Souljacker

by Kodilynn Calhoun

  I must’ve dozed off, because the next thing I hear is: “So I blasted the Unseelie bit—”He catches himself. “Witch back to where she came from. She gave me this death glare and poofed, taking her hellhounds with her. MaXXX: one, Evil-Doers: zilch. The end.”

  The kids cheer and I give him a hand. If anything else, his dramatics were entertaining.

  “Thank you, MaXXX, for that lovely entertainment.”

  Iofiel nudges me with his elbow and I sleepily sit up. I rub at my eyes. Diesel stands at the back of the group, clapping quietly. But it’s the petite redhead peeking out from behind her that has my heart clogging my throat, in need of some serious Drain-O.

  Sync.

  “Luce!” Her voice is no longer tinged with a British accent, but it’s soft, young, innocent. “It worked!” She dances around, touching her face with the palms of her hands. “It really worked. Ohmygod, thank you, thank you!”

  She wraps her arms around my neck so hard that I’m literally choking. She squeaks and drops me quickly. “Oops, sorry. Still don’t know my own strength.”

  I grin at her despite the watering of my eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m glad it worked. Stand still, let me see you.” I step back and she obeys, hands planted on her hips, one hip thrust out in a sassy pose. “You’re beautiful, Sync.”

  “I know!” Not at all modest, but why should she be? All her life, she’s had a little metal shell…and now she’s a stunning android with those long, sexy legs she’s wanted for forever.

  And a grin slowly creeps across my face as I remember: “I have someone I want you to meet. Close your eyes and give me your hand.”

  She smiles and closes them. Then, with her hand clasped in mine, I lead her over to MaXXX. His blue eyes widen as he looks her up, down, and up again. His lips curl into a smile.

  “This is my friend I told you about. She’s your biggest fan.” I place Sync’s hand gently in his palm and his fingers curl around it.

  “Why, hello gorgeous.”

  Her eyes flutter open and she freezes. I can practically see the cogs in her little robot brain working as she realizes who exactly she’s staring at. Had she been human, she’d probably be three different shades of pink right about now. Instead she squeals loud enough that heads turn our way.

  “Ohmygoddddd. MaXXX? Seriously?”

  “In the flesh, babygirl.” He flashes his one-hundred-ten watt smile and she melts.

  “I think I’m in love.”

  ***

  The next week flies by in a blur. Diesel arranges it so that Sync, Caddie, and I have our own bunks in the cottage where all the girls sleep. Caddie loudly calls a top bunk and I clamber into the one beneath her. Sync takes the bed beside me. Jolee’s grinning down at us from up top. “I can’t believe you guys are sleeping in my room. It’s so exciting!”

  I’ll admit, I was bummed at first when I realized I wouldn’t be able to spend anymore nights curled up in the comfort of Iofiel’s arms, and judging by the look on his face when Diesel led us away, I’d say he’s a bit torn about that too. But we have the entire day with each other and whenever we leave Polaris, we’ll have nights together once again.

  “It’s just a temporary thing,” I’d said, giving him the biggest hug I could muster. He only smiled and kissed my lips chastely, knowing we were being watched by young eyes. “I love you.”

  “Always and forever.”

  But he seems distant.

  We spend the week doing next to nothing, really, but I fall easily into routine: Wake up by ten, eat breakfast in the mess hall, and the older kids take their showers. Then we have lunch, basic sparring and training with the eldest Mithos besides Diesel, the ever-smiling boy who can put up wards. He’s called Gale. After that, it’s the typical game night, dinner by seven, story time, showers for the younger kids, and bed before ten.

  I’m actually enjoying myself, even if the days are uneventful. For once in my life, I’m not shunned because of my oddity. Here, everyone can do something and it just makes us unique. Not freaks of nature, but wholly natural beings of Polaris. And despite the town’s shoddy appearance, it’s not bad.

  It’s more of a home than any of the foster places I’ve ever lived at.

  “Hey!” An aqua ball whizzes past my head as Tucker, an eight-year-old who can control and manipulate water, lobs it. He’s grinning like the Cheshire cat, his carrot-red hair unruly.

  MaXXX spins and reaches out, slamming his hand through the orb and it explodes in a splatter of liquid that turns his grey shirt black. With a frown, he turns on Tucker, who stops laughing and sobers up.

  “You know the rules, Tuck.” His voice is calm and quiet, but resonating deep within it is disappointment. The only strict rule Diesel has is that no Mithos use his or her power for fun when they’re not inside the sparring arena, which is double warded. If everyone used their ability whenever they wanted, it would surge and send the Unseelie straight to Polaris. We’d all be dead meat.

  Tucker grumbles and stomps his foot. “That’s not fair.”

  “Rules are rules for a reason.”

  “They suck!”

  “Sorry, kiddo.” MaXXX walks up to the boy and picks him up. Tucker lashes out, but MaXXX is stronger and faster and holds him tightly to his chest so he can’t do any more harm. With the boy thrashing in his grip, he takes him to the Time Out corner.

  I catch the gleam of approval in Caddie’s gaze. She’s taken with MaXXX, even if she won’t admit it. I can’t really blame her: He’s almost perfect. Almost. A little too cocky in the ladies department, but he’s strong, smart, and sweet. Not to mention one gorgeous hunk of guy-flesh. And he knows how to handle all the kids, temper tantrums or not, and he does it without raising his voice. Maybe it’s because he’s just a big kid himself.

  But it’s Sync who’s the most smitten. If it’s possible for an android to fall in love, she most certainly has. She spends a lot of her time with him, following him around as he teaches her different things, but he seems all the more pleased with her undivided attention.

  “Are you sure you’re not mad with me, Luce? I’m ditching you…” She hunches her shoulders and shifts her weight from side to side, watching me for a reaction.

  “It’s fine! I’ve got Caddie.” And Iofiel, but he’s been a little…off lately.

  “Ah, actually you don’t.” Sync points to where Caddie, Lake, and Fallon are chatting, their heads tipped together. Caddie spies us, waves, and winks.

  I chuckle. “It doesn’t matter, okay? I’m not angry—I’m glad you like MaXXXXX! This is your dream, isn’t it?”

  “I think I love him…” Her voice is soft. “But…I need to tell him that I’m not…real.”

  I frown at that. “Real? Who’s he to say you’re real or not? You’re real, you’re just not quite human.”

  “That’s what I meant.”

  “But you’re real. Don’t ever think that you’re not. There are always other guys. Guys who will accept you, if the almighty MaXXX is too manly to see a beautiful android as his girlfriend.” I huff. “I’ll beat his ass up.”

  “Luce.” She huffs, back to her usual self again. “I’m going to tell him…soon. Not yet. But soon. I’ll see you at dinner?”

  “Definitely,” I agree and she hops off to find her knight in shining armor.

  I start walking. I don’t have a destination, so I just wander up and down the street, unsure of what to do with myself. As always, my mind drifts back to Iofiel, to his suddenly quiet demeanor, to the nerves that make him paranoid. I’ve seen the way he throws glances over his shoulder, watching Polaris’s territory line. I want to find him and ask him what’s going on, but…I don’t know what to say. For once since I met him, I feel at a loss for words.

  He’s spent the last few days in chosen solitude, ever watchful, patrolling the streets long after I’ve gone to bed; I see him through the window of our cottage, shrouded by shadows and moonlight. Maybe he’s just nervous that Lylan will find us.

>   I know he doesn’t really like it here. Even if most of the older Mithos tolerate him among their ranks, they’re not exceptionally friendly. He’s the outcast here, the only person who has no power to call his own. I don’t want to admit it, but I’ve heard the whispers—he’s a freak even when he hides his cyborg-self from the world with Realskin and Diesel’s molded face plate.

  He might appear human, but he’ll never pass as one. Not to them.

  But what if how he’s acting is more than just your usual unease? Rumors have spread like wildfire, whispered between the bunks at night by the older girls. Girls who admire him from afar, but fear him on the surface. Just for what he is. What he used to be a part of.

  “I don’t feel safe under that thing’s watch. It’s like he’s waiting. Waiting for his pack to intercept us. It’ll probably happen at night: Cyberhounds will flood Polaris and take us by storm, tipped off by that boy. Diesel’s crazy for letting him stay. Her heart’s too soft. He’s a ticking time bomb.”

  I’d pretended to be asleep, pretended that I never heard them talking about him like that.

  But it’s been lodged in my mind ever since.

  I know Iofiel—but he’s never acted this way before, like there’s miles between us and I can’t hear his voice anymore, no matter how hard he shouts. It scares me a little bit. I love him, and I know it’s stupid, but…what if they’re right? What if he’s waiting for Lylan and the Pack? What if he’s gathered us all here together, planning a mass ambush on a sleepy little town?

  Oh, God, Lucifer Swift! How could you think like that? I shake my head violently, feeling dread well in my stomach, mixed with nausea at those rancid thoughts. I feel dirty, just thinking it. I scrub my hands over my arms and press on. This time, I have a destination.

  I have to find him. I have to talk to him, right these wrongs that I’ve committed just by thinking. He wouldn’t hurt anyone. He’s mine and I’m his. I love him.

  But I can’t find him. I ask around, but no one’s seen him. I even check the Chopshop, but the front room is empty and the back room is shut tight. With a sigh, I turn on my heel and let the bells chime my goodbye to no one in particular.

  “You look conflicted, sweetie. What’s up?” MaXXX leans against the building, head tipped to one side. His hair is wild and unruly today. He runs a hand through it and offers me a smile.

  I sigh, feeling alone and empty for once in a long time. “I am.”

  I expect him to prod, poke into my head and pry my thoughts out with his fingertips, but he merely shrugs. “Know what cures a bad case of confliction? Burning energy, baby. Come with me.” He places a hand on my shoulder, which I hate to admit I’m all too aware of, and he leads me to the warded building that houses Polaris’s sparring arena.

  It’s just a large, gutted room with padded floors and walls. Each wall is sketched with an emblem of purity, warding anyone in the room from being picked up by any sort of supernatural tracker. If we used our powers in here, it would keep a surge from being sent out to the cyberhounds and, ultimately, the Unseelie.

  MaXXX steps into the arena and spreads his arms wide. “What do you have to lose?” He’s smiling as he pulls off a pair of skin-tight, black leather gloves and I realize that I haven’t ever seen his hands bared to the world before. Even during Elysium’s concerts, he wears gloves and he doesn’t show a lot of skin. I thought it was just part of his look.

  We lob a few power balls back and forth, the energy bright and silvery, leaving streaks through the air as they fly. I watch his hands—musician’s hands with long, elegant fingers—as they cup and pulse with the power that he reflects.

  “So what’s with the gloves?” I can’t keep the curiosity in any longer.

  He stiffens, his eyes darkening two shades, if that’s even possible. He shrugs a shoulder, nonchalant. “I’m dangerous, sweetie.”

  His words, the way he says them with such vehemence… It’s like I can see straight into his soul. Maybe he is just a wonderfully talented actor and this is all just one big façade. I step closer. He regards me cautiously.

  “Everyone has the power to be dangerous to some extent. It’s just how you use it.”

  The curled-lip sneer he gives me looks foreign on his angelic face. “You couldn’t possibly understand.”

  Oh, if only you knew. “Maybe I can,” I say quietly. “Up until recently, I’ve believed I was some sort of monster. I even took on the name Lucifer, because…I felt like one.” I glance at him, hoping to see curiosity lighten his shaded eyes, but I only see the tiniest flash of pain. I press on. “I killed my mother when I was a little kid. It was an accident, but I’ve never really forgiven myself. I’m starting to realize that you’re only a monster if you choose to be.”

  MaXXX stares at me in silence for a moment, but his expression never changes. “Whatever. I gotta run.” With that, he hurries out the door and it swings shut behind him, roiling a swell of emotions within me. Anger, frustration, uncertainty, fear. I ball my hands into fists and let fly a barrage of energy. It zings all around me, whistling off the walls, and I yell my frustration at no one.

  I don’t stop until my throat burns.

  “Lucy?”

  I spin around. I didn’t hear the door open, but Iofiel’s standing there, looking sheepish and worried, his brows knitted together. His hands are stuffed in the pockets of his jeans. I frown and drop my gaze, not wanting to show him my tears.

  “I’m sorry,” he says softly, and I know that somehow, it’s gonna be all right. He wraps me in his arms and he rocks me slowly, back and forth, like I’m a troubled child. Maybe I am. Maybe we both are. MaXXX too. I bury my face in the crook of his neck and tell him everything: The rumors, the fears, the truth. He takes it all in stride, hugging me tightly.

  “I never meant to hurt you. I’m just so…lost right now.” His voice is soft.

  “Me too, Io. Me too.” And in that moment, I want to go home so badly, even if I don’t have a home to go back to. My heart clenches and I cry into his shoulder. He rubs his hands down my back and I think I feel hot tears trickle down behind my ear, like he’s crying too, just silently.

  “I love you. I don’t want to lose you,” I whisper.

  “I know. And you won’t. Lose me. I’m yours, Lucifer Swift. Forever and always.”

  When I see MaXXX again, he’s back to his jovial self, but I can see his pain sharp as a knife.

  And now he’s watching me.

  Chapter 27:

  Iofiel

  I don’t trust MaXXX.

  I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something off about him. About the way he carries himself, confident and poised, carefree and reckless. Suave and debonair, flirting with the girls like he’s God’s gift to women. Sync and Caddie are enthralled by him, for lack of a better word, and even Lucy seems amused by his antics. But she’s wary, too. And rightfully so.

  He’s staring at her again. She’s helping with lunch and he’s just watching her, alert as a hound on the hunt, his blue eyes trained on her. He follows every move she makes and it makes my skin crawl. I feel a rush of possessiveness roar like a wave—Lucy’s mine—and then a flood of guilt.

  I just don’t trust him, end of story. And as long as he’s watching her, I’ll be watching him.

  ***

  “Hey, angel. Wake up.”

  I roll over, dragging the sheets with me, and nearly jump out of my skin. MaXXX’s nose is inches from mine, a grin on his lips, his hair flopped across one eye like some sort of emo rock star. Oh right, that’s his profession.

  “Screw off.” I give him a shove.

  He raises his hands in defense. “Hey, chill man. You wanna come on a supply run with us? It’ll get you away from Polaris for a little while, if nothing else.” He shrugs. “Caddie and Sync are coming, just figured I’d ask.”

  “What about Lucy?”

  “She said to ask you.” He says it in such a way that leaves no room for imagination: He’s only inviting me because he
has to. “So here I am.”

  “I’m up.” I kick the covers until they’re in a little pile at the end of the bunk. I stretch and shoulder past MaXXX, pulling on clean clothes. I can feel his eyes on me and he feels nervous, like I’m gonna go cyborg-berserker on his ass or something. Like I’m a freak and he knows it. I button my jeans and turn to him. “I’ll go talk to Lucy. Where is she?”

  “Left her and the girls at the mess hall. But make it quick, would ya? We need to be in Loren by noon.” MaXXX waves his hand impatiently and I roll my eyes. He ends up following me to where they’re serving breakfast of sausage and eggs. I grab a plate and sit down next to Lucy.

  She smiles. “You wanna go on that run to Loren? I’m pretty bored, but I didn’t want to leave you behind.”

  I wrap my arm around her shoulders and give her a gentle squeeze. “Thanks, love.” I glance up at MaXXX, who catches my eye, shoots me a grin, and taps his watch. Yeah, yeah. I look at Lucy. “Why not? Nothing better to do.”

  Lucy grins and waves at MaXXX. “We’re in.”

  He whoops and jumps to his feet. Everyone at the table stashes their plates in a row at the end, silverware piled up on top, and MaXXX struts out of the mess hall. Caddie bounces ahead, trailing the two teenage boys she’s been hanging out with. A couple of older teens follow along after them. Lucy slips her hand into mine as we take up the rear.

  MaXXX leads us around back. Behind the Chopshop, in a little covered car port, is… A monstrosity. It’s a big bus with actual wheels instead of a hover rack. It’s made of bulky metal and painted robin’s egg blue, rust spots speckling the undercarriage. MaXXX catches me staring at it and he grins. “It’s a little retro, but she gets the job done. All aboard!”

  MaXXX hops up the steps and settles into the driver’s seat. He pulls a crank to open the doors and kids pile onto the bus. It’s roomy, but hot as Hell, the sun having baked on the metal roof all day. The windows are shoved open with squeaks of glass and the warm summer air is barely a reprieve from the humidity in the bus. “Sorry, the AC doesn’t work,” Lake admits with a sheepish smile.