Your Soul to Take (Rise of the Fallen) (6 page)

“Second
of all, he didn’t kiss her. She practically attacked him and kissed
him.
His first thought? To tell you about it. So think about it, Jessie. He didn’t
do it, he didn’t want to do it, and he still told you about it. I’m not saying
you shouldn’t be mad. I’d be pissed, too, but you shouldn’t be mad at Connor.
You should be thanking him for telling you about it and not keeping things from
you.”

She
turned and picked her fork up again and started eating. I had trouble believing
she had stuck up for me as vehemently as she had. It sounded like she was
expecting this conversation and had rehearsed her lines. They had come out that
naturally.

I
looked from Clarisse to Jess who stared at her salad like she would find some
sort of wisdom hidden between the layers of leafy green goodness. “I’m
sorry, Connor,” she said and started eating, too.

I
didn’t want to say anything that could possibly have a negative impact on the
situation. If she had been looking at me, I would have given her a smile.
“I love you,” I whispered. “I’m just sorry it happened at all.
If it makes you feel any better, I will be avoiding both Aunt Annie’s Pretzels
and Shannon for the rest of my life.”

Jessie
looked up from her salad and opened her eyes as far as they could go.
“You’d give up pretzels? For me? You really
do
love me,” she
said and grinned.

“More
than pretzels.”

“I’m
not hungry anymore,” Clarisse said disgustedly.

Jessie
and I laughed and finished our lunches. We sat quietly until Claire finished
hers and we stood to leave together. Life is kind of funny, sometimes. Just
when you think things have gotten back on track and you might be heading toward
some sort of normal, that’s usually when the powers that be decide to derail
your train.

As
we were leaving, Shannon decided to make a grand entrance to the cafeteria with
her two lackeys in tow. I groaned inwardly as soon as I saw her blond hair come
through the doorway.
Please don’t say anything, please don’t say anything…

Her
gaze swept right over Jessie and Clarisse and settled upon me. Her pouty lips
curved into a sultry upward smile and her eyes narrowed as she looked down at
my shoes and all the way up to my face, meeting my eyes. “Hello, Connor…
Long time no–”

The
impact of Jessica’s fist sent a clap of thunder that reverberated through the
James Underwood High School cafeteria like a sonic boom. At least that’s what
it sounded like to my ears. It must have been pretty loud to everyone else,
too, because everyone turned around to watch Shannon fly back between her
friends and land, skidding, across the linoleum floor.

“Kiss
him again and you won’t wake up from the next one,” Jess said as she
walked passed her prone form.

I
hurried to catch up to her and Clarisse, avoiding any sort of eye contact,
physical contact, metaphysical contact, or anything that could be construed as
any sort of contact with Shannon. I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of
one of those punches. Ever.

Chapter 9

“You
okay?”

I
turned and saw my sister as I was getting on my scooter. “Yeah, why?”

“Saw
the fireworks at lunch. Just making sure you weren’t on the receiving end of
any of them.”

I
laughed. “No. Her rage was focused solely on Shannon.”

“What
the hell happened?”

“I’ll
tell you when you’re a little older, kid.”

“Fine.
Then I’ll tell Mom your girlfriend knocked out the head cheerleader at lunch
today and you won’t tell anyone why.”

“I
was just kidding. Sheesh. No need to resort to blackmail.”

“There’s
always a need for blackmail when it gets me what I want.”

“Evil
bloodsucker.”

“Evil
Demon.”

“Touché.
It was actually kind of weird. I was at the mall and Shannon kissed me. I felt
bad about keeping it from Jess, so I told her.”

Cae
shifted from foot to foot and looked like she wanted to say two million things
to me. “Um…”

“What?
Spill it.”

“I’m
having a little trouble believing that Shannon kissed
you
.”

“Gee,
thanks.”

“I’m
not saying anything about you… I…um… Okay. You didn’t hear this from me, but I
wasn’t even totally sure that she liked…”

“Fallen
Ones?”

“No.”

“Younger
men?”

“Closer.”

“Dashingly
handsome younger men?”

She
rolled her eyes. “More like men in general. Let’s just leave it at
that.”

Oh,
how the gears in my head started turning. That was kind of
hot.
“Wow.”

“You’re
daydreaming about it now aren’t you?”

“Yep.”

“Perv.
Anyway. This is the point in our conversation where I get to tell you you’re a
dumbass.”

“Why?”

“For
telling Jessica. Do the words ‘death wish’ mean anything to you?”

“Okay,
picture this. Shannon kisses me. I
don’t
tell Jess about it. Jess finds
out about it…” I let my words trail off for maximum effect.

“Good
point. I guess there really is a fine line between dumbass and genius.”

“And
I cross it every day.”

“Yes,
but sometimes you regress.”

“Can’t
help it. I’m a guy.”

“Too
true.”

I
laughed. “How you doing? Everything okay? You didn’t drain anybody into a
raisin-like husk at lunch, did you?”

“Okay,
this is going to sound weird. Elizabeth and Jenny can drink animal blood.”

“Too
much information, but continue.”

“Well,
it turns out, I can’t. I’m a different kind of vampire.”

“Tell
me you’re not feeding on people…”

“People,
no. Vampires, yes. Jenny cut her finger and before I knew it, I was latched on
and feeding off her.”

“Was
she okay with that?”

“Um.
Yeah. Apparently it feels good when I feed. Like
really
good.”

“Re-entering
the land of I-don’t-need-to-know-this.”

“That’s
not a real place.”

“Sure
it is. It’s in Asia. Look it up.”

Caelyn
laughed. “You’re a dork.”

“And
you’re related to me. Bwahahaha.”

“Don’t
remind me.”

“So
you’re doing okay?”

“Yes.
I’m fine. Thanks for worrying, though.”

“Big
brother duty, number twelve. You sure you don’t want a ride home?”

“Nope.
Going to Jenny’s.”

“Don’t
drain her dry.”

“I
won’t,” she said and turned to leave. I watched her go and gave a little
smile. For the first time in a few days I had a feeling that she was going to
be just fine.

I
started up my engine and let it run for a few seconds before turning it around
and heading out of the school parking lot. Clarisse honked as she passed me,
turning the corner and almost getting the VW Bug up on two wheels. I shook my
head. I liked Clarisse a lot, but I didn’t miss riding in her car every day. I
might be immortal, but riding with her was just tempting fate.

I
felt my cell phone buzz in my jacket pocket. When I hit the first red light, I
pulled it out. It was a text from Clarisse.

Clearing,
twenty minutes. Don’t be late. Company

I
had no idea who she could be bringing, but I would find out soon. The clearing
was only ten minutes away. I would even pass Rockin’ Robin’s Convenience Mart
on the way. I was still hungry and had time to pick up a snack.

*
* *

I
pulled into the clearing with half a Twinkie in my mouth and an Ice-nado cherry
beverage precariously perched in my left hand. Driving a scooter, holding a
beverage, and eating a snack-cake was damn near impossible, but I pulled it off
without wrecking.

Clarisse
wasn’t there yet, so I parked and finished my food, feeling a little more
human…or whatever I was. Two minutes later, she pulled in. She wasn’t alone
either. There was a passenger in her car, and it was difficult to make out any
details with the sun’s reflection almost blinding me off the windshield.

She
pulled next to me and both doors opened as the engine shut off. Clarisse got
out first and a woman with black hair soon followed. I gulped as she got out of
the car. She wore black jeans and a black T-shirt. She even had black Converse
high-tops on.
Wow.

“Connor,
this is your new instructor, Raven.”

“Let
me guess, because she wears all black?”

“No.
Because she’ll claw your eyes out if you do anything stupid. So quit
talking,” Clarisse answered.

The
new girl didn’t even smile. “Hello,” I said and earned a nod from
her.

“Raven
is a Reaper like you. She’ll teach you your duties and so forth. She also will
be helping you try to control your magic.”

“Okay…
I thought you were helping me with that.”

“Relax.
I’m not going anywhere. I’m still your babysitter for the next century or
so.”

And
it was at that moment that the true meaning of the word
immortal
sank
in. I didn’t have to worry about getting married, finding a job, raising a
family, retirement, 401(k)s, nursing homes, or adult diapers. I would be the
way I was for centuries. Maybe even millennia, provided I didn’t get myself
killed to death. “Wow.”

“What?”

“Century.
Long time. Immortal moment.”

“Welcome
to what you wished for,” Raven finally spoke.

Her
voice sounded like someone had mixed black paint with smoke. She wasn’t raspy,
or even a baritone, it just held an edge of darkness tinged with something that
would be very bad for you. She sounded dangerous.

I
nodded my agreement. “Just kind of hit me all at once.”

“I
can imagine. You’re very lucky, human.”

“Alright.
I’ll leave you two to get to it.”

“You’re
leaving?”

“Work.
Remember? I wasn’t kidding when I said they were gearing up for Christmas.
Don’t worry, Raven won’t hurt you. Much.”

“Okay.
Have fun. Thanks,” I said and tried to muster as much sarcasm into it as
inhumanly possible. Clarisse shot me an evil grin, letting me know I had
succeeded.

“Center
of the field, now. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

I
followed her out into the circle of grass that had been cut out of the
surrounding trees. She held out both hands and motioned me to put mine in hers.
I did as she asked and gasped at the coolness of her skin.

“What?”

“Your
hands are cold.”

“I
am pulling with them.”

“What
does that mean?”

“I
am told that you have already Reaped a soul. Is that true?”

“Yes.”

“Remember
how you pulled the soul from the body of the mortal?”

I
nodded. “Yes.”

“That
is what I’m doing now.”

I
almost yanked my hands from her grip. “Stop!”

“Relax,
young one. I cannot rip the soul from the body of a Fallen. None can. Our
bodies are not vessels for souls. They are one. It is one of the sources of our
powers.”

“Oh.
Okay,” I said and relaxed a little.

“I
am pulling so my body will absorb the magic that you throw off. That way there
will be no…accidents.”

“Ahhh.
Gotcha.”

“Now,
push with your magic like you wished to do me harm.”

“You
can do that?”

“Yes.
As long as you’re touching your opponent, your magic can be quite
damaging.”

“Can’t
shoot it though, huh?”

“Pardon?”

“Shoot
it. Like fire lightning bolts or magic missiles from your hands.”

“Some
can, but only the very strongest of us. The ones you would have considered
archangels before the Rift.”

“Damn.
That would have been cool.”

“More
likely, dangerous.”

I
nodded and closed my eyes. I pulled the magic from inside me and hurled it with
everything I had from the center of myself and outward through my arms. One
second Raven was holding my hands and the next, she wasn’t. I opened my eyes to
see her sprawled out on the ground five feet away, rubbing her hands
vigorously.

“Are
you okay?”

“Yes.
I wasn’t expecting that, I will tell you.” She stood and walked back to
where I stood. “Again, but this time try and control it. You want me to
feel it, but you don’t want to cause damage.”

I
concentrated again and let the power trickle outward. Again, her hands flew
from mine. Again, she was on the ground rubbing her hands against her pants.
“I did it again?”

“Yes.
But I noticed something.”

“What?”

“The
amount of power was still incredible, but it was a different sensation.”

“And
that means what?”

“I
don’t know, but we will find out. I have a theory.”

“Oh
good. Theories are good.”

She
nodded, not understanding my sarcasm. “Again, but I want you to try
something different.”

“What?”

“I
want you to… I want you to imagine sticking my hand with the smallest of
needles.”

I
nodded, closed my eyes and gave it another shot. She said nothing. I opened my
eyes and saw her grimacing in pain, but holding on. I stopped pushing. “I
guess your theory worked.”

“It
did. This time keep your eyes open. Do the same again, but picture more
needles.”

I
did what she asked. Her face went from grimacing to contorting with pain.
“Want me to stop?”

“No.
Picture more needles. Longer ones.”

I
did
exactly
as she asked. Quickly, she gave a shout and let go. At least
I didn’t blast her away from me this time. “Did I do it right?”

“Yes.
And we have the key to your control.”

“Needles?”

“No.
Intent.”

“I
don’t understand.”

“Your
magic is too…raw, for lack of a better word. Instead of controlling the magic,
control what you intend to do with it. For example, when you turned the boy
into a vampire, instead of focusing on turning him into a vampire, you should
have focused on telling his body to turn him into a vampire,
slowly.
Does that make sense?”

“Oddly
enough, it does.”

I
thought about it, and instead of screwing the idea up, it actually began to
make even
more
sense. “Give me a second, I want to try
something,” I said to her and walked over to my scooter. I raised my fist
and punched the metal fender, putting a nice sized dent in it. The last time I
had tried this, I left a molten hole. This time, instead of throwing my magic
at it and telling it to fix itself, I ran my hand over the dent and slowly
imagined tiny hammers making it whole once again. When I no longer felt the
dent, I moved my hand. The paint was still messed up, but the fender was fixed,
and more importantly, not melted.

“Better?”

I
turned to Raven and nodded. “So far. Now I just have to fix the
paint.”

Again,
I held my hand over the damage. This would be a little tougher. I imagined all
the paint molecules letting go and doubling in size. As I felt it squirm
beneath my hand, I imagined it hardening once again.

This
time, when I moved my hand, you couldn’t tell there had ever been any damage to
the area. “Perfect,” I said and turned around.

“Good.”
Raven nodded and called her blade into being. “Since that took less time
than I expected, let’s get some weapons training in.

I
looked at her sword. Like mine it was matte black with reddish runes on it, but
she had only the one. I nodded and called mine into being. The more I did it,
the more the blades felt comfortable,
right
, in my hands. “I’m
warning you…”

“Don’t
get cocky, I sincerely doubt you will best me.”

“That’s
not what I was going to say. I was warning you that I suck and I’m nowhere near
as good as Clarisse…”

“Oh.
Then we will focus on weapons training as a part of your daily routine. You
never know when the need to defend yourself will arise.”

“Oh
goody.”

She
seemed perplexed by my statement. Raven didn’t get sarcasm at all. “You
actually wish for combat?”

I
sighed. “No. That was sarcasm.”

“Ah,
forgive me. It has been long since I have ventured to your realm.”

“Don’t
get out much, huh?”

“To
say the least. Your world is best left to the youngest of us.”

“Like
Clarisse.”

“And
you. And others. We elders tend to live solitary lives. I only came forth
because I was asked.”

“Because
of your experience?”

“That
and my power,” she replied.

“You’re…an
archangel?” I didn’t have a better word.

She
nodded and I watched her eyes smolder with black fire. “We do not call
ourselves that.”

“What
do you call yourselves then?”

“Damned,”
she replied sadly and I could almost feel the pain pour off her.