Soul Catcher Read online

  But something was terribly wrong. As he collided with Raine, he entered her skin, sliding inside her body like an overcoat. He blinked twice, staring down at the feminine arms and hands lifted in front of his face.

  Then, he gaped in horror as his own body disappeared inside the bark of the juniper tree.

  Chapter 2

  Harrington Enterprises

  Malini straightened her skirt and pressed the button for the elevator. This had to work. She’d been trying to get an audience with Senator Bakewell for weeks, to find the Watcher who was influencing him and take the dark angel out of the equation before the next vote.

  “What’s the bill called again?” Jacob said, straitening his tie.

  “S. 5109-International Economic Assurance Act. If I read it to you, I’d give you a headache, but the bottom line is the legislation would legalize the employment of slave labor in the United States as long as the slaves were not American citizens.”

  The elevator doors opened, and the two stepped inside the privacy of the compartment. Jacob grunted. “That would effectively decriminalize human trafficking. Who would ever vote for that?”

  “No one with a clear head, but the council and I think Watchers have been influencing Bakewell for years and possibly a few other representatives. The legislation itself is confusing. Sounds like a boon for the economy to most people. If I wasn’t privy to Fatima’s loom, I probably wouldn’t understand the consequences.”

  Fatima was Fate, the immortal who lived in the In Between, weaving the destinies of every living soul on the planet into fabric. Malini alone, as the Healer, could read patterns in the fabric and use her gifts to interpret possible futures.

  “We might not fully understand the consequences, but the Watchers do. Lucifer’s up to something. I can feel it,” Jacob said, eyes darkening. The Lord of Illusions always seemed to have a plan B. After the Soulkeepers had forced Lucifer back to Hell that summer, when Abigail botched his human sacrifice, they’d thought they would get a break to regroup. No such luck.

  “Yep. I can feel it too.”

  “So, we end the Watcher and let Senator Bakewell get back to his usual philandering ways?”

  Malini giggled. “That’s the general idea.”

  “How are things with the council going, anyway?” Jacob asked.

  The new Soulkeepers’ council consisted of Malini, because she was the Healer, Abigail and Gideon, as administrators of Eden, Lillian as the head of field operations, and Grace and Master Lee as Helpers. The point of the council was to enhance the communication and coordination of the small team of Soulkeepers. The Watchers outnumbered them. Always would. Even with Mara slowing time in Nod and Hell, the Soulkeepers had to work smarter to thwart the evil Lucifer inflicted on the world.

  “Just okay,” Malini said honestly. “Sometimes I think the adults don’t take me seriously as their leader.”

  “I thought we’d moved beyond that.”

  “Me too. But it’s still there, Jake, festering under the surface. Some of the things I bring to them are hard to accept. Like when Bonnie and Samantha couldn’t return to Nebraska.” Her eyes darted down to her tangled fingers. “They lost the restaurant. I thought Grace was going to blow a gasket.”

  “They’re not chained to Eden. If Grace would rather take her chances with the Watchers, she can be my guest. That goes for the twins too.”

  “Jake!”

  “I’m just saying, Malini, they should consider the alternative before taking their frustration out on you.”

  The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. Malini and Jacob stepped into a vast, pale space, all steel, glass, and ivory sandstone floors. Malini’s heels click-clacked as she crossed the foyer to the front desk. Shiny metal letters on the dark wood read Harrington Enterprises.

  A slender blonde with a French manicure ended the call she was on and fixed them with a hard, green-eyed stare. “Can I help you?”

  “We’re here to interview Senator Bakewell for our school newspaper. His assistant told us he’d be here meeting with Mr. Harrington and would have a few minutes to talk with us.”

  “One moment, please.” Abruptly, the woman stood and power-walked down the hall.

  “That was weird,” Jacob said.

  “Did you smell her?”

  “Yeah. Eau de Watcher with a core of human. Possessed or influenced?”

  “Influenced. Long term by the strength of the aroma.” Malini rubbed her nose. “I’m texting Lillian for backup. I’ll have her wait in the lobby, just in case.” Her fingers flew and then she tucked the phone back into her pocket.

  Jacob reached out with his power. If the blonde was influenced, he might need a weapon. “There’s a pitcher of water in the conference room to your right, a bathroom down the hall, and a jug of it this way. Maybe some sort of break room,” Jacob whispered. “You’re covered.”

  “Let’s try to do this without making a scene. She’s human. She probably doesn’t know what we are. Keep this low profile, less to clean up later.”

  Jacob nodded.

  Click-Clack. The blonde returned, a cardboard smile on her face. “Right this way.”

  She led them along the windows overlooking the magnificent mile to a door labeled Conference Room D. She rapped lightly.

  “Come in,” a man’s voice drawled.

  The woman opened the door. “I have your twelve o’clock. School interview.”

  “Send them in, Amanda.”

  Amanda stepped aside, directing them inside with a swing of her arm. A stoic man in a crisp gray suit raised a cup of coffee to his lips before standing to welcome them.

  “Senator Bakewell?”

  “The one and only.” Bakewell’s smile lit up the room.

  Malini walked around the conference room table and politely extended her hand.

  Bakewell stared at her offered handshake and cleared his throat. “Sorry to be rude but I’ve had a bought of illness recently. Amanda should have explained, I can’t touch you. Call me a germaphobe!” He gave a deep laugh. “Truly, it’s as much to protect you as me, darlin’.”

  Malini lowered herself to the chair next to him, flashing Jacob a pensive look. If she couldn’t touch the senator, she couldn’t heal him of his Watcher influence. Of course, if they didn’t find and kill the Watcher responsible, there was no point anyway. He’d be influenced again in no time.

  Jacob pulled out a chair across the table and sat down.

  “I’m Mandy Witherspoon from St. Scholastica High School. Thank you for agreeing to this interview.”

  “Always interested in helping the future of America,” Bakewell said. “And who are you?” he asked Jacob.

  “Oh, I’m Fred.” Jacob held the man’s stare for a second. “Er, I’m just her ride.”

  Bakewell laughed. “Behind every successful woman is a man who can parallel park.”

  Jacob chuckled, but Malini’s mouth pressed into a flat line, silencing them both. “Why don’t we get started? Your assistant said you only had a few minutes.”

  “She would know.” Bakewell nodded.

  Malini pulled a pen from her purse and opened her notebook to a blank page. “How did you get your start in politics?”

  “My father was a politician. You could say serving the American people is in my blood. As soon as I’d earned my law degree, I pursued a career in politics. My first position was mayor of the little town of Pointer, Ohio.”

  Malini cut him off. “I have a history of your career. It’s very impressive.”

  He tilted his head. “Thank you, young lady.”

  “Can you tell me what legislation you’re most excited about right now?”

  “Sure. I’ve sponsored a bill to increase the penalties for illegal drug possession and another to increase our investment research into biological energy alternatives.”

  “Biological energy alternatives?” Jacob asked.

  Malini shot him a sharp look. He shrugged apologetically.

  Bakewell chuckl
ed. “The driver speaks! There’s a professor at UCLA who thinks he can genetically modify bacteria to produce petroleum. If his research pans out, we could put the little buggers in our landfills where they’d eat our garbage and poop out oil. I think that idea’s worth some government funding, don’t you?”

  Jacob nodded.

  “What can you tell us about S. 5109?” Malini asked.

  The smile faded from Bakewell’s face and his cheek twitched under his left eye. He took another drink of coffee, his eyes rolling in his head as he tilted the cup back. At the same time he set the mug down, he checked his watch.

  “I am awfully sorry; it appears we’re out of time. I hope you’ve got enough for your interview. If you want any other information, feel free to ask Amanda at the front desk.”

  “But I’ve only asked you three questions!” Malini protested.

  Bakewell stood and pushed in his chair.

  “I can see you’re busy.” Malini stood and motioned for Jacob to do the same. She held up a finger and flashed a charming smile. “Please Senator, one more thing. Your coffee smells delicious. Would it be okay if we grabbed a cup before we go?”

  “Of course. Down the hall and to the right.” Bakewell gave her a curt nod and rounded the table, holding the door open for the two of them.

  “Nice to meet you, Mandy and, uh, Fred.” He poked his head into the hall. “Amanda!”

  The blonde came click-clacking from the front desk. “Yes, Senator Bakewell?”

  “Please show Mandy and Fred to the refreshment area and then show them out. Let Harrington know I’m ready for him.”

  “Yes, sir.” Amanda pointed a hand in the direction she came from. “Right this way.”

  Malini followed her directions, Jacob sidling up next to her.

  “What now, Mandy?” Jacob asked.

  “Now, we get a drink,” she said.

  Amanda stepped ahead of them and opened the door to a small kitchenette area with three vending machines, a microwave, and a coffee pot next to the water cooler. “Help yourself,” she said. “Cups are in the cabinet. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be back to check on you in a moment.” She took off toward her desk, no doubt to inform Mr. Harrington the senator was waiting.

  Malini reached into the cabinet and pulled down a Styrofoam cup. She poured a half cup of coffee.

  “Care to share what we’re doing in here?” Jacob said.

  Raising the cup to her nose, Malini sniffed. “It’s in the coffee,” she said.

  “What’s in the coffee?”

  “Watcher elixir. Here, smell.”

  Malini held the cup under Jacob’s nose, the scent of cinnamon, sulfur, and spice growing stronger with the movement.

  Jacob sniffed, then gagged. “Yep. That’s the stuff. Doesn’t make sense though. He spends most of his time in Washington, D.C. Do you think the Watcher is here?”

  She dumped the coffee down the sink and stared at the wall. “I’m not sure. Amanda has been influenced for quite some time, and she lives here. Bakewell is here regularly but not frequently enough to maintain the type of influence I suspect. The Watcher must be reaching him in D.C. too.”

  “Huh,” Jacob said. He leaned up against the counter and sighed.

  Healer or not, trying to think like a Watcher was never easy. With a deep breath, she rinsed the cup out and poured herself some water. She raised the Styrofoam to her lips.

  Sniff-sniff. She lowered the cup and stared down into the water. “What business is Harrington Enterprises in, Jacob?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Can you Google it?”

  Jacob pulled out his phone and typed the company’s name into the search bar. “A bunch of things: pharmaceuticals, energy, water purification.”

  Malini held the cup under his nose.

  Jacob took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s in the water.”

  “Gives new meaning to drinking the Kool-Aid,” Malini said.

  “Looks like Lucifer is up to his old tricks again.”

  “Yeah, and there’s nothing we can do. The Watcher might not even be here. It’s wherever this water is bottled.”

  They both stared at the water cooler as if it would sprout lips and start giving them answers. Out of the corner of her eye, Malini glimpsed a man in a sharp navy suit pass by the open door to the break room. Something about the way he moved was too graceful, inhuman. She turned her head to get a better look. Dark wavy hair, a smile that could sell toothpaste, and navy blue eyes. He straightened his red tie, and then moved beyond her line of sight. The saccharine sweet, sulfur scent of Watcher hit her and Jacob at the same time.

  “He’s—”

  Jacob was already around the corner. Malini followed, kicking off her heeled shoes and running down the hall at breakneck speed. As she turned the corner into the long stretch of hallway to the atrium, she saw the Watcher tapping the button for the elevator frantically. Unnatural eyes locked onto hers, and a knowing, nervous smile twitched across the demon’s face. Without missing a step, Jacob’s hand moved toward his ankle, calling the water from his flask. He hadn’t counted on Amanda. She leapt around the desk, blocking their target with her body and distracting Jacob.

  “Hey, you can’t run in here,” she said.

  He shoved her out of the way in time to see Blue Suit disappear into the stairwell. Malini cruised around Amanda, kicking off the desk to pick up speed and corner into the stairwell. Luckily, bright light filtered through windows lining the small space. Sunlight limited a Watcher’s power; they might have a prayer of catching him.

  In defiance of gravity, Jacob cartwheeled over the stair rail, dropping to the landing a floor below. The move would be dangerous for an ordinary human, but Soulkeepers developed superhuman agility and strength over time. The Watcher wasn’t smiling anymore.

  Down, down, she pursued, floors flying by, hot on the demon’s heels. The male frantically tried a doorknob, a gold lion’s head ring flashing in the bright sunlight. Locked. Malini smiled. Jacob succeeded in reaching his flask and his broadsword of ice formed in his palm. They had him!

  With suicidal resolve, the Watcher dove over the railing, twisting out of reach of Jacob’s stabbing blade. Malini watched the demon drop to the landing below, forcing her feet to move faster down the stairs. Only, they’d reached a lower level of the building, and the topography changed. This floor housed a spa with a tranquil atmosphere, partially drawn curtains decorating the stairwell. The Watcher grinned at her one last time before sinking into a sliver of shadow. Navy blue eyes, suit, and golden lion’s head ring disappeared in a plume of smoke, leaving behind only a wisp of sulfur stench.

  “Damn!” Malini rolled her eyes at the ornate doors to the spa with contempt.

  Jacob channeled his sword back into his flask. “Do you think he was the source of contamination?”

  “I don’t know. The elixir was inside the bottled water. If that was the Watcher responsible, he contaminated the bottle at the source. Senator Bakewell spends most of his time in Washington. If he’s influencing him there too, we’ve got a very busy Watcher on our hands.”

  “Still, it’s possible.”

  “Yeah, but did you notice his suit? He’s posing as an executive. There’s something else going on here, Jacob.”

  “We could go back upstairs and grill Amanda for more info.”

  “She’s influenced too. She won’t tell us anything.”

  “Then what do you suggest?”

  “We need to collect ourselves, talk to the council, and do our homework on Harrington Enterprises. My gut tells me this is bigger than Senator Bakewell.”

  “Shoes?” Jacob asked, glancing at her bare feet.

  She shook her head.

  “You’re the boss.” He led the way toward the atrium to meet Lillian.

  “And I can parallel park too,” Malini said under her breath.

  Chapter 3

  The Council

  The next day, Malini arrived in
Eden alone with two things on her mind: Harrington Enterprises and Cheveyo. She needed to ask Abigail and Gideon for help researching where the infected Harrington water was produced and distributed. Until she understood the connection between Senator Bakewell and Harrington, she was putting out a fire with an eyedropper.

  Cheveyo was another story entirely. He’d been missing far too long. With two experienced Helpers on the case, finding him should have been easy, but every lead came up empty. She’d even visited the In Between and searched for his thread. Maybe he’d been taken by the Watchers? She hoped not. They needed every Soulkeeper left alive to stand any chance of keeping Lucifer at bay.

  Abigail met her at the door. “No Jacob today?”

  “Laudner family brunch.”

  “Ah yes. How is Aunt Veronica doing?”

  “Ninety-six and still gripping to life with both crotchety hands.” Malini laughed.

  “Same as I remember then.” Abigail led the way through the jeweled foyer of The Eden School for Soulkeepers.

  “How are things with you and Gideon?” Malini asked.

  “Oh…Uh…Good, I suppose. Settling in.”

  “You don’t sound thrilled exactly. Is married life not what you expected?” Immediately, Malini regretted the all too personal question.

  She dipped her head. “Oh, marriage is fine…perfect actually. Eden, on the other hand…”

  “What about Eden?”

  “Honestly, sometimes this place feels like a prison. Both Gideon and I would rather be working alongside the other Soulkeepers.”

  First Grace and the twins, now Abigail. Didn’t anyone appreciate the safety of Eden? Malini paused outside the hallway. “I’m sorry, Dr. Silva. It’s just too dangerous for you right now.”