Sin & Spirit (Demigod of San Francisco #4)(78)

It fell lifelessly to the ground. Daisy screamed and bent to me. I probably should’ve told her what I was doing.

The colors changed, intensified. Too bright. The Line pulsed, feeding me power. Ultraviolet color filled in the world around me, lining the cracks and pooling in the holes. Spirit held me in place, nearly floating but still grounded. Not a shadow.

In my peripheral vision, someone stood watching. I turned to look, but in a flash the shadowy being fled. Which was creepy.

Without another thought, I pushed through the wall, Jack at my side, warning me away from this, worried I’d go down with the ship.

It was possible, but damn it, if I couldn’t use my magic to save the people I loved, what the hell was the point? It was time to embrace the good aspects of my magic, since I had already embraced the bad.

On the other side of the wall, Kieran staggered, his hand to his neck and blood squeezing out between his fingers. Another knife was embedded in the middle of his back, where he couldn’t reach it to pull it out. That was probably a good thing. It would’ve let more blood escape.

Zorn threw another knife from the middle of the room, keeping his distance. Kieran moved, still fast, dodging out of the way. The knife stuck in the wall at his back.

“Didn’t see it coming,” Kieran said to me when I stopped next to him. “I knew there was a Possessor on the loose, and I didn’t watch my back. Stu…pid.” He dodged another knife that flew through me and hit the wall.

Blood oozed around his hand and down the center of his back. He was fast, but slowing. Soon Zorn’s Possessor would find the gun Zorn had brought with the other weapons. We needed more time! I needed Zorn to stop moving so I could get a good look at those melded souls.

Something Harding had said tickled the back of my brain. It was a stupid idea. Really dumb. But…

I reached into Kieran through the soul link, into the very middle of him. He gasped.

And I pulled.

His spirit followed the thick thread that connected us, glittering with our combined souls. It oozed out of his body and manifested right next to me.

He froze for a moment, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

“Did you just kill me?” he asked in a level voice. I had to hand it to him: even now, he seemed completely confident.

“I hope I just fooled this guy into thinking you’re dead.”

“Hey, sir,” Jack said, on my other side. “Not so good to have ya.”

I took a moment to get closer, digging into Zorn’s body with my hands, physically feeling with spirit, trying to focus on the colors holding the souls together. Each of the colors signified a different type of spirit. I could see them as clearly as I would with Bria’s incense smoke.

I studied the combined souls as Zorn closed in on Kieran—as he bent, knife out, for the kill strike.

“Hurry, Lexi,” Jack said through his teeth. “Now or never.”

“Let her work,” Kieran said, amazingly not struggling to get back into his body to fight back.

I sure hoped that was a good idea.

Zorn reached out his blade tentatively.

The souls didn’t fit perfectly over each other. I’d been mistaken.

Steel kissed Kieran’s neck.

One didn’t even have prongs—it had merely fused itself to the edges of what I knew was Zorn’s soul. It was like a suction cup. All I had to do was stick a fingernail between them and…

Pop.

It didn’t make that sound, but in my head it did. I flung the soul away.

Zorn stopped right before he ripped the blade across Kieran’s neck.

A middle-aged man with a comb-over and wide, watery eyes sprang from Zorn’s body, skittering across the floor. I shoved Kieran, not thinking. He slammed back into his body, gasping for air. Zorn flinched as though burned.

I was already running.





31





Alexis





“Running isn’t going to help you!” I hollered at the retreating spirit.

I punched my way through the wall, seeing the spirit around me sucking at the guy. It was pulling him back to his body, and I could see the path.

Bria, Red, and the guys were running up the street, hurrying for all they were worth.

“He’s this way!” I yelled as I zipped past them.

Only Bria slowed, her body twisting, probably catching the strength of my soul. I turned as I mostly flew, pushing myself toward the spirit that was pulling itself toward its body. It was so easy when I just went with it. Like a trip on ’shrooms. Thank you, Mick, for talking me into a bad idea that one time at the bar.

Bria slowed further, then stopped altogether. Boman stopped with her, keeping an eye on her as she started moving in the opposite direction, walking first, then running.

Maybe she didn’t know it was me and thought it was the Possessor. Either way, great instincts.

The spirit I was following soaked into a body in a plain brown car. The body jerked as if waking up from sleep. I stopped beside the driver’s-side window as Bria caught up, sprinting now.

He looked through the windshield, and I half wondered if he could feel souls like Bria could and knew I was beside him.

Either way, he must’ve seen Bria, because he suddenly burst into action, reaching for the ignition, popping his seat up to normal.