Her Soul to Take (Souls Trilogy) Read online

  How much of what Leon had told me was I supposed to believe? He claimed there were Gods, he claimed Kent Hadleigh was a magician leading some kind of human sacrifice cult. Magic, murder, and monsters – all this, hidden in quiet, charming Abelaum?

  The Abelaum of my childhood had felt like a fairy kingdom. But the Abelaum I’d returned to felt like the fairy kingdom had been taken over by Maleficent, filling it with thorns and darkness.

  I lay down on the couch, hugging a pillow for comfort. I doubted I would get much sleep, but my eyes were aching and my body felt heavy. I had to try to rest. Whatever nightmares I had couldn’t get any weirder than reality.

  I woke up late.

  I jolted up from the couch, my heart pounding as memories of the previous night returned. Leon, the monsters, Cheesecake, the grimoire — I rubbed a hand over my face, dreading that I had to try to make it through classes that day.

  I had to get a shower; my legs were sticky, my panties abandoned somewhere back in the cemetery. I realized how achingly sore I was as I washed. I had hickeys across my throat and shoulders, even my thighs. Then there were the scratches, the little cuts from his claws. They were tender under my fingers, but I couldn’t stop touching them. The memories of his cock throbbing inside me as he came got me so distracted that by the time I got out of the shower, there was no way I wasn’t going to be late to my first class.

  Luckily, Cheesecake seemed no worse off from his ordeal. He rubbed around my feet, mewling hungrily until I put some kibble in his bowl.

  “No crisis of reality for you, huh?” I said, pouring my coffee into a to-go mug. “No surprise to you at all that the woods are infested with monsters?”

  I finally took Leon’s advice that day and drove to campus. Finding and then paying for parking made me even later, and I got a glare and shake of the head from my professor when I crept into my first class. I set my laptop to record the lecture, because there was no way I was going to absorb any of the information. I was too distracted trying to wrap my mind around the fact that the woods were swarming with monsters, I’d been offered a bargain with a demon, and supposedly that old legend about the God in the mine was real.

  It wasn’t real, of course. Leon was obviously lying to try to scare me into giving him my soul. The Hadleighs weren’t some creepy cult family, there was no underground God. But the monsters were real, I couldn’t deny that. I had to figure out a way to deal with them.

  I’d brought my camera’s memory card with all the footage from St. Thaddeus. Instead of joining up with Inaya and Victoria for lunch, I grabbed a sandwich from the cafeteria and headed to the library. The murmur of students speaking in hushed voices, the soft sounds of turning pages and scratching pens eased a little of my anxiety. Libraries somehow always managed to feel safe.

  Long wooden tables were set up between the rows of bookshelves on the first floor, but I needed somewhere more private. The study rooms on the third floor would be perfect, so I took the elevator up. I found a space in a far corner, with some plush chairs and a table set up between two large windows looking out on the quad. I put on my headphones, waiting as my footage loaded in. I had several hours from the whole adventure, plenty for a two-part video series.

  No one would believe what I’d recorded. It would be entertaining, sure, and the ad revenue might be nice, but things had gotten a hell of a lot more serious. I wasn’t very interested in making the latest viral video anymore.

  I was going to upload the footage, but it would be a cry for help. Monsters were stalking me and my best defense was a baseball bat. Surely, someone out there knew more about this than I did. Maybe, if I could get this footage in front of enough eyes, someone would reach out.

  Watching it back, even having been there to witness it in person, I could hardly believe what I was seeing. The smoke around the summoning circle, the congealing blood — then everything cut off in static once Leon appeared. But I had the footage of him on my phone, which I could use to fill in the blanks. I’d have to try to get a recording of one of the monster, the Eld; if I set up some cameras on the porch, I could record them if they came in the yard again.

  I began to edit, lost in my music, until I noticed a subtle pressure on the back of my neck growing harder...then tighter…

  I whipped off my headphones, resisting the urge to leap up from my seat as I looked over my shoulder. Leon was there, leaning against the back of my chair, his head bobbing slightly to the beat of the music playing from his earbuds. It seemed way too casually human for a demon to be listening to music on Bluetooth, and he wasn’t even bothering to hide his monstrous looks. His sharp claws tapped on my chair, and his golden eyes met mine as he gave me a wicked grin.

  “Trying to make us go viral, doll? I’d advise against that.”

  I snapped my laptop shut. “Why? Scared of your secret getting out? Afraid the church will come after you?”

  He chuckled, tugging out an earbud and shoving it into the pocket of his gray sweatpants. Wearing those was just mean: his dick-print in them was obscene. He flopped down in the chair across from me, legs spread, his smile widening as I did my best to maintain direct eye contact.

  Don’t look down, Rae. Don’t you dare look at that thick hunk of meat that still has your pussy throbbing.

  He spread his legs just a little wider. “If the church came after me, they’d exorcise you first. But it’s not some overzealous priests you need to worry about. If you start making a fuss about me to the masses, Hell will come for you first.”

  I glared. Eye contact, maintain fucking eye contact. “I’m guessing a video of a demon going viral would piss off Hell’s PR department?”

  “Something like that.” He shrugged, wincing briefly at the movement. I suddenly remembered the blood on his arm last night.

  “You’re hurt.”

  He waved his hand at the words. “Don’t change the subject. You seem a little calmer today. You didn’t try to bash my head in on sight, so that’s a step in the right direction.” His claws stroked over his chin, just as I could imagine them stroking between my — “Have you reconsidered my deal?”

  “No,” I said flatly, folding my arms. “No deal.”

  “Aw, what’s the little doll so afraid of? You’re sitting here worried over a smart bargain when you should be worrying about the other monsters at your door.” He grinned. “If they consume you, it won’t be nearly as fun as our little games.”

  I gulped. His lips had parted slightly, and between his sharp teeth I could see his red forked tongue. The touch of it between my legs was seared into me, as if my clit could remember the slow strokes.

  I swear the damned demon could read my mind. “You’ll get a lot more of that if you take my deal,” he said, his voice low as he got up from his seat. He came at me slow, resting his hands on the arms of my chair, and leaned over me. “Tell me, Rae, what is it you’re afraid of? Do you think Hell is all fire and brimstone? Hell is like Earth: beautiful in some ways, dangerous in many, but I’d keep you safe. I take good care of my toys.”

  This asshole, insisting I was his toy. Luckily, he couldn’t see my toes curl in my shoes. “Why do you want my soul so badly anyway? What do you get out of it?”

  “Status,” he said. “Power, too, when the energy that makes you a physical being is bonded to me. And, of course, a new possession.” He winked. “We demons have a thing for possession, if you haven’t heard.”

  “Well, I’m not your possession,” I said sharply. “And I don’t want your deal. So fuck off.”

  A crack appeared in his cocky exterior: a flicker of irritation that jerked the corner of his mouth. His nails had sunk into the soft fabric of the chair I was sitting in. I smiled, and he narrowed his eyes even further.

  “Just how do you think you’re going to survive without my help?” he said.

  “I’ll figure something out.” I shrugged. My general outlook was that every problem had a solution. I just had to approach it from the right angle. There was always a
way. “The internet has plenty of resources. And I’m sure Kent Hadleigh would be glad to help.”

  That got to him, just like I knew it would. He growled, bringing his face even closer to mine. “Have you not heard a single thing I’ve told you? Kent is not your friend. The Hadleighs will gladly make you disappear the first chance they get.”

  “Yeah, yeah, the God in the mine, the cult…” I waved my hand. “If Kent is so evil, and you hate him so much, why didn’t you kill him? The grimoire called you the Killer, after all. Was that meant literally, or just to refer to you being a total buzzkill?”

  He scoffed, pushing away from the chair. I settled in a little more comfortably. I was playing with fire here, but it was admittedly thrilling to be pushing a demon’s buttons like this.

  “Kent is well-protected,” he said, pacing slowly around my chair. “The magical artifacts he’s collected are powerful, and he carries a trinket to protect him from demon kind. I gladly would have killed him long ago if I could have. I would have killed his grandfather, and ended the whole bloody family line.”

  “But you didn’t,” I said, resisting the urge to watch him as he disappeared behind the chair. Not being able to see him made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “Some killer you are.”

  “Oh, doll.” His voice was a purr, and suddenly his hand came over the back of my chair to wrap around my throat. His claws lay sharp against my skin, a shiver of fear going up my back. “I earned that name. Before the Hadleighs, there was not a single magician who summoned me that I didn’t slaughter. Killing those who would bind me against my will is my single greatest joy. A demon can’t just kill indiscriminately, but if we have the opportunity, killing those who would enslave us is a right, if not a duty.”

  His hand tightened, pressing my head back so I was forced to look up at him. He was leaning over the back of the chair, watching me curiously, like a cat that had caught a particularly interesting mouse.

  “I couldn’t kill Kent,” he murmured. “And I didn’t kill you.”

  “Why?” My voice was squeakier than I’d hoped, but I couldn’t really be blamed when there was a demonic claw pressing into my throat.

  He frowned. “I don’t know. Perhaps I should reconsider my decision.” Another squeeze, and the breath I tried to take was stifled. I gripped the chair cushion beneath me, watching as his irises swelled with pleasure at my squirming.

  “What a funny fear response you have, doll. When I frighten you, I can smell your arousal. I wonder why that is?” He let go, disappearing for a moment only to pop up at the side of my chair. I tried to snatch my hand away, but I wasn’t fast enough. He seized my wrist, and then the other, and held them pinned. “Could it be that you find the stimulation of fear to be pleasurable? I already know you enjoy pain.”

  He pulled my wrists toward him, pausing for a moment when a whimper escaped me. Slowly, he brought my hands to his lips, and kissed the back of my fingers one by one. His touch was mesmerizing, his hands so warm around my wrists and his lips so soft. He took my fingertip in his mouth, closed his lips around it, and I felt the two forked sides of his tongue wrap around my skin. My breath caught, and he smiled as he pulled my finger from his mouth.

  “You can’t hide it from me.” He leaned over the arm of the chair, pinning me there again. I had no way to escape — and I didn’t want one either. “Increased perspiration, rapid heart rate, that sweet scent of your pussy already slick for me…” He ran his tongue over his teeth, and I almost melted into the chair. “If I told you to bend over right here, in the middle of the library, and stay quiet while I finger that dripping cunt until you come, you’d do it.”

  I couldn’t even come up with a retort. He was right. He was right, and God, I wished he would.

  “Or maybe, I shouldn’t be rewarding you for being so goddamn argumentative.” His tone darkened. “Maybe I should put you over that table and spank your ass until it’s a nice, bright, cherry red. Maybe I should make you hold your own panties in your mouth while I do, to keep you quiet. Maybe…” He was so close, his lips brushed my ear, his voice a whisper that slithered into my head and wrapped around my brain. “I should make you spread your legs while I spank you, so I can see just how wet you get every time I leave another mark on your skin.”

  I could hardly breathe. I was a goddamn waterfall at that point. He’d released my wrists and I’d hardly even noticed. Our eyes met, his gaze an inferno. “Spread your legs, doll. I know you want to.”

  I obeyed without a second of hesitation. My nerves were tingling with the anticipation of his touch. I was shaking, I wanted it so bad. My brain had gone completely lust-drunk: no thoughts, just need.

  His eyes flickered down to my spread legs, then back up to my face. He was shaking his head. “Oh, Rae. Poor pathetic little human. Are you going to beg me?”

  “Please…” God, I did sound pathetic. I didn’t care. He’d wound me up like a little clockwork doll, and I couldn’t stop. “Leon, please.”

  He laughed, and pushed away from the chair. It was as if he snatched the air from my lungs at the same time, a cold slap in the face as he put distance between us. “It really is too bad for you that I enjoy seeing you suffer. But frankly, thinking of you having to get through your next class with your panties soaked and your pussy still begging to be filled just gives me the warm fuzzies.” He smiled happily, and turned away with a little wave of his fingers. “Au revoir, petit jouet. I’m sure you’ll suffer beautifully for me.”

  He left me like that, hot and shaking in my chair. God, I hated him. I hated him.

  Deal or no deal, I knew he wasn’t done with me yet.

  It was nothing short of torture to get through the rest of the day. I already hadn’t been in the headspace to concentrate, but Leon had shattered my brain into pieces and I likely looked like a zombie through my next two classes. I kept expecting him to pop up again and make good on those filthy threats, but when I left campus and he still hadn’t made an appearance, I had to accept that he’d meant it.

  He wanted me to suffer. He was probably watching me from somewhere, laughing and jacking off like the absolute pervy dick that he was. He’d even managed to stop me from getting my video ready to be uploaded, which was probably his plan all along.

  But his dirty-talk distraction wasn’t going to convince me to go along with his little bargain.

  Pulling up in front of my house in the dark brought a sobering dose of reality. I parked close to the porch, but I still sat there for a minute, the engine turned off, staring into the shadows under the trees. My porch light had popped on from the movement of my car, but the light didn’t go far. If a monster was lurking in those trees, waiting, I had no way of knowing.

  I exited the car and pressed the door closed as softly as I could. My body said run, my brain said no sudden moves. My keys jangled as I pulled them out at the door, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. The night air was cold. In the corner of my eye, the darkness pressed close as the trees slowly creaked.

  I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I was inside. I locked the deadbolt, staring out through the glass door at the yard as Cheesecake mewled hungrily around my feet. Never in my life had I been scared of the dark, but now the thought of what could hide within it almost made me feel sick. At least tonight, as I slowly scanned the yard, nothing was there.

  Until my eyes reached the porch, and there, just off the side, beneath the railing, a skeletal canine head with a gaping mouth stared back at me.

  I flung the curtain closed so fast that Cheesecake sprinted away in alarm. I backed away from the door, hands pressed over my mouth to hold back the scream that desperately wanted to come out. The porch creaked, and there came the slow scratch of claws on the wood.

  The morbid stench of rot seeped into the house. It was sniffing at the door, its breathing rough. I was backed into the living room, torn between running into the kitchen for a knife or barricading myself in the bathroom.

  I’d seen one of th
ose things fight. If it wanted to break through the glass, it could do it easily.

  A sharp cry, like a fox screaming, made me jump and nearly trip backward onto the couch. It was so loud, but somewhat muffled, as if its mouth was pressed right up against the door. Softer, as if it was distant, a longer cry answered.

  Then another.

  And another…

  Until it was a cacophony of howling screams in the night.

  My limbs were locked up with fear. It was calling the others. It knew I was in here. They all knew.

  I had to call the cops. I had to get a weapon. I had to —

  There was a hoarse growl, a bang and rapid shuffling. Then...silence. Utter silence.

  A minute passed, and then came the slow thump, thump, thump of footsteps across the deck. They creaked on the top step, then came the crunch of dirt.

  The footsteps were gone. The night was silent. After another minute, I heard the crickets begin to chirp again.

  Leon had been watching after all.

  I slept horrible that night. I used up the rest of my cinnamon and rosemary, leaving it to smolder in a bowl just inside the door because I was too terrified to unlock it. At least it made the house smell good. In the morning, I chugged down two ibuprofens with my coffee and got to work, editing my footage. Leon had arrived just in time the night before, but I couldn’t depend on a demon to keep saving me. I had to get this evidence out to people who could help me, and fast.

  I got a text from Victoria just after my second cup of coffee, inviting me over for a study session. I had homework due on Monday, but I honestly couldn’t find it in me to care. I’d probably end up doing everything Sunday night in a frantic attempt to finish on time. I turned her down, and almost immediately got another text, this time from a number I hadn’t saved.

  I know you turned down V, but maybe you’ll study with me instead? ;)