Souljacker Read Online Free PDF

Portal announcing she’s arrived
at the coffee shop in the sky. Then I slip down the alley until
darkness shrouds me in a veil.
    With a deep breath, I focus on me—the human
me, with my scruffy dark hair and pale skin. The shift overtakes my
body swiftly, shimmering across my skin, fur sinking down through
the surface, replaced by human flesh. The pinch of Faerie magic
that it took to create me aids me in my change until I’m standing
in the shadows in a pair of blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and my
black leather jacket. An eye patch covers the entire left side of
my face and I wear a Realskin glove on my right arm, keeping the
cyborg parts from showing through.
    The jacket squeaks softly as I roll my
shoulders, striding out of the alley. The line stretches back
almost to the street. Typical Friday night, especially when it
comes down to the more popular bands playing. Like that pretty-boy
from Elysium. Girls just swoon over him.
    As I step through the Portal, I feel the
flicker of magic spread across me. I’ve found if you keep your eyes
shut, you don’t get so disoriented; the feeling of travel is almost
pleasurable if you’re relaxed. In a matter of seconds, the scent of
coffee laced with sugar granules invades my senses, and I’m
deposited into the corner of Cosmo. My good eye scans the crowd and
I pluck out Lucy standing in line for a coffee. Her little robot
hovers at her side.
    I can’t help but grin as the robot glances my
way, then nudges Lucy’s shoulder. She must say something because
Lucy stiffens, then slowly turns. Our eyes meet and her mouth makes
a little ‘o’ of surprise. I give a wave, my own lips twitching into
a smile. I want to go up and talk to her, but maybe that’s too
forward. Maybe I should let Lucy come to me.
    She orders and, with a coffee cup clasped in
her hand, she and her robot make their way to an empty booth. I buy
a small coffee with cream and sugar and get out of the way. I watch
them for a moment, steeling myself, and then with a deep
breath— you can do this —I make my way to their table. My
heart flips acrobatically, but I smooth it over.
    “This seat taken?” I motion to the empty
booth opposite them.
    Lucy’s looking into my eyes and hers are wild
and wary. She glances to the coffee in my hand, then to the seat
I’m pointing to. She shrugs an elegant shoulder. “Guess it is
now.”
    “You sure you don’t mind?”
    “No. Go ahead,” she says and I swallow down a
chuckle as she twists in her seat to look at the mostly-empty
stage. She’s blushing, she just doesn’t want me to see it. So she does like me. Score one for Iofiel. I clear my throat and
plop down in the seat, the leather hissing under my weight.
    The little robot buzzes close to my face.
“I’m Sync. Pleased to meet you,” she says in a robotic British
accent. Lucy glances at me, then back at the stage, nibbling on her
lip. Sync tilts to the side, then turns back to me. “And this.” She
butts against Lucy’s shoulder, making the girl swat at her. “Is
Lucy Swift.”
    “Lucifer,” Lucy says under her breath, as
prickly as a cactus.
    “Iofiel.” I quirk a grin at her, then sip at
my coffee. Steam rises up, warming my face. “Nice name.”
    “Well, you’re named after an angel.”
    “Lucifer was once an angel.” Two can play
that game.
    She huffs. “There’s a difference—I picked my
name out. Your mom was just a hippie.”
    I think of my Nursemaid and her beaming
smile. She was as close to a mom as I’d get. “I guess she was kind
of a hippie. My brothers are named after angels as well.” In fact,
the only cyberhound not named after an angel is Lylan, and he was
named after one of the first Unseelie kings.
    I hook my legs under the booth. Lucy looks
everywhere but at me, staring a hole into her coffee. I half expect
it to bubble and froth up out of the cup. Silence stretches between
us. Then Lucy glances up at me.
    “Why are you even here?”
    “I like good coffee and interesting