SOUL IN STONE
The diamond sparkled in Christian’s hand. It was so beautiful. It felt warm and slick against his fingers. And it held asoul. David’s soul.
How is that even possible? A soul in a stone? Impossible. Yet it’s true.
It was almost too much to contemplate. Christian had always turned to facts, to science, to provable things. He and Julian had looked all over the world for the unexplainable. Julian had done it to find proof that supernatural beings were real. Christian had done it in order to show that everything had a natural explanation.
But then Vampires turned out to be real and now I’m a Speaker to the Dead and David is in my hand.
The diamond flashed at him. He looked closer and thought he saw something moving within it. He jerked back and swallowed. David’s soul was in there. Something he had scoffed at before. No souls. No Heaven. No Hell. No going on after the death of the body. Christian had honestly thought that there was nothing. And how ironic was that considering the gift he had?
“Is there a Hell?” Christian asked Lisette.
And where had that come from? But it was a logical question to ask of someone who could control souls and stick them in gems for seeming amusement. Balthazar stiffened beside him and Christian felt more than saw Balthazar turn his head to look at him.
My fledgling?Balthazar’s mind caressed him with the question.
I just… I wondered…
Lisette did not act surprised that he would ask her such a question. Christian licked his lips as he glanced down at the glowing diamond in his hand. David’s soul was in there. David’ssoul.
“You wonder why he lingers instead of moving on through the Veil?” she guessed at the meaning of her question.
He gave a brief nod. Was David afraid of the judgment that awaited him? If there was judgment. He studied Lisette’s face and the Kalys beside her. What did they know? How much did they see? Were they so distant from even Vampires because of what they’d discovered?
“He did something terrible? Something so terrible he might fear Hell?” Lisette asked.
Christian rubbed his hands together, the diamond between them. “Some would say so. But would he?”
“He did and he’s still running from it,” Balthazar said without question.
Balthazar reached over and took Christian’s hands in his. The diamond flashed between their fingers. He wondered if David objected to being so close to the man that Christian was opening his heart to. He wondered if David felt Balthazar touching him, or more like, touching Christian.
“Well, you could ask him. Or give him the punishment that Balthazar believes he deserves.” Lisette smiled and she didn’t look like a child at all.
“He should fear damnation for what he’s done,” Balthazar muttered. He was glaring at the diamond.
“Or perhaps Christian fears itforhim. Strange that your fledgling is such a forgiving sort.” Lissette settled back down on the sofa opposite them again, drinking the honey-spiced wine.
“I’m sure it’s nothing you could understand, Lisette. I doubt there has ever been someone who wronged you that you did not wish to destroy,” Sophia said.
“True.” She leaned forward and stared at Christian. “Do you want to destroy David? I can teach you how to do that too.
Balthazar’s hands tightened over his and then he was meeting Christian’s gaze. “You arenotresponsible for David, Christian. But we should discuss what to do about him later. When ourguestshave gone.”
Not in front of her. You don’t want her to know your secrets. Especially about David,Balthazar warned. This is the hook.
The hook for what?
For whatever she hopes to get out of you.
“But knowing is all a part of how I can help him, Balthazar. I need to understand. Just like I needed to understand about Kaly.” Lisette crossed her legs at the ankles. She was more like a doll than ever before.
Balthazar’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “No, you donot. You need to know nothing about this.”
“As you wish.” She shrugged. “Then I am limited in what I can do and Christian will… well…”
“What? Will what?” Christian asked.