Soulless (Book #2 of Hunted)

Plan C

Lorelei's POV

"Just like Celia said, they were at my house in half an hour. I let them in and-" I stuck my hand out.

"Stop," I said quietly. Zane swallowed his tears of remorse and looked away from me.

"Is it too much for you?" he asked in self-loathing. I turned my gaze to the floor and slowly shook my head.

"No," I said. "It's just...I know what comes next." His eyes were suddenly back on my face and I had to fight the urge to scoot back from the intensity of his gaze.

"What?" he seemed appalled. It seems he's already forgotten that I can do more than just tell truth from lies.

"I saw you in my dreams. Yesterday I fell asleep at the lake and I saw you here with these girls. It started the moment you opened the door for Celia. I saw the skank Gwen and her cheap bottle of Smirnoff, the girl Rani who practically had an emotional breakdown in your arms. I saw them go upstairs and I saw you almost fall apart on the floor. Then you..." I trailed off.

"You just gave up. I saw you change. I heard Anton thank you for giving in to him. I saw you go upstairs and kill all these girls. I saw it all. I heard it all...I felt it all. I felt their pain and terror." There were tears burning in the back of my throat. "And I felt your ecstasy." I looked at Zane. His tears flowed fast and silently.

"You probably hate me," he whispered shamefully.

"I wish I could hate you, but like I said before, I'm physically incapable of that," I said. He looked at me curiously.

"Why? I hate me. I left to lessen your suffering, but I only ended up causing you more. I merit nothing but your hatred, if even that," he muttered the last sentence under his breath. I sighed wearily and against my better judgment I leaned forward, closing the gap between Zane and I, and pressed my lips gently against his.

At first he froze, but gradually-as if my lips were filling him with warmth-his body softened and his bare arms encircled my waist. His mouth tasted like blood, but I didn't care. I was once again kissing the person that I loved more than life itself. I doubt I would mind if he killed me now. I was happier than I've been since the first time we kissed, and this one was much better. It didn't seem to matter that he had pre-cognitively killed these girls and that he would either have to go to prison or become a fugitive, or that I could go to prison just for being in this room without calling the police.

My thoughts were erased when I felt his lips part and his tongue flick against my lips as if he were politely requesting permission to kiss me the way that I knew he could. I eagerly obliged and the taste of blood grew stronger as his tongue touched mine. Did I really have anything to live for without Zane around? Suddenly his lips pulled away from mine and were at my ear.

"So you wouldn't mind if I were to kill you right now?" he whispered. His grip on my waist tightened. "I could, you know. Half of me is begging for that when the other half dreads the very thought." He pushed me away roughly and I skidded back a few feet.

"Believe it or not Lorelei you have a lot to live for. Like Phoebe. Did you forget about her?" he asked. I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could he went on, "You are the most important thing in the world to her. If you were gone it would destroy her. With the power she has she would obliterate the entire city and then probably herself. Do you want that to happen?" His words came almost too quickly to understand. I didn't even try to answer.

"And what about me, Lori? I didn't expect you to want anything to do with me after everything I've done, but somehow you still love me. If I killed you, I would drain you, and if I drained you the hex would be completely lifted and Anton would be totally free without any kind of restraint. I would massacre the whole town without a second thought and the Hunters would come after me even without their thirteenth. Eventually they would find me and eventually they would kill me." I didn't like how he had started off saying "Anton" and then began talking like it was him. Zane suddenly groaned in frustration.

"Lorelei, I am Zane and Anton. He is a part of me that no spell or hex can truly erase. The sooner you realize that the better," he said forcefully. I stared at him incredulously.

"But I saw you. I saw you change. I saw Anton thank you remember?" I said nervously. He frowned and looked at me severely.

"I've always talked to myself as if I were two different people. Even when I was human...I used to have these moments when I was fine and then...I'd feel like ripping everything apart," he whispered almost too softly for me to hear and his eyes seemed to lose focus for a second, but then he was back. I sighed wearily.

"Fine, whatever. So what are we gonna do? Starving yourself and getting drunk didn't work; giving in to your urges obviously didn't work," I said gesturing around the blood soaked room. "What's plan C?" I asked. He shook his head and shrugged.