The Soother (19 page)

Krystoff mentally sifted through his catalog of spells, searching for one that could turn back time. Even with all the magickal knowledge he’d acquired over the centuries, nothing could undo what he’d done. Yet, he knew with absolute certainty he would do it over and over again. He obviously had a lot to learn about Calliope and the intricacies that came with being a soother.
Recovery mode?
How was he to know her body had essentially gone into hibernation? In all his years he’d never heard of such a thing. He had to wonder, though, if his heroic act had been for her benefit or his. For very selfish reasons, he wanted Calliope alive. And alert. And active. In all aspects of life. Particularly when it came to dealing with him.

Surely, she would understand that. He shoved a hand through his hair. The road ahead was not going to be an easy one. Not only did he have to convince her to forgive him, he then had to find a spell to help him resist the call of her blood. Even before he’d tasted her, he knew her blood would be sweet … Now that he had sampled her vein? His imagination hadn’t even come close to describing her flavor. Calliope’s blood wasn’t sweet. No, not sweet at all. It was robust, smoky, and as smooth as the finest red wine. His fangs dropped in anticipation. He dragged his hand down his face as he swallowed back the gnawing hunger.

An almost imperceptible shift in the air had him on alert and ready to attack. Most didn’t know that every time a being flashed from one location to another, bits of their signature essence was released into the air. Krystoff certainly wasn’t going to spread the word and offer up that tidbit of information. Knowledge was power, after all. Immediately recognizing this intruder’s signature, he readied his body, slightly crouching into a fighting stance. Less than a second passed before a pale masculine form shimmered like a hologram and then became corporeal.

Like a viper, Krystoff quickly reached out and lifted Scout off his feet with a firm hand around his throat. “Traitor.” He squeezed until his knuckles matched the salty shade of Scout’s skin. As energized as he was from Calliope’s blood, he could snap Scout’s spine with a simple twist. Whether he would or not depended on the direction of the conversation. Scout’s fate was quite literally in Krystoff’s hands.

“Am I?” Scout asked, his face as impassive as ever, his voice clear when most would have been gasping for breath.

Until now, Scout’s lack of emotion had never bothered Krystoff. “You left me to die. We were — ” He cut himself off. The hell if he was going to offer up his thoughts on a platter to this disloyal bastard.

Even though Krystoff had his neck in a vise grip, Scout easily tilted his head. “Friends? Is that what you were about to say?” Scout pulled a ghost, disappearing.

Krystoff cursed, clenched his empty fist and let his arm fall to his side. Scout could have gone anywhere, but Krystoff had a feeling he’d stayed close. There was a reason Scout was here, and it wasn’t like him to leave without completing his mission. Krystoff continued to talk as if he hadn’t noticed his new enemy was no longer physically present. “Yes. Friends. Though the concept is obviously something you’re not familiar with.”

He turned and spotted Scout leaning casually against a tree not two feet away, one booted heel crossed over the opposite ankle. Krystoff eyed the silver chain attached to the belt loop of Scout’s black jeans. Next time he’d use that around his
friend’s
neck and see if the silver would tether him to one spot. He doubted it. Nomas were complex and insanely strong, not to mention secretive. No one was privy to the extent of their power. No one. “Why are you here?”

Scout directed his attention to the stars. “The better question is why are
you
? You’re no idiot — most days anyway — so why stick around when you know you’re being tracked?”

There’d been a time when Krystoff would have confided in Scout. That time had passed with the shake of a head. Hard to believe that less than a week ago, Krystoff had been gutted and left for dead, his innards plunging to the ground, his friend unwilling to help. He mimicked that denial now to show he would not be answering Scout’s questions.

Scout pulled his focus back to Krystoff and crossed his arms. “You’re still hung up about that? You’re alive. No harm done. Move on.”

If that was really how he saw it, Krystoff truly felt sorry for him. Considering Scout’s face lacked any trace of emotion, he had no way of knowing. “I’m guessing Riona sent you. I’m surprised it took you this long to find me.”

“I found you the moment I sought you out,” Scout said, his tone flat.

“Is that so?” Krystoff asked.

Scout slowly blinked. His white lashes were almost invisible against his skin. The combination of the fine white hairs framing crystal blue irises had proved to be hypnotic on more than one occasion. “You know it is.”

“Well, bully for you, oh wondrous one.” Krystoff twirled his staff while mentally chanting a lightning spell. Power rushed forward, sizzling and wrapping around the staff. “You can return to your queen and tell her you found me. Tell her that her son is doing well and thanks so much for checking in. That really is sweet of both of you.” He held a hand over his heart. “I’m touched.”

Scout shifted, settling more comfortably against the tree. “Lower the staff, Krystoff. You’re not going to blast me.”

He wanted nothing more to blast him and send his smoking parts back to Riona. Gift wrapped, of course, with a pretty black bow. “Really? Why not?”

“Because I have something you want.”

Krystoff stiffened. “What?” But he already knew.

“Your soul.”

Trap
. That lone word screamed through Krystoff’s mind, echoing like a red hawk’s screech in a deep canyon. Curiosity had him standing his ground rather than flashing away. “You have my soul with you?”

Scout picked a piece of bark off a tree, studied it and then tossed it aside. “Let’s just say I know where it is and how you can get it back.”

Krystoff wasn’t about to fall for Scout’s blasé tactics. “Deception doesn’t suit you.”

Scout glanced at him before returning his gaze to the invisible lint he was picking from his shirt. “Since when?”

“Touché. I do believe your life has been nothing but smoke and mirrors. We had a promise. I’m guessing you figured I would die in that circle, therefore saving your ass from the stigma of reneging, which I believe was your intention from the beginning.”

“Believe what you want,” Scout said.

“Why don’t you just tell me what the truth is? Then we can go our separate ways. I find being in your company quite repulsive.” Krystoff flashed, covering the distance to Scout in less than a second. Now in his face, he lifted him by the collar of his shirt and bared his teeth, fangs fully elongated. “Where is my soul?” The urge to tear Scout’s throat open and let him bleed out was hard to squelch.

“Closer than you would think. Now back the fuck off or you’ll never get it back.” Disturbing, unblinking eyes substantiated the threat.

As Scout had stated before, Krystoff was no idiot. He tightened his hold, scrunching Scout’s shirt in his fists before releasing him and taking a step back — one very tiny step. Having only recently escaped the claws of death, he had no desire to revisit that agony. Not when he had found something worth living for.
Someone
. He’d never worried about Scout’s tremendous and lethal abilities before. Now was a whole different story. They weren’t friends. Probably never had been. He wouldn’t put it past the nomas to end his life and leave him on the mountain to rot. Funny that he’d just had the same image, only reversed.

Krystoff refused to acknowledge any emotion he felt at Scout’s disloyalty other than pure loathing. What he would admit to were his feelings for Calliope. The witch had altered his view of the worlds. So, the decision he was about to make was two-fold. Distance himself from Calliope, therefore making her safer, and get his soul back, therefore making himself more acceptable in her eyes. Though she hadn’t heard him, he’d meant what he said. He wanted forever. Whatever it took.

Calliope hated him for biting her. He knew that. Not that he’d stuck around to find out for sure. No. Like a chump, he’d allowed Tia and Isabelle to convince him to take a walk, give Calliope a chance to wake up. They’d assured him they would tell her why he’d done the unforgiveable. Hopefully, a little time and distance would dissipate her anger enough that she could see he had only been trying to save her life.

Krystoff pinned Scout with a hard stare. He banged his staff against the ground before saying, “Let’s go.”

“Somehow I knew that’s what you’d say.”

Did Scout know him that well, or was he telepathic? Krystoff would never get an answer to that question. He thought he lived an isolated life? His in no way compared to the self-induced virtual island Scout lived on. For reasons Scout had never shared with Krystoff, Scout hadn’t been able to see or speak to his family in a very long time. Krystoff wondered now if that was really a matter of choice rather than circumstance. What a lonely existence. Until Calliope, Krystoff had been headed down the same deserted path. He owed her an eternity of gratitude for everything she’d shown him … for everything she made him feel.

Scout tilted his head to indicate the direction. Krystoff held up a hand to stall their exit. He’d go with Scout, but he’d do so on his own terms. Leaving without saying goodbye to Calliope and making sure she was okay wasn’t an option. He couldn’t have her thinking he regretted his actions. Krystoff only regretted that she wouldn’t understand his reasoning. “I have to do something first.”

Sighing, Scout said, “Whatever it is, you better make it quick. It’s not like I don’t have other places to be.”

Surprised there was any air left on the mountain with as many deep breaths as he’d had to take, Krystoff took another in an effort to calm down. It didn’t work. Not by a long shot. “I can’t believe I ever trusted you.”

Scout half-shrugged. “Lots of folks make mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up too much.”

Was that sarcasm from the emotionless wonder? Krystoff didn’t think it was possible. He shook his head and shoved his sleeves up to his elbows. “Do me a favor and stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Krystoff’s departure was interrupted. The sound of scrambling in the distance was accompanied with a feminine shout of “Periwinkle!”

Krystoff froze mid-stride. Scout stepped forward, tilted his head and stared intently into the dark.

Nudging Scout more forcefully than necessary, Krystoff whispered, “Make yourself ghost. Now.”

Scout shoved back. “Not a chance, pal. Not a chance.”

Planning to intercept Isabelle, Krystoff readied to flash, but she came flying toward him, arms pumping, her wavy hair soaring behind her like a magick carpet.

“Periwinkle!” She held the last syllable for several seconds.

He shifted to the right just as Isabelle slid to a stop. “Easy.” Krystoff kept his voice low and his back turned to Scout, hoping Isabelle wouldn’t see the nomas behind him.

“Oh. Thank the goddess Mother I found you. I thought if you heard our code word, you’d come faster, but you’re just standing here. Why
are
you standing here? I mean, I said periwinkle. You had to have heard me. Hello? Don’t you remember?”

He nodded in time with her nervous chatter. “I remember,” he said through tight lips.

“Well,” Isabelle said, jabbing a finger into his chest. “Periwinkle equals urgency. Whatever.” She waved her hand. “Forget it. I came to warn you.”

Krystoff stiffened, knowing the warning would either be about Riona or Calliope. Neither boded well. “About what?”

Isabelle looked over her shoulder, then turned to Krsystoff and whispered, “Calliope is looking for you.”

Krystoff took a breath, slightly relieved, but not enough to relax, especially with Scout breathing down the back of his neck. “Okay. I think I can handle her.”

“Um, I don’t think so. She’s acting different.” Isabelle paused to take a deep breath. “I tried to tell her why you … well, you know what you did. She wouldn’t listen. She wouldn’t even let me talk. She says she’s gonna evict you and I think she really means it. Evict means kill in this instance, right? I can’t believe I made it here before she did. You need to go hide somewhere.”

Someone laughed. Krystoff whirled and found himself in a world of shock. He’d known Scout for what seemed like eons and never once had he seen him so much as crack a smile. Yet, there he stood, mouth open, laughter rolling out of him like he was a kid at a carnival show watching clowns spill out of a car.

Isabelle gasped. “What
are
you?”

Krystoff laid a hand on Isabelle’s arm. She quickly looked up at him and then back to Scout, no doubt either incredibly intrigued or terrified by Scout’s odd appearance. “Isabelle. I want you to leave now. Thank you for the warning about Calliope, but I’ll be fine.” He nodded. “Go.”

She didn’t move.

She was going to make him say it. Fine. If that were what it took to get her away from Scout — who had taken on the appearance of a very interested predator — he’d do it. “Periwinkle, Isabelle. Periwinkle, periwinkle, periwinkle.”

Scout stepped around Krystoff and extended his hand. Isabelle lifted her chin and after giving him an insolent look, accepted.

Scout released a breath. His mouth twitched and his shoulders dropped. “Interesting.”

Krystoff grabbed Scout by the back of his shirt and pulled him away, but the wily nomas disappeared and ended up standing directly behind Isabelle. “I am your worst nightmare.”

Isabelle grunted. “Hardly,” she said and turned to face Scout. “You have no idea what my nightmares are made of. I’d say you’re more like a daydream. They can go either way depending on my mood. Plus, you can’t hide in the night. With skin like that, peeps could mistake you for a lighthouse.”

Krystoff would have laughed if he weren’t gaping like a shocked mime. Once again Isabelle’s crazy version of bravery surprised him. This time Krystoff pulled Isabelle away, wrapping his arm around her shoulders before Scout could respond to her verbal abuse. Warranted or not, she’d probably just made an enemy. The worst kind out there.