Soul Catcher by G.P. Ching Read Free Book Online Page A

ceiling beam, tying off the end. As strong as he was now, the dexterity required to split and cross the force he created in order to tie a knot was challenging. He hadn’t perfected the skill yet, but somehow he managed, even under the scrutiny of Bonnie’s stare. He moved on to the next strand, draping the garland in swags across the timbered ceiling.
    “It’s beautiful,” Bonnie said into his ear. When had she moved so close?
    He finished tying off the last strand and dusted his hands as if he’d had to use them. “Yeah. Looks great. I like what you did with the pomegranates.” He gave her an efficient smile, trying his best to bleed all warmth from his expression. Somehow, she’d gotten the wrong idea about him. He didn’t want to be rude or presumptuous, but he also couldn’t lead her on.
    Her eyebrows knitted together. “I’m going to go get the music,” she said softly.
    To Ethan’s relief, she left the room, but the way she grinned at her sister as she passed through the enormous wooden doors made his stomach sink. Oh hell ! Why couldn’t anything be simple?

Chapter 6
    The Quota
    W ith a flick of her well-manicured hand, the redheaded Watcher, Alexandra, opened the gate to Nod and dragged the Hopi boy into the city of the damned. Her dark purple, stiletto boots trudged over the filthy street, past a group of Watchers stripping flesh from a newly captured human. Yum! As soon as she made her deposit with Auriel, she was joining that party. This little number made her quota for the week.
    She yanked her quarry into line behind the ten or so other Watchers bringing in their souls. Ahead of her, Xavier had an old woman in his clutches.
    “Please, please let me go. I need to take care of my grandchildren.” She struggled helplessly against his talons.
    “Oh, dear woman,” Xavier said, pressing a nail into her chin, “I’ll take care of your grandchildren. The young are so much sweeter.”
    The woman burst into hysterics, weeping desperately.
    Alexandra eyed her captive and gave the boy a little shake. He was still breathing, and his eyes were open, but he wasn’t panicked like the other humans. As quiet as if he were sleeping, he stood next to her, facing forward, with a vacant expression. Aside from an occasional blink, she could barely tell he was alive.
    “There’s something wrong with my human, Xavier,” Alexandra said.
    The dark-haired mass of muscle turned around, flexing his navy blue wings. “What’s wrong with it?” he asked.
    “It’s not crying out like the others. No fight whatsoever.”
    Xavier poked the boy in the chest, hard enough to knock him off balance. Alexandra kept him from falling but was sure the force of the jab should elicit some sort of response. “Odd,” Xavier said. “Don’t mention anything to Auriel or she might not count the soul toward your quota.”
    “Right. I’m not doing this again today. I hate going up.” Since the last battle with the Soulkeepers, Lucifer had increased the Watcher quota of souls, partly as a punishment for his failed plan and partly out of undiluted evil. She could appreciate the latter, but it was more work than she liked. There wasn’t enough room in Nod for all the souls, which meant some had to die, and the dead didn’t bury themselves. It was exhausting.
    “Maybe she won’t notice,” Xavier said.
    Alexandra growled, showing a bit of fang. “So what if she does? A human is a human. It should count.”
    The line advanced toward the entrance to the steel and glass building where Auriel waited to sort deposits. Xavier pushed his soul forward by the neck. The old woman screamed, begging for her life anew. Alexandra dragged her boy roughly behind them. The human stepped forward but didn’t make a peep. Maybe his brain was damaged. Auriel wouldn’t be pleased. Watchers usually didn’t take physically or mentally damaged humans because their usefulness in Nod was limited, and often their souls were too clean to take