Searching for a Soulmate

By Laura Prior

Whispers of the apocalypse have turned into deafening screams. Jasmine has survived everything her enemies have thrown at her . . . and now they want revenge.

The opposing factions are gaining in strength and using extreme measures to push Jasmine to her limits including using her loved ones to lure her out. Her allies try to prepare her for the ultimate battle but with Jasmine’s soulmate on the line, the stakes are higher than ever. One wrong move may mean the search for her soulmate is over.

With everyone she cares about in grave danger, the fight is guaranteed to be a bloody one, but with a power that no one can match she just might stand a chance of coming out of this alive.

The seventh book in the Falling series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Laura Prior
• Release date: Mar 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310037078

Laura Prior

Laura Prior lives in Melbourne Australia with her fiancé, two daughters and two dogs.

Book preview

Dedication

Dedicated to Simon. Thank you for your love,

support and faith. Without you I wouldn’t

be able to write about true love.

Chapter 1

"Before the truth can set you free, you need

to recognize with lie is holding you hostage."

– Rachel Wolchin

I was cold. My limbs had frozen in place and I was sure my heart had stopped beating while Lana’s words circled my brain again and again. I turned away from her, dropping my palms onto the railing that wrapped around the front porch, digging my fingers into the wood as I tried to breathe. The air whistled, wheezing in and out of my lungs as my whole body protested against what I had been told.

I stared out at the front garden, the straight, narrow path that led up the roadside, the bushes that rose high on either side of the property, cushioning us, hiding us from neighbors; one of the many reasons it had been a perfect safe house. The past few years rushed up through my brain, memories and feelings fighting for attention, fighting to remind me what I had given up.

Time travel? I met her eyes with mine, trying to read her thoughts. The idea of it sounded ridiculous, even to me; an archangel reincarnated as a fallen angel valkyrie hybrid. Time travel? It sounded like something from a sci-fi movie.

Lana nodded seriously. Her dark eyes narrowed, assessing my reaction.

I let out my breath in short, sharp gasp. You’re clearly crazy, right? Or joking, or something.

She lifted her eyebrows, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips. You think I’m crazy? She leaned forward onto the railing on her elbows.

I edged closer. Time travel?

Don’t believe me if you don’t want to, she said. She turned, walking away from me with arrogance.

I spun around, gripping her arms tightly, adrenaline rushing painfully through my body.

I opened my mind to hers, trying to read her thoughts. I saw images, just flashes of people, faces that I didn’t recognize, then a feeling, a warm urgency that rushed through her body to greet me. Truth.

I pulled out of her mind and took in a deep breath. Here it was, the thing I had spent months searching so desperately for. Hope. Hope that I could bring Zach back. Hope that I hadn’t lost the only person I had ever truly loved with all of my heart.

How does it work?

A small smile passed over Lana’s face before vanishing, as though it had never been. It takes power and a hell of a lot of focus. How much power do you have?

I grimaced. A lot. Tell me what I need to do.

Lana surreptitiously glanced around, looking for prying eyes, then pushed past me to head down the steps into the garden. Follow me.

I clattered down the steps after her, jogging to keep up. Where are we going?

Away from anyone who will try to stop us.

I grabbed her elbow and spun her around to face me. Why would they stop us?

Lana glanced over my shoulder back towards the house and scowled at me. In less than a minute your friends are going to come looking for you. Do you want to bring your dead lover back or not?

She sharply removed her elbow from my grasp and jogged to the end of the garden path, turning left to follow the road. A number of cars were parked on either side, all belonging to the human rebellion, I presumed. I hesitated as Lana stood by a black Ford Fiesta and cocked her head towards me, arrogance pouring from her.

I shot one last panicked look at the house before giving in and running for the car. I slipped into the passenger seat, pulling on the seat belt, and glared at her.

I’m coming.

She nodded, glanced behind then turned to look out of the front window, pulling away from the curb.

We quickly picked up speed, joining the highway going south. The road was fairly quiet. With the news constantly showing clips of demons and vampires murdering people, most humans had either fled or remained inside, hidden where they thought they were safe.

We stayed on the highway for only five or ten minutes, pulling off towards Sandpine beach—a beautiful though usually crowded hang-out for locals. We drove up into the graveled car park that lined the beach. A restaurant, a surf shop and a small café stood empty, seemingly deserted. I bit my lip and looked to Lana, anxiously awaiting her instructions. She gestured for me to follow her and headed onto the sand, following the slope downwards until we stood looking out at the ocean.

All I could think about was how eerie it was without humans. The sun was in the sky beaming down; this place should have been teeming with teenagers playing sports and families having picnics, but instead we were the only souls here.

I eyed Lana warily. What now?

Now we can talk.

And we couldn’t talk before?

She smirked and sat down, stretching her legs out across the sand. I sat beside her, frowning, waiting for her answer.

The moon’s gravitational force is strong enough to disrupt the balance of earth’s gravity that holds the sea in place. Sitting here at high tide while the moon is pulling at the waves, we are protected from being overheard. The power that roars around us is deafening, thus preventing any unwanted ears from listening to what I’m going to tell you.

I stared down either end of the beach. Unwanted ears? There’s no one here.

She reached up to toy with her hair, wrapping loose tendrils of brown locks around the messy bun on top of her head. "There’s no one here, but there are plenty of people up there." She pointed her forefinger up to the sky.

My face darkened, anger clawing at me from inside. They don’t care about us. They don’t care about anything but themselves. I shook my head. They aren’t listening.

A look of puzzlement briefly touched her eyes before she erased it. Regardless, there’s always someone listening in and now, we can talk freely.

I nodded. Okay. So tell me, how can I use time travel to bring Zach back?

It will take a combination of talents. A huge amount of energy must be channeled into you as you focus on a clear memory from the past. Then you need to open a portal and you’ll go to him.

You’re saying I need to open a portal to the past? I clarified. Is that even possible?

Lana smiled. It’s been done before, but it takes a lot of energy and a lot of concentration. You’ll have to train, to strengthen your focus and control.

I shook my head. Nuh-uh. I’m strong. I want to do it now.

She grinned. No, that’s not going to happen. You need my help to do it and I’m not helping until I know you’re ready.

I was ready. I knew I was ready; maybe I just needed to convince her. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to release the tension building up. I could afford to wait a few hours. It wasn’t as if Zach could get any deader.

Okay. I’m in, I agreed. When do we start?

Chapter 2

She’s mad but she’s magic. There’s no lie in her fire.

– Charles Bukowski

By the time the week was up, I had come to the conclusion that Lana was planning on torturing me with the knowledge she withheld. To build my physical strength up she had me run laps around the house, lift hundreds of planks of wood to assist in the remaking of the first floor landing, and hefting up bricks to build the outer walls. She coached me through meditation, making me concentrate harder on each of my abilities than I ever had before.

She had me light a single candle a thousand times over until I could do so with the merest of thoughts. There were no severe wounds to practice healing, but I mended the many cuts and bruises the human rebellion suffered while fixing up the safe house, though Nikita refused my help on a number of occasions.

A true control over the opening of portals still eluded me, much to Lana’s disappointment. It was true I had opened some with a degree of success in the past, but the deep, dark worry of accidentally sending myself into the pits of Castle Dantanian was still too raw to shake off. The thought of opening my eyes and finding myself staring down the gloomy, gothic hallways was beyond terrifying. Lana expected me to be able to transport both of us through a portal to the exact spot she decided upon and not only to places I had been before, but to locations she picked out in pictures; the Museum of Modern Art, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, cathedrals, beaches and a hundred other places. I was able to get us to places I’d been to ungracefully and without any degree of accuracy, leaving my level of success at Lana’s game; zero.

I was so frustrated that I found myself avoiding her, unable to take any more of her lectures on control. While sitting on the back porch in the dark, I heard movements and voices in the kitchen. With a wince, I glanced around and made a dash for the steps leading into the garden.

Hey, I’ve barely seen you all week and you’re headed out again? Sam asked appearing in front of me, blocking my exit.

I sighed and looked past him into the darkness that promised both comfort and solitude.

I tried a smile. I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been somewhere else all week.

Literally, he said, his frown remaining in place as he rested his hands on his hips.

I groaned. I’m not supposed to tell anyone. Even as the words came out I knew I was going to tell him everything.

Like you’ve ever obeyed the rules before. His frown eased. Come on, Jas, it’s you and me; we don’t keep secrets from each other. Who’s been filling your head with this crap?

That did it. A guilt trip would always do it.

I tucked my hair behind my ear and surreptitiously glanced around to see if anyone was watching. Lana had been big on the secrecy, even going so far as to prevent anyone in the heavenly realm from overhearing us by training at the seaside. How could I tell Sam what we’d been doing so that he knew what I was talking about but no one up there did?

Lana’s helping me do something that we thought couldn’t be done, I said, grimacing my the vagueness.

He made a face. What?

I closed my eyes and rubbed at my temples with my thumb and forefingers. How had I ever been an Archangel? I was the worst critical thinker ever. I was a telepath, and how did one convey a secret message to another telepath? Telepathically … moron.

Eying Sam’s grin sheepishly, I muttered, God, I’m so thick.

Tell me.

Lana’s a witch. She’s helping me gain control of my abilities and that’s what we’ve been doing all week … training.

And …? There must be more to it than that. Why would you trust a complete stranger? You don’t trust anyone … no offense.

I snorted, stifling a smile. She said there’s a way to bring Zach back.

I waited for the judgment to show on his face. I knew it would be there. I even judged myself, and subsequently sentenced myself to a decade in the loony bin because if talk of time travel seemed ridiculous, going along with it was completely bonkers.

Do you think Karen of the Witch Guard in Portland sent her?

I paused, thinking back to the conversation we’d had with the coven. No, witches don’t like to raise the dead.

Then why would she be helping you?

I shrugged, avoiding his eyes. I knew he wouldn’t go along with this; I was crazy to be going along with this.

At his sigh I looked up as he shook his head at my self-condemnation.

What are we waiting for? he whispered.

My eyes flicked to his, a smile pulling at the edges of my mouth. You don’t think I’m crazy?

Oh, you’re definitely crazy on an epic scale. But if you think you know of a way to get Zach back, that even the angels don’t know about, then I’m with you.

You’re the best friend anyone could ever ask for, you know that? I whispered. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, squeezing tightly.

You’re not too bad yourself. At least, when you’re not keeping secrets from me, he teased, laughing into my hair. Now seriously, what are we waiting for?

Lana said I wasn’t ready, that I wasn’t strong enough.

And you believed her? Did she tell you how to actually do it?

She said I have to pick a really clear memory of him then open a portal directly to him. Then, I need to keep the portal open, take hold of him and pull him back through to this present time.

And it won’t affect the present? Didn’t he save your life a whole bunch of times? If you bring him forward aren’t you going to be … dead?

I shook my head. She said it doesn’t work like that. The past stands as it is, regardless of who goes back or how many times someone tries to alter something. I’m not bringing the past Zach through the portal; I’m taking a copy of him and adding him to the present.

I’m not entirely sure how that works, but if you get it then I guess that’s good enough.

I bit my lip. I’m not stopping Zach from being killed or doing any of the things he did. I’m sort of taking a carbon copy of him and bringing that forward.

Sam nodded slowly. Okay, you’re basically photocopying him, letting the original follow the path he’s supposed to follow, while keeping the back up safe.

That’s it. I agreed.

But you don’t think you’re strong enough yet?

I shot him a glare, holding up my hands. I didn’t say that.

So what have we got to lose?

Oh, just, you know, sending myself into Hell accidentally, or royally fucking up and getting killed while I’m in the past.

Are you able to keep the portal open so you don’t get stuck there?

I shrugged. I have no idea. I’ve never tried.

Isn’t that what you were training to do with Lana?

We didn’t get that far. She had me working on my other abilities.

Why? That seems pretty pointless.

I shrugged again. Lana had said I needed to be stronger and faster so I had gone along with it. Whenever I had asked, she had just said that I wasn’t strong enough.

Well, you’ll never know if you’re ready if you don’t try. Sam whispered the words in my mind.

I gave him a sheepish grin.

You were going to try anyway. That’s what you were doing out here.

I think I’m strong enough, and like you said, if I don’t try, I’ll never find out if I can do it.

He nodded, a serious expression on his face as he frowned. I’m coming with you.

No! What if I accidentally lose you in there? I shook my head. Nuh-uh. You stay here where I know where you are and I will go and get him … or at least, attempt to.

He huffed. Fine, but let me help.

You can help by standing at a safe distance.

Fine.

He took my hand and pulled me down the steps. We slid into the shadows with not even the crunching of the grass beneath our feet to give us away. We stuck to the edges of the garden, sneaking into the darkness that led away from the house.

Sam let go of me and ducked under a low-hanging tree branch. I followed, lost and blind, as the thick foliage hid us from the light glowing from the windows of the newly rebuilt house. I paused and turned back to view the house again, doubts slithering through my mind. Should I wait for Lana? Was there something the witch had kept from me? The procedure seemed straightforward enough; concentrate on a memory of Zach, focus and picture him exactly, then open the portal. I presumed the hardest part would be keeping it open and I would definitely try my hardest to do just that, but if I failed I could keep trying.

I spun around to follow Sam into the darkness. Catching up, I pulled him into a sheltered area, a hidden copse between thickly woven trees.

This’ll do. I turned around, making sure no one in the house could see us.

What’s next? Sam asked.

I clenched my jaw, butterflies flying through my stomach. I was more than nervous. I was . . . excited, thrilled beyond explanation that I could potentially be back in Zach’s arm within a few minutes. Goose bumps ran up my arms, dancing down my spine with an intensity that made me want to scream or cry or laugh hysterically.

I need to concentrate on a memory of him first then open the portal. I said, trying to instill a sense of calm in my body to combat the raging adrenaline.

Sam raised his eyebrows, nervously chewing on his lips, his teeth flashing in the darkness.

Okay. I muttered.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, pulling up an image of Zach in my mind. His pitch black eyes swam into vision; deep, soulful, ebony windows that shone into his heart, linking us. A glint of metal flashed behind my eyes; the bolt piercing his eyebrow, giving him a hard and dangerous edge. Next, his nose, long and straight and his full lips. I yearned to press my lips to his, to run my fingers across the rough stubble on his jaw.

I forced myself to zoom out, putting together the rest of his body; his tall, six and a half foot frame, thickly built with muscle ropes covering every inch of him, enormous shoulders and arms that could crush our enemies or hold me to him fiercely.

There, I had him. Now for the hard part; where had I last seen him?

I fought to hold onto the image of him as I pushed away the memories of that last day crowding in. Still, they prevailed despite my attempt to pull up a happy memory. I gritted my teeth, giving in. My skin rippled with unease as memories of vampires and fallen angels swarming around me, teeth sinking into lycan and angels, valkyrie shrieking with anger while tearing demons limb from limb. I looked down at my hands, blood pooling in my palms. Pulses of air drove me to my knees as a dragon closed in from above.

I clenched my fists, steeling my heart against the fear, the taste of blood in my mouth. The horsemen, Machidiel, Drew, Elijah, Lilith—they were all there, fighting, shouting and killing. I searched for Zach, my eyes scanning over the sea of people fighting, my heart tightening painfully. The last time I had seen him, before he was knocked unconscious and then killed, he had been glorious in battle, the blood of his enemies staining his clothes.

I had a clear picture; now for the portal.

I reached down inside me, feeling the churn of magic, my power swirling around my abdomen. I pulled on the tendrils, sucking them up through my chest, sensing the stinging burn as waves of magic flowed through my body, shifting my gravity. I held onto Zach’s image in my mind and fell, nausea flooding through me.

I landed on my knees, more ungracefully than usual due to the intense sickness churning through my mind. I knelt on the ground, trembling, vomit pouring from my mouth again and again. Breathing through my nose as I gagged, I crawled forward, scrambling up to my feet. My mouth dropped open, nausea forgotten as I surveyed my surroundings.

I’d done it; I was in the past. I was here, in the fight—his last fight. I had, however, not only lost sight of him, but also dropped the portal.

I shook my head. I couldn’t have cared less about the portal. I needed to find Zach. I took a step forward, twisting around to see through the warring beasts, trying to find my soulmate.

I was slammed into the ground, a weight heavier than a house sitting on my chest. Conquest sat upon me, an arrow notched in his bow, aimed at my neck. His lips curled sadistically.

Ooh, I’m going to enjoy this. His smooth voice repelled me as he pulled the arrow back an inch further.

Fear pounded through me. I couldn’t move; I wasn’t strong enough to shift him and though I railed and fought to bring up a single flame, my abilities eluded me, slithering away to hide.

Sam exploded into view, knocking Conquest aside, dislodging his aim. Pain, blossomed in my shoulder, ricocheting down my back and arm, and I screamed. Agony choked me, tears flooding down my face as I rolled onto my side, gasping for breath. Sam’s face appeared again, terror in his eyes.

Jasmine! he screamed, pulling me into his arms.

I focused, holding his eyes in my mind—brown, soft, loving eyes. His face looked so scared that I knew I needed to get out of there. I reached down, using all of my remaining strength to pull magic up and saturate my body in it. I took a deep breath and shoved Sam away from me, ensuring that just before the portal consumed my body, we weren’t touching.

We were back in the present and blood leaked out of my shoulder. If there had been anything left in my body I would have vomited again. Instead, I gagged and choked, curling myself up into a ball on the ground, ignoring the twigs and stones digging into me.

Shit! Sam crowded near. You’re hurt. I’ll go and get help.

No! I groaned. They can’t know what I was trying to do.

"You’ve got an arrow sticking