Sin & Spirit (Demigod of San Francisco #4)(68)

She turned toward the door leading to Daisy’s prison, then hesitated and glanced back at the one leading to a hall. She wasn’t sure what to do first, kill Daisy or get the car ready.

Terror choked me. I had to do something, but what?

“You might switch to your shadow form to conserve energy,” Harding said with a feigned nonchalance that rang false. Teamed with the way he’d mentioned hints a moment ago…

Why he didn’t want to openly help me, I didn’t know, but I’d take what I could get.

Energy.

I closed the distance as she pivoted, heading toward Daisy’s door, and slapped a hand onto her shoulder. She startled and swiped at my hand, clearly feeling a presence and thinking it was as harmless as a spider. I bore down, sucking energy from her as hard as I could.

She blew out a breath and wiped her forehead, feeling the drain. My own tanks were filling up, but I kept going. Her body bowed slowly as she took her first step. She was moving slowly, haltingly, but she’d nearly made it to the door.

“I should grab that trail mix,” she muttered, her eyes drooping. She leaned forward and braced a palm against the doorjamb as Jack rushed back into the room. She shook her head and straightened up, trying to push through it.

“Jack, hurry,” I cried, sucking energy with everything I had.

Seeing what was happening, he wasted no time. He was at the woman’s side in a moment, both hands on her upper arm.

“What’s your story, bro?” Jack asked Harding. “You can’t help?”

Harding leaned against the wall. “I could, but I won’t. She needs to learn to fight her own battles. I’m merely the guide.”

I couldn’t tell what Jack muttered, but it didn’t matter. The woman swayed, her side brushing Jack’s. Mumbling, she staggered toward the couch, our hands still on her, still pulling energy until she spread out, her arm thrown over the couch arm, her head lolling to the side.

I stood back, high on energy yet out of breath. “How long will she be out?” I asked Harding.

He stared at me for a long moment. “If you’d been properly trained…forever. You are a Spirit Walker. You don’t need to be physically present to dislodge someone’s soul. It’s why your kind make the absolute best assassins. It’s why you are so sought after.”

“That’ll never be her fate,” Jack said, crossing his arms. “Kieran will never let that happen.”

Harding’s eyes sparkled. “One hopes so. But it’s really such a waste.”

I looked down at the woman, then used my magic to reach into her chest. Her spirit box greeted me, hard and unyielding. I changed tactics and soaked down into it, feeling the prongs holding her soul in place. All I really had to do was break those suckers. She probably didn’t have enough energy left to bounce back.

The first felt like aluminum, bending before I finally managed to twist and turn it into breaking. The second was harder still, resisting. The third might’ve been iron for all I could handle it.

Out of breath, I shook my head. “Too hard.”

Harding smiled. “As I said, you need more training. So…I’d give her forty-five minutes, maybe an hour. But do you know where we are?”

“Berkeley.” Jack nodded at me. “We’re in Berkeley. I couldn’t figure out how to move a piece of paper out of the way, but I saw the city and zip. That’ll be enough to get us here.”

But would it be enough to get us here in time?





26





Kieran





“Sir.” Zorn stalked into Kieran’s office with hollow eyes. He’d taken Daisy’s kidnapping hard. The man was loyal to a fault. If you were lucky enough to have him on your side, he would tear down the world for you. He’d taken Daisy under his wing, promised her safety, and now felt like he had failed to deliver. He would never rest until he righted this wrong. Whoever had ultimately been responsible for her abduction had created a savage enemy, not least because Kieran wouldn’t stop until he made sure Zorn got his vengeance.

Zorn held up his phone.

“Bria wasn’t sure if she should call you. Alexis has gone into the spirit world with the Spirit Walker to track Daisy.”

Kieran stood from his chair. He’d sensed Alexis had gone into the other plane—her presence had disappeared from his radar—but it had bleeped back before he could react. It felt distant, though, further away than when she’d left. She’d been doing it so often lately, including during sleep, that he’d been taking pains to study the patterns.

“Was she successful?”

Zorn’s brow furrowed, probably because of how calmly Kieran was taking the news. He couldn’t prevent her from learning her magic, and he didn’t want to suffocate her. If she didn’t think she needed him, he had to respect that—while preparing to help at a moment’s notice in case something went wrong.

“Bria doesn’t know. She’s still…out.”

“What do you mean?” Kieran asked, getting a jolt of alarm. “She’s still in the trance?”

“Sir.” Red stepped into the room with someone Kieran couldn’t see at her back. “The Defalcator is here—”

“Nester,” came the disembodied voice.