Soul Mates Read online

  Now do the same thing with contemporary celebrities. What do you end up with? Movie and TV stars, sports figures, and politicians. That’s a pretty sad indictment of our modern society, frankly.

  There’s a question that pops up in social media every now and then: Would you rather have beauty, fame, or wealth? The answer is supposed to tell you something about yourself but the reality is, it doesn’t matter as long as you have at least one of them. You can leverage your beauty into fame, which then allows you to rake in the bucks. If you’re famous, people will tell you you’re beautiful and hand you as much money as you want. If you’re rich, you can simply buy fame and beauty. If you don’t have any of them, though, you’re pretty much out of luck. If you have all three, well, that’s just unfair.

  Melissa’s Thunderbird disappeared long before I got to the end of Hyacinth Lane but I wasn’t in any particular hurry. It was still relatively early on Sunday and Mom and Dad wouldn’t be back from church for a couple of hours.

  There’s nothing I can do to help Dara except keep her busy until Mrs. Kendricks finds someone who can remove a soul from a demon without killing the demon, I thought morosely. The problem is, why would any witch have bothered to figure out how to do that? They’re supposed to banish demons or kill them outright. They’ve never run across a friendly demon before.

  I stopped at the intersection and glanced over at Daraxandriel, who sat with her head leaning on her hand as she stared out at the nearby houses through the window. Is she actually a friendly demon? I wondered uneasily. She helped me against Dr. Bellowes but that could just have been enlightened self-interest, since he was going to kill her after he got the Philosopher’s Stone from her. Then after her Dread Lord cursed her, she didn’t have any powers so she’s just been stuck here with me. Now that she’s a demon again, maybe she’ll try to get another soul now. Can she carry two souls at once? What does it feel like to have someone else’s soul in your body? Daraxandriel hadn’t mentioned anything odd happening to her but we’d be running around almost non-stop since it happened.

  “Is aught amiss, Peter Simon Collins?” Daraxandriel frowned.

  “Huh? No! No, of course not,” I stammered. “Why do you ask?”

  “Our progress is stalled.”

  “Oh, right. Sorry.” I made to pull out but I paused as a black SUV sped by. There was nothing particularly special about it, except that it was the only other vehicle in sight and it had Louisiana plates. That wasn’t all that unusual, even here in the almost-literal heart of Texas, but I felt a small twinge of anxiety anyway. If I was a professional demon hunter chasing after an elusive demon, that’s the sort of thing I would drive, I thought. I firmly reminded myself that soccer moms and bankers drove them too but it didn’t help. I didn’t mention my qualms to Daraxandriel.

  The rest of our drive home was uneventful and I pulled up to the curb in front of our house behind the Thunderbird. Melissa was waiting for us but Susie and Lilith were nowhere to be seen.

  “Everything okay?” I asked her as I got out. “Or did you just dump the bodies somewhere?”

  Melissa laughed. “They were fine. Well, Susie was doing her usual broody silent thing but Lilith was very charming.”

  “She seeks to sway thee to her side,” Daraxandriel warned her darkly. “Do not heed her blandishments.”

  “She was just being nice,” Melissa insisted.

  “That word is beyond her ken.”

  “I’m sure you two would get along fine if you just gave it a chance.”

  “The Trumpets of Judgement will sound ere Lilixandriel and I make our peace with one another,” Daraxandriel declared heatedly. “Thou dost not comprehend the depths of the gulf that divides us.” With that, she stomped off into the house.

  “Wow,” Melissa mused. “I’m sort of glad I’m an only child. Did you and Susie ever fight like that?”

  “Not after I finally figured out that she was never going to change and that arguing with her a waste of breath,” I told her wryly. She eyed me dubiously, obviously wondering if I was joking. “Anyway, thanks for helping out. I’m sure Dara appreciates it.”

  “I didn’t do much,” she said with a modest shrug. “I just hope Mrs. Kendricks can figure out a way to get that girl’s soul out of her.” She made a face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, I just realized that that was a sentence I never imagined saying.”

  “Welcome to my world,” I sighed. “A day doesn’t go by when I don’t think the same thing.”

  “Well, it keeps things from being boring, I suppose.”

  “I miss boring.”

  “Oh?” she smiled. “Is this boring?” She draped her arms around my neck and kissed me.

  “No, definitely not boring,” I assured her when I could speak again.

  “Good. So have you asked your parents yet?”

  “About what?”

  “About the apartment. You know, moving in with me,” she said with a look somewhere between hopeful and winsome.

  “Oh, that. Well, things have been kind of hectic,” I hedged. I didn’t really think moving in with Melissa would be a good idea, even in the unlikely event that Mom and Dad went along with it. If nothing else, it would leave Daraxandriel and Lilith alone in the house, which would be a disaster waiting to happen.

  “Well, ask them!” Melissa insisted, poking me in the chest. “The movers are coming on Saturday and we’ll have to get the lease paperwork updated.”

  “Sure, as soon as I can,” I promised, rubbing the spot where she jabbed me. She had strong fingers. “Well, I’d better get inside and see what trouble they’ve gotten into. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “Oh.” She looked startled and then embarrassed. “Actually, Peter.” she asked hesitantly, “would it be okay if I hung around here for a while?”

  “Why?” I asked carefully.

  “I told Daddy I had to go help out a friend and that I’d probably be gone most of the day. If I go back too early, he’s going to think I was skipping out on church for no reason. Please,” she begged. “Just for a couple of hours so it doesn’t look bad.”

  “Sure, no problem,” I told her with a sigh. “It’s going to be pretty cozy in here, though.”

  “That’s okay, I don’t mind.” She thanked me with a peck on the cheek and then pulled me towards the house. “How many computers do you have? We can get on Lorecraft with Dara.”

  “Just mine and hers,” I informed her. “Mom and Dad’s is off-limits for games.”

  “Doesn’t Susie have one?”

  “She uses mine when she needs one. She’s sort of anti-technology.” I opened the front door and waved her in ahead of me.

  “What does that mean?”

  “She’s against electronics on general principle unless it’s inconvenient for her. It’s not much of a philosophy, frankly,” I admitted, “but I’ve learned not to question it.”

  I listened carefully as I closed the door behind us but there were no sounds of screaming or breaking glass. I wasn’t entirely certain whether that was a good thing.

  We found Daraxandriel and Lilith in my room, pointedly ignoring each other. Daraxandriel was playing Lorecraft with her headphones on while Lilith was lying on my bed reading one of my mangas.

  “See?” Melissa nudged me in the side. “I told you they’d work it out.”

  “I don’t think giving each other the silent treatment constitutes working it out,” I argued. “Here, you can get on my laptop if you want to play with Dara.” I worked my way through my password and pointed at the game icon.

  “But what about you?” she protested. “What are you going to do?”

  “I need to mow the lawn before it gets too hot. I have to shower and change anyway,” I added with a grimace, plucking at my shirt.

  “Well, okay, if you’re sure.” Her reluctance evaporated as soon as she sat in my chair and started up the game. “Wow, this thing is really slow. You should buy yourself a better s
ystem.”

  “I’ll get right on that,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Who needs college anyway?”

  “Oh, go on. They don’t cost all that much, just two or three thousand.”

  “Said the future covergirl for Forbes magazine. I won’t be long,” I promised.

  Lilith looked up from her book as I dug a t-shirt, shorts, and socks out of my dresser. “Suburban life is so exciting, don’t you think?” she asked with an exaggerated sigh.

  “Mine certainly is, thanks to you. What are you reading?” She tilted the book up to let me see the cover. It was the first volume of the Sapphire Crown series. “Wow, that’s a coincidence.”

  “What is?”

  “That’s –” I caught myself in time. Telling Lilith that Daraxandriel loved Sapphire Crown too would probably end up with the book flying across the room. “That’s one of my favorite series.”

  “Hm. Well, it seems amusing,” Lilith allowed loftily. “It’s not like there’s anything else to do here.”

  “Well, maybe you can play Lorecraft after Melissa leaves.”

  “As if I’d want to play that silly game,” she sniffed. “I don’t know why Dara’s wasting her time with it. She’s a succubus again, she should be out gathering souls.”

  “Isn’t the one you foisted on her enough?” I asked pointedly. She chose to ignore my jab and went back to her reading.

  I changed in the bathroom and tossed my old clothes on my bed to be dealt with later. None of the women paid any attention to my passage. I paused on my way to the garage to tap on Susie’s door.

  There was a clinking of glass objects and a slam of a drawer inside. “Don’t come in!” Susie insisted. That was a bit unusual. Her normal response to a knock was either “Go away!” or dead silence.

  “I’m going to mow the lawn,” I called through the door. “Can you keep an ear out and listen for any yelling from my room? Make sure Dara and Lilith don’t murder each other before I get back.”

  “Okay.” I didn’t hear any resigned sighs or complaints from her, which was also unusual and a little concerning. She was obviously trying to get rid of me. I tried her door but it was locked.

  “What are you doing in there?”

  “Nothing! Go away!”

  I debated whether or not to jimmy her door open but the odds of her doing anything actually illegal or dangerous in her room were relatively low. “All right, but if Mom and Dad get mad at you for whatever it is you’re not doing, I want plausible deniability.”

  “Deal. Go away.”

  I continued on to the garage and dragged the mower out to the front yard. I fired it up and began my weekly trek back and forth across the lawn. It was mindless work and actually kind of relaxing, if you ignored the roaring engine of spinning dismemberment just a few inches in front of my toes.

  Mowing wasn’t a particularly difficult task but this was Texas in late June, after all, and my shirt was a sodden rag by the time I finished up in the front. I hauled the mower around to the back to repeat the exercise and was surprised to discover I now had an audience.

  Lilith sat in one of the patio loungers, still reading Sapphire Crown. She’d traded out her blouse and skirt for a white bikini that fit her like body paint. I remembered Mom buying it for Daraxandriel last month, although she hadn’t had occasion to wear it yet.

  “What are you doing out here?” I asked uneasily. Nothing good could possibly come from Lilith spending time with me.

  “Working on my tan.” She held out an arm and inspected it with a dissatisfied expression. “If I’m going to be stuck being human for a while, I might as well be a healthier-looking one.”

  “Okay,” I said carefully. If this was some ploy to cause trouble for me, I couldn’t discern what it was. “Does Dara know you’re wearing her swimsuit?”

  “Oh, is this hers?” she asked with feigned surprise. “I’d better give it back then.” She reached behind her back for the bra clasp and I waved my hands frantically at her to stop.

  “No, don’t do that!” I begged her, checking the back door to make sure no one else was there. “I’m sure she won’t mind.”

  “If you insist,” she smiled. She set the back of the lounger down and rolled onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows. “Shouldn’t you be doing something with that?” she asked, indicating the lawnmower with a jerk of her chin as she opened the book.

  I eyed her uncertainly and started making the rounds of the back yard, checking on her on every loop, but she ignored me or at least pretended to. At some point along the way, she set the book aside and laid down with her head resting on her arms, watching me silently. She’d undone her top and her back was a smooth expanse of flawless skin, not that she interested me in that way. Little Peter’s opinion on the matter didn’t count.

  I heard Dad’s Jeep pull into the driveway as I was finishing up and Mom’s voice called out from the kitchen a minute later. “Hello! We’re back! Is anybody home?”

  “We’re out here, Mrs. Collins!” Lilith called cheerily. She sat up as Mom opened the back door. I shot her a horrified look but she had her bikini top back in place.

  “Lilith, I’m so glad to see you again!” Mom gushed with a broad smile. “I was afraid you’d left without saying goodbye.”

  “No, I’ve had to change my plans, unfortunately,” Lilith told her with a sly glance in my direction. “I’ll be here for a while longer, if that’s all right.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful! Of course you can stay. I’m sure Dara is thrilled as well.”

  “Thrilled to pieces,” I muttered. “Where’s she going to sleep, Mom?”

  “Why, with Dara, of course.” She looked at me like I just asked her what color the sky was.

  “So where am I going to sleep, then?”

  “With Dara, of course.” Now she had a puzzled frown, as if she couldn’t imagine why I was asking all these stupid questions.

  “That’s three of us in one bed, Mom,” I reminded her pointedly.

  “Well, you’ll sort it out, I’m sure. Come inside, Lilith! Did you change your hair or something? You look different.”

  “Yes, actually. Do you like it?” Lilith followed her inside, but not before giving me a triumphant look over her shoulder.

  “Great,” I grumbled to myself. By the time I got everything squared away in the garage, Lilith was seated at the kitchen table while Mom populated a plate with homemade cookies and Dad made a fresh pot of coffee.

  “So what brings you to Texas, Lilith?” Dad asked, fetching three mugs from the cabinet.

  “I had some business in New Orleans,” Lilith smiled, “and I thought I’d take advantage of the opportunity to visit my dear sister. I haven’t seen her in ages.” Mom set the cookies in front of Lilith and her eyes lit up. “Are these chocolate chip?” she gasped, slowly taking one from the plate and lifting it up like the Holy Grail. “I love chocolate.” She took a slow, sensuous bite and closed her eyes in ecstasy. “Perfection,” she breathed.

  “I’m glad you like them,” Mom smiled, sitting across from her. “So what sort of business are you in? I would have thought you’d still be in school, like Dara.”

  Lilith brushed that away with a wave of her hand before taking another cookie. “Dara takes a little more time to get through things,” she said like she was sharing a confidence. “You understand, I’m sure.” Mom nodded with a concerned look while I bit my tongue to stay silent. “As for me, I help people with their problems.”

  “What sort of problems?”

  By the time the coffee was ready, Lilith painted herself as some sort of consultant for celebrities and politicians, someone who took care of any difficulties they might encounter in their careers. I recognized a lot of the names she dropped, many of whom had skyrocketed out of obscurity. If she was actually telling the truth about them, the Grim Reaper was going to be very busy collecting souls in a few years.

  “That’s amazing!” Mom enthused. “Is Dara going to help you once she’s o
ut of school?”

  “Well, I’ve been encouraging her to follow in my footsteps,” Lilith said smoothly, taking the last chocolate chip cookie from the plate. The snickerdoodles remained untouched. “I’m not sure her heart’s in it, though. Thank you, Mr. Collins.” She accepted the mug Dad handed her and proceeded to dump half of the sugar bowl into it, stirring it into a dark brown sludge. Dad shared a dubious look with Mom as he handed her a mug and took a seat beside her.

  “You should give her a chance,” he said. “I’m sure she’d appreciate it.”

  “I actually presented her with an exciting new opportunity last night,” Lilith said with a careless shrug. “We’ll see what happens.”

  “I’m sure she’ll do just fine,” Mom said encouragingly. “Peter will help her, won’t you, Peter?”

  What I actually wanted to do was take Lilith by her shapely shoulders and shake her until her eyes rattled in their sockets but I just smiled tightly. “Sure.”

  “So how did your sleepover go?” Mom asked me. “Did you have a good time?”

  “Sleepover?” I blinked. For a long, uncertain moment, I had no idea what she was talking about. Then I remembered the lie I told her on the phone last night. “Uh, yeah, sure,” I stammered. “It was great. The whole gang was there,” I added, just so she wouldn’t think I was the only guy there.

  “I’m glad. So where’s Dara? Why isn’t she spending time with her sister?”

  Because she’d rather jump into a vat of acid filled with broken glass and ravenous sharks than spend one more minute than she has to with Lilith. “She’s on her computer.”

  “Oh, that game,” Mom groused. “You two are going to turn into hunchbacked hermits if you keep playing it so much. You need to find something more productive to do with your time, like Lilith.” Lilith smiled at me from behind her mug.

  “I need to take a shower,” I announced before I did something Lilith would regret.

  “Put your clothes in the basket!” Mom called after me. “I’ll be doing the laundry later.”

  I raised my hand to acknowledge her request and returned to my room. Melissa and Dara were engrossed in some quest and didn’t even look up as I dug out another outfit and left. They were still at it twenty minutes later when I returned, damp but refreshed. I tossed my discarded clothes into the hamper and leaned over Melissa’s shoulder to see what they were up to. She saw of me out of the corner of her eye and jumped with a yeep!