turned toward the sound and held her breath. She picked out several voices, jumped, and stared through the eyes of a nurse backing down the hall and away from the room she’d moved from. She returned to her own body and took another breath, jumping into another of the staff, one with a direct view inside the vacated room. Her eyes stopped on a reaper.
Not Gabriel.
Tall, with blond hair tied in a ponytail, he wore jeans and a brown leather bomber jacket. He turned his eyes on the person Jocelyn occupied and eyed him up and down. No, not the biggest or the baddest reaper she’d had the occasion to cross auras with, but he was scary.
“You.” He pointed. The ride froze in his tracks and gasped.
Shit . He’d recognized her soul and had caught her hopping. A tracer . He’d follow her energy trail like a hound. Jocelyn snapped back into her body and swung her legs over the bed. She had seconds to get the hell out of his path. She grabbed the I.V. attached to the top of her hand, took a deep breath, and yanked, sinking her teeth into the meaty part of her cheek to keep from making a sound.
Her backless gown gaped open, leaving her rear exposed to the world. She reached around to pull the opening shut and held it with one hand as she crept toward the door. This time she skipped, jumping from body to body, until she sighted in on a candidate. Her target stood by the nurse’s station fifty feet down the hall, holding a urine sample. Jocelyn seized control and stared down at the woman’s hand. “Hey you,” she manipulated the nurse and bellowed over to the reaper. Tracers were drawn to energy and she planned to give him something to chase. Fear produced a lot of energy and the nurse was terrified.
His head snapped around and he narrowed his eyes.
“Yeah, you.” Jocelyn forced the woman to heft the urine at him. “Catch!”
The reaper knocked the hurling container away, spattering piss all over the hall and his jacket. He glanced down at the stains and back up at her. A growl rumbled from his throat.
“Nice catch.”
He charged down the hall, knocking carts and people out of the way like a linebacker. His gaze was locked on and blazing.
Hold . The nurse twitched, fighting the urge to flee. Her stomach twisted and her throat closed, making it difficult to draw a breath. Relax, just a little bit longer . Her puppet swallowed and balled her hands into fists. Jocelyn’s vision fuzzed in and out. Damn. She’s fighting me . Not a good thing, since it would take more energy to maintain control. Jocelyn pushed back, forcing the woman’s compliance. Free will didn’t matter when her soul was on the line. The reaper would back off when he realized he’d targeted the wrong girl. Until then….
Hold . The woman’s feet shuffled backward. Come on, don’t do this. He needs to be closer .
With as much force as she could muster, Jocelyn screamed into the woman’s mind. I said hold! For a second she locked, standing frozen in one spot, and then natural instinct took over. The nurse whipped around and tore down the hall, her heart racing, one primary objective—escape—overriding any control Jocelyn had been able to maintain. Okay, we run .
She glanced back. Even though the nurse chose to flee, it ended up working for the better. The reaper might not be close enough to sense her energy in the woman, but he clearly had targeted her. This meant he was using visual means to track, instead of psychic. Less chance he’d catch that he had the wrong target until she’d lured him far enough away.
The reaper leaped over an upended cart and picked up speed. Good thing he wasn’t a shifter. A teleporter would be on her in seconds, and she needed to get him as far away from the room as she could, if she wanted to escape before he caught on to her smoke-and-mirror stunt.
Faster . She moved full bolt for the stairs. As soon as she ripped the door open and started down, Jocelyn let go of the nurse and shot toward her body. She
Not Gabriel.
Tall, with blond hair tied in a ponytail, he wore jeans and a brown leather bomber jacket. He turned his eyes on the person Jocelyn occupied and eyed him up and down. No, not the biggest or the baddest reaper she’d had the occasion to cross auras with, but he was scary.
“You.” He pointed. The ride froze in his tracks and gasped.
Shit . He’d recognized her soul and had caught her hopping. A tracer . He’d follow her energy trail like a hound. Jocelyn snapped back into her body and swung her legs over the bed. She had seconds to get the hell out of his path. She grabbed the I.V. attached to the top of her hand, took a deep breath, and yanked, sinking her teeth into the meaty part of her cheek to keep from making a sound.
Her backless gown gaped open, leaving her rear exposed to the world. She reached around to pull the opening shut and held it with one hand as she crept toward the door. This time she skipped, jumping from body to body, until she sighted in on a candidate. Her target stood by the nurse’s station fifty feet down the hall, holding a urine sample. Jocelyn seized control and stared down at the woman’s hand. “Hey you,” she manipulated the nurse and bellowed over to the reaper. Tracers were drawn to energy and she planned to give him something to chase. Fear produced a lot of energy and the nurse was terrified.
His head snapped around and he narrowed his eyes.
“Yeah, you.” Jocelyn forced the woman to heft the urine at him. “Catch!”
The reaper knocked the hurling container away, spattering piss all over the hall and his jacket. He glanced down at the stains and back up at her. A growl rumbled from his throat.
“Nice catch.”
He charged down the hall, knocking carts and people out of the way like a linebacker. His gaze was locked on and blazing.
Hold . The nurse twitched, fighting the urge to flee. Her stomach twisted and her throat closed, making it difficult to draw a breath. Relax, just a little bit longer . Her puppet swallowed and balled her hands into fists. Jocelyn’s vision fuzzed in and out. Damn. She’s fighting me . Not a good thing, since it would take more energy to maintain control. Jocelyn pushed back, forcing the woman’s compliance. Free will didn’t matter when her soul was on the line. The reaper would back off when he realized he’d targeted the wrong girl. Until then….
Hold . The woman’s feet shuffled backward. Come on, don’t do this. He needs to be closer .
With as much force as she could muster, Jocelyn screamed into the woman’s mind. I said hold! For a second she locked, standing frozen in one spot, and then natural instinct took over. The nurse whipped around and tore down the hall, her heart racing, one primary objective—escape—overriding any control Jocelyn had been able to maintain. Okay, we run .
She glanced back. Even though the nurse chose to flee, it ended up working for the better. The reaper might not be close enough to sense her energy in the woman, but he clearly had targeted her. This meant he was using visual means to track, instead of psychic. Less chance he’d catch that he had the wrong target until she’d lured him far enough away.
The reaper leaped over an upended cart and picked up speed. Good thing he wasn’t a shifter. A teleporter would be on her in seconds, and she needed to get him as far away from the room as she could, if she wanted to escape before he caught on to her smoke-and-mirror stunt.
Faster . She moved full bolt for the stairs. As soon as she ripped the door open and started down, Jocelyn let go of the nurse and shot toward her body. She
Similar Books
