A Soul for Trouble by Crista McHugh Read Free Book Online

suitable clothes when we get to Boznac.” The splashes of water filled the silence while she braided her hair. Thoughts of the coastal town filled her mind. “I’ve never seen the ocean before.”
    “It’s vast and as blue as your eyes.”
    A smile played on her lips. “Was that a compliment?”
    “No, just stating a fact,” he said matter-of-factly. “Hopefully, we can catch a ship bound for Gravaria before the winter storms hit. I’d rather take my chances on water than going over the mountains. It’s faster and, more importantly, free of undead.”
    “You keep talking about the undead. How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
    “Do you want to meet one?”
    A chill snaked down her spine. “Not particularly.”
    “Smart girl.”
    “You said undead attacked Hal’s inn last night. What exactly happened after I passed out?” she asked with a flick of her braid.
    “You inhaled Loku’s soul and starting seizing, just like every other Soulbearer before you.
    Then the undead poured into the room. Cinder and I tried to fight them, but there were just too many. So I set the inn on fire and dragged you out.”
    “Why did you set the inn on fire?”
    “Because burning an undead to ashes is one of the few ways to kill them.” She hugged her knees to her chest. This conversation left her feeling like she’d just plunged into an icy lake. “What are the other ways to kill undead?”
    “You can cut their heads off, or you can kill the person controlling them.”
    “ There are more ways than that, but most mortals can’t summon the power to kill them .” Loku’s statement did little to comfort her. “Do you think the necromancer is really coming for me?”
    The splashing ceased for a moment. “I think he’s after Loku.” The god sighed. “ Everybody wants a piece of me. It’s no fun being this popular .”
    “Why would he want to have some perverted deity living inside him, slowing driving him insane?”
    “ Ouch, that was harsh. You don’t like our little arrangement? ” She could almost picture the pout that came with Loku’s reply.
    “Trouble, you have a god living inside you. Do you understand the potential power you could extract from him? Of course, it comes at a cost. The more control you surrender over to him, the less control you have over yourself.”
    “And the sooner I turn into Robb.”
    “Exactly.”
    The water in the tub rustled, and she reached for the mirror. Once again, she was granted full view of the backside of his body while he dried off.
    “ Hoping for a frontal view? You are a naughty girl, just like I thought. ” Arden jerked the mirror back to her face. Redness seeped into her cheeks for being no better than what she’d accused Dev of being minutes before. The new golden rings around her irises startled her, and she dropped the mirror.
    Dev rushed to her side. “What’s wrong?”
    “My eyes look different.”
    He tightened the towel around his waist. “It’s one of the marks of a Soulbearer.” She closed her eyes, remembering how the strange yellow-green rings glowed when Loku spoke through Robb. Great. If she wasn’t already a freak, this made it worse. “Will they always be there?”
    “Yes, as will the other mark.”
    Her skin crawled. “What other mark?”
    “Loku’s symbol on your back.”
    “ Think of it as a tattoo claiming you as mine .” She flew to her feet. Everything was happening too fast. In less than a day, she’d witnessed a murder, been accused of burning down an inn, been kidnapped, told she had a god living inside her who would slowly make her crazy, and now she’d been branded like a cow.
    Sweet Lady Moon, please make this stop. There was a time in her life when she would’ve given anything to be normal. Now, all she wished was to have her old life back.
    Warm hands rubbed along her shoulders and upper arms. “I know this is a bit much for a young girl like you to bear—”
    She wrestled away from him. “Quit talking to me