Curse of Soulmate--The Complete Series

by D. N. Leo

  The group kept going, searching every possible place along the lake where the crucifix could be hidden.

  They approached a small bridge. They had to cross it—there was nowhere else to go on this side.

  “Wait here,” Ciaran said. He cautiously crossed the bridge by himself. When it seemed to be relatively safe, he came back again to escort the group over.

  They soon arrived at a small temple.

  “Maybe this is it,” Madeline said.

  “It does look like a good hiding place.” Tadgh set Stefan down. “I’ll have a quick check inside,” Tadgh said.

  “I’ll look go around the back. Jo, check out the side please, and Madeline, if you could stay with Stefan?” Ciaran asked.

  Tadgh cautiously pushed open the door of the temple.

  Ciaran had walked around the corner, looking at the temple from the outside. Running back to the front, he yelled, “Tadgh, get out!”

  But it was too late.

  Chapter 60

  The chunky wooden door of the small temple closed Tadgh in as soon as he heard Ciaran’s yelling.

  “Fuck!” he muttered.

  Tadgh yanked the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge. He could hear the others banging from the outside, trying to knock it down.

  He looked around. Nothing suspicious. He move further inside and inspected all the corners of the temple. There was no sign of the crucifix.

  “Get out of the way, Tadgh!” It was Ciaran. Tadgh dove aside just before a machine gun sprayed the door and it collapsed.

  As he headed toward the open doorway to leave the temple, a line of fire shot up from the floor, creating a barrier between Tadgh and the outside. The curtain of fire burned with incredible heat. The temple was small with thick brick walls and no windows. If he wasn’t burned to death, he would die from lack of oxygen or smoke inhalation.

  Tadgh yelled over the top of the fire. “I’m going to run through this. It’s only a game, right? Should be okay.”

  Madeline screamed at him, “No! You’ll die! You can’t cross it.”

  She knew better. Been there and done that. She knew how much it hurt. She’d made it through the fire, but it was only because Juliette hadn’t set the rules. In their current game, Juliette had set things up, and she was almost positive Tadgh couldn’t cross the fire and live.

  Ciaran and Jo tried every object they could find to suppress the fire for a few seconds so that Tadgh could cross. Nothing worked.

  The heat inside the temple was incredible. It seemed hot enough to boil blood. The air was growing thicker and thicker. Tadgh slumped to the floor.

  Madeline looked at him and knew what he was thinking. She yelled to him over the fire. “Don’t cross! I’ll fix this!”

  But Tadgh had already lain down on the floor and didn’t appear to hear what Madeline was saying to him.

  Madeline ran to a nearby tree. “Tree gives life. Jo said, tree gives life. Must be some kind of game code.” Madeline was thinking out loud.

  She pulled out her hunting knife and cut her arms. Blood streamed onto the tree. Ciaran saw what she was doing, but he understood the reasoning behind her actions. He didn’t stop her.

  “Tree gives life. Okay, you have enough of my blood now, so I’m asking you to fall down and make a bridge.”

  Madeline pushed the tree lightly. It lifted easily from its roots and fell across the wall of fire.

  Ciaran stormed inside the temple. Tadgh was no longer conscious. He carried his brother outside and lay him on the grass, Jo darted over and performed CPR. Tadgh coughed and opened his eyes. He blinked and looked up at Jo, who was sitting on top of him.

  “That was smoking hot!” he managed to say teasingly.

  “Thank you.” Jo smiled.

  The group made it to the end of the lake but still had found no crucifix.

  In front of them now was something that looked like the ruins of an ancient castle. Tall stone walls with glassless arched windows towered above them. Gothic rooflines shaped like towers pointed to the bruised sky. It was a magnificent and imposing structure—in the middle of nowhere.

  Juliette stepped out of the fog. “I’m disappointed. I thought you were much better than this.”

  “So who’s going to punish us if we lose the game?” Ciaran asked.

  “My game, my rules, and my execution.” Juliette smiled menacingly.

  “But we haven’t lost yet. We still have the final round.”

  Juliette’s grin widened. She lifted her arm up, and a sword appeared in her hand. “You asked for it, my husband.”

  She swung her sword at Ciaran. He blocked with his. The clash of metal against metal sang in the air. The force of the contact pushed Ciaran a few steps backward.

  Ciaran could see the shadow of dragon wings behind Juliette. Each blow of her sword carried an incredible amount of supernatural force. She was cheating.

  Ciaran swung and attacked her, pushing her back several steps. His sword, however, was obviously inferior to hers.

  Madeline asked Jo. “What kind of sword does he need to win?”

  “One soaked in angel blood.”

  “What does that mean? I don’t have angel’s blood.” She ran to a tree. She cut her hand again. “Here is my blood. I need that sword.”

  Nothing.

  Still engrossed in their swordfight, Juliette gave Ciaran a hard kick, sending him down to his knees. In this hologame world, gender held no power and gave no advantage. Only the power of the game mattered. Ciaran knew that.

  He had power, but his weapon was inferior. His sword had already been chipped and would break soon.

  Tadgh grabbed his knife and rushed forward. He hit hard against an invisible wall and slumped to the ground.

  “Game rules, Tadgh. Their fight is one-on-one. You can’t get in,” Jo said.

  “But that bitch has a better weapon. How is that fair?”

  Jo darted toward the tree where Madeline was still trying to get the sword. “Nothing yet?” Jo asked.

  “No, I’ve given my blood. What else can I do?”

  Jo took her own knife and cut herself. “Here is my blood, too. We give you our sister blood. Pure blood. Pure love. Give us strength. Give us the sword.”

  There was a rumble from within the tree trunk. Then it opened, revealing a knight’s sword with a blood red blade.

  Madeline grabbed the sword and ran toward Ciaran and Juliette.

  Before Jo could warn her, she heard the thunk of Madeline hitting the wall as Tadgh did.

  “I can’t get in!” she yelled. “Jo, what do I do?”

  “Ciaran has to ask for it himself. You can’t bring the sword to him.”

  Ciaran’s sword broke in half, and he tossed it away.

  Juliette laughed. “Well, my warrior. I don’t want you to be disadvantaged.”

  She opened her palm, and her sword disappeared.

  They now fought hand to hand.

  Juliette’s arms were as hard as steel, and her strength was superhuman. As soon as she made contact with him, Ciaran knew her game strength was abnormal. She was cheating again. He wondered if she had been all along and not a single moment between them had been genuine.

  His lack of concentration caused him to take a few blows from Juliette’s steely arms. Whatever this was in front of him was a monster, not a woman.

  Concentrate. Look into her eyes, he told himself. She was a monster. And he was White Knight. It was his mission to destroy all evil.

  Ciaran clenched his fists and went head-on with Juliette. He blocked her steel blows with his kicks. The sheer force of will from him was something she could not defeat.

  Ciaran pounded on her. Blows and kicks until she fell, tumbling across the ground. He wouldn’t stop until he defeated this evil force.

  He charged.

  Ciaran could see Madeline holding the sword outside the fighting arena. He knew what she had done to get it.

  He continued his attack on the woman. She roared with a demonic
thunder of anger and frustration. Her power was abating. From the ground, she looked up at Ciaran, who was walking toward her to finish the job.

  She looked at him with Juliette’s eyes.

  Those innocent, bright eyes he had loved years ago. Was this Juliette he was about to kill? It couldn’t be. But how could a demon have her eyes?

  She started humming the tune of the song she had written on their honeymoon, the song she sang before she died. “Little hummingbird, do you see the sky? It is free. It is yours. Fly. Past the mountains. Past the oceans. There. You will find love . . .”

  Kneeling on the ground, Juliette looked at him with tearful eyes containing a sea of innocence, those he had fallen for when they first met at Oxford University. She had died for him. How could he now execute her?

  That single moment of hesitation was what Juliette had been waiting for.

  She flexed and turned her fist. It morphed into a blade which she stabbed straight into Ciaran’s body.

  He heard Madeline scream as he fell. Is this the end? he wondered.

  He couldn’t kill Juliette, regardless of what she did to him.

  As Juliette withdrew her steel arm from him, Ciaran slumped to the ground.

  Juliette raised up with a devil’s smile. “Ever lost a game, Ciaran?”

  “I don’t like losing, and I’ve never lost.”

  “So this will be your first loss. Your first, and your last.” Juliette extended her arm, and her sword returned.

  She was going to kill Ciaran.

  From the ground, Ciaran looked up at a demon.

  “You’re not Juliette!”

  Ciaran reached up. The sword in Madeline’s hands vibrated and then flew toward Ciaran. He grabbed it and swung quickly, beheading the woman in front of him.

  She screamed even as her head fell from her shoulders. Then her entire body shattered like crystal and vanished into thin air.

  Ciaran muttered, “If you were Juliette, you would know that I lost my first game to her. The real Juliette. Demon bitch!”

  Part IV

  Spirit

  Chapter 61

  Tadgh winced as the cold moisture from the ground seeped into his skin. He opened his eyes groggily and immediately registered the reality of the situation. He scrambled to reach for his gun and saw the muzzle of Stefan’s pointing at his face.

  “Hey, hey, stay still,” Stefan said.

  Tadgh quickly took inventory of the scene as he stood up. They were back at the rest stop. Madeline and Jo had just gotten up. Ciaran was still on the ground.

  Stefan limped badly, but he managed to reach over and grab Madeline. He pointed the gun at her.

  “Without Ciaran, no one can work on your disk, Stefan,” Tadgh said. “And he doesn’t look as if he’s coming back soon.”

  “I can see that,” Stefan scolded. “Here’s my solution. I’ll take Madeline with me. When our White Knight here wakes up, he and Jo will decode the disk for me. Then we’ll talk again.”

  “Let me try again. I’ll go with you,” Jo said.

  “No, it’s better you stay with Ciaran and Tadgh. I can handle this, Jo,” Madeline told her.

  “Hear that, Jo? Your big sister wants you to do your job and be a good girl.” Stefan smirked.

  “When we sort out the disk, how can we find you?” Tadgh asked.

  Stefan laughed. “Why don’t you just come right out and ask where I’m hiding?” he mocked. “I’ll contact you. Remember, I like Madeline, but I like what’s in the disk much more. Don’t disappoint me.”

  Stefan pulled Madeline out the door.

  Jo stomped her feet on the floor. “Damn it!”

  “Careful—you’ll punch holes on the floor with those heels. Damaging national park property will land us in jail.”

  Jo glared at Tadgh. “That’s not funny.”

  “I’m not trying to be funny. But I have to entertain us somehow because we’re going to be here for hours.”

  “Why?”

  Tadgh nodded at Ciaran. “He’ll be out for that long.”

  Jo looked at Ciaran. “Because of the stab wound?” Jo ripped Ciaran’s shirt open and saw a large red scar where the demon had stabbed him.

  “You’re just checking out his abs, aren’t you?”

  “What’s your problem, Tadgh? Why you keep making stupid comments?”

  Tadgh crouched so that his eyes were level with Jo’s. “It’s because I’m feeling completely stupid right now. We did everything we could to rescue you. And then things got so messed up. People we care for died. Now we got you back. And he took Madeline. When will this end? How many more people will be killed?”

  “You care for Madeline.”

  “Not as much he does.” Tadgh pointed at Ciaran. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen him care that much for anyone in years. Now he’s out, and I couldn’t even keep Madeline safe for him.” Tadgh shook his head.

  “You couldn’t help it. Stefan is a trained soldier. He had a gun on you.”

  “So you’re saying I was scared shitless when he pointed the gun at me?”

  “Why do you have twist everything I say the wrong way? What did I do to offend you?” Jo jabbed her finger at Tadgh’s chest.

  He shook his head. “It’s just me. I’m sorry.”

  Ciaran stirred.

  Tadgh tapped his shoulder. “Okay, get up Ciaran.”

  “Why does he take such a long time to wake up?”

  “He’s allergic to anesthesia. It must have been in the smoke bomb they threw at us. It knocks him out for hours. And it’ll get worse.”

  “How?” Jo asked and picked up the sleeve that contained the disk from the ground. It was empty. She showed it to Tadgh.

  “Shit!” he exclaimed.

  “Okay, so we have no disk. Stefan thought we had it. I don’t know what to do now. Who were those men with the red bombs?” Jo said.

  “Probably the same ones who attacked us at Robert’s house just before we came here. They burned his house down and killed his wife and daughter.” He searched Ciaran’s jacket pocket. “Holy fuck . . . Juliette’s diary is gone, too.” Tadgh pulled at his hair as if it would help him find a solution.

  Jo’s eyes teared up.

  “Oh, no, that’s the last thing I need here. Girl crying.”

  “I don’t cry.” Jo ground her teeth. “I’m female, and this is a normal biological reaction of the female body in situations of distress.”

  Tadgh stared. “Why can’t you just say girls cry when they’re stressed?” he grumbled. “Never mind.”

  Ciaran opened his eyes. He was too groggy to make any sense of what was going on. Tadgh pulled him up.

  “All right, let’s go.” Tadgh pulled Ciaran’s arm over his shoulders to help him walk. Ciaran pushed him away.

  “All right, all right. I’ve got it. You don’t have to carry me.”

  Tadgh released him, and Ciaran slumped to the floor again.

  “I’m going to help you whether you like it or not.” Tadgh pulled his arm over his shoulders again and started walking.

  “Back to the car, this way,” Tadgh said, steering his brother.

  Ciaran pulled away from him, and ran to a tree and vomited violently.

  Tadgh looked at Jo. “That’s what I meant by it gets worse. He does that all the time. And if you ever tell him you’ve seen him like that, you’ll never be his friend!”

  Jo rolled her eyes. “Men and their dicks!”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You wanted me to put things simply. Or would you rather me analyze the neurological system of the male species when it comes to their so-called sexual organs?”

  “No, thank you. Let me keep my sanity.”

  When Ciaran had emptied the contents of his stomach, his brother half dragged, half carried him to the car. He put Ciaran in the backseat and got behind the wheel.

  Tadgh sat for a long moment, staring at the dashboard.

  “Out of gas?” Jo asked.

  “I can�
��t believe I have to drive this stupid machine!”

  “You don’t know how to drive?”

  “Of course I do, excuse me! But I drive normal cars like normal people. Not this piece of shit.”

  “This is a very expensive sports car. It’s supposed to be every man’s wet dream.”

  “Well, it’s not my dream, okay?”

  “I can drive,” Jo offered.

  “Oh, no, thank you. You Americans drive on the wrong side of the road. This is not a hologame. If we die here, it’s going to be very real!”

  “We Americans think you British drive on the wrong side of the road.”

  “Stop babbling and let me concentrate.”

  Tadgh focused and started the car while Jo rolled her eyes and swallowed a laugh.

  The car jerked, roared up, accelerated, stopped, and stalled.

  “Don’t tell me—you drive an automatic.”

  “Just shut up.” Tadgh tried again, and this time he succeeded. They made it to the highway.

  “You might get a ticket for driving too slow.”

  “Just shut up.”

  Chapter 62

  The stuffy air of a small hotel room greeted Madeline and Stefan as soon as he opened the door. “Sorry, it’s all I could find on such short notice. The location is the best, though,” Stefan said and shoved her into the room.

  He locked the door and limped toward the only bed in the room. He flopped onto it, wincing with pain. He pulled his jeans up to the knee, and saw a bright red scar around his leg where he had chopped it off in the hologame. The scar was swollen and looked infected.

  “Fucking stupid game,” he mumbled to himself.

  Madeline walked over. Stefan immediately grabbed his gun.

  “I just want to have a look at your injury. Are you going to hold me at gunpoint all night long? We used to be friends, Stefan.”

  “You’re good with words, Madeline. But you need to check the dictionary for the definition of friendship.”

  If this continued, getting away from Stefan would be difficult, Madeline mused. She glanced at his wound. “It’s badly infected. You might need medical treatment. If it gets any worse, you’ll lose your leg for real.”