Wicked Souls by Misty Evans Read Free Book Online

one
heard me since they were all laughing at something Father Leonard
said.
    As he brought Marcia up to speed on the
state of my soul, I dropped her coat on the floor. “Oops,” I
muttered under my breath.
    This day had gone from good to bad to awful. Gabriel had tried to kill me and stolen a piece of my soul. I’d had
an uncomfortable encounter with my ex. My ice cream shop was shut
down, and the one person I couldn’t stand was huddled up next to my
confidant and sponsor—who was not entirely immune to her overt,
demanding, flirtatious ways. What next?
    Thinking evil thoughts, I turned to shut the
door and pulled up short. Luc stood on the threshold, once again
tall, dark and completely competent. He exuded calm and comfort and
I couldn’t help myself. For half a second, I thought about laying
my forehead on his strong, hard chest and saying, “Save me.”
     
     

Chapter Six
    Paving The Road Back To Hell
     
    Just as quickly as I had the traitorous
thought, I reined it in. Too late. Luc’d already read my mind.
    “That bad, huh?” He chuckled deep in his
chest, even as his heat and magic engulfed me, tingling the top of
my head and calling to the magic in my blood to let fly, my air to
his fire.
    I waved a hand in denial. “I didn’t mean
that, and you need to stay the hell out of my head.” In the
background, Father Leonard called, “Cuss jar, one dollar,” but I
ignored him. I pointed to the room behind me where they all sat—my
friends, sister, and enemy—talking and laughing as if my current
soul crisis was nothing more than an episode of 7 th Heaven . “I was trying to figure out this
Gabriel thing, and then they all showed up out of the blue to help,
except they can’t help, and now the ice cream shop is closed down
because of Liddy’s cat, and…and…”
    My mind went blank, and I noticed the pulse
at the base of Luc’s throat beating confidently. He held up both
hands to stop me from continuing, but I couldn’t have said another
word anyway. All I could do was stare at his throat, remembering
how it felt under my lips. How it tasted. “I know, Amy. I’m the
reason they’re here.”
    From behind me, Marcia screeched. “Amy? Who
is it?”
    Reality jarred my wayward thoughts, defogged
my brain. Without looking at the door, I grabbed the handle with
one hand, while I pushed Luc a step back with the other, shutting
the door behind us. “What do you mean, you’re the reason they’re
here?”
    “The people in this room are your
protection. Leaving you by yourself was out of the question.”
    Anger thrummed through me, spinning threads
of fury. “Earlier you said anyone hanging around me was in danger
from Gabriel. Now you send everyone I care about to ground zero? How dare you endanger my friends?”
    Even as I said the words, I wondered why I
hadn’t sent them away myself. A vague memory of wanting to tell
Keisha about the danger flitted on the edge of my
consciousness.
    “I would do anything to protect you, whether
it hurt them or not. But you should know, your friends—Father
Leonard and Keisha—asked me what they could do to help. I explained
to them, if only one of them was with you, Gabriel might still
attack. But with all of them—a priest, a Vodun priestess and a
couple of Wiccans surrounding you—they stood a good chance of
keeping him at bay.”
    Safety in numbers. Powerful numbers. It
wasn’t a bad idea, except for the nagging fact we were fighting an
archangel.
    “A good chance isn’t good enough. I won’t
endanger the people I love”—I thought about Marcia and made a
face—”or even the ones I don’t necessarily like.”
    The hallway was lit by a single bulb. Shadows hung over Lucifer’s face. He stepped toward me, a fierce
light glowing in his eyes even in the shadowed space. “Then you’re
stuck with me.”
    He was too close again and I was too angry. Pressure weighed on my brain, my magic zigging and zagging like one
of Liddy’s lightning bolts through