My Soul to Save
Page 4
And suddenly neither was I.
My hand clenched Nashs, and my heart raced in dreadful anticipation of the keening that would rip its way from my throat as the pop stars soul left her body. A bean sidhes wail can shatter not just glass, but eardrums. The frequency resonates painfully in the human brain, so that the sound seems to rattle from both outside and within.
Breathe, Kaylee, Nash whispered into my ear, wrapping both arms around me as his voice cocooned my heart, his Influence soothing, comforting. A male bean sidhes voice is like an audio-sedative, without the side effects of the chemical version. Nash could make the screaming stop, or at least lower its volume and intensity. Just breathe through it. So I did. I watched the stage over his shoulder and breathed, waiting for Eden to die.
Waiting for the scream to build deep inside me.
But the scream didnt come.
Onstage, someones foot hit Edens microphone, and it rolled across the floor and into the pit. No one noticed, because Eden still wasnt breathing. But I wasnt wailing, either.
Slowly, I loosened my grip on Nash and felt relief settle through me as logic prevailed over my dread. Eden wasnt wearing a death shrouda translucent black haze surrounding the soon-to-be-dead, visible only to female bean sidhes. Shes fine. I smiled in spite of the horrified expressions surrounding me. Shes gonna be fine. Because if she were going to die, Id already be screaming.
Im a female bean sidhe. Thats what we do.
No, she isnt, Tod said softly, and we turned to find him still staring at the stage. The reaper pointed, and I followed his finger until my gaze found Eden again, surrounded by her mother, bodyguards, and odd members of the crew, one of whom was now giving her mouth-to-mouth. And as I watched, a foggy, ethereal substance began to rise slowly from the stars body like a snake from its charmers basket.
Rather than floating toward the ceiling, as a soul should, Edens seemed heavy, like it might sink to the ground around her instead. It was thick, yet colorless. And undulating through it were ribbons of darkness, swirling as if stirred by an unfelt breeze.
My breath caught in my throat, but I let it go almost immediately, because though I had no idea what that substance was, I knew without a doubt what it wasnt.
Eden had no soul.
2
WHAT IS THAT? I whispered frantically, tugging Nashs hand. Its not a soul. And if shes dead, how come Im not screaming?
What is what. Nash hissed, and I realized he couldnt see Edens not-soul. Male bean sidhes can only see elements of the Netherworldincluding freed soulswhen a female bean sidhe wails. Apparently the same held true for whatever ethereal sludge was oozing from Edens body.
Nash glanced around to make sure no one was listening to us, but there was really noneed. Eden was the center of attention.
Tod rolled his eyes and pulled one hand from the pocket of his baggy jeans. Look over there. He pointed not toward the stage, but across it, where more people watched the spectacle from the opposite wing. Do you see her?
I see lots of hers. People scrambled on the other side of the stage, most speaking into cell phones. A couple of vultures even snapped pictures of the fallen singer, and indignation burned deep in my chest.
But Tod continued to point, so I squinted into the dark wing. Whatever he wanted me to see probably wasnt native to the human world so it wouldnt be immediately obvious.
And thats when I found her.
The womans tall, slim form created a darker spot in the already-thick shadows, a mere suggestion of a shape. Her eyes were the only part of her I could focus on, glowing like green embers in the gloom. Who is she? I glanced at Nash and he nodded, telling me he could see her too. Which likely meant she was letting us see her
Thats Libby, from Special Projects. An odd, eager light shone in blue eyes Tod usually kept shadowed by brows drawn low. When this weeks list came down, she came with it, for this one job.
He was talking about the reapers list, which contained the names and the exact place and time of death of everyone scheduled to die in the local area within a one-week span.
You knew this was going to happen? Even knowing he was a reaper, I couldnt believe how different Tods reaction to death was from mine. Unlike most people, it wasnt my own death I fearedit was everyone elses. The sight of the deceaseds soul would mark my own descent into madness. At least, thats what most people thought of my screaming fits. Humans had no idea that my hysterical shrieking actually suspended a persons soul as it leaves its body.
Sometimes I wished I still lived in human ignorance, but those days were over for me, for better or for worse.
I couldnt turn down the chance to watch Libby work. Shes a legend. Tod shrugged. And seeing Addy was a bonus.
Well, thanks so much for dragging us along! Nash snapped.
What is she? I asked as another cluster of people rushed past ustwo more bodyguards and a short, slight man whose face looked pinched with professional concern and curiosity. Probably a doctor. And whats so special about this assignment?
Libbys a very special reaper. Tods short, blond goatee glinted in the blue-tinted overhead lights as he spoke. She was called in because that he pointed to the substance the female reaper now was steadily inhaling from Edens body, over a twenty-foot span and dozens of heads isnt a soul. Its Demons Breath.
My hand clenched Nashs, and my heart raced in dreadful anticipation of the keening that would rip its way from my throat as the pop stars soul left her body. A bean sidhes wail can shatter not just glass, but eardrums. The frequency resonates painfully in the human brain, so that the sound seems to rattle from both outside and within.
Breathe, Kaylee, Nash whispered into my ear, wrapping both arms around me as his voice cocooned my heart, his Influence soothing, comforting. A male bean sidhes voice is like an audio-sedative, without the side effects of the chemical version. Nash could make the screaming stop, or at least lower its volume and intensity. Just breathe through it. So I did. I watched the stage over his shoulder and breathed, waiting for Eden to die.
Waiting for the scream to build deep inside me.
But the scream didnt come.
Onstage, someones foot hit Edens microphone, and it rolled across the floor and into the pit. No one noticed, because Eden still wasnt breathing. But I wasnt wailing, either.
Slowly, I loosened my grip on Nash and felt relief settle through me as logic prevailed over my dread. Eden wasnt wearing a death shrouda translucent black haze surrounding the soon-to-be-dead, visible only to female bean sidhes. Shes fine. I smiled in spite of the horrified expressions surrounding me. Shes gonna be fine. Because if she were going to die, Id already be screaming.
Im a female bean sidhe. Thats what we do.
No, she isnt, Tod said softly, and we turned to find him still staring at the stage. The reaper pointed, and I followed his finger until my gaze found Eden again, surrounded by her mother, bodyguards, and odd members of the crew, one of whom was now giving her mouth-to-mouth. And as I watched, a foggy, ethereal substance began to rise slowly from the stars body like a snake from its charmers basket.
Rather than floating toward the ceiling, as a soul should, Edens seemed heavy, like it might sink to the ground around her instead. It was thick, yet colorless. And undulating through it were ribbons of darkness, swirling as if stirred by an unfelt breeze.
My breath caught in my throat, but I let it go almost immediately, because though I had no idea what that substance was, I knew without a doubt what it wasnt.
Eden had no soul.
2
WHAT IS THAT? I whispered frantically, tugging Nashs hand. Its not a soul. And if shes dead, how come Im not screaming?
What is what. Nash hissed, and I realized he couldnt see Edens not-soul. Male bean sidhes can only see elements of the Netherworldincluding freed soulswhen a female bean sidhe wails. Apparently the same held true for whatever ethereal sludge was oozing from Edens body.
Nash glanced around to make sure no one was listening to us, but there was really noneed. Eden was the center of attention.
Tod rolled his eyes and pulled one hand from the pocket of his baggy jeans. Look over there. He pointed not toward the stage, but across it, where more people watched the spectacle from the opposite wing. Do you see her?
I see lots of hers. People scrambled on the other side of the stage, most speaking into cell phones. A couple of vultures even snapped pictures of the fallen singer, and indignation burned deep in my chest.
But Tod continued to point, so I squinted into the dark wing. Whatever he wanted me to see probably wasnt native to the human world so it wouldnt be immediately obvious.
And thats when I found her.
The womans tall, slim form created a darker spot in the already-thick shadows, a mere suggestion of a shape. Her eyes were the only part of her I could focus on, glowing like green embers in the gloom. Who is she? I glanced at Nash and he nodded, telling me he could see her too. Which likely meant she was letting us see her
Thats Libby, from Special Projects. An odd, eager light shone in blue eyes Tod usually kept shadowed by brows drawn low. When this weeks list came down, she came with it, for this one job.
He was talking about the reapers list, which contained the names and the exact place and time of death of everyone scheduled to die in the local area within a one-week span.
You knew this was going to happen? Even knowing he was a reaper, I couldnt believe how different Tods reaction to death was from mine. Unlike most people, it wasnt my own death I fearedit was everyone elses. The sight of the deceaseds soul would mark my own descent into madness. At least, thats what most people thought of my screaming fits. Humans had no idea that my hysterical shrieking actually suspended a persons soul as it leaves its body.
Sometimes I wished I still lived in human ignorance, but those days were over for me, for better or for worse.
I couldnt turn down the chance to watch Libby work. Shes a legend. Tod shrugged. And seeing Addy was a bonus.
Well, thanks so much for dragging us along! Nash snapped.
What is she? I asked as another cluster of people rushed past ustwo more bodyguards and a short, slight man whose face looked pinched with professional concern and curiosity. Probably a doctor. And whats so special about this assignment?
Libbys a very special reaper. Tods short, blond goatee glinted in the blue-tinted overhead lights as he spoke. She was called in because that he pointed to the substance the female reaper now was steadily inhaling from Edens body, over a twenty-foot span and dozens of heads isnt a soul. Its Demons Breath.
