With All My Soul
Page 4

Sure we are. Emma rolled her eyes and took another drink. Were going to sock it to the immortal hellions capable of squashing us like ants on the sidewalk. So what if they cant be killed, or caught, or even hurt, as far as we know. Maybe we can kill them with kindness. Or maybe theyll see us wearing our big-boy pants, all ready to take them down, and theyll die laughing. Thats the only way were going to get them. I know nothing about the Netherworld, but I know that.
I have a plan, Em. A good one.
I know you do. Im sorry. She shoved limp brown hair back from her face and sat, still holding her glass. I just... I attended my own funeral today. Theres just no way to improve a day that started with throwing clods of dirt on your own coffin.
I know. My hand tightened around Tods. I hadnt seen myself buried, but I had been...well...murdered. Sacrificed, in fact. As a virgin.
Clich? Sure. Painful? Hell, yes.
Reversible?
Nope.
Well, at least youre compatible roommates, Sabine said as Luca headed into the kitchen. Kaylees dead, but pretending to live in her own body, and Emmas alive in someone elses body, but faking death. Your living situation was meant to be. Unlike mine. The mara threw an angry glance at my cousin.
Since her foster mothers death, Sabine had been staying with Sophie and my uncle Brendon, whod officially applied to be her new foster parent, to keep her within the fold. Because in spite of obvious attitude...issues, shed proved useful.
Also because if we tried to get rid of her, shed only claw her way back into Nashs life, stepping on everyone in her way. Shed certainly done it before.
Sabine had a unique perspective on boundariesshe refused to recognize them.
Sophie stepped away from the wall shed been holding up and adjusted her black silk dress. Hey, Luca, I told my dad wed put in an appearance at the reception, she said, but we all saw through thatshe looked more comfortable in her three-inch stiletto heels than in my house. Are you ready?
Yeah. Just a sec. Luca looked up from the kitchen peninsula, where he was talking softly to Emma with his back to the rest of us. He said something, and she actually chuckled. When he tucked a strand of hair behind her earLydias earthe look Sophie gave them should have boiled the blood in their veins.
Em and I were supposed to go to the reception, too, but when Id told my dad how shed reacted to her mother at the funeral, hed agreed that we should probably forgo any more close contact with Ms. Marshall until theyd both had a little time to adjust to Emmas death.
Luca? my cousinrepeated.
He stood and gave Emma one more smile before joining Sophie in the living room. Hey, I was thinking maybe you could give Em a hand with her hair before school tomorrow. He tried to take his girlfriends hand, but she pulled it firmly from his grasp. His smile faltered, but he barreled forward, and I was impressed by his resolution in the face of imminent temper tantrum. Shes never had to work with thin, fine hair before, so
Are you saying my hair is limp? Sophie demanded.
No, your hair is beautiful. He tucked a long blond strand behind her ear and ended the gesture with his palm cupping her jaw. I could practically see Sophie melt. I was just thinking that Ems a little insecure about her new look, and youre good with stuff like that, and shes your friend, so...?
Yeah. Of course. Sophie blinked. No problem. She almost looked ashamed of herself, and I couldnt resist a smile. She was nicer when she was with him. She wanted to be better, which made me want to like her.
Luca was the best thing that had ever happened to my cousin, and hed come at the best possible timein the middle of the worst year of her life. I think she truly cared about him. I couldnt help hoping that someday shed actually deserve him.
After Luca and Sophie left to mourn my best friend in public, Emma brought her half-empty glass into the living room and sank onto the couch on my other side. Okay, lets hear this brilliant plan. How are we going to bring the hurt to everyones least favorite hellions?
Were not. I smiled. I was proud of my plan, even if it still had a few kinks to work out. You were rightwe cant hurt them. But they can hurt one another. A lot, hopefully. Maybe they can even kill each other. Because goodness knows we couldnt kill them. Wed never even come close to hurting a hellion, even though a couple of weeks before, Id been forced to stab Avari over and over every time he took a new form in the human worldstolen from a murder victimto torture us.
Okay, that sounds promising. Nash leaned forward in my dads chair, and Sabine put one hand on his back. How do we get them to do that?
Were going to use their weaknesses against them. Tods hand tightened around mine again. He already knew the plan. Wed gone over and over it during his breaks at work for nights on endhe was both a reaper at the local hospital and a delivery boy for a nearby pizza place, but the reaper gig came with more free time.
Way more people ordered pizzas than met their death on any given night.
Weaknesses? Sabine said. Hellions have weaknesses?