Soul Thief (Dark Souls) Read Free Page B

 
    “I’m sorry to hear that.” His uncle took a predatory step forward.
    Kyros’s troops followed suit, dutifully advancing to form a barricade around their leader. Each and every one of these soldiers was ready to die at Kyros’s command.
    Adrian would’ve liked nothing better than to accommodate them, but the jackknife in his pocket wasn’t coated with angel’s blood, and apart from the puddle steadily pooling in the distance, there was no water within which to drown them. Regular blades and bullets were useless against these creatures. Other than angel’s blood, drowning was the only way to kill his kind.
    The fluorescent tubes overhead continued to drone ominously. The drip, drip, drip of water pooling in the corner grew unnaturally loud. Somewhere in the vast night, familiar footsteps echoed, briskly approaching.
    Adrian’s stomach folded as a cloud of familiar energy wafted toward him. The senseless woman had come back, was even now headed his way.
    He had to act. Now.
    With his ear trained on her progress, he raised an invisible wall between him and his attackers. Matter was nothing but energy. With the right amount of focus, atoms could be manipulated and controlled.
    The wall wouldn’t stand for long. Kyros would quickly dismantle it. But it would give Adrian a small head start. Lunging past the Kleptopsychs, he raced toward the footsteps. He had to reach the woman and get her to safety before his uncle sensed her.
    Adrian rounded the corner and plowed right into her. She gasped, stumbled back. “I thought I told you to get out of here.”
    “There’s something—”
    She didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence. He hauled her over his shoulder and sprinted down the corridor.
    “What the hell are you doing?”
    “We need to hurry,” he mumbled. “It won’t hold them for long.”
    “What won’t hold them? Put me down! I’ve got legs.”
    “You’re not fast enough.” He picked up speed, well aware that he might give his secret away. But he had no choice. He couldn’t let Kyros see her. He didn’t understand the sense of urgency that seized him, the certainty that all would be lost if his uncle discovered her.
    Then it struck him, and his blood ran cold. He knew the precise reason this woman affected him so profoundly, why she reached deep inside him and awakened his long-lost humanity. There was only one thing in the world that could do that. The very thing Kyros hunted and was hell-bent on destroying.
    His long-lost soul.

Chapter Four
    Adrian ran faster than an Olympic track-and-field champion. He ran so fast Angie’s vision blurred. She held on for dear life, all the while experiencing a secret thrill at seeing the world zip by at incredible speed, at feeling so weightless she could fly. It was like riding on a rollercoaster, dangerous enough to get her blood pumping but also safe enough to make the ride enjoyable. And that’s what shocked her most. That she wasn’t afraid. As crazy as it sounded, Adrian’s arms seemed like the safest place in the world to be.
    Even if he was some kind of crazy hypnotist who’d recently willed two men to their deaths. “Where are you taking me?”
    No answer. He lurched toward the stairs, then came to an abrupt stop.
    Satisfaction sped through her as he deposited her on her feet and shoved her behind him. “Finally.” She peeked over his shoulder, and alarm swept in to crowd out relief.
    Ahead of them, blocking their path, stood a group of the strangest individuals Angie had ever seen, and that was saying a lot because she’d encountered more than her fair share of oddballs.
    They were all exceptionally tall, well over six feet, and wore nothing but black leather and deadpan expressions. A similar group closed in on them from behind, and Adrian spun around, drawing her tight to his side.
    “Well, what have we here?” One of the giants approached them, assessing Angie with blue eyes so pale they bordered on icy. A chill skated down her