Salvaged Soul (The Ignited Series Book 3) (20 page)

“When do you want this done?” I asked Jared.

“Think about who you want on your team, and let me know by the end of the day tomorrow. Then we’ll work on strategy and objectives.”

Coming up with names wouldn’t be easy considering we had lost several good soldiers in Greece, and the ones that had survived wouldn’t be happy about being chosen for another mission so soon. Not to mention, with the other two missions Jared had going on, there wouldn’t be many soldiers left to pick from.

As I stood to leave, Jared stopped me.

“How’s the, uh, magic drink working out?” he asked.

“Alec’s on day two. He’ll be waking up tomorrow.”

“What about Kris?”

“She hasn’t drank it yet.” I thought Jared knew she was waiting to take it until after Alec.

“She shouldn’t wait anymore,” he said. “Especially if they’re right about the Skotadi being here for her. If she drinks it, and it works . . .”

They would have no reason to want her to join them.

I nodded my understanding, and left to find Kris. She needed to know we didn’t have the time to wait for Alec. Not now. Not with the Skotadi breathing down our necks. I wasn’t thrilled about the idea, but she needed to take the potion now. She needed to get rid of that evil parasite hiding in her before the Skotadi came for her.

Chapter 20

{Kris}

Instructor Kand apparently woke up this morning with one goal in mind: today was the day he would orchestrate my fall. Again, he paired me with Tyson, but unlike the other times, he didn’t stop us after I had taken a few solid, painful hits. This time, he let us go. Well, he let Tyson go.

I did more ducking and dodging than hitting. I lost track of how much time had already passed, and how much longer I had to endure before class ended. Glancing at the clock had already earned me a fat lip, so I didn’t dare do that again. The rest of the class had stopped their own one-on-one training a long time ago, and were now gathered around us to watch.

I had landed a few solid hits, but had taken many more, including one really good one to the back of the head. The vision in my left eye blurred a little—maybe from brain damage, but I hoped it was only sweat. I would have even been happy with blood. Yes, blood was as likely a guess as sweat, but I didn’t have two seconds to wipe at whatever it was to find out.

For as big as he was, Tyson could move.

His fist shot out, and I dodged it. I tried to land a kidney strike, but only hit air. He shoved me from behind, knocking me off balance. I spun around in time to see the blood on his knuckles before they made contact. While my head snapped back from the impact, his legs swept my feet out from under me and I went down on my back. The air rushed out of my lungs, and before I could catch my breath, he jumped on me—a blur of swinging appendages intent on inflicting as much damage as possible.

Instinct curled me into a ball on the floor with my arms over my head. First, to protect myself because the kid was fueled by unadulterated rage, and I knew internal bleeding wasn’t a good thing. Secondly, the demon inside of me was straining against the barrier the charm around my neck had placed around it. I knew my eyes were close to, if not already, surging. I couldn’t let anyone see them, or else I would certainly be on the next boat off the island.

But then . . . something snapped, and my demon broke free. It was she who propelled the side of my hand into his windpipe. And it was she who followed with a nose-breaking upward thrust of my palm. And she who rose to a stand over the now bleeding and moaning lump on the floor. She forced my foot up with the intention of breaking a few of the pathetic Kala’s ribs, but the annoying sound of a whistle distracted her long enough for me to gain control over her, and my own body, again.

I crumbled to the floor beside Tyson as several students rushed at us. All of them focused on him, of course. While they helped him to his feet, I struggled to my knees. I kept my head down. I felt their critical eyes on me, and I didn’t know if my own were still surging or not.

Then the mass of bodies surrounding me parted. Strong arms lifted me to my feet—arms that I recognized and knew, and welcomed more than anything at that moment.

“You okay?” Nathan asked me. He waited long enough for me to nod before he spun on Instructor Kand. “Is this what you’ve been doing since you took over my class?”

I didn’t hear a response, and didn’t look up to see if Instructor Kand offered one—a shrug, a nod, or
anything
—but whatever he did only infuriated Nathan more. Nathan rolled his head and took a step forward. I put a hand to his chest to stop him from going any farther. The last thing he needed was to get into trouble for standing up for me. Even if the jerk instructor deserved it.

“Nathan?” I pressed when he didn’t back down. His eyes were fixated on Instructor Kand in outright angry, vengeful protector mode. I tried again. “
Nathan
.”

“What?”

“I think I’m surging,” I whispered loud enough only for him to hear. “You need to get me out of here.”

Finally, his eyes lowered to take his first good look at me since he showed up. His jaw clenched at what he saw. “You’re not surging, but I am going to get you out of here.”

Empowered by the security I felt with my hand in his and the knowledge that I wasn’t surging, I lifted my head as he led me out of the classroom. Loud whispers and a few snickers followed us, but I couldn’t have cared less.

Nathan had been the one concerned about everyone finding out about us, but right now, he didn’t seem too worried about it. Once we were clear of the classroom, he stopped to check on me.

“Has it been like that since I left?” he asked.

I nibbled my lip. At the risk of putting him into a rage, I nodded.

His nostrils flared, but that was all. No rage, thank goodness. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I shrugged. He had only been back for a few days. “A lot has been going on,” I offered. “Besides, today was definitely the worst.”

This time, Instructor Kand waited until I fought back to blow the whistle. Good thing too, otherwise I didn’t know how far my alter ego would have gone. As it was now, Tyson looked almost as bad as I did.

Nathan’s jaw clenched tight, and his eyes fixed on the doorway to the classroom. I suspected that he was debating whether to walk away, or go back and maim Kand.

I made the decision for him, and grabbed his hand. “Let’s go for a walk,” I said. “I want to get away from here.”

That worked to get him moving. Once outside, the sun eased the lingering tension and the light breeze blew it away. Not like I had never been beaten up before. I had gotten over it then, and I was nearly over it now. Nathan would take a little longer, but I thought I could speed the process up by distracting him.

“What were you doing there anyway?” I asked him.

He looked at me, and blinked as if trying to remember. “Uh . . . I was going to wait for your class to be over.”

“Why?”

“We need to talk,” he said, then proceeded to fill me in on the conversation he had with Jared about Skotadi on the mainland.

Once he finished, I turned to pace in front of him. “They’re here to get me, and drag me back to be their . . .” Whatever they wanted me to be. Alec had once referred to us as weapons of war, but I didn’t like that terminology.

“We don’t know that for sure,” Nathan said.

I stopped pacing long enough to look at him. “They are.”

If the last few months had taught me anything, it was that Skotadi actions were usually related to me in one way or another. The Kala might not know exactly why the Skotadi were there, or exactly what they wanted, but I knew . . . I just knew . . . they had come for me.

What would they do if I were no longer the great evil wrecking ball they were counting on me becoming? I doubted they would just leave me alone. They would likely kill me, but I would honestly rather be dead than forced into the life they had planned for me.

“Nathan, I think I should drink that potion now,” I concluded.

Nathan nodded. “That was actually the reason I came to find you,” he admitted. “Jared thinks it would make you safer, if they are here for you.”

I nibbled my lip. That was all assuming the potion did what we all hoped it would do . . . and not speed the process along. Oh, God . . . what if we were wrong?

“Are you ready?” he asked me slowly, carefully.

Though I wasn’t sure, I nodded. Because I
had
to be ready. I had to have faith that it would work.

Back in my room, I stared at the fluid in the vial and wondered if this was really it. If chugging some clear, enchanted liquid was all that separated me from a normal life with an evil-free soul.

Or if just the opposite would happen?

“You know you actually have to drink it for it to work,” Nathan said.

I shot him a bland look. “I know that. I’m just thinking.”

“It’s going to be okay, Kris.”

I wasn’t in the mood to hear his reassurances. Nothing he said could lessen the deeply rooted fears I had. “How long will it take to knock me out?”

He shrugged. “Real quick. Alec went down hard and fast. But then again, he had just gone through a bottle of tequila.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” I muttered. I stared at the vial in my hand, wishing I had a nice shot of something else to calm my nerves first.

No one, other than Circe, knew for sure what would happen to me when I took this. We were trusting someone we didn’t know. What if it was a trap—a way to lock me in as a Skotadi for good?

But she was a goddess. She was with us, on the good side. Maybe it was as simple as it sounded, and she had provided us with the solution. Maybe this fluid was all that stood between me and the life I wanted.

“Kris?” Nathan’s gentle voice broke through the bipolar swing of thoughts bouncing around in my head, and tore down the wall I had built up around me.

“I’m scared,” I whispered. “What if I wake up . . . different?”

He opened his mouth, but I moved to silence him before he could say anything. I kissed him—like a wrap my arms around his neck, tangle my hands in the wavy tufts of hair I found there, and hold onto him with a ferocity that surprised even me kind of kiss. I threw everything—every fear, every concern, every hope—into the kiss. For a brief moment, Nathan froze in surprise, but then he responded exactly how I expected him to.

He deepened the kiss with a noise that sounded like a growl, and slipped his hands under my shirt just enough to graze the sensitive skin at the small of my back. So, really . . . he only had himself to blame when my hands moved to lift his shirt over his head. Our mouths parted only long enough for the fabric to pass between us before crashing together again, and even that had been too long.

The bare skin of his chest and stomach were at my fingertips, and I took advantage of the opportunity to explore. Suddenly, his mouth wasn’t on mine anymore, but on my neck—and oh, God did that feel incredible.

“Nathan?” I breathed.

He froze with his lips pressed to the side of my neck just below my ear. He said nothing, but he didn’t need to. He knew what I planned to say next. From the look of sheer panic on his face when his head lifted and his eyes shifted to mine, you would think
he
was the one contemplating losing his virginity.

“You hear it in my voice this time?” I asked him.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and I knew he had. “Oh, Kris, not now.”

“Why not now? We might not—” I bit my tongue on the rest of my argument, but it was too late. He knew what I had been about to say.

“You want to do this now, because you’re
scared
?”

I wasn’t sure if he meant it as a statement or a question, so I didn’t respond. But I did grimace, and that was enough of an answer for Nathan.

He shifted to sit on the edge of the desk behind him, pulling me with him so that I stood wedged between his knees. “Look, Kris . . .”

“What if this is it? What if I wake up three days from now different? What if this is our last chance to be together . . . as us?”

His eyes softened. “While I don’t believe that’s what is going to happen,” he started slowly, like he chose his words with great care, “I do think that you having that concern isn’t the right reason for us to—”

I opened my mouth to argue—I knew he would say that—but he shushed me before I could start, his eyes piercing mine with a silent plea for me to listen to him, and understand. Reluctantly, I clamped my mouth shut.

“When this happens,” he said, “it’s not going to be for the wrong reasons, and it’s certainly not going to be like this.” My brow wrinkled at
‘like this’
, wondering what was so wrong about this moment, so Nathan explained further. “Kim standing guard right outside your door?”

I made a face. Yeah, okay. He had a point there.

“Rushed,” he continued with his list. “Moments before you take a drink that will knock you unconscious for three days . . .”

“Okay, okay . . .”

“Unprepared,” he added quietly.

“What?” I leaned back to get a better look at him.

His face carried a sheepish expression I had never seen him make before. “I don’t have any . . . protection,” he clarified.

Oh. “You’ve got nothing?” I thought guys carried protection with them everywhere they went because, well, they were guys and if an opportunity presented itself . . .

Nathan shook his head. “Nothing.”

I leaned farther back, forcing his hands to drop from my waist. “Why not?”

His eyebrows shot up. “It’s not like they sell condoms out of vending machines on the island.”

“So what does everyone do?”

He shrugged. “Stock up on the rare trips to the mainland, and hope the supervisors don’t find out.”

“You were just on the mainland,” I pointed out.

He threw his hands up. “I wasn’t expecting—”

“Well, from now on expect it.” I had entered full-blown scolding mode, complete with hands on the hips. “You better be prepared next time.”

His lips turned in to hide a smile. “Do you have any idea how sexy you are when you make that face?”

He tugged me closer, and I saw a fire in his eyes, a hint that he really regretted not being more prepared—because if he were, and the situation was different, we wouldn’t be standing there talking about not being prepared.