Soul Eternal

by Kate Keir

  Soul Eternal

  Everwood Trilogy 3

  Kate Keir

  SOUL ETERNAL

  Copyright © 2018 Kate Keir

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any other information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. This book is a work of fiction, all names, characters, places, and events are the products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locations is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  For my amazing nephew &

  three beautiful nieces.

  I love you! xxx

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Epilogue

  Thank You

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter One

  LYALL

  The Draugur threw itself headlong across the rooftop, attempting to barrel into Lyall and knock him off his feet.

  Breathing heavily, Lyall turned away from the body of the creature that he had just killed, twisting and stepping to the side at the same time. He just managed to avoid the grotesque figure as it flew past him, howling and salivating before toppling over the edge of the rooftop with a startled cry.

  Lyall took a moment to cross the roof, and peered over the lip to the street below. The Draugur had hit the ground sixty feet down and basically split apart like a melon.

  There would have been a time—not very long ago—he would have been concerned about humans seeing the body of the Draugur. Unfortunately, humans were more than used to seeing both live and dead Draugur these days, as Sluag sent ever more of his rogue souls through the veil to steal innocent people’s bodies.

  Finally, free from attack, he turned to watch his companion, and a smile hooked his lip up at the side. He couldn’t help it; she was the most fierce and beautiful thing he had ever seen.

  Flora was wrestling with a Draugur, and where he once would have panicked and run to help her, he took this moment to stand back and watch her work.

  She was on her back, having just been knocked to the ground by the thing, which was now leaning over her, snapping and snarling in her face—Sluag no longer seemed concerned with getting Flora to the Endwood to kill her, since the veil was fracturing a little more each day anyway.

  It had been eight months since the Dion and the Soul Keeper had first heard reports of the rogue souls breaking into the mortal world, and they were now extremely used to dealing with the Draugur daily.

  Flora and her Dion had managed to keep the flow of Draugur down by sending out constant patrols to deal with them, just like the one they were on tonight. Fortunately, because these Draugur were created in a slightly different way, they were much easier to kill than Sluag’s Endwood creations.

  Their souls had never been to the Endwood, so the stolen body could be killed by using usual methods, which would in turn cast the rogue soul out into the mortal world where it would remain trapped in limbo forever.

  This gave the Dion the added bonus of not needing Flora’s energy to obliterate the rogue souls, so they could all hunt the new Draugur.

  It was a relief for Lyall because it meant that Flora didn’t have to constantly put herself at risk by continual energy use.

  A grunt from the Draugur brought Lyall’s attention back to the present as he watched Flora kick the monster hard in the stomach. The creature rolled backward, caught off balance. Flora took the opportunity to jump to her feet and bring her sword down in a smooth arc that pierced the Draugur’s chest and allowed the rogue soul to escape with a burst of blue fire into its permanent limbo.

  He clapped his hands and smiled. “Well done, love.”

  She turned to him, her green eyes lit by the fire of battle, and she beamed. “Thanks, you didn’t do so bad yourself.” She panted through ragged breath.

  His throat tightened, and his heart hurt as she stayed several feet away from him to catch her breath.

  Lyall had eventually realised his stupidity in holding her kiss with Finlay against her. He would have done the exact same thing in her shoes and he had apologised to Flora for being a complete ass.

  She had accepted his apology, and they had moved forward from that day, they were a bonded couple, after all, and that could not be undone.

  Yet, things felt different between them. Some days she would throw herself into his arms, kissing him so hard he worried they would die for lack of air. Other days—like today—she would seem distant and untouchable.

  Not for the first time, he wondered if they would ever be able to get back to where they had been before her kiss with Finlay.

  She often went to see Finlay in the Everwood, and she would always seem so sad when she returned. Lyall knew that Finlay was living on borrowed time. Eventually, Flora would have to admit she couldn’t give him the body he needed, and he would ask her to send him into oblivion.

  Lyall was pretty sure that day was going to break her apart, and he was scared it would break their relationship completely too. He just didn’t know how to help her through it.

  He knew he was a complete idiot to be jealous of a soul, but he was, and he knew Flora sensed his envy and resented him for it. They never spoke about it, though, because they had so many bigger things to deal with.

  They were no closer to finding a way to close the veil, Sluag had created more Super Draugur, and the Dion still had no idea how to kill them. Their cause felt more desperate with every passing day.

  He also knew that Flora grew more afraid with every day that brought her closer to her twenty-first birthday. She still hadn’t been betrayed, and with only three months until her big day, he knew she was convinced she would be dead before long.

  Watching her standing on the roof of the multi-storey carpark as she finally got her breath back and straightened up, he felt a familiar ache in his chest. If he lost her, he knew he would die too. There was no point to his life unless Flora was there by his side. He just wished he could tell her how he felt.

  “We should get out of here. The police are probably already on their way,” she called to him.

  Surveying the bodies which littered the rooftop, Lyall smiled grimly. “Agreed, let’s get out of here, love.”

  They both raced for the green exit sign that led to the lower levels of the carpark. Flora had long since grown tired of trying to get Draugur blood out of her clothes, instead insisting on wearing all black for their hunting expeditions. In another lifetime, Lyall wou
ld have thought it was kind of cute that they matched.

  They sped around the corner of level three, and Lyall crashed into Flora’s back as she skidded to a halt in front of him. His wandering mind snapped back to the present as Flora hissed, “Super Draugur.”

  Two of the monstrosities were slinking through the shadows across the carpark. They were so unconcerned with the public seeing them that they didn’t bother to disguise their hideous, rotting features. They were dressed in grey armour that was a simple version of the clothing that Sluag always wore.

  Swearing under his breath, Lyall wrapped his arm around Flora’s waist and pulled her back into the shadows on their side of the carpark, hoping they hadn’t been spotted. Because they had no way of killing Super Draugur, provoking a fight was pointless.

  Too late. One of the Super Draugur turned its head toward them and hissed through its broken, yellowed teeth. “Ssoul Keeper? I ssee you and your bonded Dion.”

  They started to slowly approach, and Lyall burst forward from the shadows, pulling Flora along by her wrist. “Run, love,” he shouted.

  Chapter Two

  FLORA

  I stumbled as Lyall pulled me across the carpark behind him. Despite the danger from the Super Draugur, I still felt a tingle of electricity burn through my wrist as his fingers touched my bare skin.

  Every single fibre of my being told me this man would love and protect me for eternity. He was the one.

  Yet, you wouldn’t think it, over the last few months. One minute we were up, and the next we were down. It was mainly due to my relationship with Finlay, I knew. Lyall just didn’t understand that my love for Finlay was purely platonic.

  No matter what else happened, I would never stop trying to find a way to give Finlay a permanent body; he didn’t deserve to be trapped in the Everwood in the way he was right now.

  My foot suddenly landed at a strange angle as I stepped down onto the road, and I yelped in pain and yanked my arm back from Lyall.

  “Flora, are you all right? Have you damaged it?” He shot a worried look over my shoulder, and I followed his gaze in time to see the two Super Draugur appear at the open front of the carpark. As soon as they spotted us, they began to approach us with hungry looks on their faces.

  Sluag had made Lyall and I number one priority with all of his Draugur since he had discovered our bond. Pen had agreed that it was likely if one of us died, then the other would probably follow shortly after. Either that or go mad with grief.

  When I asked Pen why she hadn’t died after losing Aiden, she had gone quiet before telling me she had been mad with grief for a long time after. It was simply the desire to protect all of us, that gave her the strength to go on.

  “Flora?” Lyall’s voice had a warning tone. We needed to move.

  Giving my ankle a final quick rub, I stood and nodded at him. “I’m okay, let’s go.”

  We bolted across the street and around a corner before flying across a surprisingly quiet street. I sent a silent thank you to whoever or whatever had made sure there were no cars on the road to hinder our progress.

  “I don’t wanna lead them back to Castle Dion, Flora. We need to outrun them before we head back.” Lyall’s voice came out in short gasps as we continued to run at full pelt.

  I nodded my agreement, afraid to try to talk since I already felt as though my lungs were about to burst. After a year of Soul Keeper training, I was fitter now than I had ever been before, but I still grew tired when I was running for my life.

  Crossing the bridge over the River Ness and slipping into a shadowy park, we both pressed our backs against a wide-trunked tree that blocked us from view of the street and tried to breathe quietly as we waited for the Super Draugur to hopefully pass us by.

  The creatures arrived soon after, and I bit my lip as I waited for them to either realise we were hiding or carry on past us, allowing us to retreat back to the castle.

  I felt Lyall wrap his fingers through my own and squeeze my hand gently. I knew I should have felt comforted by his touch, but it just reminded me of how much I missed our closeness.

  Our hiding place was well chosen; the Super Draugur didn’t even hesitate before passing us by and disappearing along the street. I let out the breath I had been holding and tilted my head back against the tree trunk in relief.

  After quickly double-checking they had definitely gone, Lyall signalled to me that we should leave. I didn’t hesitate; I left the cover of the tree and followed my Dion to the place we had left our car. Once we were inside, and on our way back to the castle, I felt relief flood through me.

  Lyall drove in silence, but his jaw was clenched ever so slightly, and I could tell he was thinking hard about something.

  “What are you thinking about?” I hoped that I would catch him off-guard and manage to get an honest answer.

  He shook his head dismissively. “Just wondering if we’ll ever find a way to kill Supers, love.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “No, you weren’t. Tell me the truth.”

  He was silent for so long I was certain he wasn’t going to speak to me again before we got home.

  Then finally, he said something. “Truthfully, Flora, I was just wondering how me and you have let things get so broken between us.”

  His words were not entirely unexpected, but that didn’t make them hurt any less. I looked down at my hands. They were bloodstained and clasped tightly together on my lap. “I don’t know,” I whispered.

  “You know that I love you, Flora.”

  “I love you too.” It was the easiest thing I had said to him in a long time.

  “But I don’t feel as though I can compete with Finlay,” he finished.

  I felt my temper flare and fought to keep a lid on it.

  “Lyall, do you remember when we first met?”

  He frowned. “Of course, I do.”

  I nodded. “Finlay told me that he had spent his whole life protecting me and waiting for me to get to the point where I had to choose. He said that he had always expected me to choose him and that he had never expected to have to compete with you.”

  Lyall’s amber eyes burned in the darkness. “What are you saying, love?”

  I growled in frustration as I realised he had drawn the wrong conclusion yet again. It was as though we had been speaking different languages over the last few months.

  “I’m saying that there never was a competition. I never, ever wanted to be with Finlay in that way. Yes, my soul responded when he kissed me because he’s my closest friend, and our history goes back so far. I can even admit that I enjoyed kissing him. But it was a goodbye kiss. I know I’m losing him, Lyall, and it breaks my heart every day to know it.”

  He started to speak, but I lifted my hand and cut him off.

  “No, Lyall. I’m tired of your jealousy and doubt. You need to believe me when I tell you that I love you, and that no one makes me feel as safe and loved as I feel when I’m with you, really with you.

  “All those months ago, Finlay asked me to choose because he thought it was a competition too. I chose back then, and my decision is still the same today. I chose you, Lyall, you just never realised it.”

  He hit the brakes so hard I nearly hit my head against the dashboard, despite my seatbelt. Swerving the car off the road and up onto a grass verge, he clicked his own seatbelt off and then opened his door to get out.

  “Out,” he barked at me.

  Raising my eyebrows, I felt a tiny glimmer of fear as I rushed to oblige. His face was dark and gave nothing away as I stepped out of the car and turned to face him.

  Without hesitation, he crossed the distance between us and crushed his lips against mine. He wrapped his strong arms around my waist and pulled my whole body against him.

  I could have cried with relief as I melted against him, twining my arms around his neck and kissing him back with everything I had.

  “I love you, I love you, I love you,” I murmured against his mouth.

  Pulling back from me,
he gently grasped my face in both of his hands. “I love you too. I’m so sorry, Flora.”

  Then, dropping to his knees, he bowed his head and grasped my hands in his own. “I swear, I’ll be a better protector and a better Dion. I will be everything you need and everything you deserve from now on.”

  Then he stood and kissed me again, and I felt my body and mind fill with complete elation—I had my Dion back.

  Chapter Three

  After we had rediscovered each other, I didn’t want to let go of Lyall, and I was certain he felt the same way. We walked through the main door of Castle Dion with our fingers tightly entwined, and both of us were beaming.

  Freya was just sauntering down the stairs as we walked in, and she rolled her eyes dramatically. “Urgh, as disgusting as that is, I’m glad you’ve both finally got a grip and sorted things out.”

  Bear followed behind Freya, and he grinned widely and waved hello to us both. “Glad to see you and your girl on form again, Lyall.” Then to Freya, “See, that could be me and you if only you weren’t such an ice queen, hotness.”

  “Urgh.” Freya shot him a look that could kill and stormed into the dining hall.

  Bear shrugged and winked at Lyall before following Freya in to the dining hall, muttering, “Women.”

  Lyall and I looked at each other and burst into laughter as we followed the others. I was always hungry after a night of hunting Draugur and I was grateful we had made it back home in time for breakfast.