My Soul to Take

My Soul to Take
Rachel Vincent

Something is wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh… She can sense when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally. Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest boy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about the dark forces behind Kaylee’s power than she does.And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, and only Kaylee knows who’ll be next, she realises that finding a boyfriend is the least of her worries!

Praise for the novels of

New York Times bestselling author

RACHEL VINCENT

“Twilight fans will love it.” —Kirkus Reviews on My Soul to Take

“A high octane plot with characters you can really care

about. Vincent is a welcome addition to this genre!”

Kelley Armstrong on Stray

“I liked the character and loved the action. I look

forward to reading the next book in the series.”

Charlaine Harris on Stray

“Rachel Vincent is a new author that

I’m going to be watching.”

Kim Harrison on Stray

“Compelling and edgy, dark and evocative.”

Gena Showalter

Also available from Rachel Vincent

The Shifters Series STRAY ROGUE PRIDE PREY SHIFT ALPHA

Coming soon …

MY SOUL TO SAVE

MY SOUL TO KEEP

MY SOUL TO STEAL

My Soul to Take

Rachel Vincent

www.miraink.co.uk (http://www.miraink.co.uk)

For Number 1,

who knows that fajitas will fix any plot hole

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, thanks to Rayna and Alex, for letting me

pick your teenage brains, and again to Alex, for being

the first reader in my target audience.

Thanks to Rinda Elliott, for showing me what I

couldn’t see. Thanks to my agent, Miriam Kriss,

for believing I could do this, before there was any

evidence to support that claim. Thanks to Elizabeth

Mazer and everyone else behind the scenes at

MIRA for making it happen.

Thanks to my editor, Mary-Theresa Hussey, for all

the questions—for answering mine along the way

and knowing just which ones to ask in the margins.

And finally, thanks to Melissa, for being there.

1

“COME ON!” EMMA whispered from my right, her words floating from her mouth in a thin white cloud. She glared at the battered steel panel in front of us, as if her own impatience would make the door open. “She forgot, Kaylee. I should have known she would.” More white puffs drifted from Emma’s perfectly painted mouth as she bounced to stay warm, her curves barely contained in the low-cut shimmery red blouse she’d “borrowed” from one of her sisters.

Yes, I was a little envious; I had few curves and no sister from whom to borrow hot clothes. But I did have the time, and one glance at my cell phone told me it was still four minutes to nine. “She’ll be here.” I smoothed the front of my own shirt and slid my phone into my pocket as Emma knocked for the third time. “We’re early. Just give her a minute.”

My own puff of breath had yet to fade when metal creaked and the door swung slowly toward us, leaking rhythmic flashes of smoky light and a low thumping beat into the cold, dark alley. Traci Marshall—Emma’s youngest older sister—stood with one palm flat against the door, holding it open. She wore a snug, low-cut black tee, readily displaying the family resemblance, as if the long blond hair wasn’t enough.

“’Bout time!” Emma snapped, stepping forward to brush past her sister. But Traci slapped her free hand against the door frame, blocking our entrance.

She returned my smile briefly, then frowned at her sister. “Nice to see you too. Tell me the rules.”

Emma rolled wide-set brown eyes and rubbed her bare, goose-pimpled arms—we’d left our jackets in my car. “No alcohol, no chemicals. No fun of any sort.” She mumbled that last part, and I stifled a smile.

“What else?” Traci demanded, obviously struggling to maintain a rare scowl.