Chapter 7
CHAPTER
SEVEN
SAMATHA
The room was quiet—well, quiet aside from the constant yelling of the demon, but I was pretty good at ignoring it. I twisted to talk to Frank and spotted Phoenix. His face had gone pale.
Wait. That wasn’t right. What did I miss? “Are you okay?”
He didn’t look away from the demon.
“Nix!” I shouted his name, and he finally looked at me. “What’s wrong?” Was this it? Had he finally reached his weird limit? I kept waiting for him to panic about everything I did, but this was the first time something had actually gotten to him.
“It said…” He swallowed. “Could it be your father?”
Oh. That wasn’t what I’d been expecting him to say. At all.
I looked down at the boy. Why was he asking that? The demon had been saying all kinds of things, but as a general rule, I tuned out as much as I could. I’d learned to do that the hard way.
When I was a kid, the things they’d say would get me all worked up. But now I knew that I couldn’t control what anyone—including demons—said, did, or how they felt. I could only control what I said, did, and how I felt. Once I truly understood that, nothing could hurt me unless I let it.
So, I shut down whatever garbage any demons said and let it float right over my head. It was usually all lies anyway. Demons wanted me angry or afraid or anything other than focused on sending it to Hell. It would literally say anything to save itself.
If this demon was somehow connected to my father, I felt like I would’ve noticed, but there was no harm in making sure. “Let me check.” I relaxed my vision fully to go into the spiritual realm.
The boy’s soul wasn’t there. It was just like what this demon had done to Jennifer. Man, this was going to be more work than I thought it would be.
That night at Baycroft, I’d pulled her from the Lake of Fire. I’d have to do the same thing here. Except with Jennifer, the demon had been gone by the time I got there. I hadn’t been able to hunt it down, but every demon had a unique feel. I never forgot a tie that I burned.
And that was exactly where I’d start. The demon ties had to go, but I kept searching for any sign of my father just in case I was wrong. I needed to be sure I wasn’t getting in over my head.
When I found nothing, I reached forward, ignoring the demon’s snarling, and held the tie. I shoved my power at it, burning it to ash.
As soon as it was gone, two more popped into place.
“Hmm.” I didn’t like that. “Frank?”
“Yes, dear?”
I didn’t look away from the boy while I motioned with my pointer finger in a circle. “Let’s get praying.” I spared a look for the parents. “Specifically to Jesus. I know you don’t have a religion, but this is your very literal come to Jesus moment. Demons are real. Satan is real. There’s a war going on for souls, and right now, your son’s soul is the one on the line. Frank is going to pray—he can give you handouts to follow along—and I’m going to get to work.”
I glanced back at Phoenix. “It’s not him . At least not yet.”
Phoenix let out a relieved breath. “You’re sure?”
“Mostly. But it could change. So, I’m going to do this fast.”
He rolled his shoulders, and his color came back a little more.
“You okay?” I asked him.
“Yeah. As long as you’re okay, I’m okay.”
“I’m five by five. That coffee was the key.” I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “Take anything it says with a grain of salt. Demons can’t read your mind exactly. They’re not omniscient. Not omnipresent. But a lot of them are old enough to know human nature and fears, and your thoughts have a frequency. They can tell if what they’re saying is upsetting you—they’ll feel your fear and anger—and they can prey on that. And if it was about me, well…” It would be good if he could ignore what the demon said, but that was easier said than done. “Just don’t let me fall through any portals.”
“I won’t let you fall.”
“Thanks.” I glanced at the demon’s face. Its eyes glowed a bright red. Its arms were too long for its body, and its fingers were too long for its hands. Its legs were wrapped around the boy’s waist, arms around his neck, and I could already tell from the way it looked at me and tightened its grip that I was going to have a heck of a time getting it to let go.
“It’s you ,” it said.
Great. I’d wasted too much time. “This one knows who I am now, but my father doesn’t know where I am.” Yet.
The demon started to say my father’s name, but I grabbed its face, pushing a little power into it.
The demon screeched in pain, but I didn’t care. Maybe that would seem cold to someone who didn’t understand what a demon truly was, but they were pure evil. They lived to torture mortals and belonged in Hell. It could take a little pain, and I didn’t feel even a little bit bad about it. “Don’t you dare say his name.”
Pushing my power at the demon should, theoretically, drain me, but instead, I felt power pouring into my veins.
I usually hated that feeling. I always associated it with my father, even though it wasn’t oily or ick-filled, which meant it wasn’t that bad. But it felt very gray area to me.
Today, I could use the extra juice.
The power that flowed into me felt good, vital, life-giving. My mind began to clear, and I didn’t feel like I needed to drink ten more coffees to get this done.
Frank had been right. This was helping me.
I focused back on Zane. “Leave me some room there.” I pointed to a spot on the floor that was away from everyone in the room. “I’m going to open a portal right there . No one go near that corner of the room.” I paused—hoping everyone heard and understood—then said the word. “ Aperta! ”
The screams came immediately. The smells. The terror.
My breath grew faster and faster as I remembered where I’d been just hours before. I felt the heat. The pain. The?—
No. I couldn’t do this.
I didn’t want to do this. Not again.
My heart raced and my vision tunneled and I wanted to go home.
I didn’t want to do this anymore.
I didn’t want to be this anymore.
I heard myself whimper, but it felt like it came from somewhere else.
Then, a warm hand pressed against my back and stroked up and down, soothing me.
“Samantha.” Phoenix’s voice cut through the panic. “Take a breath. Just one.”
I closed my eyes, shutting out everything. Instead, I focused on the pressure of his hand as it went up my back, then down.
Up, then down.
Up, then down.
I timed my breathing with the feel of his hand, and when I blinked my eyes open, he lowered his face, pressing his forehead against mine.
His eyes widened for a second, and I knew he could see again.
“Shit. Sorry.”
“For a panic attack? Don’t be sorry.”
“No.” I let out a helpless little noise. “I meant for making you see .”
He pressed a soft kiss on my forehead. “I’m not sorry, so why should you be?” He rose up a little more. “Better?”
“Yeah. I just…” I took another breath. “It’s too soon.”
He motioned with his head toward the portal. “I can hear it now. Smell it. Feel it. I can’t imagine how you must feel, but I’m here. So hurry up and get this done, and I’ll take you for a milkshake after.”
“A milkshake?”
He studied me for a moment. “Don’t you ever treat yourself after a job well done?”
I was quiet. Did I?
No. I guessed I didn’t.
His hand ran up and down my back again. “Now seems a good time to start treating yourself. Get this done so we can go do something fun.”
“Right. Fun.” I had fun, didn’t I? Just maybe not often.
Was I a workaholic?
Whatever. I didn’t need to think about this right now.
I focused on Zane. Then, the demon.
First things first.
Moving quickly, I grabbed the demon ties in one hand and burned them, and as I did that, I switched my focus to the demon. I grabbed its hands and wrenched them away from the boy. I slid toward the floor, twisting my wrists as I dropped to the ground, using my whole body to pull the demon away, then tossing him into the portal.
The demon’s screams alerted the hordes below. I glanced down into the portal just long enough to see them swarm like hornets coming after an intruder. Except these weren’t hornets. They were demons that could do more harm than any insect.
Demons devoured souls.
But not mine.
Not today.
“ Claudere !” The portal slammed shut.
Okay. That was done. Zane was free of all demonic ties, but his soul still wasn’t there. I had to get him back.
Only one way to do it.
I didn’t want to do it. I really, really didn’t want to do it. But life was filled with so many things that I didn’t want to do. This was just one of them, and I’d do it anyway. Because doing the right thing, even when it was hard, was important.
Zane was lying there, completely still, eyes closed. Frank was still whispering his prayers, but the parents stared at me wide-eyed.
“Almost done.” I climbed back on the bed, putting one knee on either side of his hips and then my hands on his shoulders. I put my nose just above his and closed my eyes and released my hold on this world. That was all it took for me to leave my body.
I focused on Zane, on the link between his body and his soul. This was going to be super not fun.
I glanced at Phoenix for a second. “Milkshakes?”
He crossed his arms and nodded. “Yup. My treat.”
“Okay. I can do this.” I looked at Zane and found his silver soul cord. I wrapped it around my hand.
The portal needed to be small this time. Just enough for me to bring his soul back from wherever the demon had hidden it. Tiny. The size of a quarter would do, which would make it impossible for my body to fall through it.
“ Aperta ,” I whispered.
I could pull his soul cord and tug him home. But depending on where he was, it might do some damage to him—mental and spiritual damage. If I could avoid that, I would.
I let my soul follow his cord, leading my soul away from the mortal realm.
Zane’s screams grew louder. So loud that I wanted to cover my ears and run, but I waited. I waited until I could feel the heat from the pits. And then I wanted to scream, too.
Zane was in the Lake of Fire.
It was soon—too soon—to be back in Hell. But if I thought about it too much, I’d leave before bringing Zane’s soul back to his body.
My body was safe. I was going to get a milkshake with Phoenix soon. That was enough to keep me going.
Milkshakes and Phoenix.
Phoenix and milkshakes.
All around me were fires. They weren’t faded or misty. They looked real. They felt real. The heat made my skin hot, and it felt like it was burning me. But it wasn’t.
Because the part of me that was here didn’t have skin. I couldn’t burn. But it was hard to think with the heat and the screaming.
It was so loud.
So incredibly loud.
Souls thrashed, screamed, begged for mercy, but no mercy would be found here. Everything that was sent to the Lake burned.
“ Zane Michael Anders. Reveal yourself. ”
Instantly, I was drawn to Zane. He was in front of me, bathed in flame, screaming, tortured, unaware of anything but his pain. His soul was brighter than the rest because it wasn’t supposed to be here. This wasn’t his time. Which meant that he wasn’t truly here. He could leave the Lake, just like I could.
“ Zane! ” I yelled. “ Zane Michael Anders! ” But he didn’t respond, didn’t glance my way, didn’t do anything but stay in the lake, consumed by fire and pain and fear.
He couldn’t hear me, which was fair. I couldn’t even really hear me anymore. It was so unbelievably loud. And hot.
Oh God, I was burning.
I slapped a hand over my mouth to stifle the scream because no. No, I wasn’t burning. It felt like it, but I wasn’t.
I shoved that feeling, that pain, into a box in my mind and locked it away. It wasn’t gone, but it was better.
Then, I forced myself to take a step closer.
Tears streaked down my face, and I tried not to think of the flickering flames that licked my skin. It wasn’t real.
The pain wasn’t real.
I wasn’t really here.
It would be over soon, and I’d found that I could suffer through a lot as long as it was temporary.
I could leave any second.
I took a big breath, stuck my fingers in my mouth, and blew a piercing whistle. As I forced the air out, I pushed it through Hell. Zane’s eyes widened, and he twisted toward me.
“ Zane Michael Anders! Take my hand! ” I reached for him, and I knew my body wasn’t reaching out a hand. It was my soul. My soul reached for his, and I saw hope in his eyes.
That’s right, Zane. This is your way out.
“ Zane Michael Anders. Come here. Right now! ” It was time. I tugged on his cord.
His eyes widened as if he were seeing me for the first time, and he flung himself at me.
His soul raced to me, and I caught him.
I squeezed my eyes shut again and let the pull of my body take us back.
The heat vanished, we stopped moving, and I’d barely settled into my body when I said, “ Claudere! ”
I opened my eyes, and I was kneeling above Zane again. Because I hadn’t moved. My body had been here like this the whole time. Except now Zane was crying. Soft sobs. I looked down at him. “You’re fine now.”
I moved to get off the bed, but my foot got caught under Zane’s leg, and I fell.
“Whoa.” Phoenix caught me and set me on my feet.
I looked up into his hazel eyes. “Thanks.”
A flash of something bright caught my eye, and I looked down. Between us were our soul cords—mine and Phoenix’s—and they were twisted so tightly together that I didn’t think I could ever untangle them.
What the heck was that?
Why were our souls linked?
How did that happen?
When—
Wait. It had to have been last night, but?—
A sob—Zane’s sob—cut through my thoughts.
I had to deal with Zane first, and then I had questions. Lots of questions.
Zane’s parents stood up, looking from me to their son and back again. “He’s fine. No more demonic ties. No more demon. I don’t know how long you’ve been having trouble, but you shouldn’t have any problems. But Frank should bless your house, just in case.”
The dad nodded. “How can we thank you?”
“You don’t need to. Just be good.” I turned to look at Phoenix. “ Let’s go, ” I mouthed to him.
He gave me a barely-there nod and tucked me to his side. “We’re going to head out,” he said to Zane’s parents. “We have another appointment. Frank, are you okay with finishing up here?”
“Absolutely. I’ll call you later, Sam.” He gave me a look of concern. He wanted to know if I was alright, and I was. In some ways, I was better than I had been before I walked into this room. But something was shifting in my world, something I hadn’t noticed, and it was throwing me off.
What the heck had happened with our soul ties? I’d never seen anything like it before.
I couldn’t talk to Frank right now. Even if we had privacy to talk through what I’d seen, I had too many questions.
But Phoenix had the answers. So, I gave Frank a nod to reassure him and reached for Phoenix.
I wasn’t worried about it or upset. Just confused. Really, truly confused.
Phoenix took my hand and pulled me toward the door, then paused as he looked into the hallway.
“Everything okay?” I whispered to him.
“Everything is fine,” he said as we left the room. “I guess I only touched your clothes before. There’s a lot happening in the spiritual realm here. I can see why you’d want the headphones.”
I looked around the hallway. Nurses were milling about, patients, a doctor going into a room down the hall, but around all that, there were demons. So many demons. Hanging on people. Lurking in corners and doorways. Hiding in every shadow they could find.
“Yeah. It’s noisy. I’m sure my headphones are tangled in my pocket now, but?—”
“Let’s get you out of here. The exit isn’t that far.”
“Thanks,” I said, and he glanced down at me.
“You don’t have to keep thanking me. I’m happy to do it.” He looked down at me as we moved through the hallway. I hoped he had paid attention because I had no idea how to get out of here. “How are you feeling? Tired at all?”
“No. Actually, I’m much better now.” I spotted the exit and sped up. I wanted out of here.
As we stepped out into the sunshine, I closed my eyes and lifted my face into the warmth. “Still a little tired, but not as completely exhausted as I was when I walked in here.”
“Still want that milkshake?”
“Yes,” I said it so quickly that he laughed.
“How about a burger, too?”
That actually sounded perfect. “Yeah. I could definitely go for that.”
“Cool. I know a place close by that I think you’ll like.” He walked to the car and opened the door for me.
I started to say thank you again, but he raised a brow, stopping my words.
“Sorry.” I slid into the seat, and he stepped in, leaning down.
“Don’t apologize.” He brushed his lips against mine. Just hard enough, just long enough, that my heart skittered.
He closed the door, and I leaned back in the seat.
That hadn’t gone so badly.
Demon vanquished. Soul saved. No mortal freakouts.
It had actually been pretty easy.
Everything with Phoenix seemed easy.
I just hoped it stayed that way. Especially after I asked him why the heck our souls were linked.