Free Absolution by LJ DeLeon Page B

stop Farley from draining them dry if he finds them.”
    He couldn’t argue with that. “When he absorbs a magick’s essence, what happens to the soul? You helped my sister’s soul transition. Did she suffer?”
    “The soul is inviolate. It returns to Summerland and the Goddess unharmed. As for the magick, it remains with the body and returns to the universe with its death, awaiting the soul’s rebirth. That is Farley’s mistake in judgment. Stolen magick doesn’t last or satisfy.”
    “That’s why Rice and I need to kill him. With your power, it’s critical you’re safely out of his reach. He could be the Dark Lord’s greatest weapon, our greatest threat, if that demon were made aware of his existence.”
    “True, which is why you need my help. However, once Deva finds my daughters, I can take them to hIfreann, and we’ll be safe there.”
    “I thought only those who were born of parents from hIfreann or had been modified as you were could live there.”
    “Soul bound mates of other domains can also. My daughters are half Seraphim and can enter and leave at will. Raziel and I will keep them safe in hIfreann.”
    Half Seraphim? Who the hell’s their father ? “What are you talking about? Those women aren’t leaving Earth. Even I know they were put here for a reason. You can’t simply take your grown daughters and hide them there. You’ll lose them if you try. And where does that leave the Goddess’ plan for them, for you, for the rest of us who need you three?”
    She rested her elbows on the table and covered her face with her hands. At the sound of a soft sob, Luc shoved out of his chair and knelt at her side. Gently he lifted her hands away. The tears streaking down her cheeks shattered him. With a napkin, he blotted them away and brushed strands of hair off her cheeks. He caressed her arms; his eyes met hers. “Talk to me. What is it? Tell me what’s really driving you. What’s so urgent?”
    “I’m haunted by nightmares.” Her whisper broke his heart. “What do they look like?”
    He stared at the floor and frowned, trying to recall each woman from her picture in the conference room. “They’re both tall, both beautiful. Sophie’s a blonde and Kate...well, given they’re twins, I figure Kate dyes her hair brown.” He shrugged. “It’s been more than seven months since anyone’s seen her, so who knows.”
    She nodded. “Kate’s in my dreams.” She paused, took a shaky breath, and leaned forward, her head touching his forehead. “She’s alone, with only a sword, in battle against a hoard of demons from the Abyss. I now believe the demons symbolize Farley.”
    He lifted her in his arms, walked to the sofa, and settled her on his lap. “It might help you not to worry about her if you know she’s one helluva woman. I don’t know her personally, but I do know her commanding general, Adams. She’s a colonel in the Supernatural Special Forces. She rescues children from demons and monsters like Carlson’s Humans First and Farley’s Brotherhood.”
    Her eyes met his. “In my dream, she’s alone when attacked, except for a wild wolf. If the enemy is Farley and her powers are still bound, she won’t survive. That’s why I have to help you neutralize him before continuing my search.”
    “No, you don’t. That wolf’s Mark. Kate has a mate, a soul mate, or she will have as soon as he finds her. He’s looking for her now, following her scent. He’s the Alpha of his pack, a very large pack. He was born and raised to protect his people. All of his people, not just those born of his blood. If you believe nothing else, know this—he will die before he allows anything to harm her.”
    She twisted in his lap and faced him, a small smile on her lips as she blinked back tears. “He sounds like a good man, the kind she needs. Once they’re together and her powers are unbound, she can teleport them to safety.”
    Luc shifted uncomfortably, her wiggle against his seemingly ever-present