Hell's Bell (Lizzie Grace 2)

“Given he could be hours, I think I’ll head up. Might as well read in comfort.”

She nodded and pushed up from the table. “Zak will be here in a sec—can you keep him entertained while I go grab some shoes?”

“Sure.”

She’d barely padded up the stairs when the chime above the door rang and Zak stepped inside. He was maybe an inch or so shorter than Belle—who was a towering six foot one—and he had the brown skin, red-tinged brown hair, and deep amber eyes that were common amongst the Marin pack.

“Lizzie,” he greeted warmly, stooping to drop a kiss on my cheek. “How come you’re sitting here drinking? Weren’t you going out with Aiden tonight?”

“I was, but ranger business intervened.”

He grabbed a chair, swung it around, and sat astride. “Well, there goes my five quid.”

“And what is a comment like that supposed to mean?” I knew what it sounded like, but I was hoping I was wrong.

He grinned. “Didn’t you know? There’s a betting pool running amongst some locals as to whether you two will actually ever go out on an official date.”

“Seriously? Have people got nothing better to do with their time?”

“It is a small town, remember. Nothing much ever really happens around here.”

Nothing much except a vampire going on a bloody rampage, a teenager being forced from his grave as a zombie, and now a soul eater on the loose.

But I guess it was a good thing the general population didn’t know about any of that.

“Tonight’s events also lost me a fiver,” Belle said, as she clattered down the stairs. “Which will teach me not to use insider knowledge to gain an advantage.”

“And how come you failed to inform me about this?”

“Because it would have placed undue pressure on you, and what sort of friend would I be if I did that?”

I snorted and took a drink. “It’s nice to know my love life—or lack thereof—is the subject of speculation.”

“It’s more Aiden’s love life than yours,” Zak said. “He’s been something of a loner since his sister’s death.”

Something I was both pleased and saddened to hear. I pushed up from the chair. “If you do make another bet, I expect a cut of the winnings.”

“Only if you give us an inside tip.” Zak caught Belle’s hand. “Shall we go?”

“As long as we can get a pizza on the way there. I’m starved.”

“And not just for pizza, I hope.” Zak winked at me. “Catch you later.”

“Much later,” Belle said, as they headed out.

I locked the door behind them, but their mention of pizza had my stomach rumbling, so I headed into the kitchen and cooked myself a meat pie and some chips for dinner before heading upstairs. Once I’d finished, I grabbed one of the old books sitting on the coffee table—one marked Dark Spirits, volume 2—and started to read. It was rather scary just how many different types of evil were sitting beyond the folds of the wider world, waiting to be called into action. Scarier still was the fact that—at least with some of them—the call to action didn’t actually require magic, but something as simple as a heartfelt wish for revenge.

Was that what we were dealing with here?

Had Larissa done nothing more than desire revenge against Aron’s parents?

I hoped not, if only because I hated the thought that such anger and bitterness could bring something like a soul eater to life.

I continued reading, but didn’t really find anything concrete about which type of soul eater we were dealing with, or what might kill it.

I gave up at ten thirty and headed over to the kitchenette to make myself a coffee. As the machine began to splutter, my phone pinged. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw it was a message from Aiden.

Waiting outside the door if the offer for coffee still stands, it said.