Souljacker (26 page)

“But Vashna wasn’t happy just beating us. She
was power hungry and began to assert her dominion over the humans.
The Unseelie Court became a government; she created cyberhounds as
the eagle-eye sentries of each city, and sent Wraiths to collect
energy despite the fact that it killed humans. They are her toys,
after all…nothing more.

“In hiding, I began to change myself,
becoming unrecognizable to even my own people. It was a slow,
painful process that weakened me terribly. I managed to gather the
good Fae I could find, the ones who would take my secret to their
graves, and together we began to work. I built Omega City and we
created the Mithos—a strain of super humans, a blend of Faerie
magic and mortality. I swapped Mithos babies out for humans, little
changelings to hide my creations from prying eyes. Protecting them
from Vashna’s wrath. They began to grow, to thrive. The first
generation came back to me and I found that a second generation was
developing without my help.

“But it wasn’t flawless—my Mithos would slip
up and use their newfound powers and it alerted Vashna to our ploy
too soon. She began to send her cyberhounds after them—after you—to
capture and use them against me, an army of mind-wiped Mithos with
no free will…

“And now it’s rumored that Vashna has a super
warrior of her own, a Souljacker who can absorb the Wraiths’
gathered energy—a single man who can destroy my people in one fell
swoop. A war is on the horizon, the final showdown between good and
evil. But I can’t do it without you.”

I stare at her, in shock and a little
petrified. No matter what she thinks or what she saw, I’m no
warrior. I was only protecting myself and my friends. “But—”

“Surely you’ve realized that your powers are
monumental compared to the other Mithos’. You have the innate
ability to absorb energy, to pull it straight from your enemies and
use it against them. You’re powerful—and I need you on my side. I
would give you anything you desired in return for your aid, Lucy.”
Her eyes are shiny once more. She perches on the edge of the chair,
as if she can’t contain herself.

“I…” I don’t want to be someone’s toy, a pawn
in a war that could easily kill me and destroy everyone I’ve ever
loved. But I can’t get the words to form on my tongue, my heart
aching with each beat of its drum.

“I don’t know. How can I even…” I shake my
head. Iofiel reaches for my hand again and I squeeze his
fingers.

“You don’t need to make the decision right
now,” Faela says with the slightest shake of her head, her violet
curls bouncing. “I’m not trying to pressure you and…I understand if
you cannot help. But the fate of an entire race depends on
you.”

“No pressure,” Iofiel says drily.

“Think about it, Lucy Swift. I can give you
anything you ask, anything within my power. I’ll be back to visit
later; feel free to explore my beautiful sanctuary, Omega City. See
what kind of world, what kind of people you’ll be protecting,
should you decide. And thank you.”

She stands and hesitates for a moment before
she bows; it’s just a small bend of the waist, but to have the
queen of the good Fae bow to you is…awe inspiring and nerve
shattering all at once. Then she disappears.

I cling to Iofiel’s hand like it’s my
lifeline. “I don’t know what to do.” The words whispered from my
lips come with an all too familiar burn behind my eyes. I blink
tears away, trying to stay strong. Iofiel kisses my knuckles, then
climbs into the bed with me. I scoot over and he curls up behind
me, his arms wrapped securely around my waist, holding me against
him. Our bodies cup together perfectly. He radiates with heat, like
my own personal furnace, and it only gets hotter as he kisses my
neck.

“I can’t make this decision for you, love.”
His words are softly spoken.

I sigh. “I know.”

“If it helps…know that I’ll love you, no
matter what you decide. I’ll be by your side. I promise.”

This time the dam bursts and tears break
free. I lean back into him and just cry as he whispers sweet
nothings in my ear to sooth my ragged inner beast.

Chapter 30:

Iofiel

Omega City is beautiful, a glittering utopia
of silver and stained glass. Faerie magic swirls through the air,
lining the walls of the city with a powerful ward. Faela told us
that it would keep us hidden from the Unseelie and their hounds,
keep us off the radar—of course, look how good the last safe-haven
turned out…but somehow, strangely, I really believe we’ll be safe
here.

She’s powerful as hell in the magic
department, that much is obvious. She can probably keep the
barriers in place without breaking a sweat, but she’s also a strong
leader. The Faeries and the Mithos that she’s gathered, the
hundreds of them that fill this massive city, all look at her with
respect. And you can tell by the warmth in those amethyst eyes that
she loves her people.

Everyone from Polaris has been situated,
given our own rooms and schedules to better help us fit in here.
Faela says we can stay as long as we want, but I don’t know how
long that will be. While some of the Mithos kids seem happy here,
ready for some semblance of normalcy, the rest of them? Not so
much. They’re antsy and reactive, itching to fight. Afraid that the
cyberhounds will come knocking on our doors to tear us apart.

Without Lucy, we would’ve lost and everyone
knows it. Even Diesel seems shaken.

But it’s MaXXX who I’m the most worried
about. Maybe not worried, exactly; more like a little suspicious of
him. Ever since the Mithos showdown—in which he didn’t stand and
fight, but instead high-tailed it back for the bus, the coward—he’s
been spooky. His usual nonchalance is replaced by the frantic,
fearful look of someone who’s done something bad. MaXXX is
paranoid.

Leaving Caddie and Lucy with the rest of the
Polaris gang, I pat my leg and call for Chip, who’s taken all the
new changes in stride. For being some mangy little junkyard dog,
he’s a good boy. His tail wags like a rusted out banner as he lopes
beside me. I stretch my legs, meandering through the city at an
easy pace, yearning to shift and patrol the city myself, but Faela
warned me that it might be dangerous to do that. Apparently, some
of her loyal citizens are a little trigger happy. Even if I am on
their side.

Chip jerks to a stop, his boxy head tilted to
the right. I hear a strained voice, but it’s muffled and I can’t
make out the words. Chip pins his ears and growls once. The hair on
the back of my neck spiking with uncertainty, I place a hand on the
dog’s head and tell him quietly to stay, then creep towards the
alley.

When I turn the corner, someone rams headlong
into me and bounces off. I stumble back, managing to catch myself,
and find myself looking down at the pale face of MaXXX Starfell.
His blue hair is shaggy and his eyes are round and panicked. He
doesn’t look like a rock star right now, that’s for sure.

He stares at me when I try and help him up,
scrambling away. He dusts off the butt of his jeans and I hear
another growl. I feel Chip press against my calves, eying MaXXX.
The singer runs both hands through his hair and takes another step
back. “What do you want?” He shoots a daggered glare at Chip.

“What’s your problem?”

His eyes lock with mine, filled with sudden
defiance—and fear. “I hate dogs. Hounds are no better.” His lip
curls slightly, as if my presence disgusts him. In reality? I think
he’s running scared. He’s terrified of me; I can smell it on his
skin, sickly.

“No, really.” I keep my voice calm, quiet,
not wanting to spook him again. “Ever since we left Polaris, you’ve
been different. Flighty. Nervous.” He opens his mouth to object,
but I hold up my hand, then point to my nose. “Hound, remember? I
can smell your fear, MaXXX. I just…don’t understand it. I thought
you were a big, bad rebel who fights off cyberhounds and the
Unseelie with your bare hands?” I don’t keep the slight trace of
mockery from my voice; they were, after all, his words, not
mine.

MaXXX scrubs his face with both hands, as if
trying to rub away the memories, rub away the past. Chip growls
again and MaXXX moves to kick him, but I grab his wrist before his
leg swings. “Don’t touch him. He didn’t do anything wrong.”

The boy sneers. “Dirty mutt needs to learn
his place.” I don’t know if he means me or Chip, but I turn and
shoo the dog out of the alley. Chip gives me a wary glance, then
huffs and trots off. MaXXX slumps against the alley wall, head
tilting back against the brick. He just looks defeated now. “I hate
dogs. Almost as much as I hate the Fae.”

I leaned forwards. Now we’re getting
somewhere. “Why?”

“I just…” He frowns and wraps both arms
around himself. “They make me nervous. I don’t care if Faela and
her people are supposed to be “good”—Faeries are Faeries and
they’re all a tricky, horrible sort of creature.”

“And dogs?”

MaXXX shudders and rolls up the leg of his
blue jeans to reveal a mass of white scar tissue mottling his calf.
Deep puncture wounds are evident—the work of canine teeth. “I don’t
exactly tell the truth when I tell those kids stories… I can’t,
because then…”

Then he’d be weak. Not a hero, but a
coward.

He shakes his head. “But I really was
attacked by a pack of cyberhounds. They nearly killed me, their
teeth ripping at me while I tried to fight them off. I was only
spared because the evil queen herself broke it up. She fancied me a
pretty toy and I truly learned what Faeries are all about: Sadistic
lies and cruel deceit. I managed to escape, barely.” His voice is
tight, strangled. “I never want to look at another Faerie, but here
I am.”

My heart pangs at the pain in his eyes, the
fear lacing his voice. He’s trembling slightly, not at all the
cocksure rock star he portrays himself to be, but instead a
frightened teen with nowhere to run, running out of options.

He glances at me, nervous again. “Lucy
shouldn’t make deals with Faela. Seelie aren’t any better than
Unseelie, Iofiel, and it will only lead to agony. She shouldn’t
have to fight someone else’s battles for them—we need to get away
from this place. It’s only a matter of time and—”

Then an alarm wails overhead, flooding my
brain with warnings. MaXXX jerks alert, jaw going slack. “I knew
this would happen. There’s a breach. They’re coming for us.” He
whimpers. “Go help them! You’re strong. I’ll go find Lucy and
Caddie.”

I nod, but grab his wrist as he turns to
leave. Our eyes touch and hold. “Take care of her for me,” I say,
my voice suddenly fierce. His eyes widen and then I let him go,
darting into the street, following the horde of Mithos ready to do
battle to protect Omega City. Maybe we shouldn’t fight the Fae’s
battle for them, but as long as Lucy is in this city, I
will
protect her.

Chapter 31:

Lucy

The sirens scream is a deafening roar and the
teenagers in our group scramble to their feet, looking a little
like lost sheep without their shepherd. We’d gone through a drill
last week, when we’d first arrived, so that we’d know how to take
shelter in case of emergency.

“I’m gonna guess this is no drill!” Caddie
calls over the wail. I shake my head. We wouldn’t be that
lucky.

We had a breach.

The Unseelie knew where we were.

I press my eyes shut, trying to dislodge the
negative thoughts flailing around in my mind like stowaways. A
group of Mithos bolts past us, energy buzzing around them as they
prep for battle. “Get to the Safe Hall!” a woman shouts, her
frizzled mane of dark curls billowing behind her.

“Bullshit,” Caddie barks. “I can fight with
the best of them!” She snaps her fingers together and a flame
flickers to life. “Who’s with me, gang?”

“Hell yeah!” Lake grins from ear to ear,
looking like the cat that ate the canary. Josh pumps his fist in
the air, as do several others. A few of the kids are
reproachful—and to my surprise, their eyes fall on me.

My breath catches in my chest. By protecting
Polaris, by nearly dying to save them, I’d earned their trust. The
younger kids were still in awe of me, the older kids always smiling
and talking to me. If popularity was a rank, I was nearly Alpha
female in their eyes.

I went from zero to hero in a matter of
minutes. And I won’t lie when I say it feels good.

“I can’t make this decision for you,” I tell
them. “Everyone who wants to fight? Get your butts out there.
Everyone else, get to Safe Hall.”

“Remember the drill we had?” The younger kids
bob their heads. Fallon squeezes my hand quickly, a smile on her
face. “I’ll take care of them. Thanks, Luce,” she says, then ushers
them off.

I turn to look at Caddie and she catches my
gaze, a smirk on her face. “Little Miss Lucy-Popular-Pants,” she
teases. I flick her on the nose and she smacks me on the shoulder.
“Let’s do this!” She gives a roar that’s probably supposed to sound
like a bear, but in reality sounds like a dying elk, and we dive
forwards.

One minute I’m running alongside them and the
next, someone’s grabbing my arm. Shit! Is there more than one
breach? I turn and swing my fist back, but MaXXX catches it, a
tight smile on his face. We stumble to a halt. “MaXXX?” I blink,
taken aback. He looks like hell. “What’re you—”

“I’m sorry, sweetie, but I have orders to get
you to safety.”

“From who?”

He looks at me, wry. “Your boyfriend, who
else?” He tugs me along after him and I’m soon running at his side,
my arms pumping as confusion swirls in my head, but I trust Iofiel.
I trust him with my heart and soul.

“The final battle is here. Without you, the
Seelie might not win against…them.” His voice is muffled by the
wind blowing in our faces as we sprint. His grip is tight around my
wrist and I try and tug away, but he shakes his head fiercely and
clamps down harder. “Have you made your decision?”