The Lost Soul

by Jen Talty

  The Lost Soul

  Jen Talty

  Contents

  The Lost Soul

  A Note from Jen Talty

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Terminology and Definitions

  The Collective Order

  the Global Alliance Coalition

  Books by Jen Talty

  About the Author

  The Lost Soul

  A COLLECTIVE ORDER NOVELLA

  book 3 of 4 in the RAVEN SISTERS series

  JEN TALTY

  To My Uncle Richard! You are the best! Thank you so much for all the support and for being the best uncle ever! I love you!

  A Note from Jen Talty

  I highly recommend that THE RAVEN SISTERS series be read in order. This is book 3, so if you haven’t read THE LOST SISTER or THE LOST SOLDIER, you might want to consider it. The series follows the four sisters who find their soulmates while uncovering a massive plot by a man who betrayed his brothers-in-arms and his country. The plot unravels slowly between the four books as each sister finds her soulmate.

  The majority of this book takes place in the hero and heroine’s mind, which is why much of it is written in italics.

  Prologue

  Hunter Knight clenched his fists as another electric current surged from his toes to his brain. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. His lungs burned as he tried to take in a deep breath. His body jerked on the cold table. He could barely hear the voices of the men who tortured him.

  A warmth spread over his skin as if healing hands hovered above him, giving him the necessary fuel he needed to survive.

  Another jolt ripped through his muscle. He bit down on his tongue. The taste of metal filled his mouth. His body begged for him to ask for mercy. His mind demanded he hold steady and fight.

  But it was the presence that filled his aura that gave him the strength to stay alive.

  For the last few weeks, Hunter had known a traitor walked next to him, but he hadn’t known which one of his teammates had turned until Karl Homer held him at gunpoint while a man by the name of Theo Knox murdered four of his teammates in cold blood.

  Even though Hunter knew he’d done everything he could to protect his brothers-in-arms, their murders were on him, and he’d be damned if he’d let their deaths be in vain.

  “Son, can you hear me?”

  “General Mallard?” A sharp pain stabbed at Hunter’s temples. He wasn’t sure if was because of the jumper cables attached to his chest or from using a psychic ability he hadn’t known he possessed.

  “I need you to trust me.”

  “Okay.” Hunter was in no position to argue.

  “I need you to let go. Let your mind find the space between the present and the past.”

  “That could kill me.” Hunter had heard of psychics who tried to straddle different reality planes, and every single one of them had suffered a negative, life-altering affect.

  “It won’t. I promise. You have unique gifts that haven’t even been tapped yet.”

  “So you keep telling me.” Hunter gritted his teeth, preparing for the next burst of misery.

  “There will be someone there to help you.”

  “That could kill them.” Hunter’s throat grew dry. It took all his energy to project his thoughts to Mallard, and Hunter didn’t think he could do it much longer. His blood pressure might be sky-high, but his pulse had slowed to less than sixty beats per minute.

  He was dying.

  “She’s keeping you alive now,” General Mallard said.

  “I thought you were doing that?”

  “I’ve been keeping these assholes from sucking out all your psychic energy, but someone else is keeping your body from giving up. I’m sorry that I couldn’t stop this from happening, but we need her help. You need her to heal your mind, body, and soul.”

  “Who?”

  “Alexis Raven. She’s the only one who can save you.”

  “No. there has to be someone else.” A familiar touch glided over his skin, soothing the burns. He should have known it had been her presence who eased his agony.

  “Listen. There isn’t much time. There is a team on their way to save you. They will take out this cell. But you know it’s not the only one. There is more work to be done, and you have to let her take care of you if we are to take them down for good.”

  “The Elite Brotherhood.” Hunter had studied the underground organization ever since he joined General Mallard and Project Firewalker. Very little had been known about the elite force, but in the last few months, they had been able to create and manufacture synthetic psychic powers. “Why Alexis? There are a dozen healers on your team.”

  “Because she’s the only one who can heal you completely. Let go, now.”

  Hunter took in a deep breath. The pain eased as he relaxed. A tenderness spread over him like a hot towel. The smell of fresh-cut grass filled his nostrils. He heard no sound from the reality plane. No men yelling. No footsteps coming toward him, ready to dish out the next level of torture. His mind slipped further away from his body.

  “That’s it. Focus on Alexis.”

  “No.” Hunter tried to pull his mind back to the real world. He’d seen firsthand what healing did to Alexis, and he swore he’d never cause her any pain again.

  “You’re hours from death if you don’t. Please son, trust me,” Mallard said. “Reach out to Alexis, now. Do it, or you will die and so will she.”

  Hunter had never understood why it had been important to occasionally connect with Alexis.

  Until now.

  About 13 years ago…

  “Are you okay?” Hunter asked as he stepped in front of a young girl with long, raven hair pooled around her head, her coffee eyes twinkling in the sunlight.

  She lay on the ground as if to make snow angels in the grass and smiled at the sky. She blinked. “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  “You made a weird noise. Like you were in pain or something.”

  “I was helping my sister,” she said, brushing her hair to the side as she sat up, crisscrossing her legs.

  “What?”

  “Never mind. You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Try me.” He glanced around, looking for other girls in the park. This girl couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen, at best. Of course, that was old enough to be out and about alone.

  But the sun would set in less than an hour. Anyone alone at night in this part of Baltimore was flirting with danger.

  “She has a broken heart. I’m just trying to help her heal it. Only it’s not the same as having a cut or a broken arm. It’s a little more complicated, and it seems my abilities don’t really cover that.”

  “How exactly are you helping her by lying on the ground in the middle of a park by yourself?” He swallowed the thick lump that tickled the back of his throat.

  She shrugged, jumping to her feet. “You’ll think I’m crazy if I tell you.”

  “Nothing crazy about wanting to help your sister. Where is she anyway?”

  “That sister isn’t with me.” Alexis pointed over her shoulder to a younger girl who also had long, dark hair. “That’s Willow, my baby sister.”

  “And what’s your name?”

  “Alexis Raven.” She held out her hand and smiled. “You?”

  “Hunter Knight.” The second his skin touched hers, the throbbing pain from the burn on his calf lessened.

  “Oh.” She squeezed. “Wow. Let me see.”

  “See what?” His body heated, and all his muscles relaxed as if he’d slipped in
to a bubbling hot tub.

  She cocked her head. “I want to see how bad the burn is.”

  “Huh?” He yanked his hand away. Coldness filled the aching bone in his leg.

  “Don’t let go. It’s easier for me this way.” She grabbed both his hands. Her thick lashes fluttered over her rich eyes. She groaned softly. “How did you get burned?”

  “My neighbor’s house caught fire, and I got burned while trying to help them out.” His calf prickled with fire at the memory, but that hadn’t been the worst of it.

  “Wow. You’re a real hero.”

  “No. I’m not. I did what anyone would have done.” He twisted his body, lifting his jeans. “It’s healing really well.”

  “I need to sit down.”

  “Okay.” Hunter helped her to the ground as her sister raced over.

  “If Mom finds out you’re healing strangers again, she’s going to be pissed,” Willow said.

  “So, don’t tell her,” Alexis whispered. She glided her fingers over the scar.

  His red skin turned pink under her touch. Even after two skin grafts, the burn hadn’t changed color. It still looked charred, as though someone used his leg to roast a marshmallow and dropped it in the fire.

  She sucked in a deep breath. Her tanned skin paled like a porcelain doll.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Hunter’s pulse soared. He tried to scoot away, but something stopped him. It was as if someone built an invisible wall around him.

  “Healing you is weakening her,” Willow said.

  “Make her stop,” Hunter said as the throbbing slowly left his body. “I don’t want to hurt her.”

  “I’m almost done.” Alexis leaned into her sister.

  Willow held her close, running her fingers through her long strands. “Your wound isn’t too bad, so she’ll bounce back quickly.”

  “It’s a little worse than it looks,” Alexis whispered. “But I can handle it.”

  “I don’t like this.” Hunter jerked his body to the left.

  “Don’t fight it,” Willow said as she smoothed down her sister’s hair. “She won’t stop until she’s done all that she can. She’s weird that way.”

  He sucked in a deep, cleansing breath, letting it out slowly. The longer Alexis held her hand on his scar, the more the ache deep in his bone vanished.

  The sky turned a dark red. The puffy clouds collided with one another until they opened up, showing him the past. He had yet to learn how to control his visions. His mother had always told him not to be afraid. That the apparitions weren’t real. They were things of the past. Things he could use to learn from.

  Things that could help the world.

  “Whoa,” Alexis whispered. “What is that?”

  “It’s the past, but other than that, I don’t know what it means.”

  “You’re one of us?” Willow asked. “You have abilities?”

  “I guess so.” Hunter had never spoken to a single soul about his visions. Or his ability to move small objects.

  Except his mother.

  And she encouraged him to hone the skills, but to always keep them close to his heart. Not to let anyone in until the time was right.

  Was this that time?

  “That’s amazing,” Alexis pointed to the sky. “Who are they?”

  “I have no idea.” A couple sat on a dock with their backs to him in what appeared to be a familiar small town on the Chesapeake Bay. “How is it that you can see them?”

  “I don’t know.” Alexis slumped back into her little sister’s arms. “They look happy.”

  Hunter had seen this couple before, but only their backs. No matter how hard he tried to change the angle of the vision, he could never see their faces. “I think they are because they’re almost always holding hands.”

  The vision floated higher in the sky, disappearing altogether.

  Hunter studied his leg where the burn mark had been. Tentatively, he reached out, his hand hovering over the area that just minutes ago had been deformed. “It’s gone.”

  “It’s healed,” Willow said as she cradled Alexis in her lap.

  “I hurt her.” He stared at Alexis. Her eyelids fluttered but never popped open. Her body lay limp in the grass. Panic grabbed ahold of his pulse.

  “I’m fine,” Alexis whispered. “I just need a few more minutes.”

  He glanced between the two sisters. This had to be some weird dream because burns don’t just vanish.

  “She can heal most things,” Willow said. Her mouth curved down into a frown. “Except she couldn’t heal Gabe’s mother. She died a few months ago of cancer.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” He rolled his pant leg down with shaky hands. Life often wasn’t fair, and he wasn’t sure if he deserved this second chance or not.

  “We should get home.” Alexis stood with the help of her sister.

  “Let me walk you. Young girls shouldn’t be out this late by themselves. There are a lot of dangerous people around here.” He also wanted to make sure that Alexis didn’t fall. He looped his arm around her waist. “Lean on me.”

  “You could be a dodgy person,” Willow said as she skipped off ahead. “But I know you’re not because you smell like Gabe, and he’s one of the good guys.”

  Alexis laughed. “He’s too old for you.”

  “He might be now. But one day, our age difference won’t matter.”

  “The same Gabe whose mother just died?” Hunter should really leave, but Alexis and her sisters intrigued him. Besides, his mother would ring his neck if he didn’t make sure they got home safely. He walked, without his limp, next to Alexis toward the park entrance. It had been months since he hadn’t hobbled with pain.

  “That’s the one. He’s eighteen, and she’s only eleven. She’s had a crush on him forever. He’s home from boot camp for a short time, and she’s been driving him crazy, I’m sure.”

  “Am not!” Willow glanced over her shoulder, sticking her tongue out.

  “What branch of service?” Hunter puffed out his chest. A sense of pride filled his heart, and excitement boiled in his gut.

  “Navy,” she said as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

  “I leave in two weeks for boot camp. Navy as well.”

  “Well, thank you for your service, in advance,” she said with a sweet, innocent smile.

  This little girl not only healed his burn, but she lifted his soul. “How old are you?”

  “I’m thirteen.” She glanced in his direction, her eyelids fluttering over those big almond eyes. “Too young for you.”

  He bit back an amused grin. He didn’t want to insult the poor child who had done so much for him in less than twenty minutes.

  “Besides, I don’t have time for boys. I’m going to be a doctor and heal people in ways the medical world could only dream of doing.”

  “Because you couldn’t save your neighbor?”

  She nodded. “This is my house.” She pointed to one of the big row houses on a side street in between Chestnut and Elm, not far outside of Wyman Park. “Thanks for walking us home.”

  “Thank you for healing my leg.”

  She shrugged. “Good luck in the Navy. Maybe someday we’ll see each other again.”

  “You’re going to make for a great doctor.” He waited for her to disappear into the house before heading back toward Johns Hopkins University, grateful he’d taken his mother’s advice.

  Present day in the space between the present and the past…

  “Alexis?” Hunter blinked his eyes. Darkness surrounded him. In the far distance, he heard voices. He tried to focus on them, hoping he could pull himself back to the reality plane.

  But they slowly faded until the silence engulfed him.

  “Alexis?”

  Nothing.

  Panic gripped his heart. He tempered his fear and focused harder on the girl who seemed to always have a foothold in his life.

  Alexis gasped, choking on the thick air as she sat in a wheelchair on the tarma
c somewhere in South Korea. Her heartbeat raced like a greyhound barreling around the track toward the finish line.

  “Are you okay?” Hazel, her sister, asked. “Is it really bad?”

  “I can deal with the pain, but his soul and mind separated from his body,” she managed with a ragged breath. Terror seized her heart, crushing her chest.

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s in the abyss.” Alexis closed her eyes. She needed to find him, and fast, or he might not ever come back.

  “That’s not good,” Hazel muttered.

  “How do I get in and find him?”

  “Savannah, Brett, and Chad have a tunnel they go through to remote view. Try that,” Hazel said with a steady tone. She’d always been able to keep her cool under even the most horrifying situations, and right now, Alexis needed her sister’s strength.

  “I have, but nothing is coming. Why don’t you try to have a vision and then pull me in like you did with Brett?” Alexis asked, only they’d attempted that the second they’d gotten word that Hunter had been on a medical transport.

  Hazel knelt. “Believe me, sister, I keep trying, but nothing is coming to me. If he is in the abyss, from what we know, there is no psychic energy there.”

  “I refuse to believe that. I have to get to him, or he’s going to die and that means so does the Collective Order.”

  “I know,” Hazel said.

  Alexis groaned as her insides burned with the heat of an inferno. The only thing keeping her from going crazy from the pain was the knowledge that for every ounce of hurt her body took, that meant less for Hunter.

  It also meant her healing powers were working, to a certain extent. All she needed to do was keep him alive until they could get him to a hospital where the combination of her talents and the gifts of modern medicine would bring him back to her.