Lost Souls: Deception is here!

Laurel O'Donnell - Author

Episode 3 of my popular urban fantasy series, Lost Souls, is here!  Deception continues with the story of Samantha, Ben and Christian, three Souls who are fighting to save humans from the evil Changed.

Here’s an excerpt for you!  Enjoy!

Ben looked down at his feet.  He didn’t know what to say to Cora.  There was no easy solution to her situation, but every moment he was away from her, he thought she might be trying to get more power.  He felt obligated to stay with her, to help her resist.

“You know, I was thinking.  About that angel.  About how to go with her.”

Ben shook his head.  “We’ve gone over this, Cora.  There’s only one way you can go with her.  And making the Jump is out of the question.”

“If I absorb enough power–”  Ben continued to shake his head with even more conviction and Cora hurried to continue.  “Then she would come for me.”  She grabbed his arm.  “Listen to me.  All I have to do is absorb some power from the Souls, not all of it.”

“No!  That’s not going to happen.”

“There’s no other way.  You know it.  I want it to be over.  I want to be done with this unending life.  I think that I’ve earned it.  Six hundred years!”

“Draining Souls is not an option.”

“I won’t hurt them!  They can recharge.  I won’t kill them.  I just need energy.  Just to make the Jump.”

“Into some poor human?”

“No.  I’ve really thought about this.  It should be into a human who is dying.”

Ben’s gaze swept her face.  No Changed wants to Jump into a dying human.  What would be the point of that?  How could they hurt humans that way?

“Maybe someone in a hospital.  Someone sick.  I just want the angel to come for me.  I want her to…take me.”

Ben sighed.  There was no other way for Cora.  As a Changed, there was only one way to die.  “It would take centuries to build up that kind of energy.  The kind of energy you need to make the Jump.”

“I need Souls, Ben.  Please, don’t think bad of me.  But I need their energy and I need it soon.”

“No.  I won’t do that.  I won’t help you with that.”

“It’s the only way.  I need the energy to make the Jump, otherwise, I’m stuck here.”

Ben shook his head.  He wasn’t going to offer up his friends.  He didn’t want her draining them.  “Don’t ask that of me, Cora.”

“Maybe some of them will help us.  Maybe some –”

“You know they would never do that.  Not with you…like you are now.”

Cora flinched and then nodded.

Ben saw the glimmer of hurt in her black eyes before she turned away.

“There has to be a way.  I mean, we have the Regen Chambers.  Eugene has a Regen bed.  It’s not like I’ll drain them completely.  I’d never do that.”

“They won’t do it.  You know that.”  Ben couldn’t even tell any of them he had found Cora.  The others would come after her.  “And I’m not going to ask them to.”

Cora’s brows came together.  “If you’re not even willing to consider that option, then you think of something!”  She crossed her arms.

Ben opened his mouth to argue with her, but then snapped it shut.  It was no use.  “I’ll think of something else.”

“There is nothing else!” Cora shouted.  She sat back.  “I’m stuck here.”

“You’re not alone.  I’m here.  I’ll help you.”

“You couldn’t help me before.  You couldn’t stop me from changing.”

Ben winced at the truth in her words.  “Cora –”

She fazed away from him to the tree.  “Stay away from me before I drain you.”  And then she vanished.

Laurel O'Donnell - Author - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy