Soul Conquered (13 page)

So this is Lucifer’s torturous punishment for my
failure to comply: letting me become a serial killer’s first victim. Letting me
go through the pain and horror of being murdered in the most gruesome way
possible and knowing that, even though I can’t die from it, I will have started
this monster off on a rampage.

“Or maybe I should do it a different way?” he asks
from above. The pressure on my eye lifts, and I’m left breathing hard, but
still intact. For the moment.

“I wonder how long it will take to blind you with a
flame held close to your eye? Or better yet, how long you have to stare at the
sun before it happens. So many possibilities, how to decide? I suppose it can
wait until the end while I mull it over. We have a long night ahead of us,
Scarlet.”

Keira

It’s time for the parade.

I straighten Noah’s tie, fussing with his collar for
the millionth time. This feels so JFK. I wasn’t there for that one, but I’m
pretty sure Lucifer had something to do with it. Lucifer has
everything
to
do with this one—Noah wouldn’t have chosen this way of gaining power, I
just know it. It makes me nervous, but what can I do? If I somehow convince him
not to go through with it, Lucifer would be pissed off.

“You ready?” I ask, staring at the burgundy tie and
its perfect square knot.

“It’s not that big of a deal, babe. I told you. Just
relax. You don’t even have to come.”

“Don’t be silly.” I laugh, slapping his shoulder
playfully. “If I don’t go, you’ll be too distracted, picturing me all hot and
sweaty and alone. I could never be responsible for stealing your focus on such
an important occasion.” I wink.

“Attagirl, Keira,” Lucifer says from behind. I clutch
Noah’s tie, nearly ruining it again.

Noah pries my hands off and holds them tenderly,
stroking my knuckles.

“Let’s get this over with.” Noah leads me to his
bedroom door and throws it open to find his parents on the other side.

My jaw drops. But when I glance around, I see that
neither the throne room nor Lucifer are around.

Still, I am a girl. In Noah’s room.

Everyone looks everywhere but at each other. Noah
clutches my hand even tighter. “We were just leaving,” he says finally and
pushes between them.

“Actually, we have a lunch date,” his mother says.
“But your, uh, friend, is welcome to join us. Of course.”

“Since when do I join you on dates?” Noah asks. He’s
squeezing so hard, my hand would break if I were a human girl. “If I was
invited, you certainly forgot to let me know. So I already have plans.”

“Hi.” Noah’s mother holds out a hand to me. We all
stare at it.

Finally, I take it and let her shake mine. “I’m
Keira,” I say.

“Keira. Nice to meet you,” his mother says. “I’m glad
to see Noah getting out with someone so lovely. It makes me feel a lot better
about his mental state.”

“Mom!”

“Well, surely Keira knows about our family tragedy?”
his mom asks, voice breaking. She plays with the button at her collar.

“I do,” I say. “And we’d love to join you, Mrs.
Howard, but the truth is, Noah promised me he’d come to the parade and meet my
family today. You understand? My father is the governor’s campaign manager.”

Lying comes so easily to me, it’s almost a crime.

“Oh. Oh, of course. But, maybe we’ll come, too. That
sounds like a fun family activity.”

Noah and I exchange glances.

“No, Mom. I don’t want you there. Okay?”

I could glamour them, but it seems like Noah’s got
this. He could do it himself if he wanted to.

“Oh.” Mrs. Howard’s big brown eyes glisten with
moisture, and the button she’s been playing with nearly pops off.

“I suppose you don’t want Keira’s family to meet you
and
the folks all in one day, huh, son?” his dad cuts in, stroking his wife’s back.
I’m surprised and impressed that his dad was able to save the situation like
that, and did it in a way that allows Noah to be with me. That doesn’t seem
like the MIA dad Noah’s mentioned.

“See you later then,” I chirp. “Thank you for
understanding.”

I yank Noah out of there, afraid he’ll start a
screaming match when he needs to stay focused. I’m going to have to do
something about those two if I want Noah to concentrate.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he says, a dark shadow
on his face.

“You wanted out of there, and I made it happen faster
than if you’d started fighting. You can thank me later.”

Noah half grins and squeezes my hand in a sweeter way,
but he still looks like he’s carrying the weight of the world. Maybe he is.

We grab a strategic spot; close enough to the bushes
where Emily will be hiding that Noah can grab her while still keeping a good
sightline of what’s happening in the parade. I brought little American flags to
wave around, trying to help us blend in with the crowd, but maybe my foul mood’s
rubbed off on Noah, because he waves me off when I try to hand him one.

“Quit the moping or someone will get suspicious. This
is supposed to be a happy time. Got it?” Lucifer appears between us, prying our
hands apart so he can have Noah’s full attention.

“Where’s Grace?” Noah asks Lucifer, watching the road
where a kid toddles through the makeshift barrier on the opposite side of the
street, his mother trying frantically to haul him out of the way.

It’s an odd question. Noah’s not usually concerned
with Grace’s whereabouts, and with all that’s about to go on, I have to wonder
where his head is at.

“She’s doing her job. I expect you to do yours.”

“I will do what I want, when I want. I am not one of
your toys, Lucifer. I am your equal, and you need to start owning up to that.”
Noah’s voice is quiet but dangerous. My eyes grow big, and I freeze like a deer
caught in the crosshairs, unsure what to do.

But Lucifer just laughs and slaps him on the back.
“Get it together. Are you up for this or not?”

“Oh, I’m up for it all right. Because it helps my own
plans come to fruition.” Noah grabs my hand again and tugs me to his side where
I stand awkwardly, still unsure of what to do.

“We can discuss this later. This is not the right time
or place.” Lucifer’s smile has faded, and his expression carries a threat.

“Who’s Corbin Treymark?” Noah asks.

I’ve never heard that name before, but Lucifer’s smile
returns and spreads like fire across his face. Laugh lines even appear at the
corners of his eyes. “No one. Yet. But when your sister is done—or should
I say when he’s done with your sister?—he’ll be the most heinous serial
killer of all time.”

Every muscle in Noah’s body tenses to the point I
think his veins may burst. His nostrils flare like a bull ready for a fight. If
he were a Demon, his eyes would be glowing red. Lucifer pushed his button, but
he’d been asking for it. What worries me is that he’s asking for a lot more,
and I’m afraid he’s going to get it.

I put a hand carefully on his shoulder and rub. I want
to scream at him that Lucifer’s doing this to make him unbalanced and that he
shouldn’t react, but I can’t. Lucifer can’t hear me help Noah at his expense.
It would be back to the Pit, and I’d never see Noah again.

Lucifer leans in to me like he’s going to kiss my
cheek and whispers in my ear. “Dump him. Now. Before the assassination. Make it
good.”

He winks, slaps us both on the backs, and disappears
into the crowd.

“You need to go help Grace,” Noah says when I lean in
close. Tears burn my eyes. He’s not exactly thinking clearly right now. Will he
understand I’m doing this because Lucifer told me to?

Does it matter? Either way, it’ll fuel his anger, and
nothing good can come of it. What if it throws him so off balance that he
screws up the assassination? What if he gets hurt or arrested? Lucifer will
have to fix it, right? For his own plans to succeed, he’ll have to. But the
thought doesn’t convince me.

How do I do this? How do I convince Lucifer without hurting
Noah?

“I’m not here to help Grace. Whatever she’s gotten
herself into, she’s done to herself. She can’t die anyway. And since when do
you care what happens to her?” I get that unsettling queasy feeling again—the
guilt
—but I push it down and away. Grace probably does need help,
but there’s nothing I can do for her right now.

“That was an order.” Noah’s words are sharp, and they cut like
knives.

“Lucifer will have a fit!” I protest. I can’t believe
he just barked an order at me. Like I’m his…his
minion
.

“I don’t care what that son of a bitch thinks. Grace
has had enough.”

“I see. So you do care about little Gracie.” I fold my
arms. The words come easily, but there’s more of that sickening guilt hurting
my stomach. “Poor, sweet, little, helpless Grace. Keira can just go get
murdered as long as Grace is spared a bit of discomfort.”

“Keira!”

“You know what you are?” I ask, letting myself cry.
The last thing I want to do is hurt Noah, but if I disobey Lucifer, he’ll never
let me see him again. Whatever I say now is fixable. An eternity in the Pit
isn’t. “You’re just a little human. You want to be more than you are because
you want to live up to your sister’s legacy. But you aren’t cut out for it.
You’re boring. In fact, I’m done with you. I’m sick of the whole Grace thing,
and I’m out.” Each word is like a bullet in my own heart because I know exactly
how much they hurt him.

Noah catches my arm and spins me back toward him,
nearly pulling me off my feet. He leans over and whispers in my ear much like
Lucifer did.

“You will do what I say because I am your master, too,
and I order it.”

My eyes close automatically to keep all the humans
around from seeing my nature. Pain sears through my brain along with my anger.
He is my master, whether I want to admit it or not. I thought he’d never do
this, though. I believed he loved me enough not to. I’m such a fool.

“Or what?” I hiss, pulling away from his grip. “You’ll
send me to the Pit? Set me on fire? Make me relive my death?” I spit each
possibility at him. I’ve shared all these experiences with him in the false
safety of his arms. Will he use them against me now?

I chance a glance at his face. He’s gone white but
trembles with barely controlled anger. Suddenly, I’m terrified of what he’s
going to say and sure I don’t want the answer. I can’t bear to have him
threaten me with his power. I can’t bear to see him turn into Lucifer. “Never
mind,” I whisper in a cracked voice. “I’ll do what you ask. Your wish is my
command.”

I make myself invisible with a flourish of my hands
and black smoke, not caring who may be looking. I stay where I am a minute
longer, watching. Noah’s muscles twitch. His eyes dart toward the bushes where
Emily’s just slid into place, her violin case masking the gun she’s planning on
using. She’s dressed like one of the many band members in the parade.

Then I see it. He’s focusing his rage on her—like
I taught him. He’s putting it on a “safe” target. Only she isn’t safe. She’s an
innocent girl who has nothing to do with any of this.

Oh. My. Hell. Did I just worry about corrupting an
innocent? No way. Still, I hate this. I hate this whole situation. Why does he
have to be the damn Antichrist? I don’t care what he’s done—I still love
him. It was my own fault for hurting him. He lashed out; it was the human thing
to do. Hasn’t he already offered to make me his queen? All I want is to throw
myself back into his arms and say I’m sorry, but I can’t. Lucifer would never
allow it.

There has to be something I can do. And I realize:
there is. Lucifer is distracted now; he won’t be watching me at such a crucial
moment as long as I’ve apparently done his bidding.

I’m going to save you, Noah
, I
silently promise. Or at least get someone who can.

Josh

My first priority is Grace.
Maybe seeing her will calm me down a little. So I grab a soda and check on her via
the magic view screen in my room.

What I find makes my blood boil. The can I’m holding explodes,
sending fizzy cola all over the room. I don’t remember crushing it. All I can
see is Grace’s terrified face as the soon-to-be-dead man looms over her with a
knife.

Tommy Two barks to get my attention, and I shake
myself. “Right, boy. I’m overreacting. She’s a Demon. She can take him out in a
second. But…”

My eyes are like magnets drawn to the image of Grace
struggling. My mind flashes back to the night I stood frozen and helpless in
the snow outside, watching through a window as Cam prepared to torture her. Why
is she going through this again?

Lucifer.

Of course it’s Lucifer. He’s trying to lure me down
there.

And it’s going to work.

“Gotta go, boy. Don’t worry. I’ve done this before and
walked right through the fires of Hell, so don’t worry about me.” Worry about
that bastard.

The warm glow of Heaven surrounds me as I transport
myself down directly to the hotel. I don’t trust Lucifer. All I know is I can’t
stand to see Grace reliving her worst nightmare—
our
worst
nightmare.

I’m about to burst through the door when Keira appears
in my path.

“Get out of the way, or I’ll take you down, too.”

“Wait. Josh! I knew you’d come straight here to save
Grace, but you have to help Noah! Lucifer—he just made me break up with
him, and…and he just had a thing with his parents and, well, he glamoured a
girl—an old friend of Grace, I think—to kill the governor. It’s
starting, okay? He’s going to stop her. He’s going to kill her when she kills
the governor. Josh, you have to stop it.”

Is this a trick? I’ve never seen Keira look this
earnest, but she is a good actress. Either way, I have to save Grace. She’s my
priority. I can’t even touch Noah, anyway.

“Out of the way.” I push forward, and Keira dodges
aside but grabs my arm, tugging me back with all her Demon strength.

I glance back over my shoulder, annoyed. Then we both
look down at her hands—her bare hands on my arm. Nothing’s happening. She
isn’t burning.

She smiles. “You believe me. Then go!”

“No. It doesn’t matter if you’re telling the truth. I
can’t touch him, and Grace is in there with a psychopath!”

“So don’t touch him then! Touch other people. Just do
something! Grace would want you to save Noah.
She
can’t actually die,
you know.” Keira’s let go and regained some of her old self-confidence.

I squeeze my eyes shut. Damn it. She’s right, of
course. But I can’t leave Grace with this madman—she may not be able to
die again, but she can still feel pain. “If I try to save this girl from Noah,
then you have to save Grace.”

“Me? I can’t. Lucifer will have my hide. I was just in
the Pit for an hour, and I can’t go back.” She’s panicking, eyes darting around
as she backs into the wall.

“Enough of this.” I throw out my hand, and the door of
the hotel room goes flying inward.

Keira jumps but cowers in the corner as I stride
inside.

They’re gone.

“Where’d they go?” I ask, searching the room. Pictures
of Grace are all over, most with the eyes burned or cut out. I pick one up and
bile rises into my throat. The magic should have brought me to the right place.

“They have to be close by,” Keira says from the
doorway. “I’ll do it, okay? But you have to go. Now!”

I crush the picture in my hand. “Fine. I’ll go. For
Grace. But I swear, Keira, if you fail, I will hunt you down and turn you into
a burnt pile of—”

“Okay. I get it. Just go.”

I focus the light around myself and reappear back in
Washington. Loud music and cheers make me throw my hands up over my ears.
Apparently there’s a parade. How am I supposed to find Noah in this? It better
not be some trick, or I really will skin that Demon. I pick up my pace,
glancing over shoulders and between arms for some sign of him.

The latest band finishes their number, and raucous
applause rises from the crowd as the group moves forward. The announcer’s
semi-garbled voice rings from all around along with the squeal of feedback.

“
Weren’t they amazing? That was Bothell High’s
Marching Band, folks. And now we have the dignitaries. Riding in classic cars
from the Auto-Restoration Project of Seattle are the mayors of Seattle and
Bothell, as well as the governor and his wife! Give it up for our fearless
leaders!”

The crowd roars, and I scan faster until I see her
spring from the bushes. It’s a girl with a long brown ponytail wearing the
uniform of the Bothell High Marching Band. But unlike the other band members,
this girl wears a blank expression and carries a shotgun.

“Stop!” I scream, rushing forward, practically tossing
people aside. Keira wasn’t kidding. I have to stop her.

But she’s too far away, and she’s already taking aim.
How can no one notice?

“Shooter!” I’m moving at top speed, but I’m not going
to make it. I watch as she releases the safety. My mind races, trying to find
the magic word that will make someone look around.

Then I see Noah. He’s watching her—just
watching. Letting her do this. Ruining her life.

“Noah!” I shout, and he glances over at me as the shot
rings out. The crowd screams and bursts into chaos, people running in every
direction. “Stop her!” I scream. He looks back over at the girl, who’s about to
take a second shot, and runs for her.

He tackles her to the ground just as I arrive.

“The governor’s shot!” Someone yells from the crowd.
More screams ensue. Noah stares up at me, shock in his eyes. Eyes that are so
much like Grace’s that I cringe.

“Call 9-1-1,” he says, calmly prying the weapon from
her grasp. “I’ll hold her here.”

He doesn’t know me. He has no idea who or what I am.
“That won’t be necessary.” I crouch down beside the girl and catch her eyes.
“You won’t remember this. You saw Noah shoot.”

“Excuse me?” Noah asks, rising to his full height.

I rise to meet him, nearly as tall. There’s nothing
I’d like more than for him to pick a fight with me. He may be the Antichrist,
but he’s still just a human, and I have Angel strength. Then I remember. I
can’t touch him. It could mean the end of me if I try.

Yet…

He’s the reason Grace is in Hell.

He’s the reason we’re not together.

“It was your plan, right?” I challenge, unable to hold
back. “To kill the governor and frame an innocent girl?”

Noah’s eyes dart around, measuring the crowd. No one’s
pinpointed the location of the shooter—yet. Maybe he’s looking for
Lucifer to help him out. Seems like he’s abandoned his boy in need. Maybe I’ll
actually put a stop to this.

“You can make this a lot easier by staying here and
confessing. There’s a witness.” I gesture toward the poor confused girl in the
grass.

Noah laughs, relaxing back on his heels like I’ve just
told him a funny joke. Anger pours through my body, making me clench my fists.
I itch to release some of my frustration on this prick.

“You think that’s funny?” I ask.

“Well, yeah. I mean, what are you? Let me guess!
You’re an Angel, right? Because if you were a Demon, you’d be cowering right
now.” He pokes me in the chest and, though I don’t burst into flames, possibly
because of my clothes, I find that he’s strong enough to unbalance me slightly.

“That’s right. I’m here because of Grace. You can
thank her if you live, because if I had my way, I’d officially be sending you
down to Lucifer.”

“Give it your best shot. But remember, you can’t touch
me. Heaven can’t touch Lucifer’s hand on Earth, and that’s me, bro.”

My eyes narrow. I wish I could shoot laser beams at
him like Superman. I’d punch him right now, but his words stop me. That
is
what the prophecy said, and he obviously knows about it. But is it true?

Either way, the authorities should be here soon, and I
am not letting him leave before they arrive.

“I’m not your average Angel,” I say, folding my arms
across my chest and flexing the muscles I worked so hard to keep up in life.

“Her prints are on the weapon, you know.” Noah squats
down by the girl.

“Get away from her,” I say, squatting also. “I’ll just
glamour the cops. No problem. I’ll come back and glamour every fucking person
in the courtroom if I have to. You’re getting locked up.”

“There’s no prison that can hold me,” Noah says, voice
low, but I hear him loud and clear. His cold tone reminds me a bit of Cam
toward the end. The cocky Cam that I helped create. As I think of him, my rage
builds.

“You think when Lucifer finds out you tried to stop me—which
will never stick, by the way—he won’t take out his anger on Grace?” he
asks. I’d believe Noah was concerned about his sister, but the worry in his
eyes has to be for himself. I know better, and that was a threat. Against
Grace.

A cold shiver works its way down my body, cementing me
to the ground. I swallow. “I’m trying to save you for her, you know. I don’t
give a shit about what happens to you. I’d as soon as kill you right now. But
she loves your worthless ass so much that she was willing to go to Hell for
you. She sacrificed the rest of her eternity for
you
.
Do you get that
?”

Over Noah’s shoulder, I see the police finally
approaching. This is almost over. I’m sending him to jail. Even if it isn’t
permanent, it will at least send Lucifer the message that all of Heaven isn’t
going to sit back and let him win.

Grace would want that.

“I never asked her to. I’m perfectly happy with my
life now. And I’m not going to jail.”

“I beg to differ.” I force a laugh this time.

Noah leans over the girl and whispers, “Confess to the
police.”

“No!” I shout, leaning in to catch her eye as well.
“Noah is the attacker. He’s the one who killed the governor.”

Noah glares at me, but the girl comes to life at my
words. She instantly throws her hands at Noah’s throat, and he falls back on
the grass with the gun, wrestling with her. I reach for her shoulders to pry
her off and away from him, but a gunshot rings out from beneath her, deafening
and final, and she collapses on top of Noah.

He rolls to the side, letting her body slip off onto
the grass, blood spreading out like an unstoppable ripple in a stream from her
abdomen. She coughs and blood trickles from her mouth.

I drop to her side. It’s not too late. I rest my hands
on her stomach, willing her to heal, but someone drags me off of her. Someone
strong enough to manage it.

The police have reached us now. They cover the scene
and the girl like an army of ants. I pry myself from Noah’s grip and turn on
him. I’ve only felt this kind of anger once before. When I thought Cam had
murdered Grace.

I’ll say this much: the kid is a good actor. His face
is white, like he’s actually going to be sick.

“You killed her.” My voice sounds like gravel.

“Yeah. Thanks to you. You gave me no other choice. Why
would you do that?” His anger breaks through the mask and his face contorts
with rage. He shoves me again, and it takes me three steps to regain my
footing.

“Hey! What happened here?” Someone’s finally reached
us.

“I caught her just as she shot,” Noah says, like he’s
truly distraught. I gape at the way he can turn it on and off so easily. “She
tried to attack me and I… I just wanted to get her off me, but she had the gun,
and I turned it and… It just went off.” Noah breaks into tears.

He glances up with glassy eyes and adds in a flat
voice, “You believe me and will let me leave the scene. Wrap the case. She was
the shooter. Noah Howard—that’s me—was the local hero who tried to
save the governor’s life.”

“No.” I grab the officer’s shoulder and spin him
toward me.

Noah tackles me full force and runs as I hit the
ground. He runs faster than I’ve ever seen a human move. Still, no one seems to
notice.

I take off after him. After a couple minutes, we finally
stop at Main Street, not far from where I struck Grace and killed us both. It
was Ms. Alvarez that did it, I know that. But I also know I was out-of-control
drunk and could have easily done it myself.

“Remembering something?” Noah asks in my ear. “It’s
your fault my sister died in the first place. You’re the one Keira told me about,
aren’t you? You killed Grace, and you killed Emily just now. Her best friend.
You’re the murderer.”

I may be ended if I touch him, but I no longer have a
choice. My body takes control, and I hurtle my fist into his face. Instead of
being killed, shocked, or blocked when our skin meets, I’m met with a
satisfying
crack
that sends him flying backward into the street, where
he skids to a stop, ripping up the asphalt as he goes.