Free My Soul to Keep by Sharie Kohler

not even realized was missing.
    â€œYeah,” he agreed, hardly recognizing the tight sound of his voice. “A lifetime in which you’ve started hunting witches. How did you get mixed up in this, Sorcha?”
    â€œI can ask you the same.” Her hands fluttered between them, looking for a place to rest. “Here you are ready to kill me to save some worthless, soulless witch—”
    He tightened his lips in a frown. “There’s a lot you need to understand—”
    â€œI don’t have time for your lies. Get off me.” She surged against him and he enjoyed the feel of her breasts beneath their layers of clothing.
    â€œAre you going to run? Promise you’ll behave and I’ll—”
    â€œIn case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a little girl anymore.”
    â€œOh, I noticed.”
    The pink in her chill-burned cheeks deepened.
    He settled deeper into her softness, couldn’t resist. “We’re going to remain like this for a while, until I have your word.”
    The light at the centers of her eyes sparked with anxiety, and he knew she was thinking of the passing time, of how each second took Tresa farther away.
    â€œWhy are you so determined to kill Tresa? Is it all demon witches or just her?”
    â€œI couldn’t give a damn about any other witch. She’s responsible for it all … for everything!”
    â€œSo you want vengeance, is that it?”
    She gave a single hard nod.
    He stared at her starkly, trying to let his next words penetrate. “You can’t do it, Sorcha.”
    A stillness came over her. She scanned his face intently. “I wish you’d stayed dead to me. Better than what you are now.”
    Her whispered words stung as they shouldn’t have. She didn’t understand, but he would make it clear to her, and then everything would be good. Right between them. For some reason, that was important. Meant everything to him.
    â€œListen to me, Sorcha.” He paused, breathed in. “It’s not that simple—”
    He didn’t get the chance to finish. She surged against him with sudden violent force, flipping him over her head.
    His back slammed to the floor with jarring impact. He saw stars for a moment, before sitting up and shaking off the stun, cursing himself for dropping his guard. He’d let the sight of her, the memory of what she’d meant to him, distract him.
    Whatever she was, whoever she was now … Well, he didn’t know that person.
    By the time he righted himself and looked around, she was gone, out the door and racing through the craggy, snow-whipped landscape. A blur of tan camo, fast as the wind. At that speed, with the instincts of their kind, she would overtake Tresa in no time. He glanced around quickly. The deadly-looking saber was gone. If he didn’t catch her, she’d have Tresa’s head. And then he’d have a demon loose on his hands.
    With a bitter curse, he was on his feet and running out the door after her, sudden fear coating his mouth, sour and metallic as blood.
    But not the fear he should have felt. Not fear for the world if that demon was set loose. His fear was for Sorcha if she came face-to-face with a demon that killed and destroyed as easily as breathing.
    His jaw locked, hardening with determination. He’d failed Sorcha before—believed her dead.
    He wasn’t going to let that happen for real this time. No matter the stranger she had become.
    S ORCHA DIDN’T LOOK BACK . Didn’t risk a glance over her shoulder, too worried it would slow her down and trip up her focus.
    There were no tracks. The swirling wind had blown whatever trail Tresa left. She could trust only her instincts. She opened her senses, blockedout thoughts of Jonah closing in somewhere behind her. Instead, she focused on the prey ahead of her.
    The heavy pounding of her tread echoed in her ears, in perfect sync with the ragged slap of her breath on