Souled Out

by Blakely Chorpenning

  “I don’t blame him. If I had you, he wouldn’t be a choice either.”

  “Nice, Gideon!”

  Raising my voice was stupid. Gabriel’s eyes widened in anticipation while my temper welled. Gideon was right. It was a waste of time we didn’t have.

  “Fine. Gabriel, drink what you want, but keep in mind that I’m not a juice box. You can’t have it all. Gideon, leave the room.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re pissing me off.”

  “I should be here in case he tries to squeeze the box.”

  “Don’t get cute. I’ll take my chances.”

  He didn’t look happy but left the room. “I’ll wait in the hallway.”

  “We’ll be out soon.”

  Once he was gone, I realized the predicament I’d put myself in. It wouldn’t help to cry about it. Even though I was scared, I’d made my decision. If it was my time to die, then fine. At least my sister wouldn’t get my soul. Bitter, but true.

  Gabriel’s grip had not loosened. And strangely enough, as I looked into his eyes, my better judgment drained to a mere blood-curdling scream in my head. Ever so slowly, I lay down by his side, leaving barely a breath between us. I stared into his face, letting the anger and fear float away. Even though a feral energy vibrated within him, he hadn’t acted on it yet. He just stared back. There was some control in him after all.

  At least five minutes passed like that: us staring at each other. Then I started to see the separation between the man and the vampire. His eyes focused more and more, drawing the vampiric eyes into his green human ones. Another second passed, and his human eyes blinked. I instantly relaxed, which was a surprise because I hadn’t realized I’d still been bracing my body for the feast.

  A flash of fear entered my mind when I remembered I was dressed like Ellenore. Maybe he’d been fighting the urge so intensely he hadn’t noticed. Or had he been waiting, wanting my fear to grow before he fed?

  Before I could explain, he pulled my wrists, pulling me closer. Discarding his grip he gently—no, lovingly—drew me into his body.

  “What have you done to your hair?” His voice was thick and dry.

  Go figure! Men are incapable of giving compliments when they’re needed, but put in a high-adrenaline situation and they never fail to focus on the things you want to ignore the most. But to be optimistic, he didn’t rip my heart out.

  “How did you know it was me?”

  He still hadn’t released me from the soft embrace. “You call yourselves identical. I don’t know why. You smell different. Your eyes are slightly different shades. I could go on.”

  “Oh,” was all that came out. I wanted to remind him we didn’t have time to cuddle and indulge in small talk but truthfully, I was more than content lying in the dirt with my head pressed against his chest. Was that considered cheating? Technically I wasn’t dating Seth, but he’d kind of expressed his concern over my relationship with Gabriel. Earlier I’d wanted Seth to be my boyfriend. That hadn’t changed.

  Taking Gideon’s advice, probably at the worst possible time, I blurted, “I really like you, but I like Seth, too. I have feelings for both of you and that pisses me off.” And that was that. It was out there. Take it or not. React or ignore it.

  “Why does that piss you off?” With one arm under my neck, he used his free hand to comb through my hair.

  It was funny to hear Gabriel use that word because he tried not to use it or any other “bad” word whenever possible, even though I’d heard him cuss like a pirate on more than one occasion.

  I smiled but didn’t lose sight of the conversation. “I’ve been alone for so long that I talked myself into thinking it was the right thing. Then you go and prove you’re not a total asshole the same time I meet Seth.”

  More to the air than directed to me he mused, “The turmoil of the living.”

  “Don’t blame humanity. This dilemma is one part human, two parts vampire.”

  A faint chuckle vibrated through his chest. “I’ll try not to blame the whole of humanity.” He cleared his throat, but it did little good. “I’m trying to say that it pleases me to know you feel something for me...other than derision. We’ll figure the rest out later.”

  “How much later?”

  “When later becomes now.”

  Sarcastically I said, “That cleared everything up. You’re starting to sound like your brother.”

  “You sound like you’ve already spent too much time with him.”

  “A little less wouldn’t make me tear up.”

  Lost in a maze of thoughts, I hadn’t noticed Gabriel shift onto one elbow so he was leaning over me, looking down at my face. “Answers are unimportant right now. It’s enough that you feel again.”

  “You talk like you’ve been keeping tabs.”

  “For a long time. You were so vibrant in the beginning, like a new color. Then you shut down until you were in a blackout. You became an echo.”

  “A ghost,” I corrected.

  “But the ghost is gaining solidity. Life animates you once again. I’ve helped torment you for good reason, but that’s over now.”

  “Why do it in the first place?”

  “You refused to feel joy or love or even curiosity, but your anger never wavered. If you could be passionate enough to hate, there was hope.”

  “Did it work?”

  “We’ll see.” Expectations lurked behind his eyes, but none he was willing to share. I didn’t call him out but I was betting that, as I waded into some heavy emotional baggage, he was doing the same. We kind of had eternity, I guess.

  I thought he was going to kiss me. Instead he said, “I’m undecided about your new look,” and gently hoisted me to my feet. He was so stiff it made me ache, but nothing appeared broken. “Although the clothes are a blessed change of pace.”

  Trying to suppress my outrage, I replied, “From what, my usual rags?”

  He laughed and took an extra minute to dust off his clothes the best he could. He must have loved every inch of me if he was willing to cuddle in dirt, his arch-nemesis.

  I decided not to tell Gabriel that I located his soul with supernatural GPS tracking abilities. That would remain a secret. At least for now.

  We left the small chamber and found Gideon wandering the hall, back and forth. He lifted his head and spat, “It’s about time.”

  The air turned frosty as they came to a halt in front of me.

  “I’m not happy with you right now, Gideon. It would be smart to control your temper.”

  “Don’t blame me. Worse things would be happening if I hadn’t played my part. You’re at the top of the Mass’ Christmas list. Not even baby Jesus served as an appetizer could sway them.” More intense, he added, “I’ve learned things that make fascinating sound monotonous.”

  Gabriel looked at me for a split second before returning his attention to Gideon. Between gritted teeth, he said, “We’ll talk later.”

  Gideon waved him off. “Promises, promises.”

  Damn. I thought I was in the club, but obviously they were still keeping secrets. Screw it. I kept quiet because we still had to get out of the compound alive.

  Emerging from the hidden chamber, Gabriel walked into the bedroom first. Gideon and I had just reached the door when an unfamiliar voice addressed me—or rather, my sister.

  “Mrs. Grant, it’s good to see you dressed and about. Would you like dinner?”

  While I froze with my back to the young man, Gideon just stood there picking at his fingernails, nonchalantly waiting for me to reply.

  I turned to face the vamp, quickly channeling one of my sister’s personalities. I settled on ethnocentric bitch. “Excuse me?”

  The guy, not much older than twenty in human years, stood very still and spoke with less charm and more caution. “Dinner. Would you like dinner?” He almost stumbled over his words.

  “You offer me dinner when my ass is already the size of North America? When my face is so bloated it resembles a hipp
o? Do you enjoy causing misery?”

  “No! No, Mrs. Grant.” He was scared. “I only wish to cater to your needs. Those are my orders.”

  “From my husband?”

  “No, Mrs. Grant, from Alexi. She’s hunting this evening and gave strict orders that if you were to emerge—I mean, leave your room early this evening, I was to care for any want or need before the ceremony.”

  “Ceremony?”

  “Yes. Alexi and Drew have worked very hard to prepare everything as you requested. I assumed you knew it was tonight.”

  “I know all about the ceremony.” I didn’t even have to pretend to be angry. “Do you think you would be privy to information I don’t already know?”

  “No.”

  “Because you know what happens when you assume. You make an ass—”

  Gideon placed a hand on my forearm. Right. No need to exaggerate and blow my cover.

  “How long before the ceremony?”

  “An hour, Mrs. Grant.”

  “Perfect. Since I obviously look like a hideous spotted cow in this outfit, I have to change. Again! Leave us. You’ve done quite enough.”

  The poor guy looked stricken. “I meant no such thing Mrs. Cow—Grant! Mrs. Grant. I apologize for everything I’ve said to offend you.” I had turned my back so he couldn’t see the smile looming on my lips when I heard him add, “I’m sorry for being here.”

  “Dismissed!”

  With that loud command, he immediately disappeared to wherever vampire flunkies go to cry.

  Gideon smiled. “Impressive.”

  “I did live with the pre-madonna cow for years. It was easy. I mean this was easy, not actually living with her.”

  We walked into the bedroom to discover a caramel-skinned woman standing by Gabriel’s limp body while a man sat on his back.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The bean-stock staring back at us was no less than six feet tall, dressed in jeans, a very tight, bright pink T-shirt, and black leather boots that went all the way to her knees. Her hair was blond with spiked black tips. Definitely hard to ignore.

  The other stranger pinned Gabriel’s hands behind his back. Gabriel was unconscious, but the lanky man took no chances. He wore head-to-toe black. It must have been easy living a stereotype, never having to worry about fashion trends.

  The woman stepped closer. “Gideon’s right. That was a very good impersonation of your sister.” She had a heavy southern accent. It clashed with her punk persona.

  Not meaning to, I sounded almost outraged when I spoke, though I was just taken by surprise. “Who are you?”

  “Alexi. That’s Drew.” She pointed to the crouching man.

  “Well, tell Drew to get his lame dead ass off my friend.”

  “I don’t think so. Gabriel can be very dangerous.”

  “Apparently not, because he’s the one unconscious.”

  “We were able to sneak up and drug him while his attention was on your little show in the hallway. It’s always hard to tell how long the effects will last. It’s different for all of us, so Drew will stay exactly where he is.”

  “What do you want?”

  She laughed. “What a silly question. You, of course.”

  I had never heard an evil vampire use the word “silly.” That, in its own right, was kind of silly. Didn’t the really evil ones stick to scary, hair-raising words? Didn’t matter.

  “Then take me and let him go.”

  “No, no, no, honey. He is now officially a problem. For that matter, so is Gideon.” Her attention turned to him. “What happened, baby? You lose interest in the game? Your attention span has always been shorter than a dog’s snout. Or did you find more interesting players?” That sounded like a bit of jealousy.

  He addressed her with a smooth temperament. “Alexi, you’re a pure Georgia peach, but I was in it to have a little fun. I would never cause my brother real harm.”

  Her Southern charm disappeared. “Then you’ll be judged with them. I won’t be able to help you.”

  I had to speak up. “Who is ‘them?’ My sister, the Mass, or the Members? There’s a maximum number of players in a game for a reason, and this game is definitely at full capacity.”

  “Don’t get smart with me, girl.”

  “But I never went to college. I have to make up for it somehow.”

  “Shut up!”

  “You still haven’t answered my question. Who’s involved in the ceremony and why are people being judged?”

  After a long, unhappy pause, she said, “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  I was trying to egg her on. Under my breath I said, “Why am I asking? Like you know anything.”

  “Don’t pick a fight with me, False Cypher.” She closed the distance between us, glaring all the while. In my face, she snarled, “I’ll mess your face up a lot worse than those Mass boys.”

  “Is that what happened to yours?”

  And then I was slapped so hard I hit the bedroom door and slid to a sitting position on the floor. She really was a bitch.

  While I worked on feeling my jaw again, Gideon stepped between me and Satan’s lap dog. He held his palms out, signaling peace. “Alexi, so harsh. You never make a good first impression.”

  “Like I care.”

  “Tell me where the ceremony is and we’ll be there. Only, stop acting like the woman you hate to be. It hurts me to watch.”

  God as my witness, the freak almost melted into him. I guess it really does take one to know one.

  “I don’t want to be the hard-ass, Gideon, but I have to. She made me do it.” She pointed at me like I was the five-year-old bully.

  Before thinking, I blurted, “Oh, yes. I’m the ringleader. Chaos ensues wherever I go. Woe is me. I am a hellion.”

  Gideon turned, acknowledging that I was being a smart-ass and that it had gone unappreciated. Gabriel would have gotten the humor...had he been conscious.

  Maybe not.

  Stubbornly, I apologized. It killed a part of me to do it, but I’d lost sight of the situation. If it would help, I could control my temper.

  Gideon turned back to Alexi. “See. She’s sorry. Now tell me where we need to be and we’ll go. But don’t compromise the flower that you are just to make us go where we will go willingly just for you.”

  What a mouth! It was jarring to see him transform from a loon to an absolutely suave, sophisticated man. I was convinced mental illness ran in their family. And worse yet, Alexi was drooling over him. What issues did she have?

  She swooned toward him with stargazed eyes. “That’s all you had to say, baby. Are you mad?” She purred, “Don’t be mad at me.”

  Gag!

  “You are a goldfish in a sea of carp. I would never treat a charm with such disrespect. Tell me what you know and we’ll rendezvous later.”

  “You’ll bring her sister back?” Gracing me with a scowl, she said, “She’s a handful, like this one, but she has to be at the ceremony too.”

  “Of course. I knew it would take only minutes for you to figure out my plan. I’ll fetch her at once. Where is the ceremony?”

  “In the rose garden, two miles past the south wing.”

  “Until then, passion opossum.”

  She blushed and giggled. Give me a break! Then she turned to Drew, her girlish charm a memory. “Get off him, now! Let’s go.” And out the back door they went.

  As Gideon helped me off the floor, I mumbled, “That girl’s a psycho.”

  In all seriousness he replied, “Those are the keepers,” and winked.

  “Don’t wink at me when you say that.” I’d been called a lot of things, but never a psycho. Okay, I was sure some colorful words flew after the fire incident, but other than that, nada. I was positive. Mostly, anyway.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Gideon took us to the rose garden. Once he was done “securing the area,” he left to gather my sister and tell Seth he had a longer wait than originally planned. It made me nervous to split up. I hadn’t over
looked what to do with Ellenore earlier, but Gideon had been adamant that she not travel with us. Maybe it was a safety precaution. Maybe there’s just some unspoken rule that makes riding with your kidnapee a faux pas. Anyway, I decided to ask.

  “Gideon, why didn’t we just bring Ellenore with us? That probably would have been easier in the long run.”

  “Ride in the same car?”

  “Yeah.”

  In a matter-of-fact tone, he said, “Her ass is so incredibly large it would have broken the axle of Seth’s car. Trust me. I consulted the manual. There was a weight restriction.”

  “Oh, yeah, I forgot about the wide-load sister restriction.” He was so full of it, obviously. Ellenore had always been the size of a penny, but she worried relentlessly about her weight. Hence our fun. And anything that involved making fun of my sister lately was really amusing. “Oh Gideon, you know how to cheer a girl up. Go on. Get outta here.”

  Gabriel was still unconscious. Gideon dropped him on a small hill. After about fifteen minutes, I started to notice some sluggish movement. Gabriel started waking up. I sat close, careful not to touch him. He looked kind of peaceful.

  “Gabriel?” I whispered. “Wakey, wakey. Don’t be a sleepyhead.”

  His eyelids opened drowsily and his head followed my voice until he was staring at me. I met his grouchy face with an amused lift of my brow.

  “Don’t say that again.”

  “Wakey, wakey?”

  “Yes, that. What happened?”

  “It sucks to be the one waking up not knowing what’s going on, doesn’t it? Who’s drugged now? Karma, bitch.” So I indulged my amusement. Sue me. I’d sold the deed and banked the money to earn the right and I didn’t plan on passing up the opportunity.

  Sounding even worse, if that were possible, he asked, “Drugged?”

  “Quite.” I tried to limit the humor in my voice.

  He sat up and looked around. I filled in the gaps and he didn’t look happy, especially when I told him the part about toothpick Drew sitting on him.

  “This is exactly what happens when my brother gets involved in my affairs.”

  “At least I was included this time. Didn’t miss a bit of fun.”