by Jane Hinchey
Levi’s breathing slowed, as did his frantically racing heart. He leaned up and kissed me then, long and hard and deep, as though to convey a message to me. As though to reinforce the fact that he needed me as much as I needed him.
I fell asleep immersed in his essence, in his taste and texture and unique scent.
13
I slept for two hours. When I awoke I was still on the sofa, tucked beneath a blanket. Levi was no longer by my side, but I sensed him in the building and guessed he was downstairs in his shop, most likely working since I could feel another energy signature.
Swinging my legs off the sofa, I bit back the gasp of surprise when Levi’s grandmother appeared before me.
“Hello.” I remained seated and waited. She was here to give me a message, of that I was sure. To warn me to leave her grandson alone no doubt.
“Relax.” She half smiled before her face became serious again. “Levi is a good man.”
“He’s very good.” I nodded.
“But he is not why I’m here.”
“He’s not?” I was surprised. I was sure she was here to give me a serve for fooling around with her grandson.
“This otherworld creature you seek…”
“The soul stealer? You know where he is?” Why hadn’t I thought to ask the spirit world?
“Not exactly. You need to look lower.”
“Look lower? What do you mean?”
“And you might want to think about putting some clothes on.” She disappeared and I glanced down. I’d forgotten I was naked. Nice. Having a good old chat with Grandma in the nude. Levi would be impressed. Conjuring up another set of designer jeans, shirt, and jacket, I pondered what she’d told me. Look lower. What did that mean? I looked at my feet. Lower. Downstairs? Was the answer in Levi’s shop?
Hurrying downstairs I waited while Levi finished up the reading with a middle-aged woman. He walked her to the door, then turned, and the smile he laid on me had me weak at the knees. It was filled with…sin. His smile promised all that we’d done earlier and more. Flicking the sign on the door to closed and locking it, he walked to me, his stride full of purpose, and again I had to hope I wasn’t drooling because this guy was so hot, so goddamn stunning it was as if he’d been created for me alone.
He stopped, standing so close his chest brushed my breasts, and I couldn’t stop myself from thrusting my chest out for closer contact. We eyed each other, breath mingling, then I was propelled backward so fast my back hit the wall with a thud. The pictures hanging on it rattled and hung off balance. Neither of us cared. Pinning my wrists beside my head, he plundered my mouth, his tongue dueling with mine. I let my energy wash over him, let it explore the hills and valleys of his muscles as they contracted and released under my touch. “How are you doing that?” he growled, knowing my wrists were pinned, that I wasn’t touching him with my hands.
“My essence,” I breathed. “Try it.” I felt the tentative brush of his energy against the nape of my neck, slowly drifting down, over my shoulder, to my breast, hotter than his touch, burning, searing my flesh away. The groan that left my mouth was wanton, to say the least.
I returned my attention back to my own exploration, felt the smoothness of his skin, the hardness of the muscles underneath, the tautness of his abdomen. Lower and lower. He sucked in air through his teeth when I grazed his erection.
I was seconds from dropping to my knees and taking him in my mouth when a flash of something caught my eye. I focused on the figure behind Levi’s shoulder.
“Your grandmother!” I gasped.
Lifting his head, he looked at me, puzzled. “My grandmother?” She winked at me and disappeared. I was trembling, my body still burning from the fire Levi had started but hadn’t put out. Damn it.
“Yes.” Pushing against his chest, I forced him to take a step back, to give me a reprieve from the heat seeping into me from his nearness.
“What about her?”
“She visited me. Upstairs.”
“She did?” Surprise colored his voice.
I nodded. “She had a message.”
“For me? Why didn’t she come to me?” His surprise turned to hurt, and just like that, any remaining desire was doused like a bucket of ice water tipped over my head.
“Babe, she’s been with you this whole time,” I reassured him. “She kept herself hidden from you because you were hurting. Grieving. I’m sure she’ll reveal herself to you soon.”
“What?”
Realizing I’d let the proverbial cat out of the bag, I explained, “She came with you when you moved here and has been watching over you this entire time. She loves you, as much as you love her.”
“I didn’t know. Didn’t feel her at all.”
“Because she didn’t want you to. Look, I’ll let you hash it out with her later, but for now—”
“Wait,” he cut in, “is she here now?”
“No. Listen to me. Upstairs, when I woke up she appeared in front of me and told me to look lower. Do you know what that means?”
“Look lower? No, I don’t.”
Damn it, I’d been hoping he would understand the meaning. We both glanced at the floor. How low were we talking?
“It’s about the soul stealer? She knows about him?”
“She said she hasn’t actually seen him, so can’t give us an exact location, and maybe what she does know of him she’s learned from us, I don’t really know, but with her psychic abilities maybe she’s feeling his energy too, and because she’s a spirit she can follow it better than we can.”
“Ask her!” he demanded and I looked at him.
“She’s not here, Levi. I told you, I don’t lie.”
“But you didn’t tell me she was here,” he accused.
“She asked me not to. When I first saw her I was going to tell you—she didn’t want that. I honored her wishes.”
He continued to stare at me as if assessing if I was telling the truth or not. I could see the hurt in his aura as well as his expression, but there was also a hint of anger as well. At me. I sighed. I seemed to be getting everything wrong this trip topside. Ignoring me, he stalked to the door and flipped the sign back around and unlocked the door.
“I’ve got work to do.” His meaning was clear. Leave him alone. Fine. If it was space he wanted, it was space he’d get.
Retreating back upstairs, I resumed my position on the sofa with his laptop, candy, and coffee. I was perusing the Shadow Falls Historical Society webpage, reading about the tunnels running beneath what was now the town square when it hit me. Lower. Underground! Look underground.
Fingers flying over the keyboard, I examined the original plans for the buildings surrounding the square. One of them, if not all, would have access to the tunnels, and my gut was telling me the soul stealer was hiding in the tunnels. How far did they go? There was no map detailing the tunnels themselves, but I found one of the town hall that showed a staircase leading below ground—and there was no cellar or basement in the town hall, which was unusual in itself. Pulling up the most recent blueprints, I searched for where the staircase would be now. My best guess: the kitchen at the rear of the hall.
I debated going downstairs and telling Levi but decided against it. From the energy I could feel swirling around down there I knew he was trying to summon his grandmother—they clearly needed to talk. Maybe then he’d quit being angry at me. Releasing my wings, I materialized in the parking lot behind the town hall. For what was to come it was best if no one saw me. I had a soul stealer to take care of.
14
The back of the town hall was locked, but the key I conjured took care of it, the glowing red skeleton key sliding perfectly into the keyhole with a satisfying click as it did its job. Stepping inside I quietly closed the door and listened. No one else was here, which was a good thing. I knew from my research that the hall was used for community events, that dance classes and sometimes scout meetings were held here, but for now, it was empty.
The back d
oor opened directly into the massive kitchen, decked out to cater for hundreds, although the ovens and other appliances looked dated. Across the room were several cupboards and I crossed to them. Inside one of these cupboards was the entrance to the tunnels, I was sure of it. The first door I opened revealed shelves, all stacked with white crockery. The next door was similar, only this one held what appeared to be tablecloths. The third door was a walk-in pantry. Bingo. Stepping inside, I pulled the string dangling from the light bulb hanging from the ceiling and the small room was bathed in yellow light. Shelves ran around the entire room. Closing my eyes, I visualized the original floor plan. There. I turned to the back of the cupboard. Behind that wall should be the staircase. If the soul stealer was down there, this hadn’t been his point of entry. But it was mine.
With a silent apology, I demolished the shelves and ripped out the wall, tossing the debris to the floor and stepping over it. Sure enough, an empty cavity behind the wall, and a stone staircase, leading down. Summoning a ball of light, I balanced it in my palm and began to make my way down the staircase. The air was stale and cool, getting colder the lower I went. For some reason, I’d imagined the walls to be damp and covered in moss or lichen, but it was the opposite. Dry. Dusty. Crumbling.
At the bottom of the staircase, another room. This one held old torch sconces on the wall. There was a barrel, falling apart, sitting off to one side, and thick dust on the floor. To the left, what looked like a barn door, only smaller. Grasping the handle, I turned. Locked. With another conjured key the door unlocked with a groaning protest, the mechanism seized with lack of use. Pushing open the door, I peered inside. A tunnel. Long and straight, and from where I stood, never-ending.
“Here goes nothing.”
The tunnels were a labyrinth. At the end of the first one it opened up into a round room, with four other tunnels branching off. I examined the floor, which was no longer a floor but simply dirt and rock beneath my feet. No sign of footprints. No one had been this way. Choosing the tunnel to my immediate left I set off, keeping my pace slow, sending out my senses, searching for the energy signature of the soul stealer. I’d expected it to be stronger down here, for I was convinced he was here somewhere, yet the constant hum that was him was no different.
Three hours later and I was incredibly lost. The tunnels went for miles and miles. Every now and then I’d come across a big room which housed makeshift cots, a half dozen chairs, tables. Wooden crates and a couple of barrels sat against the walls. What had they used these rooms for? To hide, obviously, but from what? What threat was so great they hid miles under the earth, in a rabbit warren of tunnels?
I was considering turning back when I felt an agitation from Levi through our bond. He’d been quiet up until now and I guessed he’d gone upstairs to look for me and discovered me missing. Not wanting to cause him undue distress, I’d just extended my wings when I heard it. A muffled cry. Someone was down here. Was it the soul stealer? I was torn. Return to Levi or search for the owner of that cry. The latter won out, although it was a close call, as the urge to return to Levi, to continue my exploration of him, to feed my starved desire for him was all consuming.
Rather than leave the tunnels I propelled my way forward, using speed now, darting up and down, round and round until I came into a clearing and stopped in surprise. There, chained to the wall, was Dacian.
“Dacian?” I glanced around, checking to see if anyone else was here. The chamber was empty, except for Dacian who was suspended with arms outstretched, his toes barely touching the ground, tape over his mouth. Who had done this? Who could restrain an angel?
I instructed the ball of light I was carrying to levitate, freeing my hands. Dacian was shaking his head at me and making noises as I reached for his chains, only to snatch my hand away at the painful jolt as soon as I made contact with the metal. What the hell?
“What’s going on? Who did this?” Reaching up, I ripped the tape from his mouth and he winced.
“It’s a trap!” he shouted. I spun, hands raised, ready to blast anyone who attacked. Only…no one did. There was no one else here, just Dacian and I.
“Are you sure?” I asked, peering around, holding my stance in front of him.
“Yes.”
“By who?”
“The soul stealer.”
“Where is he then?”
“He’s here.” Dacian seemed sure. Could I trust him? I didn’t know, but I couldn’t work out why he would lie. If he meant me harm he wouldn’t have warned me it was a trap. I shrugged. It was a lousy trap if that were the case.
I waited, crouching slightly in front of Dacian, ready to do battle. Only no one attacked.
“Are you really sure?” I asked.
“I’m really sure.” He was angry, but underneath the anger was concern. For me? Or for his own sorry ass? Straightening up, I kept my back to him while surveying the room. Seconds ticked by, which turned into minutes. Eventually, I lowered my arms and turned to Dacian.
“We’re alone. Let’s get you down.”
“He’s here. It’s a trap. I know it is,” Dacian argued.
“Fine. It may well be a trap, but it hasn’t sprung yet.” I touched the chains holding Dacian to the wall and again a painful jolt shot through me. “What the hell are these made from?” I asked him. “Do they hurt?”
“They’re burning like a motherfucker,” he gritted. “Don’t know what they’re made from, but it’s not from this realm.”
Blowing out a breath, I brought my hands up in front of me and began drawing red symbols in the air. One of them would work to release the chains; I just had to find which one. With each failure I’d swipe it away, the red lines breaking apart and falling to the ground like ash.
“Finally.” Dacian dropped to the ground once I’d found the correct key to unlock him.
“You’re welcome.” I couldn’t stop the sarcasm, but he ignored me, busy healing his bloodied wrists where the chains had burned him.
“How long have you been here?” I turned my back and swept the room again. Nothing had changed, no enemy had launched at us. I wondered if he was delirious, if whatever was in those chains was toxic.
“A day or two. I’m not sure. It was so dark I couldn’t tell if it was night or day, couldn’t measure the passing of time.”
“How did he capture you?” I was curious and a little weary. Dacian had made it clear in the past that he didn’t trust me. How did I know this wasn’t some elaborate setup? Although, I couldn’t see him sacrificing himself by playing the victim to lay a trap for me. That was not Dacian’s style.
Before he could answer, the room began to shake. It started as a soft tremor, then built in intensity. Dust and small pebbles fell from the walls and ceiling, then a bigger rock fell, followed by another.
“We need to get out of here!” Dacian yelled, extending his wings ready for flight.
“This way!” We flew from the room, rocks falling around us, and then the weirdest thing. The walls began turning, clicking and sliding together like cogs in a machine. The tip of my wing got caught in between the moving walls, crushing the end.
“Ouch!” I snatched my wings in, soothing the sting and healing myself as I did so. “No more flying, put your wings away,” I yelled at Dacian, glancing over my shoulder to see him do exactly that. With the moving tunnels and crushing rocks, our wings were no longer available to us. We’d have to go old school and run.
It didn’t help that I was hopelessly lost before we’d begun our mad dash. Now everything was moving, twisting, turning. What once was the floor was now the wall, and then the ceiling. I ran into an open cavern only to have the floor split in half, one side going up, the other going down, and endless gaping darkness in the void in between.
“Jump!” Dacian yelled from behind me. I did, grabbing hold of the edge of the floor that was level with my head and scrambling up, quickly turning to extend my hand to Dacian. He jumped, missed the rock, but I caught him around the wrist. The weight o
f him almost pulled me off the edge and I grunted, scrambling with my free hand to wedge my fingers into the rocks to hold on and not slide off.
Dacian dangled. He looked up at me and I saw the determination in his eyes. He quickly glanced around and then used his wings to boost himself up and onto the moving floor. He sat next to me, panting.
“Thanks for that.”
“Anytime, but just for the record, what the fuck is going on? What’s all this?” Our platform was traveling up and up, the rocks above our heads moving out of the way. Then it stopped, twisted and began to tilt. We slid off, onto a smaller platform below and began the same crazy journey over and over again.
Running, jumping, dodging. We were both panting and winded and I feared no closer to finding a way out. It was like a moving maze, with no respite. Was this the doing of the soul stealer? But on my encounters with him, he’d seemed relatively weak, not capable of this amount of magic. I hated that he had me second-guessing myself, and that in turn notched up my anger levels and I thought I heard a boom of thunder overhead.
“Was that you?” Dacian asked, running by my side. We were both scraped and bloody, no time for healing.
“I think so.” Which could only mean one thing. We had to be close to the surface. “Stay close,” I told him. I focused on my anger, let it grow and build, I played over in my mind the death of Sarah, Levi getting hurt, the soul stealer getting away, then I thought of my brothers and the unfair way they treated me. The thunder was louder now and rather than tamping it down I let it grow. I could feel it within me, like lava in my veins, knew my eyes would be flames, caught glimpses of red forks of lightning sparking from my fingertips.