The Pure Soul (Book 3)

by Jeff Hale

Really? But people could be petty for less. “What is it that could be so important?” I asked.

  Nina gave me a look that pleaded for understanding. “I’m… not who you remember, Val. I’m different now.”

  “Aren’t we all? It’s been over a year,” I pointed out sagely.

  She shook her head. “No. I mean really different. I’m a werepanther.”

  My mouth just about dropped open in shock. “Whoa! Really?” I stole a quick glance at Darien. Well, it would explain his presence anyway. He might even be the one who had changed her.

  “Yeah. Really. Look I’m having a hard time coping with my other half, my more…” She actually looked a little embarrassed. “My animalistic half and—”

  “She almost ate me,” the girl, Kris, put in, but I could tell she was halfway teasing.

  Nina inhaled patiently. “I did not. Besides, Darien wouldn’t have let me eat you.” She turned back to me. “Anyway, I wanted a mix CD that I left here, to help calm me down. Dave won’t give it to me.”

  “That’s because there’s nothing to hand over. I burnt the damned thing, okay, bitch? Now leave!” Dave shouted at Nina, getting in her face.

  She took a step back from the verbal assault, and I could feel it; primal energy flowing off of her in an uncontrolled jumble. She was shaking visibly as she tried to get a handle on it, trying desperately not to cry. Darien took a step forward, shielding her from Dave, and a pulse of energy came from him, washing over Nina.

  “I would do what he asks. He doesn’t have it, and he wants you to leave,” I said sternly, putting myself between Dave and Darien. I didn’t know if this Darien had made a claim on Nina and might try something as his way of protecting her.

  “And you’ll do what if I don’t leave?” Darien’s voice was almost a snarl, his tone arrogant, and he loomed over me. He was definitely an Alpha.

  I felt the pulse of energy again, different this time, assertive, and for a split second my resolve wavered. He was irritated and annoyed, almost itching for a fight, and for the briefest moment, I almost gave in to him. Almost. I was a Sentinel, and Merlin had taught me how to shake such effects off.

  “I would suggest you not test me,” I whispered menacingly, staring straight into his brown eyes. I flared my aura and he took a step back, his eyes narrowing.

  “Fuck it all!” he exclaimed loudly, giving me a look of disbelief. “You guys are just crawling out of the damned woodwork! I can’t turn around without running into your kind! What? Is every mortal eventually going to turn into one of you?”

  Somehow, he knew what I was. Which meant he knew Aerick… or Malachai. Considering his company, I would bet on it being Aerick. I hoped it was Aerick anyway. I gave him a smile. “Only the talented, sexy, and lucky ones,” I said sweetly. He made a noise low in his throat, part frustration, then stalked down the stairs.

  The girl just gave me a curious look and followed after him, turning briefly as she descended the stairs. Her lips quirked up into a grin. “Talent is keeping those things inside that corset, girl. I don’t know how you do it. I’m sure my boy Alex is wondering the same thing.”

  I watched Alex as he moved past me to the steps. His eyes were on my cleavage again. I mock cleared my throat. “Eyes. Up here? Remember?” He gave me a sheepish nod, but I had the feeling he was just putting me on a bit. He wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. He was just trying to be cute. It was working. A flash of him, the girl Kris, and me, all together in a sweaty tangle briefly entered my mind before I shook it away. Business first, play later.

  I had to find Aerick. Maybe he would help scratch my itch. I was always in the mood for sex and Merlin had warned me that it was part of being a Sentinel, that we came with a built in overactive sex drive. Something to do with creating offspring quickly and often so that the soul would have a viable place to inhabit should the Sentinel die. Unfortunately they often did die early due to their nature and the work they tended to do.

  “So, I guess I’ll see ya around, huh?” Nina said, stopping near me as she moved to the steps.

  “Yeah. Here. Give me a call sometime.” I fished a card out of a tiny pocket on the side of the corset and handed it to her. It had my name and cell phone number on it.

  She brightened up visibly. “Okay. I will. Anytime?”

  “Yeah. Anytime.”

  “Thanks. It was good seeing you again.” She took the steps two at time to join her friends.

  “You too.” I waved and she waved back before disappearing around the building.

  “Thanks for the backup, Val. Now, how come I have the feeling that you’ve changed just as much as Nina has?” Dave motioned for me to follow him inside.

  “Because I have.” I shrugged.

  “What are you then?” He was trying to close the door. It shut, barely, but it wouldn’t latch.

  “Same thing Aerick is.”

  “Odd, he kept saying he was the only one. Then this other guy shows up, and now you.” He gave up and dead bolted the door to keep it shut.

  “Merlin told him a few white lies for his own good. There’s lots of stuff Aerick doesn’t know the whole truth of, or the truth at all for that matter.”

  “And you know these things?” He dropped onto the futon and put his feet up on the coffee table. There were a couple empty take out boxes on one end.

  “Oh. Not at all. I just know that there are things I don’t know and I am not meant to. I’m fine with that.” Not like I had a choice. I had to be fine with it because I knew Merlin would tell me in his own time, if he did at all. “Merlin said that if Aerick knew there were things he didn’t know, he wouldn’t stop until he did know.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like Rick.” His eyes made a round the world trip of my body and he smiled. “Say, you’re looking pretty good.”

  I snorted out a laugh. “Thanks, but I’m still jailbait, ya know,” I teased. He rolled his eyes and I gave him the same appraisal, followed by an arch look. “You’re not so bad yourself, boxer boy.”

  “Oh, yeah. I should go get dressed.” He dropped his feet from the table and stood, not even remotely embarrassed at being in his skivvies. “You can follow if you want. Not like you haven’t seen everything just about.” He gestured at himself and I noticed the play of muscle under his skin. Skinny he might be, but there was a lot of power in that frame of his. I shrugged and followed him into what appeared to be his bedroom. Maybe I wouldn’t have to wait for Aerick. But on the other hand, it was Aerick I really wanted, and sleeping with Dave might not set well, so I kept my hormones in check.

  The room seemed to be in some sort of organized chaos. The bed was to the immediate left, centered on the wall that shared the door. To the right was a closet with sliding doors, and across the room, under the window, was a dresser. There were clothes, knives, comics, porn magazines, and books everywhere, but as he picked his way through stuff for his clothes, he seemed to know exactly where everything was. The only things that seemed to be in place were the statues of various comic book type characters on his night stand and dresser.

  He found jeans under a pile of magazines at the foot of the bed, then opened a drawer in his dresser and shifted through some shirts until he settled on one and pulled it over his head. It was dark-blue and had a slogan on the front that read ‘I’d call you a cunt, but you lack both the depth and the warmth’.

  I chuckled a bit. “Trying to make a statement?”

  “After who I just had to deal with? Absolutely,” he said, yanking the jeans on.

  “So. When’s Aerick supposed to be home?”

  He snagged a pair of socks off the foot of the bed. “I’m not sure. He and Serena went to her place a few days ago to pick up some of her things, but they haven’t been back yet. I wasn’t really too worried, I mean, he just got her back and I figured they probably got too close to a bed, and the rest was history.”

  I tried to keep my face neutral as shock came over me for a second. Serena? He has a girlfriend? I felt my heart fall to my
feet. I had hoped to possibly rekindle things with Aerick. Looked like I had missed my chance.

  “Oh. He has a girlfriend now?” I asked. The name had sounded familiar, too familiar, and I was hoping maybe the name was just a coincidence. Or a slip on Dave’s part.

  “Oh, yeah. Serena’s alive somehow. She didn’t remember who she was at first. It’s a long story. I’ll give him a call.” Dave went back out to the living room and picked a cell phone up from an end table, dialed a number, then pressed it between his ear and shoulder as he pulled his socks on. He frowned. “Dumped straight to voicemail, and I don’t have Serena’s number. Let me give Raven a call, see if she’s seen him.” I waited patiently, watching TV as he spoke to her. A minute later I heard the beep of him hanging the phone up. “Raven hasn’t seen him either.”

  “Then where is he?”

  He winked at me. “My bet is that the sly bastard wanted a bit more private time with Serena, before they finished moving her in here, so they’re probably shacked up at her place. We can head on over there and I’ll fill you in on the way.” He pulled boots out from under the coffee table. “Wait. Shit. I don’t have a clue where she lives, but I might know someone who does. Remember Kat?”

  That name sounded familiar too, and brought to mind a red-haired girl, someone new to the school shortly before I had had to leave. “I think I do,” I said.

  “Well, she’s changed too; she’s a werecat, like Nina,” Dave said. He thought for a moment. “Well, not like Nina. Kat can actually control herself and not fuck everything that has a heartbeat.”

  Lucky her. I was beginning to rethink the idea of pouncing on Dave. “Sounds like I missed a lot,” I muttered jealously.

  “You don’t know the half of it. Come on, I’ll drive you to Kat’s, and I’ll fill you in on the way.”

  “You sure you want to come?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it. Just lemme get something from the bedroom first, just in case.” He disappeared into the other room for a minute, then came back out. “Besides, I need to make introductions in case Kat doesn’t remember you.”

  We drove to an apartment building not too far from Dave and Aerick’s, and I noted that it just happened to be the third address on my list. Dave packed a year worth of events into a ten minute trip, letting his narrative die off as he knocked on the door of one of the ground floor apartments.

  A girl opened the door. She was probably a couple years older than me, Aerick’s age, and a few inches shorter than my own five foot seven. She was slender, narrow hipped, with bigger breasts than mine that were barely contained in the teal bikini top she was wearing. Her red hair was long, damp, and loose, and her shorts barely constituted as such. She was absolutely breathtaking and she made all thoughts of Aerick fly straight out of my mind. Perspiration beaded her forehead, cheeks, and all the rest of the pale skin she was showing, and desire shot through me as all I could think of now was hot, sweaty sex.

  Jeez, Val, get a grip, I admonished myself, licking my lips and hoping that I wasn’t drooling. Find Aerick, that’s the priority. After… well, then maybe you can see if the red-haired beauty will let you take her for a spin.

  I looked down at my feet and clasped my hands together behind my back to keep them from doing what they wanted to; see if her skin was as soft as it looked. I had a vague recollection of her from school, although you would think I would remember a girl that hot. I was pretty sure I had had a class with her, but couldn’t remember which one. All I knew was that right now, I wanted her more than I had ever wanted anyone in my entire life.

  “Heya, Kat,” Dave said. “Got an old friend that wanted to visit. Do you remember Val?”

  “I think so… can’t quite place it though,” Kat said.

  “We had a class together, can’t remember which one,” I supplied, lifting my eyes. She was staring at me, her eyes a bright sea-blue. She finally looked away and I sucked in a breath; there was a connection there somewhere, like I had known her for a very long time.

  “Yeah, so I’d invite you guys in, but I think it might actually be cooler out here. Air conditioner went wonky last night. I’m still waiting for the damned repair guy,” Kat said, rolling her eyes and wiping a forearm across her brow.

  “You seen Aerick recently?” Dave asked. He didn’t seem any less immune to all that skin she was showing and I felt a sudden flash of jealousy go through me, over her.

  “Saw him the other night at the Flame, but not since. I assume he’s been spending all his time with Serena.” Kat sighed, and I could hear the bitterness in her voice. Dave had informed me on the way over that Kat and Aerick had dated, and that she was still in love with Aerick. Of course, he thought Aerick was still in love with her, too, but if Serena was back, his first choice would always be Serena. No woman would ever be able to replace her.

  “Well, funny. No one’s seen him. I think he might be at Serena’s but I don’t have a clue as to where she lives. Any chances of you giving us her address? You know, since you hung out with her a lot when she was Celeste,” Dave asked hopefully.

  “Sure, I guess it won’t do any harm. I mean you were her friend, too, right, Dave?”

  “Yeah, I was the one who kept telling Rick that he should take his head out of his anus and see what was right in front of him.” Dave nodded.

  Kat’s smile at the comment was forced, and she stepped back through the door of the apartment and leaned towards what I could only guess might be a small table just inside the door. She came back with a scrap of paper she’d torn from an envelope and a pen, and she jotted something down on the scrap and handed it to Dave. “Here. Oh, and you didn’t get this from me. You didn’t see me at all, in fact.” I could tell she was doing her damnedest to put on a half cheery expression.

  “Whatever you say, Kat,” Dave agreed. We turned to go but Kat suddenly put a hand on Dave’s arm.

  “Wait. What do you mean, ‘no one’s seen him’?” she asked. The sadness she’d been trying to hide was gone, replaced with worry.

  “No one has seen him,” I told her. “Lucien, Dave, someone named Raven that he works with, you. No one.”

  “How long?” Kat asked, concern furrowing her brow.

  “I talked to him… I don’t know, a few days ago?” Dave said.

  “And he hasn’t been home at all?”

  “No, all of his stuff has been untouched,” Dave said. “I’m sure he’s fine, it’s not like he hasn’t just up and disappeared for a while in the past. It’s just Val needs to talk to him.”

  Kat shook her head. “No, something’s wrong. I can feel it. Look, you go to Serena’s, maybe it’s nothing. I’m going to get a hold of Darien and Alex and see if one of them can help me track him down. We’ll meet at Serena’s.”

  I nodded in agreement and she shut the door. Dave and I headed back to his car, then drove to the address that Kat had written down. It was a pretty, two story home, in a nicer part of Summerlin. Dave killed the engine and let the car roll to a silent stop by the curb, then got out of the car, softly shut the door, and crept up to the front door of the house. When I joined him, giving him a confused look, he put a finger to his lips.

  “We might catch them in the middle of something. I’ve been wanting to see Serena’s rack since we were teenagers,” Dave whispered, grinning. I just shook my head and rolled my eyes. I liked a nice pair of tits myself, but Dave was acting downright lecherous.

  He put his ear to the door, all grins, until a scream tore through the air from somewhere inside the house, and it wasn’t a scream of pleasure. He straightened up, gave me a fearful look, then pulled a handgun from under the back of his t-shirt where it had been tucked into the waistband of his jeans. Hand cannon was probably a more appropriate term since it was a forty-four caliber Desert Eagle. He meant to kill anything he fired at, even if he got a glancing shot. How he’d smuggled that thing out of the apartment without me knowing, I hadn’t a clue. He gave me a knowing look and I nodded. Then he kicked the door, hard, and the fra
me splintered as it slammed inwards.

  A scream rang out again, this time begging for a reprieve. Dave took a few steps into the house and immediately dove back to the outside and to the right as the harsh report of gunfire came from within. I reacted immediately, raising a shield of sparkling celestial energy and conjuring a whip formed of shadowy energy, then I braced myself and walked in.

  Straight ahead of me was the living room, and in it stood a dark-haired girl who looked to be three or four years older than I was. She was dressed in a tight fitting military style uniform that clung to a killer figure, and on the right pocket across her breast there was a stylized logo that read ‘Human Movement For Purity’. Her brown eyes were fixed on me and she was holding a gun steadily aimed at me with the intent of shooting again.

  Fucking great.

  She fired off three more shots, all meant for me. They ricocheted off my shield and I felt the power sustaining it waver, making me fight to maintain it. I lunged forward a couple of feet and lashed my whip towards the girl, the end wrapping tightly around her gun. I willed the energy of the whip to do what shadow energy was designed to do; disintegrate things. The gun dissolved in her hand.

  She stood there, staring at her empty hand in complete disbelief as I approached her, then she dove back, going into a neat backwards handspring. As she came up, she held a something in her hand that she had managed to grab during her acrobatics. It was a strange cube-like device that I didn’t recognize, made of some abnormal type of material that seemed to shimmer and almost become transparent at times. She did something to it, pressing her fingers to one side, and suddenly, I felt my connection to the Aether evaporate, and my shield and whip winked out of existence.

  Oookaaaay. That’s new.

  I shook my head and continued to approach her, wary now. I had a little bit of hand to hand combat training. Aerick was supposed to teach me how to fuse it with the use of magic, but Merlin hadn’t sent me out totally defenseless. As I got close, she pulled a knife from her boot and lunged at me. I smoothly stepped to my left and grabbed her wrist. I used her own momentum to slam her into the wall that made up the support for the stairs. She grunted and I pulled her wrist back further, eliciting a cry of pain from her and causing her to drop the knife. Then using the leverage I still had, I grabbed her by her hair and slammed her head into the wall twice. She went limp so I left her there. I started to head up the stairs, where the scream had originated from. I heard Dave yell from the room below before I could get even hallway up the steps.