Souljacker

by Kodilynn Calhoun

  “As much as killing you would make me happy, I’ll make you a deal,” he says. This time I look up and my gaze drills into his. “If you kill your little girlfriend, I’ll let you live. I’ll even welcome you back into the Pack. How does that sound?”

  My fear slips away from me as I lay beneath him. He leers down at me and I bark out a laugh. “I’ll never be your puppet, Lylan,” I say at the same time I kick both feet out. Lylan’s breath leaves him in a whoosh and I knock him off of me, scrambling for traction on the slippery floor.

  I don’t get far. His arms clamp around my waist and we struggle. I punch him in the face hard enough to knock a few teeth out. He snarls and spits blood. I yank my fingers through his hair, trying to haul him around by the head, but he’s faster, stronger. I get a handful of hair as he jerks out of my reach.

  His leg connects with the backs of my knees and they buckle. I go down and try and roll out of the way, but Lylan comes down on top of me. We’re both breathing heavily, but as hard as I fight, I know that he’s won. I know it from the ache in my heart, the realization that I’ll never kiss Lucy again, never get to tell her that I love her…

  “Your funeral.” His hands wrap around my throat tightly and I wheeze. I can’t suck in air. I kick and squirm beneath him, my lungs beginning to burn as darkness hazes around the edges of my vision. I try not to panic as my body begins to shut down, but who can blame me? I press my eyes shut, remembering the first time I laid eyes on Lucy with her long legs and buckle boots and blue hair.

  Please, make my death mean something. Give Lucy a chance to win.

  Lylan’s scream of agony brings me back to life—sweet, sweet air rushes into my lungs and I gasp it down as blood splatters my face and soaks my clothes. I gape up at Lylan to see him gurgling for breath, his eyes wide and pained. Blood trickles out of his mouth, dripping onto my face.

  Sticking out of the middle of his chest is a blade, skewered straight through the Alpha’s back. Shit. My savior yanks the blade back out and Lylan tumbles down to land beside me, flopping like a dying fish. Bile rising in my throat, I slip and slide through all the blood, trying to gain my footing.

  I stare up into the angelic face of Sariel, blond curls and baby blue eyes. “You alright, Io?” His voice is warm, but I’m wary. My lungs still ache and my body hurts, bruised and battered, so I just stare at him. He smiles and offers me a hand and I look at him for a long moment. Then I reach up to grab it, blood making it sticky. He hauls me to my feet easily and smiles at me. “I couldn’t stand to watch that, kid.”

  Sariel puts two fingers in his mouth and shrills a loud whistle. Almost in slow motions, the cyberhounds surrounding us stop fighting, confused looks on their faces. They gather around and I stiffen, but their eyes are all locked on their fallen Alpha. The man they had feared, the man they’d respected. The hounds stand stock-still, staring at Sariel, the blade still in his hand. Red streaks down the metal to pool on the floor.

  Sariel’s voice is loud and assertive. “As of now, I’m your new Alpha and I have a new command: Stop the madness. This doesn’t have to end in bloodshed and death. Why are we even fighting for the Unseelie Queen?”

  The ground rumbles viciously beneath my feet and I nearly fall flat on my face again. I right myself only to hear Vashna burst into deep-rooted laughter. Caddie screams and my heart lurches as Lucy’s head snaps up. She loses focus on MaXXX for just a second, but it’s a second too long. I open my mouth to scream at her, but MaXXX tackles her to the ground before I can conjure up the words.

  Caddie shrieks again, this time in pain, and I realize that Vashna has her. But where’s— My gut lurches and I feel nausea lap at the back of my throat, hot and bitter. Faela’s dead. I gape at the mass of ribboned flesh and blood, her body pierced through the middle by an earthen spike jutting out of the cracked marble floor. Blood billows off of her pale body, soaking her white gown crimson.

  The Unseelie have won…

  A roar bursts from me then, unbidden, and I throw myself across the room. I’ll kill that bitch if it’s the last thing I do! Then Supersonic-girl steps between us, her eyes empty and face voice of emotion and when she opens her mouth, a static howl rips through the hall and I buckle over, holding my ears as all sound fades to black.

  Is this really the end?

  Chapter 35:

  Lucy

  My ears are foggy from the Mithos girl’s shriek, but it doesn’t stop me from hurling insults. MaXXX’s arms wrap around my waist, his hands grabbing my wrists and pinning them against my body. He knows I’m weak, knows I need to recharge, the Need coiling like an angry snake through my veins. I snarl and struggle, but he’s stronger than me. Still, I can feel his body trembling slightly against mine.

  Then he surprises me, his voice portraying his exhaustion as perfectly as painting a picture. “I’m sorry, Lucy. It shouldn’t have turned out this way.” His breath tickles my ear. His hands are hot against my cool skin, his energies nipping at me, drawing in my soul. It’s hard for him to control it, but he’s trying.

  Vashna strides forwards, a limp to her gait, dragging Caddie behind her by the hair. Caddie squeals and burns her, flames rising out of her palms, and the Unseelie queen backhands her, sending her tumbling to the floor. I see the sparkle of tears—anger and pain—in her eyes and my heart goes out to her.

  Fucking slag bitch.

  “Let her go, MaXXX,” she says. MaXXX stiffens, as if he’s considering fighting her on this, and then he releases me. Coward. I elbow him in the ribs hard enough for him to wince, then stalk forwards, glaring at the woman who’s made me and my friends’ lives hell.

  “I’ll kill you.” My voice is strong.

  “No, you really won’t.” She laughs and snatches Caddie back up, dragging her to her feet. I see the gleam of a silver, the point of a blade pressed into the hollow of her throat. Caddie’s eyes scour mine, silent tears streaming down her face. “You know I have no qualms squashing a little firebug.”

  “Let her go, Vashna.” I see Iofiel, his pale skin smeared with blood, darkness soaking through his clothes, and I ache inside. Vashna’s eyes are suddenly wild. The blade presses into Caddie’s throat. Iofiel freezes, both hands raised, and takes a step back. He shakes his head.

  “Not until I get my revenge.” She turns to me, her dark eyes cold. “This is between you and me, Souljacker. This is your fault. It’s your fault Faela’s dead.”

  “You killed her, you crazy bitch,” I spit.

  Her grin grows wide, perfect white teeth gleaming like fangs. She steps forwards, tossing both Caddie and the dagger casually to the side. The blade skitters across the floor with a clang and the cyberhounds let out various growls of warning. Caddie stumbles and Iofiel catches her, drawing her away from danger as a sob escapes her throat. Raw, pent up emotion. She’s trying so hard to be strong.

  “I loved Faela the moment I met her. I was a petty servant girl and she was the princess, beautiful and stunning and perfect. I craved to please her; I was willing to do anything to garner her interest—but I didn’t have to. She saw me and she filled my heart with warmth the first time we kissed.” Vashna’s ice melts away for a moment, her gaze downcast as she wades through her memories. Her voice is raw.

  As she talks, I see a little girl in a white dressing gown, her bones jutting out from beneath pale skin. Her blonde hair is disheveled and hangs down to her shoulders and she has dark circles beneath her eyes, but I recognize her immediately.

  It’s Aely. Mrs. Rockwell’s long lost daughter. MaXXX kneels down as the girl hurries over to him. He tucks hair behind her ear and whispers into it. She looks scared, but also…resilient. Determined. Brave. Warmth floods through me. If we could somehow win this war… Mrs. Rockwell would be happy again. Maybe she’d have some semblance of a life.

  “And then Hime came into the picture, spouting tales of the Prophesied One, the girl who would single-handedly tear us apart and shatter our love like a mirror. She told me that Faela would fall in
love with the girl—and I was hurt. Faela loved me. She was mine! Faela found out what Hime had told me and she killed the woman. She tried to convince me that Hime was lying, that she still loved me. How could I believe her? I broke off from her court, gathering followers to join me, and together we created my kingdom. The Unseelie. And we grew strong.”

  “And now look what happened. You came along, the girl of propehecy, just like Hime fortold. You destroyed us! We were beauty, we were love, and you just…” She breaks off with a jagged-edged breath, swiping the air across from her and I feel a slash of pain, like a knife’s been drawn across my chest.

  I press my hands against the burning wound, gasping as the spell eats away at my skin. She couldn’t even see that Hime was the one to tear their love down. “It doesn’t have to end like this—” I say, edging forwards.

  “You’ll get what you deserve!” Vashna’s hands clamp into tight fists in front of her. Her voice rises in hysteria with each word she shouts. “And once you’re gone, I’ll bring her back to life! I will have her, in life and in death! We will be eternal, together, my Faela and I...” She laughs.

  “You’re insane.”

  She only grins wider, cracked and terrifying, and wavers on her feet. “Tell your friends goodbye, Lucifer Swift,” she growls and I know deep in my soul that there’s no way out of this. She’s snapped and it’s either me or her. One of us has to die.

  And I’ll be damned if it’s me.

  Swallowing back the swell of fear, I don’t think, I just act. I bolt forwards, my arms outstretched in front of me, hands spread wide. I see Iofiel’s face at the back of my mind, his warm smile urging me on, and then Vashna burns into view. Her hand snags my shirt, her nails catching on the fabric, and she swings me around. I slam my hands against her wrists, willing the Need to rise and swallow her whole.

  But her fingers touch me and with each touch, it feels like my soul’s being shredded. A pain I never thought imaginable climbs up and stomps me into the ground. I scream, but the sound is blurred out by the hiss of static rushing through my skull. I writhe against her, ice cold and fire hot tearing through me.

  Then my Need roars a battle cry, hungry. Ravenous. I feel her soul trickling through my palms and I beg, plead, scream at it to come faster. I burn with fever and feel myself sway, feel my legs buckle, my knees hit the ground. I feel nothing but the agony twisting through me. My eyes flutter shut. I don’t let Vashna go. If I’m going down, the bitch is going down with me.

  And then: Peace. Serenity. A golden halo of light surrounds me, beaming brighter than the sun. Warmth floods through an opening at my spine, healing my wounds, brushing against the pain and dulling it to a low, throbbing ache. My eyes flutter open as Vashna screams, a winding, pathetic sound. Her head bobs on her neck, those honey gold eyes darkening with each passing moment.

  Then her entire body shudders. She collapses and behind her, his hands clamped on either side of her face, is a very pale and shaking MaXXX. Vashna twitches once between us on the floor and I meet his eyes, their blue depths filled with pain and fear. He wrenches away, a sob caught in his throat as he sags to the ground.

  Then I realize that I’m being cradled by Aely, her fingers gentle caresses on my skin, filling me with such warmth. She’s Mithos. Of course… I struggle to sit up. I want to go to MaXXX’s side, I want to…but I’m so tired.

  Aely looks at me and it’s like looking into the face of a younger Mrs. Rockwell. “Are you okay?” My heart is pattering painfully behind my ribs, but I can’t find my voice amidst the chaos in my mind. I just nod.

  She gathers herself and runs to MaXXX’s side, wrapping thin arms around him. Her voice is a soft, low croon as he cries. She wipes his tears away, but doesn’t stop him. She loves him… He turns his head into her shoulder and holds onto her like a lifeline.

  Then I’m gathered up in strong arms and Iofiel showers me in kisses. His own eyes are shiny with tears as he cradles me to his chest. I kiss his lips, gentle, then press my forehead against his. “God, I thought I lost you, Lucy. Don’t scare me like that again.”

  “Tell that to the next insane Faerie queen who tries to kill me,” I mutter and he grins.

  “Lucy!” Caddie’s at my side, but her face swims in my vision. I’m so tired… My body feels like spaghetti, limply dangling from Iofiel’s arms. I reach for her, to comfort her, and then her hand wraps in mine. I start to pull away as the tug of Need bursts forwards in a rainbow display and I shudder. I don’t want to hurt her. She’s exerted too much already.

  Then I’m surrounded by all of my friends, the kids from Polaris. My rescue team. I smile wearily at them, blinking back tears as one by one, they place their hands in mind, lending me strength. I refuse at first, unsure of what to even say.

  “Just take it, Lucy,” Caddie says on a smile.

  So I do.

  Chapter 36:

  Iofiel

  As Vashna lies on the ground, lifeless, the roar of battle around us peters to a halt. The crackle of the castle’s magic hangs heavy in the air, untamed without a master. All around I see the zombified Mithos warriors stumbling, dazed looks on their faces, as if they don’t remember how they got here. The girl with the supersonic scream is sobbing hysterically as Josh clamps her to his chest, rocking her small body against his. Soon, Mithos families are reunited with one another.

  Seelie and Unseelie Fae eye each other nervously, unsure of what to do next. Both queens are dead and they’re not so sure anymore if fighting is the best choice. Thankfully, Faeries seem to look out for themselves, first and foremost, and that’s working to our advantage right now.

  Diesel, rumpled and bruised with dirt smudged on her face, comes forward. She lets loose a burst of energy that jerks everyone’s attention back to her. Clearing her throat, she stands tall. “The war, it appears, is over…” She motions to Vashna’s and Faela’s fallen forms, their empty gazes staring up at the blue dawn sky.

  “Both queens are dead, which leaves us in quite the predicament. Most of you don’t trust one another, and I don’t blame you for all that you’ve been through, but I have a proposition to make. Omega City needs a strong leader and as one of the first Mithos created, I’d like to take over.” No one made a sound. She smiled. “I welcome anyone—Fae or Mithos, Seelie or Unseelie—to form an alliance with Omega and perhaps as one, we can put the pieces of our lives back together. No more war.”

  Sariel stands at the head of the Pack, surveying the scene with a calm, silent assurance. It’s like he was tailor made for this role. He steps up and his hounds are alert at his side. Nerves dance across their pelts; I can feel it in the air. They’re not sure what to think either.

  Sariel tips his head up and looks right at Diesel. “As reigning Alpha, I’d like for me and my hounds to be useful in any way possible. The hatred, the blame—it needs to stop. We’ve gotten nowhere with bloodshed and it’s time to try a different approach. I believe we should conjoin as a whole and I’m willing to help protect the cities. As sentries, as guardians. Not as Unseelie beasts.”

  Diesel looks a little surprised. She glances to me and I nod; I trust Sare—I owe him my life. Her face breaks into a tired but pleased grin. “I’d like that, actually. Diesel Monagan.” She sticks out her hand.

  Sariel shakes it swiftly, then pulls it to his lips to grace her knuckles with a kiss. I almost laugh at the blush that tints Diesel’s cheeks a charming shade of pink. “Sariel, at your service.”

  “I’d like for you to send your hounds out and remove the remaining Wraiths stalking the cities. If anyone has a chance against those heartless creatures, it’s a cyberhound.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He flares a smile. “But there’s something we need to do first.”

  ***

  We gather in groups and one by one, we leave the dark queen’s city behind. We leave the dead warriors where they fell, to rest for eternity. Sariel sends Raziel and a couple other hounds back through the city to make sure there ar
e no stragglers; Raz seems torn by his loyalty to Lylan, but he doesn’t argue and I’m proud of him. Maybe there’s hope for him yet.

  Then a tall, dark-skinned Firestarter sends sparks flickering into the city, carried through the air by the wind. They touch the untamed dark magic, burst, and explode into a raging wildfire. Diesel reaches out and beside her is Gale and together, they form a barrier around the city, keeping the flames trapped inside. The fire consumes the city like starving dogs falling upon raw meat, glowing and burning with a heat that radiates through the walls of the wards.

  We stand there and watch it burn, hot and hard.

  Lucy stands at my side, her fingers entwined with mine. As the city turns to embers and ashes, the flames having extinguished their tinder in the span of an hour, the group turns away. Smoke rises like grey-black mist through the air and I tug Lucy after me. All I want is to go home—well, home to Omega City—and sleep for three days straight. The day’s catching up with me, fast.

  We make it a ways before I stumble, dropping to one knee as weakness takes its toll on my body. “Iofiel?” Lucy’s at my side, immediately fretting. She’s the strongest of us all now—filled with a little bit of everyone’s soul—and her aura hums vibrantly.

  “I’m fine. I just…need to rest a minute.”

  “We’ll get left behind,” she says and, before I can react, she gathers me in her arms as if I’m as light as a feather. I struggle against her grip for a moment, but the grin on her face has me pausing. She beams down at me. “It’s not every day that the damsel in distress gets to carry her knight back to the castle. I like being the strong one for once. Just relax. I promise to take good care of you.”

  I can’t help but chuckle. I reach up with the last of my strength and place a quick, searing kiss on her lips. “Enjoy it while it lasts, love.”