Souljacker

by Kodilynn Calhoun

  She only smiles, although it’s a little sad, and hugs me tighter. She carries me all the way back to Omega City and as we crawl into bed, I let out my breath in a whoosh of air. “I can’t believe it’s finally over…” She climbs into my arms and I wrap them around her, noting the way she’s trembling and I know she can’t believe it either.

  Then her shakes turn into soft sobs, try as she might to hold them in, and I cradle her closer to me. She cries freely now. I kiss the salt of her tears away and claim her lips with mine. Neither of us is in a hurry. “What’s wrong, Luce?”

  “I… I thought I was going to lose you to Lylan. I really… I was scared.” Her voice is quiet and she presses her face into the crook of my neck. I hold her snug to me despite my muscles’ weak protests.

  I smile up at the ceiling, thanking whatever God there is above for giving me such a wonderful girl. “You can’t get rid of me that easily, Lucy, I promise.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” My response is muffled by a yawn and in minutes, we’re fast asleep.

  Chapter 37:

  Lucy

  We gather together—Faerie, Mithos, and cyberhound—to pay respects to the people who died fighting for our peace. For every death recorded, our Firestarters light a tall, white candle. Caddie is a part of the service, touching the wicks with her fingertips and thanking each and every one.

  When the candles are all lit, burning bright like a thousand tiny souls, we bow our heads in thanks. Out of the corner of my eye I see Caddie reach over and snag the hand of Lake, who wears a sheepish grin, their first outward display of affection. Their fingers twine together and Caddie looks positively pleased and I remember the first time I held Iofiel’s hand. Excitement trills through me. I’m happy for her.

  Sync has barely left my side since we returned to Omega City. She still can’t believe that MaXXX turned out the way he did. “I never even saw it coming, Luce. I’ll never trust a rock star again,” she’d claimed a few days after the big showdown. She’d grabbed me in a too-tight android hug and promised that she wouldn’t let MaXXX hurt me again. Honestly? I wasn’t worried that he would.

  Now, watching her glowering at MaXXX from across the room, I touch her shoulder. She turns, a frown on her pouty lips. “Be gentle on him,” I tell her. “He’s been through a lot.” And he has. He’s transformed from cocky, suave, and confident MaXXX Starfell, front man of Elysium, to stuttering nerves and shaking hands. Aely doesn’t leave his side and I really, truly think that without her, he’d break. He’s already a little cracked. She’s just the tape holding his pieces together. I’m thankful that he has her.

  After the service is over and people have begun to shuffle off, I squeeze Iofiel’s hand once, then slip away, though I know he’s not far behind. I make a beeline for MaXXX and Aely. Aely smiles up at me and MaXXX even stares for a minute, although his gaze is wounded. “Aren’t you afraid of me, Lucy?”

  “Should I be?” I offer him a smile and shake my head, my voice soft around the edges. “You’re not a monster MaXXX. Not unless you want to be. Everyone has a choice… Besides, how could I be afraid of you when you’re the reason I’m still alive? Without you, Vashna would’ve killed me. Thank you.”

  His lips form a grim line. “I never should’ve taken you out of Omega City. I was such a fool. I thought…” He shakes his head and refuses to meet my gaze. His voice nearly a whisper, he adds, “I’m sorry.” He’s so bitter, so distant. He’s withdrawn into his shell to protect himself. Maybe in time, he’ll be the smiling, woman-chasing singer once again.

  “So what’s next?” I ask. “Are you staying in Omega?”

  He shrugs, but Aely shakes her head. Her blonde hair’s been trimmed and weaved into a braid that trails over one shoulder. “I’m taking him home with me,” she says brightly. MaXXX jerks his head up, startled, as if it’s the first time he’s heard of this. She pats his arm. “I’m going to help MaXXX love himself again. We’ve been through too much together for me to just give up.”

  A faint smile quirks his lips and she wraps her arms around him, reaching up on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek. She seems much older, much wiser than her thirteen years says she is. She pauses, one finger tapping her chin. “Though I’m not sure if Mom and Dad still live in Rogan City…”

  It’s my turn to grin. “I think I can help you. I’m actually headed there myself.”

  ***

  Three days later, after telling Diesel where we’re going and saying a farewell-for-now to our friends, Caddie, Iofiel, Sync, MaXXX, Aely, and I head back to Rogan, where this crazy, twisted journey began.

  Caddie leads the gang, eager to get back to her mom and little brother; she’s been talking about them nonstop for the past few days and excitement blossoms off of her in waves. Sync trots beside her, her new navigation system telling us where to go.

  Iofiel and I walk hand in hand, our arms swinging between us. He looks happy, as if he’s content with the world as it is right in this very moment, and I’m glad I can help be a part of that happiness. I know I am.

  Aely and MaXXX trail behind, just far enough away that we can only hear their hushed murmurs in the background, the soft laughter in Aely’s voice. She’s both nervous and excited. It’s been four years since she’s seen her parents.

  We stop at Caddie’s place first. She stands on the doorstep, all of a sudden nervous. She grips my arm painfully tight. “What if she hates me?” She glances at me, her face pinched. “What if they’ve moved?”

  But I can hear Hope’s melodious voice barking behind the door as we knock. I see Caddie brighten a notch. “She’s here and she loves you. She’ll always love you, Cads,” I tell her. A second later, the door swings open and Hope barrels out. I barely catch the lanky dog by the collar before she darts into the road, but upon seeing visitors—namely, Caddie—she collapses into a wiggly, wagging mess at our feet.

  “Ohmygod, I missed you so much, Hopey!” Caddie squeals, picking the dog up in a full body glomp. Hope’s pink tongue swipes furiously at Caddie’s face and I think I see it go up her nose once.

  “Caddie…” Her mother’s voice is strained with disbelief. Caddie straightens up just as she’s gathered up into a huge hug, Trista dissolving into tears. She holds Caddie so tight that her face turns red and she squirms in the vice grip. Trista cups Caddie’s cheeks, staring her daughter in the eyes. “God, I thought—I never… I thought you were dead!” Her voice rides on a sob.

  “Aw, Mom… I’m sorry. Don’t cry. It’s okay! I’m alive—look, you can pinch me and it’ll prove it.”

  “That only works if you’re dreaming, Caddie.” I stage-whisper to her.

  “Oh, right. Mommmmm!” She pries herself out of her mom’s grasp, standing tall. Caddie touches Trista’s shoulders, a teary-eyed smile on her face, but her voice is optimistic. “Chin up, Mom. I helped save the world. No more fear, no more hiding. I love you.”

  “I love you, Cads. Come inside, please!” She takes her eyes off her daughter to study our group. Her eyes meet mine and brighten. “Lucy… Thanks for taking care of my girl.”

  I feel my face warm up. “She does a pretty good job at taking care of herself.”

  “Do you want to come in?”

  Caddie throws me a hopeful glance, but I shake my head. “I’ll be back, though. I just gotta do a few things.” I glance over my shoulder to where MaXXX and Aely, Iofiel and Sync are sitting Indian-style in the patch of grass that’s their front lawn. Io catches my look and winks, a knowing grin on his face, and I feel a surge of giddiness spring to the surface.

  I give Caddie a quick hug. “See you soon!” Trista ushers Caddie and Hope both inside, shouting for Caddie’s little brother to come down as she shuts the door.

  I blaze the familiar way to the Rockwell’s place and as we stand on the doorstep, I look at Aely. She’s shifting from foot to foot, swaying in place, her excitement tangible. One of her hands is clamped in MaXXX’s and the poor guy looks terrified,
as if he’s afraid Aely’s parents are going to rip his head off and eat him for dinner.

  It feels weird to ring the bell after living here, once upon a time. I hear muffled steps behind the oak door. It swings open and a grumpy, rumpled Mr. Rockwell steps out of the doorway, looking at us. Then the coffee mug in his hand drops to the cement porch and shatters, liquid splattering everywhere, and he has eyes only for Aely. She’s holding her breath, holding on to MaXXX so tightly that her knuckles are white.

  Then Mr. Rockwell’s breath catches. “Aely… This— Is this real? I thought…” He stops trying to form the words—he just wraps his big arms around her. She reaches up and rubs his back, reassuring him that she’s fine. She says she’s missed him. She barely squeaks out the last part: “Please don’t be mad at me. I’m sorry!”

  He has tears in his eyes when he pulls away, but they’re happy tears. “I could never be mad at you, baby. I love you and I’ve missed you. Your mother will want to see you! Come in!”

  He glances around at our group, his gaze landing on me. His usually hard eyes are soft for once. “All of you, come in.”

  He leads us up the stairs. Aely bounds ahead with the grace of a child, MaXXX trailing behind her, his lower lip drawn in between his teeth. Iofiel and I climb up after them and Mr. Rockwell knocks on his wife’s door. It swings open and I hear an overjoyed voice cry, “Aely!”

  Mrs. Rockwell’s dressed up in a white sundress and a flowery hair pin. She smiles broadly at her daughter, holding her out at arm’s length. “You’ve grown up so much, my beautiful girl. God, I’ve missed you. I’ve worried myself sick!”

  “I’m okay, Momma,” Aely says, turning to point at me. “Lucy brought me here.”

  But Mrs. Rockwell’s already staring at me, a proud and motherly look on her face. She reaches out to me and my heart thumps a double beat. Aely nods, encouraging, and I walk into her arms and let her encompass me in a warm hug.

  “Thank you, Lucy, for bringing her home to me. Your mother would be so proud.” At those last words, tears burn and slide free, hot streaks down both cheeks. Mrs. Rockwell kisses my forehead the way Mom used to when I was a little kid and it sets me free.

  I find Iofiel. He’s my rock and I lean back against him as Aely begins to chatter a mile a minute, reminding me so much of Caddie that it’s insane. Then she parades across the room to MaXXX, who’s frozen in the doorway, and drags him over to her mom. “This is MaXXX! He’s my best friend, Momma. He’s kind of shy, but that’s okay. Deep down, he’s a good guy.”

  Aely looks straight at me and winks. “He just doesn’t know it yet.”

  I touch MaXXX’s shoulder and our gazes lock. I have the feeling that we’ll see each other again. Until then, I think things will be just fine. It’ll be good for him to have a family of sorts; besides, Aely will always be with him.

  “Thanks, MaXXX.” My voice is soft and MaXXX nods slowly. I take a step back and reach for Iofiel’s hand. We slip out unnoticed while Aely begins to tell her parents everything that’s happened, truth be damned.

  Sync sits on the porch steps, her elbows on her knees, chin in her hands. Her head pops up when we come through the door and she stands and gives me a quick hug. “Everything go alright? Mr. Rockwell give you crap like always?”

  “Nope. They’re just happy to have their real daughter back,” I say, feeling proud of myself for reuniting them. They deserved to be happy, even if Mr. Rockwell did kind of make my life there a living hell. So everyone’s gotten their happy ending. Well, almost everyone. “Let’s go.”

  “Where to?”

  “Just around. Let’s visit all the places we used to hang out. Like good old times?”

  I reach for Sync’s hand, but she shakes her head. A knowing smile creeps onto her lips like a sun rise. “Actually, I think I’m gonna go back to Caddie’s for awhile.” The not-so-subtle hint: Spend some time with your boyfriend. You deserve it, Luce.

  Then it’s just me and Iofiel. I twine my fingers through his and we just walk. We lapse into conversation that makes no sense, but it doesn’t have to. He ducks behind a row of houses, coming back out with a beautiful red rose, thorns and all. He presents it with a flourish. I bring it to my nose and breathe in the smell. “Aw, how cute.”

  “Come with me, love,” he says, tugging on my hand, and I’m happy to bound along after him like a love-sick puppy. I never thought I could love anyone as much as I love him. I couldn’t have done any of this without him. I wouldn’t have been strong enough.

  I feel my heart skip a beat as he leads me through the wrought-iron gates of the Hoarfrost Cemetery, the very place where my mother is buried. I pinch the rose tightly between my fingers as we weave through rows of headstones, finally stopping in front of the only one that matters.

  Mom.

  I look at him, bewildered. “How did you know?”

  “I told you before: I’m your personal stalker.” He winks.

  For a couple minutes, I just stand in front of the grave, tracing the letters on the headstone with my eyes over and over again. I touch the marble slab, warm from the sunlight, trying to remember her face, trying to remember everything I used to try to forget. I can almost see her, but my memory’s hazy. But it doesn’t matter; I know she’s proud of me.

  I twirl the rose between my fingers for a few minutes, then place it gently on the grassy grave. “I love you, Mom,” I say around the emotion in my throat that makes my voice thick. “For making me who I am.”

  Iofiel places his hand gently on my shoulder and I reach up and touch it, holding him there against me. I turn to him and our eyes meet and it’s like the first time we met, all over again. Except this time, his smile is filled with so much warmth, so much love. I take his hand in both of mine and kiss his palm. “Thanks.”

  “No prob.” He waggles his eyebrows and I smack him gently. He pretends it hurts by wincing and I roll my eyes.

  “Let me finish.” I take a deep breath. “I wouldn’t have made it this far without you. And I want to thank you for sticking by my side. Even though it got rough—really rough. Even though Lylan tried to kill you because of me.”

  “Lylan was a dick. Once a dick, always a dick. End of story.”

  “But you didn’t have to stay with me. I would’ve understood if you’d forgotten about me, especially after he banned you from seeing me. Especially after he pretty much electrocuted you.”

  His smile is so sweet. “How could I ever forget about you, Lucifer Swift?”

  My heart swells and I realize something.

  I’m no longer a monster. I just helped save the freaking world. If anything, I should be given a halo and a pair of wings. Though perhaps a devil’s tail does suit me better…

  “It’s Lucy,” I tell him around a smile. “Just Lucy.”

  Then I grab his shirt and drag him in for a kiss.

  And it’s the best damn kiss of my life.

  The End

  ###

  About The Author

  Kodilynn Calhoun is a 23-year-old gal from Indiana. She’s been writing seriously for over 10 years; her first real novel was a 300 page fantasy-monster with little plot and plenty of randomosity. Today, she’s mostly a writer of YA paranormals and is a sucker for a good love story and the fantastic: werewolves, shifters, incubi, and gargoyles? You name it, she probably writes it (and hopes you like it)! You can follow her on Twitter (@kodilynncalhoun), Facebook, or find her online at http://kodilynncalhoun.com

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