Nine Souls Read online

  He didn’t respond, looking troubled. But… if what Pandora said was true, other things began to make a lot more sense. I wasn’t sure why he had aged the way he had. Pan hadn’t known either. We were sure it had something to do with Fae, but time normally worked the other way around. Spend a night there in Fae, and a week could have gone by on earth. But… I had also found that there was exactly no reliable way to judge the flow of time between the two places.

  Unless… one used the Hourglass my parents had left me. As a child, I had spent over a decade there, almost two decades, and returned to find zero time had passed. Because of the Hourglass. But… this was fucking crazy.

  Another point against me was that Alex had been taken years ago in human time – at least according to the Syndicate member I had spoken to. So, he was either catching up to the age he would have been as a human or… Pandora was right. Or both.

  “Let’s say you’re not wrong. Why have you turned on the Aphrodite charm all of a sudden?”

  “He must be strong for what is to come. A mortal… kind of. No magic… kind of. There are many things my touch could unlock within this young man.” Her voice cranked up to eleven on the pornstar vibe. “If he cares to take a quick dip, of course.”

  “Stop! Both of you stop!” I said, sensing Alex taking a step towards the pool.

  They did, turning to look at me. I ignored Alex, knowing there would be no reasoning with him. He wasn’t in the right headspace. Heh.

  I rounded on Pandora. “Swear three things to me. That you will drop dead – forever dead – right this second if you have lied about anything in this twisted conversation. Promise that Alex is truly an adult, that anything you two do next will not harm him, and that this has nothing to do with your lust. I’m serious, Pandora. I’m all he has, and if I’m going to do at least one thing right as a stand-in father, it’s that I won’t let a monster eat him up, even if that monster promises joy.”

  She stared at me, and slowly nodded.

  Then she snapped her fingers, and the very air suddenly seemed to still all around us as she climbed out of the pool, the water dripping down her oh-so-scrumptious body. I glanced over at Alex to find him staring at the pool unblinking. I saw the throb of his pulse in his neck, but his eyes were locked onto the pool as if eating Pandora with his eyes. Except… Pandora wasn’t standing in the pool.

  Not a single muscle moved on his body. Not even a breath. Just the pulse.

  I turned to Pandora, alarmed. “He is fine. I didn’t think he needed to hear this next part. This is for you.”

  I frowned, opening my mouth to argue and my heart stopped as her body shimmered. She was suddenly taller, her body shifting, stretching, and rounding out in places. Her hair shifted from the thick brown to a white bob of straight hair, longer at the jaw than in the back. The curtains of the familiar white hair hung like blades, and those lips…

  I looked up, staring into those pale blue eyes with violet flecks. “Callie…” I breathed. Even knowing it was an illusion, I could hardly breathe.

  One side of her lips curled up in a smile and she gripped my hands in hers. Her skin was flushed from the heat of the pool, warm against my calloused fingertips. And… still wet. She slowly, deliciously, knelt before me. “If all I wanted was a wild ride for personal pleasure, I know the way to your heart,” she said in Callie’s voice.

  My heart thundered against my chest as I slowly nodded, careful to avoid openly staring at her naked body to make sure Pandora had made an accurate depiction. My peripheral vision betrayed me, soaking in all that wet, tight skin, and I realized I was panting heavily.

  Then another thought hit me. Pandora could read my mind. This illusion was probably drawn directly from my own mental catalogue of Callie – obviously not naked – but my assessment over the last few months had apparently been very… thorough.

  I blinked and it was suddenly Pandora again, but still in the same position. Utterly naked, kneeling at my feet and holding my hands. Alex grunted in surprise to suddenly see Pandora kneeling before me rather than the ultimate vision of a naked chick climbing out of a hot tub.

  “I swear that Alex is an adult. That this is not personal for me. That this will only arm him for what is to come, and that it will not bring him any lasting harm. In fact, his decision today will only lead to potential beneficial consequences down the road. For both of you.” She waited for me to process her statement. “But I won’t promise that I won’t enjoy every single second of it.” She glanced to Alex with a wink. “I’m sure he’ll enjoy it, too.”

  I grunted. “Lasting… what do you mean lasting harm?”

  She sighed. “You know that knowledge sometimes causes brief, initial pain. I’m not speaking permanent. Working out with weights hurts, but makes you stronger. To earn callouses requires blisters, first. Nothing lasting,” she enunciated, holding her arms out to either side, giving us a healthy dose of more boobage.

  I slowly nodded. She was right. Almost every time I had gotten stronger, learned something helpful, gained more power… I had tasted pain of some sort or another.

  “But he has a choice,” I repeated. She nodded soberly. “And better things happen to him if he says yes.” Her eyes twinkled darkly and I glared. “Better things happen long term.” I sighed. Her grin stretched even wider at the word long. “You know what I’m saying! He will be stronger, safer, better able to protect himself if he says yes.”

  She drew a cross over her… heart. “I swear it on my life. On anything you so choose, in fact.”

  I scratched my chin, not feeling at all comfortable with this. I finally turned to Alex. “Well, I may not be the best father figure, but I’d say I’m right up there,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

  He surprisingly had lost the dazed look, as if taking everything she had said to heart. Which was better than I could have done at his age. Whatever age that really was.

  “Then live long and prosper. Need a minute to consider your decisio—”

  “If I say yes, I will be strong enough to help Nate when he needs it?” he asked in a serious voice, staring straight into Pandora’s eyes.

  She nodded. “It is the only way you may help rather than hinder Nate in the future. I swear.”

  He swallowed. “Yes. I’ll… do…” he shifted uncomfortably. “Yes.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’ll wait in the main room. See you in thirty seconds—”

  “Goodbye, Nate. I’ll return him tomorrow. And don’t forget to pay the piper. The world depends on us paying our own debts.”

  And I was suddenly standing outside the door to the Armory. I glared at the giant wooden door of carved wildlife. The fish darted back and forth in the pond. The reeds shifted and swayed in an unseen breeze. And the wolf… I squinted in disbelief.

  He was dry-humping something in the bushes.

  I scowled at him for good measure and stomped away down the hall back to my office. “The fucking luck!” I bellowed, my voice reverberating off the walls. “All the crazy shit I’ve had to go through for a power boost, all the hard choices I’ve had to make, the consequences… But he gets to bang my librarian!”

  I pulled out my phone, glancing at the time, and let out a sigh. It was time for me to get ready to leave Chateau Falco. And I was actually eager to do so.

  My house got more ass than I did these days.

  The halls groaned, mocking my plight. “Can it, Falco. No one likes a braggart.”

  I stormed further down the hall towards my office as a new thought hit me. I spun, cupping my hands around my mouth. “I’m telling Achilles!”

  Of course, there was no response.

  Chapter 29

  I left the office in search of Carl and Talon. They had cell phones now, but it was kind of a one-way communication device with them. When Talon could manage to touch the screen with his paw rather than his fur, it worked fairly well, but with the pads of his paw being so much larger than a human fingertip, his responses were often utterly useless, althoug
h always hilarious.

  For example, he had just responded Poop, when I texted him to meet me in the Sanctorum. Staring at my keyboard and using a little brain power, I was pretty sure he meant to type OK. But he might have actually gotten that one right, so I typed back Hurry!

  Carl, on the other hand, was cold-blooded, had scales rather than warm flesh, and sported wicked claws. He had been useless with the touch-screen device and had given up on even carrying it after a few days. To solve this problem, I had gotten him a flip-phone that he could answer by simply opening it. Then, seeing the Reds decorating their new phone cases with sequins and glitter, Carl had insisted we have an arts and crafts night to bedazzle the shit out of his new flip-phone.

  He really was identical to a gullible pre-teen girl. From the mid-nineties.

  But he hadn’t answered when I called, so I was forced to scour the halls and scoop him up to make sure he was ready to leave.

  After ten minutes of fruitless search, I finally spotted Othello standing motionless outside of one of the living rooms. She was staring at something, face stricken. I slowed, frowning as I approached. Then, realizing she still hadn’t sensed me, I prepared to pinch her ass. But I heard murmured chanting coming from the room ahead of her and my curiosity overruled my need to annoy her. I stepped up behind her and whispered, “Hey,” as I glanced into the darkened room.

  There sat Carl on the couch not five feet away, his back to us as he stared down at his lap. “Grow, D, grow! I command thee!” he hissed urgently into his lap, again and again, like a mantra. It looked even worse as he began rubbing his hands together out of sight in front of him.

  Othello shot me a concerned look. “Jesus… What…”

  I sighed. “It was supposed to be a joke, but I didn’t think he would take it this far.”

  “Oh. So he’s not… doing what it looks like?”

  I shook my head. “He’s talking to a stick Alucard gave him. It’s a long story.”

  “Someone needs to tell him to stop. He’s creeping everyone out. Even more than normal.”

  I nodded. “Carl. CARL!” I repeated when it was obvious he hadn’t heard me.

  He stilled, then turned to look at us. “I think I almost had it. I almost felt something.” He saw Othello and flung out a claw excitedly. “You!”

  She took a step back reflexively, placing a hand over her chest in confusion. “Me?”

  “Do you know the secrets of the D?”

  Before she could respond, I placed a hand on her back, shoving her closer. “Othello is a master of the D.” She whirled, slapping my hand away and glaring at me. “Fine, she isn’t a master of the D,” I amended, smirking at her smugly.

  She opened her mouth to argue that before realizing that I had her trapped. Declaring she was a master of the D – a reference to her nighttime hobbies – would only cause Carl to kidnap her and demand answers. Admitting she wasn’t… I almost wanted to laugh. She scowled angrily instead, muttering dark promises under her breath. Carl finally cocked his head, flicking his black tongue out to test the air. “Did you need something?”

  I scrubbed my hand through my hair. “Yeah. It’s time for us to go. You ready?”

  He climbed to his feet, nodding as he tucked the stick into a pocket. “Of course.”

  Othello eyed the hallways warily, making sure we were alone as she walked with us. “Are you really doing this?” she whispered. I frowned at her, not liking her underlying tone.

  “The Fae isn’t so bad if you stick to the path—”

  “Don’t bullshit me, Nate. Death told me the truth.” She looked… well, frightened.

  I let out a long sigh, cursing the Horseman. Just because he was kind of dating her didn’t mean he needed to blab my secrets over pillow time. “It’s important.”

  She let out a frustrated breath. “It always is with you. Just… be careful, Nate. I don’t like the feel of the city lately. Lots of weird customers at the bookstore.” I arched an eyebrow at her and she threw her hands up. “I didn’t think they were that big of a deal until Death told me about your trip, and then the fight with Zeus, and just like a storm was rolling in, the bookstore is suddenly empty of customers. Everyone is battening down the hatches, and that usually means you’re about to do something incredibly stupid.”

  I scowled but she stared back defiantly. “Fine. I’ll be careful. I’m bringing Talon and Carl. They’ll make sure I’m safe.” A new thought hit me. “If you’re sticking around, can you make sure Alex is okay?”

  She nodded. “What about the Huntress?”

  “She’s… having a hard time with Alex’s changes.”

  She nodded knowingly. “Okay.” Then she grabbed my hand and pulled me in for a very tight hug, burying her face in my neck. “Be safe,” she demanded. I nodded, placing a hand on the back of her head and rubbing her hair with my thumb. Then she nipped my neck playfully. “I am a master of the D, and you know it!” she hissed. Then she pinched my ass, shoved me away, and was storming down the hall. “Goodbye!”

  Carl watched her curiously, nodding thoughtfully. “No, Carl. That is not how you usually say goodbye to someone.” He frowned, looking even more confused.

  With a sigh, I continued on. I barely saw the house as I walked, patting my satchel absentmindedly as we made our way to the Sanctorum. Since we were actually going to the Fae first, it was the most convenient point of entry, and I had found a way to make sure I landed where I intended now, rather than plopping down somewhere in the middle of nowhere – or perhaps in front of the Queens’ army or her prison.

  It now took me straight to the cave where I had been raised with Talon. But we had one more stop before going to Fae. Since I didn’t want anyone knowing about that either, I had decided to let everyone think we were going straight to Fae, now. They wouldn’t ever find out anyway.

  I had everything I could think of for my various destinations, and even a few things I wasn’t sure if I would need. But since my satchel could hold as much as I wanted – like my own pocket dimension – I had packed it with all sorts of potentially useful stuff. Extra weapons Talon and Carl had set out, food, Grimm Tech prototypes, clothes, and medical supplies. To find what I needed, I only had to think of what I wanted, reach my hand inside, and it would be the first thing I touched.

  Anyone else trying would be unable to do so, which was important. I had tested it out with Talon, hiding a Fae Catnip pod inside, as well as a bunch of trash. After the sixth piece of trash, he had finally upended the satchel and shook it out, shocked to find only more trash raining down from the satchel, even though he had seen me put the catnip inside. Apparently, I could allow certain things to fall out of the bag, but still hide back what I wanted. Or I could prevent anything from falling out. Darling and Dear made some pretty sweet stuff. I still needed to meet them in person, but it would have to wait. I’d visit Kansas City again soon. Hopefully.

  Talon had handed the pack back to me, letting me know with his murderous eyes that I better hand over the catnip. Wanting to keep breathing, I had reached inside and handed it over. He had grabbed it greedily and then flinched at the rustle of wings, then sprinted from the room as Hugin and Munin dove after him, cawing and screeching at him.

  I had everything I thought I would need and was ready to leave. Talon stood from the couch as we entered the Sanctorum, absently patting the armor he wore over his furred chest – which was new. Nothing extremely fancy, well, it didn’t look too elaborate. But it was a design based on the dragon scales I had once taken from one of Alaric Stone’s silver dragons. I had found a way to make a single scale duplicate into armor that covered the wearer. I had initially tried it with Ashley, and although it had worked, she had given it back as fast as possible, not appreciating having so much silver on her body. It was an easy tweak to modify it for Talon so that he now stood before me in a dull gray metallic armor that had the flexibility of a second set of skin – since it was made out of scales, a dragon’s skin.

  Carl had p
icked up his things from a side room and was now buckling his leather straps all over his body. White blades poked out from sheaths and holsters all over his chest, legs, arms, wrists, shoulder, back, and even a few around his ankles. Those blades were made from the bones of his fallen enemies, and although ancient looking, I knew they were razor sharp. He looked like a skeletal, scaled porcupine. He shook his neck and a horned fan sprang out around his neck like a lion’s mane.

  The two turned to me expectantly. They were both covered in scales, looking eerily uniform. I glanced down at my own leather jacket, plain tee and dark pants. No fancy armor for me, but I had plenty of weapons – both offensive and defensive – at my disposal. To be honest, I was more concerned about what kind of magic I would have access to once I got to Hell. Because whenever I went places, I seemed to adopt some of the powers of the place – and the consequences had been both a rush of power and horror at what I had been able to do.

  And I never learned of the cost, until later.

  Thinking of that, I frowned, recalling Pandora’s warning about paying the piper. But which piper was she talking about? Something in Fae? Here? My Horseman Mask? Something else?

  I shook my head and flung out my hand, ripping a hole in the air. Falco reverberated behind me, as if begging me not to leave, or maybe saying goodbye. “I’ll be back, Falco. Don’t worry.”

  Talon’s fur stuck straight out, realizing I was talking to the house. He knew about it, of course, everyone did, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept. Me having a conversation with either a house or an unseen celestial being hidden behind the walls. Either one was enough to make your sphincter slam shut like the vault at Fort Knox.

  A rainy hut appeared before us, and the smell of wet mud and vegetation drifted through the hazy opening. At the edge of the opening, white sparks and fire crackled and hissed, as if I had actually burned a hole through the fabric of reality. I shivered at that, recalling the Candy Skulls. If they were now consequences of Shadow Walking, what were the consequences of Gateways?