“Please don’t be alarmed, Ms. Williams,” she said through the door. “My partner and I are not demons.”
“I know,” Eleanor called out in the melodious voice mothers used to soothe children. “Come in.”
She knows? Heavy-hearted, Prudence opened the door and stepped into the coziest sitting room she’d ever seen. Every piece of furniture had been placed with an eye for comfort. Wide white trim offset walls of the palest blue. Gauzy curtains hung at the windows behind a cushy sofa in floral print. Toys and books suitable for a toddler littered the soft carpeting.
Son balanced on her hip, Eleanor swayed the whimpering child and cooed into his delicate ear. Small blue eyes fixed on Prudence, his sweet chubby hands clutched around his mother’s neck as if he sensed the impending separation.
Eleanor brushed a tussle of wavy, auburn hair out of her eyes and smiled weakly. A statuesque beauty in a simple summer dress, she must have attracted every man she’d ever met. Prudence wondered how she’d been duped into wearing a ring for a total asshole.
Boosting the boy higher on her hip, she crossed to Prudence. “I know this is serious business, but you really should smile. It would help Joey relax. Me too.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Williams,” she said, unable to force a hint of a grin. “It’s…” Her mouth went dry. “I—”
“Please, call me Ellie. We’re going to be uniquely close, at least for a little while. And no one’s called me Ellie in forever.” Her hazel eyes glowed with more innocence than her child.
Why would God not save this woman? Why not the council?
She had to know the truth.
On the deepest level.
Deliberately locking onto Ellie’s gaze, she broke a rule for the first time as a Hell Runner—she tapped a soul that wasn’t their target.
Joy. Pure joy. Like effervescent bubbles, Ellie’s sincere gratitude coursed through Prudence. Not a gram of anger. Not an ounce of bitterness. Not a smidge of regret for the mistake that landed her in Hell. Nothing but faith in its purest state.
But that would change once she realized she’d been abandoned. Once the demon dug his claws into her.
No one so decent should be condemned on a technicality.
The thought unbearable, unthinkable, she closed her eyes and withdrew. Change of plan.
Jesse would carry the child and save his career. She would save Ellie and destroy hers. Not council rules or badass demons were going to stop her. Though her only soul-carry, she’d cherish this mission for the rest of her life.
The heaviness surrounding her heart lifted. “How did you know we were coming?”
“I was told by your liaison.” Ellie grinned sweetly. “He has such a charming accent, he could talk a girl into anything. I sure wish I’d met someone like him instead of Big Earl.”
“Niall told you?” No wonder the shade had looked so shocked.
“He didn’t give his name. But he was kind. And very handsome.”
With a nose obviously reset after too many breaks, handsome didn’t exactly describe Niall.
But it did her partner—with the charming southern accent. Had Jesse known in advance and paid her a visit? His shock at the burn directive seemed genuine. But nothing was adding up. She glanced around, looking for her enigmatic partner.
On cue, Jesse slipped in behind her. “We need to get a move on. You won’t like it, but I’ve decided—
Without thinking it through, without listening to her partner, Prudence moved in front of Ellie and invited her inside with a nod. Both mother and child glided into her body at once. The sensation of melding elicited a pleasant tingle, infusing her with a jolt of energy.
“What did you just do?” Jesse jerked her hard by the arm and his eyes flashed fire.
“My carry. My choice. You got a bad habit of—”
“Can the attitude. I meant—how did you accept both souls?”
“I…” she stammered, realizing what she’d done. “Didn’t try to. I couldn’t leave her behind, Jess.”
“I know. I couldn’t either. But that’s one dangerous demon.” He jabbed a finger at a curtained window. “Not only for Ellie. I think he wants more than her soul. He wants one of us.”
She fought off the pins of fear with simple logic. “But I carry the child, too. And he protects—”
“He protects nothing now. Face it, the rulebook is in ashes. Run right at the fissure,” he said, heading for the door. “I’ll distract the demon and head for the Gate.”
“No.” She wedged between him and the door. “We never split up.”
“There’s no other way.” He jammed his hand behind her and reached for the knob.
She pressed her back to the door. “Yes, there is. We’ll lead him down to the border creek. The demons can’t cross into Purgatory and—”
“Prudence.” His voice carried a warning.
“No demon can traverse it without being huffed out of existence. First Ring. Ninth Ring. No difference. It’s a longer way back to the Gate, but we have a better chance.”
“It’s too far. The demon morphed into a massive panther. We’ll be overtaken in the clearing. Niall’s waiting for you. He’ll get you home.”
She shook her head, unwilling to gamble with his life. “If you won’t cross the expanse, then we’ll lose him in the maze of houses and streets—confound him in a blur of zigzags. Together we’ll drop into the fissure.” She placed a hand on his chest. With their lives on the line, she wasn’t afraid to express her true feelings. “I can’t lose you, Thorne.”
Surprising her, he cradled her face with both of his hands and gazed down. His mouth seemed to inch closer, his gaze growing more—
“You’re not going to kiss me goodbye are you?”
He pulled back a fraction and narrowed his eyes in confusion.
“You know I don’t do goodbyes.” She sucked in a quick breath, in case he ignored her warning. She wanted his kiss. She wanted his lips squished against hers and the caress of his ragged breath and rough stubble on her cheek.
But not at this moment.
“You’re unbelievable. You’re such a—”
“Princess. I know. So what’s it gonna be, Hotshot?’
“We stick together.” He dropped his hands. “Ready?”
She nodded, relieved and scared at the same time. “Backdoor?”
“More houses out front. Better to jump right into the labyrinth.”
“You’re the boss.”
He snorted a laugh. “Since when?” Then he threw back the door.
Across the street, a mutated panther sharpened his claws on the asphalt road.
For the first time ever, a wave of fear sent numbing tendrils into Prudence’s limbs. And she could feel the desperation of the woman sheltered inside of her.
The beast raised his head, saliva dripping from his lower lip. Eyes the color of hot coals glowed bright from within his deep sockets. A big tongue swiped around his fangs, and his muscles tensed.
All those years of simulator never trained her for such a beast. But Jesse’s intense lessons hammered home the dangers of fear. Fear fed evil, and she refused to become food.
She brushed a hand over the front of her shirt, feeling for her old, trusty Hell Runners pendant and the new gold one, hanging from the same chain. It had taken forever to earn it, and she refused to lose it to a servant of the damned.
“Fuck! We should have gone out the back.” Jesse took a hesitant step backward.
As if comprehending, the demon lunged.
Together, they whizzed sideways, outmaneuvering the big cat. Jesse snatched her hand and led her into the conglomeration of bungalows.
Hand in hand, they dodged right, then left—doglegging the streets over and over, burning a confusing trail. But she could still hear the animal’s snorting above the roar of her own blood. She could swear she felt his heat at her back.
Parallel to Ellie’s street after backtracking, Jesse wrenched free of her grip. “This. Isn’t. Working,�
� he huffed and pointed. “The fissure. Go.”
“No,” she yelled and desperately grappled for his hand. “Together.”
Too fast, he was already out of reach, crossing the beast’s path. She almost ran after him, but a fearful moan from Ellie stopped her. No matter what, the souls came first.
Heart threatening to shatter, she watched the demon advance on her partner. A dancing spectacle, he begged for the minion to follow, and when the demon trailed two blocks away, he took off at top speed.
Chances of his survival plummeted by the second. A choked sob cut from her aching chest. His sacrifice would surely kill her if the demon didn’t.
A second before impact, the creature darted between two houses, seeming to disappear. She trembled, grateful her partner was still alive, but in the same moment grasped how they’d been played for fools. The minion was linked to the mother’s soul.
“Run!” Her partner’s scream filled her earpiece, but she was already in motion.
Halfway to the secret corridor, a blast of putrid breath wafted up her nose. The beast was a dozen houses away and headed straight for her. She swiveled on the ball of her foot, blazing a zigzag path out of the neighborhood and into the woods.
“Prudence!” Jesse’s holler exploded through the ear piece. “Turn back. He’s forcing you onto the straightaway.”
She knew that already. But ditching him in the maze of houses already proved pointless. Fatigue would overtake her before the creature broke a sweat. And leading him to the fissure would betray Niall’s secret.
“I got this,” she said, concentrating on the new souls cowering inside of her. No demon beast would keep her from delivering these good souls. If it meant escorting them all the way up the light shaft straight onto God’s lap, then she’d go.
Chapter Ten
“She knows what to do,” Niall said, blocking him from chasing after Prudence. “You’ll never catch up anyway. We’ll take the fissure to the Gate and double back. It is a shortcut, of a sort.”
“No!” he screamed, his arms shaking with fear. “He'll eat her alive.”
“Only if he catches her. And he won’t catch her. Swift’s out there ready to help.”
“Swift only helps himself. I’m going after my partner.” He dodged right, trying to outmaneuver the shade, but Niall flashed in front of him. “Stop!” he screamed, wishing he could coldcock the big ghost.
“Think instead of react. You’re feeding the creature with your anger. And he uses your hot emotions against her.”
The truth galled him, but he instantly pulled back. She needed his help, not his frustration. Unsure at first of how to regain control, he circled away, scrubbing his hands over his face. Unconsciously, he anchored both hands on the trunk of an old sedan. He despised asking for favors of anyone, especially of a God who made it plain he’d never interfere with free will. But for the first time in forever, he closed his eyes and bowed his head.
Finished in less than half a minute, he pushed off the car and blinked against a flash of light. Luminous from beneath the ground’s surface, golden circles the size of river rocks shined through the grass, running a trail beneath Niall’s feet. His body buzzed like the first time he spied an invisible demon.
“Do you see that?” He pointed to the trim yard behind Niall. Without waiting for the shade’s answer, he broke into a run, letting the trail lead him.
The glowing rocks ended at the rim of a glossy, silver disk not far from the blooming dogwood.
“This is the fissure linking the First and Second Rings,” Niall said. “You found it on your own. I’d hoped for this.”
Overwhelmed by his new ability, Jesse didn’t ask why the shade had any hopes. He tested the surface of the disk with his boot and then glanced up.
“You want me to go first?” the shade said.
“Nope.” Scared shitless, but not for himself, he crossed his arms over his chest and then leaped into the wavering unknown.
»»•««
Flat on his back, he stared up at Niall, his vision a little blurry from bumping his head. His teeth hurt from gnashing them together, and his back was sore.
“You’re lucky.” The shade bent his knees and leaned over him. “You landed on the only square of grass in this part of the city.”
“Ow!” Jesse raised up on his elbows and shook his head, clearing his sight. True enough, he sat square in the center of a small park, the heart of an inner-city apartment complex. The tall buildings pressed in on him, and he hurried to his feet.
“Take it easy.”
“You could’ve warned me.” Jesse rubbed the back of his head.
“Discovery is half the fun. Come now, Hell Runner. Which way?”
“Which way?” He shook his head again, still a little disoriented. “This is your hood, not mine.”
“You possess a new gift.” Niall arched an eyebrow. “Use it.”
Turning a full 360 degrees, his heart sank into his uneasy stomach. “It’s gone.”
“It’s not.”
“You’re wasting time,” he shouted, not caring if he alerted any nearby demons. “Lead me. Prudence could—”
“You always underestimate your partners, Jesse. Prudence runs like dust in a tornado. And Swift—”
“Is a douche.”
“Which will work to his advantage. Use yours. You were obsessed with thoughts of Prudence. Consumed with her. Do it again. Use your powerful emotions to help her.”
The shade said it as if thoughts of Prudence ever left his brain. Or the image of her dashing out of sight. His anger boiled over.
Prepared to let loose a useless right hook and a string of curses, Jesse suddenly stopped. The patchy turf lit up like a Christmas tree decorated with money.
“I see by your face we’re back on track.”
Much as he wanted to, he couldn’t hate the shade for being right. He took off running, Niall on his heels.
Leaving the city, the cobblestone street reappeared. Though a continuation from the First Ring, the patchwork of neighborhoods wasn’t as deceivingly pretty. Every building appeared neglected and downright sad. Worse still, a steady murmur emanated from an unseen source, filling his head with an annoying white noise.
“That. Sound.” He panted. “Driving. Me nuts.”
Niall didn’t so much run beside him as whisk with the wind. “It is the culmination of suffering, used as a distraction.”
“Some. Distraction.”
“Keeps everyone focused on their own torture and not the screams of their neighbors.”
“Shit. Satan’s,” he huffed, “OCD.”
“I don’t understand this OCD.”
“The devil’s…” He leaped over a bike laying on its side, and slowed. “Ass deep in minutiae.”
“Of course. That’s why he got promoted. Now pick up the pace, Hell Runner.”
The glow led them under a bridge, and out of nowhere, a field of lavender and daisies spread as far as his eye could see. Dread wound around his heart. His partner seemed a hundred miles away.
Niall pointed across the field to a rickety barn. “There’s the hub. The center for all sub-corridors. Remember how you got here in case your new gift isn’t permanent.”
“This a. One time. Favor?”
“I won’t be here forever.” Taking off at bullet speed, the shade cut through the flowers without disturbing a petal. In a blink, he was inside the barn.
Not much slower than the ghost, Jesse entered behind him, lavender pollen clinging to his jeans and sweaty shirt.
“As you see, the hub is sectioned off into horse stalls. Each contains a shortcut to another ring of Hell, a fissure like the one where we dropped in.” He patted the four-by-four pillar of the first stall. “Only ever use this one. The one closest to the door. Never the others.”
Jesse walked to the edge of the hole and stared down at the watery image of the barn floor. “We go down? Won’t we go deeper?”
“Sometimes down is up and sometimes d
own is too deep. Everything to your left is too deep. At least for you.” Without warning, he launched through Jesse, and they tumbled backward into the dark.
»»•««
Far less painful than the first fall, they raised out of the ground alongside the path leading to the Philadelphia portal.
Jesse scrambled to his feet and scanned the road all the way to the far horizon. “I don’t see her.” Hyper alert and nervous as shit, he searched the woods on either side of the road.
No Prudence.
Heart ready to burst, he screamed to the trees. “Where the fuck is she?”
“I told you, we took a shortcut. Five minutes from the first drop to here. It only seems long because—”
“Stop. Talking.” He needed to think. He needed to connect with his partner but couldn’t. “I should see her. Why don’t I see her?”
The shade regarded him with furrowed brows. “I can only locate Prudence when she’s wishing for my help. And she’s not.” He paused. “What did you mean by see her? You know she couldn’t possibly have run fast enough to beat us.”
Instead of replying, he took off, doubling back as they’d planned.
“What are you hiding, Jesse?” The shade matched him stride for stride.
He stared straight ahead, intent on noticing the first sign of her.
“You can answer me, or I can take the information. Your choice.”
The thought of being violated by the shade revolted him. He slowed enough to speak. “Fine, asshole. I've developed more than one new ability. I…I see Prudence. When she’s not close by.”
“Interesting. I take it she doesn’t know.”
“No. And for fuck’s sake don’t go blabbing.” He picked up speed. “She’d freak out.”
Niall shook his head. “Understood. When did the connection break?”
“Never connected today. Didn’t need to until—the end.” Not up to his usual speed, he cursed. His chest ached as much from constant running as from constant worry. “Like with the ear buds, I think I’m too far out of range.”
The shade nodded. “It could be why your other ability kicked in.”
“But if you can’t sense her. And I can’t see her—”
Rule Breakers, Soul Takers (Hell Runners Book 1) Page 12