Soul Symmetry

by J. L. Weil

  As an afterthought, it probably would have been a smart idea to have enlisted Oliver or Declan in on my little plan. No doubt I was going to pay for it later, once Oliver realized I was no longer anywhere in the manor. I would have to make it up to him… bring him a peace offering, maybe coffee or candy.

  I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder and raise the suspicion of my stalker. I might be small and wearing three-inch wedges, but I’ve learned I could handle myself against even the toughest of opponents. After walking around the island the last few months, I knew most of its twists and turns, hopefully allowing me to use an element of surprise. I was kind of counting on it.

  I stepped quietly out of my clunky black shoes, great for clobbering someone over the head. I wasn’t above using whatever means necessary. The pavement was cold under my bare feet. It had rained earlier, leaving the ground damp, and small pools of water gathered due to the changes in elevation. My discomfort was currently ranked below my need to survive. It was sort of sad, but I wasn’t nearly as freaked out or scared as I should have been. Actually, if someone didn’t try to kill me at least once a week, I wondered what was wrong. How pathetic.

  Ducking behind the building, I waited until their shadow appeared on the ground, cast from a nearby street lamp. My fingers wrapped around one of my heels as I brought it up over my head. If I could get one clean thwack…

  The footsteps came to a stop, and I held my breath, waiting and poised for damage. Reapers were trained to be stealthy, this predator was sloppy and careless. I shouldn’t have been able to pick up on him following me so easily. And if it was a reaper, I should have been able to sense them. My sonar abilities were stronger.

  Of course, it could be a hallow, but the lack of temperature change in the air confused me. If it wasn’t a reaper or hallow, then just who or what was tailing me? I was about to find out.

  I made my move, leaping around the corner, my fingers tightening on my makeshift weapon and I froze, the shoe halted inches before knocking its intended target into next week.

  What the frick?

  My pursuer most definitely wasn’t a hallow or a reaper. It was TJ.

  “What are you doing here?” I demanded, slapping him on the back of the head with my palm. “I almost bashed you with my shoe.”

  He scowled, eyes moving from the weapon clutched into my hand and back to my face. “Following you.”

  I lowered the shoe. “I figured that part out, deputy dipshit. But why?”

  “Because you’ve been acted weirder than usual. And that’s saying something.”

  I whacked him again.

  He rubbed at the back of his head. “Will you stop that?”

  “I will if you stop acting like a moron,” I replied, slipping my wedges back on my cold and damp feet. “Do you know how dangerous it is out here? I thought I explained this to you the other day? The world is going to hell in a handbasket.”

  “If that is true, what are you doing sneaking around in the dark? Isn’t it just as unsafe for you?” he questioned.

  It was, but I wasn’t going to admit it. “You’re forgetting one important fact. I can take care of myself.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Oh, I saw. With a shoe, right? I didn’t realize that was what banshees used to defend themselves.”

  “Hey, you’ve got to work with what you have.”

  “Don’t you have like super powers?”

  I lowered my voice. “I can’t go around blasting everyone I come in contact with. If I did, you’d be twenty feet away lying flat on your back.”

  He scrunched his face. “Vain much?”

  Miffed, I started to walk away, fully expecting him not to follow me. “TJ, I don’t have time to explain the reasons behind my actions. I need you to go home. Now,” I emphasized.

  He jogged to catch up with me, matching our strides. “And tell those two goons stationed outside your bedroom what? That you managed to slip out of the house right under their nose? It would only be minutes before Zane issued a manhunt.”

  I hated when he was right. “Look, I can’t sit around the manor and do nothing. I have to figure out how to fix this. And I can’t do that if I’m worrying about you. I’m trying to keep you safe.” It occurred to me that no one knew where TJ or I were. If something happened…

  The smart thing would have been to turn back and take TJ to the manor, and I was going to do just that, but then I heard voices.

  Lifting my head, I looked around. The back entrance of Atmosphere was directly to my left. “I can’t believe I’m saying this,” I whispered. “Stay behind me, and you have to do whatever I say. No questions asked. Agreed?”

  He nodded.

  Slinking along the side of the club’s building, I reached the corner that led to the back door. Crouching down, I poked my head around just enough to see with one eye. There were two people outside the exit door. I couldn’t make out their faces, not from this angle or the lack of moonlight. Not that it matter. The gleam of a cigarette gave him away.

  Crash.

  He flicked his lighter, giving a warm glow to the darkness surrounding his face. Alarm jumped into my eyes. I gasped, but quickly put my hand over my mouth. And to think I’d been worried about TJ making too much noise.

  The other person with Crash was his father, Heath.

  Perfect. This was exactly what I was counting on, except for TJ being here.

  “You’re late,” Heath scolded.

  Crash blew a cloud of smoke into his father’s face. “Yeah well, my life doesn’t revolve around you.”

  Heath waved the air in front of him, lips turned down. “This isn’t a game. You need to start taking your responsibilities as my heir.”

  “I’m here, aren’t I? Each night, helping run this club.” Crash had a quietness to his voice I found alarming. Under his I-don’t-give-two-shits exterior lived a troubled soul.

  “What are they saying?” TJ whispered.

  I turned my head from the corner and put my finger to my lips. My original plan had been to mingle inside the club, ask some questions, and do a little snooping in the off limit sections, but this was so much better. And dangerous. I returned my attention to eavesdropping.

  Heath merciless eyes slide over his son. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. There is more to being my son than the club,” he spat. “You have duties to uphold now that the veil has been removed.”

  For the first time, I saw Crash look at his father with distrust and loathing, but only for a split-second. He blinked, putting his jaded mask back in place. “Oh yes, your master plan.”

  “We have too much at stake for your indolence.”

  Crash gestured toward Heath with the hand holding his smoke. “You mean, you have too much at stake.” Burning ash fell off the tip, tumbling to the ground. “Don’t worry, I know my part.”

  Heath’s face twisted into a fierce scowl. “You don’t have half of the strength or loyalty your sister did. At least she had the guts to do what needed to be done.”

  “And it got her killed. Is that what you’re hoping for?”

  Heath shook his head. Eyes hard like glass, he lifted them to meet his son dead on. “At least your sister knew her worth,” he seethed. “Her sacrifice is what is going to give us what our family has had coming to us for centuries.”

  Asshole award goes to Heath.

  Crash snorted, rolling his eyes as if this was a tiresome conversation he’d heard over and over. “You brainwashed her.” He was glutton for punishment.

  Heath raised his hand, and I thought for a moment, he was going to strike Crash. His hand wavered, but didn’t move. “Without her, the veil never would have been destroyed. We wouldn’t get the chance to change the balance of power. Why should it fall to only one reaper? It is time we tip the scales. You will follow through with the plan. This is not negotiable.”

  Crash stood there unblinking, casual lifting his cigarette to his mouth. “Thanks for the pep talk, pops.” He flicked the butt of the c
igarette on the ground at his father’s feet and headed this way.

  Flattening myself against the building, I had a small panic attack, and then I grabbed TJ’s hand. This better work. Please, please, pretty please. Zane and I could share abilities, we had done so on numerous occasions to save our asses. This was one of those times I needed our souls to merge. But he wasn’t here, and I couldn’t precisely scream, alerting the very reapers I was hiding from.

  Our bond was strong. I just hoped it was strong enough, because I needed his shadows.

  With my back pressed to the cold bricks, I closed my eyes and summoned my power. I murmured his name under my breath. A cold sensation raced through my veins. It was like jumping into a pool of icy water, and then shadows of the night seeped out from the crooks and crevices, blanketing TJ and I in utter darkness.

  Crash brushed by us without a second glance. It was the overlord I was worried about it. Heath walked to the edge of the alley, watching his son’s back. He paused, and I held my breath. His treacherous, beady eyes swept over the empty lot. My gripped tightened on TJ’s hand as he glanced over where we were huddled.

  I exhaled. That was close. Too godforsaken close.

  But as I drew my next breath, we’d traded one disaster for another. Ice-cold air and the stench of death filled my nostrils, making it hard to breathe. I’d developed some kind of hallow detector.

  TJ coughed.

  I got butterflies, the bad ones that made me sick.

  Hallows were here.

  Chapter 11

  And they were close. With my luck, there would be a whole gang of hallows.

  “TJ,” I whispered.

  His eyes flashed to mine, beaming with concern, my body language alerting him to trouble.

  “We need to haul ass home. Like now.” My flight or fight response went into high gear, more so with TJ involved. No place was safe, but I had taken the chance anyway. TJ changed the rules, and I regretted letting him tag along. If anything happened to him… I just had to make sure nothing did.

  Stretching out my hearing, I listened for the hissing of ghosts descending upon us. They were coming in fast. Once they caught my scent, it was game over. Somewhere down the alley, a rock skipped, tumbling along the pavement.

  No longer shrouded in darkness, we darting around the corner, heading toward the sound of the ocean. My bare feet clattered down the narrow and dark pathway. I glanced over my shoulder to see if we were being followed as the seconds ticked by, each one bringing us closer to danger. No matter how far or how fast we ran, it wasn’t fast enough. As I turned back around, I gasped. Our time was up. My feet fumbled to a stop as I came nose to nose with the very things I was running from.

  “Little bansssshee, where do you think you’re going?” the cold sucker hissed.

  I opened my mouth to scream—

  A whoosh of stale air whirled around my face as the hallow grabbed the front of my dress, slamming me into the brick wall. Dust and bits of debris rained down over my head. I let a pathetic groan as black stars dotted behind my eyes, blurring my vision. The hallow turned into two, both staring at me with soulless eyes like I was their next meal ticket.

  I blinked. The two figures slowly merged back to one, my eyes readjusting from having the daylights knocked out of me.

  “Piper!” TJ screamed in panic.

  I craned my neck to the side, peering around the ghost. TJ was cornered. There was only one detaining him, but it might as well have been a hundred. He had no idea what to do. Seeing him in trouble, instincts kicked in. My fist connected with the hallow’s chest, and on contact, I summoned my power. Surprise flickered across his pale face. “Suck on this, asshole,” I said, my arms covered in ribbons of white.

  The impact sent him staggering backwards, a guttural sound erupting from his mouth before he exploded into a blinding blue light.

  I pushed off the building, ignoring the blistering burn on my back. Blinded by rage, the usually ingrain thought to call for help never came. With energy filling my veins, I strutted right up to the ghost dumb enough to mess with my brother. He had a hand around TJ’s throat, whose coloring was looking a little green. I tapped on the hallow’s shoulder. He spun around, his focus right where I wanted—on me. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I advised.

  Teeth barred and hissing, the hallow’s cheeks were wishy-washy and sunken, no life reflected in his face, only death and anger. “You should know better than to walk the streetsss alone, Raven,” he said, voice eerie and deep. “If you kill me, I’ll take him with me. Are you willing to take that chance?”

  His hand was still clenched around TJ’s neck, cutting off his air supply. I took a step back. “Blah. Blah. Blah. Talk about original. Tell me something I haven’t already heard a thousand times before.”

  He laughed, the sound lacking humor and life.

  I raised a brow. “Come on, I’m really not that funny.”

  The scrawny bastard shook his head in sharp, jagged movements. “I’m laughing, because you’re not at all what I expected. There is a lot less of you.”

  Was that a dig at my small stature? No one insulted my height and got away with it. “I might be short, but I make up for it in other areas, which you’re about to find out.” The entire alleyway detonated in white light. A pulse of power rippled from my fingertips, crashing into the intended target. The ground shook as I opened my energy, letting it seep into the earth. Sonic shockwave.

  Boom. Two down without barely breaking a sweat. Not too shabby.

  “Piper,” TJ choked.

  Our eyes met. “You okay?” I asked, rushing to his side.

  He was leaning against a wall for support. “I take it back. You’re pretty badass.”

  A smirk fixed on my lips. “Yeah, I am. Ready to get the hell out of here?”

  “You don’t have to ask me twice.” He rubbed a hand over the red, splotchy ring encompassing his neck.

  The action made my blood spike. Steam was coming out of my ears. They had hurt my brother, the only family I had, and I wasn’t likely to forget.

  TJ and I managed to tiptoe our way back into the manor the same way we had left, but there was a surprise waiting for me in my room. The lights were completely out when I opened the door. Declan was standing erect and alert. “Ten hut, solider,” I said, because teasing Declan was too much fun.

  He nodded. “Princess.”

  I closed the door behind me, leaving Declan in the hall and threw my shoes, tossing them in the corner. It was good to be home. Being a freaking ninja was hard work. As I started to unzip the little black dress, a voice sounded in pitch-black room.

  “I was wondering when you were going to show up.”

  I jumped, nearly hitting the ceiling and peeing myself a little. I hadn’t bothered with a light, but even in the dark, I knew that voice. “Holy crap. You scared me to death.” My hand flew to my heart. If I hadn’t been so preoccupied and juiced up, I might have sensed the tingles instead of having ten years shaved off my life.

  Zane flipped on the table lamp. He stretched, flashing a bit of taut skin. “How was your night?”

  “You don’t want to know,” I grumbled.

  The darkness was such a part of him. It had been there when I needed them tonight, needed him. “You’re right, I probably don’t, but I think I deserve an explanation. You merged our souls, why?”

  Zane undoubtedly wasn’t going to like this. It was a given. But how could I blame him? I sighed, plopping on the edge of the bed beside him. “I went to Atmosphere.”

  He rubbed his hand over his face. “Why would you do something so stupid? I don’t have to tell you who owns the joint.”

  “Exactly. I went there to get information.”

  “And let me guess, you found trouble instead? Or it found you.”

  “Does it matter? I’m here, and as you can see, in one piece. No blood. No cuts.”

  He shook his onyx hair. “Piper, when are you going to learn? Everything about you matters to me
.”

  My heart squeezed in my chest. “I’m sorry. I’m getting desperate,” I said, flopping on my back. “Each day I do nothing, more people are in danger. More people die.”

  He followed me down on the bed, lying alongside me, his powerful arms touching mine. “And if you die, we’re eternally screwed. My brother died fighting for what he believed in. He believed in you, Piper.”

  My stomach sunk. The reminder thickened the guilt weaving in my gut. I thought of Zander often, when I went to sleep, when I woke up. His sacrifice was on my mind constantly. I didn’t want to disappoint him, not after everything he gave me. I was staring into the face of one of those things. Love. And disappointing Zane would be heartbreaking. “I feel like all I do anymore is apologize. Everyone has their responsibilities. This is mine.”

  He leaned over me, pressing a kiss to the corner of my lips. “Just know that you don’t have to do it alone. I can help, if you let me.”

  It wasn’t that I didn’t think he would be there for me, I just wasn’t sure he would think before acting. Zane was a guns blazing kind of guy. We both knew each other’s strength and weakness. “By help, you mean stop me.”

  “For getting yourself killed? Yes. But that doesn’t always mean I will say no. I might surprise you.”

  “Are you saying you would have gone with me tonight?”

  He shrugged. “Against my better judgment, I would have, just to make sure you were safe. It’s easier on my stress levels when I see it with my own eyes.”

  God, I was in way over my head. “Next time I get an idea, you’ll be the first to know.”

  “Uh-huh,” he murmured, pressing his lips to the vein pulsing in my neck. “You’re going to have to do a better job of convincing me.”

  I laughed, looping my arms around his neck. “What did you have in mind?”

  His lashes lowered. “I missed you.”

  My fingers twirled the hair at the nape of his neck that just slightly curled. “We’ve seen each other every day.”

  He lined a trail of kisses along my jaw. “It’s not nearly enough.”

  I knew what he meant. “Maybe I should be reckless more often.” I said it as a joke, but Zane’s eyes instantly lost their gleam of playfulness and flared. “I was kidding. I did learn something, though.”