Soul Thief (20 page)

“Done,” I said.

He turned back to me and smiled. “Much better.” He took my shirt out of my hands. “I'll try to get this cleaned up but I can't promise any miracles.”

“You actually do laundry yourself? Impressive.” I yawned again.

“Here, lie down,” Leander said. He waited until my head was resting on the pillow to put a blanket on top of me. “I'll watch over you.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“Anytime.” He planted a kiss on my forehead and then sat down in the chair next to me.

Sleep rolled over me and I didn't dream at all.

SUNLIGHT PIERCED THROUGH
the
large living room windows. A blanket covered me and I pushed it away to sit up straight. This was definitely not my house.

I blinked a few times and the memories of last night rushed over me again — the attack, me nearly dying, the Reaper turning out to be an Angel, who also turned out to be Katie's boyfriend.

The smell of waffles filled my nostrils. I turned around and noticed all three of my friends sitting at the breakfast bar in various states of depression. Katie's mom stood in the kitchen, making waffles. She was smiling a somewhat forced-looking smile and was obviously trying to lighten up the mood.

Katie looked ready to throw up on the waffle lying on her plate. She stabbed it a few times but didn't eat at all. Michelle at least swallowed a bite, but the circles under her eyes gave away how little she'd slept. Craig seemed the least affected. He downed bite after bite and kept the conversation with Katie's mom going.

I pushed myself up from the couch and staggered toward them. My knees felt like Jell-O and I sighed contently when I could finally sit down.

“Had a rough night?” Katie's mom asked. Her long, brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail much like Katie always wore hers.

“Sort of,” I replied. “The waffles smell great though.”

“You snored like an elephant,” Michelle told me. “And you should see this.” She passed me the newspaper.

On the front page were pictures of Tara, Emily, and Marissa. ‘Illness or murder?' screamed the headline. The article included a commentary by the chief of police, who wasn't convinced three teenage girls could die from a heart attack in a matter of weeks.

I groaned and handed her the paper back. That was just what we needed, a police investigation to top things off.

We finished breakfast, got dressed, grabbed our bags, and headed out. Crisp autumn air surrounded me and played with my hair while I stood on the porch and waited for Katie to come outside. Michelle took my hand and squeezed it. “It will be all right,” she said.

We got into the car. Katie started driving without another word. I would've given half a leg to have her talking again, but I guess she was too worn out for that.

“Could you drop me off at Gran's shop?” I asked her. “I need to pick up some supplies.”

“You're not going to school?” Craig asked. He bit his lip. “We should help too. We can go with you.”

“No. I need someone to take notes for me,” I lied.

Michelle arched her eyebrows, telling me she didn't buy it at all.

“Fine,” I said. “I don't want you coming. It could be dangerous.”

“News flash, we're already in danger,” Craig said.

“But he won't attack you at school. That would totally blow his cover and have him prosecuted by every Angel out there. As long as you stick together, you'll be safe. I'll drop by later on with some protective charms.”

Craig grunted his approval. Katie didn't comment on my request, but she did drop me off at my Gran's shop. She drove off without another word, although Craig and Michelle waved to me.

I walked toward Herbie's Herbs and rang the doorbell. At this hour, the shop hadn't opened yet, so I had to ring it a few times before Gran showed up. She had her greying hair in a bun and wore a nightgown that had been fashionable at the turn of the twentieth century.

“What's wrong?” she asked, pulling the door open.

I rushed past her to get inside. “It's not a Reaper and he attacked me last night. Now he's threatened to harm everyone I love if I don't give him my soul.”

Gran closed the door behind me. “Well, if he's not a Reaper, than what the heck is he?”

“He's an Angel of Death.”

That got her attention. She looked at me as if I'd dragged a smelly rat into her shop. “Come to the kitchen,” she said. “Did you have breakfast yet?”

“Yeah, but I'd drink some orange juice if you have some. And maybe eat something too. I already had three waffles, but I'm starving.”

She escorted me to the kitchen and put a glass of orange juice in front of me. “Now tell me the entire story.”

I did, in between eating and drinking. Her expression grew more pensive and wary with each passing minute.

“Leander left me a list,” I said eventually, handing her the paper. “These are the ingredients we need for an Angel trap.”

She glanced at the list and nodded. “I have most of that. Maybe even all of it.”

“Thanks, Gran.”

“I'm not done yet. You should do a binding ritual with your friends. It'll allow them to read each other's thoughts so they can contact each other whenever one of them is in danger.”

“Let me guess, it won't work on me because my thoughts are now located on an entirely different plane?”

She nodded and I rolled my eyes. “It makes sense, I suppose. How exactly does this binding ritual work?”

“It's simple. If you can get them to the shop after school, I'll perform it. I might as well include myself in the circle too. At least I have some minimal firepower if that sissy comes after me.”

I laughed despite the gravity of the situation. “I've never heard you use that kind of language before.”

“Well, he makes my blood boil. Nobody touches my granddaughter and gets away with it.”

“The hardest part will be luring him into the trap though,” I said. “Do you have any ideas to help with that?”

“I might,” she replied. “Let me talk to my coven about it, maybe we can cook something up. I'll go get your ingredients first so you can set up the trap. You do realize you'll need to set it up on hallowed ground? The magic will only hold for about a week, so if he doesn't show up by the end of that week, you'll have to completely redo the ritual.”

“Hallowed ground?” I grunted. “Where the heck am I supposed to find hallowed ground? He's not about to go barging into a church, he'll know what we're up to.”

“What about a graveyard?” Gran mused. “There's that small, derelict cemetery in the forest at the edge of town.”

“The one with five headstones? That place is hallowed?”

“It used to be much larger. More than hallowed though, the place is fueled with magic. Those graves belonged to witches and it's their bones buried there. They'll give the ritual more strength and make the trap more powerful.”

“All right, sounds good. He won't expect that place to be hallowed. But how do we get him there?”

“I'm working on that,” she said. “One thing at a time.”

Gran gathered all the ingredients from her shop and shoved them into my hands. “You call your Guardian and get cranking on that trap. I'll prepare the ritual spell for tonight.” She paused suddenly and looked at me from top to bottom. “Don't you have school?”

“I think defeating this maniac may be more important than school,” I told her.

Gran pursed her lips. “All right, we won't tell your parents.”

* * *

Half an hour later, Leander and I made our way through the forest. It brought back memories of how he lured me here and tried to get me to sense his presence. Even though I'd been frustrated like hell then, I was a lot more frustrated now.

“I had no idea there even was a graveyard here. We can use that to our advantage,” Leander said. “If I'm clueless about it, chances are high he'll be too.”

“I was thinking about how we're going to lure him into the trap,” I said. “What if I contact him and tell him I'm willing to give him my soul if he spares the lives of the others?”

“Go on.”

“I could tell him we should meet here because it's remote and abandoned, and then we can push him into the trap.”

“Sounds good. Simple, but effective. I like it. Not sure he'll fall for it though.”

“It would be the noble thing to do. Maybe he thinks I'm quite noble, since I was willing to sacrifice my life for Katie's last night.”

“It's worth a shot,” Leander said as he kicked a rock. “When will you arrange the meeting? And how do we contact him?”

“I'm sure Katie has his number. And as to when, I was thinking after sunset so he has a harder time spotting the graves.”

“Good thinking. How about Saturday night? It'll give us some time to prepare, and I'll help you practice some defense techniques.”

“Okay.” I pushed away a few more branches and walked through them into a clearing. The clearing was the graveyard site. Michelle and I had gone here countless times when we were kids, pretending to be archeologists. We were convinced this makeshift, rundown graveyard had high historical value. There was a derelict, crumbling mansion further into the woods, and we hung around there often as well, searching for all kinds of treasure. The one thing we'd ever found was an old, broken vase, but we'd been so proud of it we'd carried it around everywhere.

The memory brought a smile to my lips. How easy things were back then when we were kids. How hard they were now.

“You okay?” Leander asked.

“Yeah,” I said, staring at the mismatched graves, like lonely teeth rising from a rotten mouth of dirt and soil. “Let's just get started.”

We drew a pentagram on the ground with salt. We planted a branch of palm inside and covered it up with a layer of dirt. Then Leander chanted some Latin words and I repeated them, even though I had no clue what they meant. We threw a mix of coriander, honeydew, and cinnamon into the pentagram.

Then we sat down on each side of the pentagram. Leander took my arm and traced the artery with his finger. “Ready?”

I nodded. He sliced my arm, right through the artery, which definitely ranked in the ‘don't try this at home' category. Blood splashed out of the wound like a fountain. I gasped and gritted my teeth in pain. The wound closed up a few seconds later. Leander held out his arm and handed me the knife.

It seemed such a waste to cut such immaculate flesh, but I had to. I'd never cut anyone deliberately before, and because of my sloppiness, I probably hurt him more than he hurt me. It wasn't even a straight line. But he didn't complain, just held his arm above the center of the pentagram and waited until the wound closed.

“Done,” he said then, getting up.

“Isn't there supposed to be an awesome magical reaction, or any indication the trap is set?”

“That will only happen once it's activated. Think of it as a high-tech prison. The bars to the prison cell are hidden underground. Once you speak the words, they'll rise up and surround whoever is inside, provided they're an Angel, of course.”

He handed me a slip of paper. “Here are the magic words. Don't read them aloud this close. Study them tonight until you know them by heart.”

“Aye, aye, professor,” I said. “Thanks for helping me out.”

“Once he's in the trap, I'll call for the Warriors of Heaven. There will be no way he'll be able to talk himself out of that one. Angels don't just end up in Angel traps. They'll at least investigate it and then he hangs. Figuratively.”

“I feel bad about Tara and the others. Like what happened to them is all my fault,” I told him. “Putting the bastard that did this to them in jail is one thing, but is there no way I can get their souls back?”

“He probably already sold them to a demon. If he did, then there's no way to reclaim them, I'm afraid, unless you're willing to travel to Hell and challenge the demon.”

I didn't respond. Leander started walking next to me, away from the clearing. “What if I am willing to?” I replied after a while.

It seemed like the entire forest held its breath. As if it watched us, watched me, wondered why I spoke such nonsense.

“You can't,” Leander said. “What do you know about Hell?”

“It's hot in there?” I half-joked.

“The Greeks were closest to the truth,” he said. “To reach Hell, you have to pay Charon, and then you have to find your way through a meandering maze that always changes. Somewhere inside that maze will be the demon you're looking for, but finding him alone may take you several centuries. Meanwhile, Hell will drain your strength with every passing step because it's not a place you belong in. Even a human would have a better chance getting a soul out of there than an Angel.”

“What about demons? Do they get lost in this infamous maze?”

“No. They can sense it changing around them.” He put a hand on my arm. “I know you're a good person, and I know you feel guilty but there's nothing you can do for those girls. Nothing except what we're already doing — stopping this bastard — that won't end up with you getting killed as well.”

I nodded. But part of me screamed that I should be able to do something more to save them from eternal peril.

Leander took my hand and squeezed it. A myriad of shivers ran down my arm starting from the spot where he touched me. But something was missing. The butterflies that always swarmed my stomach when we touched were gone. Or maybe they were in no mood to come to life because too much was at stake.

I SPENT THE REST
of the day training with Leander. He taught me how to hit in a way that would really hurt, where to kick to break bones, and the basics of mind control.

“Thank God Myron isn't that good at mind control either,” Leander said in between kicks and punches, of which he dodged most, “because you suck at it as well.”

He reached for me and I ducked under his grip. “Thanks. You're being really helpful.”

“Well, it's the truth. But you'll learn eventually. For now you'll have to rely on your strength and speed instead.”

Three weeks ago, before my powers awakened, a workout like this would've killed me. Now I was barely sweating. If it wasn't for the growing feeling of despair in my stomach, I would've enjoyed it.

Leander disappeared. I took a step back, startled, and then I felt him behind me. His arms encircled my waist and he whispered in my ear. “Got you.”

“What the hell was that?”

“We're Angels. We can teleport. He might use this trick on you and you'll have to be ready.”

“Fine, I get it. Now let me go.” I struggled in his arms, but he didn't budge.

“I wish it was as simple as you shouting for me when you're in danger,” he whispered. “Once we get rid of Myron, we'll have to figure out who's responsible for blocking our communication.”

“I know.” An embarrassed flush crept up my face. He was so close to me that his breath felt like a whisper of wind on my cheeks.

I turned around in his arms, our bodies pressed against each other. He almost let go of me from shock, but in the end, he held on. “Riley,” he whispered my name. It held a thousand emotions, from guilt to despair to caring.

“Leander,” I whispered back. Before I could stop myself, I stood on my toes and kissed him. His lips were as soft and sweet as morning dew. He pulled me closer and opened up his mouth to let me in. I felt connected to him in a way I'd never felt connected to anyone before. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

We kissed for what seemed like an eternity, but to my surprise, the butterflies never resurfaced. Even though I felt a passion toward him that I couldn't explain, something was wrong, broken, something that I doubted could be fixed again.

I let go of him and smiled, hiding my emotions deep inside my mind. How could I ever explain to him that whatever I'd felt for him before was gone? Not because he hadn't been there for me when I needed him the most — I was okay with that — but because he wouldn't let me do what needed to be done. Maybe it was guilt consuming me, guilt telling me I couldn't love anyone until I put this right, but whatever it was, I wanted him to understand and he didn't.

“I'll go change,” I said. “School is almost over and I need to catch up with my friends.” I walked past him into the other room, where I put my sneakers back on and sprayed some deodorant under my arms. My hand brushed against the angel necklace I'd gotten from a father I never knew. A father who was strong enough to do the right thing — leave me to have a normal life.

“I'll save your souls,” I swore then, still touching the necklace, “no matter what it takes. First, I'll make sure to put this bastard in jail, and then I'll come for you.” The thought of being happy while I knew others were being punished because of me was too much to bear.

* * *

I arrived at school just in time for the last bell to ring. I leaned on the hood of Katie's car and waited for my friends.

Katie was the first to see me. Her expression froze somewhere between disgust and contempt. As they walked toward the car, she lowered her eyes, pulled Michelle's sleeve and nodded toward me so Mich would see me as well.

“Hey,” Craig said first. “I was a little distracted, but I managed to take half-decent notes anyway.”

“Great. Well, my Gran suggested we do a ritual to connect all of you and her so you can send mental messages whenever you're in danger.”

“Why can't you do that too?” Michelle asked. I explained to her about how Angels' thoughts were on a different plane of existence. She nodded and narrowed her eyes, thinking it through. She was the most rational-minded of all of us, and I was glad, in one way, that Myron had attacked us when he did. She could only believe in Angels and the like because she'd seen so with her own eyes. If she hadn't, she would never have believed me.

“Well, on to Herb's place it is then,” Craig said.

“Hold on. Katie,” I said, “could I use your phone?”

“Why?” She backed away instantly, as if I'd asked her to kill her pet cat.

“Because I'm going to call Myron. Leander and I came up with a plan, and I want him to think I'll give him my soul willingly.”

“You won't, right?” Katie said. Fire burned in her eyes, and for a second, she resembled the old Katie. Then her shoulders slumped back down and she turned back into the zombie version of herself.

“Of course not,” I said.

She handed me her phone. “I was going to delete his number tonight, but I couldn't make myself do it just yet.”

I took the phone and looked through her contact list until I found “Myron”. Then I called.

After the third ring, he picked up. “Katie, love, I never thought I'd hear from you again,” he said, venom dripping through his voice.

“This isn't Katie,” I said. I wanted to add “sleazy scumbag” or another insult, but bit my tongue. Better not make him any angrier than he already was.

“Well, if it isn't my little Angel,” he said. “Tired of playing already? You know, you surprised me last night. I never thought you had it in you to fight back so hard. If things were different, we'd get along great.”

“I doubt that. But if you think so, why still go after me then? Why not just let me live? This can't be just for the money or you'd pick an easier prey.”

“Touché. Nah, it isn't just for the money. I got in league with the wrong people. You know a few of them, or, well, at least one of them.”

“Seraphyn.” The moment I said her name, I knew I was right.

“Correct again. You're quite good at guessing games. Well, I'm not sure how familiar you are with Seraphyn, but she's a highly ranked Angel and you better not mess with her. I learned that the hard way.”

“You don't have to kill me. We can work something out. What if you testify against her?”

Myron snorted. “It's Heaven, not a courtroom. They'd put me in prison and throw away the key. Even if I had all the evidence in the world leading to Seraphyn, nobody would buy it. And I have zero intention of spending the rest of my immortal life in the celestial prison.”

“What does she even want with me?”

“Who knows. I'm not in the habit of asking her questions. But anyway, I doubt you called to talk about her.”

“True. I want to make a deal,” I said.

“I'm listening.”

“You threatened to kill my friends and family yesterday. But what if I tell you that, in exchange for leaving them alone, I'll offer my soul to you willingly?”

“Am I supposed to believe you?” Myron asked. “I know Angels. We're a selfish bunch with way too much survival instinct to give up our own lives for anyone else. Don't try to make me believe you're any different. I saw it in your eyes last night, that desire to do whatever it takes to survive. It doesn't just disappear.”

“I can't let anyone else get killed because of me. Maybe Angels are heartless bastards, but I'm human too, and my human side can't live with that.”

“Hm.” He paused for a minute, as if thinking it through. “Let's say I'm willing to believe you. When will you give me your soul?”

“How about Saturday night? I want some time to say goodbye to everyone.”

“You want a lot, little Angel. You want me to leave your loved ones alone, you want to say goodbye. What's next, you want the crown jewels of England?”

“Those are my terms,” I snapped at him. “Take it or leave it. We'll meet in the forest. It's remote there, so no one will hear us or see us.”

“Now you want to pick the location of our little meeting too?”

“It works more to your advantage than mine.”

“Do you think I'm stupid, little Angel? You set a time, date, and place for our rendezvous, and it smells like a trap from miles away.”

“Why the hell would I try to trick you?” I nearly shouted through the phone. “I just want to save my family and friends.”

“We'll see about that. If you give me your soul, then I'll leave them alone. I can swear it if you like. But I'll choose when and where I'll take your soul. I'll find you when I'm in the mood for another killing. Don't fight me and they get to live. Fight and I may take them down after I tear your soul out.”

He hung up on me, and I stood there, frozen to the ground, tears prickling behind my eyes.

“Did it work?” Michelle asked.

I shook my head. “He knew it was a trap and he didn't fall for it. He said he'd come get me whenever he wanted to.”

Part of me wanted to break down and cry, curl up into my Mom's lap and tell her about all the bad things that had happened and ask her to fix it. But another part of me, the part that felt guilty over Tara and the others, said I deserved everything I got.

* * *

Gran wasn't surprised that our plan had failed. “If there's one thing I know about Angels, it's how cunning they are. He'd never fall for anything so simple. But there is another way and it's straightforward, too. “

We were seated on a blanket on the floor in her living room. She'd put a circle of candles around her and the others while I stayed outside the circle, lingering against the wall.

“Do tell,” I said.

“You teleport him to the graveyard. When he attacks you, you grab him, teleport him there and then shove him into the trap.”

“Great idea, if it weren't for how I can't teleport.”

“Hold on,” Michelle said. “It doesn't have to be you doing the teleporting. Leander could do it.” Light flickered in her eyes. “It's very simple. You may not be able to connect with Leander, but we can contact each other. So one of us sticks with you and the others stick with him.”

“Go on.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

“Say I go with you. The Angel attacks you and I contact Craig in my mind. Craig is with Leander and he tells him.”

“Or we could all stick together until he shows up,” Katie said. “You make it sound like your plan is so easy, but it means staying with each other 24/7. No matter how much I like you guys, I also want some privacy. Besides, try explaining this to our parents.”

“It's not like he'll wait weeks for it,” Michelle said. “We have to look at his MO. So far, he's always attacked at night, so we can assume we'll be safe during the day.”

“Can we assume anything at all?” Craig asked.

Gran held up her hands and they all went mute. “One thing at a time. Let's focus on this ritual first. Give me your hands.”

She held out her hands and they each took each other's hands, forming a circle. A pang of sadness went through me. I felt strangely left out.

Gran said a few sentences in Latin. Then the candles surrounding them went out. Seconds later, they flared up again.

My phone rang at the exact same time. I nearly jumped out of my skin. The others glared at me, obviously spooked as well. “Sorry, guys,” I said before I picked up. “Hello?”

“Hey, Riley! I wanted to remind you about my party,” Stacey said through the phone.

“Oh right, the party. Um, well, I'm not sure we're going to make it.” I had other stuff on my mind right now besides her charity event.

“No?” Stacey sounded surprised. “Katie's boyfriend just called. He said he and Katie would be there, and asked me to call and confirm you'd be too, although he thought you would. I'm confused now — do you want me to count you in or not?”

My heart stopped beating for an entire minute before I could speak again. “Um, yes. We'll be there. Sorry, it's a misunderstanding. When is this party again?”

“Tomorrow night,” she said, a lot happier now. “I'm glad you'll make it!”

“Yeah. I've gotta go now though. Bye.” I hung up on her and nearly dropped the phone on the ground. I felt the color draining from my skin.

“What's wrong?” Michelle asked.

“Myron will be at Stacey's party this Friday.” I told them what Stacey had just told me.

“Guess we don't have to worry anymore about when he'll strike,” Craig said.

“Guess not.” I rested my head against the wall and wondered what the hell I could do to stop him, besides sacrificing myself. Was I truly so selfish that I couldn't bring myself to do it? Had I already lost most of my humanity?

I looked at my friends, hands entwined, shouting the words of the binding ritual over and over again. I could sacrifice myself for them if I had to.

Now I could only hope I wouldn't have to.