The Changeling Soldier (11 page)

“I want to be famous. I want everyone to know my name.” Melody smiled as if she was already picturing it.

“I want Isaac’s soul. Since he’s agreed to pay the price for you, I grant you your heart’s desire. We have a deal, mortal.” She felt the magic shimmer around her.

Isaac’s grip on her tightened a fraction. No doubt he felt it to.

“Did it work?” Melody glanced around as if expecting a shower of sparks or rainbows or something.

“Of course it did.”

Melody looked at her brother and frowned. “Isaac is still alive.”

“Yes he is.” Ella gave Melody a cool smile. “He’ll come with me to Annwyn, where I’ll relieve him of his soul.”

“What?” She blinked as it she didn’t understand. “Annwyn? You’re taking to him to the land of fairy?” The shrill tone of a child who’d just realized maybe she hadn’t made the best choice crept into her voice.

Was she regretting her deal already? Too bad. “Annwyn is no place for a mortal with a soul.”

“I thought…” Melody pressed her lips together.

“You thought I was going to die. To you, I’m as good as dead.” Isaac’s voice was cold and flat, as if he couldn’t be bothered sparing any emotion on his sister. Ella suspected that beneath the mask he was wounded, badly.

Ella glanced at him, and he gave a slight nod. “The deal is done, and I’m leaving.” And she was pretty sure she wasn’t going to be standing for much longer. She needed to sleep and let the magic heal her and give her strength again. “Isaac?”

“Yes. Enjoy your fame, Melody. I won’t forget the way you sold me to earn it, and I hope you don’t either. Friends and family aren’t there for you to stand on in your climb.” While there was an edge of bitterness in his voice, there was less than Ella had expected.

He hesitated as if waiting for Melody to say something. When she didn’t speak he picked Ella up and walked past his sister and up the stairs. She let herself lean against his chest and bask in his warmth. His heart beat fast against her ear and his muscles were tense around her. It was only once they were outside, and he’d helped her into his car, that Ella realized his cheeks were wet.

Chapter Ten

He took a couple of breaths before getting into the car. Even though he’d known how it would play out, it was still like an unexpected piece of shrapnel catching him in the chest and making it hard to breathe.

Melody had been quite happy to watch him die but had been shocked that he was leaving with Ella. He’d known that Melody was driven and willing to do anything to succeed, but this was a new low.

He got into his car and shut the door harder than he needed to. Ella glanced at him but didn’t speak.

“Where am I driving to?” he asked as he started the engine. His fingers were stinging from the iron burns.

She smiled and while she still looked rather pale, like she’d fade away with her next breath, the light was back in her eyes. “I want to rest before going to Annwyn. I can’t go back like this. I’m too weak. Can you take me home?”

She gave him an address in town. He pulled out of the driveway, glad to put Mel behind him. He never wanted to see her again.

“How do we get to Annwyn?” He was sure it wasn’t on any map. Was there a secret wardrobe or a spell? He had no idea what he’d signed up for. He swallowed and glanced at Ella, the new guardian of his soul, when she took it. Every time he blinked he saw her in the snow, her hand on his chest. There was no pain. He had to have faith. He was doing what he was supposed to; he could almost feel the world starting to turn faster. That wasn’t right either, but there was tension and the waiting for release.

He was familiar with it, the anxiety that built from sitting around base and not doing anything, like a thunderhead waiting to break and then when an attack came, it was almost a relief. He was waiting to get to Annwyn and leave this world behind. The only person who would miss him had already given him up for dead.

“At the boundary of life and death, usually cemeteries there are other places though.”

He frowned. “People don’t wander across?”

“Very rarely, and they are usually changelings.”

“I’ve never crossed.” He was sure he’d know it if he had, and as a kid he’d played in the local cemetery with the few kids who didn’t think he was a freak. There weren’t that many other places to play, and hanging around town had only earned suspicious glares from the shopkeepers.

“You didn’t know what you were looking for and that isn’t your gift. Some changelings can walk across the worlds, to Annwyn and into the afterlife and back.”

His fingers tapped the steering wheel then stopped when it made the burns hurt more, while waiting for the lights to change. “Will I be able to leave once I’m there?”

“Yes, but without a soul you’ll be the equivalent of a banished fairy, only weaker. You’ll wither and die quickly. Are you having second thoughts?”

He shook his head. “I like to know as much as I can before jumping in.” Except this time he’d already jumped because he trusted his visions. Would he have still jumped if he’d seen his own death?

“You were brave.”

“I did what I had to, to make sure everyone got what they needed.” Including him.

“I didn’t need a soul, Isaac. But I wanted you.” She placed her hand on his thigh. The cool of her skin seeped through his trousers as her words sunk in. It was a little odd, already knowing where this relationship was going. He was going to fall for this fairy. He glanced at her again and heat flowed through his body. “You have a good heart.”

He gave her a small smile. “Do you intend on looking after that as well as my soul?”

“You already know the answer to that, don’t you?” She tilted her head as if considering what to say next. Her hand remained on his thigh and his thoughts started straying from Annwyn to bed. Their little flirtation in the doorway seemed so long ago. He didn’t really know her and yet he’d eventually love her, and she him. There was a very big gap between his present and his future. But maybe some things were best discovered in the proper sequence. He didn’t know how to tell her that part of his vision.

When he didn’t answer she sighed and glanced out the window. “We’ll go tonight when there are fewer people around and I can cross the veil without needing to be carried.”

He understood her need to not appear weak and was quite happy to hold on to his soul for a few more hours. This was the end of his life in the mortal world. And while there was uncertainty he didn’t feel sad. It was as though he’d made his peace with leaving the mortal world a long time ago, even before he’d known that would happen. He’d never really belonged here. Never fit in—and he’d been aware of that from the time he started school.

An hour later they were across L.A. and into the concrete jungle. It didn’t seem to suit Ella. He pulled up outside an apartment block. “Here?”

She nodded. “It’s easy to get lost among a lot of people. Plus I prefer to visit clients rather than have them come here.” She paused and then glanced at him. “You’ll be the first person to see my place.”

His heart skipped a beat at the implication. She was letting him into her life, the part she never showed anyone. And he wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t want to believe she cared about him, not yet, but she’d promised to take care of his soul and to guide him through the dangers of Annwyn. And he knew where it would lead. Part of him felt as though he’d been cheated of discovering their relationship in his own time. The rest of him was reassured that everything would work out and he’d be happy. More than happy. He’d finally be where he was supposed to be and with the woman he loved. When he held her after the battle that was what he felt; joy that she was in his arms.

They got out of the car, and he grabbed the bag. They took the elevator up five floors. A spare key was stuck above the door. It seemed too obvious. Then he realized he was seeing through the glamour. No one else would be able to find her key. He reached up and pulled it down then handed it to her with a smile.

She opened up her apartment. He wasn’t prepared for what greeted him.

Her place was draped from floor to ceiling in fabric. Drawings of dresses were pinned everywhere. There was a sofa but no TV, a kitchen the size of a postage stamp and through a doorway what he guessed was the bedroom and bathroom. The apartment was also immaculate. He brushed past silks and velvets in all the shades of the rainbow. While he couldn’t tell his pink from his fuchsia, he could appreciate a beautiful dress on a beautiful woman. “You really love what you do.”

“I always have. There’s no point in doing something you hate.” Her fingers traced along his arm and she drew closer. Her fingertips skimmed his chest then she leaned in and brushed her lips across his. She tasted sweet like ice cream and her mouth was just as cool.

His fingers pushed into her short hair to cradle her head. For a few heartbeats, nothing else mattered and nothing else existed. While the love he’d feel for her in his future wasn’t awakened, there was definitely attraction. The idea that he did come to love her, and she him, wasn’t as terrifying as it should be. It was almost reassuring. That despite everything that had happened, and would happen, everything was going to be okay. He drew back and looked at her, his thumb brushing her cheek.

“I’m going to bathe…did you want to join me?” she murmured.

Desire burned in his blood. He knew what she was implying. The temptation to join her was there. One last time with a soul. Would sex feel different without one? Would he feel different without one, or would he be so overwhelmed by Annwyn and the battle that he wouldn’t notice? He forced the lust down.

She’d said she wanted to rest, regain her strength. She’d been locked in a basement and weakened by iron. Did she really want sex? Sex should be the last thing on his mind. But it wasn’t. “I’m not sure you should wet the burns.”

“They’ll be almost gone by now. I heal fast when not hindered.” Her body was pressed against his. There was no way he could prevent himself from responding and no way she could fail to notice. “You won’t hurt me.” Her hand skated over his hip.

Maybe not, but he barely knew her. He was relying on his visions too much, giving in because it was inevitable. He needed a moment alone. “I’ll join you in a minute.”

Ella didn’t ask again, just left him standing in the living room surrounded by the pieces of her life.

His mind was still a tangled mess and even though he wanted to put his human life behind him, he wasn’t quite ready to fling himself across the boundary and into Annwyn. Just because he knew something was going to happen didn’t make it any easier—at least not at first. And this was all happening so fast.

Then there was the sting of Melody’s betrayal. He felt like a fool for not seeing it coming. Not in reality or his visions. His trust and love had been absolute and it hadn’t been enough. He needed to put that behind him. It should be easy after what she’d done. He should be happy she’d get her deal and have it turn sour. Yet he was mourning for the girl she’d once been. He took a breath. He’d lost his sister years ago without even realizing.

Isaac listened to the running of water. He could imagine Ella taking her clothes off and stepping under. The water stopped and a quiet filled the apartment.

Was she done already? In that moment he realized he did want to join her. Moving forward was so much better than dwelling on the past. He hesitated for one more second and then walked toward the bedroom. In the doorway he stopped and drew in a breath. He knew this room; the bed with its pink sheets was familiar, as he’d seen it in a vision. He turned and saw the bathroom.

“This place has a bath?” He hadn’t expected that. A place this small should have only a tiny bathroom, but this was open and almost part of the bedroom.

Her head rested on a towel and her feet were up on the other end of the tub. Her milky-pale shoulders were visible, but the rim of the bath hid everything else. His imagination helpfully filled in the blanks. She opened her eyes, the gold was lit with heat. Her gaze skimmed over him. “It’s one of the reasons I like it.”

He glanced away, sure he shouldn’t have been caught looking. Lust slid through his body and hardened his flesh. It would be impossible to resist her.

“Join me.” She sat up, her breasts just above the water line. The water teased her nipples in to hard peaks.

Slowly he unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the floor. Then he opened the fly of his pants. Ella licked her lower lip, her gaze unblinking. She was watching and waiting. He shoved his pants and briefs down in one move and stepped out of his shoes and clothes.

She beckoned him forward, her lips curving.

Any doubts he’d had melted away. He wanted her the way he’d never wanted any other woman. And maybe his future was messing with his present, but for once he didn’t care.

He stepped into the bath and sat down. She moved toward him, kneeling so she could lean forward and kiss him. Her tongue flicked over his lip and he opened his mouth, letting her take what she wanted. The kiss was slow and deep until he could almost feel reality starting to slide away and this felt like a dream.

But he knew it wasn’t. This was the start of his new life.

His hands skimmed over her hips and cupped her butt, drawing her closer until she was in his lap. He was hard and aching to have her. She moaned against him, her hips rocking.

“I want you,” he murmured.

“I can tell.” Her arms were wrapped around his neck, her lips touching his with every word. “Tell me what you saw.”

“I saw us in bed.” He wasn’t ready to admit that he’d seen how close they were in the future. For the first time he was worried that it would change and she’d slip from his grasp.

She laughed, her nipples brushing his chest. “I guess that’s later. Remind me what it’s like to be loved.”

He wasn’t sure he could remember. There was a big difference between making love and getting laid. “I’ll try.”

He wanted to make it good for both of them, well aware that she’d probably had more lovers than he’d had hot dinners, and yet also aware that it was him she grew to love. She saw something in him that was worth loving. No matter what she’d said he didn’t believe that she was a cold-hearted fairy. He’d seen the concern in her eyes when he’d agreed to give up his soul and become fairy.