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  I would have staked my life on it.

  Chapter 4

  I prayed that my encounter with her hadn’t endangered Samuel in any way. I was still confused as to why he refused to return to his body, why he insisted on astral projecting year after year, leaving his physical form to slowly rot away.

  Steph walked into the room, rubbing her wet hair dry with a towel. She pointed to the dresser. “There’s a letter there for you. I think it’s from the Fontaines’ doctor.” I got to my feet and grabbed the letter from the dresser. My legs were numb, and the swift movement made me feel a little lightheaded, so I sank onto the floor and sat cross-legged as I scanned the letter.

  “You look like it’s bad news.”

  I swallowed. “Samuel’s doctors are saying his organs are beginning to shut down. They want to remove him to a care facility and put him on life support.” My eyes filled with tears at the thought of Samuel being moved to an unfamiliar place.

  Steph sighed. “At least he’ll be taken care of.”

  “He wouldn’t like it. He loves his old home.”

  “I am pretty sure he’d love a non-rotten corpse more. If he decides to come home, I suspect he’d be a little unhappy if his body were no longer capable of sustaining life. He’d be right back where he is now. Roaming the astral planes until he fades out of existence.”

  “When did you get so wise?” I asked her, a sad smile forming unbidden.

  “Since I started needing to sleep with one eye open.”

  I laughed as I crawled under the covers. The sun was beginning to creep in at the edges of the block-out drapes, but neither Steph nor I were ever bothered by it. In fact, I preferred sleeping in the day as the spirit seemed less active when the sun was out.

  “Heard from Drake?” Steph asked as she yawned and plumped up her pillow.

  “Not a peep,” I said, really disliking the situation. “I wish he’d left a number, or at least a location where we could send up smoke signals or something. How are we supposed to get in touch with him?” I knew I was saying out loud exactly what Steph was thinking.

  Then I sighed. “I guess I’m also very unhappy that I couldn’t help him. Or at least go with him as backup.”

  “Backup against what? Big Daddy Gargoyle?”

  I couldn’t help snorting out loud at that. “Gargoyles are not known for sweetness and light and rainbow-pooping unicorns. They are super dangerous. For all we know, Drake is lying dead somewhere in an alley in Gargoyle-land.”

  “So now his father is a gangster who would off his son just because he felt like it?” Steph shook her head.

  “I don’t know what his family’s deal is, but what I do know is they may as well be the mob for how ruthless they are.”

  “Let’s just wait until he gets home. There isn’t any point sitting here making up scenarios when for all we know he’s sunning himself on some Gargoylian beach being served by topless female slaves and getting a good tan in the process.”

  I laughed, forgetting for the briefest few moments that my entire life was in disarray.

  Steph waved a finger at me. “If there is anything I know about Drake it’s that he is totally loyal to you. He’ll be back here as soon as possible. You just wait and see.” Steph grinned. “Now all we need is to get some djinn-hotness over here, and we’ll be all set.”

  “Don’t start. I’m so worried about Saleem right now I can barely sleep at night.”

  “That’s called having an itch that needs scratching.”

  “Shut up, Steph. You know exactly what I mean. He’s been gone too long now for me to keep thinking everything is safe. I’m going to speak to High Councilman Carter to see if I can put a team together to go to Mithras and bring him home.”

  “Sure. I’d love to see you pull that one off and still have a boyfriend when the dust settles.”

  “Whatever happens the results will most likely be the same.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” asked Steph covering her mouth as she yawned loudly.

  “It means that when Saleem finds out that I’m in cahoots with his mother and that she was the one who wanted him to go back home to see to his brother, he’s going to be so pissed.”

  “What the hell,” Steph mumbled. “You sure know how to live life on the edge, don’t you? I want to be there when you spin the tale to explain to Saleem what happened.”

  I snorted, still only half believing that I’d spilled the beans to Steph. I hadn’t intended it, but it seemed my tongue had developed a mind of its own.

  “Believe me, I ain’t going down alone. If I go down then so will his mother. She promised to ensure Saleem understood.”

  Steph was serious now. “Whatever happens, Saleem needs to get home fast so that we can get his mother to safety.”

  Another thing I was almost going to refute. Queen Aisha remained in captivity, but not because she had to be. She’d made a choice to keep her children and her kingdom safe, and part of that choice meant she’d need to remain within the safe-house until such time as Omega saw fit to free her and give her back her realm.

  She’d been afraid that her younger son would not be strong enough, that he would by now have yielded to Omega.

  I suspected that Omega would have done the very same thing to Rizwan as they’d done to Aisha and Saleem, forcing him to submit under threat against the lives of his mother and brother. Omega seemed to have excelled at using family as a subtle bargaining chip. Or probably that was a little too mild a description.

  Blackmail. Extortion. Kidnapping.

  There were so many legitimate charges that could be laid at Omega’s feet. That they were currently under full investigation by the Elite did nothing to help with my fears.

  More so because I’d seen it with my own eyes; Omega agents working for and on behalf of Omega, the muscles and organs keeping the headless snake alive.

  Sleep weighed heavily on my body, and I found it hard to keep my eyes open. As I drifted off, a face swam in my vision. An image of Saleem, calling out to me, waving at me as if trying to flag me down.

  He called out, and his voice echoed around me. But the one word he uttered made my blood still, even when I’d already begun to drift off.

  Exhausted, I fell asleep, the single word tumbling around in my mind.

  “Help.”

  Chapter 5

  When my eyes opened four hours later, there were two things I couldn’t stop thinking about, one of which was Saleem’s cry for help. Was the dream a premonition of just my own mind manifesting my worry for his wellbeing?

  I hated not being able to contact him while he was in Mithras, and I decided there and then that a visit to his mother was required, even if just to ease my own mind. As selfish as that sounded, I needed to have at least one of my constant fears put to rest. Even if for just a short while.

  My second worry was Samuel.

  I hadn’t heard from my mentor and friend for too long, and though I’d never really expected to have him be in constant contact with me, I’d gotten used to his irregular attempts at connecting. The last time I’d heard from him, I’d run into a strange, and very powerful demon. One who I was afraid was keeping Samuel prisoner.

  Shifting my head, I watched Steph as she snored softly beside me. Reluctantly, I slipped from under the covers, careful not to wake her. Our agreement was I’d wake her to keep watch as I showered, but we’d had an exhausting run in the past few days, and I knew she needed rest just as much, if not more, as I did.

  Rising slowly from the bed to avoid jarring the bracelet on my wrist—they had the tendency to crack loudly against each other—I glanced at my soiled pillowcase, where bloodstains streaked the pale blue cotton. Gritting my teeth, I lifted the pillow off the bed and tiptoed to the bathroom where I stripped the pillowcase from it and tossed it into a second basket that I’d begun to keep beside the normal one for dirty clothes.

  Something about tossing the bloodied cloth in with our normal washing made me feel uneasy, as if
doing so would spread the negative aura that my demon had cast over me. It was stupid but whoever said humans always did things because they made sense?

  As I crossed the floor, the bedroom brightened again, the lightning activity outside still so strong it lit the room from around the thick drapes.

  I left the door to the bathroom ajar, used the toilet and then brushed my teeth as quickly as I could, avoiding the bloodied water when I rinsed and spat. My gums had begun to bleed too, something that had scared Steph when she’d seen me bleeding from the mouth. What I hadn’t told her was I’d begun to leak from my ears too.

  I was in deep shit if I started to bleed from my eyes.

  I showered and dressed, then left the house with Steph still asleep and a note on the bed beside her. I’d thrown the blood-stained pillowcase into the wash and had left her a note to ensure they dried. We were living like an old married couple, which was both funny and sad at the same time.

  I hurried out to the back of the yard and entered the garage, checking that Steph’s little electric car was fully charged. I’d begun to use it instead of the truck, only because it seemed to be almost immune to the tokolosje’s magic.

  I’d much prefer to drive a vehicle that didn’t stop dead in the middle of a busy highway while going eighty miles per hour.

  This spirit meant business in its attempts to end my life.

  The drive over to Samuel’s was quiet, more peaceful a time than I’d had in the last week. My only worry was a slight curiosity as to which orifice would be next to bleed. I looked up in the rear-view mirror and found myself grinning a little maniacally.

  It wasn’t amusing.

  But what could I do but see the funny side of things.

  I drove over to Samuel’s mansion, barely paying attention to the giant oaks or the beautiful countryside that usually allowed me some peace. The Fontaine mansion went back centuries, all the way back to the old slave-owning family who the current Fontaines now looked upon in disdain.

  They were descendants of the very slaves that the original Fontaine family had owned, and had grown and prospered on the sweat of their brow not to mention the blood of their backs, to buy the plantation from their forefathers a century ago.

  Now the beautiful mansion housed one man, Samuel Fontaine.

  I entered the silent house, feeling the cool air of the entry hall bathe my skin as I dropped my bag and jacket on the sideboard. I hurried upstairs listening to voices that echoed somewhere within the house. The family came and went with Samuel’s Aunt Rosella— as well as a full-time nurse—now in residence to take over his personal care.

  Entering his room, I was glad to see that the windows were shut to keep out the muggy morning air. I moved to the bed, a lump in my throat at the sight of him. In those rare moments when he’d come back to reassure us that he was okay, he’d insist on being seated at the table near the balcony doors, where he could look over the plantation, see the sunshine. His prone unmoving form brought tears to my eyes, more especially his sightless eyes as he stared up at the ceiling, all color gone.

  The nurse entered the room giving me a small smile. I knew she meant it as reassuring, but I was also well aware that she believed there was no hope for him. But she didn’t know the truth, she had no clue that Samuel’s life was tethered to this unmoving husk. As long as his body survived so would he. And I had to do everything in my power to ensure that nobody did anything to endanger his life. I was afraid too that either the nurses or Samuel’s well-meaning family would consider euthanasia to ease his suffering.

  I had no intention of letting that happen.

  I stared at him, unconsciously counting the various tubes attached to him, the IV hanging on the pole beside his bed, the pale flaking skin, the hollow sound of the ventilator as it pumped air into his lungs. I couldn’t let this continue to happen.

  I had to go and find him, bring him back home so that he could join with his body, even if for a short time until his living form was strong enough. I knew whatever he was doing in the demon realms was important, but I wasn’t sure he realized how bad his physical self had deteriorated. I had to find him and bring him back, and the only way to do that was to walk the ether, to travel to him.

  And the only way to do that was to rid myself of the poltergeist.

  Things were now on a different keel; my health no longer my main impetus. Samuel’s life was now on the line.

  I moved to his side and sat on the chair close to the bed. Rummaging inside the bedside drawer, I found a tube of body lotion. I proceeded to rub the rich creme into his hands, sadness filling me at the feel of his bones, of the lack of muscle. His body was eating itself, and before long he wouldn’t be able to survive.

  Suddenly devoid of energy, my strength failing, I leaned over, placing my forehead on his hand. Tears burned beneath my lids but I refused to let them fall. Just as I was about to straighten up, the room tilted and changed.

  I stiffened as the walls turned to stone and the ceiling was now jagged rock.

  A man strode along, heading up a darkened corridor. I kept pace trying to get ahead of him, wondering if it was Samuel I saw.

  The shape of the man’s body was nothing like Samuel’s, being muscular and tall. He paused at the junction where the corridor met another at a T. Then he looked at me, and I stiffened as I studied his face. Studied two faces, not one.

  Samuel’s image floated over the face of this demon, at once making me shudder and filling me with relief.

  “Samuel? Are you okay?”

  He looked over at me and smiled although his image was weaker and flickering as if he wasn’t able to hold onto the projected control. Even more of a concern.

  “It won’t be long now. I promise.”

  I shook my head. “You have to come home, Sam. You’re dying.”

  “I’ll be fine. It’s not long now.”

  “It may be too late. Sam, you have to come home now. Come home and get better, get stronger and then you can go back.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t risk it. If I come back, there’s nobody here to look out for her.”

  “Sam, please. Is this woman so valuable that you will sacrifice your life for her?” I shook my head now. “Surely you don’t want to kill yourself doing this?”

  He smiled, the expression serene, at peace, as if death was nothing he feared.

  That terrified me more than anything.

  Samuel was willing to give his life to save this woman.

  A woman who resembled Ari.

  Was Samuel really keeping Ari safe? Or had I gotten it all wrong?

  I stared at him, thinking that perhaps it would be better if I tried to take him home now, even if I had to force him. It would mean I’d need to put myself under extreme stress, possibly even injure myself in the process, but at that moment, so intensely desperate for Sam to be safe and healthy, I was ready to do anything.

  I moved toward him, but he must have seen something in my eyes, or in the way I’d steeled my spine to do this. He shrank back, and turned to stare at me.

  I blinked, feeling his absence like a blow to the gut, then found myself staring into the eyes of a furious demon.

  Swallowing a growl of frustration, I relaxed and returned to my body, aware that I’d traveled without consciously sending myself somewhere.

  When I blinked and inhaled, returning to consciousness, I was surprised to find myself being manhandled by someone.

  I opened my eyes and found I was staring at the ceiling, registering slowing that the wooden floor beneath me was surprisingly warm, and the blood on the towels the nurse held was a surprisingly bright red.

  I groaned again and tried to lift my head off the floor. “Don’t move,” the woman snapped, and she pressed my forehead back and held me to the floor. “I just cleaned up the blood from your nose so stay with your head straight. The bleeding has stopped but don’t push it. There’s enough blood on the floor right now that it’s going to be hell to clean.”

 
; The woman grumbled as she bustled around but I knew she was just saying things to fill the dead air in the room. She was a good-natured nurse, and I’d been glad that she’d come on board. Sam needed people around him who would brighten his day.

  A few minutes passed, in which I obeyed the nurse and remained still, before she returned and said, “I’m calling the ambulance. I’m pretty sure you need a hospital. With the amount you just bled all over the place, I think you might need a transfusion.”

  I lifted my head then sat up, “No. No ambulance. No hospital.”

  The nurse muttered something under her breath, but I knew she wouldn’t push it. Still, I decided it was probably best that I got out of there in case she changed her mind.

  I got to my feet, ignoring the tut-tutting of the nurse as I wiped more dried blood from my nose and cheeks. I checked on Samuel first, giving his hand a last squeeze before I backed away from the bed, my hands shaking as I studied his face, the pit of my stomach twisting as if my fear had coalesced into a living thing.

  I cleared my throat and straightened my spine, turning and hurrying downstairs and out of the building as fast as I could.

  I had intended on visiting Natasha later in the day, but now as the sun streamed down on my head, I knew I couldn’t waste any more time.

  Focus on Samuel.

  And the only way to do that is to be rid of the poltergeist.

  Chapter 6

  I decided to drive out to visit Natasha immediately, barely paying any attention as I thought about the visions I’d just experienced at Samuel’s.

  I was getting tired of visions that told me so little, of taking one tiny step at a time even though time was running out fast.

  Samuel often sent me messages, but never before a vision that had taken so much from me.