angelic-looking little girl I’d ever seen. She had to be about five years old, and I wondered where her mommy was. My heart immediately went out to her. She was crying in her tiny hands, leaning forward on her knees, her blonde curls tumbling over her face. She scooted her elbows above her knees while she continued to cry, pushing her blue dress up, revealing black patent leather shoes and white laced socks.
“What’s wrong, sweetie? Did you lose your mommy?” I asked, kneeling in front of her.
“Paige, no!” Nathan hollered at the same time she dropped her hands and grabbed my wrist, yanking me toward her. She was amazingly strong, completely throwing me off guard.
She slowly rolled her head around her neck, her baby face contorting into a ghastly mask, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Then her dark glowing eyes poured into mine. I was too stunned to do anything but stare, even though her grip felt like a tourniquet around my wrist.
“Let. Her. Go,” Nathan demanded, now by my side.
The girl jerked her head up, her glowing orbs on Nathan now. “You have no power over me,” a man’s deep voice spewed forth from her pink, pouty lips, chilling me to the bone.
“No?” Nathan said, bending so his eyes were leveled with hers. “But I can break her neck, which will take you out of the equation.”
“You can’t do that, Nathan,” I gasped. “She’s a child!”
“She’s soulless, Paige,” he said, keeping his eyes trained on her. “I’m going to tell you one more time. Let. Her. Go.”
Nathan wasn’t playing around. He was serious, and his ears were red, signaling the rage boiling inside him. The dark spirit must have realized it because he released me. I stumbled sideways, falling into Nathan’s quick arms. The sheer force of it knocked us to a sitting position on the asphalt.
The little girl hopped to her feet and moved her head clockwise in little jerks, her mouth opened in a silent scream. She stepped forward and stopped in front of us. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, then focused on me, dark and glowing. She grimaced and blinked, her eyes now blue. “Help me,” she said in a sweet toddler voice.
I reached for her, but Nathan snatched my wrist, locking his arms around mine. The girl scowled. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they were dark and glowing again. I sucked in a sharp intake of breath, and her mouth formed a circle. Her head fell back in deep laughter. It was dark, sinister, and male.
She stopped, glared at me, and pointed. “Vos ero pessum ire,” she said in the same deep man’s voice as before. Then she turned and ran away.
Chapter Five
“You will be destroyed” is what the dark spirit had said in Latin. Just like the dream before I became immortal and just like Aosoth told me before she tried to kill me. The dark spirit inside the little girl was old, and I wondered if it was the same one I’d seen in the vision last night. But to be honest, the message didn’t bother me.
It was old news.
I knew that already.
What freaked me out was a dark spirit possessed a child. Nobody ever mentioned or warned me about that–not Nathan or Anwar. And then Nathan’s willingness to snap a little girl’s neck made me sick. And even though immortals were immune to a virus, we weren’t impervious to an upset stomach.
I coughed and gagged in Nathan’s arms. He released me, and I crawled to my feet. With my hands on my knees, I retched.
“It’s okay, Paige. She’s gone,” Nathan said, pushing the hair away from my face and holding it into a ponytail while he rubbed my back.
My eyes watered and my throat burned as I continued to dry heave, thinking again about Nathan’s ability to kill a toddler. Soulless or not, she was still a child. And what really bothered me was his nonchalant attitude about it. How could he be so heartless?
Okay, I knew he had killed soulless humans before because sometimes it was unavoidable. I also got
“What’s wrong, sweetie? Did you lose your mommy?” I asked, kneeling in front of her.
“Paige, no!” Nathan hollered at the same time she dropped her hands and grabbed my wrist, yanking me toward her. She was amazingly strong, completely throwing me off guard.
She slowly rolled her head around her neck, her baby face contorting into a ghastly mask, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Then her dark glowing eyes poured into mine. I was too stunned to do anything but stare, even though her grip felt like a tourniquet around my wrist.
“Let. Her. Go,” Nathan demanded, now by my side.
The girl jerked her head up, her glowing orbs on Nathan now. “You have no power over me,” a man’s deep voice spewed forth from her pink, pouty lips, chilling me to the bone.
“No?” Nathan said, bending so his eyes were leveled with hers. “But I can break her neck, which will take you out of the equation.”
“You can’t do that, Nathan,” I gasped. “She’s a child!”
“She’s soulless, Paige,” he said, keeping his eyes trained on her. “I’m going to tell you one more time. Let. Her. Go.”
Nathan wasn’t playing around. He was serious, and his ears were red, signaling the rage boiling inside him. The dark spirit must have realized it because he released me. I stumbled sideways, falling into Nathan’s quick arms. The sheer force of it knocked us to a sitting position on the asphalt.
The little girl hopped to her feet and moved her head clockwise in little jerks, her mouth opened in a silent scream. She stepped forward and stopped in front of us. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, then focused on me, dark and glowing. She grimaced and blinked, her eyes now blue. “Help me,” she said in a sweet toddler voice.
I reached for her, but Nathan snatched my wrist, locking his arms around mine. The girl scowled. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they were dark and glowing again. I sucked in a sharp intake of breath, and her mouth formed a circle. Her head fell back in deep laughter. It was dark, sinister, and male.
She stopped, glared at me, and pointed. “Vos ero pessum ire,” she said in the same deep man’s voice as before. Then she turned and ran away.
Chapter Five
“You will be destroyed” is what the dark spirit had said in Latin. Just like the dream before I became immortal and just like Aosoth told me before she tried to kill me. The dark spirit inside the little girl was old, and I wondered if it was the same one I’d seen in the vision last night. But to be honest, the message didn’t bother me.
It was old news.
I knew that already.
What freaked me out was a dark spirit possessed a child. Nobody ever mentioned or warned me about that–not Nathan or Anwar. And then Nathan’s willingness to snap a little girl’s neck made me sick. And even though immortals were immune to a virus, we weren’t impervious to an upset stomach.
I coughed and gagged in Nathan’s arms. He released me, and I crawled to my feet. With my hands on my knees, I retched.
“It’s okay, Paige. She’s gone,” Nathan said, pushing the hair away from my face and holding it into a ponytail while he rubbed my back.
My eyes watered and my throat burned as I continued to dry heave, thinking again about Nathan’s ability to kill a toddler. Soulless or not, she was still a child. And what really bothered me was his nonchalant attitude about it. How could he be so heartless?
Okay, I knew he had killed soulless humans before because sometimes it was unavoidable. I also got
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