Lost Soul (DarkWorld: SkinWalker Book 2) (3 page)

"How are you feeling?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"Tired. The healing is taxing." The dark circles under his eyes confirmed his words.

"More taxing than throwing fireballs I take it?"

The corner of his lip turned up. "Way more." He ran his hands over his face as if he wanted to wipe away the tiredness, then scraped his hands through his hair making it stick up in fifty different directions.

"You should rest," I said.

"I am resting." He grinned when I glared at him. "Now tell me what you're thinking."

"About what?"

"About what your next step is. I thought you'd intended on finding out where Greer went and saving her first."

I looked away from him, not wanting to meet his eyes as I spoke. "Maybe Greer can wait. I think I need to get my mother and Anjelo out first. Who knows what could be happening to them?"

"And who knows where Greer ended up and what's happening to her."

I still refused to meet his eyes. The silence rang hollow for a moment, but when I spoke, I couldn't keep my voice from sounding defensive. "Look, if our roles were reversed, I'd be the last person Greer would save first." It had been bugging me for a while now, especially since I'd had plenty of time alone to mull it over.

I knew Greer very well. Logan didn't. I sighed. "Greer isn't the happiest person around. She's always had a dislike toward me—perhaps because I was more Alpha than her. And then maybe because she ended up Pariah. And I remember her reaction to Mom when she saw her in Wrythiin. Greer despises Mom more than she dislikes me." I shook my head. "I honestly don't understand her, Logan. What could possibly have been going through my sister's mind for her to stand by while Niko did all those horrible things? For her to support Brand? I honestly can't say that I even know who Greer is anymore. And the scariest thing is, what if we never really knew her at all? Just like with Niko." I shuddered. Tara's visions had made so much more sense when we found out Greer had hooked up with Brand.

"I understand how you feel. And maybe she wouldn't be the first one to come running to save you should you need saving, but she could be in way more danger than your mom and Anjelo. Both are being held captive as far as we know. And your mom is definitely an asset to the Wraiths. Let's hope they consider Anjelo an asset too. And I'm pretty sure your mom will bargain Anjelo into safety."

I smiled. Logan was right about Mom. She was one tough chick and she wouldn't back down. And something told me she knew the Wraiths and Wrythiin better than anyone else. Anjelo would be safe with Mom.

That left me with Greer.

I took a deep, reluctant breath. "I guess you're right. Maybe I knew it all along." I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "First we have to find out where she went when she jumped through the portal."

"Finding Greer should come first. If she ended up in the Bahamas and is currently sipping margaritas and working on her tan, she's definitely low priority."

I snorted. "You're a funny guy." I grinned at him, then asked, "So we'll need someone to scry for her?"

"How much do you know about scrying?"

"A tad more than nothing," I answered with a shrug.

"Okay. I can put a request in for a Tracker. We'll get one to you as soon as possible."

"A tracker?"

"Yeah. A Mage with the ability to scry. Some of our Trackers are extremely powerful. They will need personal belongings of the missing person to help get a lock on their location."

"But I don't have anything of Greer's." My heart sank. Just when we had the opportunity to find her, we hit a dead end.

"You don't have anything? Letters? Clothing?" Logan frowned.

I wanted to laugh. It wasn't as if Greer and I had spent much quality time. Our most recent close encounter had more to do with throwing punches and hair-pulling than with sisterly heart-to-hearts.

That was it.

I sat up stiffly. "I think I might have something. Could you check the coat stand beside the front door? I need my leather jacket—I wore it when Greer and I fought in Niko's lab."

Logan nodded and headed for the coat rack, returning quickly with my jacket. Greer hadn't held back when she'd fought me. At the time, I'd been certain she would've killed me given the chance. I inspected the entire coat then whooped softly as I picked at two long strands of white-blond hair.

In the struggle I may or may not have grabbed her hair. I grimaced, pushing away ironic thoughts of cat fights as I held the strands out to Logan.

He dug into his pocket and retrieved a rolled-up plastic envelope. He held it open and I dropped the strands into it and watched him seal the packet.

"Good. So we have her hair. Will that be enough for the Tracker?"

"I'm pretty sure there isn't anything better for a tracker than biological objects like skin, hair and blood." Logan rose and placed the plastic bag on my nightstand. "I'll get the Tracker organized and ring you to confirm the time. I'm hoping it won't take too long."

I nodded. "Thanks. Let's get this show on the road."

"That's the right attitude. Now you and I both need to get some sleep." He moved to the door. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine if you have to leave." I smiled up at him. "Although you are welcome to stay. You'll be even more exhausted by the time you get to your hotel."

Logan hesitated as he looked at me, then grinned that cheeky, sexy way that sent shivers up my spine. "Okay. I'll make the call for the Tracker then hit the sack."

I smiled as he left the room to make his calls. I threw off the covers and headed into the bathroom to brush the garlic from my breath before I crashed. My reflection in the harsh fluorescent light was far from comforting.

In two weeks I'd wasted away. My face was gaunt, cheekbones sticking out like one of those runway models who lived on a daily diet of a small block of cheese and painkilling drugs. My eyes did seem brighter though. Most likely Logan's treatment.

When I returned to the room, he was standing beside the bed, a pillow in hand, looking a bit lost.

"What's wrong?"

"I need a rug or a blanket."

"Why?" I frowned. "Aren't you sleeping in here?"

"Hell I am." He snorted and went to the closet I pointed to. "If I sleep in the same bed as you, I'll certainly not be getting any rest." I suppressed a laugh. He held the blanket to his impressive chest and strode to the doorway.

"Enjoy the couch then," I called as he pulled the door almost shut behind him.

Then he stuck his head into the room again. "Oh, and we need to be at the Tracker's place after breakfast tomorrow morning—about nine thirty. Jess said she'll meet us here."

I sketched a salute as he winked at me and disappeared into the living room.

***

I woke to the pungent aroma of fresh coffee and dashed from the bed thinking I had overslept. A glance at the clock assured me I hadn't. I had half an hour before Jess arrived and we had to head out to meet the Tracker and nerves were already twisting my stomach into a bundle of knots.

Unable to resist the coffee, I headed to the kitchen to pour a mugful of caffeinated goodness. Not that it woke me up or gave me a buzz or anything. Same as with alcohol, caffeine did nothing for a Walker's constitution. I just loved the taste of the drink.

Logan sat on the sofa, threw me a wink as he caught my glance, then turned his attention back to his phone. The guy worked too hard.

Coffee mug drained, I headed for the shower, scrubbing away the sleep and the exhaustion, and enjoying the heat at full blast. Enjoying the feeling of energy and life coursing th
rough my veins. I breathed deeply, so grateful for being able to stand on my own two feet without being weak-kneed and light-headed, that I was, for one silly moment, light-headed.

When the knock sounded on the door, I strolled out of the room feeling fresher and more pumped than I'd felt for weeks. Logan gave me an appreciative once-over as he hurried to the door.

Jess walked in. "Hello, Kailin. It is good to see you looking well." The Titan, an Immortal I was glad I had on my side, gave me a serene smile. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"We'd better get a move on then." Logan rose and we headed out to his car. We weren't much for conversation as Logan drove toward the suburbs that hugged the fringes of the city. Leafy tree-lined, doubled-storied homes and innocent-looking streets seemingly untouched by such abnormal things like demons and paranormals.

Logan drew up in front of a white Victorian double-story, complete with a cute little attic that looked out over the street. I followed him and Jess up the stairs to the stained glass-windowed doorway, rubbing nervous hands on the back of my jeans. I hoped I wasn't going to regret this.

When the door swung open and a dark-haired, jeans-clad girl opened it I hid a grin and hoped she was the Tracker. If so, I had a feeling things would be okay.

Logan held out a hand and the girl smiled and took it, shaking it warmly. "Hey, Logan."

"Hey, Mel."

Jess kissed and hugged the girl and glided serenely into the house and Logan turned to introduce me. "Kai, I'd like you to meet Melisande Morgan. Mel, this is Kailin Odel."

I shook the Tracker's hand, scanning her pale face, black hair and dark eyes. She screamed gypsy even with the jeans and goth boots. Must be the deep purple peasant blouse peeking out from under her black leather jacket. I decided I liked her.

Other than her clothing, there was nothing about her that spoke of her powers. No jewelry proclaiming her magical skills, no pins or signs of witchcrafts around the house.

She smiled and said, "I'm glad to meet you. Although these types of meetings aren't always under the best of circumstances." She gave a wry smile and I shrugged, understanding what she meant. "Let's hope I can help you find who you're looking for." She looked over at Logan then back to Jess. "Shall we begin?"

I hadn't expected her to be this efficient and professional, but I wasn't complaining. The quicker we found Greer the better. She led us through to the dining room and we gathered around the large wooden table. I withdrew the little plastic packet from the pocket of my jeans, placing it in the center of the table.

"Ah. This is perfect. It should be a simple enough matter to track the owner of these strands. But first, may I know a little about her?" She tilted her head to one side and waited.

"We're looking for my sister, Greer. She's twenty-one and a Panther Walker." I'd been about to tell Melisande that Greer was Pariah, but she didn't need that piece of information. It was always hurtful to think about. For me and definitely more so for Greer, that as a Panther Walker she would never be able to fully transform. That somewhere in her genes, something had gone wrong and she was broken and could never be fixed, would never fit into normal Walker society. Would always be an outcast.

I blinked away the thoughts and concentrated on the tracker.

"Alright then. Ready?" Melisande smiled kindly and I knew she thought I was suffering from grief for my missing sister, but she couldn't be more wrong. I did want to find Greer, but out of duty, not love. I still hadn't forgiven her for trying to kill me.

I nodded and leaned forward. I wasn't sure what I'd expected. Maybe a map and a crystal on a piece of string. I'd seen that in an old movie once. That was the most I knew about scrying. But Melisande did nothing of the sort.

She sat back in her chair and breathed deeply in and out, in and out. Was she putting herself into a trance? She startled me when her eyes popped open and she reached for the packet. Emptying the hair into her palm, she placed her other hand over it, holding both palms together in a praying clasp.

She sat back again, allowing her hands to remain on the table. She did her controlled breathing thing again and fell into a silent rhythm that began to lull me into a calm too.

When Melisande finally spoke, I almost jumped. "I can see her."

Jess leaned forward. "Where is she?"

"She is angry, very bitter. Almost mindlessly angry." Melisande hadn't answered Jess's question. She'd seemed not to hear her.

"Where is she, Melisande? You can see her. Can you see where she is?" Jess asked, her voice holding not a hint of impatience.

Melisande hesitated a moment then answered. "The Greylands. She's in the Greylands." She opened her eyes, looked straight at me, and frowned. "I thought you said she was alive. Wait
. . . She
is
alive. I feel her living soul. But what is she doing in the Greylands?"

I leaned forward until my chest nudged the table edge. "I have no idea. She's been missing and we just needed to find out where she was."

"I've found her for you. But the Greylands . . . . It's not easy to get into. There're rules against entering the plane of the dead."

Jess placed a hand on Melisande's arm. "You did well, Melisande. Thank you. Now that we know where she is, we can concentrate on finding a way to get her home."

Melisande nodded, her eyes still clouded with confusion, concern, and a touch of fear. "You will get her out?" Her gaze went from Jess to Logan. "I would help but I have no power to get there and back."