Souls of the Damned (Kat Redding)

by E. S. Moore

  Sienna was looking at everything wide-eyed, as if she’d never seen the inside of a house before. As far as I knew, she’d only ever been in Levi’s home, which meant that seeing another could be an entirely new experience for her.

  “Sienna,” I said as she sat down. “This is Jeremy. He’s a friend.”

  She glanced at him, but appeared too stunned to say anything. Jeremy waved his one hand and gave her as reassuring smile as he could. He had his body turned slightly, so that his missing arm—the one he lost because of me—wasn’t so obvious, though it wasn’t something he could completely hide.

  Ethan entered the room carrying a plate with a ham sandwich and a mug of coffee. He was biting his lower lip hard enough, it was a wonder he didn’t draw blood.

  He set the plate down on the end table beside Sienna and handed her the coffee. She took it with a grateful smile.

  “I’m Ethan,” he said. He started to hold out his hand as if he wanted to shake, jerked it back, and then turned and walked out of the room without waiting for a reply.

  “He gets nervous around others,” I explained. Jeremy snorted from where he now stood by the window.

  Sienna blushed and looked at the coffee in her hands. “He’s cute.” She whispered the words.

  Another snort told me Jeremy had heard. Ethan was far enough away he missed it.

  “Can you tell me what happened?” I asked her, resting a hand on her knee. “How did you get here?”

  She took a sip of coffee, opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. Her brow furrowed and she blinked rapidly a few times.

  “Ow,” she said, sounding strangely surprised.

  “What’s wrong?” I rose slowly to my feet. I could almost feel a change in the air. It was nothing I could pinpoint, but by the way Jeremy tensed by the window, he felt it too.

  “I . . . I don’t know.” Sienna’s hand drifted toward the end table to set the mug down. She missed it by a good foot. Coffee splashed onto the carpet at the same instant she grabbed her head and screamed.

  I shot a look at Jeremy, hoping he’d have some indication as to what was happening. He was staring wide-eyed at the girl on the couch, clearly as confused as I was.

  “Is she okay?” Ethan asked, coming back into the room. He was holding a mug of coffee for himself.

  “I don’t know.” I knelt in front of Sienna. She was rocking back and forth, hands over her ears. “Sienna? Can you hear me?”

  She nodded, but didn’t stop rocking. “It hurts.” It started out as a whisper, but grew in intensity. “It HURTS!”

  The last came out as a roar. Sienna was on her feet before I even knew what was happening. She pushed me over backward, spun around the side of the couch, and started running for the door.

  “Stop her!” I shouted, scurrying to my feet.

  Jeremy was already in motion. He cut her off at the door, but before he could grab hold, she spun and headed for the back door. Ethan made a grab for her, arms open, coffee sloshing out of the mug in his hand. Sienna ran through him, barely slowing down as she knocked him on his ass in a rain of coffee.

  Jeremy and I bolted after her. Sienna reached the back door and tried to wrench it open, but thankfully, it was locked. She screamed and spun in a circle, hair wild and streaming around her shoulders.

  “Let me out!” she screamed, grabbing her head as if she was trying to keep it from exploding.

  I reached her a moment before Jeremy. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight to my chest.

  “No!” she cried. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she began thrashing. “I need to go.”

  I shushed her and held her close. Sienna might be a small girl, but she was strong for her size. It was taking every ounce of strength I had to keep hold of her. She squirmed and fought, but I had her arms trapped in my own, leaving her little to strike me with.

  “Take her to the couch,” Jeremy said. He moved to put himself between us and the back door.

  I all but dragged Sienna across the room and fell onto the couch with her. Her face was contorted in misery and pain. She was trembling so hard, I was afraid she might have a seizure. She kept begging me to release her as she thrashed against me.

  “Let me help,” I whispered into her ear. “You don’t have to run.”

  In response, she let out an ear-piercing scream and tried to buck from my grip. I very nearly lost my hold on her and I think if she would have continued to fight, I would have. But instead of fighting, Sienna sagged into my arms. She pressed her face into my shoulder and began to cry.

  “What in the hell was that all about?” Jeremy asked. He took a couple of steps away from the door, but decided against leaving his post, just in case she made another run for it.

  I didn’t answer him. I didn’t know what to say. Ethan picked himself up off the floor by the stairs with a wince. His shirt was covered in coffee. A few red splotches on his face showed where it had rained down on him.

  “I’m so sorry,” Sienna sobbed.

  “It’s okay.” I rocked her gently back and forth.

  What had just happened? I’d never seen someone act so violently out of nowhere like that. Had she panicked? Did Levi cause her fit somehow? I was betting on the latter, though I had no idea how he managed it.

  Sienna sniffed and pushed away from me. I gave her space, though I remained tense just in case she made another run for it.

  “I’ll be okay,” she said. She wiped at her eyes and gave me a weak smile.

  I glanced around the room. The two men were watching us. Both looked worried and I could tell they wanted to ask about a million questions. Sienna was in no condition to answer them.

  “Let’s get you into a bath.”

  Sienna nodded and stood. I took her gently by the arm and led her toward the stairs. We stopped beside Ethan, who was trying to wring out his shirt without taking it off.

  “I’m sorry,” she told him. “I didn’t mean to . . .” She trailed off at the shake of his head.

  “It’s okay.” He shot her a crooked smile. “I needed a shower anyway.”

  Sienna gave a snort of a laugh before I led her up the stairs and into my room. She sat down on the bed as I went into the bathroom to run a bath.

  I was concerned about leaving her alone up here, but it was the best option I had. I wasn’t about to take her downstairs into Ethan’s lab and shove her in a cage, though the thought had crossed my mind. I was positive Levi was responsible for her fit. If she were to get outside, she’d be gone.

  Once the bath was running, I returned to the bedroom. Sienna was looking at her hands. Her head rose as I entered.

  “I don’t know what came over me,” she said. “It felt like . . .” She shook her head. “I had to go.”

  “All you need is some rest,” I told her, though I knew it was far more than that.

  Sienna stood. “Thank you,” she said, giving me a brief hug. And then she walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

  I remained standing there, listening to her as she got undressed and slipped into the water. I waited until she shut the faucet off before leaving the room. I closed my bedroom door, took a deep breath, and headed downstairs to the questions I knew were coming.

  Ethan and Jeremy were standing side by side in the dining room. They glanced at each other before Jeremy stepped forward.

  “I think it’s time you told us what in the hell is going on.”

  I looked from face to face, sighed, and nodded. It was time I stopped keeping things from them. I owed it to Jeremy, who’d taken me into his trust. The time for lying had passed.

  “You should probably sit down for this,” I said.

  We sat around the table, me closest to the stairs just in case Sienna made another run for it. After a long, strained silence, I began to talk.

  4

  I told them everything about Delai. It was like ripping out my own heart. Levi and his little world had once felt like home to me. Explaining my reasons for running away to the
seemingly quiet town sounded weak to my ears, but neither Jeremy nor Ethan interrupted. They listened silently, letting me get it all out. If one of them would have said anything, I probably would have stopped, unable to go on.

  But I got it out. It wasn’t easy. I told them about the pull Delai had on me, how every time something went wrong, I wanted to run away there. I told them about Levi, about Sienna, and Eilene.

  It wasn’t until I got to the part about how Beligral had given me the Sight so I could see what Levi really was that they showed any reaction. Ethan’s eyes widened as things clicked into place for him. He’d been there when I’d discussed the town with the demon. He’d heard the names, heard me talk about discovering that the man I knew as Levi was really an angel named Di’leviathan.

  Someone had summoned him and allowed him to create a town in a pocket dimension, a place that wasn’t real, yet felt it all the same. There, Levi experimented on supes, turned them into mindless husks that did his bidding.

  He’d very nearly done it to me.

  “Jesus,” Ethan said when I was done. “I guess I understand why you left.”

  Jeremy stared hard at me. Emotions flickered across his face: anger, confusion, sympathy. The only reason he was living in my house now was because I’d run away to Delai after killing my brother. He had to appreciate that everything had worked out for all of us in the end.

  “What are we going to do?” he asked finally, voice controlled.

  “We have to protect her.”

  “But how? Are you sure there’s no way back to that . . . place?”

  “Not unless Levi allows it.” I’d found that out the hard way. Now, every time I went to the spot where I’d always seen the road to Delai, I found an empty field.

  Footfalls on the stairs cut the conversation short. It was hard to believe I’d spoken long enough for Sienna to be done with her bath, but sure enough, a good hour had passed.

  Sienna stopped three steps up. A towel was wrapped around her body. She clutched it tight to her chest and looked toward the floor at my feet, as if she was too embarrassed to look me in the eye.

  “My clothes are dirty,” she said in a small voice. “I really don’t want to put them back on. Do you happen to . . .” She trailed off and shrugged one bare shoulder.

  “Yeah,” I said, rising. I turned back to the men. “I’ll be right back.”

  Ethan nodded, refusing to look up. His face was flaming red and he appeared to be having a hard time swallowing. Jeremy wasn’t looking toward the mostly naked girl either, but at least he’d kept his composure.

  Sienna led the way back to my bedroom where I found her a shirt and a pair of pajama pants that weren’t too terribly big on her. I’d have to send Jeremy out to shop for her at some point, especially if I planned on letting her stay for long.

  “Thanks,” she said, taking the clothes. “I was almost afraid to ask.”

  “Don’t be.” I rested a hand on her shoulder before turning away. “I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready.”

  Ethan was still at the table when I returned. He cleared his throat when he saw me, smiled, and then his face flushed again. The poor guy was obviously smitten with Sienna. It was kind of cute.

  Jeremy was standing by the back door, peering out into the darkness with a frown on his face.

  “Do you see something?” I asked, joining him. All I could see were the trees and the moon. The rain had stopped, but it was still cloudy. I’d almost forgotten how soaked I’d been.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I have this . . . feeling.” His frown deepened. “I’m not sure if I’m just creeped out by all this talk of angels and demons or if there really is something out there.”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  Jeremy’s jaw tightened. His eyes were hard and alert as he scoured the grounds.

  “Go,” I said, knowing what he wanted to do. “See if you can find anyone. If you see someone you don’t know, run back here as fast as you can and tell me. I don’t want you engaging unless you have to.” I gave him a quick description of Levi just in case, knowing it was unlikely he’d find the angel out there. As far as I knew, he couldn’t leave Delai.

  Jeremy gave me a sharp nod before heading out. I locked the door behind him and watched as he vanished into the trees.

  “Are you sure it’s such a good idea to let him go?” Ethan asked. “What if someone is out there?”

  “He’ll be fine.”

  “You can’t know that for sure.”

  “I said he’ll be fine.” I glanced back at Ethan, letting the anger show in my face. He nodded and looked away.

  I didn’t like the idea of Jeremy running around out there alone. There was no telling who could be watching the house. I knew Adrian often had wolves prowling around. Then there was Countess Baset and Count Mephisto. I couldn’t be positive they weren’t watching the place, but I wouldn’t put it past them.

  What if one of them had seen Sienna arrive? I really didn’t want word getting around about her. It would only put her in more danger, especially if someone thought they could use her to get to me.

  I turned away from the door as Sienna came down the stairs. The T-shirt was a little baggy and she’d had to roll up the bottoms of the pajama pants, but otherwise, they looked to be an okay fit. The bath had apparently done her some good. She looked far better than she had when she’d first arrived.

  Ethan leapt up and rushed to her side. “Do you need anything?” he asked. “Do you want to try that coffee again? I made more coffee.”

  She smiled at him. “Coffee would be great.”

  He waited until she sagged tiredly into the chair next to me before scurrying off to get her coffee. He practically couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Like I’d said before, cute.

  I forced my attention away from the flustered Ethan to Sienna. “You okay?” I asked, giving her a quick look over. She did look much better, but there was an underlying weariness that wouldn’t go away with a single soak in the bath.

  “I am now,” she said as Ethan returned with a new mug. She took it from him gratefully, took a sip, and grimaced.

  “Crap,” Ethan said. “Sugar, right? I should have asked if you needed sugar. What about cream? I usually take it black so I didn’t even think . . .”

  “It’s okay,” Sienna said. “I’m just not used to drinking coffee.”

  “Oh.” Ethan looked at his hands and then glanced at me as if asking for help.

  “Has anyone cleaned up the coffee in the living room?” I asked him, knowing it was still there. I could see the mug lying on its side from where I sat.

  Ethan shook his head. “I should probably get that, huh?” Before I could respond, he snatched up some paper towels and headed into the living room, paying me something of a thankful grin as he went. It was obvious he didn’t know how to handle Sienna and needed time to get his head on straight.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked her as soon as he was gone.

  “No,” Sienna said. “The coffee is fine.”

  “Do you think you can talk about what happened?”

  Sienna took another tiny sip from her mug before answering. “I think so. I’m not sure there’s much to explain, really.”

  Ethan walked by, mug and soggy paper towels in hand. The majority of the mess was cleaned up, though we’d have to use something on it soon or else it would stain the carpet. He gave me a pleading look and I nodded toward the chair across from me. He smiled gratefully and sank down into his chair where he immediately scooted closer to Sienna.

  “I was at home when it happened,” she began. She fiddled with her mug without looking up. “I’m not sure exactly what it was I felt, but as I was sitting there, this strange sensation swept over me. I felt oddly free, like I could do anything I wanted. I never knew how trapped I’d always felt until that very moment.”

  She licked her lips and shuddered. “It was strange.”

  “Do you feel it now?”

  She shook
her head and then nodded before shrugging. “I don’t know. I feel . . . different. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

  I immediately thought of the colored strand I’d seen going to her head when I’d had the Sight. All of Levi’s victims had them. They connected them to him. Had Levi’s hold been broken somehow?

  “Mom was asleep and Dad was out, leaving me alone,” she continued. “I knew I’d get this one chance, and if I didn’t just up and run right then and there, I’d never get another opportunity to get away.” She paused, bit her lower lip, and went on.

  “I’d never really thought about running away on my own before, but I did it. I left Mom sleeping and I ran. I didn’t know where I was going, but knew I just had to go. I could feel Dad out there. It was strange. It was like he knew what was happening and was coming to get me. It scared me to death. All I kept thinking was that if I kept running, I’d eventually find you.”

  She finally looked up and met my eyes. Huge tears quivered on her lashes as she broke into a wide smile.

  “It was you who gave me the strength to run. I’m sure of it. It was you who showed me I could get away. When I ran, I knew I’d find you waiting for me.”

  Ethan shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He kept looking at me like I was supposed to say something, but I had no idea what. I’d had nothing to do with her escape; that’s for sure. If I’d had the power to break her free of Levi’s grip, I would have done it long before now.

  “Anyway, I was nearly out when Dad reached me. When he said my name, I felt this horrible pressure in my head that made me feel like it might explode. I almost turned and went back to him just so it would stop.”

  She grinned savagely at her coffee. “But I didn’t. I ran as hard as I could, even when he demanded I stop. He seemed stunned I didn’t do as he said. He just stood there as I ran down the road, like he expected me to keep doing what he wanted like I’d always done before.”

  “He didn’t try to stop you?” I asked, not really believing it.

  “I think he did,” she said slowly. “I think that was what I felt when I tried to run. It was strange, you know? Like he could force me to do what he wanted just by thinking about it. I’d always been scared of him, but never really knew why.”