Echo (The Soul Seekers 2)

I want to share the space where she stands—breathe the same air.

I want to feel her in my arms—surrender to the very sweetness of her.

She enters the club with her friends while I force myself to stay put—ensuring my entrance lapses well behind hers.

As sweet as it was, her visit via the raven was not without risk. Until I make good on my plan, there’s no point in chasing her. No point in strengthening Cade any more than we have.

Still, that doesn’t stop my eyes from greedily devouring every square inch, the whispered mantra of soon playing at the edge of my lips.

Soon we’ll be together.

Soon she’ll stand alongside me.

When enough time has passed, I breeze past the bouncer, refusing that ridiculous red coyote stamp he tries to mark on my flesh, and head into the club. Bypassing the bar where everyone gathers, I make for the offices in back where I stand before Leandro’s closed door. Fist raised and ready to knock, when I hear a pair of angry voices seeping through the wood.

I press my ear to the jamb, in order to better eavesdrop on Leandro berating Cade in a way I’ve never heard.

“I get back in town to find this?”

A hand strikes hard on a desk.

Leandro’s hand.

Leandro’s desk.

“What the hell are you doing? Are you out of your freaking mind?”

“If you’ll just let me explain—” Cade’s voice pitches high, but Leandro’s unmoved by his tone.

“Explain what? That you’re single-handedly destroying our wealth? Risking everything I’ve worked my entire life to accumulate?”

“But that’s the thing—this tourmaline…” Cade starts, not getting very far before Leandro cuts in.

“You think I don’t know about the tourmaline? What the hell is wrong with you? We’ve been hoarding it for years—how do you think those mines got there? Every time we breach the Lowerworld, we take what we can and stash it away for future sale. Its rarity is what drives its price. It’s the philosophy behind any nonessential luxury item. You overprice it well beyond its value—release it in very limited supply—and before you know it, everyone is clamoring for a piece. Believing they can exalt themselves merely by owning the very thing everyone wants but few can claim. But now you come along and ignorantly flood the tourmaline market—effectively driving down the price and nearly gutting our wealth! Do you have any idea the kind of damage you’ve done?”

“You’re wrong.” Cade’s voice is smug and sure. “The cash is pouring in. And there’s absolutely no overhead—the labor is free! I’m surprised you can’t see the brilliance of my plan. It’s all good, Dad. The Lowerworld is corrupted, and soon the Middle- and the Upperworlds will follow. And with the money pouring in, and the people left without guidance, it won’t be long before we rule all. Just give it time—you’ll see.”

“The labor is free? Is that what you think?” Leandro makes a sound of extreme exasperation. “The Rabbit Hole is a bar, Cade! And the success of this bar depends on the number of drinkers who show up each day. Drinkers, who, I come to find out, you’ve kidnapped for your own ridiculous uses. So, not only are you destroying the tourmaline business, but you’re taking the bar along with it.”

“But, Dad—”

“You listen to me—you will stop this nonsense immediately. Not only have you destroyed the value of the stone in a way that will take years to recover, but, if you don’t put an end to this right now, you will destroy the very value of this town. Do you have any idea how hard I work to keep us off the radar? Do you have any idea why I do that? You kid yourself that you’re so far ahead of me because your ambitions reach further—when, in fact, you are burning a path of destruction I may never be able to fix. The last thing we need is for the eyes of the world to turn to Enchantment. But with the population declining, how long do you think we can keep those disappearances out of the news? There are pictures of the missing plastered all over the alleyway. And this is all because of you and your ridiculous, immature, ill-conceived plan!”

“But, Dad, if you’ll just—”

“Go!”

“What?” Cade’s voice falls somewhere between a whimper and a whine.

“Now! Go! Get out of my office—out of my sight. And don’t come back until you’ve cleaned up this mess.”

A low growl erupts. The eerily, familiar sound cut short by Leandro’s voice. “Don’t you even think about shifting in front of me or anyone else, for that matter. You’ve caused enough grief for one night. Get a grip on yourself.”

The door slams open but not before I’ve slipped into the shadows and pressed myself hard against the wall. Going unnoticed as Cade storms out of the office, so consumed by his rage, his entire body trembles with fury.

He struggles against it. Tries hard to stop it. Contain it. If for no other reason than to placate Leandro.

But he’s too far gone. The shifting’s become so ingrained, it’s no longer his to control.