Body and Soul (Body and Soul Trilogy) (22 page)

“I understand,” Kate said. “Light does not always mean that people are good. Darkness does not always mean that people are evil. Rico, Donovan, and Adriana are all examples of that.”

“Yes, Kate. They are.”

“Light?” Kate asked again.

“Yes, my daughter.
”

“Why can’t I stay here with you? I know that
you say my purpose is not in death, but don’t I get to choose what it is?”

“Yes, Kate, you do. Before you choose,
though, I would like to show you something. Would that be okay with you?” Light asked.

Kate nodded and was unsurprised when she suddenly
stood in the living room at her house. Rico was bent over Kate, head hung low. Adriana and Kate’s mother, who had woken up at some point, were sobbing and holding on to each other. Donovan was sitting in a chair, head in his hands, mumbling unintelligible words. They were miserable. They were destroyed by Kate’s death. Their mourning held their full attention, and no one noticed the tendril of fog that slithered through the room. Erik stood up, fully alive and stronger; the tendrils flowed from him, and headed toward the people Kate loved. It was going to kill them, just like it had killed Kate.

“No!” Kate screamed, reaching out for them.

Chapter 29

Kate was jolted awake.
The dark wood of the floor was underneath her, pressing into her bones like weights. Its surface was cool and smooth, a somewhat comforting presence. In contrast, the warm blankets were thrown around Kate haphazardly, but they protected her from Erik’s watchful eyes. Kate could tell that she had been torn from Rico’s grasp by the way her body lay across the floor. She was sprawled in an awkward position, with her arms spread out and her left leg bent at an impossible angle. It was difficult to stay still but Kate bit her tongue and forced herself not to rearrange her body. She knew, grimly, that Rico had already been captured by the dark magic. Kate began formulating a plan in her mind, knowing that she would have to free her friends. She knew enough from practicing with Rico and Donovan that it was best to catch Erik when he was unaware of her presence, much like he was right now.

Er
ik was laughing somewhere to Kate’s right. The sound pulled Kate from her thoughts, and she focused on Erik in an attempt to gather her surroundings. She extended her other senses as well, building a blueprint of the room in her mind.

“I can’t believe that you are all so enthralled with this human girl to mourn her death. Her soul is resting peacefully. You should be happy.”

“Kern won’t be happy,” Donovan spat. “He will kill you.”

“He cannot kill me, Donovan. I am a god now. I will live forever.”

“There are no gods among demons,” Rico said. His voice sounded dull and lifeless, and Kate had to bite her tongue harder to keep from calling his name.

“Now, Rico, don’t say such cruel things. Haven’t you learned to be respectful to your superiors? I know that you wouldn’t want me to burn your little human pet.”
Kate felt Erik’s presence move closer to her. Her heart began to race and she tensed, preparing herself for anything.

R
ico was silent and Erik laughed with the knowledge that he had won for now. Kate pictured her father’s face in her mind, contorted in such a way that marked him unrecognizable.

“You’re despicable,” Adriana shouted.

“No, Adriana. It is you that is despicable,” Erik stated. Kate felt his presence withdraw and knew that Adriana had sparked his anger. “You have gone against your nature. I would love to see you possess one human soul before your untimely death, however.”

Erik
turned back toward Kate and moved past her. He stalked toward Blaire and took her face into his hands. Kate heard him lightly hitting her mother’s cheeks in an attempt to gain her attention. Her father’s hands would have never touched Blaire with such resentment. “Blaire,” he said calmly. “Don’t be afraid. Adriana and I are going to play a little game right now, okay? We need you to be the sacrifice. Are you willing to do that?”

Kate heard her mother shaking her head; the tendrils in her earrings swung back and forth, creating sounds like a wind chime. She knew that
silent tears were streaming down Blaire’s face, and Kate sent a prayer to Light, pleading for the opportunity to save her friends before losing her mother.

“That’s just too bad,” Erik
said. “We’ll just have to force you. Be careful, though, Blaire, you might kill Adriana if you resist too much. She has never possessed a soul before.”

Erik
began to drag Kate’s mother toward Adriana. The sound of metal scraping on wood became louder as he pushed passed Kate. He kicked Kate out of the way when he reached her, and she had to bite on her tongue to keep from screaming out. She was pushed against the cream couch, half hidden from view, and could now open her eyes. She blinked several times before focusing on her surroundings. Kate was staring at the bottom of the couch; she breathed in the familiar scent of leather and her father. She remained focused on Erik, though, and listened to what was going on behind her. Kate could hear Erik repositioning Blaire’s chair. She knew that she had to wait until the right moment, and it wasn’t right now.

Erik placed Blaire in front of Adriana. He untied Adriana’s hands, and fastened them to the side of Blaire’s face
with the dark magic. He whistled as he did this, a renewed sense of confidence burning brightly in his newly captured soul.

Kate
moved slightly, and when Erik didn’t scream out in anger, she dared a glance at the people she loved. Erik’s back was to her, and Kate moved silently, lifting herself up until she lay on her stomach, her elbows supporting her upper body. She crawled until she was certain she was out of view.

Kate knew
that she couldn’t let her mother see her, because she would scream out, ask for help, or tell her to run. She was glad that Blaire had been facing away from her, towards Adriana, even though her stomach twisted at the knowledge of Erik’s plan for her. Kate sat there for a moment, hidden from view, relieved that her friends’ emotions would never betray her presence.

Kate crawled into the kitchen after catching her breath. She sat there for a moment, her back leaning against the cabinets as she attempted to gain the confidence she sought.
She pressed her palm to her heart, attempting to slow it down with her touch. She settled with her ability to steady her breathing instead, and focused on the rise and fall of her chest. Kate knew that she didn’t have much longer, so she took a deep breath and lifted herself so that she was standing, and moved to the drawers across from her. She began silently pulling out knives and grabbed her mother’s rolling pin, just in case her first choice failed. Quiet tears spilled over her eyes, and she sent a wordless apology to Light, and to her father, for what she had to do. She knew, deep down, that her father wouldn’t survive anyway. She knew that he would want this. Aaron would want his release; he would want to sacrifice himself to protect the women he loved most in this world.

Kate peaked around the corner but pulled back. Erik
had turned around for a moment; he had been spinning in a circle, almost as if he was celebrating a win that hadn’t happened yet. Kate’s anger spiked at Erik’s arrogance; his solid confidence sparked her own.

Kate looked again and noted that Erik
was standing behind Blaire’s body, his broad back facing Kate. Kate stepped around the corner and moved, catlike, toward Erik. She had to make sure that she was close enough to him to kill her father almost immediately. She didn’t want to give Erik the chance to run or fight. She didn’t want to cause her father pain. She didn’t want to let everyone down.

Kate stepped forward. She lifted her hand, ready to strike. She sent up a
nother silent prayer to Light, asking him to lend her strength. Immediately, her hands stopped shaking and her heartbeat slowed, calming her soul. She thought about her father, his immense love for Kate and for Blaire. She thought about his passion for the law, for fighting against evil among humans. Kate let a dozen memories slip through her mind in the second before she threw the first knife.

Kate saw herself as a child. She was swinging high on a swing, her mother behind her, pushing her, her father out in front of her, holding his hands out. He kept laughing and telling her to jump
, but she kept chickening out. He gave her one last chance to jump before he ran to get her, and she laughed gleefully. She jumped then, at the last possible moment, and landed safely in her father’s arms, like she knew she would.

Next,
Kate saw herself at twelve. She came home crying from a particularly difficult day at school. The girls kept making fun of Kate’s chestnut curls, pulling them and threatening to cut them off. Kate’s father held her, telling her that her curls were beautiful. When she stopped crying, he took her to a salon and asked the woman to teach Kate how to fix her curls so they weren’t puffy or frizzy any longer.

Finally,
Kate saw herself at sixteen, right before moving to Florida. She was convinced that the kids at school cared about her when they invited her out on the boat. She had been wrong. They spent the entire afternoon telling Kate what was wrong with her and what she could do to improve herself. When she went home that evening, red and puffy, her father pulled out toilet paper rolls and eggs. They spent the night throwing toilet paper over the trees that stood in front of the mean kids’ houses and tossing eggs at their windows and doors.

A single tear slid down Kate’s face as she pulled herself back to the present. She didn’t allow herself another moment to think. Kate pulled her arm back like she was playing darts. She held her eyes open, afraid that she would close them, and arched the knife slightly. She breathed out slowly and threw the weapon toward Erik.

Chapter 30

Erik screamed and stumbled forward
when the blade hit his upper back. The dark tendrils released themselves around Kate’s friends and mother immediately. Rico rushed to Kate’s side, quick as lightning, and tore the knives from Kate’s steely grip before she could throw another one. Donovan rushed toward Adriana and Blaire and broke the chains that bound Kate’s mother in one swift motion. He pulled the two women away from Erik and stood in front of them protectively.

Erik
stumbled toward the leather couch, and stood up again with its support. He reached behind him, pulling the knife out in one swift movement. Dark blood clung to the blade, Kate’s father’s blood. Erik spun to face Kate, and darker tendrils swirled around him. He lifted his arms in the air, directing the tendrils of mist. He almost looked as if he was directing an orchestra, and Kate wasn’t surprised to see that the tendrils of dark magic obeyed Erik.
He’s almost gained control of it
, she thought.

Suddenly,
without warning, Donovan launched himself toward Erik. He knocked Erik down, kicking him until he could barely move. The tendrils, however, still swirled around Erik. They clung to both men like snakes, and a deep and desperate fear clung to Kate’s thoughts. She pushed forward, but Rico held her back and moved up instead.

“I’ll do it,” he said.

“No,” Donovan insisted. “I must do this. I made the man who he was today. I taught him to take human souls. I aided his cause. I must be the one to destroy him. I must be the one to take his soul. I must steal his dark magic and end him.”

Rico nodded
succinctly, knowing that there was no time to argue, and he and Donovan moved Erik so that he was now sitting in one of the metal chairs. The tendrils of dark magic attached themselves to Rico as well, like leeches trying to take his life source. Kate watched as Rico helped Donovan tie Erik to the chair with the twine and chain that had been used to trap Kate’s body. When they were finished, Rico stepped back and took Kate’s hand into his own, squeezing slightly. Kate watched as the tendrils slithered down Rico’s legs back toward their master and shivered slightly. She could tell that Rico was nervous too, and restored her focus on Donovan and Erik.

Donovan began to recite the incantation, the Rite of Control.

Abruptly, Kate jumped forward, remembering her knew knowledge. “Stop,” she called in an attempt to gain Donovan’s attention.

Donovan paused and looked at her
, confusion in his eyes. Kate could feel Rico and Adriana glaring at her in frustration; there wasn’t much time.

“You were wrong Donovan. The soul isn’t hidden behind your eyes. It’s nestled in your heart. You don’t place
your hands on your victim’s temples; you place them on his heart.”

Donovan shook his head disbelievingly.
“That is how it’s always been done, Kate. I’m sorry but you are wrong.”

“No,” she said
strongly. “It has always been done wrong. It’s why humans have had the opportunity to fight you. It is why we still stand here today. We were able to fight because you weren’t entering at the right point,” she pushed.

Donovan stood there
motionless, unsure of what to do. He stared at Kate for a moment, and Kate could tell he was struggling with his instincts. He still didn’t know if he should believe her.

Erik stirred, the dark magic stirring too
, its tendrils tightening around Donovan’s legs and biceps.

“Donovan, please trust me,” Kate called. “
I know that this is true. When I was pulled out of my body I saw the dark magic pulling the warmth from my heart. Think about it, Donovan. What demons crave for most is the ability to love. You love with your heart, not your head. I promise you that this is right. You have to trust me, Donovan. Please.”

Donovan just looked at Kate, seemingly perplexed. She wished he would stop staring at her.

“Donovan, trust me. And if you don’t trust me, trust Light. He has been helping me figure this entire mess out. He was the one sending the visions. He was the one that convinced me to come back here, to keep living. Believe me, Donovan. I’m telling you the truth. I would never lie to you.”

Donovan nodded once,
finally understanding. Kate didn’t know what caused him to trust her, to trust Light, but he was trusting Kate’s pure heart and soul. He was putting his faith in Light. Donovan turned toward Erik and began reciting the incantation once more. When he was finished, he placed his hand over Aaron’s heart. Kate watched as the dark magic began to curl around Donovan’s stomach and throat. Donovan began sweating; his breath came in gasps as he fought Erik and his dark magic. Adriana stepped forward, a reflex, and Rico dashed to her side, half-protecting and half-restraining her.

Donovan fell to his knees. Adriana screamed. Kate began biting her nails. Blaire gasped. Rico held on to Adriana tightly.

Donovan was growing weaker. Erik was going to win the battle. Kate had been wrong. She had been so miserably wrong. She began pacing and muttering words to herself, cursing herself for trusting her instincts. The words began to shift, to take a different shape, creating new meaning. Kate turned toward Rico, realizing what she was saying.

“Rico,” she said. “The words are wrong. The incantation is wrong. He’s not taking a human soul, not really. He’s taking Erik’s soul. The words are wrong.”

“There are no other words, Kate. There is no other Rite of Control,” Rico called desperately.

“Yes there is,” Kate pressed
. “Donovan told me that the words were symbolic. They don’t actually mean anything right now, Rico. He’s not speaking to a human. They can be changed.”

“If they were symbolic, Kate
, then we wouldn’t need them,” Rico said angrily. Kate could tell that he was losing his patience; Rico was upset at having forced Donovan into this chaos. Kate could tell that he would blame himself if Donovan failed, if Donovan ceased to exist, Kate wouldn’t allow that to happen. She swallowed her fear at his anger, and continued her protest.

“
Rico, symbols are powerful if used correctly. You kept the necklace as a symbol of your actions, and it still affects you.”

Rico
just kept shaking his head disbelievingly, his eyes watching Donovan’s waning strength. Kate knew that if Donovan failed Rico would jump in there, and he would die too. There was only one thing left for her to do, and she hoped that Donovan would hear her; she hoped that he would trust her words, because they held the truth.

Kat
e began reciting the new incantation; she named it the Rite of Succession. She knew that this name matched the old incantation’s name because of the play on words. She knew that this would work, and she knew that she had moments to relay this message across.

“I take from you, my soul. I grant thy one request.

Thee will seize thou pleasure.

And make thee wishes met.

Thou heart concedes – break fire and ice.

Then take from thee, eternal life.”

Kate repeated it, her voice growing stronger with each telling. Her mother was the first one to speak it alongside her. Their voices echoed around the room. Adriana chimed in next, hoping that her voice would persuade Donovan to follow. Rico did the same, knowing that there was no point in fighting with Kate when he had nothing else to lose.

T
he Rite of Succession circulated around the room. It was almost like a physical presence, a shimmering of light that clung to the walls and ceilings, tangible proof that Light was aiding their cause. As the incantation grew louder and stronger, the shimmers began to move into the center of the room. They began to swirl around Donovan and Erik, but they wouldn’t touch them.

“Donovan,” Adriana shouted
encouragingly. “You have to recite the incantation with us. You have to, Donovan. You have to find the strength to speak with us.”

Donovan didn’t speak. He didn’t move.

“Donovan!” Adriana screamed. Jerking away from Rico, she ran toward the wall of light that spun around the two men, and stopped unexpectedly, slamming into it. The wall was solid, and Adriana couldn’t get through. Adriana screamed and banged on the wall with her fists. She fell to the floor in a heap of black clothes and creamy skin a moment later, breathless and hopeless.

Kate
cautiously moved closer to Adriana. She sat next to her friend and put her hand on Adriana’s. She put her other hand on the wall of light, feeling the individual glitters of light pulsing against her fingers like a hundred heartbeats.

“Donovan,” she said. “Adriana loves you. Adriana loves you so much. You need to be brave enough to come back to her. You can’t leave her.
You can’t leave us,” she pleaded.

Kate kept repeating quiet, comforting phrases, praying that she would reach Donovan. Slowly, she began to sense Donovan returning and squeezed Adriana’s hand. She glanced at her friend and nodded, inviting her to speak too.

“Donovan,” Adriana added uncertainly. “Kate’s right. I do love you, in my own way. I love your heart, your kind words,” her voice trembled and she stopped speaking momentarily. Kate watched as silent tears slid down her soft cheeks. “I love your soul,” she added in a whisper that only Kate could hear.

The group sat in silence, for what felt like forever, until Donovan’s lips began moving. His lips moved slowly at first, stumbling over the new words, almost as if they refused to leave his mouth.
Kate straightened up, excitement lurching through her veins. She began reciting the incantation again, to aide Donovan, to stand by his side. His words grew louder as they mingled with hers, echoing around the room. The others chimed in, and the wall of light moved, closing in on Donovan and Erik – on Kate’s father.

The light caressed Donovan and Erik’s
skin, pulling the dark magic from Erik. The magic moved into Donovan, the glittering light accompanying it. As the magic left Erik, Donovan’s body strengthened. It seemed to glow from the inside, the light shining through Donovan’s pores, reflecting his good heart.

Erik’s body left Aaron’s then.
There was a flash of pure, white light, and then he lay sprawled across the floor behind Aaron’s body, breathless and frail. He could barely lift himself up; he was so much weaker than he had been with the dark magic flowing through his veins. Kate watched him struggle to his hands and knees, and a surge of sympathy almost coursed through her soul. She watched as Rico moved so that he stood over Erik, his foot pressed on Erik’s back, keeping him on the ground.

No one was looking at Erik, though. Everyone else was watching what was happening between Donovan and Aaron now. Kate moved so that her attention was focused on them
once more. Donovan was changing somehow, his hand still on Aaron’s heart. Kate turned to face her mother, who still stood across the room. Blaire had her hands wrapped around herself and tears fell down her beautiful face.

Kate moved so that she was next to
Blaire. She wrapped her arms around her mother in a gesture of love and comfort. Kate’s emotions swirled around them like a soft breeze, a mix of sadness and guilt. She had almost forgotten that her mother was in the room, and her mother’s pain washed over her like a stormy sea.

“What’s happening?” Blaire whispered
.

“Mom,” Kate said
softly. She pushed Blaire’s chestnut curls behind her ear before continuing. “Donovan is possessing Dad’s soul now. He has to.”

“Why? Why can’t he just leave now that Erik’s been ejected from your father?”
Blaire asked angrily. Kate watched as her mother’s fists clenched at her sides, a sign that she was fighting.

“It doesn’t work that way, Mom. Once the process starts it doesn’t end
, because Dad can’t expel Donovan. He’s not strong enough. Donovan will win, and Dad will die soon. He’s too weak.”

“Can’t your father fight this?”

“If he was healthier he could, Mom. In a possession, one of the two will win. If Dad wins, Donovan dies. If Donovan wins, Dad will slowly fade, much like he would have with Erik inside of him; he will die eventually.”

Kate hated to see the emotions play across her mother’s face, but she had to tell her mother the truth. The sooner her mother realized that Aaron would die either way, the sooner she could gather her strength and prepare for the worst. Kate shivered slightly, thinking about it herself.

“I hope Donovan doesn’t succeed then,” Blaire confessed. Her eyes were cloudy, her lips held in a tight frown.

“Mom,” Kate said, trying to reason with her, “Dad is going to die either way.
Plus, he’s not strong enough to fight this possession. He would just die in the struggle with Donovan. He can’t succeed.”

Blaire turned to face her daughter.
“How could you say such a thing?” she spat.

“Because it’s the truth, Mom
. Dad’s not strong enough to survive this. I know you know that. You need to be willing to let him go. He would want the pain to end. He would want to sacrifice himself to save us. He loves us that much, Mom.”