Dark Souls

by J. L. Weil

  A small smile curled my lips as I crossed the room. “You’re lucky. He just passed through you instead of possessing you.” I sat on the bed beside him. “The lightheadedness and queasiness will pass eventually.”

  “Awesome,” he replied dryly. “I’ve never felt anything like that. It was as if I’d never feel happiness again, or feel anything really. It was completely dreadful.” He shuddered. “You said it was a dark soul?”

  I nodded.

  “What is that? Like a ghost?”

  For a mortal, he seemed oddly open to the unexplainable. Ghosts might not be that too farfetched, but the things I could tell him went deeper. “Yeah, sort of. They’re souls that suck the energy out of everything in their path. Mortals possessed by dark souls go crazy.”

  “Mortals?” he echoed. “Are you saying you’re not mortal?”

  Silence followed. This was it. Up until this moment, I hadn’t been sure what I would do. “No. I haven’t been mortal for a very, very long time.” So long, I could barely remember what it meant to be mortal.

  I expected him to shy away, but only intrigue glinted in his blue-gray eyes. “You’re different, aren’t you? Special?”

  “I’m all kinds of special, all right.” But not what must have been running through his head.

  “You look like an angel.”

  How much further could he be from the truth? “Angel of death,” I added.

  “Not to me. You glowed,” he said in wonder. “The marks, they were beautiful. Did you come through my mirror, or did I imagine that?”

  If I hadn’t already been head over heels in love with him, I would have toppled right over the cliff at that moment with him seeing the real me and telling me I was beautiful. “A portal.”

  “Not an angel, huh. So what are you?” His voice held skepticism in it, but I didn’t blame him. I had piled on a whole lot of impossible shit.

  I rubbed the heel of my palm over my heart. “It’s a lot to explain.” I hadn’t counted on how vulnerable it would make me to tell Jensen what I was. For the last two years, I’d been protecting more than just Jensen. I’d also been protecting my heart.

  He leaned forward, taking my hand. “I’m not afraid of you, Emery. That dark soul thing, that’s another story, but not you. And I’ve got all night. There’s no way I’m going back to sleep after what just happened.”

  Pulling my legs up on the bed, I stared at our joined hands. “I’m a reaper.” There, I’d said it.

  “Is that like a ghost hunter or an alien?”

  I took in a shaky breath. “I’m immortal. I collect souls for Hell.” I watched him as he processed the information I fed to him.

  Seconds ticked by before he said, “What?”

  A lump formed in my throat. “I disperse the sick, the elderly, and evil souls to Hell.”

  His stare penetrated straight into my soul and locked me in place. “A reaper.”

  I nodded, waiting for him to either call me crazy or scream at me to get out.

  “This is the part where I’m supposed to be intimated by you, isn’t it?”

  My heart rate doubled in my chest. “That would probably be the appropriate response.”

  He scooted closer to me on the bed, the pad of his thumb caressing my hand in a way that both comforted and distracted me. “Then why do I feel nothing but fascination? From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew there was something different about you. It might be crazy, but I’m not scared of you.”

  I didn’t know if I should laugh, cry, or kiss him. Maybe all of the above. He had no idea the kind of power he wielded over my heart, not yet at least. “I’m dangerous. What happened tonight is entirely my fault. It’s because of what you are to me that puts you in danger.”

  “What am I to you exactly, Emery?”

  Hadn’t he heard me? I’d told him his life was in danger and all he heard was my admission that he was more than just some guy to me. “That’s not important right now. Keeping the dark soul from using you to get to me is what we need to worry about.”

  He grinned. “Are you avoiding the question? There are many things I don’t understand, but for some reason I can sense your emotions when you’re close. Why is that? Is it normal?”

  Of course, he would have a million questions, but I felt unsure that I was ready to answer them all, especially the questions about him being my mate. All I could do was gaze at him in wonder. “No. It’s not normal. But nothing about my life is normal.”

  His touch felt warm and heady. “Is that why you’re cold all the time?”

  “Yeah, just one of the many benefits of having to go to the underworld. It’s colder than the North Pole.”

  Dimples appeared on his striking face, and I wanted to kiss them. “Maybe you should stay. Make sure he doesn’t come back.”

  My teeth wrestled with my bottom lip. “I’m not sure that is a good idea.”

  “We could, you know, watch a movie or something. It will kill some time. I don’t know if I’ll be able to go back to sleep,” he said.

  My heart went out to him. “I could help you with that.”

  His eyes narrowed. “What, like with magic?”

  I shrugged. “Pretty much.”

  A tiny frown tugged at the corner of his sculpted lips. “Nah. I’d rather you not, if it’s all the same.”

  I nodded, and my stomach twisted up. “I’ll stay.” Jensen was safe, I kept reminding myself, but I couldn’t shake the horrible feeling in my gut. I’d broken so many rules, and I feared I’d put him in even more danger. I could make him forget, but the thing was, I didn’t want to. And that scared me almost as much as losing him.

  Chapter 7

  He put in a DVD and looked over his shoulder. “Lost Boys, okay?”

  I nodded. It didn’t matter what he put on, my mind would be elsewhere.

  He settled down on the bed, stretching out like a cat after a long nap in the sun, flashing of peek his hard abs. Flustered, I kicked off my shoes and got into the bed beside him, but I snuggled a pillow between us.

  Jensen grinned.

  I didn’t actually think the pillow would inhibit us from doing something, but I felt safer having the cushiony partition between us.

  Holy shit.

  I’m in bed with Jensen.

  A small smile crept over his lips as if he could read my mind. “You’re nervous. It’s strange… I think I can feel it.”

  Wonderful. This link we had was becoming stronger. He shouldn’t have been on the same wavelength as me this soon. “We both should be nervous. What I am is dangerous, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  He tucked a hand behind his head. “Something tells me you’ve got it covered for the both of us.”

  Try as I might, I could barely focus on the movie. And even though I had wrapped up in a blanket, I couldn’t get rid of the coldness that had taken up residency inside me. A second death wasn’t enough punishment for Mason.

  I must have shivered because Jensen asked, “Do you want me to warm you up?” He opened his arm to me, somehow knowing what I needed.

  “Yes, please.” Without hesitancy, I closed the space between us and settled into the warmth of his embrace. I purred as his heat absorbed into my skin, melting more than my icy blood.

  Between trying to ignore Jensen’s godly body alongside mine and worrying about the soul coming back, I couldn’t relax. I couldn’t decide who was more dangerous: Jensen or the dark soul?

  I risked a glance at Jensen, even though I knew I would get hung up on the sharp planes of his face. His lips were slightly parted, eyes fixed on the TV. My fingers wanted to brush the stray hair off his forehead, and a yearning built inside me.

  From head to toe, my body tingled everywhere. A flutter of emotions coiled under my heart, and the coldness was replaced by a hot flash. As if he sensed my perusal, his eyes collided with mine. I sucked in a breath.

  I don’t know what happened. One minute I sat warm in his arms, and then suddenly we were
kissing. I wiggled closer so our bodies molded together. My hand slid down his chest, captured between ours bodies.

  Holy reaper babies.

  What am I doing?

  I shouldn’t be kissing Jensen Westfall. I shouldn’t let him turn my brain to mush. The conflict between my wants and my commonsense turned me inside out. Argh. Was it too much to ask for one night as a normal college girl?

  Or did I feel this way because it was Jensen kiss me?

  It didn’t really matter, because he called to me, and I was powerless to refuse.

  His lips captured mine, sending little bolts of pleasure down my spine. “I can’t believe your tongue is pierced,” he murmured, his tongue circling around mine.

  My body sparked to life, and I arched against him, thrusting my fingers into his hair. A maddening rush of sensations spread over my skin. I’d wanted this for two years, had dreamed of it every night, and now that it lay within my grasp, I was scared shitless.

  I put my palms on his chest, breaking off the kiss. “We can’t do this,” I muttered.

  His lips traced the throbbing pulse at my neck. “My parents are asleep. It’s okay.”

  I shook my head, digging deep for the strength to stop when my body screamed, Yes, yes, yes. “That’s not it. If we do this, I won’t ever be able to walk away from you again.”

  That got his attention. He snapped back to look me in the eyes. “Again? What do you mean ‘again’? Is that why you left before?”

  I squeezed my eyes shut for a few seconds as I tried to gather myself. Scooting to the edge of the bed, I sat up, the movie forgotten. “It’s complicated.”

  “I get that your world is completely foreign to me, and I’m not even going to pretend to understand, but if there is something about us you’re not telling me, I think I have the right to know.”

  Probably he did, but I’d already told him more than I should have. I was making a huge mess of this whole thing. My coming back here was a mistake. If only I’d dispersed Mason’s soul years ago, I wouldn’t be here, staring into the eyes of the guy I loved, about to lie to him. My mouth opened, but nothing came out, and I realized I couldn’t do it. This had turned into a fiasco.

  “You can trust me,” he said softly.

  “It isn’t that I don’t trust you.” But admitting it out loud made my feelings very real. I’d spent the last two years repressing my feelings for Jensen, and now he wanted me to lay it all out there. It was a lot harder than I’d expected. Finally, I just took the plunge. Consequences be damned. It wasn’t like I couldn’t make him forget we ever had this conversation. “You’re my chosen mate.”

  “You mean like soul mates?”

  I nodded, holding my breath. “Our souls are destined to be together… in this world and beyond.”

  “I knew it.”

  Air expelled from my lungs. Confusion replaced my apprehension. “You couldn’t possibly have known.”

  “I know how you make me feel and how I felt when you left two years ago. I’d never felt like that in my life, as if my chest was crushed by a bulldozer. I’m not kidding. I had a panic attack. Not exactly very masculine to admit, but from the moment I saw you again the other day, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. Whatever I felt before, it’s a hundred times stronger now.”

  I laid my palm over his heart, my eyes beseeching his. “I’m sorry. I never meant to cause you pain. If I had known …” I stopped myself, because the truth was I had felt his pain. It had been a mirror of my own agony.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he whispered. “You’re here now.” His arms wrapped around me, pulling me tightly against him as if he feared I’d disappear.

  I absorbed his essence, curling into him as we lay together on the bed. “You should try to get some sleep.”

  He buried his face into the spot between my shoulder and neck. “But I still have a million more questions.”

  “And I’ll answer what I can tomorrow, but it will turn your world upside down. I’m not going anywhere.”

  He nodded and closed his eyes.

  My hand brushed over his cheek as he drifted off to sleep (I might have helped a bit with that). He needed the rest.

  And I had a certain reaper to track down.

  But for tonight, I’d keep my promise. I would stay, for Jensen and for me.

  Chapter 8

  “I can see it your eyes. You’re planning something,” Q said.

  Scarlett, Q, and I were having an immortal powwow in our kitchen. At least no souls wandered about aimlessly today. No distractions.

  Scarlett leaned forward on the table, a long red lock falling over her shoulder. “I want in. This time I’m not sitting on the sidelines.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Unless either of you know where I can find Talon, I don’t have much of a plan.” I didn’t expect them to answer, but my friends had a way of surprising me.

  Scarlett grinned. “Actually, I do.”

  I nudged her with my elbow. “Well, don’t keep us in suspense.”

  She loved this, soaking it up. “He’s never far from his mate. Find Layla Ovard and you’ll find Talon.”

  Facepalm. Why hadn’t I thought of that? It felt like since the moment I stepped into Sterling, I lost my battle-plan brainpower. “Q, you’re on babysitting duties. Jensen has lacrosse practice. Scarlett and I will go ask Layla nicely if she knows where Talon is.” It felt good to formulate a strategy, but odd to include my friends. I normally worked alone, but it just went to show how many rules I would break to protect Jensen.

  “Don’t you reapers have like GPS on each other, or something?” Q asked, picking at his turkey and cheese sandwich.

  I gave him a dry look.

  Q stretched back in his chair. “Okay, guess that’s a no.”

  “What’s your plan after you find Talon?” Scarlett popped a grape into her mouth.

  “I’m going to do what I should have done ten years ago. I’m going to haul Mason’s icy ass to Hell.”

  “He’s afraid of you,” Q said.

  “I’m afraid of me.”

  “No kidding,” he chortled. “But once he gets wind that Talon is on his tail, Mason will probably escort himself to the underworld.”

  I scoffed. “There’s a reason dark souls fear him. He’s the best. And he knows it.”

  “And he’s hot,” Scarlett added.

  “How about you leave that part out when we go see Layla,” I advised her, giving Scarlett a pointed look of warning.

  Since neither Scarlett nor I had classes today, we disbanded after lunch and headed to Layla’s.

  I could have gone to Hell to look for Talon, but I didn’t want the goddess knowing I was having trouble with a dark soul … or with my feelings for Jensen, so that left me with tracking down Talon the old-fashioned way.

  Many reapers had homes here on Earth, but like me, they preferred privacy and often solitude. I didn’t know where Talon lived, but I knew where his lover did.

  The Ovard’s family house was in the middle of nowhere. Gravel crunched underfoot as we walked up to the porch, and the patio door opened before we had a chance to knock. Layla stepped out. She wore jeans and a cropped jacket with her long blonde hair swept to the side.

  “A reaper and an immortal. This smells like trouble.” She placed a hand on her hip.

  A whiff of scented of apples and spices blew out from the opened door, a pleasant and homey aroma. “Trouble always comes in pairs,” I replied, smiling.

  An awkward pause ensued as she studied me, as if she expected me to say more. “You’re here about the dark soul that’s been terrorizing the college.”

  I didn’t even bother to ask how she knew. “Mason.”

  She leaned against the porch railing. “What’s his deal, anyway?”

  “Good question,” Scarlett chimed in. “Emery’s been conveniently dodging the question, by the way.”

  I frowned at Scarlett. She was supposed to be helping me, not putting the spotlight on me. “It reall
y isn’t important.”

  Scarlett’s lips twitched. She knew me well enough to know I was hiding something.

  “I need Talon’s help.” I rushed out the words before either of them could question me further.

  Layla continued to watch me from cool eyes. “He’s not here, but I’ll tell him you’re looking for him.”

  I exhaled. “That’s all I’m asking for.”

  Layla’s rose-colored lips curved at the corners. “But first, you’ve got to dish the deets. I love a good juicy story.”

  The muscles around my lips tightened. Why had I thought this would be the easy part? Layla had a flair for drama. My gaze volleyed between Scarlett and Layla. Both waited patiently with twin smirks, like they were BFFs. “I don’t have time for this.”

  “Yes, you do. Jensen is at practice and you have nothing better to do.” Scarlett tapped her foot on the gravel.

  “Jensen?” Layla echoed, perking up. “Who’s Jensen? And what does he have to do with Mason?”

  I gave Scarlett the stink-eye.

  “He is a lacrosse player with these dreamy stormy blue eyes. He’s Emery’s mate.”

  “Scarlett,” I hissed.

  Scarlett batted her long eyes innocently. “What? Was that a secret?”

  I huffed. “It doesn’t matter. Can we stay on topic?”

  Scarlett crossed her arms. “Oh, now you want to talk about Mason.”

  OMG. These two were killing me. Someone shoot me now. I sat down on the top step of the porch. “Mason was a reaper before he went all loco and became a dark soul. Things get pretty freaking cold and lonely in Hell, which lead to my fling with Mason. I made the mistake of letting him get too emotionally involved. Let’s just say when I told him things had to end, he didn’t take it so well.”

  “How did he die?” Layla asked.

  I shrugged. “I killed him.”

  “Jesus,” Scarlett exhaled.

  “It was either him or me,” I defended myself. “He made it clear that if I wouldn’t be with him, then no one would have me.”