Echo Soul Seekers

keep us off the radar? Do you have any idea why I do that? You kid yourself that you’re so far ahead of me because your ambitions reach further—when, in fact, you are burning a path of destruction I may never be able to fix. The last thing we need is for the eyes of the world to turn to Enchantment. But with the population declining, how long do you think we can keep those disappearances out of the news? There are pictures of the missing plastered all over the alleyway. And this is all because of you and your ridiculous, immature, ill-conceived plan!”
    “But, Dad, if you’ll just—”
    “Go!”
    “What?” Cade’s voice falls somewhere between a whimper and a whine.
    “Now! Go! Get out of my office—out of my sight. And don’t come back until you’ve cleaned up this mess.”
    A low growl erupts. The eerily, familiar sound cut short by Leandro’s voice. “Don’t you even think about shifting in front of me or anyone else, for that matter. You’ve caused enough grief for one night. Get a grip on yourself.”
    The door slams open but not before I’ve slipped into the shadows and pressed myself hard against the wall. Going unnoticed as Cade storms out of the office, so consumed by his rage, his entire body trembles with fury.
    He struggles against it. Tries hard to stop it. Contain it. If for no other reason than to placate Leandro.
    But he’s too far gone. The shifting’s become so ingrained, it’s no longer his to control.
    Barely making it halfway down the hall before he turns into the beast I know well.
    The beast I was hoping to see.
    I stare hard at his back, narrowing my focus until I’ve projected myself into his skin. Making the soul jump in the way Leftfoot taught me. Delving into his depths and exploring every dark facet, every shadow-drenched corner. Until I’m left gaping in wonder at the the bleak and wretched state of his soul.
    Guided by his most primal, unbridled desires to slay and screw, conquer and consume—at first glance he appears animalistic—just your everyday beast. Though a deeper look reveals a mad quest for personal exaltation and ego gratification that makes him dangerously human.
    I drag out the visit—lingering, stretching, making myself at home in his skin. Exploring the rawness of his anger, the very core of his malevolence, the naked brutality that drives all his actions. And despite my initial revulsion, despite my complete abhorrence for all that I see, I waste no time in claiming a sizeable chunk of that darkness for me. Needing to examine it—understand it—in order to conquer it.
    My body strains against it, struggles to reject it, to sever our connection for good. But my resolve to possess my brother’s power, to feel his evil flowing inside me, prevails. And the longer I stay, the more I’m able to claim, until the surge of his strength reveals a truth I could only guess at before.
    Just as he’s able to tap into my love for Daire that drives me, I can tap into the unadulterated evil that drives him. And that’s just what I do. Absorbing all that I can, well aware that the power I steal is power my brother can’t use against Daire.
    My body convulses. My blood boils violently through my veins, scorching and burning and cooking my insides, leaving a horrible pock on my skin. The pain so excruciating, I stagger forward, grasp myself low at the waist. Left gasping and shivering, unable to stop my breath from coming too hectic and fast, I slide my eyes shut and wait for it to pass. Committed to enduring this for however long it takes. Having no plans to surrender. With my brother’s power now roiling within me, my original plan has changed. Instead of stealing his power to weaken him, I will use what I’ve taken to destroy him.
    Leftfoot’s warning a faint echo in my head: You must never abuse the gift. Ever. I can’t stress this enough. You use this gift if, and only if, you find that you must. You must first exhaust all other options. It is meant to be a last resort .
    This is a last resort. The only real option left.
    The only way to conquer Cade is to claim a piece of Cade—become Cade—albeit temporarily.
    It’s like the lesson Leftfoot unwittingly shared with me: Sometimes you must venture into the darkness to bring forth the light .
    Which is exactly what I’m doing. It’s the finishing touch on the choice I made in the sweat lodge. Hazarding the darkness to save Daire—the light of my life.
    It’s a risk.
    One that puts my very