Soul Eaters

By Trudie Collins

Vampires do not exist.

What does is much much worse. Vampires only take your blood; these creatures take your soul.

Nicholas is the most powerful soul eater ever to have existed, surpassed only by his father, whom the witches captured centuries ago. He requires one more person to sacrifice in order to bring his brother back into the world. When he chooses a woman who no longer has anything to live for, it affects them both in ways neither of them could have imagined. 
John and Emma were looking forward to starting university until their world was turned upside down. Now two of their friends are dead and they have discovered that their mother was a witch, a member of a coven which has vowed to hunt down and kill all soul eaters.
Will the twins choose to forget all they have learned or are they brave enough to face Nicholas and his family and destroy them before they enslave mankind? And what will the witches do when they discover they are facing a threat far worse than they ever thought possible?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trudie Collins
• Release date: Jan 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386211532

Book preview

prologue

The woman watched in morbid fascination as the blood dripped down onto the jewel which hung around the neck of the prone male body. A little splashed over his naked torso, but the majority was absorbed by the red stone. She did her best to block out the screams that were coming from all around her as she struggled to keep her own growing terror under control.

As more blood flowed into the jewel, it began to glow and pulse, becoming brighter and stronger until it was almost like a beating heart. Then the lifeless corpse it was lying on began to breath, so shallow at first that she thought her eyes must have been deceiving her. As she watched the chest rise and fall, her body began to tremble.

Beams of light shot out from the centre of the pulsing stone, connecting with the red jewels that had been placed around the necks of each of the sacrifices. She looked down at hers with a sense of dread. When it started to beat in time with the one in the centre of the cave, she looked around at the others and saw that all six stones were now beating in a co-ordinated rhythm.

The pulsing became faster and when she looked down at her own stone once more, she saw the light begin to fade as it flowed out of the jewel and was absorbed by her skin. Warmth spread through her as the light immersed into her body.

Her eyes returned once more to the reanimated corpse and it took all of her will power not to scream as he sat up and looked toward her. He then turned his head to assess the other four women who were chained to the cave wall and smiled.

So fast she almost missed it, he sprang over to the nearest one, pulled her head to one side and sank his fangs into her neck. The screams of his prey intensified in volume and pitch, as did those of the other three victims. Only the watcher remained silent.

When he drew his head back, the watching woman was surprised to see no blood around his mouth. Her kidnapper had told her that his brother would not drink the blood, but she had not believed him. The creature; the woman could not bring herself to think of him as human, then placed his hand on his young victim’s forehead and closed his eyes. Almost instantly the screams she was emitting ceased. Her mouth remained open, but no sound came out. Tears flowed down her face and she tried to struggle against the fiend who was holding her by the hair, but he did not even seem to notice that she was moving.

Her eyes sprang open and the look of terror in them almost made the watching woman’s legs give way. Then the victim’s eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped forward. Her attacker removed his hand from her head and stepped back. Her arms dangling from the chains were the only things holding her upright as she took one last gasping breath.

The watcher realised with horror that the woman was dead. She had no idea what the monster had done to her, but whatever it was had killed her. Her mind was still trying to process what she had witnessed when the creature leaped across the cave, landing in front of one of the other women.

Before repeating the ghastly process, he looked across at the watcher, then his eyes sought out his brother. They looked at each other as though they were having a silent conversation. The kidnapper’s face was unreadable. Then the vile creature pulled the head of his next victim to one side and sank his fangs into her neck.

Soon he was standing in front of a lifeless corpse and he turned around to assess his remaining three victims. His eyes met the watcher’s and a shiver ran down her back. He glanced at his brother once more, then leaped over to one of the other screaming women.

From where she was chained, the watcher could see the young woman wet herself in terror, the yellow liquid streaming down her bare legs. Her attacker took no notice as he went about his gruesome task.

All too soon, only the watcher and one other were left alive and the watcher could not help wishing that she would be next. She had just seen three women brutally murdered and had no desire to witness the same thing happen to a fourth.

Across from her, the middle-aged woman was still screaming and the watcher wondered for a moment how she had managed to keep going for such a long time. Her throat must have been raw and the exertion should have exhausted her.

As though attracted by the noise, the monster turned toward the woman and leaped across the entire length of the cave to land in front of her. He moved so fast that the woman barely had time to notice his arrival before he was draining the life out of her.

Then the watcher was the only living human left in the cave. She wanted to scream, she wanted to shout for help, but she forced herself not to. She looked across at her kidnapper, but his face betrayed nothing of what he was thinking or feeling as he watched his brother assess her.

She began to tremble as he jumped over to her. Without saying a word, he stroked her cheek, wiping away the tears that rolled down her face. He looked over to his brother once more and the watcher saw him nod his head. When the monster returned his gaze to her, she closed her eyes and braced herself for what was to come.

Goodbye Ethan, she whispered as she felt her head gently moved to the side, exposing her neck.

I am sorry that I have to do this, she heard the creature say before sinking his teeth into her vein.

Chapter 1

Do it again Emma, Pip said. You know, that thing you do with fire.  

Emma looked across at her friend. Philipa, Pip for short, was almost bouncing with excitement, causing the fringe of her short blonde hair to fall across her face, hiding her piercing blue eyes. John, Emma’s twin brother, smiled encouragingly.

He had his arm around Pip and everyone, except for Pip it seemed, knew he had a huge crush on her. Emma wasn’t surprised. Pip was gorgeous. She was pretty, with the perfect slim figure and a chest most girls at their high school envied. She did not, however, let her looks affect her personality in any way. She could have had almost any boy in school, but never flaunted the fact. She rarely dated, preferring to spend her time with her friends, and she was the most kind, generous and down to earth person that Emma had ever met.

They had been friends for a long time, so Pip treated John like a brother, much to his disappointment. He had never made a move on her, choosing instead to concentrate on his studies, but now that school was over, Emma knew he was hoping to take his friendship with Pip to the next level.

Before doing as Pip asked, Emma looked around the circle her friends had formed. Now that they had finally finished their exams, the six of them had purchased a case of beer and retreated to the clearing in the woods where they had often gone to drink when they were all underage. Now most of them could legally drink, part of the thrill seemed to have gone.

Tammy and Evan were holding hands. They had been together since the previous Christmas and Emma wondered how their relationship was going to survive once they were at different universities.

The last member of the group was Tom. Thomas Tiberius Radleigh, as he always introduced himself, was so shy that Emma often wondered why he and her brother got on so well. He was the exact opposite of her outgoing, reckless twin, which was one of the reasons she liked him so much.

She saw Pip open her mouth to ask her once again to create fire, so she quickly did as requested. She held out her hand, palm upward, and stared at it, thinking about fire as she did so.

Her eyes flashed and flames appeared in her hand, dancing in the slight breeze. She could feel the heat, but the fire was not burning her skin, though she knew from experience it would burn anyone else who touched it.

Pip squealed with delight. Emma could see Tom eyeing her with a mixture of awe, fascination and a little bit of trepidation, which was one of the reasons she had done as Pip had asked without having to be coaxed into it. She watched him closely as she moved her hand close to the pile of sticks they had placed in the middle of the circle and made the flames leap from her hand onto the wood, where they took hold with a crackling sound.

Tom’s eyes widened and Emma smiled at him.

Now we have light, Evan said, let the drinking begin.

He opened the cool box next to him and passed around bottles of beer.

You’re not 18 yet, John said to Pip as he took the bottle from her hand.

I will be in a few days, she said as she snatched it back, elbowing him in the ribs as she did so.

To the end of school, Emma said before her brother could retaliate.

The end of school, everyone chorused, holding their bottles high in a salute to the toast, before drinking deeply.

How are you able to do that? Tom asked Emma, pointing toward the fire with his beer bottle. It was the first time he had directly asked her anything about her abilities and she wished she could give him an answer.

I have absolutely no idea. All I know is that if I concentrate hard enough, I can make things happen. Not all the time, but usually.

So can you turn beer into wine? Evan asked. Whiskey would be even better.

He was teasing Emma, but she didn’t mind. Ever since she had accidentally set fire to her brother’s homework during an argument a few years previous, she had told this group of friends everything, not wishing to keep anything secret.

They had all sworn not to tell anyone and had helped her practice, providing her with support and encouragement whenever she failed at what she was trying to do.

I’m not even going to try, she said.

Well can you light this for me then? Tammy asked, taking a cigarette from a packet and placing it in her mouth.

Emma looked at the cigarette and concentrated hard. Suddenly the cigarette flew from Tammy’s mouth and landed in the fire, where it was quickly consumed.

What the hell did you do that for? Tammy snapped at her.

You know Evan doesn’t like it when you smoke, she replied, winking at Tammy’s boyfriend.

Tammy’s tirade about what Evan could do with his opinions was cut off by John saying loudly, Did anyone else hear that?

Hear what? Pip asked.

I thought I heard growling.

Tom frowned. There’s nothing big enough living in these woods that could make a noise loud enough to be heard over Tammy’s ranting.

Are you sure you didn’t imagine it? Emma asked. Her brother had been known to hear things in the past that nobody else could, but usually it turned out to be real.

John ignored her. He was concentrating on the surrounding trees, trying to work out where the noise had come from.

Suddenly something flew into the clearing, barrelling into Emma and knocking her to the ground.

Stay down, she heard a voice whisper into her ear as she sensed something else propel itself over where she had just been sitting.

She turned her head in time to see something human shaped grab hold of Tammy and bite her neck.

Evan started screaming and Emma felt the weight that was pinning her down release her. Too afraid to move, she watched as a tall man walked up to the man who was attacking Tammy. He had his back to Emma’s rescuer so did not see him approach. He had his hand on Tammy’s forehead, but did not appear to be hurting her in any way.

Too numb with terror to move, Emma watched the stranger place his hand on the shoulder of Tammy’s attacker, then punch him in the back. Emma thought she must have been seeing things as the stranger’s fist smashed through the other man’s ribcage, grabbed hold of his heart and pulled it from his body. She stared, unable to look away, as the stranger lifted the still beating organ above his head and crushed it.

The now heartless body slumped to the ground and immediately began to decompose. Emma felt like she was watching a speeded-up time lapse film depicting what happened to a corpse over the course of a few months when it was left to the elements.

Only then did she begin to scream. She barely heard the stranger talk to her brother.

John, get Emma out of here. There are more of them out there and it is her they are after.

Before he could reply, two more people ran into the clearing. John grabbed Emma and pulled her away, just as one of them reached her. Seeing that her target was temporarily out of her reach, the snarling woman turned to Tom, grabbed him and sank her teeth into his neck.

The other new arrival launched himself at the stranger, who moved out of the way just in time, grabbed the man by the throat and threw him to the ground. Without hesitation, he forced his hand through the man’s chest, yanked his heart out of his body and threw it into the fire. As the flames slowly claimed it, the man’s body began to decompose.

He then turned to the woman who was attacking Tom. She was standing with her hand on his forehead, in the exact same pose that the man who had attacked Tammy had been in before he was killed.

The stranger took hold of the woman’s head and twisted it sharply clockwise, breaking her neck. Her body slumped to the ground, but did not start to disintegrate.

I thought I told you to get her out of here, the stranger shouted at John as three more people ran into the clearing. All were snarling and showing their fangs.

John was rooted to the spot, his brain unable to comprehend what was happening. Suddenly the sound of gunfire filled the clearing. He dived to the ground, using his body to protect his sister.

Shit, he heard the stranger say then stared in disbelief as he saw him run into the trees, faster than should have been humanly possible.

He looked up to see the three new arrivals being filled with bullets. Their bodies jerked as the shooters hit their targets, but they did not fall down. Instead they turned toward where the shooting was coming from and staggered forward. Blood flowed from the wounds, but that did not stop them moving.

Then another bullet hit one of the two women in the chest. The woman stopped and looked down. She was still staring in amazement as her chest burst open. The man went down in the same fashion. John watched as a bullet hit the other woman directly between her eyes and was almost showered in blood when her head exploded.

Silence filled the clearing. Evan ran over to Tammy, who was slumped on the ground. He tried desperately to find a pulse, but failed.

John looked over at Pip, who was sitting on the ground, her arms wrapped around her knees, which were pulled up tightly to her body. She was rocking backward and forward while silently crying.

He stood up and pulled Emma to her feet.

What just happened? she asked, but John didn’t answer. He had no idea what to say.

Four people walked into the clearing and John pushed his sister behind him. The two women both had long brown hair and were dressed in loose fitting dark coloured tops and long skirts. The two men looked like soldiers and were carrying rifles with hand guns hanging from holsters on their belts. Both were dressed in black.

Without speaking, one of the women went over to Tammy.

Keep away from her, Evan said, but stepped back when he saw a rifle being aimed at him. The woman examined the prone girl, then shook her head, indicating that she was dead.

The other woman bent over Tom, feeling for a pulse. She then moved his head to the side and saw the puncture marks in his neck.

She glanced up at the man standing next to her. He is alive, but has been bitten.

Damn, the man said, then drew one of his pistols and shot Tom in the chest. John and Emma stared in horror as their friend’s chest exploded.

Before they could react, the woman whose neck the stranger had broken, stood up. Emma screamed. The man who had pointed his rifle at Evan swung it round, aimed and fired, hitting the woman directly in the head. Her skull erupted outward, almost showering Emma and John with blood, bits of bone and brain matter. Her body fell to the ground and began to decay.

The woman who had examined Tom turned to look at Emma. My God, she gasped. Other than the hair you look just like Hazel.

John stepped in front of Emma once more. Keep away from my sister. He tried to make himself sound menacing, but his voice was shaking.

Your twin sister? the man who had killed Tom asked. John saw no point in denying it, so he nodded.

The man and woman looked at each other. Bring them with us, the woman finally said.

We’re not going anywhere, Emma forced herself to say. Not with murderers.

You have no idea what you are talking about, the woman snapped. Then she turned to the other couple. Nancy, take care of the other two while I dispose of the bodies.

As the woman moved toward Pip, Evan ran over to her. Don’t you dare touch my friend, he said.

Her partner pointed his rifle at Evan once more. Keep out of the way or I will shoot you.

The woman glared at him. There is no need for threats, she said. Then she turned to Evan. I am going to help her.

Evan did not dare move as Nancy placed her hands on either side of Pip’s head, closed her eyes and began saying words that none of the teenagers understood.

After a few moments, Nancy stopped speaking and gently raised Pip’s head so she was looking her in the eye. You will go home now, she said, keeping her voice soft and calm. You will remember nothing. You did not come here tonight and you have no idea where your friends went. Do you understand?

John watched as Pip nodded her head. He slipped his hand into Emma’s, more for his own comfort than hers.

Then Nancy turned toward Evan. He wanted to step back, but was too scared to move. She repeated the procedure on him and John was astounded when he agreed to take Pip home and they both left the clearing. Neither of them looked back.

While this was happening, the other woman was waving her hands over Tom’s remains, speaking what appeared to be the same incomprehensible language. Emma’s eyes widened as she watched the body sink into the ground until there was nothing left to see. The ground on which it had been lying showed no sign of disturbance.

The woman quickly disposed of Tammy’s body in the same way, then turned to John and Emma. My name is Anna. How, may I ask, did you kill so many neophytes?

What? John asked. What the hell is a neophyte?

It’s what we call soul eaters. Seeing his incomprehension, she pointed toward the decomposing bodies. Those things.

We didn’t, John said. There was a man here. He killed them all. His voice was shaking, but he didn’t care. He had just seen two of his friends murdered. What did it matter if those responsible knew he was scared.

Anna and Nancy exchanged worried glances. What man?

I don’t know, John said. I’ve never seen him before. He turned up just as those things attacked us then set about killing them all by pulling their hearts from their bodies. He hoped that giving them information would keep him and his sister alive.

We need to get out of here, now, one of the men said. He had his rifle raised once more and was scanning the trees.

Agreed, Anna said. Come with us. John and Emma didn’t move. Look, Anna continued. You can either come willingly or we can knock you unconscious and take you with us anyway. The choice is yours.

Without waiting for an answer, she turned her back on the twins and began to walk away.

Hand in hand, John and Emma followed her, feeling a rifle pointing at their backs as they walked through the wood. Two cars were parked along the edge of the road and it was toward these that Anna led them.

She opened the back door of one. Get in. John and Emma climbed in as she took the passenger seat and one of the men took the driver’s seat, having first handed his rifle over to Anna.

Looking out of the window, Emma saw Nancy standing over one of the decomposing bodies, which then began to sink into the ground.

Put your seatbelts on, Anna said and the twins instantly obeyed. Both jumped as they heard the locks on the doors engaging.

Nobody spoke as they drove through the city then toward the outskirts. There was nothing else in sight when the car pulled up outside the gates of an industrial estate and the driver opened the window.

He pressed the intercom and spoke. NS234 and NS249. We also have two visitors. Please ask Gwen and Lance to meet us.

There was no reply; instead the gate slowly opened.

As they drove forward, Emma and John looked around, but all they could see were buildings which appeared to be warehouses.

Anna turned around in her seat to address them. Welcome to the home of the earth coven.

Chapter 2

Sophie glanced at the message that appeared on her screen and rolled her eyes. It was from her boss, informing her that his current meeting was overrunning so he would have to reschedule her appointment to see him. Again. Little did she know that the message saved her life. Had she known, she would not have thanked him.

For the past week he had been avoiding her and they both knew why. He had noticed the change in her over the last month and knew what it meant. Every time they spoke she could see it in his eyes.

But she had made up her mind. She was going to resign and there was nothing he could do about it. She would take that long trip around the country that she had always promised herself, but not to see the sights. She just needed to find the perfect place to do it.

The anniversary of her son’s accident had come and gone, taking the last of her hope with it. Initially the doctors had been optimistic that he would come out of the coma, but as the weeks passed and he showed no sign of recovery, their optimism started to decline.

He was no longer her son. Now he was just a shell. He was breathing on his own, but had to be fed through a tube. Brain activity was close to zero and the experts now all believed he would be severely mentally disabled when he woke up. If he woke up.

A year had passed and she could no longer justify keeping him alive. The hospital wanted to withdraw his feeding tube, but she argued against it, hoping and praying that he would show some sign of improvement. She had been hoping in vain and her prayers had not been answered.

So she had decided that the pointless waiting was over. She would hand her resignation to her boss as soon as she was able to actually have a meeting with him, would work her notice period, would travel the country to find the ideal location, then she would kill herself.

She didn’t know how yet. Overdose, throw herself off a cliff, attach a pipe to the car exhaust. The possibilities were endless. The location would decide the method so she refused to give it any serious thought.

She closed the message and continued with her work. From where she was sitting, she could have looked up and seen her boss in his office as he performed the annual review on one of her colleagues, but she didn’t bother; there would be no point. She would catch up with him later in the day or email him her resignation letter. Either way, her notice period would start that day.

————————————-∞————————————-

Rhonda looked up from the nail she was filing when she heard the ping of the elevator arriving. She had been receptionist at the firm for three years and, while it could get a little boring, the money was good.

She smiled when she saw a group of men exit the elevator and walk toward her. Dressed in skin tight black jeans and figure hugging black t-shirts, these were not the usual type of visitors the firm received. One of them, wearing a long dark trench coat, flashed her a smile.

We are here to see David White, he said as he leaned against the reception desk.

Do you have an appointment? she asked.

We don’t need one. He will want to see us. Just tell us where to go and we will find him.

She looked up at him as he spoke and found herself lost in his eyes. There was a fire in them that seemed to burn down to her soul.

Take the corridor on the left, she found herself saying. Go through the kitchen and David White’s office is in the far corner. You can’t miss it.

Thank you, he said and smiled once more. Rhonda watched the men walk away, knowing there was something that she was supposed to do, but she couldn’t put her finger on what. It was only once they had turned the corner and were out of sight that she remembered that all visitors had to be escorted from reception; nobody was allowed to enter the offices alone.

The men made their way through the kitchen and into an open plan area containing rows of desks, each one occupied by people tapping at their keyboards or talking on the phone. Nobody looked up as they walked by.

The leader spotted the glass enclosed office in the corner and turned to address his men. You know what you have to do. Crowd control only. I don’t want anyone hurt unless it is absolutely necessary. Understand?

The men behind him nodded and drew their guns. Show time, the man continued, then made his way toward the office.

Without knocking, he opened the door and walked in, closing it behind him as he heard Neil, his second-in-command, call out, Everybody stay calm and nobody will get hurt.

The man behind the desk was grey haired and the plumpness of his face was partially hidden by his beard.

I’m busy, David said. This had better be important. Only then did he look up and when he did, he visibly paled.

Seeing his boss’s reaction to the newcomer, the younger man, who he had just been speaking to before they were interrupted, turned around. He was surprised to not recognise the intruder and opened his mouth to ask who he was, but the man spoke first.

Not too busy to speak to me I trust, though obviously too busy to respond to my summons. The smile he gave David made the other man shiver. From where he was seated in front of the desk, he had a clear view of the stranger’s face. And his fangs.

What are you doing here Nicholas? David managed to stammer as he stood up and took an involuntary step backward, knocking over his chair.

I’ve come to collect what you owe me.

————————————-∞————————————-

Sophie was so engrossed in the document she was reviewing that she did not noticed the men’s arrival. The sound of a voice commanding everyone to stay calm made her jump and she turned around in surprise. Her eyes settled on the gun in the speaker’s hand and she momentarily had no idea what to do. She glanced toward David’s office, noting that he had a visitor and that the door was closed. No help would be coming from that direction, so she returned her attention to the gunman who was issuing orders.

Everyone was being herded to one side of the building, where it would be easier for the terrorists, if that was what they were, to keep an eye on their hostages.

Everyone keep their hands in the air, the man said in a calm voice, which was filled with authority. This was a man who was used to people obeying his orders. The first person who tries to use a mobile phone will not live to regret it. Sophie had no doubt that he was telling the truth.

She stood up, leaving her phone on her desk, and moved to join the rest of her team. Predictably, Sally had started to cry. She was never good under stressful situations, which was one of the reasons she was always overlooked for promotion.

Equally predictably, Paul was trying to comfort her. He had been trying to get Sally into bed ever since she joined the team, so far, to the best of Sophie’s knowledge, without success.

Sophie returned her attention to the man who appeared to be in charge. He seemed to be a little younger than herself and everything about him made her think he had a military background. He was clean shaven, his short blonde hair had recently been trimmed and his bearing suggested that, although he was at ease, he could quickly respond to any situation that arose. He was oozing confidence. Everyone in the room would do as they were told and he knew it. He wasn’t exceptionally tall, but he was muscular and the way he was holding his gun suggested that he knew how to use it.

Sophie was distracted from her appraisal of the apparent leader by two of the other gunmen. One, who was much younger than the others, had said something to the tall man standing next to him, making him laugh. Sophie did not like that laugh.

The taller man then pointed his gun directly at Juliette, the new graduate who had recently joined Sophie’s team. You, with the blonde hair, blue eyes and big tits. Take your dress off.

Anger surged through Sophie. This man was nothing but a bully, using a weapon to get what he wanted. Without thinking, she stepped forward, placing herself between Juliette and the gunman. Like hell she will, she said, somehow managing to keep her anger under control.

The thug, as Sophie thought of him, looked down at her in surprise. Even with her high heels on, he would have to bend down to rest his chin on the top of her head. He instantly dismissed her as insignificant.

Get out of my way.

Sophie looked him directly in the eye as she said, No, loudly and clearly. She was acting instinctively, not thinking about what the consequences of her actions would be.

The man sneered at her as he placed his gun over her heart. Get out of my way or I will pull the trigger.

Go ahead, Sophie said. I dare you.

————————————-∞————————————-

In the office, Nicholas was only half listening to David’s pleas that he did not have the stone that he required on him. Nicholas knew that he was lying, but was distracted by something that was happening outside the office. Despite being surrounded by glass, Nicholas could easily hear the conversation that was going on between one of his men and one of the hostages. The fact that she was not backing down, even when a gun was touching her, made him smile.

Bored with David’s excuses, without taking his eyes from what was happening outside the office, he drew his gun, pointed it at the other man in the office and pulled the trigger. He heard the body slump to the