Soul Bound (26 page)

Jace shoved Lia behind him, shielding her with his body. “Yeah, well I don’t take too kindly to you using Lia as your guinea pig.”

In the distance, backlit by the setting sun, two shadowy figures lined the horizon. They were big, built like raging bulls, and they quickly approached.

The second they came into the light, Lia recognized them. “Uh, guys, we’ve got a problem.”

Jace and the woman both pivoted to face the oncoming threat.

“It’s them. They were with him.” Lia gestured to the shriveled remains of their leader. “I thought he drowned them.”

“Obviously not,” the redhead muttered, right before she withdrew her sword and vanished.

Like some famous illusionist, she materialized at the edge of the street, where shadows ruled and the creatures’ heavy footsteps pounded the blacktop. With a few fancy moves, she took them both out, while Jace and Lia stood motionless, watching the scene with a sordid sense of fascination.

The redhead gripped the carcasses by their collars and dragged them close to their leader. “Time to take out the trash.” A grin ghosted over her pink lips. “Help me dump them in the sea,” she ordered Jace. “Can’t just leave them here in plain sight to be discovered.” She walked over to the unfortunate man the giant had drained. “What happened to him?”

“The big guy emptied him.” A tremble coursed through Lia at the memory. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Were there witnesses?”

Lia nodded. “Several.”

The redhead cursed. “That’s the problem with Rogues. They’re so damn conspicuous.” She hooked one of her arms around the corpse and lifted him effortlessly. “Sorry about this,” she told the lifeless man. “Can’t leave any evidence behind.” She selected one of the Rogues and hauled him up as well.

Jace tossed the two remaining bodies over his shoulders and trekked toward the ocean in silence. After a lengthy walk, he aimed a sideways look at the redhead. “Where’d you learn to fight like that?”

“The Watchers. Taught me everything I know.” The woman lugged her own load through the woods, while Lia trailed behind. “I can train you,” she offered. “Just say the word.”

They emerged from the forest to be greeted by a fine carpet of sand. To their left, where the thankfully deserted beach curled toward the sea, jagged rocks formed a low precipice over the water.

“Not if it means joining the Watchers.”

A conspiratorial look swept across the redhead’s face. “They don’t need to know. It’ll be our little secret.” She scaled the small cliff, unloading her burden into the Pacific.

Following her lead, Jace joined her at the top of the bluff and dumped the bodies he carried into the churning mouth of the sea. Lia labored to keep up. She wasn’t as quick or as agile as they were, but eventually she made her way to Jace’s side again.

“You’d do that?” he asked. “Why? What’s in it for you?”

The Watcher shrugged evasively. “I’ve got my reasons. Trust me.”

“Why should I? You haven’t even told me who you are.” In the distance, clouds gathered, gray and smoky as the sea raged below. Wave after wave collapsed onto the shore, frothing at the tips. Her gaze riveted on his face, the woman extended her hand. “The name’s Regan.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Jace hadn’t noticed the resemblance, but now it struck him. Her skin tone, her bone structure, even the shape of her mouth were exact replicas of his. This woman could’ve easily been his sister or—in a world where age didn’t factor in—his mother.

He took an instinctive step back. “Regan? The same Regan who dumped me on my father’s doorstep and ran for the hills?”

His mother had the decency to look remorseful. “I’m not proud of what I did, but at the time, it was the only option I had.”

Lia took hold of his hand, squeezed it.

Gulls circled overhead, releasing a series of mournful cries that were swiftly swallowed by the roar of the surf. Salt-laden air seared his nostrils as he strengthened his grip on Lia’s fingers. She was his lifeline, the one thing in the world that brought him peace and kept him centered. With her at his side, he could face anything. Even a long-overdue encounter with the mother who’d abandoned him. Anger would’ve been the natural reaction, but he didn’t remember enough about his past to feel anything beyond a mild tug of disappointment and curiosity.

“Why?” He studied Regan’s face, tried to find the answers he sought in the shuttered depths of her golden eyes. “Why was it your only option?”

“Because I wanted to give you a chance. You had a soul. A very powerful soul. I thought it might be strong enough to fight the darkness.” She gazed up at the birds, their gray-white wings flapping in the breeze, and her expression grew reflective and somber. “Some Hybrids live relatively normal lives until they turn, especially when they’re surrounded by people who love them. If David had been stronger, if he hadn’t broken—”

She shook her head. “Well, it doesn’t really matter now, does it? What’s done is done. There was really nothing else I could do.”

“You could’ve kept him.” Emotion pinched Lia’s features. “You could’ve helped him understand what he was.”

Regan wagged her head again, sending a fiery tumble of curls rioting around her pale face. “My presence would’ve destroyed him. His soul had enough trouble fighting the black energy inside him. If I’d stayed, all I would’ve done was fuel the darkness.”

His mother stood at edge of the cliff, staring at the restless waves licking the shore. Something flickered across her face, too weak to be considered regret. “Cal wanted me to keep the child,” she confessed. “To raise him at the complex along with the others, but I couldn’t. If I’d agreed, they would’ve had to turn him at birth.”

Jace bristled. “You mean kill me.”

Regan didn’t need to answer. The look on her face said it all. “I may be soulless, but I’m still a woman, a mother. I wanted my kid to have a chance at a normal life, if only for a few years.”

He released a humorless laugh. “Normal. Right. That perfectly sums up my existence.”

Regan shrugged. “Guess I was wrong.” The quality of her voice changed, grew cold and resigned. “I should’ve listened to Cal.”

“Does he know?” The breezed picked up. Beside him, Lia shivered, and he wrapped his arm around her to warm her. As soon as her body fused with his, a simmering glow coiled at his core, then uncurled long-reaching fingers through his limbs. That glow tempered him, kept him focused. “Does Cal know I’m your son? Is that why he’s so determined to have me join him?”

A beat of silence followed. “He thinks my child is dead, that I drowned him the minute I gave birth to him. He’s only after you because of the prophecy.”

“I keep hearing about this goddamn prophecy. Care to enlighten me?” Jace waited for his mother to explain, and she didn’t disappoint.

“Cal is versed in Enochian script, and that allows him to decipher messages from the angels.” Regan frowned at the clouds boiling in the distance. “About two hundred years ago, he got his hands on one of their predictions. Apparently, a really special Hybrid will one day join the Watchers and take down Athanatos.”

She released a long, laborious sigh. “Unfortunately, Athanatos had spies among us—Hybrids and Kleptopsychs often worked hand in hand back then—and he learned of the prophecy. Since then, he’s been determined to kill any newly turned Hybrid before he or she can join the Watchers. And Cal—”

“Cal has been determined to ensure every Hybrid swears his allegiance to him,” Jace finished.

“That’s the gist of it.”

Lia curled up against him, snuggled in his embrace as if in need of the support he offered. “Can you tell me how I figure in?”

Regan studied Lia’s luminescent face as twilight settled over them. “You’re the link to his lost soul. Jace draws his power from you. If Athanatos wants to eliminate the threat Jace poses to him, all he has to do is cut off his energy supply. The best way to do that is to steal your essence.”

Lia’s body stiffened. “My soul can’t be taken. The brute you just pitched into the Pacific proved it.”

“Rogues are fools, ruled by impulse.” Regan flung a disgusted look at the creatures’ watery grave. “Just because that idiot failed doesn’t mean Athanatos would. The guy’s an Ancient. He’s existed for over five millennia, and if he has his way he’ll exist for at least five more. Believe me when I tell you he’s got loads of time and patience. If anyone can separate you from your soul, it’s him.”

Jace tightened his hold on Lia. “That’s not going to happen. I’ll make sure of it. Even if I have to take the bastard out myself.”

His mother arched a skeptical brow. “Cal and the Watchers have been trying to do just that for centuries. What makes you think you can do it alone?”

Jace gave Regan the benefit of his most sarcastic grin. “I’m the chosen one, aren’t I?”

“You may be. Then again, you may not.” Regan’s face reclaimed its smooth-as-marble quality. “There’s only one way to find out.”

“And what’s that?”

“Let me help you hone your skills. Admit it, Jace. You need me. Especially if you plan to take on the likes of Athanatos.”

Lia’s body slackened beside him. He felt her cave in, read her next thought before she voiced it. “I think you should do it.”

“Listen to her,” Regan advised. “She’s a smart girl. Has my taste in clothes, after all.”

A blush spread to stain Lia’s cheeks. “Sorry. He refused to let me go home to change.”

“Don’t sweat it. The outfit looks great on you, but we’ll need to get you something a little more with the times.”

Jace struggled not to roll his eyes. “Can we hold off on the shopping spree until we’ve buried Athanatos?”

Regan laughed. “Do you know what Athanatos means? It’s Greek for immortal. Not sure if he was born with the name or if he adopted it over time, but it fits him to a tee.” She gave him a condescending pat on the back. “Trust me when I tell you we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Jace’s resolve finally crumbled. “When do we start?”

“Tomorrow at dawn.” Victory deepened Regan’s eyes to shimmering bronze.

“How do I find you?”

“You don’t.” With a final glorious flare, the sun dipped beneath the rippling surface of the sea, and the purple haze of dusk engulfed them. “I’ll find
you.
”

That night, while Lia slept, Jace crept into her room, settled himself in the burgundy velvet wing chair by her bed, and watched her. The need to be near her overpowered any notions he may have entertained about keeping his distance.

He’d nearly lost her today. The sight of that Rogue attempting to suck the life out of her was forever seared in his brain. As much as he tried, he couldn’t chase the image from his head. It gnawed at him, fed the darkness. The switchblade he’d used on the creature clattered softly as he placed it onto the nightstand. He didn’t want a reminder of the Rogue anywhere near Lia, but he had to keep the weapon close at hand, just in case.

She looked serene, her features slackened by sleep, her hair a wild tangle of gold around her beautiful face. He extended his arm, brushed the back of his hand over her cheek. The glow enveloping her flared at his touch. It made no sense. How could he be bad for her when his presence fueled the bright energy inside her? Right now every inch of her shimmered like a ray of pure light.

She nestled her face against his hand, sighed. The innocent act awakened the hunger again, but it also infused him with peace. The feeling was so foreign, he hardly recognized it. Something within him reached for it. Ignoring the voice of reason clamoring in his head, he crawled into bed beside her. He needed to hold her, to feel her next to him and know she was alive, safe and sound.

No thanks to him.

He’d left her alone and exposed, had allowed himself to get distracted. Because of that, the vultures had narrowed in on her and swooped down for the kill. How she’d managed to survive the attack baffled the mind. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was right. Could Lia truly be immune, unbreakable? If so, then he could kiss her, plunder her mouth, without fear of stealing the essence that sustained her. His body responded to the possibility. His skin hummed wherever they touched. Something thick and impossibly sweet gathered in a tight clasp beneath his ribs. He laced his fingers through her hair, reveled at the feel of those silky strands caressing his palm.

His life so far might not have amounted to much, but right there and then, he made a promise to himself—to her. He would keep her safe, no matter what he had to do, no matter what it cost him. No one would crush her light.

The first step was to hone his skills. Once he learned to control his newfound abilities, he’d be stronger, less likely to screw up. If in order to accomplish that he had to trust Regan—the woman who’d left him in the cruel hands of a broken man and never looked back—then so be it.

She came at dawn. The sun had barely risen when Jace sensed another presence in the room. Instantly on guard, he vaulted to his feet and grabbed the switchblade from the nightstand.

“Someone’s on edge.” Regan’s lips twitched at the corners. “Keep some of that fire. We can use it.”

“Do you always creep into people’s rooms when they’re asleep?”

She hitched a shoulder in a childlike shrug. “Habit. There isn’t much privacy where I live. The Watchers are one big happy family.” Jace could’ve sworn he caught a note of bitterness in her voice.

“Ready to get started?”

He shot a cursory glance at Lia, who still dozed in the king-sized bed. “I don’t want to wake her. After yesterday, she needs her rest. But I’m afraid to leave her alone.”

“She’s safe. Cal cloaked her. He cloaked both of you.”

“Cloaked?”

Regan took him by the arm, drew him out of the bedroom. “Some of us, like Marcus, can track a person’s signature, the energy they give out. Cal has the ability to mask that energy. That’s how we keep the Kleptopsychs from raiding our location. There are shields around our grounds, which keep our enemies from finding us.”

“I found you just fine last time.”

“Only because Cal wanted you to. He must’ve dropped the shields. Otherwise, we would’ve been virtually invisible to you.”