Souls of the Damned (Kat Redding) (20 page)

“I’ve been sitting here this entire time. I would have seen him go if he did.”

“Huh,” Levi said, glancing toward the stairs, then at the keys, and then finally at me. He studied me as if he was trying to figure out if I was lying to him. I refused to meet his eyes, knowing if I did, he’d see the truth in them.

“Well, goddamn,” he cursed. He seemed calm until he suddenly threw the keys across the room and screamed, “Motherfucking goddamn son of a bitch!”

He took a deep breath and then forced a smile. “Sorry,” he said. “I . . .” He shrugged and turned toward the door. “I’ll be back in a little bit. Take care of your mom for me, okay?”

“Sure.” I sat there, completely still. There was a look to Levi’s eyes that told me he was very near breaking.

He walked toward the front door and opened it. He paused there, as if considering the lock, before shaking his head and walking out. He slammed the door closed behind him, causing the entire house to shake. Through the window, I watched him get into his truck, start it up, and pull away.

I stood, heart pounding, and turned around to find Eilene standing on the stairs, a lightweight backpack thrown over her shoulder. She looked rejuvenated, as if the thought of escape was enough to bring some life back into her eyes. She was holding the knife she’d given me the night before. She must have fished in out from beneath my mattress while Levi was downstairs.

“Ready?” she asked, coming to stand at my side. She held the knife out to me.

“Ready,” I said, taking the knife from her hand.

It was time to go.

“I need a moment.”

I stopped, anxious to keep going. Eilene had already sagged down onto a flat rock. Her head was down and she was gasping for breath. Whatever energy she’d gained earlier had evaporated quickly.

“We’re almost there,” I said. “You can do this.”

Eilene waved me off when I took a step her way. “I just need to catch my breath. I’ll be fine in a moment.”

We’d been making pretty good time all things considered, but it just wasn’t fast enough for my tastes. If Chris found Levi’s lab, it wouldn’t take long for the angel to find him. I just had to hope he took his time in getting back home, and when he did, he would take the werewolf straight down into the lightless room to deal with him without looking for me or Eilene.

I felt guilty for using Chris, but it seemed like the best way to keep Levi occupied. Hopefully he didn’t fight too much. I didn’t want the guy to die just so I could get away. I’m not sure I’d be able to live that down.

I walked a little ahead while Eilene caught her breath. We were on a small rise, so I could look down on the road through the trees we’d been using as cover. No cars drove down the street, though a couple of women were walking mindlessly down the sidewalk. They didn’t touch or appear to be talking to one another. I wondered if they’d been sent out on patrol or if they simply were going about their automatic lives, walking just because Levi wanted them to.

I turned away, disgusted. There was no sense worrying about the people of Delai, and that included Chris. He was part of this now. Levi had his mental hooks in him and I seriously doubted he would let go, even as his world crumbled around him.

Eilene was struggling to her feet as I returned to her. I gave her my arm and she almost didn’t take it, choosing to do it on her own instead. But she just wasn’t strong enough. With a grunt, she clasped a clawlike hand on to my wrist and hauled herself up.

“Thanks,” she said grudgingly.

“We have to keep moving.”

Eilene gave me a short nod, hoisting her pack with some difficulty.

We continued on.

We couldn’t run, not with her being as frail as she was. The mental clock in my head was back and it told me Levi surely had Chris in custody by now. He would have either subdued the wolf or killed him. If he’d done the former, he would be driving back home now. If it was the latter, chances were good he would take the time to drain the body of blood before returning home.

That gave us a little more time, but would it be enough? If Chris told him what had happened, there was a good chance Levi would put enough of the story together that he’d come for us. As far as I knew, he might be trailing us even now, waiting for his moment to stop us. I could see him making it dramatic just so he could prove a point.

I pushed us a little faster, hoping Eilene would be able to keep up. We’d have to veer toward the road soon. Something in my gut told me that any other route would be impossible. I was not sure if it would be blocked off with another bubble of fear or if the logistics of the pocket realm allowed for only one path to enter or leave Delai. Either way, the road felt like the only way out.

Eilene did well in keeping up with me. She paused a few times when a coughing fit overwhelmed her, but as soon as it passed, she was moving again. The strain might have killed her if we’d been anywhere but Delai. The longer she went, the more certain I became that Levi’s touch was the only thing keeping her alive. She was practically a walking corpse.

“We’re almost there,” I said again, reassuring not just her, but myself. My palms were damp and I wanted to scream with each and every breath. What would I do if this didn’t work? I’d managed to get this far without having to kill anyone, yet when it came right down to it, I might have to kill the one person who didn’t deserve it.

A feeling of dread began to press on me and I slowed. This wasn’t the natural fear I’d been feeling since we’d left the house. This was something different, something more sinister. It was much like what I’d felt when I’d tried to reach Levi’s lab. I gritted my teeth and continued to push forward, not willing to let it stop me.

“I can’t.” Eilene sounded small and scared. I turned to find her kneeling with tears coursing down her cheeks. “I’m not strong enough.”

The fear practically propelled me forward as I walked back toward her. Apparently we’d gone as far as we could go without taking the road. I’d been right in assuming the outer edges were protected. I guess that was how Levi kept people from wandering off into whatever lay beyond the border of the town. It might be just as well, considering there might not be anything out there but an empty void. I really wished I knew more of the logistics of the place.

“The road is just down that way,” I said, nodding toward a break in the trees. “We can try it there.”

Eilene nodded and worked her way to her feet. She was trembling now, so much so that I feared she might collapse before we made it out of Delai.

But there was nothing to do but press on.

We picked our way down to the road, keeping as much brush between us and the clearing as possible. I moved as silently as I could, but if anyone was out there, they’d surely have heard us long ago. Thankfully, there still were no cars in sight, nor were there pedestrians this far out.

I stopped just before the edge of the tree line. Something felt off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I scanned the area, half expecting to see Levi standing against a nearby tree, yet there was nothing.

“Ready for this?” I asked, pushing the feeling away. I kept my voice low, just in case someone or some
thing
really was waiting out there. In this place, the trees really might have ears.

Eilene nodded. She looked incapable of speech.

We stepped out onto the road together. Sunlight that had been filtered by the branches and leaves since we’d started out washed over us, seemingly to put us in the spotlight. If anyone had been watching for us, they sure as hell knew where we were now.

I grabbed Eilene’s hand and started walking briskly toward the last stretch of road. She struggled to keep up, practically dragging me down with her faltering step. I had a feeling Levi knew where we were and was on his way to stop us. He had to have felt us press against the fear bubble surrounding the town.

Rows of houses materialized at the far end of the road. I recognized Doctor Lei’s among them. “Almost there,” I muttered, picking up the pace. We still had a good hundred yards to go, but we were almost there, almost safe. I could almost feel Jonathan’s welcoming arms around me.

A shape emerged from the trees between us and the end of the road. For a heart-stopping moment, I was certain it was Levi come to stop us just before reaching our goal. It felt like something he would do—wait until the last second and then leap out and prove that he was truly in charge.

But this man, while bulky, was too short, too bald to be Levi. He didn’t carry a weapon as far as I could tell, but looked more than capable of stopping us with physical force if it came to that.

“You are not to leave,” he said in a monotone voice.

“Yeah?” I asked. “And why not?”

“Levi does not wish it.”

“I don’t give a fuck what he wants.”

My hand tightened on Eilene’s own. I gave her a look to warn her to be ready. I was going to make a run for it, hoping the sudden burst of speed would surprise the man. All we had to do was get past him and we were free.

He must have realized what we were planning because before I could initiate, he rushed toward us, catching me by surprise. He might no longer be whatever supe he’d once been, but he sure as hell moved like one. He was on us before I knew what was happening.

He missed with his first swing, giving me time to draw the knife Eilene had given me. I raised it to strike, but he was too fast. He swung again and this time, hit me square on the jaw.

The shock of impact caused me to not only drop the knife, but to fall hard on my ass. I was stunned and woozy from the blow. It had felt like he’d hit me with a sledgehammer. I sat dumbly there, blinking at him as he strode toward me.

There was nothing I could do. The knife lay a good couple of feet away. If I made a move for it, he’d probably kick me in the head, putting me out for good. You can’t fight someone while unconscious.

“Please,” I begged. “Let us go.”

“Levi does not wish it.”

“He doesn’t have to know. You could tell him we slipped past.” I scooted back on my butt, trying to put distance between us. The man kept walking, intent on laying his hands on me. I feared what he might do if he reached me.

“He already knows you are here.” For a moment, a hint of compassion passed over his eyes, telling me that whoever he once had been was still in there somewhere. “I’m sorry.”

“No,” Eilene said. “I’m the one who’s sorry.”

The man didn’t even cry out as the knife plunged into his back. He staggered toward me, eyes wide, mouth open, but no sound came from his throat. He reached out as if he planned on catching himself on me, but I scurried back out of his reach as he fell. He didn’t even try to break his fall. The crunch of his nose on pavement sounded loud in the eerie silence that had fallen.

“Come on,” Eilene said. “We’re out of time.”

As if on cue, the sound of a pickup truck approaching rumbled through the trees. I looked back to see it coming, full speed ahead, horn blaring to get our attention. I could
feel
Levi’s touch on my mind. He was not in a good mood.

I pushed myself to my feet and yanked the knife from the dying man’s back. He reached for my foot, but I easily sidestepped his grasp.

“Eilene!” Levi shouted as the truck screeched to a halt right next to the downed man. “What do you think you’re doing?”

She didn’t hesitate. She started running for the row of houses that looked as if we were looking at them through a screen of thin plastic. She staggered as she ran, barely able to keep her feet, but run she did. I was right behind her. For a moment, I was positive we were going to make it. Levi was too far back to stop us.

Eilene cried out and went down hard on her ass like she’d run right into a brick wall. My momentum carried me past her and the invisible barrier she’d obviously hit, before I managed to stop. I ran back to her and grabbed her hand. I tried to yank her to her feet, but it was as if she’d given up all hope of escape and was content to remain there until Levi had her in his grasp once more.

“Let’s go,” I shouted, pulling with all my might, but she refused to be budged.

“I can’t,” Eilene said. Tears coursed down her face.

“You can. Don’t stop.”

“No.” She took a shuddering breath. “I really can’t. Something stopped me.”

“It’s the same force that keeps me from leaving,” Levi said. He was walking slowly our way with Chris following obediently behind him. “She brought me here with her own free will.”

“Let us leave,” I said. “You don’t need us anymore.”

“Oh, really?” Levi chuckled. “We both know better than that.” He cocked his head to the side. “Who are you anyway? It took me a while to realize what was bothering me so much, but now that I’m looking at you again, I can see that you aren’t my Sienna. You hold yourself differently.”

I didn’t answer. I clutched the knife tight in my hand. I held it out in front of me, threatening him, though I knew he could stop me if he wanted to.

“It doesn’t matter.” Levi shrugged. “All I need is your blood.” He took another step forward.

“Don’t come any closer.” I shifted the knife into an attack position. I might not be a match for Levi, but I sure as hell wasn’t going down without a fight.

“Now, now,” he said. “There’ll be none of that.”

He didn’t even move, yet I felt his will slam against me. Both my arms were yanked wide by an invisible force, stretched as if I was being crucified. The knife fell from my hand to clatter on the pavement below.

“You really should have left things alone,” he said. “You wouldn’t have been harmed.”

“Fuck you.”

Levi chuckled. “It’s funny, you do remind me of someone.” He smiled. “Ah. I see.” He shook his head and heaved a sigh. “Kat, Kat, Kat. I can’t believe you came back even after I proved I was better than you. You would have been much better off staying away.”

Chris moved behind Levi. Blood speckled his lips, ran from his nose and ears. Both of his hands were bloody and raw. He must have tried to fight, but Levi had cowed him, possibly much like he’d done when I’d tried to fight him all those months ago.

“Who told you how to do this?” Levi asked. “The transference of souls is something very few of us know.” His face grew troubled. “What was the name of the demon you consort with?”

The urge to tell him to fuck off was strong, but I kept my mouth shut. Levi wouldn’t kill me—he needed this body for his experiments—but he would hurt me. I could feel his mental hold on my wrists tighten. My bones were groaning, near breaking.

My gaze moved from Levi to where Chris stood. He was looking at me, his face lined with pain and worry. Levi might have stopped him from fighting him back at the lab, but his hold wasn’t so strong that the man had no will of his own. I could see the pain in his eyes. He didn’t want this.

“Please,” I said as the pressure increased. “Help us.”

Levi laughed. “If you really was my Sienna, I might take pity on you,” he said. “But you aren’t. I might need your blood, but that doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you. Bones mend. I can break them as often as I please.”

Chris’s jaw tensed and his eyes moved from me to the back of Levi’s head. His eyes flashed an angry yellow and his upper lip lifted in a sneer, exposing bloody teeth, extending down into a mouth that even now was contorting out of shape.

“You really shouldn’t have said that,” I said just as Chris attacked.

Levi didn’t see him coming. I don’t know if it was because he was so distracted by me or if his hold on Chris was weaker than he thought, but he made no move to defend himself as Chris slammed into his back. The werewolf’s bones were snapping even as he crashed into the angel. He bit down hard on Levi’s neck and sank his claws deep into his side.