My Soul to Save
Page 8

 Rachel Vincent

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Warn her of what? That shes going to kill herself? Nashs shoes squeaked as we rounded a corner. Dont you think she already knows that?
Maybe not. Tod stopped when the hallway ended in a T, glancing both ways in indecision. Maybe whatevers supposed to drive her to suicide hasnt happened yet. He looked to the left again, then took off toward the right.
Wait! I lunged forward and grabbed his arm, relieved when my hand didnt pass right through him. Do you even know where youre going?
No clue. He shrugged, looking more like his brother in that moment than ever before. I know where her dressing room is, but I dont know how to get there from here, and I cant just pop in without losing you two.
I didnt want to know how he knew where her dressing room was, but considering how often hed gone invisible to spy on me, the answer seemed obvious.
Yeah, physics is a real bitch. Nash rolled his beautiful hazel eyes and leaned with one shoulder against the wall like he had nowhere better to be.
You dont have to wait for us. As cool as it would have been to meet Addison Page, telling a rising star that she was going to end both her career and her life in less than a week was so not on my to-do list. I think Im going to sit this one out. I propped my hands on my hips and glanced at Nash to see if he was with me, but he and Tod wore identical, half amused, half reluctant expressions. What?
Im dead, Kaylee. Tod stopped in front of the first door wed come to, his hand on the knob. Addy came to my funeral. I cant show up in her dressing room two years after I was buried and tell her not to kill herself. That would just be rude.
I laughed at his idea of post-death etiquette, pretty sure that rude was a bit of an understatement. But I sobered quickly when his point sank in. Wait, you want us to tell her?
If she sees me, shell freak out and spend the last days of her life in the psych ward.
I bristled, irritated by the reminder of my own brief stay in the land of sedatives and straitjackets. Its called the mental health unit, thank you. And we are not going to go tell your famous ex-girlfriend to lighten up or shell be joining you six feet under. That would be rude.
She wouldnt believe us, anyway, Nash said, crossing his arms over his chest in a show of solidarity. Shed probably call Security and have us arrested.
So make her believe you. Tod gestured in exasperation. Like itd be that easy. Ill be there to help. She just wont be able to see me.
I glanced at Nash and was relieved to see my reluctance stillreflected in his features. As much as I wanted to helpto hopefully save Addison Pages lifeI did not want to be taken from her dressing room in handcuffs.
And my dad would be soooo pissed if he had to bail me out of jail.
But before I could even contemplate how bad that would be, something else sank in.
Tod, wait a minute. He let go of the knob when I stepped between him and the door, but his oddly angelic frown said he wasnt happy about it. How do we know this will even work? I mean, say she believes us and decides not to kill herself. Wont she just die of some other cause next week, at the same time she would have killed herself? If her names really on the list, shes going to die one way or another, right? You cant stop Libby from coming for her, and frankly, I think youd be an idiot to even try.
Nash and Tod had explained to me how the whole death business works right after I found out I was a bean sidhe, during the single most stressful week of my life. Evidently people come with expiration dates stamped on them at birthmuch like food in the grocery store. It was the reapers job to enforce that expiration date, then collect the dead persons soul and take it to be recycled.
As far as I knew, the only way to extend a persons life was to exchange his or her death date for someone elses, to keep life and death in balance. So if we saved Addison Pages lifewhich, as bean sidhes, Nash and I could technically dosomeone else would have to die in her place, and that someone could be anyone. Me or Nash, or some random, nearby stranger.
As much as I wanted to help both Tod and Addison, I was not willing to pay that price, nor would I ask someone else to.
Tod blinked at me, and while his scowl remained in place, his sad eyes revealed the truth. I know. He sighed, and his broad shoulders fell with the movement. But I havent actually seen the list yet, so Im not going to worry about that right now. What I am going to do is try to talk her out of suicide. But I need help. Please, guys. His gaze trailed from me to Nash, then back.
Nash frowned and leaned against the wall beside the door again, striking the I-cannot-be-moved posture I recognized from several of our own past arguments. Tod, youre the one who says its dangerous for bean sidhes to mess in reaper business.
And that knowing when theyre going to die only makes a humans last days miserable, I added, perversely pleased by the chance to throw his own words back at him.
Tod shrugged. I know, but this is different.
Why? Nash demanded, his gaze going hard as he glared at Tod. Because this time its an ex? One youve obviously never gotten over