comfortably. There had to be sin or the skin would burn when touched.
This boy didn’t burn, and he’d better count.
Xavier entered, and Alexandra shouldered the door open behind him. Elbowing into the room, she jockeyed for position in the crowded lobby. “You ten,” the bored looking blond Watcher behind the desk said. She pointed a baby pink wing toward the elevator. “Level three.”
Alexandra sprinted for the elevator doors. As luck would have it, her dormant human proved to be an advantage. She was the first onto the elevator and hastily punched the button. The doors closed before anyone else could get on. She grinned, hearing the snarls of the Watchers stuck in the lobby. You snooze, you lose .
The doors opened on level three, the throne room. She rolled her eyes. Only Auriel would require such pomp and circumstance to drop off a soul. She missed Mordechai’s more pragmatic approach. But so be it. Alexandra dragged the boy’s body down the red velvet runner to the platinum blond Watcher on the golden throne.
“I have one, fifteen-year-old Hopi boy for deposit,” she said.
Auriel glanced up from her manicure and sniffed the air. Her face tightened, stretching her lips into a hard line. “Where did you find this one?”
“On the Hopi reservation in Arizona.”
Jumping off her throne, Auriel lifted the skirt of her ivory gown and paced down the steps of the raised platform until her face was inches from the boy’s. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing, Queen Auriel. He took my hand. Clearly an offender.”
Again, Auriel sniffed the air, lifting the boy’s hair to her nose and whiffing the strands directly. “I know that scent,” she said with a start. A smirk spread across her face, more teeth than lips. “Alexandra, you dimwit. You’ve taken a Soulkeeper.”
“Wha-what?”
“Can’t you smell it? He reeks of kindness and self-sacrifice. It’s subtle but unmistakable.” She shook the boy by the shoulder. “What is your name Soulkeeper?”
The boy stared vacantly at Auriel.
She dug in her talons and shook harder. “Answer me!”
“Queen Auriel, he bleeds,” Alexandra said. It would be her head if the boy truly was a Soulkeeper and died before Lucifer could question him. “We should call Lucifer.”
Auriel retracted her talons from the boy’s skin. “What sorcery is this? Has he been responsive?”
Alexandra dropped her head and shuffled her purple boots. “Not since I brought him through the tree.”
Whirling toward her throne, Auriel screamed loud enough for the other Watchers, who had gathered in the doorway of the throne room, to take a step back. “Lucifer. Lucifer!”
Dark smoke swirled near her feet, changing into oily droplets that tornadoed from the red velvet carpet. The drops squeezed together into a sharply dressed blond man who straightened the lapels of his gray Armani suit jacket. The Watchers at the door broke into applause, as did Alexandra. She noticed Auriel clapped the loudest in an obvious attempt to curry favor, and her nostrils flared.
“This better be important, Auriel. You took me from a meeting with the board of directors.”
“My Lord.” Auriel tore the boy from Alexandra’s talons. “I have found the lost Soulkeeper.”
Alexandra placed her clenched fists on her hips. Auriel shot her a warning glance.
The Lord of Illusions pinched the boy’s chin between his thumb and forefinger and stared into brown, vacant eyes. “Finally, the long, lost Soulkeeper.” Lucifer tipped his head to the side, examining his catch. He inserted his hooked finger into the human’s chest cavity and pulled out...nothing. “He’s not in here.”
“My Lord?”
Lucifer’s dark laugh echoed through the room. “This is his body, but his soul is somewhere else.”
“Can they do that?” Auriel asked.
“Never before. Tell me, Auriel, what happened. I need every detail.”
Auriel fidgeted with the corner of her gown.
“Auriel!”
“Alexandra was the
This boy didn’t burn, and he’d better count.
Xavier entered, and Alexandra shouldered the door open behind him. Elbowing into the room, she jockeyed for position in the crowded lobby. “You ten,” the bored looking blond Watcher behind the desk said. She pointed a baby pink wing toward the elevator. “Level three.”
Alexandra sprinted for the elevator doors. As luck would have it, her dormant human proved to be an advantage. She was the first onto the elevator and hastily punched the button. The doors closed before anyone else could get on. She grinned, hearing the snarls of the Watchers stuck in the lobby. You snooze, you lose .
The doors opened on level three, the throne room. She rolled her eyes. Only Auriel would require such pomp and circumstance to drop off a soul. She missed Mordechai’s more pragmatic approach. But so be it. Alexandra dragged the boy’s body down the red velvet runner to the platinum blond Watcher on the golden throne.
“I have one, fifteen-year-old Hopi boy for deposit,” she said.
Auriel glanced up from her manicure and sniffed the air. Her face tightened, stretching her lips into a hard line. “Where did you find this one?”
“On the Hopi reservation in Arizona.”
Jumping off her throne, Auriel lifted the skirt of her ivory gown and paced down the steps of the raised platform until her face was inches from the boy’s. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing, Queen Auriel. He took my hand. Clearly an offender.”
Again, Auriel sniffed the air, lifting the boy’s hair to her nose and whiffing the strands directly. “I know that scent,” she said with a start. A smirk spread across her face, more teeth than lips. “Alexandra, you dimwit. You’ve taken a Soulkeeper.”
“Wha-what?”
“Can’t you smell it? He reeks of kindness and self-sacrifice. It’s subtle but unmistakable.” She shook the boy by the shoulder. “What is your name Soulkeeper?”
The boy stared vacantly at Auriel.
She dug in her talons and shook harder. “Answer me!”
“Queen Auriel, he bleeds,” Alexandra said. It would be her head if the boy truly was a Soulkeeper and died before Lucifer could question him. “We should call Lucifer.”
Auriel retracted her talons from the boy’s skin. “What sorcery is this? Has he been responsive?”
Alexandra dropped her head and shuffled her purple boots. “Not since I brought him through the tree.”
Whirling toward her throne, Auriel screamed loud enough for the other Watchers, who had gathered in the doorway of the throne room, to take a step back. “Lucifer. Lucifer!”
Dark smoke swirled near her feet, changing into oily droplets that tornadoed from the red velvet carpet. The drops squeezed together into a sharply dressed blond man who straightened the lapels of his gray Armani suit jacket. The Watchers at the door broke into applause, as did Alexandra. She noticed Auriel clapped the loudest in an obvious attempt to curry favor, and her nostrils flared.
“This better be important, Auriel. You took me from a meeting with the board of directors.”
“My Lord.” Auriel tore the boy from Alexandra’s talons. “I have found the lost Soulkeeper.”
Alexandra placed her clenched fists on her hips. Auriel shot her a warning glance.
The Lord of Illusions pinched the boy’s chin between his thumb and forefinger and stared into brown, vacant eyes. “Finally, the long, lost Soulkeeper.” Lucifer tipped his head to the side, examining his catch. He inserted his hooked finger into the human’s chest cavity and pulled out...nothing. “He’s not in here.”
“My Lord?”
Lucifer’s dark laugh echoed through the room. “This is his body, but his soul is somewhere else.”
“Can they do that?” Auriel asked.
“Never before. Tell me, Auriel, what happened. I need every detail.”
Auriel fidgeted with the corner of her gown.
“Auriel!”
“Alexandra was the
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