Soulceress (The Mythean Arcana Series Book 2) (38 page)

Something hard and horrible tightened in Warren’s chest. Watching Esha back away from him earlier today after he’d been declared mortal, her eyes wide with horror, had felt like having an ice pick driven into his heart.
 

This was worse. More final. Not just a panicked reaction on her part, but a final cutting of ties because her past was too much to overcome. She’d avoided mortals for decades. Now he’d become one.
 

His soul, the thing he’d wanted more than anything else, now cut him off from her. He’d lain awake nights, thinking of how it would feel to have his soul back. To be mortal again and have his destiny in his own hands. He’d vowed never to lose it again. He’d hold fast to his soul, the most important, valuable thing he could ever have.

Until Esha. Having his soul back made him feel normal. Having her made him feel extraordinary. Yet he couldn’t have both. He’d always thought that when he finally got his soul back, everything would be perfect.
 

How wrong he’d been.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Esha dragged her hand over her eyes, wiping the tears away. She just had to find her clothes and pack them. Then she had to go down and meet Aurora. Then they would get Warren and go home. Then—

A sob broke free of her attempt at normalcy. Nothing was normal now. She loved a mortal. Warren.

And she wouldn’t be able to stay away. She’d be drawn back to him, like a fish on a line, unable to help herself. But it would be a bittersweet happiness, always overshadowed by his looming death, followed by an eternity of loss.

A banging sounded on the door. She wasn’t surprised. Hastily, she scrubbed away the tears right before Warren burst through.

“Warren.” She turned from him. “Can you give me a minute?”

“Nay.” He was in front of her then, wrapping her in his arms and pulling her to him. She collapsed into his warm strength, then shook with more tears. To know this, and know that she’d lose him?

“You’re no’ going to leave me,” he said, his words muffled in her hair.

She shook her head. She wouldn’t. As much as it would hurt to watch him die, she’d be drawn back to him, unable to help herself.

“And I won’t leave you either.”

She pushed out of his arms and looked up at him. His eyes were fierce. “You can’t control that. You’re mortal now. You’ll
have
to leave me.”

“I doona have to stay mortal.”

“You can’t become a Mythean.” She reached up to run her hand down the side of his cheek, her heart cracking more as she did so. How would she ever bear this? Their lives would be terrible with this always hanging over their heads.

“Nay. But I can stay a mystery monster.” A tender grin kicked up the corner of his mouth at the reference to one of her earlier insults.

“What?”

“I’d like to make you a deal,” he said.
 

Gods, he’s handsome when he looks at me like this.
Golden and good, with eyes like a midnight forest and sincerity and strength radiating from him. “What do you mean?”

“I’d like to sell you my soul.”

She jerked backward, horrified. “What?”

“Soulceresses can buy and keep souls. If you buy mine, I canna die. I’ll live as long as you do.”

“No.” She shook her head frantically. “Your soul has been all you’ve wanted for centuries. It’s your
humanity.
You said so.”

“I was wrong. I thought it would fix whatever was broken inside of me, but I was wrong. Losing my clan, my family—that’s what broke me. I’ve been hollow since then. Living for so long is a burden once you’ve lost those you love. I couldn’t do that to you. To be with you, to keep you from having to suffer the pain I did when I lost my clan, I’d sell it in a heartbeat.”

“Me?”

He shook her lightly. “Of course, you.”

“You care for me, I know that. But I’m a soulceress. I just—I don’t—”

“I doona
care
for you. I
love
you. There’s a difference. A damn big one. You’ve saved my life, saved my soul, woken me from the coma of existing but no’ living. And I love you. You’re strong, brave, determined, selfless, funny. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted but dinna realize. You’re what makes me whole now, no’ my soul.”

“Wow.” Her mind scrambled to absorb everything he’d said. All the words that she’d never expected to hear said to her. That she’d needed to hear them. A dark place in her heart that she hadn’t realized existed was filling up with light.

“As long as I’m alive, I know that I won’t be able to resist the urge to protect you,” he said. “I know you can protect yourself, but I canna help myself. Except, I’m mortal. No matter how good a warrior I am—and I’m damn good—I won’t live long against magic. If I want to stay in this world with you, I can’t be mortal. I’d trade my soul in a heartbeat to have a life with you and be able to protect you.”

“Oh my gods.” She couldn’t believe he was saying these things.

He took a deep breath and pinned her with his gaze. “I’ve seen what happiness can be, and it’s with you. You already have my soul.”

Her head spun. “But you’ll be sick if I use its power.”

He shrugged. “You’ll just have to be careful. Stay fueled by borrowing power like you do now. And it won’t drive you mad as it did Aurora, because my soul will want to be with you. I can guarantee it.”

Holy hell, he meant it. And it would work. If he was willing and she was careful, it would work. She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him close, her mind still buzzing with happiness and confusion and awe at the turn her life had taken.

“I couldn’t have borne watching you die, and then having to live so long without you,” she said against his neck.

“I know. Because I couldn’t have borne it, either. I love you, Esha.”

She pressed kisses along his neck, up his jaw, until she finally met his mouth. Perfection. It was perfection.
He
was perfection.

She leaned away. “What do you want in exchange for your soul, if you sell it to me?”

“Just your love.”

“That, you can have.” She grinned up at him, hardly able to believe the life that lay before her. She threw her arms around Warren and kissed him, every sad or lonely moment from her past banished by the light of their future.

EPILOGUE

Immortal University, Edinburgh

Christmas Eve

“Can you believe it, Chairman?” Esha asked as she all but hopped down the hall of the Praesidium. Of all the buildings on the campus of the Immortal University, the Praesidium was the most decked out for the holidays, and it suited her mood perfectly.

The Chairman meowed his agreement, the low yowl cutting through the sound of Christmas music echoing down the hall from the holiday party in the historian Lea’s office. Garlands of evergreen and strings of lights lined the hall, and Esha sent a zap of magic at one of the glittery red plastic ornaments. It fell off the garland and bounced across the floor. The Chairman chased after it, on the hunt.

Esha laughed, joy as she’d never known filling her being. She swore it radiated out from her skin so that she sparkled like the Christmas lights above. With a bit of help from Aerten, she’d done it. Warren would never know what hit him.

It’d be the best Christmas gift ever.

The Chairman returned, the sparkling ruby ornament dangling from his mouth.

“You’ve got your prize?” she asked.

He made a low noise in his throat, and she grinned. She almost zapped him with a bit of magic to give him a festive green bow tie to match his eyes, but she resisted. He’d hate it, and he was so happy with his ornament right now. He normally only liked his fluffy green snake, but he made an exception for Christmas ornaments.

“Come on. Let’s go to the party. We’re late.”

He followed her down the hall toward the music and smell of food. The door to Lea’s office was open, and Esha slipped into the huge library-esque space. Mytheans from all departments drank and chatted and danced, the Christmas lights sparkling above.

“Esha! Thanks for coming!” Lea, the nearly transparent hostess, gestured her farther into the room.

Esha had always liked Lea, who’d never given her any shit about being a Soulceress. Esha had no idea what Lea was, but she knew the historian hated being called a ghost.

“Thanks for having me. Happy Christmas!” She smiled at Lea and barely resisted dancing about anxiously. She
really
wanted to see Warren. “I’m going to find Warren. I’ve got something to tell him.”

She ran off before Lea could say goodbye and slipped through the crowd gathered near the punchbowl. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of her sister shooting green sparks at some witches, but ignored her. They’d exchange gifts and celebrate tomorrow.

There! By the towering Christmas tree stood Warren with his friend Cadan and Cadan’s wife, Diana. She hurried over and hugged Warren.
 

“Hey.” He leaned down and kissed her, then smiled. “You’re late.”

“I had something to do.” She glanced at Cadan and Diana, who were smiling at them. Diana was the reincarnate of the Celtic warrior Boudica, but she looked like the historian she was right now, wearing a red dress that somehow managed to look killer with her red hair and little black glasses. “Happy Christmas, guys!”

“You too!” Diana said.
 

Esha opened her mouth to make polite conversation, then realized there was no way she’d be able to stand still. She turned to Warren. “We have to go. I have something to tell you.”

“Stay, the party just started. I’ll get you some mulled wine,” he said.

She tugged on his hand and couldn’t stifle the huge grin that stretched across her face. She didn’t even want to try. “Really, Warren. Come on.”

“You’d better listen to her, mate,” Cadan said.

Warren grinned and nodded. “All right. Let’s get out of here.”

Esha tugged him out of the room, catching sight of the Chairman making eyes at Aurora’s familiar in the corner. He still hadn’t dropped his ornament. She grinned and left him to it. He’d follow behind them shortly.

“What’s this all about?” Warren asked as they made their way down the hall.

“Let’s get back to the house first.”

They pushed through the big wooden doors of the Praesidium and out into a winter wonderland of fat snowflakes and a full moon peeking out from behind clouds.
 

“Let’s take the short cut.” Esha tugged Warren’s hand and they set off running across the lawn, now blanketed with white snow. She laughed and the sound echoed through the quiet night. Fairy lights twinkled in the trees and reflected off the snow.

Panting, they climbed the spiral stairs to her tower. She pushed open the door and grinned at the sight of the Christmas tree in the corner. With Warren here, this place no longer felt like the outcast’s tower.
She
no longer felt like quite such an outcast, as if Warren and her sister had healed something in her.

Now, she had something to give back to him. She turned and pushed his mussed hair off his forehead. His cheeks were red from the cold, and he was so handsome that her breath caught.
 

“What is it?” he asked, then pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her lips.

“I spoke to Aerten.” The words tumbled free. “She’s going to see if you can be made into a Mythean Guardian.”

“What? That’s not possible. They don’t take applications. They do the choosing. And they haven’t chosen a new guardian in centuries.”

“They’re going to make an exception. It’s not a sure thing yet, it still has to be approved by the council, but there’s a good chance they’ll make you a guardian. You’ve been leading the guardians for so long that you’re an obvious choice. When you’re immortal as a guardian, I can give you back your soul!”

It was the best plan she’d ever had. Mythean Guardians were immortal. Warren had never been made into one, even though he served the Praesidium because he’d already been immortal without his soul. It’d taken constant petitioning and not a little begging, but she’d convinced Aerten and the council to consider Warren’s application.

“But I told you,” he said. “I don’t need my soul back. I have you.”