Soul Surrender (The Soul Mark Series Book 3)

by Cara E Holt

  I walk and stand before the beautiful blonde and the two trolls who are holding her force her down to her knees. “Please don’t do this.” She begs me, her eyes plead with me.

  “I have to.” I tell her softly. I hate that I have to do this to her. “If I do this I get to free my father. Take comfort in by me doing this you will be helping to free him. You are helping him to be free.”

  She looks at me with tears in her eyes. “Will you tell him? Tell him the part I played? Maybe then he will finally feel some love towards me.”

  I offer her a soft smile. “I will tell him. I will make sure he knows that you fought until the end for him.”

  She smiles then, seeming at peace with what is about to happen. “You have his eyes.”

  I place my hands on either side of her head. “Close your eyes now and think of him.”

  She closes he eyes and a blissful smile appears on her face. I reach out with my power and find her defences are quite weak. I am able to easily enter her mind. I shift through hundreds of memories until I find all the ones of him. I am shocked to see that one of the first ones she has of him is from the fall. This woman before me is a fallen angel and I get the sad feeling she chose to fall with my father because she loved him and yet he never returned her love. Her wings and those of my fathers are glorious, bathed in white light. I watch as they fall and their wings lose their feathers and eventually become the grey flesh like colour they are now. She fell from heaven for him. I collect each and every one of her memories of him into a glowing orb of light within my mind. I decide I won’t destroy them. I will store them in a part of my brain and one day I hope I can give them back to her. I gasp as I collect her last memory of him. My father is chained to a stone pillar, he looks undernourished and pale. I pull her away from her, finally done.

  “It is done.”

  “Excellent.” Lucifer comes forward and I step away and back to where Kol is. “Tell me Deloras. Who do you love?”

  Deloras ponders his question and looks confused, like her mind is searching for an answer she cannot find. “I love someone but I can’t remember my Lord.”

  Lucifer nods, not betraying any emotions. “Tell me why did you choose to fall?”

  Again she looks puzzled. “I fell in support of you Lucifer Morningstar.”

  Lucifer grins and pats her cheek. “That’s right you did. Always so faithful to your leader. You may leave now Deloras.”

  Deloras bows her head to him and stands to turn and leave. As she does her eyes fall on me and she stops and stares at me for a second as if trying to place me but then she shakes her head as if dismissing the thought and walks through the crowd out of the hall. Lucifer has come to stand in front of me.

  “You did well. That was not an easy task.”

  I nod. “I’m a fast learner.” I have no desire for compliments from this man. I still when I feel my stomach roll and before I can think I vomit. I vomit all over Lucifer’s expensive looking shoes. Oh shit.

  “You okay?” Kol asks leaning over me.

  Lucifer stares at his shoes, a look of disgust on his face. “She has vomited on me.”

  “She has.” I see Kol fight off a smile and it makes me want to giggle but I hold it in. It was quite funny. I had been sick all over the devils shoes. Controlling my need to laugh I look up at Lucifer.

  “Sorry about the shoes.” I look down at his shoes and use my Fae magic to clean them up.

  “We are going straight to get you checked out. This is happening far too often.” Kol tells me his voice firm and I know there is little point fighting him on this.

  “How is she sick?” Lucifer asks Kol. “She is immortal?”

  Kol nods. “I know, but it has been happening quite a lot lately and she has been really tired.”

  “Are you with child?” Lucifer asks and I whip my head up to look at him.

  “Come again?”

  “Are you pregnant? Nausea and tiredness are symptoms for both Fae and demon pregnancies just as humans.” His gaze falls upon my stomach and anger crosses his features. “You had better not be pregnant.”

  I look at him puzzled. “Why is it so important to you that I have a child with Kol? What do you stand to gain?”

  Lucifer’s anger drops and he offers me a nonchalant shrug. “Naturally I do not want my son having to bring up that creatures child. A fae.” Lucifer turns to Kol and places his hand on his arm. “Take her now, get her checked out. I want to know the outcome immediately.”

  Kol nods and taking my hand in his we leave the hall.

  Katia I learn is a witch and a seer. Katia lives in the human realm and runs a small herbal shop. She looks to be in her late fifty’s and has unruly auburn hair that looks like to could do with a good brush. A pair of glasses perch precariously on the end of her nose. She grins warmly at Kol from behind the counter of her small and quaint shop.

  “Well hello old friend.”

  “Katia. It is good to see you.”

  She grins. “So this is her? The one you were obsessing over?” Her eyes fall upon me then and she smiles. “I can see why you like her. You were always a sucker for pretty eyes. Come on then,” she gestures for us to follow her, “Come through to the back room.” The back room as she calls it is like a throwback to the eighties. Two different patterned wallpapers are separated by a border. What catches my attention though is all the framed album covers from various artists from the eighties, including wham and Ah-ha.

  “My mum was a wham fan.” I tell her and she smiles back at me.

  “Ah what girl wasn’t back then. I miss my dear friend George very much.” She wipes away a tear from her eye and composes herself. “So what can I do for you old friend?”

  Kol gestures to me. “We need a pregnancy confirming.”

  “Ah you may be with child.” She frowns then as she searches over my body. “But not yours, she does not wear your brands.”

  “No not mine.” Kol confirms, giving little away.

  Katia gestures towards a wooden table at the back of the room. “Climb up on there and lie down. You will need to lift your top up so I have access to your stomach.”

  Doing as instructed and wondering what she is going to do to check out if I am pregnant. Kol helps me up onto the table and I lie back and lift my top so that my lower stomach is exposed. She comes towards me, with a long silver chain dangling in one of her hands. She lights a few candles around me on the table and then she leans over me with the chain so that it is dangling over my belly. At first the chain does nothing but then it starts to swing rapidly in an anti-clockwise direction.

  “Well?” I ask her impatiently.

  “No babies in here.” She pats my tummy gently. “You can get down now.”

  “You’re sure?” Kol asks her. He stands arms folded frowning. “She is being sick a lot and unusually tired.”

  Katia nods her head. “I’m sure. This is never wrong.” She tells him jangling the chain in her hands before she places it carefully back in an antique wooden box on the side. She looks at me, deep in thought. “You are a Tuatha goddess I hear?”

  I nod.

  “A triple goddess. The Morrigan. Three who are bound together like no others. Each one part of a whole.” She smiles then. “It looks like you are to be an Auntie. One of your sisters is pregnant. You are mirroring her symptoms because the bond between you all is so strong.”

  I shake my head. “Why didn’t I think of that? It makes perfect sense. We sometimes have experienced each other’s pain and so on.”

  “Any idea which sister it could be?” Kol asks.

  “No. I mean we suspect that Leora could be romantically involved with Devlon but we have never been able to confirm this. Alana and Blaine have obviously recently found each other, so you know, they have been at it like rabbits.”

  Kol grins at my reference. “So we are thinking it is more than likely Alana?”

  “More than likely, yeah.”

  “Glad I could help.” Katia tells us a
s she ushers us back through to the front of the shop. “How is that dastardly handsome brother of yours?”

  Kol laughs. “He is well. The same as always.”

  She sighs and looks all nostalgic. “Ah we had some good times back in the day. I remember a particular drunken party at Elton’s house.”

  Kol kisses her cheek. “I’m sure he will be along to see you soon.”

  She wags a solitary finger. “He’d better be. I may not be young and beautiful anymore but I once rocked that demons world.”

  My jaw falls open. Katia had been involved with one of Kol’s brothers? Katia laughs at me as she sees the realisation dawn on my face.

  “We were lovers.” She tells me. “Ah that demon had stamina.”

  Okay. That was too much information for me. “Okay. Well it was nice to meet you.” I offer her my hand and she bats it away and leans in and kisses both cheeks. “You take care. The path ahead of you will not be easy. Listen to your dreams. They warn you of events yet to take place.”

  Kol pulls a small wooden box out of his pocket. “Payment.” He tells her.

  She holds the box to her chest. “Just what I needed thank you. I was running low.”

  Kol takes my hand in his and guides us out of the shop. “How do you feel?”

  “Well if wasn’t feeling sick before I am now. Hearing her talk about your brother’s stamina!”

  Kol chuckles. “I meant how are you feeling about knowing that you are not pregnant?”

  “Oh that. Fucking relieved I can tell you. I am so not ready to be a mother. I can barely get myself ready for school never mind care for a baby.”

  Kol frowns. “My father is in my head. He wants me to report back to him.”

  “Well he will be happy I’m sure. Whilst you are there can you ask him if I can visit home?” Kol nods before he portals us back to the underworld to his house. Thanks to Lucifer and his demands it looks like dinner out was cancelled for tonight. “Kol, what was in that box you gave to Katia?”

  He smirks. “Always so inquisitive. That is between me and Katia and trust me you would rather not know.”

  “Okay. One last question. Which brother was she banging?”

  Kol laughs again. “Such a way with words. It was Nyle.”

  “Envy huh? I would have thought she’d been more of a Lothar girl.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

  Kol leaves me to go and feed back to his father and I throw myself down on the sofa and curl up with Failinis. He licks me face affectionately. “You miss me boy?” He whines as if answering me. “You are supposed to be a mythical beast. Shouldn’t you be able to talk?” He answers me by rolling over so that I can tickle his stomach. “I’m glad I have you boy, no matter how weird your arrival was.”

  “Wake up sleepy.” A soft voice pulls me from my slumber. I look up to find Kol leaning over me. “You let him on the sofa?”

  I bite my lip. Busted. “Yeah, he looked at me with those big puppy eyes and I couldn’t say no.”

  Kol scoffs. “Big puppy eyes. He’s a mythical wolf.”

  “Yeah but he’s a really cute wolf.” I sit up and rub my eyes and gently tell Failinis to get down. He looks sulkily at me and goes and lies down on the rug. “So how did it go with Daddy dearest?”

  Kol bobs his head side-to-side. “Okay. He agreed to a quick trip home.”

  I nod and pull at my sleeve unsure whether I should ask my next question. “So, it is Christmas in two days.”

  “I already asked him flower.” He strokes my arm. “He said no.”

  “Okay.” I hold back the tears that are threatening. It was just one stupid day so I shouldn’t get upset, but it was one day I loved. I loved having my family around me, our turkey roast dinner. Wearing the stupid paper hats from the crackers and reading the terrible jokes that came with them. “Could we not sneak out?”

  Kol looks at me and shakes his head. “No one comes in or out of hell without his permission. He can even stop me leaving.”

  “It was just an idea.” I play with the hem of my sleeve. “I hate him you know, your father.”

  “I know flower. I hate him sometimes too.”

  I yawn. Damn I was tired again. Whichever of my sisters was pregnant they had put me off for life. All this sickness and constant tiredness was a drain. “I need to go to bed. I’m beat.”

  “I need to go out and take care of that business I mentioned earlier.”

  I nod, yawning as I walk past him to the bedroom. “Say hello to that sexy vampire for me will you?”

  Kol chuckles. “I never said that was who I was going to see.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I reply as I sift off my clothes and into some PJ’s. “Have fun.”

  In my dreams I find myself stood on a beach, the sand soft between my bare toes. Before me is nothing but crystal blue ocean. It feels so peaceful and serene. I look down at my swollen stomach and rub it affectionately, a blissful smile on my face. The unborn child in my belly responds to my touch by kicking.

  I awake with a jolt. Had I dream walked into Leora’s reality? Or was it simply a dream given I had so much on my mind about one of my sisters being pregnant. I look at the clock and realise there is little point in going back to sleep now. I climb out of bed and walk into the main living area.

  “Holy glitter tits!” The room is decorated in fairy lights and a large Christmas tree sits in the corner of the room by the fire. It is decorated beautifully in silver and blue baubles. Hanging by the fire are two stockings, one with my name on and one with Kol’s. Under the tree are a pile of presents all wrapped in silver with pretty blue bows.

  “You like it?”

  I jump at the sound of his voice and turn to find him stood leaning against the kitchen island with a cute smile on his face.

  “You did this for me?”

  Kol gives me a quick nod in response and shuffles awkwardly under my gaze. I sift in front of him and standing on my tip-toes wrap my arms around him and hug him. “I love it so much, thank you.” I drop a kiss on his cheek.

  He grins and squeezes me tight. “I’m glad you like it flower. We’ll celebrate like the humans do. I even got those weird things you English like called Yorkshire puddings.”

  I beam up at him. “Really? God I love them smothered in gravy, they are so good.” I lick my lips as I reminisce about how good they are. Kol pulls back and rest his forehead against mine. His eyes are trained on my lips. “Don’t.” I plead. “Don’t put me in a position where I betray him.”

  He sighs. “In another lifetime flower you would have loved me.” He kisses my forehead and steps away from the island, putting distance between us. “So, I did good?”

  I smile, thankful that the atmosphere has cooled. “You did amazing. I mean you deserve a job in Bents. That’s a local store near home.” I explain. “Their decorated Christmas tree displays are amazing.”

  He is stood over by the tree now, admiring his handy work and he flicks a bauble with his finger. “I thought I would bring Christmas to you.”

  I laugh. “Oh my. Lucifer would not be happy if he saw this room.”

  He smiles and winks. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Anyway you go get ready. I’m taking you home today.”

  I screw my face up in excitement. “Today? Yes!” I sift into the closet grab some clothes and then sift myself into the bathroom. I was going home. It would only be a brief visit, but I’d take whatever time I could get.

  This time I don’t knock. I walk straight into the house and call for him. The living space is empty.

  “Alana.” I shout out but get no reply. “Looks like no one is home.”

  “You have an idea where they could be?”

  “I’ll call him down our mate bond.”

  Kol looks at me surprised. “You two can speak telepathically.”

  I nod feeling slightly self-conscious.

  “That’s rare you know?”

  “I do. I know there aren’t many couples that can. I guess it shows the s
trength of our bond.”

  He gives me a half smile. “I guess it does flower.”

  ‘Lorcen.’

  ‘Ebs? Wait I can hear you, does that mean your home?’

  ‘Yep I’m home and you’re not here.’

  ‘I’m in the unseelie realm with all the others. I’m on my way.’

  The butterflies race around my tummy in anticipation of seeing him. I look around the room and smile at the Christmas decorations. Alana’s doing no doubt. Kol leans in the doorway in his leather, with sunglasses on. He looks like he should be on the set of Sons of Anarchy.

  “You can come in you know.”

  He shakes his head. “Once they get here I’ll go for a walk, give you guys some space.”

  “Thank you.” I hope my eyes convey how grateful I am.

  The light of the portal pulls me from my demons eyes and I wait for the first glimpse of my mate. He comes through and holy mother of god, he is kitted out in full fae military attire. He looks every inch the gorgeous and royal prince of his realm. His green eyes fall upon mine with a grin so wide. He gives me that smile that shows his cute dimples. He stalks towards me and stops an inch from me.

  “Hello love.”

  “Hey you.” I reply smiling at him like a love-sick school girl.

  I see a flash of red hair come behind Lorcen and then I am picked up and twirled around. “Princess.” He puts me down on my feet and drops a big fat kiss on my cheek. “I have missed your pretty face.”

  “Missed you too Noah.”

  Megan comes up behind him and taps him on the arm. “Move over you’ve had your turn.” Megan pulls me into a hug. “It is so good to see you.”

  “I know.” I squeeze her just as tightly. As soon as Megan releases me I am lifted up off my feet again, this time by Blaine.

  “Ebony.” He greets me warmly before placing me down and moving to sit so that my sister is left before me.

  “Sister.” She simply greets before I pull her in and hug her. I pull back from her, holding her hands in mine.