The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5)

by Laurie Olerich

  Turning the volume down, I complained, “I still don’t see what’s so great about this car. No power steering, no power brakes or windows! How am I even going to be able to drive it? It’s got a gear shift, for crying out loud. Why couldn’t we take the other car?”

  He rubbed his hand lovingly along the top of the steering wheel and closed his eyes in apparent bliss. “You will never understand, love.” He stretched his legs and yawned while looking at his watch.

  “Heads up. It’s time. Are you ready?” He’d turned the stereo off and put on his alert face once more.

  “I’m ready.” I dragged my window closed so no one could see inside and slunk down in the seat.

  After a few minutes, Sean said, “There he is now.” In a lower voice, “Damn, he’s got a girl with him.” As planned, he started the engine and we got ready to follow our target.

  Scott Flynn drove a red pickup truck with raised wheels and a gun rack. The rack had multiple occupants. The bed was covered with a black tonneau cover so the contents were hidden. I wondered what he had under there. An axe? Garbage bags? Scissors? As we watched, he smiled charmingly at the brunette he was with. She had a pretty smile and used it often as he walked her to his truck. His dark hair was still long and floated away from his face with the breeze. The deep-set dark eyes were exactly the same as I’d seen them in my nightmares. He had a heavy brow bone that gave him a slightly uncivilized appearance. Heavy brows and cheekbones with a hard mouth and mysterious hooded eyes all worked together to create a face that was both handsome and frightening. Like the devil himself I’d thought on more than one occasion. In the right light, he was terrifying.

  “What are we going to do with that girl?”

  Sean shrugged and answered, “We’ll see what happens.” He slowed the car to fall back some and I felt the transmission shift with a rumble. The vibration surprised me.

  Scott was driving straight through town, and we were three cars back. It was close to 11:00 now and he’d just left work. It was Friday night and he was taking some girl out for a good time. He pulled up to a convenience store and ran inside. Idling down the block, Sean was deep in thought. Fingers drumming, he said, “Can you get a read on him?”

  “You want me to get inside his head? Eeeww!” The man was a horrible excuse for a human. The inside of his head probably squirmed with worms. I'd have to bleach my eyeballs after going in.

  He reached over and squeezed my leg gently. “You’re safe from him now. There is no way he will ever touch you again.” Squeezing once more, he added, “We have to know what he’s planning. It would cut out a lot of guesswork if you can read him. Try, babe.” His eyes met mine and he nodded in encouragement.

  “Okay, I’ll try. But you’ll have to stay closer.”

  Scott swaggered out of the store with a 12 pack of beer in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other. He surveyed the street like he owned it before getting back into his truck. His hand hung partly out of the open window as he dangled the cigarette. He drove directly towards us, and I dove across Sean’s lap to hide. Sean turned the other way as Scott drove by. As I slid back into my seat, Sean peered at his lap with a sigh and started the engine.

  Now that we were back on the road, I tried to reach out to Scott and his slimy mind. Ignoring the sounds of traffic and the motion of the car turning corners, I concentrated and…nothing. I took a deep breath and sent my mind out again. I couldn’t even sense him. There was nothing, just a void as if he wasn’t there. Maybe we were too far away from him? I was about to try again when I felt the car brake and stop.

  The sounds of teenagers laughing and having a good time greeted me as I got my bearings. Ah, Peabody’s. A place I knew well. Scott parked down the street and walked over to the passenger side to help his girl out of the truck. He started to help her down and then stopped her partway down so she was pressed against him in the doorway. He had one arm wrapped around her holding her up and the other casually braced on the doorframe. His back filled the door so I couldn’t see what her face looked like. He was relaxed though and seemed to be kissing her.

  Suddenly his head snapped back and he stiffened. But then just as quickly he stepped back and pulled her out of the door with a laugh. Even from here, I could tell that wasn’t a sincere laugh. The sound was off and his shoulders were stiff as he draped an arm around her.

  “Let’s rock. We’re up.” Sean grabbed the keys and started to open the door when I reached over to stop him.

  “Wait! How do you want me to act in there? I’m nervous now.”

  He pulled me over and kissed me thoroughly. I was glowing slightly by the time he leaned away from me.

  “There. Now you look like a girl out on a date.” Just as fast, the soldier was back, and he was all frowns again. “Act like we’re on a date and you’re gonna get laid tonight. You focus on me like I’m your whole world. If he's the one we're looking for, he'll react. He won’t be able to stand watching you with me. Just don’t go anywhere without me.” He kissed me again, sweetly this time, and said, “I’ll keep an eye on Flynn, and we’ll wing it from there.”

  Peabody’s was packed with college kids, and we had to wend our way through the crowd. Sean took my hand and cleared a path leaving startled faces staring after us. I smiled to myself. He could put off whatever vibe he needed to get what he wanted. If it was cooperation he wanted, he either went with suppressed violence or affable party goer. Tonight, it looked like suppressed violence was taking the lead. I sighed to myself. There would be trouble later. No doubt. For now, I clung to his hand like he was my only thought in the world and pasted a vapid smile on my face.

  I spotted Scott and his date before Sean did and tugged his wrist to the left. Without making eye contact with Scott, Sean sauntered across the room to a place opposite our quarry. So far, I didn’t think Scott had seen us. It was really crowded, and he had both eyes and his hands all over his date at the moment. He was showing her how to hold a pool cue. Who knew it was a full contact sport? Sean pulled up a bar stool and hovered over me like a good boyfriend would. With one eye on Scott, he focused his hands and the rest of his body on me. Strong fingers linked in mine and pulled me closer still. I leaned back against him and nearly melted.

  Fanning myself, I tilted my face towards his ear. “You are ridiculously hot,” I said under my breath.

  He raised his eyebrows at that. “That a compliment or a complaint?”

  I elbowed his ribs playfully and smiled up at him. “You’re burning up. Are you okay?”

  He leaned into my ear and whispered, “I hate to tell you this, darlin’, but you’re the one who’s burning up.” He pulled back slightly, and his eyes went round. In a very low voice he hissed, “Your eyes are glowing! Stop that!”

  To cover my surprise and well, my glowing eyes, I closed them and pressed my face against the muscles of his chest. Deep breaths, deep breaths, I chanted to myself. To anyone who was watching, I was just snuggling with my man. Nope, there was nothing weird to see here. Why were my eyes glowing?

  After a minute or so, I cautiously peeked up at him, and he leaned in to kiss me. Taking his time, he kissed me in that special way that proclaims to the world that we’re having sex later. Just in case any foolish mortal guy thought to hit on me tonight. Claim staked. I laughed against his mouth and pulled back grinning.

  “I thought we’re acting here. You’re excited.” I dipped my finger inside the top of his jeans. Rock hard stomach muscles contracted at my touch.

  “Of course I am. You’re setting my blood on fire.” He leaned back nonchalantly on his elbows, and I quickly stood in front of him. The ladies didn’t need to have their questions answered. “Besides, who says we’re not having sex later? I think it’s a great idea.”

  “Do you two want drinks or a room?” an amused voice interrupted my witty comeback. A waitress appeared next to us with a tray of empty glasses. She was a cute little redhead with green eyes and alabaster skin. Only about five feet tall, she had a goo
d view of Sean’s assets and her smile widened wickedly.

  “Back off, sister. He’s mine!” I joked with a real smile. “I’d kill for some water though.”

  She laughed and said with an exaggerated shiver, “Mmm, I’m gonna let you keep this one. He’s a little scary.”

  “You’ve no idea,” I told her in a stage whisper.

  Sean winked at her and said, “I’ll take a Sam Adams.”

  I thought it was safe to sit down again and looked around the bar. I recognized a couple of old friends from high school, but no one else looked familiar. I scanned the crowd while pretending to send text messages on my phone. Sean had his big body draped behind me as he pretended to read my texts. Every so often, he’d whisper something to make me laugh out loud. We’d been there a half hour, and Scott hadn’t taken the bait. I had to pee.

  “I’m going to the bathroom.”

  “Not alone, you’re not.”

  “You can walk me there and wait, or you can stay here and watch Scott.”

  We threaded our way to the hall where the bathrooms were and there was a long line of girls waiting. “I’ll be fine here. Why don’t you go back and wait? It’s packed with witnesses. What could happen?” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his worried frown.

  The wait took about 20 minutes, and I was bouncing up and down by the time I got into the bathroom. Hurrying to an open stall, I closed the door in profound relief. As soon as I flushed and buttoned my jeans, the room was plunged into total darkness. All around me girls started screaming in the dark. Any second now, the lights should blink back on. Power surges were no big deal. I opened the stall and felt my way through the tiny room. Drunk and panicked, girls started shoving to get out of the room and the screaming got worse.

  Not wanting to get trampled by idiots, I slipped back into a stall and waited for the herd to cull itself. I had my purse with me and dug out my cell phone. It had a flashlight app. I also had my gun. Not good to pull out a gun in a bar though. It’s not exactly legal here. Putting the gun back, I slid my knife into my front pocket. The screaming was down to a dull roar outside in the hallway, so I thought I could get out of here now. Sean had to be worrying out there. I was a little surprised he hadn’t already found me.

  The scene that greeted me when I came out of the bathroom was so bizarre I couldn’t understand what I was seeing at first. The emergency lights were on and blinking red and white in the corners but white smoke filled the rooms. The smoke had a slight ammonia odor which seemed out of place here. Surely that’s not from a trash can fire? Eerie shadows flickered here and there like some kind of demented ghosts. Groans and occasional shouts punctuated the muffled silence. Most of the people were gone, but there were bodies lying on the floor and sirens screaming outside. I couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of me, but I ran down the hallway, dodging bodies as I went. I had to find Sean and get out of here. There was something very wrong. I had a really bad feeling about this. As I came to the doorway to the main room, my brain screamed a warning, and I reacted automatically.

  Knife in hand, I whipped around in a crouch to defend myself. I nearly dropped the knife in shock as he moved towards me with a greasy smile. Knowing I couldn’t outrun him, I planted my feet and yelled for Declan, Killian, and Sean as loudly as I could. Swallowing my terror, I stood my ground and waited.

  “I was very disappointed to find you’d left me alive, Mica.” His reptilian eyes adjusted to the light with shrinking pupils. He seemed in no hurry as he stalked towards me. “How is your memory now?” He seemed to hiss the words so quiet was the sound.

  He knows I know now? How is that possible? I held the knife higher and said, “This knife will protect me from you. It’s killed demons before!” Come on, come on, Dec, where are you? What if he can’t come? Killian! Help me!

  He considered the carvings on the knife with narrowed eyes and paused. “So you think you can destroy me? Silly woman, you can’t hurt me. You’re powerless against me.” His voice rose as he got closer to me.

  As he approached, he straightened each finger so that the three-inch claws popped out of the ends one at a time. The effect was paralyzing. I couldn’t take my eyes off the claws. I knew exactly how it would feel for them to dig into my skin.

  “You are going to die now, and I will forget you as soon as you’re gone. You are nothing but a loose end to me. I have what I wanted.” His smile showed his two rows of fangs.

  Stalling, I said, “Congratulations. What are you going to with it now? Should I be worried?”

  His laughter pierced my eardrums like claws on a chalkboard. He was slowly shedding his human façade as he moved. The skin peeled away to show the black scales underneath. Like a snake shedding its skin, it flaked off and fell in long tendrils. One half of his face was already bare and gleamed in the dim light.

  He bragged, “You’ll be dead. Your precious Primani can’t undo that. But I can. I will bring hell to earth for eternity.” He considered me with lust in his eyes. “Perhaps I will bring you back to entertain me.”

  He was right in front of me now, and I turned to bolt just as he reached out to grab my throat. As soon as he touched me, my runes crackled like lightning and he flew backwards. By the time he landed on the floor, Killian and Sean were standing between us.

  “I’ve been waiting for you,” Killian snarled in his throat as he raised his glowing hand.

  Sean shoved me down the hallway as Killian lunged.

  “He did what?” I asked for the second time and tried to brace myself.

  Sean was driving the car like the demons were chasing us. I flew sideways into the door and yelped when my elbow got smashed.

  “He vanished. Instead of fighting, he vanished. It was crazy.” Slamming the car into a lower gear, he skidded to a stop in the driveway. He grabbed my hand and in a heartbeat we were in the living room. This was different from traveling. This was just moving really fast, and he’d never done it with me before. I didn’t like the feeling, my head was spinning and I sank to my knees.

  “Sorry, babe. Put your head in your hands for a minute.” He was agitated, running a hand through his hair and looking at the clock. “Where is Dec? It’s been more than half an hour.”

  The dizziness was gone and I worried with him. Dec was out with James tonight. They should’ve been back by now, and Dec should’ve been able to respond to my call, unless something had happened.

  Killian stalked in from the kitchen just then. Eyes burning like lasers, he was practically glowing with fury. Out of all of them, he was usually the most controlled. He rarely showed any outward sign that he wasn’t just an ordinary young man. The only time I’d seen his eyes burn was when he traveled or in the middle of a serious fight with demons.

  “Sean, Mica, what happened tonight?”

  Sean briefed him on tailing Scott to the bar and watching him and the brunette. They’d both been at the same table when I went to the bathroom and Scott was there when Sean got back from the bathroom. I filled him in what the demon said. He watched my face intently while I spoke.

  “And the last thing he said was, quote: You’ll be dead. Your precious Primani can’t undo that. But I can. I will bring hell to earth for eternity. Then he looked at me like he wanted to have sex with me and said this creepy line, Perhaps, I will bring you back to entertain me. What the hell does that mean?”

  I was freaked out all over again and walked over to the window to release some tension. “Bring me back from where?”

  Killian had stood very still while I repeated the demon’s boasts. When I said the last part he flinched back and his face went blank. The expression on his face turned my blood to ice crystals. He didn’t move, didn’t blink, didn’t breathe for what seemed like hours. The blood drained from his face and his lips turned bluish.

  I clung to Sean’s side and said, “What’s he doing?”

  Sean was as clueless as I was and just whispered, “Wait.”

  Killian? What’s wrong?

&nb
sp; Nothing. No answer. No comment. Silence inside my head.

  Please let us help! Let me in, please.

  Silence.

  Suddenly he sank to his knees as if a great weight was dropped on him. He stared out at something we couldn't see, his lips moving in soundless incantation. His pain was breaking my heart. He was still a million miles away, so I reached out to him and squeezed his hand to show him we were still here for him. Maybe the physical contact will reach him and bring him out of this shock. But just as I held his hand in mine, he vanished into space.

  The first thing I noticed was the roar of the ocean as it hurled itself against the rocks. The second thing I noticed was the pain in my hand as my knuckles were ground together. Attempting to yank my hand away only provoked an already angry man. Eyes burning like twin stars, he was definitely out of shock and fully pissed off now.

  Before I could say a word, he yanked me to him and snarled down at me, “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Wincing, I cried, “It was an accident! I didn’t mean to come!”

  “You can’t be here now! Oh, fuck, Mica!” He shook me so hard my teeth rattled. “It’s not safe for you to be with me right now. This is very bad. I need to do some things, and I can’t do them with you here.”

  “Look, I’m here and I’ll just sit by the rocks and let you do your thing. I might be able to help or I can just keep you company.” I hesitated but touched my rune to his. They glowed on contact. “See? I belong with you.”

  Still very distracted, he gave me a weak smile at that and gave in. “Come on, we need to get to the ruins.” He took off ahead of me, and I jogged to keep up.