Soul Betrayed (18 page)

I noted a hint of a threat in Abidan’s voice.

“And you have me,” Jackson’s voice boomed over the crowd. He appeared next to me, his eyes narrowed at Lucius. “I have full access to her emotions. If there was anything that alerted her defiance I would know.”

Lucius snorted. “We all know of your past with her, how can we trust you?” he challenged.

Abidan chuckled and squeezed Lucius’s shoulder. His body went rigid. “How much proof do you need? Jackson infiltrated the Guard and acquired the Rodas for our side.”

“And Jackson is bonded to me,” Hannah said. She leaned lazily against one of the walls as if she was bored.

“Enough of this,” Abidan’s voice boomed. “My word is final. Maggie is going to help us and you can either follow or walk this Realm for eternity without true fulfillment. We are going to war and everyone has a role. We’ve been denied entrance to our true home but with the help of my family everyone will have the chance to be wholly happy.”

The Shadowed cheered with their leader. He had inspired his group with the hope they needed to stick by him. Abidan nodded at me and leaned close to my ear. “I will see you soon.” He walked through the crowd stopping occasionally to talk to his followers on the way back to his chambers.

Jackson came to my side. “Let’s go back to your room.” I followed him through the crowd in the opposite direction. The Shadowed we passed stood still, watching us leave.

I wasn’t blind to what Abidan had done to me. He could have made his speech from anywhere, they clung to each of his words as if he were the air they breathed. He wanted me there to show them that I supported his cause. That they had a chance of getting back to the After. And also to show each and every one of them what I looked like; making any hope I had of escaping nearly impossible.

Jackson accompanied me to my room. Not for the first time did I curse my humanity and the need for rest. Jackson must have sensed my exhaustion. “I will be back later.”

“Okay,” I said through a wide yawn that wasn’t entirely faked.

He smiled, hesitating by the door.

“What’s up?”

He nodded to the door and pointed to his ear in a “they are listening” gesture. “There is some water in your nightstand if you are thirsty.
Call
me if you need something.” He disappeared from the room.

I rubbed my forehead and headed to the nightstand. I peeked behind me to check no one was there before opening the drawer and my heart leapt. Jamie’s phone. The screen was still smashed but when I turned it on, the battery was fully charged.

How was Jackson able to do that? I’d been with him the whole time. I scrolled through the numbers on the screen but a movement outside my door made my body stiffen. I needed privacy if I were to call anyone.

My heart sank when the top of the screen read “No Signal”.
Crap.
I moved farther from the door and a bar appeared in the top corner of the screen but quickly disappeared. I held the phone above me as I’d seen other humans do but the signal was spotty. I turned it off to preserve the battery. I had to find service, so I tucked the phone into my pocket and went to the door.

The hallway appeared empty but I knew otherwise. “Can you become corporeal for a second?” I asked sweetly.

It took a minute but two of them manifested. “Do you need something?”

Obviously
. “Yes. I need to go to the bathroom.”

The one who spoke narrowed his eyes as if he didn’t recall the sensation.

“I should get Jackson,” the other said.

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t want to disturb him, just point me in the right direction and I’ll be on my way.”

“Sasha,” the first said.

A Shadowed woman turned corporeal. She had short burgundy hair that she kept pulled back in a tiny ponytail. Her eyes slid over mine and slowly moved to the Shadowed.

The man pointed at me. “Take her.”

She moved toward me in slow, deliberate steps. I wondered if she could hear my skittering heart, but I lifted my chin and stared her in the eyes. This girl wasn’t messing around, but little did she know that neither was I. She pursed her lips before disappearing before my eyes.

I rolled my eyes. “I can’t see you non-corporeal. Human, remember?”

A condescending snort was the only thing I heard before her form shimmered in front of me. She unsheathed her scythe and continued down the hall in short, quick strides.

Apparently my reputation had preceded me. If it came down to it I could make them think I was powerful enough to hurt them. That was something I’d have to keep as an emergency.

“Here’s the bathroom,” she said as we stopped in front of a door. She turned around and stood at attention.

The phone felt like a brick in my pocket as I pushed through the door and was surprised to feel her presence move behind me. I whirled around, almost crashing into her.

“Excuse me,” I snapped. “A little privacy.”

Her gaze narrowed but I didn’t falter.

“You heard what Abidan said. I am here to help you. The least you can afford me is five minutes of human time. Unless you want me to take this up with him?”

Her face came within inches of mine. Her eyes slowly moving across it. “You have two minutes.” She closed the door behind her.

I started forward, reaching for the lock, but stopped when I realized that wouldn’t be any good. How did I know she wasn’t in there with me now, and had only pretended to leave? I didn’t know if she was serious about the two minutes or not, but I had no time to waste.

I checked the five stalls for anyone else. I couldn’t be too careful. I pulled out the phone and turned it on. I held it in front of me as I paced the room. Only when I stood on top of the farthest toilet seat was I able to retrieve one bar of service. The phone beeped several times and I fumbled with it, nearly dropping it in the toilet. I pressed the volume button to mute just as the door to the bathroom opened. I hopped down from the seat and locked the door, putting the phone under my shirt.

She said nothing, but I knew she was there.

“You’re delaying the inevitable with your interruptions. Back off!” I said with a steady and hopefully commanding voice.

I held my breath until the door closed.

I scrolled through the frantic text messages from Cooper. I typed back a quick message informing him that Jamie was here and to use the GPS to find me. I pressed send and stood up on the toilet again. I brushed my fingers across the wall for some sort of ledge, but I found nothing. I debated bringing the phone back with me but I couldn’t be sure that I would have another chance. I placed the phone on its side, balancing it on the stall divider. The bar remained lit up on the screen and I sent mental wishes for them to be able to locate us.

I flushed the toilet and left the stall, gently putting the door in place. I ran the water in the sink and washed my hands, delaying going back to my room to rot. I didn’t want her to come in there again so I gave one last mental wish to the phone and went to the door.

Sasha pushed past me and into the bathroom.

I cleared my dry throat. “Come on, you were the one who wanted to leave so quickly.”

She turned around in place, scanning the room before reappearing at my side.

“Let’s go,” she said as if it been her idea.

I let out a silent relieved breath as we ventured further from the bathroom toward my room.

We arrived at my prison. The Shadowed man opened the door for me. I gave Sasha a deliberate curtsy. “Thank you.”

Her expression was tight and she turned away from me. The Shadowed man marked her with a steely gaze and nodded to me. I backed up into the room, closing the door. They had been instructed to keep watch over my every movement. Even though I knew I was trapped, I still had much to do before escaping and the first person I would start with was my biggest opposition. Hannah.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

It appeared that I was quarantined to my room until Abidan wanted me. I paced around for a bit but that got old really fast. I took off my shoes and burrowed myself under the covers of the bed. I attempted to take a nap, but I was restless. Every time I closed my eyes horrible dreams filled my vision.

I dreamt of my escape with Jamie but just as we reached the outside, Hannah would appear, taking Jamie’s soul just as she did with Leha. In another one I saw her draining the souls from Ally and my father. The last time I woke up for good, I turned all thoughts to Hannah. Abidan trusted me, but Hannah was too close to him. She had the opportunity to sway him. If I could win over her trust or destroy Abidan’s trust in her I should have an advantage.

Someone knocked on the door and I sat up, pulling the covers over me.

“It’s me.” Jackson’s voice was muffled.

I ran my fingers through my hair. “Come in.”

The door opened and Jackson appeared holding a tray with a covered plate and a bottle of water. “It’s been a few hours. I thought you would be hungry.”

I raised an eyebrow. I had been in here for hours? The lack of windows didn’t help with my sense of time. There were no clocks in the room either. I suppose one wasn’t needed for living in an underground bunker, no matter how fancy the accommodations were.

Jackson placed the tray on the side table and lifted the cover off the plate. Plumes of steam rose off the stack of fluffy blueberry pancakes. I grinned. “You remembered.”

“The knowledge of your favorite meal is just the tip of the iceberg.”

I found it hard to meet his intense gaze.

He handed me the plate and a fork and I dug in.

“Did you make these?” I asked, after shoving another forkful in my mouth.

He sat next to me, his weight dipping the bed. “No, the ones I tried to make are still attached to the pan.”

I laughed, tilting my head back. Between the warmth of the pancakes and Jackson’s proximity, the stiffness in my shoulders smoothed out.

He leaned closer to me, his breath tickling my ear. “Were you able to use it?”

I nodded.

He smiled.

“What changed your mind?” I asked. “I thought the Shadowed mole within the Prognatum was supposed to lead the Guard away from the base?”

“They are pulling everyone in,” Jackson said in a voice just above a whisper. “Abidan has faith that your powers are going to come out sooner rather than later. We’re going to need backup.”

I nodded, feeling better now that we wouldn’t be completely alone.

“I hate to pry,” Jackson started, his hands twined together on his lap.

I raised my eyebrows. “
You
hate to pry?”

He chuckled lightly. “I felt a struggle from you before.”

I shook my head. “I fell asleep and had a few nightmares.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

I shook my head, glancing at the door.

“They won’t come in here,” he pressed.

I moved the tray to the table, my legs buzzing underneath me. “I dreamt about Hannah. She is the one that I am worried about. I made it clear at the warehouse that I didn’t want to go with them and now I am here. I need to make her trust me.”

Jackson stood, placing his arms on my shoulders. His fingers moved, massaging the tension from my muscles. “Hannah is used to being the one that Abidan calls upon. Now that she screwed up with him she is going to be on the defense. You just need to appeal to her.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hannah is obsessed with being the best. If you show her that your powers don’t work in this form, she will get her confidence back and you can learn how to control your talent in the process.”

I changed the subject. “What about the bond? I’m here. You should be able to break it, right?”

Jackson’s gaze moved to the floor.

“What?”

“I don’t think this is the right time to ask about that.”

“What do you mean? You fulfilled her request. Now is the perfect time.”

He shifted on the bed.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Do you want to be bound to her?”

“No,” he said, his tone not convincing me. “If I tell her that I want the bond to be broken she will suspect that I want to leave.”

“But we do want to leave!” I said a little too loud. I clamped a hand over my mouth.

His expression was serious. “We need to take this a step at a time. You figure out your powers first and then I will ask.”

The thought of him being anything to her made my throat clench.

He took my hands and squeezed them lightly. “When it is right I will do this. Don’t think I changed my mind. I just think this is for the best right now.”

I nodded. “Fine.” I stood from the bed. “But I need to get out of this room or I am going to go crazy.”

A hard knock on the door startled me. Before Jackson could open it, Hannah appeared in the room, once again unannounced. Sort of. My defenses went up right away, but a look from Jackson made me relax. If I wanted her to trust me then snapping at her wouldn’t help my cause.

She arched an eyebrow and slid her gaze from me to Jackson. “Is she ready?”

I nearly screamed. What was it about me that made people talk over me? “Hello? I am right here.” Where I had to force humanity into playing Ally, now that I was comfortably inside myself, I didn’t need to force anything. This was me. Something that had been taken away all those years ago. And I was finally demanding it back on my own terms.

Hannah blinked, her expression passive.

“She is,” Jackson said, his tone clipped.

“Great,” she replied flatly. “Let’s go.” She turned on her heel and opened the door. She flicked her wrist and the Shadowed who guarded my door moved out of the way. Hannah didn’t turn around as she made her way down the hall.

“Go ahead,” Jackson said.

“Are you coming?”

He shook his head once.

I hesitated. I had no idea what was in store for me if I followed Hannah, but it was clear that I was on my own. I pressed a kiss to Jackson’s cheek before following in Hannah’s wake.

“Abidan said I could speed up the transformation—” I said, catching up to her.

“He did?”

I didn’t bother answering, I assumed her question was rhetorical or she just wanted to get on my nerves. Either way I wasn’t going to show her any weakness.