Page 41 of Death Raiser

An arm wrapped around my shoulders and something cold pressed to my temple.

“I don’t think so,” an unfamiliar male voice spoke near my ear. His breath fanned my hair. His shirt smelled like he’d pulled it straight from a mail order bag and hadn’t washed it before putting it on, and his skin smelled like mild soap.

My heart stopped a beat. A gun. A stranger had a gun pressed to my head. Had he been hiding in the closet when we entered the apartment?

Kang’s face contorted with rage. “If you step away from her right now, you’ll live.”

As much as I appreciated his sentiment, I hadn’t plodded along the last six years content to remain defenceless and hope someone else would save me if I ever got into a predicament like this again. I’d had a gun pointed at me before. The last time, I’d felt helpless. This time, I’d save myself.

I gathered my magic around me. The death had been recent, and the spirit answered my call without a spell or drop of blood.

Odette was here and she was pissed.

With my breath caught in my throat, I used my magic to drive Odette’s soul into the man’s mind. He howled and reared back. My heart beat so frantically, it might self-destruct. I slammed my elbow into the man’s ribs. He howled and doubled over, swinging at empty air. I ducked out of his control and stepped to the side.

My magic connected with his soul.

You could wrench it from him, my power whispered. You could destroy him.

My fingers tingled and prickling warmth spread through my limbs. My magic gripped his soul, ready to rip it from his body at my command. Before I had a chance to tell my own thoughts to go to hell, or act on the ideas, Kang barrelled into the man, tackling him to the ground.

“Victoria PD.” Jacobs somehow appeared from the other direction, his firearm trained on my would-be killer. “Stay down,” he yelled. “Stay down or I’ll shoot.”

The click of handcuffs drew my attention back to the man writhing on the floor. Somehow, in the short time I’d looked away, Kang had disarmed the man, rolled him on his stomach and handcuffed his wrists together behind his back.

With a feral snarl, Kang leapt to his feet and spun to face me. His wild gaze raked my body. He stepped forward and he hesitated. What had he planned to do? To say?

“She’s okay, Connor,” Jacobs said.

That was debatable. My mind reeled and not just because I’d been held at gunpoint. My magic had wanted to rip the man’s soul from his body. Why? Could I even do that? Or had Odette’s spirit somehow boost my power?

Kang rocked back on his heels and after he took another second to scan me, his shoulders relaxed. He took a deep shuddering breath in. “Fuck, Lark. That took ten years off my life.”

“You’re practically geriatric now.”

“Don’t.” He squeezed his eyes shut, his body vibrated. “Don’t joke right now.”

Fair enough. Adrenaline still thrashed through my body, leaving me shaky. With Kang standing off to the side, I finally got a good look at the man. Of average build and wearing all black, he continued to scream and convulse on the floor.

Jacobs looked up from his target. “What the fuck did you do to him?”

I shrugged. “Odette was pissed. I gave her some power for payback.”

The detectives gaped at me.

With a shudder, the man went limp on the ground. He lay there as we stared down at him, his chest rising ever so slightly.

Odette's spirit rose from his body. She hovered in front of me and pulsed brightly before streaking away.

“He’s still alive?” I asked, though I knew he had to be. Not only did I see his chest moving a moment ago, I’d never heard of a spirit directly killing a human.

Now, making someone go mad or driving them to hurt themselves or others? Yes, that was definitely within the skill set of an angry spirit.

Kang knelt and checked his pulse. “He’s alive…Unfortunately.”

I tsked. “So vicious.”

“He killed a woman and held a gun to your head, Lark,” Kang snapped. “Don’t expect me to have compassion for someone who deserves none.”

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