Soul to Shepherd

by Linda Lamberson

  “Ugh,” I moaned.

  “What’s wrong?” Quinn asked.

  “I hate being cooped up in here for so long.”

  “Evie, we’ve only been sitting here for thirty minutes.”

  “Thirty-eight minutes.”

  “Fine. Thirty-eight minutes. Stakeouts take time.”

  “This is not a stakeout, Quinn. This is a joke. We’re sitting here waiting for someone who can be anywhere in the frickin’ universe right now. What makes you think he cares enough to stop by and grace us with his presence?”

  “Have a little faith.” I could tell from Quinn’s tone he wasn’t in the mood to deal with my whining.

  “Sorry,” I said, feeling a small pang of guilt over my behavior. “It’s just this whole thing is so frustrating. You’d think Ronald or Ruben, or whoever’s even remotely on our side, would be tripping over their feet to give us any useful information. But it’s like they’re avoiding us instead. I don’t get it.”

  “Ronald will show up. Trust me, he wants to see us. We’re like his pet project. And now that we’re soul magnets, we’re like an irresistible attraction. All we have to do is dangle ourselves in front of him long enough, and he’ll take the bait.”

  “I hope you’re right. And I hope he shows up soon,” I added under my breath, fidgeting in my seat as I tried to get more comfortable.

  “Come on,” Quinn said, sighing. He turned off the truck, stepped out of the car, walked around to my side, and opened the door.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Just c’mon.” Quinn took me by the hand, leading me across the street and into the store. Ten minutes later, we emerged from the mart with half a dozen magazines and a Chicago Tribune. We got back into the Defender, where I started flipping through the pages of my favorite magazine.

  “Happy now?”

  “Yes,” I purred. “Thanks.” I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

  “You’re welcome.” He smiled.

  A couple hours later, I was all caught up on the latest fashion trends and Hollywood gossip and had switched gears to an article on carbon footprints. Quinn had finished reading the paper and seemed content watching and waiting for Ronald.

  “Are you sure you don’t want something to read?”

  He picked up one of the fashion magazines I’d already read and looked at the cover. “Ten Essential Wardrobe ‘Must Haves’ for Fall.” He looked up at me. “I think I’ll pass.”

  “Suit yourself.” I giggled. “I have other stuff, too, you know.”

  “Thanks, but I’m good.”

  “Okay.” I turned back to the article I was reading but couldn’t focus on the words on the page because I was more interested in what was running through Quinn’s head.

  “Whatcha thinking about?” I asked, closing the magazine.

  “Nothing much.” His response was so automatic I doubted he’d even considered my question for more than a second.

  “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me.” I purposely tried to sound disappointed. “I mean, I don’t want to pry or anything.”

  “You’re not.” He glanced at me before gazing back out the windshield. “It’s just that I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t want to burden you with it all.”

  “We’re a team, remember? You shoulder some of my burden, and I shoulder some of yours. And, right now, I really want to know what’s on your mind.”

  “Honestly?” he asked, turning towards me. The look in his eyes made me a little uneasy.

  “Yes,” I replied, trying to sound as certain as I’d been the moment before.

  Quinn took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair as he exhaled. “Why did you duck out when I talked to my dad about us?” he asked.

  “I was too nervous to hear his reaction when he found out we were engaged.”

  “And you’re not even a little curious to find out what he said?”

  “Of course I am. I figured you’d tell me if you wanted, but you never did.”

  “Because you never asked.”

  “Okay.” I took a deep breath. “Well, I’m asking now.”

  He sighed heavily and looked out the front windshield again. “He wasn’t thrilled.”

  “He doesn’t like me?” I asked nervously.

  “No, he thinks you’re great—awesome, actually. He just thinks we’re rushing into things too fast. He said I’m too young.” He chuckled wryly. “And he said you’re way too young.”

  “I’m sensing a theme among your family—first Tommy, then your mom, now your dad,” I joked weakly.

  “Yeah, well, they don’t know the unique circumstances of our relationship.”

  “So, where did you leave it with him?”

  “I made him three promises.” He held up one finger. “One, I promised him you weren’t pregnant. Two,” he continued, holding up a second finger, “that we weren’t going to run off and elope anytime in the near future. And three, that we’d wait a while before setting an official date,” he finished, holding up a third finger.

  “And?”

  “After he lectured me about how I should wait to take such a big step in my life, he calmed down, poured us another scotch, and gave me some ‘marital advice.’”

  “Oh boy.” I sighed. “And what was that?”

  “Thirty-five years worth of lessons learned from being married to my mom.” Quinn chuckled.

  “That sounds a little rough—sorry.”

  “It wasn’t too bad. He did tell me one really good piece of advice though.”

  “Which is?”

  “He said to never go to bed angry on the off-chance you wake up the next morning and can’t say you’re sorry.”

  “That is good advice.”

  “Oh, and he also told me nine times out of ten the man is always right.” He smirked impishly.

  “He did not!” I exclaimed in shock.

  “He did! I swear!” Quinn’s smile grew even wider. “But then he added that it’s usually because his wife was the one telling him what to do in the first place.”

  We both laughed.

  “Well, you’ve been the one calling the right shots these days without my help—in fact, in spite of it at times,” I said.

  “Wait a minute, are you saying I’m right ninety percent of the time?” he asked, eyebrows cocked, shamelessly fishing for a compliment.

  “Let’s not go overboard.” I rolled my eyes. “All I meant was I think your gut instincts have been serving you well lately.”

  “You just don’t want to admit it.”

  “Admit what?”

  “That I’ve been right way more than you, lately.” He was grinning from ear to ear.

  “Are you done gloating?” I narrowed my eyes.

  “Not a chance,” he chuckled.

  “You know, you can be a real Grade A—”

  Quinn cut me off by leaning over and kissing me. “You know, you’re beautiful when you’re angry.”

  “Go ahead and soak it all up while you can, but your ego will get checked at the door when Ronald doesn’t show up,” I teased.

  “Oh yeah? And when he does show, I can’t wait to hear you tell me I was right, again,” he countered, gently tracing the length of my nose from bridge to tip with his finger before kissing me again.

  *

  Quinn’s lunch consisted of an energy drink, a bag of chips, and a candy bar.

  “How can you eat that for lunch?” I asked in disgust.

  “Stakeout food,” Quinn replied nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

  “And the doughnuts this morning?”

  “Also stakeout food.” He popped a chip in his mouth and then grinned.

  “I can’t wait to see what’s for dinner.”

  “Well, I don’t think you’ll get the chance to find out.” His posture straightened and he leaned forward to get a better look outside.

  “And why’s
that?” I stopped short when I sensed a very particular presence. “Ronald,” I said in disbelief. I scanned the street and saw him dressed in his homeless garb, walking with crate in hand to his usual spot. I quickly got out of the car and stood where he could see me.

  “Hello, Ronald,” I said telepathically.

  “Hello, angel,” he replied, smiling. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “It’s been a while,” I called out to him and smiled, at which point Quinn also got out of the car. Hand in hand, we walked over to Ronald.

  “Hello, my friend,” Ronald greeted Quinn. “My brother enjoyed meeting the two of you.”

  “I had no idea you were a twin,” Quinn replied.

  “Some family secrets are best kept under wraps, hmm?” Ronald winked at Quinn and flashed him the knowing look of someone who had a tense sibling relationship. Ronald then turned to me. “I do apologize for having to send him as my proxy. I was unavoidably detained.”

  “No need to apologize,” I replied. “Ruben was very informative.”

  “Yes, I’ll bet.” He shook his head disapprovingly. “He has the tact and compassion of a cantankerous rhinoceros.”

  “He wasn’t too bad, actually,” I offered.

  “Really.” Ronald sounded surprised. “Well, then, you must have made quite an impression on him. Speaking of which, I cannot help but notice the way you both are glowing.”

  “Our souls fused,” Quinn proudly announced.

  “Well, so they have,” Ronald took a step back and examined our auras more scrupulously. “Amazing. Another first for me—to witness the effects of the bond between true soul mates, who have risked opening themselves up to each other unconditionally, free of doubt or reservation. This is a once in a lifetime event—even for an immortal like myself.” Ronald extended his hand, passed it slowly between Quinn and me and then smiled. “The energy between you is simply electrifying.” He then leaned in and inhaled deeply, as if trying to ingest some of whatever he’d just felt.

  “Congratulations!” Ronald exclaimed, holding out his hand for Quinn to shake. “I must admit I had my doubts about you, but I am truly impressed, and more than a little intrigued, by how you captured her soul and made her fall so deeply in love with you.”

  “Thanks, I think,” Quinn said hesitantly as he shook Ronald’s hand.

  “Some day you must explain to me how you managed to do it, but right now I suppose there are more pressing matters at hand, and unfortunately, I am on borrowed time.” Ronald glanced around at the passersby, who soon would be within earshot of our conversation.

  “Let’s take a walk.” Ronald slung his bag over his shoulder, picked up his crate and headed down the street. Quinn and I followed him around the corner and into an alley where Ronald stashed his “props.” He emerged clean-shaven and wearing a white linen button-down shirt and khaki linen pants, both impeccably tailored, and brown leather loafers.

  “Whoa! Nice,” Quinn remarked, taken aback by Ronald’s appearance. I’d forgotten he’d never seen Ronald dressed this way before.

  “Armani,” Ronald said, sighing. “Such a guilty pleasure.” He motioned for us to follow as he began walking towards a small park a couple of blocks away, stopping once we’d reached a lone bench at the nearest edge of the playground.

  “Ronald, we have a few questions.” I paused and glanced over my shoulder. “But I’m not sure this is a secure place to talk.”

  “The only other ears I sense are those belonging to your two friends.”

  “Dylan and Minerva?” Quinn inquired.

  “Yes,” Ronald confirmed. “They are the only supernatural auras I sense—the only others within earshot of our conversation.”

  “Okay, then.” I took a deep breath and sighed heavily. “Ronald we need you to be straight with us—no more riddles or morals of the story, no more ambiguous answers.” I waited for Ronald to respond, but he said nothing. “And no more silent non-answers either,” I added.

  Ronald chuckled. “I will answer your questions to the best of my ability.”

  “Here goes,” I said tentatively and looked at Quinn, who gave me a quick encouraging nod. “At first, all the information I’d heard pointed to the Servants attacking Quinn during the full moon on the eighteenth of July. So we took whatever precautions we could to prevent the attack—”

  “You sought to retrieve the blood stolen from Quinn.”

  “Yes,” I replied in surprise.

  “And then you two hid until after the full moon had passed,” Ronald stated matter-of-factly. “I am curious, where did you go?”

  “Somewhere they couldn’t find us,” Quinn chimed in, letting me off the hook.

  Ronald smiled, realizing neither Quinn nor I had any intention of filling in the blanks.

  “How do you know all of this?” I asked.

  “Angel, there is very little I do not know.” He raised his eyebrows, as if daring us to challenge the depth of his knowledge.

  “Well, that’s good because right now we have no idea what’s going on or what’s going to happen next,” Quinn stated.

  “After we prevented the ritual, I just assumed the Servants would try to go after Quinn again—to try to get more of his blood,” I said. “But they attacked me instead. It was like they weren’t even concerned about Quinn—almost like he wasn’t even on their radar.”

  “Oh, trust me, he’s still on their radar,” Ronald cautioned. “But those two demons were on assignment to target you—or, more specifically, your blood.”

  “But why?” Quinn asked. “Why destroy Evie before trying to convert me?”

  “I don’t think they planned on destroying Evie that particular evening—if that still is their plan at all.”

  “What do you mean ‘if that is still their plan’?” Quinn asked.

  “The future seems strangely undecided on that point—like two different forces are pulling in opposite directions.”

  “So was Minerva right?” I asked. “Mathius thinks I’ll fall from grace and sacrifice my soul if they convert Quinn?”

  “It is one possible future,” Ronald replied. A shiver ran down my spine, and I looked at Quinn; he looked equally unsettled.

  “But not the only possible future,” Quinn half-stated, half-asked.

  “No, not the only possible one.”

  “Have you seen a future where they destroy her?” Quinn practically demanded.

  “I think the better question is: ‘How do we find a way to deny them that opportunity in the first place?’ Eve,” Ronald continued without waiting for our answer. “Do you two still have the blood the Moon Mercenaries retrieved?”

  “No, we got rid of it. We didn’t want to take any chances.”

  “Hmm.” Ronald furrowed his brow.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Everything has been in a state of flux for some time now, making my job … tricky. Examining the blood you retrieved could have allowed us to rule out a few things.”

  “Like what?” Quinn inquired.

  “Like whether or not it was actually yours.”

  “What are you talking about?” I exclaimed. “Of course it was Quinn’s! The Moon Mercenaries tested it. It was nearly identical to the blood running through his veins right now.”

  “‘Nearly identical’?” Ronald asked.

  “Well, yeah,” I replied, flustered. “Jaegar and Chase blamed the variation in the samples on the blood they retrieved already having had been contaminated—that it’d already begun to mutate.”

  “That is one theory.” Ronald sighed, retrieving a handkerchief from his pants pocket and brushing off the seat of the bench before sitting down. “Allow me to throw out an alternative explanation: Suppose the Servants were able to get their hands on the blood of someone so genetically close to Quinn the two could easily be confused as twins—”

  “But they weren’t twins,” Quinn whispered as his eyes grew wide and the color began to drain from his face.

  “No, but t
hey were brothers,” Ronald added, nodding knowingly at Quinn.

  “It was Brady’s blood we got back, wasn’t it? It was all a setup.” Quinn now looked as pale as a ghost.

  “Yes, that is what we believe.”

  “So those two Mercenary bastards were in on it right from the beginning,” Quinn declared.

  “I doubt Jaegar and Chase were in bed with the Servants. As cunning and self-serving as those two can be, they are not ones to renege on their deals. They were most likely fooled as well. After all, the blood was nearly identical to yours.”

  “Still, they didn’t hold up their end of the bargain,” Quinn pointed out angrily.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I said dejectedly. “The damage is already done. We can’t get your blood back at this point because the Servants will know we’re coming for it. And besides, I’ve already paid the Moon Mercenaries in full.” I felt anger welling up inside me. “Why would the Servants go through all that trouble if they weren’t even planning on doing anything during the last full moon?”

  “Who said they didn’t do anything?” Ronald remarked. “The way I see it, the Servants set off a very interesting chain of events. For instance, I am fairly certain they knew the sacrifice you would have to make to get Quinn’s blood back, and I am sure you now have discovered firsthand just how hefty a price it was now that your debt has been paid.” I immediately blushed in humiliation. “The attack the other night might have been nothing more than a test to determine if you had regained your strength.”

  I flashed back to the Servants’ attack on me at the club. I was still shocked by how incredibly strong they’d become the instant they ingested my blood.

  “You mean it was a test to confirm that our souls had bonded to the point where she would’ve regained her strength by now,” Quinn rephrased. Ronald responded with a quick nod.

  “And to get another taste of my blood—blood that’s probably already in the Servants’ hands thanks to my deal with Jaegar and Chase. Blood they can use to their advantage the next time they fight us.” I shook my head in disgust, realizing I’d played right into the Servants’ hands.