Wow. An actual séance.”

With a tilt of her head, Helene frowned at her. “Sorry, darling. Only witches and Vila in this circle. You can wait with Hunter, Chase, and Gavin in the den.”

“But…”

Paxton ran a hand down her arm. “I wish you could stay, but it will work better if the circle consists of pure magic.”

His dimples must have won her over. Her face broke out into a shy smile. “Just be sure to find me afterwards and let me know how it went, okay?”

He shot her a wink. “It’s a date.”

Gavin locked eyes with me, our silence speaking volumes, then he headed out to the den behind Hunter and Chase.

Seated at one end of the table, Helene stretched her hands out to us. I took one hand, and Mrs. Poulter took the other. One by one, we formed a circle on the floor around the coffee table. Diana, though reluctant, completed the link.

Helene closed her eyes. Mara released a shuddering breath, then squeezed my fingers so tight I had to bite my cheek to keep quiet. My heart thumped against my rib cage. I had no idea what to expect, and when Helene let out a long, low hum, I was even more curious.

“Entities of the Spirit World, I call upon you with great reverence. I respectfully ask to speak with one from the Beyond.”

The crackle of the fire was the only sound that filled the room. A full minute passed before anything happened. Then the air chilled. I clenched my jaw so my teeth wouldn’t chatter.

Helene hummed louder. My hands started to tingle the way they did when I worked my magic. I glanced around the circle. The three older women had their eyes closed. The rest of us looked around at each other. Judging by their expressions, I wasn’t the only one apprehensive about what to expect.

The fire flickered wildly, causing the shadows to dance on the walls. Every muscle in my body tensed.

Helene’s eyes remained closed, but she straightened her back. “Oh, great guide of the Spirit World, I thank you for opening the gates to the Beyond. We wish to speak with a great ancestor of Morgan Poulter, in the bloodline of the Klemens family, who is bound in this circle.”

The fire sparked and crackled as the blaze grew brighter. Beneath my hands, joined with Helene on one side and Mara on the other, the coffee table vibrated. Mara’s eyes flew to mine, and she swallowed hard.

A low drone began in Helen’s throat. She dropped her head forward and raised her hands, still linked in the circle. The table lifted three inches off the floor and hovered there. Helene slowly raised her chin. When she opened her eyes, they were all white, the irises completely vanished. The sight was so startling, I had to force myself not to flinch away from her.

“Great Spirit, what is your name?” Helene asked.

The voice that came from her mouth next was not her own. It was female, but not the usual high pitch in which Helene spoke. The accent was foreign, but I couldn’t place it. Though it came from Helene’s mouth, it carried an echo with it, as if the speaker was in a great hall.

“
My name is Diana Anglia, in the Klemens bloodline, of Maleventum, Italia.
”

The young Diana perked up, no doubt pleased at hearing her namesake.

“
What is it that you ask of me?
”

“Diana of Maleventum,” Helene said in her own voice, “we have called upon you to ask about the contingencies of the Reaper’s Rite, a pact believed to be formed by you.”

The fire growled, the jumping flames sending shadows to flee across the walls.

“What can you tell us, Great Spirit?”

Helene’s chin rose, her mouth parted, but a full minute passed before the spirit’s voice came again.

“
It was I who made the pact with Samael, Dark Angel of Death, Lord of Reapers
.”

A shiver slipped down my spine. It was as if tiny pinpricks attacked my entire body.

“Diana of Maleventum, we have found ourselves in dire straits. We need to know how to break the pact.”

I glanced at the young Diana, whose mouth was set in a line.

“
Who is requesting this of me?
”

“We are.”

“
Who are you?
”

“My name is Helene Foley. I am here with your descendents, both witch and Vila alike.”

Silence stifled the air. The fire grew dimmer for a moment then suddenly kicked back up.

“She’s not going to help,” Mara whispered. “She hates us. That’s why she made the pact to begin with.”

Helene’s head whipped in Mara’s direction, her empty white eyes glaring. “
There is no hate in the Beyond. It is a human feeling that does not carry over into this realm. Unlike regret.
”

Lilura pursed her lips, eyes still shut.

Through hushed tones, I asked, “Does that mean you’ll help us?”

“
I’m sorry, but it cannot be done.
”

Diana scoffed. “See. This is a waste of time.”

Mrs. Poulter shushed her.

“Oh, Divine Spirit,” Helene said. “Guide us to understanding. There must be something we can do.”

Again, Helene’s chin lifted. Her face contorted, almost as if she was in pain, and then the spirit’s voice came.

“
The curse can only be broken through Samael himself.
”

Paxton let out a humorless laugh. “So we have to contact Samael?”

“What?” I gaped at Helene, but I wasn’t sure whom I was addressing. “How are we supposed to do that?”

Helene’s chin lowered slightly. “
I cannot help you further.
”

She moaned and released our hands. The table dropped back to the floor, landing with a
thud
despite the plush carpet. Covering her eyes, she bent her head down.

I swallowed hard, not knowing what was going to happen next.

Erina jumped up and ran for the light switch. When the room brightened, Helene lifted her head.

She blinked, her eyes appearing normal again as she patted her hair. As if we’d just experienced nothing more than an ordinary Skype call, she took out her compact mirror and checked her reflection. “Well, that was interesting.”

Mara leaned closer to me. “And totally bizarre.”

“Not to mention a total waste of time.” Diana pushed herself off the floor and dusted off her skirt.

“Why would you say that?” Lilura raised a brow at her.

“You heard her.” Diana pointed a baby blue fingernail at Helene. “There’s nothing you can do. You might as well pack up your things and head home.”

“Nonsense.” Lilura waved an impatient hand at her. “She gave us the answer we needed. We just have to figure out how to do what needs to be done.”

Mrs. Poulter checked the bun at the back of her head. “Lilura, one does not simply summon Samael.”

“Why not?” I asked.

Mrs. Poulter clasped her hands in front of her. “For one, only a witch can contact him.”

Lilura tapped her chin. “Let me think, now. Where could we find ourselves a witch?”

Mrs. Poulter rolled her eyes.

Diana planted her hands on her hips. “Then there’s the little problem of one of the mightiest Reaper Lords sucking the life out of you if he doesn’t feel like listening to what you’ve got to say.”

I wrapped my arms around myself. That wasn’t the best scenario. We did have weapons to fight a Reaper, but were they enough to take on a Reaper Lord?

Paxton crossed his arms over his chest. “And if he doesn’t wipe you out then and there, there’s one last issue. Reapers don’t usually grant favors for nothing.”

I blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

“You want something from him, he’s going to want something in return.”

“Like what?”

Helene snapped her compact mirror closed. “Like a sacrifice.”

***

Erina came with Mara and me as we climbed the stairs. The downstairs hall echoed with Mr. Poulter’s shouts. He wasn’t too happy that we were in his house in the first place; hearing we would be extending our stay until we figured out how to contact a Reaper Lord didn’t make him any cheerier.

“Do you know much about the whole Reaper business?” I asked Erina when we reached the top of the stairs.

“I’ve read some things. Diana filled me in on some of it, too. There are a lot of conflicting theories though. Why?”

I wrung my hands. “Do you think it’s possible that the Reaper who called me to the garden last night, the Reaper who attacked us in the dining room… could that have been Samael?”

Though she appeared to be considering the idea, she shook her head. “No. Samael wouldn’t show himself in the same way as the other Reapers. Reaper Lords have a much bigger presence. Their cloaks are ashen white, their eyes glow of red fire, and they have enormous wings constructed of bones.”

I shuddered. On one hand, I was glad a Reaper Lord wasn’t stalking me. But on the other hand, not only would I have to deal with the Reaper from tonight, but also—if we did manage to contact Samael—a greater, scarier, more ferocious version.

When we reached the top of the stairs, Erina wisped back a strand of her hair. “I do have a theory of my own, if you want to hear it.”

Mara and I exchanged a look.

I shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt.”

“From what you’ve told me, the Reaper seems to have two ways to operate. One way is to make you do things—like hurt yourself—where you are aware of what he wants as well as conscious of what you’re doing.”

Mara rubbed her hands down her face. “It’s more complicated than that. He compels you to do those things. You’re conscious, but you can’t stop it. It’s like, you have to do his bidding. His hunger drives you. You can’t stop it, much like you can’t stop yourself from shivering when you’re cold.”

Erina’s brow creased. “That’s awful.”

Mara nodded and glanced at me.

“And the other way,” Erina said, “is when he takes you under his control. In this way, you’re under his spell, and you’re not usually aware of your actions.”

“Right.” I lifted a shoulder. “Unless you’ve taken a potion that keeps your brain awake.”

Erina ran her fingers through her hair, her eyes squinted as she worked out her theory. “And when he’s got you under his spell, he sort of protects you, as if he’s got you under a shield.”

Mara crossed her arms over her stomach. “Right. So that you can carry out his task without being interrupted. Or stopped.”

Erina lifted a finger. “Or is it for another reason?”

I narrowed my eyes. “What other reason?”

“What if the reason he shields you is because he’s protecting himself?”

My mind spun. “I don’t understand.”

“From what I’ve read, when a Reaper possesses someone, he tethers himself to their soul. It’s almost as if a part of him physically enters their body to control them.”

I remembered the night I climbed Kelly’s roof. How I felt like a puppet succumbing to the Reaper’s will. “Yeah. It feels like that, anyway.”

Erina placed her hands together, her forefingers pointing at me. “My theory is that he’s tethered to you in more ways than one. I think he protects whomever he’s possessing, not only so that he can make sure you carry out his task, but also because he needs to protect himself from harm.”

“Protect himself?” I shook my head.

“What if something happens to the person he possesses? What if it would affect the Reaper as well? That’s why he goes to great lengths to protect the person he’s controlling. Normally, nothing can harm the person, so the Reaper is safe. But what would happen if that person
could
be harmed?”

“They couldn’t.” I frowned. “I hit Mara with a car when she was under the Reaper’s spell. She was totally unscathed.”

“Because a car isn’t magic. The Reaper can shield whomever he’s controlling from ordinary, un-magical circumstances. But what about something magical?”

I rubbed my arms. “I don’t know. It makes sense, but that would mean the person being possessed would also be harmed.” Or even killed.

Naomi and Paxton ran up the stairs.

“Look out,” Paxton whispered, gesturing over his shoulder. “Incoming.”

“We can talk more about it tomorrow.” Erina’s small smile didn’t quite match the look in her eyes.

We all parted ways before Mr. and Mrs. Poulter reached the floor. I pressed my back against my door and waited until the sound of their voices faded down the hall. I knew Mr. Poulter’s disapproval of our presence in his house should have been the least of my worries, but it still made my stomach churn.

Deeper within me, fear bubbled. A fear that ran in a steady stream through my body, weighing me down and making me feel helpless. The salt line was destroyed. The Reaper just tried to attack us, leaving all the windows in the dining room shattered. What if he were to come back tonight? Were there enough charms and protection spells to keep us safe, and were they any good any more?