“But what about Erik?” she blurted out before she could stop herself. “Is he still alive? Did Hades kill him?” She knew it had been a gamble to make deals with Hades. For all she knew Erik was dead, and it would all have been for nothing.
The Chief smiled and said, “Your friend is fine.”
Alexa fell back into the sofa. “Thank God.”
The chief straightened in his seat and smiled at her strangely.
Although she relaxed now that she knew that Erik was safe, something still nagged her.
“I’m trying to make sense of all this. Will my soul heal itself like our bodies heal? Can it make itself whole again?”
The Chief’s smile faded. “I’m afraid not.”
Alexa felt deflated. “So, how do I get it back?”
The Chief inspected a plate of miniature chocolate bars. “You don’t need to worry about that right now. There is so much to be done.” He ripped open a KitKat bar and shoved it all into his mouth.
Alexa suspected that he wouldn’t tell her how she could regain the rest of her soul, no matter how many times she asked
The Chief smiled at her again. “I’m glad we’ve had this little chat. We’ll talk again soon, I promise. You’re a very special angel, Alexa. Unique. Never forget that, now more than ever. Be that as it may, it’s back to business now. It’s time for you to go back.”
“Back…? Back where?” Alexa sat up straight. “Are you sending me…”
A humming throbbed in her ears, and her skin started to tingle with current. The scent of sugar canes, fresh baked brownies, and apple pie enveloped her. And when she opened her mouth to ask him what was happening, everything disappeared.
CHAPTER 35
ALEXA BLINKED INTO THE WORRIED face of the most beautiful guy she’d ever seen. She stared transfixed at his chiseled features, his high cheekbones, his sexy, smoldering dark eyes, and his full, delicious lips. She wanted to dream of him forever.
“Alexa?” Erik’s eyes were suddenly wild. “But, you’re…?”
He seemed unable to form the words of whatever he was trying. He looked so bewildered that she was tempted to reach out and pull his mouth onto hers. But she remembered who and what she was before she could kiss him.
She pushed herself to her feet instead. Surprisingly, she was steady, and her body felt balanced and strong. The Chief had suited her up with the latest M-9 suit, and she could feel that she must have the most mortal body in the Legion.
She could feel a bubble of bliss about to burst inside her. Somehow she’d gotten a break. She hadn’t died, and she had received a free pass from prison. Surely it couldn’t be this easy. Still, she wouldn’t let anything dampen her happy moment.
Angry purple bruises marked Erik’s neck where Hades had grabbed him, but otherwise he seemed okay. Not just okay, but sexy as hell and alive.
Hades appeared to have been true to his word.
She took a moment to look around. Ryan was gone and so was Hades. The only evidence that he had even existed were the twenty-four-inch footprints that led away from them and into the forest beyond.
“How long was I….out?” she asked. She knew it couldn’t have been long because Erik was here, it was still night, and no one else was around.
“Not long,” said Erik. He raked his fingers through his hair. “Maybe a few minutes.”
“What happened to Ryan?” she spat out his name and wished she could punch him one last time.
“That thing took him,” said Erik. “They walked out into the forest, and I didn’t see where they went.”
“That thing was Hades,” said Alexa, and then she recounted what she’d learned while Erik had been out cold.
“Hades.” Erik rubbed his eyes with his fingers. “It’s worse than I thought.”
He looked worried and raised his hands to touch her face, but then he dropped them to his sides. “Alexa, what happened?”
“I think,” she paused because the truth was just too crazy. “I think I just met God.”
“What?”
“At least, I think it was him…I mean, maybe an extension of him. It was surreal. Does God have a sweet tooth?”
“A sweet tooth?” Erik laughed.
It was a sound that would have melted any girl’s heart, and it melted the half that remained of her soul. She was just fine with that.
“Never mind.” Alexa couldn’t help but smile. She knew anyone else would have thought that she was insane.
And when Erik closed the distance between them, she stiffened. Her skin prickled as she took in his scent and felt the warmth of his chest. She was tempted to lean in, too.
Erik held her by the shoulders and peered into her face. The warmth of his hands caressed her skin.
“Alexa,” he said softly. “How is it that you’re here, standing in front of me. I saw Hades take your soul. I saw you die.”
Alexa could see the grief on Erik’s face. It must have been a terrible thing for him to witness. “He did take my soul. But only part of it.”
Alexa explained what the Chief had told her about her sacrifice.
“So, you’re missing half of your soul.” Erik’s voice was filled with grief and wonder.
“I am.” She did feel different. It wasn’t just an ache for something that was missing. There was also something else. It was like something dark had latched on to her core.
She brushed the thought away. Erik’s handsome face was too distracting and close.
“Listen,” Alexa braced herself for what she was about to tell him. “I need to tell you something about what happened to your parents.”
Erik tensed as she recounted what Lance had discovered about his parents. When she finished, she thought she’d made a mistake by telling him. His smile had gone. He looked at her with a serious frown and glistening eyes.
“I’m sorry, Erik. I’m so sorry, but I thought you should know. You deserved to know the truth.”
Erik grasped her hand and squeezed it. “Thank you.”
His warm touch sent a jolt of electricity through her. Even though they were the rough and calloused hands of someone who trained for hours every day, his touch did odd and delicious things to her skin and nerves. She couldn’t help but wonder if her skin felt cold and stiff to him. But Erik didn’t take his hand away.
His eyes rested on her lips, and she felt herself losing control again.
Damn those lips.
She could feel his warmth on her face and neck. But she didn’t move.
And just as Erik began to lean in for a kiss—something crashed in the woods behind them.
Erik pushed Alexa behind him, and in an instant his hand was on his blade.
The trees swayed, and Lance barreled into the clearing. At first Alexa didn’t recognize him because his once beautiful, snow-white fur was covered in black liquid. She knew it must be demon blood.
“Thank the souls, you’re alive!” Lance ran up to them, his tail wagging madly. “I’ve been running around in circles searching for your scent. But I got nothing. Nothing. It was almost as though you’d disappeared. I’m a dog, and a Scout. Can you believe it? I couldn’t smell you anywhere until a few minutes ago.”
Alexa was embarrassed that Lance could find her just by the way she smelled. She quickly changed the subject.
“What happened to you?”
“Well, by the time I realized that the Gargons were luring us away from the Hellgate, I was already halfway across the forest. I doubled back, dragging Stephen and Ash with me, and followed the scent of the Hellgate. But then I lost it. I knew that something vile had come out. But the scent was sweet, and it mixed in with the smells of the earth and forest…and then I lost it again. Eventually, we met up with the others.” Lance trotted over to the ancient oak tree. He smelled it and circled the area twice. “So this was where the Hellgate was. What happened?”
Alexa shared her story again and watched Lance’s eyes widen when she explained that she now had only half a soul.
“I knew there was something different about you,” said the dog, and then he winked in a way that only a dog could. “And now it’s true.”
“Where are Stephen and Ash now?” Alexa asked.
“Right behind me, with Michael and Matt and a few other operatives. I ran ahead as soon as I caught your smell.”
Alexa cringed at the mention of Michael’s name, and she subconsciously stepped away from Erik as a surge of shame washed through her. She had made a horrible mistake accusing Michael. If she hadn’t been so consumed with him, she might have seen the real traitor from the very beginning.
“I was an idiot to think it was Michael. Ryan was right there in front of me the whole time. I could have stopped him and saved those girls.”
“There’s no point in blaming yourself, Alexa,” said Lance. “What’s done is done. Look on the bright side. Only one pagan God managed to get out, not the thousands that actually still exist. Now that’s something. The Legion can deal with one.”
Alexa sighed, but she didn’t feel any better, not really. “I hope you’re right. I just wish the Legion had believed us when it could have made a difference.”
“Well, the Legion’s always been a little slow to react,” said Lance. “The mystery of the missing souls has been solved, but we now have bigger problems. And this time I promise the Legion will pay attention to us. But first I must find Michael and the others and tell them that the two of you are safe.”
Alexa doubted very much that Michael would care if she was safe.
As Alexa watched Lance disappear into the trees, she noticed something silver that glinted on the ground. She walked over and picked up the soul blade that Ryan had used to kill Santo. She fought a shudder of rage and made a silent promise to herself. One day Ryan would pay for what he’d done, and she would be the one to make him.
She slipped the soul blade around her waist, and Erik said, “Why do I get the feeling that the worst is yet to come?”
“Because it’s probably true.”
He smiled. “But the fact that you’re standing here with me now, I’ll take as a good omen. Some things will get worse, but some things have already gotten better.”
Erik cupped her face gently in his rough, callused hands. She flinched at first, but then she let her body go limp as his warm lips grazed against hers. He brushed his tongue against her, and she opened her mouth to him. Their kiss was slow at first, and then faster and deeper. The entire world around her went still, and her arms fell uselessly to her sides. His mouth was soft and warm and perfect.
Alexa looked into Erik’s charcoal-colored eyes and into all the promise that lay within them. “So, what are we going to do now?” she asked.
That familiar cheeky grin flashed on Erik’s face.
“We get back the rest of your soul.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dear reader,
Thank you for reading The Soul Thief. If you enjoyed this book, please consider posting a short review. Your feedback is important to me and will help other readers decide whether to read the book too.
Again, thank you for coming on this ride with me, and I hope we’ll take many more together. Happy reading!
Kim Richardson
THE HELM OF DARKNESS
THE HORIZON CHRONICLES
Book 2
COMING SPRING 2017
BOOKS BY KIM RICHARDSON
SOUL GUARDIANS SERIES
Marked
Elemental
Horizon
Netherworld
Seirs
Mortal
Reapers
Seals
MYSTICS SERIES
The Seventh Sense
The Alpha Nation
The Nexus
DIVIDED REALMS
Steel Maiden
Witch Queen
Blood Magic
THE HORIZON CHRONICLES
The Soul Thief
The Helm of Darkness (coming soon)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KIM RICHARDSON is the award-winning author of the bestselling SOUL GUARDIANS series. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. She is the author of the SOUL GUARDIANS series, the MYSTICS series, and the DIVIDED REALMS series. Kim's books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over seven languages.
To learn more about the author, please visit:
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