Soul Betrayed (20 page)

Leha’s soul form appeared in the front of my mind. My heart leaped. If Hannah could do the same thing I had done with the Shadowed drones, maybe my daughter would still be alive in some form. But I learned fast how that could never happen.

Hannah touched the rock wall and it glowed under her hands. The Prognatum soul continued toward the wall and with each step it became more translucent. I moved forward, my hand reaching out to touch it. My Rodas side had been awakened.

Abidan said something to me but I ignored him. All thoughts left my brain as my goal became clear. Get the soul. Take it. But as my hand connected with it, an intense heat shot through my fingers and up my arm.

Someone screamed, the sound echoing in my head as I faltered, tripping over the body of the Prognatum. Two hands moved under my arms, keeping me from hitting the ground.

What the hell was that?

I peered through the bright spotlight. The soul appeared to pass through the rock. The rock gave off the glow of the soul just for a second before it disappeared. I looked up at the Shadowed who held me. He adjusted his grip and stood me up. I dashed to the wall where the soul had disappeared. I was careful not to touch the rock for fear of experiencing that pain again. But I didn’t need to touch it. Abidan was already there. Both of his hands were on the wall and his head was tilted toward it. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, no more black essence or soul form.

Abidan inhaled deeply and pushed away from the rock. His golden eyes sparkled brightly as if they were their own energy source.

Without the essence present, the fog had cleared from my mind. In the warehouse there hadn’t been any caves for Hannah to pass along Leha’s soul to. I didn’t dare ask why not. Instead my hatred for Hannah had grown. Even though I wouldn’t have wanted Leha to feed the Caeleste, at least her death would have had purpose. Hannah had just taken her from me.
For no reason.
But did that mean she was just discarded? It didn’t appear that Hannah could hold onto souls like I had been able to with the other Shadowed.

I tilted my head, staring at the body of the Prognatum. He had sacrificed himself for the After. Something I wished I was brave enough to do. But I would make sure he and Leha hadn’t died in vain. Hannah’s demise would be proof of that.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Abidan broke the silence. “Now your turn.”

A secret part of me jumped at the chance to experience letting my essence go free but a larger part remembered the pain the Prognatum soul had given me.

“You saw what the soul did to her,” Hannah said. “That’s not proof enough that she needs to be transformed?”

Abidan ignored her. “There’s no harm in trying.”

I disagreed. That pain had been intense. “She’s right.” I hated that I agreed with her. “How am I supposed to take the soul if I can’t even touch it?”

“
You
won’t touch it. Your Rodas nature will take over. Your human body is a barrier. You need to break through it. You’ve already experienced your true nature, now you need to embrace it.”

I wondered if I had mistaken his passion for persistence. I understood that he thought this would work since I already had accessed my essence but there was a reason a Prognatum had to undergo the transformation. He or she had to properly accept the Caeleste side at the right time. Who knew what forcing it would do to my body?

I hesitated, but I needed to prove myself to him. “I guess there isn’t any harm in trying.”

Abidan snapped his fingers, his golden eyes flicked to the Shadowed. “Good girl.” He appeared almost drunk with power after feeding from that Prognatum soul. How much did one Shadowed or Caeleste really need to live on this Realm?

Hannah’s eyes moved to the floor and she stood dutifully next to him.

The Shadowed returned with another Prognatum and placed him in the spotlight. He lifted the cloth from his head and I stumbled back. The man’s very human eyes darted around the room. This one had a gag in his mouth and deep trails of dried up tears coated his cheeks.

“You need to start at the bottom, my dear one. A human will be easier to take than a Prognatum. We will work our way up,” Abidan said, swapping his role from observer to teacher.

I swallowed hard, mentally preparing myself for what I was about to do. The man’s eyes were pleading, slicing through my heart. His muffled cries shot through me. I tried to convey to him that everything was going to be okay, just like I did when I took all my souls to Gate Seven.

I reached forward and touched his chest. He winced and tears streaked down his cheeks. “Please don’t hurt me,” he said around the gag. “I didn’t do it!”

As a Collector, I never felt bad, knowing that they were going to a better place. But now, this soul was leaving before its time and he would serve as fuel for Abidan and the other Shadowed.

“He’s a murderer,” Abidan whispered in my ear.

The hairs on my neck prickled as the man’s eyes widened. I wasn’t sure if Abidan was goading me but by the man’s expression I knew it was true.

“He killed children,” Abidan continued convincing me of the man’s guilt. “He took their souls too soon. Just like David tried to take Allegra’s.”

I sucked in a breath. The sound of David’s name made every cell in my body buzz.

Abidan’s large hands moved over mine, pushing me closer to the human. “By taking him you are saving countless others. This is why we take weak souls.”

As much as I wanted to take him, Abidan wasn’t being consistent with his views. “But I thought you wanted to save all souls?”

“I do,” he said innocently. “But until then, my followers serve a purpose. This one will help train you for the greater goal. He should be proud to serve like this.”

The man looked more terrified than proud yet I wavered.

“Remember how good it felt to take David.” He pressed my hands against the human’s chest. “Just think back to that night.”

I thought of anything but that night, of anything but the amazing power that had rolled around inside of me. The man stared at me, crying silent tears now, awaiting his death. My fingers looked the same even though the power twisted inside of me, so I closed my eyes and pretended to try again. The power stayed silent, quietly receding back into my soul.

“Try harder, Margaret,” Abidan coached.

“I am,” I said through clenched teeth, pushing the ploy.

Minutes passed by, feeling like hours.

“Your body is resisting your soul’s purpose,” Abidan coached. “Let them become one.”

“This is painful to watch,” Hannah commented dryly.

“Be patient,” Abidan said, even though he sounded anything but patient.

I took my hands off the human, unable to take the pressure of them watching me. And the fact that once again people spoke about me when I was in the same room. “This can’t work without a transformation.”

“Ugh!” Hannah cried. “Just let me do it. I’m sick of his whining anyway.” Her hand shot out and touched his chest.

She took him, even quicker than she did the Prognatum. I had the urge to scream at her to stop but I bit my tongue. My powers threatened to spill from me and I focused on concealing them the best that I could.

***

I had lost count of the souls that Hannah extracted before Abidan had given up and left us. Hannah had pushed me over and over again with each new victim, but I feigned failure. A few times my essence had been able to burrow just under the surface of my hands but I had fought it down. My heart hardened each time a human soul was taken. Hannah took them with no remorse and I could foresee a future for the After where Abidan and Hannah ruled. Souls wouldn’t be given the chance to experience the After before they were used as food.

I had lost track of time before my human body tired and Hannah brought me to my bedroom which had become a prison. I curled up on the bed and cried into the pillow.

Days went by with Hannah pushing me to my limits. She didn’t allow me to see Jackson because he was a ‘distraction’. I hoped he was working to get Jamie out of there and it was that hope that kept me going. For each day that I watched Hannah take more and more souls, the more my powers started to rebel against my defenses.

Abidan hadn’t made an appearance since that first day. The lack of contact with others besides Hannah made me start to feel as if I were in one of those cages, but trapped by my own body. My essence begged to be released but I reminded myself of that awful feeling when I touched the soul. Who knows what would have happened if I accepted it inside of me.

Hannah hadn’t taken a Prognatum since that first one, yet I wondered how many they had behind that rock wall.

I’d started to lose track of time as I participated in Hannah’s lessons. Her constant reminder that I should remember each time I used my power slowly chipped away at my resolve. Her growing frustration was palpable, but I wasn’t going to break that easily.

“David tried to kill you,” she spat, her mantra for the past two days. “You did what you had to do. Remember that night. Remember how you felt.”

Abidan arrived halfway through the session. “Any progress?”

The Shadowed guard left the room, dragging another victim away.

Hannah and Abidan waited for my response.

“I’m sorry, I just don’t feel it.”

Abidan’s expression hardened. “You aren’t trying enough. If you are willing to help us you need to work harder.”

His disappointment reminded me of my father. I had hoped I would have been out of there by now, able to bring back Jamie and information regarding the base where Abidan was, but without Jackson, I wouldn’t be going anywhere.

“Perhaps it is time for an incentive,” Abidan said, and his gaze flicked to Hannah.

“If the power itself won’t come out around a soul, then I doubt any incentive can force it to,” Hannah remarked.

Abidan smirked. “If the soul can’t yet break through, then the human must be broken.”

I sucked in a breath.
What the hell did that mean?

He walked over to me, his body too close for comfort. His head dipped down until it nearly touched my shoulder. “There is something I know you want from Hannah and I am willing to give it to you if you just work a little harder.”

I glanced up at him. “I don’t want her power—”

“Jackson!” Abidan’s voice echoed in my head as he called out, and suddenly Jackson was there in the room with us.

My body jolted at the sight of him, but the sensation was quickly lost when I met his gaze. He wasn’t excited to see me, even after days of being apart. Something was wrong. He shook his head slightly until Abidan turned to him.

“Jackson has nearly fulfilled his duty to Hannah by bringing you to us. But there is one stipulation that still hangs in the balance.”

“What is that?” I blurted, wanting nothing more than to break the bond between them, allowing Jackson to finally be free.

Abidan clapped Jackson on the back and Jackson stiffened. “Anyone could have brought you to us, but it was Jackson’s love that made him the perfect candidate for this mission.”

My mind raced.
Had Jackson lied to me again?
My thoughts escalated. I hadn’t had a chance to rest without seeing the twisted faces of the souls that Hannah had taken. My exhaustion had to be playing tricks on me.

“I saw the passion he had for his wife,” Hannah said. “And I knew he had the ability to feel that again.”

I clenched my hands into fists. “What are you talking about?”

Abidan’s head snapped round, and I caught a glimpse of exactly what Felix had warned me of when it came to the Shadowed, but this Caeleste was much worse. “Jackson has reached beyond our expectations and has bonded with you, deeper than we could have hoped for. In an effort to break one bond, the test of the other is in order.”

In one movement, Abidan shoved Jackson. I reached for him but he appeared standing next to me before his soul had hit the ground. I turned to him but his eyes went wide. He pushed me to the side as Hannah struck him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to her. Her essence started to build around her feet and I lunged for her.

“Maggie. No!” Jackson cried.

I reached for her arm, but snatched it back as I felt my essence come to life, sending a blinding pain through me. I cried out. Jackson’s eyes were wild. He struggled against her but her essence had already moved up his legs, keeping him in place. I reached forward again, pushing through the pain. I touched her again and the stinging sensation returned. Holding my hands in front of me, I was unsure of what to do. My heart raced. We’d been through so much together. I couldn’t lose him now. My body vibrated as I tried again, but this time her essence blocked me, but when I made contact with it something inside of me exploded. My body was on fire as I realized that my essence had been released and I choked as the essence ripped through the human barrier sending painful shockwaves through me.

Hannah gasped as my essence floated across my hands and twisted into hers. Her essence flickered as mine poured out of me. I tried to pull back but I couldn’t control anything. I feared for Jackson and what I could do to him. Closing my eyes, tears streaking down my face with the effort and I willed my love for Jackson to flow through it. Within seconds, my essence had overtaken hers and started to withdraw from Jackson. My essence was reflected in his eyes, making my stomach flutter with relief. I didn’t think I would ever be able to live without him in this life or the next.

“Incredible,” Abidan breathed.

“What is happening?” Hannah said, her body unnaturally still.

“I have no idea,” I said, breathing through the searing pain that nearly shattered my soul. The power was unimaginable.

“Wait!” Abidan cried, running from the room.

The longer I held on, the weaker I felt.

The Shadowed and Abidan returned with a human man.

“Can you take him?” Abidan asked.

“I’m trying,” Hannah said, frustrated.

“No,” Abidan said. “Margaret.”

I ignored the formality of my name and turned my gaze on the man. My essence sensed the energy source. I shot a glance at Jackson, my eyes wide. I fought for control of the essence, now realizing the horrible mistake I had made.