Soul to Shepherd

by Linda Lamberson

  “I’d love to.” I smiled and sat beside Quinn.

  “The cat’s out of the bag.” He smiled at me as he held up the ring for me to see before slipping it on my finger. I held my breath, biting my lip in anticipation as I waited for her to say something.

  “Among other things,” she began, eyeing her mother’s ring on my hand before looking up at me, “Quinny tells me you two are leaving tonight, and I feel as though I’ve barely gotten to know you.”

  “Well, hopefully, I can help fill in a few gaps. What would you like to know?” I asked with a smile, vowing to be as honest with her as possible without revealing my secrets.

  14. blood for blood

  Quinn packed up the Defender. Tommy, Sam and Mary had left already, so we said our goodbyes to Quinn’s parents and Doug.

  “It was great to meet you, Evie,” Maggie said, embracing me. “And welcome to the family,” she whispered in my ear, winking at me. She knew our “news,” but the rest of the family was still in the dark about our engagement. In fact, I’d slipped the ring back off and put it in my pocket after our conversation. Quinn said he would tell everyone when he returned.

  “Thank you,” I replied just as quietly, beaming. “It was great to finally meet you,” I continued a little more loudly. “I hope to see you again soon. And thank you again for letting me stay here. You have an amazing home.”

  “Our pleasure,” Quinn’s father said as he wrapped me up in a bear hug. “Great to meet you. A word of advice—don’t let this one get his way all the time.” He winked at me as he nudged Quinn in his side.

  “I’ll try my best not to,” I said, still smiling. “And thank you for sharing your pictures with me. You traveled to some beautiful places.”

  “Don’t be a stranger,” Doug said, hugging me as well. “And take care of my little brother.”

  “I will.” I chuckled a little and glanced at Quinn out of the corner of my eye. “Oh, here.” I handed him a four-leaf clover I’d found late last night while patrolling the grounds. “For good luck on the bar exam—not that you’ll need it, of course.” I smiled.

  Knowing I never put a lot of stock in luck, Quinn smiled at me with a mix of amusement and surprise.

  “Hey, it never hurts to have a little luck of the Irish on your side,” their father remarked.

  “Thanks.” Doug smiled at me. “Now if only I could find a leprechaun. Then I’d be set for life, and I’d never even have to take the bar exam—or work another day in my life.”

  “Great attitude.” Their father’s voice was dripping in sarcasm. “You have yet to officially even join the workforce and you already want to quit?”

  “Not quit, Dad. Retire.”

  “Son, you’re too young and inexperienced to have such a blasé attitude about your future,” their dad said sternly.

  “Okay, I can see the fun is over,” Quinn interjected. “It’s definitely time for Evie and me to be heading out. I don’t want her to see our family’s real stripes just yet.” Quinn made his rounds of goodbyes. We hopped into the truck and took off. About a mile from his house, I reached into my pocket, pulled out the ring and slipped it back onto the finger of my left hand.

  “Well, there’s certainly no point hiding it now,” he noted. We looked at each other for a moment and then cracked up laughing.

  “I’m really sorry about that,” I offered apologetically. “I didn’t realize your mom was going to do your laundry.”

  “Well, that was one way for her to find out about us—not the easiest way, but definitely effective.” Quinn continued to laugh.

  I moaned. “We so suck at keeping things under wraps.”

  “You ever think that maybe we’re not supposed to ‘keep things under wraps’ when it comes to us?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean maybe we’d be a lot further along with this bonding thing if we stopped using so much energy to try to hide our being together in the first place. I feel like we’ve gotten a lot closer these past two weeks, and I think—no, I know—that has everything to do with us actually being ‘us’ out in public without having to keep the fact that we’re together a secret. Maybe before we can be this supposedly unstoppable team, we need to first let the world know we are a team.”

  “Maybe.” I pondered Quinn’s theory all the way into the city.

  Quinn parked on the top floor of a relatively deserted parking garage in the West Loop. The plan was for the four of us to meet up before I left to meet Jaegar and Chase, and then once more for a quick debriefing session afterwards. Then, Dylan would transport Quinn and me to the new portal while Minerva teleported the Defender to a remote location halfway across the country to throw the Servants off our trail.

  “Hey, kids,” Dylan said a little too eagerly as he materialized in the backseat within seconds of Quinn turning off the engine. “Quite the interesting conversation with dear old Mom, huh?”

  “Shut it, Dylan,” I warned. I already was on edge about meeting with Jaegar and Chase, particularly now that the Journal was missing, and I wasn’t in the mood for his shenanigans.

  “You two just have a way of finding all kinds of trouble, don’t you?” Dylan continued.

  “Or trouble has a way of finding them,” Minerva said grimly as she materialized beside Dylan.

  “What do you mean?” Quinn asked.

  “The first day I was assigned as your Watcher, I sensed a weird, unfamiliar presence. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but after a while, I wasn’t too concerned because I never sensed it again—until today at Quinn’s house.”

  “What?” I exclaimed in alarm. A foreboding feeling trickled throughout my entire body, making me shiver. “When? Where?” I asked, rubbing my arms.

  “Near the bluff, while the two of you were chatting with Quinn’s mom. It was only there for a split second, but it was definitely the same aura I sensed before.”

  “Maybe Ronald was checking in on us—or maybe it was Ruben,” I offered.

  “It wasn’t Ruben,” Minerva replied. “This aura was different—darker. I didn’t like it.”

  “Then I’m sure it wasn’t Ronald either.”

  “Maybe it was the intruder that ransacked the Falls and stole the Journal,” Quinn suggested.

  “Or the intruder that forged your handwriting on the disappearing note a few weeks back,” I offered.

  “Maybe they’re both one in the same,” Dylan said. “Maybe someone has known about the Falls for a while and was just waiting for the right time to strike.”

  “Who else besides a Servant would do that?” Quinn asked.

  “Evidently, someone who has his own reasons for messing with us,” I replied, asking myself the same question.

  “Well, whoever, or whatever, it was left when you two did. I doubt it’ll be back at the Harrisons’ while you’re gone, but I’ll check on them daily while you’re away.”

  “Thanks,” Quinn said appreciatively.

  “Don’t even think twice about it—seriously. You have enough on your plate right now.”

  “K.C., I don’t like that some unidentified creep was snooping around today. I’m going with you to your meeting with the Bloodhounds,” Dylan declared.

  “You mean you’re going with both of us,” Quinn piped in.

  “Excuse me?” I asked. Dylan, Minerva, and I all looked at Quinn like he was crazy.

  “Jaegar’s text was clear—‘BRING THE KID,’” Quinn stated.

  “Quinn, all they need is another drop of your blood.”

  “And they’ll get it straight from the source.”

  “Did you put this whack job of an idea in his head?” Dylan accused me.

  “No!” I exclaimed. “And don’t worry, he’s not going.”

  “Damn right he isn’t!” Dylan barked.

  “Screw you both! I’m absolutely going,” Quinn declared.

  “These guys are not exactly what you’d call people persons, Quinn,” I explained. “They basically only interact with
those they want to conduct business with or want to kill.”

  “All the more reason for me to go,” Dylan piped in.

  “And me,” Quinn asserted.

  I sighed and looked at Minerva, begging her with my eyes to help me make sense of this to them.

  “Boys,” Minerva began with a soothing voice. “Let’s not complicate this any more than we have to. These guys don’t want to deal with anyone they don’t have to.”

  “Exactly. And they only want to deal with Evie and me,” Quinn stated.

  “Quinn—”

  “Evie, it’s the only way I’ll willingly give you my blood.”

  “It’s too dangerous,” I stated gravely.

  “All the more reason you need me,” Dylan insisted.

  “Dylan, if you show up, you could risk screwing up the deal. And don’t try to tell me you can just hide out in the shadows,” I continued in the same breath. “Because they’ll sense you.”

  “But, if I go you’ll be able to keep track of us,” Quinn pointed out. “You’ll know instantly if we run into any trouble.”

  “Yeah, but—” Dylan began.

  “Actually, Quinn’s right,” Minerva chimed in. “You can feel any change in his heartbeat. You can hear him call out to you. He’s like a homing beacon and a distress signal all in one.”

  “For the record, I’m totally against this,” Dylan huffed.

  “Join the club,” I said. I knew Jaegar and Chase were more interested in my blood than in harming Quinn. And, if there was any trouble, Quinn could let Dylan know more quickly than I could. Still, I didn’t like the risks Quinn seemed so willing to take.

  And safety issues aside, I also didn’t want Quinn coming to the meeting because I hadn’t told anyone the blood I’d already given Jaegar and Chase was only a deposit for getting Quinn’s blood back and I now owed them in full. That said, with my vow to be completely open and honest with Quinn, I knew it was just a matter of time before the three of them found out what I was about to do anyway, so there was really no point in trying to hide it anymore.

  “Fine, you can come.” I nodded reluctantly, and Quinn smiled victoriously.

  “Then it’s settled,” Minerva announced. “Quinn will go with Evie, and Dylan will be on standby, waiting to intervene if necessary.” Minerva kissed Dylan on the cheek, which I could only assume was an attempt at calming him. “Then you can help Quinn and Evie leave for their ‘vacation,’” she continued, “and I’ll go back and look in on Quinn’s parents and Doug one last time before coming back for the truck.”

  “Fine,” Dylan harrumphed.

  “Don’t be such a grouch.” Minerva pouted before giving him another quick peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Yes, you will.” Dylan pulled her to him and gave her a real kiss.

  “I guess I’ll see you two after the full moon,” she told Quinn and me after Dylan released her. “Until then, take care of yourselves.”

  “You, too,” I said. Suddenly, the idea of not seeing Minerva for the next eight days felt unsettling. It surprised me to realize that, in the short time I’d known her, she really had managed to become part of our group—our own surrogate family.

  *

  Jaegar and Chase were already waiting for Quinn and me when we arrived.

  “So, this is the kid you’re willing to spill your blood for, huh?” Chase asked.

  “Do you have it?” I asked without answering his question. I wanted as little attention drawn to Quinn as possible.

  “Yup,” Chase replied smugly. “You ready to pony up more of yours?”

  “Yes—if it is, indeed, his blood.”

  One look into Quinn’s eyes and I already knew he was pissed I didn’t fill him in on all of the details of the transaction.

  Not now, I shot back with my own glare.

  “Well, let’s find out the answer to that million-dollar question.” Chase offered up a knife, but Quinn pulled out his own and cut the tip of his finger.

  “You’ve gotta respect a guy who carries his own hardware,” Jaegar said, chuckling.

  Quinn handed his blood-laced knife to Chase, who swiped the blade onto a litmus strip before tossing the knife back to Quinn. Thankfully, I intercepted the throw, preventing Quinn from having to catch the blade with his bare hand. I felt the knife cut through my skin and watched as a drop of my blood hit the sand.

  “Careful now,” I warned. “I know you don’t want to cut into your profits.”

  Chase sneered and mumbled something under his breath I couldn’t understand. He tested the litmus strip in his handheld diagnostic machine and a series of numbers appeared on the screen, which I quickly memorized so I could compare them to the test results for the blood they’d retrieved. They smiled with knowing satisfaction.

  Jaegar then pulled out a large vial of blood. My body began to jitter anxiously. It took everything I had not to grab the vial and teleport Quinn and I on the spot. But I had to be patient. I had to wait to see if it was actually Quinn’s blood. Besides, a deal was a deal. If it was his blood, I’d keep my end of the bargain and pay the Mercenaries for their services. After all, I didn’t want to burn any bridges. There might be a time in the future when I needed to call on them again.

  Chase tested the blood from the vial and showed me the numbers on the screen.

  “See? It’s his.”

  “Wait a minute,” I said, confused. “The last few numbers are off slightly.”

  Jaegar and Chase looked at the screen and then at each other before testing the litmus strips again and comparing the results.

  “They’re nearly identical. Too close for it not to be the kid’s blood. Trust us,” Jaegar replied.

  “Well, then, how do you explain the variance? Shouldn’t they be exact?” Quinn asked.

  “Well, I’m sure they would be,” Chase replied snidely, “if one wasn’t contaminated with Mathius’s blood.”

  “How do we know the blood is contaminated?” I challenged.

  “Well, we could inject it into the kid and see what happens,” Chase dared with a sinister grin.

  “Not funny,” I said snidely, shaking my head. I didn’t like the feeling they might be duping us, but we really had no choice but to trust them—especially now that we didn’t have the Journal anymore. Besides, if it was Quinn’s blood, Jaegar and Chase might turn around and sell it. We’d probably have every derelict immortal after Quinn, hoping to ransom him and the blood to the Servants. I couldn’t take the risk.

  “Let me see the numbers again,” I demanded. To my surprise, they complied without complaint. The numbers were nearly identical. “Let me see your numbers in this thing.”

  “What?!?” Chased asked.

  “She wants to make sure we didn’t doctor the readings.” Jaegar flashed me an approving smile.

  “No way, man!” Chase barked.

  “I’m not giving you another drop of my blood until you shed some of your own.”

  Chase harrumphed, pulled out his knife, wiped both sides of the blade on his pants and glared at me in the most unnerving way as he slit open his hand. He jabbed a litmus strip into his open wound and then tested it. The results varied significantly from Quinn’s. So did Jaegar’s.

  I looked at Quinn. He shrugged his shoulders, obviously feeling as much in the dark as I did.

  “Look, we’re not trying to pull one over on you,” Jaegar offered. “Our source is as reputable as it gets when dealing with those scumbags. And so is our test.”

  I looked at the ocean for a second, feeling as though the weight of the world depended on the answer I was about to give.

  “Fine,” I said, sighing heavily. “Give me the vial.”

  “Ah-ah-ah. Not until you give us four of yours.”

  “Two,” I countered.

  “How do you figure?” Chase scoffed, annoyed.

  “The deal was four more vials if you retrieved his blood within two weeks and three more if you did it in three weeks. Yesterday was the t
hree-week deadline. So today it’s two.”

  “We had it in our possession yesterday,” Chase sneered.

  “But I didn’t,” I replied, holding my ground.

  “You bitch!” Chase exclaimed.

  Quinn’s clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

  “Using a puppy for a guard dog, huh?” Chase snarled.

  “Don’t underestimate me,” Quinn warned under his breath, and I grabbed his hand to calm him.

  “So the deal is off then,” Jaegar said, interrupting the display of testosterone. “We’ll just take the blood and go.” He was baiting me.

  “And I’ll do the same with mine.” Two could play this game.

  Jaegar sighed, and shook his head. “Three vials.”

  “Two.”

  “Can’t do it for less than three. Already pre-sold four’s worth. Besides, you know we had the vial yesterday. We could’ve met with you had you asked.”

  I looked at the vial of Quinn’s blood. We needed to get rid of it.

  “Fine, three vials. Give him the vial,” I nodded at Quinn, “and I’ll cooperate with you fully. Hold on to him if you like so I won’t disappear with him,” I threw in.

  “Fine.” Chase handed Quinn the vial and then grabbed his arm so forcefully I saw Quinn fight back a grimace.

  “Evie, think about this for a minute,” Quinn pleaded.

  “I’m done thinking about it. I’ve made up my mind,” I said, sounding unintentionally dismissive.

  “Whoa, it’s pretty clear who wears the pants in this relationship,” Chase teased.

  “Enough!” Jaegar reprimanded Chase, who just scowled but backed down immediately.

  “And in yours,” Quinn called him out.

  I shot Quinn a look that said to behave and followed Jaegar over to a nearby rock that would act as a makeshift table.

  “Pleasure doing business with you,” Jaegar said as he began to draw my blood.

  “I’m not sure Chase would agree.” I looked over in Chase’s direction and saw him still scowling.

  Jaegar just laughed. “He needs to work on his client development skills, I’ll give you that.”

  “So, how much is my blood worth?” I asked, trying not to focus on what Jaegar was doing so my body wouldn’t kick the needle out of my arm like last time.