“You can’t feel how special you are? You can’t feel that you have something inside you that no one else here has? I knew it from the moment I first saw you here on Friday night. It’s what makes you stronger than all the others.”

I looked at her with shock. “Wait a minute. You saw me on Friday? Have you been watching me?”

“Take it as a compliment, Samantha, not something nefarious. I had to know for sure you were the right one. And you are.”

My head began to spin. More double-talk. “I just want my soul back. I don’t care about anything else.”

“You’d be wise to accept this and make the most of it. You have no idea how incredible this opportunity is for you.”

She actually didn’t sound cocky when she said it, like Stephen would have. She sounded sincere and matter-of-fact. So much so, I almost believed her.

Almost.

“Stephen told me about your friend Bishop,” Natalie continued. “What exactly does he want? Why is he here?”

I couldn’t tell if she was a demon. I didn’t get any sort of supernatural vibe off her at all at first glance—just like I couldn’t immediately tell with the others. I looked into her eyes and tried my best to focus, but didn’t sense anything. I couldn’t read her mind.

“Samantha,” Natalie prompted. “Please tell me what you know about him. He knows about us—about me—doesn’t he? He thinks I’m a threat.”

She knew quite a bit without me saying a word, which made me nervous. All she was looking for was confirmation and some extra details.

“He’s a friend of mine,” I finally said. “He saw Stephen manhandling me last night and came to my rescue.”

“Your knight in shining armor.”

“Something like that.”

“You don’t know who to trust, do you? Him or us?” She gave me a look of concern. “I didn’t realize how hard this would be for you. So much has been presented to you in only a few days and you’re so young. You’re still just a kid.”

Stephen had called me a kid, too. The word seemed insultingly dismissive. I didn’t feel like a kid after everything I’d been through.

“I trust Bishop.”

She shook her head. “If you did, you wouldn’t have come here again tonight seeking more answers—answers he’s unable or unwilling to give you. But that’s smart, Samantha. You shouldn’t trust anyone but yourself. Your heart and your gut. They won’t lie to you.”

“I agree.”

“What does your gut tell you about me now that we’ve met?”

I studied her, breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth, trying to remain calm and controlled. “I don’t know yet. You tell me I’m special, but you want me to take that at face value. I have nothing but words right now, no hard proof.”

“Words can be both powerful and dangerous. Not as dangerous as a golden dagger, though, are they?”

“Depends on the words, I guess.” I chewed my bottom lip, tasting my lip gloss I’d applied earlier. “I want my soul back, Natalie—and Carly’s, too. It’s all I want.”

“Can I tell you the truth about a human soul, Samantha? Will you listen to me before you make any firm judgments about me—about all of this?”

I studied her, trying to see if she was mocking me or humoring me. She seemed sincere, but I wasn’t sure. Finally, I nodded. I’d hear her out.

“A soul exists inside a human while they live out their allotted years of life,” she began. “When they die, that soul is judged and sent to either Heaven or Hell.”

My throat felt tight. “I already know this.”

“What you might not know is that a soul, at its very essence, is not actually the spark of humanity. Not the essence of a human’s life. Not something immortal that is either rewarded or punished upon death. Not completely, anyway.”

I frowned. “What is it, then?”

“At its base level, a soul is the fuel that powers Heaven and Hell and helps them keep their universal balance. Without a steady stream of human souls, both would soon wither and die. Humans wonder why it seems as if they’re always left to their own devices—war, famine, destruction, sickness—and no omnipotent supernatural being steps in to help save humans from their own poor decisions and bad luck. The answer to that is simple. It’s not human lives that keep Heaven and Hell in existence, but human deaths. Death frees the soul to be sent to one of these places to keep the balance of the universe.”

What a horrible idea—a soul as nothing more than fuel. I felt sick with every word she spoke.

“You’re lying,” I said shakily. I bit my tongue to keep from saying anything that might show how freaked out I was getting.

Natalie’s expression was tense, serious, but then a smile spread across her face, which helped her look much less grim, given the subject matter. “I know it’s a lot to accept. And I am simplifying it a lot. But the bottom line is, without your soul, you’re no longer just an energy source required by Heaven or Hell. For the first time in your life, you’re free from those chains.”

My stomach twisted. I didn’t like what I was hearing at all, but I wanted to learn more. I’d sift through it to see if there was any truth that could help me.

I wrung my hands together on my lap. My palms felt damp with sweat. “How did you learn all of this?”