Soul Slam, Soul Warriors Book 1

Chapter Three B

"Sixteen." I swallowed, feeling each of those years gong in my head.

"Thought so." He looked forward and walked faster, like he'd proven his point.

But he hadn't. My curiosity piqued. Coincidences could happen, but doubts swirled in my mind. "I don't get it."

"You're pretty young for a thief."

Strange change of conversation. I wasn't about to tell Xander how I'd been raised.

Maybe he planned to lure me in with incredible stories of power and then, bam, take the amulet. I unbraided my hair as I thought, shaking out the brown tangles. Long hair was a hazard in my profession, but worth the risk. I pulled my hair over my shoulder and started to twist it into a braid again. Fitch told me I always did this when I was nervous. He demanded I cut my hair time and again. I refused—my one act of rebellion.

"So, what's your real plan?" I used the elastic band to secure the braid.

Xander ogled me as we walked. Did he think my hair straggly? Did I care?

Heat flushed my face and this time it wasn't caused by the amulet. His stare was annoying, uncomfortable, and yes, a bit of a turn-on. I shut that line of thought off. "What?"

"Nothing." He jerked his head in the other direction, knowing he'd been caught.

Dismissed. Yeah, because I look so good in my all-black cat burglar attire with barely-there make-up and messy hair. He didn't like me or think I was cute. I was just an anomaly.

So much for Prince Charming. Back to nothingness again.

Deflated, I licked my dry lips. Whatever he felt about me didn't matter. I needed to find a way to ditch him. And soon.

I pulled my passion fruit lip gloss out of my pocket and coated my lips. Our steps echoed in the fog-enshrouded night, highlighting the ghostliness of the woods in Golden Gate Park. The acres-big park housed several museums, a few small lakes and ponds, bike paths, and lots of trees. Not that I spent any time here. I knew Highway One ran through the center of the park and it ended at the Pacific Ocean. That's about it.

I headed into a thicker forested area. I wasn't a nature-girl, but I'd take any form of cover even if it consisted of bushes and bugs. Getting back to Fitch's and finding out what had gone wrong was my top priority. On past jobs he'd waited for the others when they were behind schedule. I knew because I waited with him. Why hadn't he waited for me? Did he think I failed my first heist?

My shoes squelched in mud. "Those men must've scared my contact away." The only explanation. "Wonder who they were."

"You should've looked outside first, then we wouldn't have had to deal with the guys with guns." Xander's dry tone scraped against my spine.

"Who else would've been hanging around the museum tonight? Your cruel society people?"

"Did you hear everything?" Bitterness edged his words. "Why did you decide to help?"

"I couldn't leave you lying there." I bristled. I wasn't about to tell him my reasoning or my past. And yes, I did feel sorry for him. A little.

"The Society did."

No comparison between his society and my ring of thieves. Our history, our goals, our sense of loyalty were totally different. Even if loyalty was served with a side dish of knuckle sandwich.

"They're not me." I tripped on a limb half-buried in the dirt.

He reached out to help and stopped before we actually touched. His eyes became the size of Fitch's fists. Was he so turned off he couldn't stand the thought of touching me? I must be so far below him on the social scale.

Warmth snuck up my cheeks and I wanted to slink away. Instead, I snarled. "If you're afraid to touch me, then why don't you leave?" Getting away would be easier by myself. Lonelier, but easier. "You knew I was hiding behind those tablets. Why didn't you tell Jeb where I was? Maybe he would've—"

"Not left me on the ground to get caught?" Xander shot me a know-it-all smile. "The Society of Aten still would've kicked me out because I don't hold the power. And in the process, I would've helped them capture you. Didn't seem like a fair trade."

My spine ramrodded straight. My chin stuck up. My lips formed a disapproving line. He didn't think I was good enough for his snobby society. Like I shouldn't be allowed in their club.

Back up. I didn't want them to want me.

"They want the amulet." Just like Fitch. I fingered the gold under my shirt. Even in the damp air the disc felt warm.

"You have the power. The amulet alone has no value to the Society. They need the host of King Tut. Which is you." He held back a group of branches for me. "It was supposed to be me."

Passing him without a glance onto a paved bike path, I didn't acknowledge his attempt at scaring me. Obviously, he didn't understand that I didn't believe him. Not really. Ignoring his information might be the best way to get him to stop talking, except with his strong voice and hard body he was hard to ignore. I didn't want to listen and yet I felt compelled.

I stomped my feet to clean the mud. "I need to find a bus stop." I had to get the amulet to Fitch tonight or I'd be severely punished. Wanted to kiss Tina and Doug before bed.

"Bus stop?" He scrunched his nose.

"Have a problem with taking the bus?" Not that he was going with me.

"I've never ridden one before."

"You rich?"

Xander shook his head. "Just protected."

"Where are your parents?" I'd never known my mom and dad.

"No parents." His voice didn't sound sad which surprised me.

While I didn't want to know the parents who'd left me like garbage, most kids did. They had this secret wish that there had been a mistake and their parents had always wanted them. The kids didn't realize they were the mistake.

"The Society thought it best if I stayed away from the general public."

My eyebrows practically arched off my face. And I thought I had a weird upbringing. Guess, by the strangeness of our lives we actually had stuff in common. "This society raised you?"

"Since I was born. Home-educated me. Trained me." He'd used the word trained before, like he was a show dog.

"This society—"

"The Society of Aten."

"They picked you, raised you, because you were the correct age to receive King Tut's soul at this precise moment in time?" The Society had acted like mad scientists training Xander for their own purposes. Anger foamed like the rabid dog's mouth living in my alley. I hated people who used other people like objects. "And then they left you lying on the museum floor?"

"That's right." His teeth clicked together, hard. Hard enough for me to hear. "Since I didn't receive the soul, and since you were the first to touch the amulet after the ancient words were spoken, the Society has no use for me."

Xander halted. His gaze became fierce and almost protective. "But they'll be searching for you.