Souljacker by Kodilynn Calhoun Page B

Trista says, ruffling her
daughter’s hair. “Feel free to make yourself at home—any friend of
Caddie’s is welcome here. It’s been too long, and…” She glances
between us, suddenly looking unsure of herself.
    “Luce knows about my powers. It’s cool.”
    I nod.
    Trista wraps her arm around Caddie’s
shoulder, pulling her in close. “Good. Sometimes it’s good to have
someone to share your secrets with.”
    “Moooom.”
    I laugh as Caddie rolls her eyes, shrugging
out from under her mom’s arm. “Go do something. We’re gonna take a
plate of cookies to my room and shut the door and talk about girl
stuff.” With that, she piles about eight cookies on a paper plate,
grabs my arm with her free hand, and drags me down the hall.
    “Nice meeting you!” Trista calls after
us.
    Caddie shuts her bedroom door behind us. I
turn, taken aback at the amount of pink and purple and flowers in
Caddie’s room. Even her bed skirt is girly. “Don’t say a word,”
Caddie growls, setting the plate down on her bedside table. “Just
because I can control fire doesn’t mean I can’t like pink!”
    “Nice.” I grin, and I mean it. I grab a
still-warm cookie off the plate and sink down to the floor,
crossing my legs at the ankle. “So…uh. Enlighten me. What are we
doing?”
    “Girl stuff. Hanging out. Talking about boys.
That sort of thing.”
    “Oh boy.” I groan, Iofiel pestering my mind
once again. “Let’s not and say we did.”
    “Lucy, are you blushing ?”
    “No!” I yelp, but my face is already hot. I
cover it with my hands.
    Caddie lets out a squeal of triumph and jerks
my hands back down. “Okay, so who’s the crush? You have to
have a crush. I knew you did! Oh my God, why didn’t you tell
me?”
    “He’s nobody you’d know.”
    “Ooh? Is he graduated already? Lucy likes
older men?”
    “Something like that,” I mutter, stuffing my
mouth full of cookie so I don’t have to talk. “Holy crap, these are
good.” Now it’s my turn to spit crumbs.
    She swats at me. “Don’t change the subject.
So. What’s his name?”
    I hesitate. Would Caddie think I was insane
for crushing on a cyberhound? Did she have to know more than he’s
just a boy? “Iofiel. I met him at Cosmo a couple of weeks back.
He’s really…”
    “Hunky? Gorgeous? Orgasmic?”
    “Nice.”
    “Just nice?”
    “He’s…I don’t know. Sweet, funny. Adorable.”
I feel myself gushing a little, my smile so wide it hurts my
cheeks. I try and dampen it with a frown, but it just won’t work. I
shrug. “We went out and played mini golf. I totally kicked his
butt. But…”
    I freaked out and ran away from him, then
figured out he was a freaking cyborg. “I was afraid I’d hurt him.
Every time I touched him, I felt this horrible Need, like I was
going to drain him dry. I just…I couldn’t do it. I haven’t seen him
since.”
    “Ouch, that sucks. But you can totally date
him now, right? With my soul, you’re not hungry or whatever,
right?”
    “Well, yeah, but—”
    “Dude, let’s do it! Let’s get snazzed up and
go to Cosmo and see if he’s there!” She hops to her feet and
hurries over to her closet, swinging the door open. She starts
pulling out outfits. “One of these will have to fit you!”
    “Caddie.”
    “You like him a lot, right?” She spins to cut
me a look.
    I nod, feeling my chest tighten. “Yeah…”
    “Seriously. I’m not letting you let Prince
Charming just get away because you’re afraid of hurting him. So get
up off your sorry butt and help me pick out a sexy outfit for you
to wear. Don’t give me that look!”
    She pulls out a totally gorgeous strappy red
dress with a slit up the thigh. I reach for it before I can stop
myself, my fingers stroking the silky material. “This is so totally
me.” Was that my voice, awestruck and girly? Oh slag. But…
    “Try it on!” Caddie pushes me to her tiny
half-bath and I fumble out of my clothes. The fabric of the dress
stretches to hug my hips,