Table of Contents
Praise for the Soul Charmer Series
Books by Chelsea Mueller
Lost Souls
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Acknowledgements
About Chelsea Mueller
PRAISE FOR THE SOUL CHARMER SERIES
“Do not miss, fantastic urban fantasy” - Lauren Dane, New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author
“Fantastic … I was really reminded of the early Kate Daniels books by Ilona Andrews” - Red Hot Books
“Chelsea Mueller brings a new and exciting voice to the UF genre.” - Kelly Meding, acclaimed author of Stray Magic and the Dreg City series
“Mueller explores an intriguing concept in a seedy, visceral setting that pops to life on the page.” - Publishers Weekly
“A terrific world with an unlikely heroine, quiet and determined, with a pure heart and fiery will to protect her family … Definitely recommend!” ―Jeffe Kennedy, author of The Twelve Kingdoms and The Uncharted Realms
“Gritty realism, pitch perfect characters and a heavy dose of red hot sex. What more could you ask for?” ―Shannon Mayer, author of the national bestselling Rylee Adamson Series
Books By Chelsea Mueller
Borrowed Souls
Rogue Souls
Lost Souls
Lost Souls © 2019 Chelsea Mueller
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Cover Design: Patricia Schmitt at Picky Me Artist
Formatting: Alyssa Garcia at Uplifting Designs
Printed in the United States of America.
First printing, 2019
For Mandy, a total badass.
CHAPTER ONE
Callie Delgado needed to find her mom. She also needed to keep her brother sober. And learn everything she could from the Soul Charmer so she and her boyfriend could put Gem City behind them. But before she could do any of that, she needed to find Benton Dally.
The Fall was the type of bar that reminded Callie of the person she never wanted to be. It was too small, too seedy, too familiar. The kind of joint where her shoes clung to the beer- and blood-battered floor.
Outside the dive bar, Gem City shook with sharp storms cutting through the streets with icy winds and dry snowflakes. She took the three deep steps down and opened the door into The Fall. The sticky humidity of other people’s sweat slapped her. The crossfit gym down the street at least had the courtesy of propping open a door. These patrons didn’t want their activities monitored by anyone—in or out of the bar. Callie was banking on that bad attitude to make this trip quick.
Benton Dally had rented a soul twelve days ago. He’d paid for seven days, the Soul Charmer’s max. Callie hadn’t pushed the extra soul into the man’s body, and she didn’t particularly care about his reasons for bulking up on souls. Lying to his boss, cheating on his wife, stealing cash from convenience stores, talking shit at the bar, whatever. As long as he paid the Soul Charmer for the wares and stuck to a single extra soul at a time, she gave no fucks. She had her own problems, and they wouldn’t be solved by some carte blanche sinning or blurred fingerprints compliments of a rented soul. Unfortunately, Benton bailed on the return process, and now Callie had to take it back. It was one of the less glamorous parts of her apprenticeship with the Soul Charmer. She was part repowoman, part stock assistant, and part backup magician. None of it was resumé filler, but at least she had a wad of twenties in her pocket now.
A steady itch skewered deep between her shoulder blades. Eyes were on her. Digging, begging, assessing. Did they see the Charmer’s apprentice, the woman who had burned the competition, or a twenty-four year old woman with curves and a bad attitude? She hadn’t eaten anything solid in four days. Her head throbbed, her fingers ached, and her stomach continued to grind beneath the puddle of ginger ale she’d tossed back earlier.
She spotted Benton at the bar. He wasn’t much older than Callie, but he wore his years. His cheekbones jutted out over hollowed apples. His blue plaid button-down was rumpled, untucked, and open over a stained white tee. Callie wouldn’t ask if the soul renting or the heroin habit came first, but even from a half dozen paces away she could tell he’d dabbled in both.
Benton was the kind of asshole Callie had grown up with. He might not have gone to high school with her, but she knew the look. He hit the pharmacy at lunch break to buy booze. He talked to too many people. He’d be in a fight by the end of the night if he didn’t pass out inside this desolate bar. A knuckle dug in between her ribs. She could have been Benton if she hadn’t focused on school. If she hadn’t called CPS on her mom. If she’d let her shitty situation drown her. Her Chucks stuck to the floor. The mumbling music from the cheap overhead speakers was loud enough she couldn’t hear the crinkle of each step.
Benton couldn’t hear it either.
“You know what’s fucked, man?” Benton cradled a short glass of whiskey in one hand, but flung the other wide. The seats on either side of him at the bar were empty. She shot a knowing look at Johnny T. The bartender had been serving Callie booze since long before she had ID. She hadn’t done a soul collection in his bar before, but the nod he offered was passed with grim knowledge.
Benton hadn’t noticed the bartender walking to the far end of the well. He hadn’t noticed Callie edging up behind him. Heat suffused her skin. She’d been collecting and
