The Lost Soul (Fallen Soul Series, Book 1) Read online

  Aislin dashes beside me. Her pink pajama bottoms are torn at the knee and one of the sleeves is ripped from her thermal shirt. “I did shut it down!”

  We scramble, kicking sprites as they take nips and swings at us. Some have wings, some florescent skin. Short, round, pointed teeth; not a single one of them match.

  “Then what the heck happened?!” I shout, dropping flat on the ground as a sprite zooms for my head. I jump up and kick one galloping toward me. It hits the ceiling light and falls to the bed, unconscious.

  “I screwed up.” Her hands light up, ready to cast a spell. Alex shoots her a sharp look. “I think I accidently freed Luna.”

  I freeze, gaping at her. “What?”

  Alex has a sprite by the hair, ready to throw it out the door. “You did what?”

  A sprite slams into my legs and knocks me to the ground. My chin and elbows bang against the stone floor and my jaw cracks. “Why you little—” I smash my shoe into its small body and it hits the wall, its big eyes crossing as it sinks to the floor. I push up and pop my jaw into place, wincing.

  “It wasn’t my fault!” she cries. “The spell was supposed to protect me, but it backfired!”

  “If I had a penny for every time you said that, I’d be filthy rich,” Alex says ruthlessly.

  “Stop it,” I intervene. “We’ve all messed up a thousand times. And right now we just need to get the hell out of here!”

  Our eyes dart to the doorway where sprites pile inside and line the wall. Luna promenades in, grinning from ear to ear. She’s as tall as my hip and her hair is a dark purple that matches her floral dress. Her skin glitters like the red teardrop pendant on her necklace.

  “Wait a minute.” I squint at the necklace. “I’ve seen that before.” Before I can sift through my memories to figure it out, Alex picks me up, throws me over his shoulder, and kicks open the window. I’m stunned, until I see Luna rising, taller, and taller, her head finally reaching the ceiling. I guess Nicholas wasn’t lying. Fey do have multiple identities.

  Alex doesn’t miss a beat as he leaps out the window and crashes to the ground, his Keeper strength softening the fall. Aislin follows after us, diving out backwards, and shooting balls of light from her hands.

  I climb off Alex’s shoulders and we race for the car. Luna bursts though the slope of the roof and shrieks at the top of her lungs. Birds flurry from the trees and sprites heap out of the house, charging across the lawn. We hop in Alex’s car, me on the console, and Aislin in the passenger seat.

  Aislin unnecessarily locks the door. “Go! Go!”

  Alex revs the engine and Chevelle’s “I Get It” blasts out the speakers. We skid down the driveway. Over my shoulder, I spot a giant Luna hurtling after us.

  “What does she want?!” I holler over the music. I turn around as Alex shifts gears. The force throws me backwards into the rear seat. I whirl around, my eyes glued to Luna. She thwacks trees out of her way and tramples over her sprites. Suddenly, she skids to a halt, her feet whipping up dirt and rocks. Her dark eyes watch us, her skin gleaming like a disk in the sunlight. I watch her until Alex rounds the corner and she disappears out of view. I turn around and slump against the seat, my heart knocking against my chest.

  Alex turns the volume down to a low hum. “Does anyone know what just happened?”

  “She wanted something from one of us,” I state, and then pause. “Wait. Where’s Laylen?”

  Alex starts to push on the breaks, but Aislin stops him. “Don’t worry. He went to town this morning.” She slides her cell phone out of her pocket. “I’ll text him and let him know what’s going on.”

  Alex accelerates, flying onto the main highway that laps around the mountains. He checks on me through the rearview mirror. “Are you okay?”

  I nod, twirling my locket. “There was something about the pendant Luna had on… I’ve seen it before.”

  Aislin rotates in her seat. “What did it look like?”

  “It was teardrop shaped,” I say. “And red. It kind of reminded me of blood.”

  Aislin’s eyebrows dip together. She scrolls through the screen on her phone, punching buttons. “Did it look like this?”

  I take the phone and stare at the picture of a necklace wrapped around a woman’s neck. The pendant hanging on the gold chain looks exactly like Luna’s. “Yeah, that’s it.” I give her the phone back. “What is it?”

  Aislin frowns and reads her screen. “It’s called a Cornu Lepore.”

  “And what does this Cornu Lepore do?” I sigh. “Because I know it does something.”

  “It’s the charm of the Royalty Fey.” She grips the door handle as Alex floors the Camaro over a massive pothole in the road. “Like Luna, who’s an Empress.”

  I buckle my seatbelt. “Is there any other Royalty Fey out there? I mean, I thought Helena, Lucinda, and Annabella were all fey?”

  “Death Fey,” she says. “There’s a huge difference.”

  Frustration bubbles up in me. I know I’ve seen the pendant before.

  “It gives them power.” Aislin continues to read her screen. “That’s probably why Luna can grow to ten times her normal size.”

  “It’s always gotta be about power,” Alex mutters, slowing down for a sharp turn.

  I rewind through my thoughts. Where have I seen it?

  Aislin’s phone beeps and she switches to her text messages. “Oh good. Laylen’s not even heading back to the house.” She sighs with relief. “But Alex, you’re not going to like where he is.”

  Alex drums his fingers on the steering wheel as we gradient down the road and pass by a cemetery. “Lay it on me. I’m pretty sure there’s not much more that can surprise me.”

  “He went to…” She glances warily at the screen. “He went to Nalina’s house to see if he can force her to help Gemma with the Crystal of Limitation.”

  “But didn’t she betray Gemma?”

  Trees zoom by in blurs. When it clicks, it’s like the wind’s knocked out of me.

  “Tell him to get out of there!” I shout, frightening both of them. “Now!”

  They look at me with wide eyes and their jaws hanging open.

  “Why?” Aislin asks, panicking. “I know she’s bad and everything. But Laylen’s a Keeper and a vampire. And Nalina, well she’s just a Foreseer without her power.”

  I shake my head swiftly. “No, she’s not. She’s fey—Royalty Fey.”

  Aislin gapes at me. “Did you hit your head or something?”

  “No, I remember where I saw the Cornu Lepore.” I point at my own necklace. “On Nalina’s neck.”

  Aislin’s dialing Laylen’s number before I even finish. Alex throttles the gas and the tires spin up a cloud of dirt.

  “Please answer your phone, please answer your phone,” Aislin chants under her breath. She bites on her thumbnail. “Please—Laylen, yeah. You need to get out of there now.” A pause. “No, Nalina’s some kind of Fey Royalty.” She nods her head. “I know. I know. But until we know what the hell she is… Laylen… Laylen!” She stares at the phone. “Oh my God. Oh my God.”

  “What is it?” I lean forward and my seatbelt locks. “What happened?”

  She breathes fitfully. “There was a scream and then we were disconnected.”

  Alex presses the gas pedal to the floor. I don’t know how fast we’re going and I don’t want to know. All I care about is that we make it to Laylen.

  He’ll be fine. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to my Alexander.

  My eyes shift from side to side and I attempt to convince myself that it’s a ghost or something. Because that option would be a lot better.

  “Gemma, can you foresee us there?” Aislin grips the handle on the roof as the car ramps over a bump.

  My body flies up and my head bumps the ceiling. “No, there’s praesidium all over the place, including the neighborhood,” I lie, unsure why. I pry my lips open, attempting to tell her that I can.

  Pretend all you want. Deep down, you knew I
wasn’t gone.

  I let out a gasp.

  She’s back.

  Chapter 29

  I’ve barely said a word the entire drive. No one notices. Aislin’s too busy crying and Alex’s main concern is driving like a maniac. I point directions, guiding him to the Victorian house located on the bad side of town.

  He ramps the car over the curb and onto the front lawn. He hops out and flips the seat forward. I climb out and we rush up the path to the front porch. A large Rottweiler drools and snarls behind the neighbor’s chain link fence. I shoot a glare at it and it cowers off with its tail between its legs.

  Alex kicks down the door, shattering it off the hinges. He rolls his shoulders, all manly.

  “Well, if she didn’t know we were here before, she does now.” Aislin sticks her head inside and then walks in.

  Alex clutches my hand and we follow her. We probably look like a couple of homeless kids raiding the house for food, in our torn pajamas with bruises and cuts on our skin. Alex doesn’t even have a shirt on. Luckily, I don’t think anyone in this particular neighborhood will mind.

  Come out. Come out. Wherever you are Nalina.

  Apparently Helena knows Nalina. Big shocker there.

  The floorboards creak as we creep through the house. No one has a weapon, except Aislin with her magic. She ignites her hands with a bright orange flame. The furniture in the kitchen is tipped over, pans are scattered all over the counters, and a pot of water boils on the stove.

  “They can’t be too far,” Alex whispers, turning off the stove. There’s a door at the rear of the kitchen and he navigates to it. He hesitates and then squeaks open the door. Stairs lead to a bottom floor. The lights are on and hushed voices float up to us. He puts a finger to his lips and releases my hand. “You two wait here.”

  Aislin begins to argue, but he brushes her off and walks expeditiously down the stairs, vanishing at the bottom.

  “They’ll be okay, right?” Aislin asks worriedly. “I mean, Nalina doesn’t even have her power.”

  I shrug, clicking my locket open and shut. “Not her Foreseer power. But she might have her fey power.”

  “But what is fey power, really?” she cogitates. “I’ve never seen anything that would lead me to believe the fey have any power. Well, other than the power to drive someone insane.”

  I point a finger over my shoulder and raise my eyebrows. “Did you see what Luna did?”

  “Good point.” Her worry multiplies. With uncertainty, she steps down the stairs.

  I let her go, rummaging the kitchen for a knife. I open a drawer and recover a sharp butcher knife. I touch my finger to the tip, pricking my skin. Blood pools out. “Yep, that’ll work just fine.”

  A deafening scream erupts from the downstairs. Gripping the knife, I trot down the stairs. Alex has Nalina trapped in a corner. She’s curled up in a ball, trembling with fear. Filing cabinets are flung all over the floor and papers pile out. Laylen stands in the middle of the room, his arm wrapped protectively around Aislin, whose hands are still flaming.

  I skulk behind them with the knife pointed at the ground.

  “Tell us why you have a Cornu Lepore,” Alex demands, hovering over her with his fury raging.

  She covers her head with her arms, her grey eyes peeking up at him. “Leave me alone. I didn’t do anything. He attacked me.” Her eyes find me and a hopeful look crosses her face. “Gemma, tell him. Tell him I’m not a bad person.”

  I return her plea with a bored expression. “All I know is you poisoned me with the memory tea to help Dyvinius steal my power.”

  “But he made me do it.” Her voice quivers. “I didn’t want to, but I have no power to protect myself.” She steadies her voice. “Please Gemma, I’m your Aunt.”

  “No, you’re not,” I reply. “You’re fey.”

  “And so are you.” She lowers her hands and slowly rises to her feet, her back pressed against the wall. “You just don’t know you are.”

  “You’re full of crap,” Alex says, raising a fist.

  I almost drop the knife. “I don’t have a mark.”

  “Did you have your Foreseer mark when you first used that power?” She cautiously steps toward me. “Think about it. Why would Helena be so fixated on you?”

  You’re getting warmer.

  “Because you have fey blood.” Another step, then another, until she's right in front of me. “She can connect to you because of your fey blood.”

  “There’s a difference between Helena’s fey and other fey,” I deny. “And I’m not any fey.”

  Yes, you are.

  “Yes, you are Gemma.” She reaches for my hand but I recoil. “You’ve just been in the dark all your life. But you’ll get your mark. You’ll see.” She pauses. “You need to be careful. There’s a rumor going around that a fey war is breaking out. Lucinda, Helena, Luna, they’re all after something, but I’m not sure what.”

  I scratch my head with the handle of the knife. “Like world domination?”

  “I don’t know.” She glances at the four of us. “Now please just let me go. I’ve told you everything I know.”

  I consider her request thoughtfully. “Okay, that sounds fair.” She smiles and I clock her in the side of the head.

  “Gemma!” Aislin exclaims in a high pitched squeal.

  Alex looks at Nalina then at me. “Okay, well that works.”

  “Dude, you just hit an old lady,” Laylen comments from behind me.

  I shrug and toss the knife on the floor. “So, now what do we do?”

  Alex is stunned, but blinks it away. “We need to find a place to hide out. We can’t go back to the castle.”

  “Why not?” I ask. “Do you really think Luna will be hanging around? I’m sure she has reasons for wanting to get in the Human Realm, besides chasing us.”

  “Do you really want to find that out?” Alex asks.

  I shrug. “Maybe.”

  “Can we just go?” Aislin complains. “I don’t feel safe here.”

  We all agree and hurry up the stairs. While Alex and Aislin argue about where we should go, I quickly backtrack to Nalina. I squat down over her unconscious body and snap the necklace off her neck. I hide it in my pocket and head for the stairs.

  Alex waits for me at the bottom. “Are you okay?” He glances over at Nalina. “Did you forget something?”

  I shake my head. “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt her too bad. I feel kind of guilty now.”

  He twirls a strand of my hair around his finger and gives my lips a soft kiss. “She’ll be okay. I’ve hit many people a lot harder than that.” He speaks to me like I’m innocent.

  I nod and we rush up the stairs. I almost laugh at his gullibility.

  He has no idea what’s coming for him.

  Chapter 30

  Luckily Laylen has enough money to buy us all a set of clothes, food, some toiletries, and a motel room. It’s the grungier side of town, where the doors have to be locked and no one can go wandering around by themselves. We take turns showering and brushing our teeth. We’re tired and bummed out and have absolutely no idea what to do next.

  “I can’t believe I screwed up so bad.” Aislin sits cross-legged on the bed, coiling her damp hair around her finger. She’s dressed in shorts and a pink tee. Laylen and Alex are outside, searching for an ice machine to fill up the ice bucket. “Now there are sprites and a crazy Empress running around.”

  “It’s not your fault.” The room has two full size beds and I sit on the opposite one, brushing the tangles from my hair. “And we didn’t see any fey invading the streets, so we’re good for now.”

  “But I didn’t even get Aleesa freed.” She pouts.

  “You could go there,” I suggest wickedly.

  “To the Faerie Realm?”

  “Yeah, Luna’s not there, so I’m sure it’s safe.”

  She smiles brightly. “You know what, that’s a good idea. I’ll get a portal opened up tomorrow.”

  I grin to mysel
f, flicking a piece of lint off my shorts. One down, two more to go.

  “I wonder if there will ever be a time when we’re not running from the end of the world,” she says.

  I bite my thumbnail off and spit it on the floor. “I think it’s safe to say that that might never happen.”

  A car backfires from somewhere and Aislin tenses. “I hope they’re okay.” She twists her hair up into a messy bun and secures it with an elastic band.

  “They’re fine.” I set the brush on the nightstand. “They’re a Keeper and a vampire for Christ sake.”

  “But Laylen…” She fluffs a pillow and lies down. “How bad was it?”

  I climb under the blanket, which stinks like cigarette smoke and mildew. “Huh? How bad was what?”

  “The biting incident?” she whispers. “How bad was it?”

  I internally cringe. “Not too bad,” I lie. “In fact, he bit another vampire.”

  “He didn’t tell me that.” She sounds relieved. “I’m glad. That way is better than him biting some girl, because…” she trails off.

  I know what she was going to say, though. There’s an intimate feeling shared between a human being bit and the vampire that’s doing the biting.

  The keycard slot makes a gurgling noise and the door opens. Laylen and Alex hurry in with the ice bucket and dead bolt the door behind them. They place some warm soda cans we bought from the front desk into the bucket to chill. Laylen kicks off his boots and climbs in bed with Aislin. She giggles and Laylen whispers something in her ear.

  I tune them out, my eyes locked on Alex as he slips his shoes and green t-shirt off and climbs into bed. Aislin giggles again, louder this time.

  Alex rolls his eyes. “If you two don’t knock it off, I’m going to lock you in the bathroom.” Her giggles muffle. Alex winks at me and leans close. “You and I will just be quieter.”

  Now I roll my eyes, but smile when he snakes his legs between mine. His jeans are rough against my bare legs, but I don’t move. As the room quiets down, he clicks off the lamp, and kisses my neck softly.