The Survivor (Book 2)

Chapter 4

Taylor sat down in a patio chair in front of the table, in front of the place I was sitting. I leaned my elbows on my knees, tapping my chin and staring him down. “Are you gonna eat me or something? It’s kinda freaking me out…That whole,” he waved a hand in front of my face. “Look.”

“Eros loves you,” I said.

“Nah, you don’t say,” he wiggled his left hand an inch from my eyes. “Doesn’t take a genius, Treble. Jesus, you’re losing your touch.”

“Do you love him?” I asked. Taylor blinked his solid eyes at me, wondering if I was being serious. “Dead serious, Taylor. How much do you love him?”

“Enough to marry him.”

“You had sex with that Succubus.”

“Yeah, thanks for the reminder.”

“You got her pregnant,” I shrugged. “Your offspring tried to take my soul this morning.”

Taylor gulped. Loudly. “She didn’t get pregnant.”

“Oh. Really. That’s funny, because how else do I explain the thing that attacked me this morning? Or the thing that’s living in your backyard? It’s the same damned thing, and half of its DNA is yours,” I sat back. “How many times did you have sex with that Succubus, Taylor?”

“Once,” he said coldly. His eyes locked on mine, not that I could tell too much, but I felt them. They bored holes into my soul. I blinked at him slowly, waiting for him to crack. He answered too quickly. “How many souls do you think I had, Treble?! It only takes once for them to take your soul!”

“I think you’re lying.”

“You don’t say, Einstein,” he spat, leaning back in his chair. “I was friends with her. She cleaned my wounds after my daily torture session. She fed me when I couldn’t lift my own damned arms. She worked the halls, checking on victims. That was it. The idea was hers, and I took her up on it, because when else would I get to see Eros again?!”

I took a deep breath. “I still think you’re lying.”

“What do you want me to do to prove to you that I’m not?”

“Tell me the truth,” I shrugged. “Duh.”

“I am.”

“It would only take seven seconds for her to snatch up your soul like a pretty penny, and you’re telling me you two were friends? Something with that kind of power doesn’t waste it.”

“What, like Fifteen?”

“Fifteen was our spy. He was on our side. That’s different. I don’t know who this bitch is, but I know something crawled into Zack’s room while I was asleep and he was in the shower and tried to take my soul. And then it broke his window escaping,” I bit my lip as Taylor started to crumble.

“Three times,” he said softly. “She took my soul on the first. I had to devise a plan of escape, but I am not smart enough to do that on my own, we both know that. So I convinced her to help me.”

“Don’t believe that either.”

“Why not?”

“Because you were lonely enough to make out with me while I was down there,” I shook my head. “Do you or do you not love the god that would give his life for you? Because if you don’t, I’m not going to let him suffer the heartbreak of being with you.”

“He’ll just go back to Zack. He always does. That’ll leave you out in the rain with something after your soul,” Taylor smirked. “I do love Eros. I just love a lot of other things, too, and a little bit more.”