A Touch of Souls (Immortal Souls) (14 page)

Chapter 11

"Oh my goodness!
I'm so sorry, I really need to learn to look where I'm walking," I said looking up and catching him checking me out in the skimpy little work uniform.

"No, it was
all my fault," he said still holding my elbow from when he caught me from falling. "Nice, er, outfit," he chuckled still appraising my short skirt and boots.

"It's my uniform," I smirked, pulling from his grasp and making my way down the stairs. That guy was some serious
trouble, I had no idea how I knew that, but every time he touched me it burned. At first I thought it was a good thing, kind of like with Dimitri, but now I just felt like there was a forboding darkness lingering behind his touch. Something deep inside of I should be wary about.

"Well, I sure hope I don't have to wear that, heh," he said, following me.

"Excuse me?" I whirled around and stared him down. He was just kidding, there was no way he had a job here. Nope.

"I work here now," he smiled. "Today is my first day. I'll be cooking downstairs."
No. No. No.
This was so not happening right now,
I thought as I ran down the stairs to the bottom.

"Blaze, please tell me Stan didn't hire a new cook for down here, please?"

"Sorry to say, he did, sweetie. Why? Do you know him?" he asked.

"I don't know him, but apparently he knows me, like everything about me. I just don't have a good feeling about him, Blaze," I said in a rush, as I slumped onto the counter.

"Nothing will happen with me around, okay? I promise," he smiled reassuringly. I nodded my head and started getting to work refilling glasses and taking orders.

Leaving work after a very slow shift, I didn't know where I was supposed to go. I couldn't go back to Dimitri's, I didn't want to be in the middle of some crazy war, and if I was around him, that's exactly where I was going to be. I wanted to suppress my magic, I didn't want to use it.
If I didn't use it, would it just go away?
It was highly unlikely, but I didn't have any better ideas, I didn't want this. I didn't choose to be like this. I climbed into my car and started sobbing into the steering wheel. I let the tears run down my face. I cried for everything I had lost but I also cried for what I gained because I was in the middle of something I didn't have any control of.
I have to leave, just get away from all of this.
I thought right before I heard a tap on my window and I was pulled back to the here and now. Through my tears, I watched as Adrian pulled the door open and picked me up, cradling me into his chest.

"I didn't want this for you, dear. I really didn't, I know it's hard and for that I'm sorry," he breathed into my hair as I cried into his shoulder. Adrian wasn't a bad guy by any means and if Dimitri wasn't in the picture, I could really see myself being happy with him.

"I just want to get away from here, from this life," I hiccuped as he ran his hands through my hair and down my back.

"I can do that," he said putting me down and grasping my shoulders. Looking into my eyes, he said, "I can get you away from here, take you far away just tell me where, please, let me help you. I know you didn't want this, it was forced upon you." I nodded my head in response and forced a smile. I would go anywhere with Adrian if it meant getting away from here. "Meet me back here in an hour, okay?"

"What about Dimitri?" I asked, even if I couldn't be with him, I felt the need to be sure this was okay with him before I did anything too rash.

"Don't worry about him, okay?" he said before kissing me hard on the lips and disappearing into the night. As soon as he was gone, I immediately started having second thoughts about my plan to leave. What if someone found me? Would they hurt me? Force me to use my magic?
Adrian will keep you safe, always,
that pesky voice inside my head whispered, and for the first time, I truly wanted to listen to it. I did believe Adrian would never harm me.

I didn't really have anything to get, or anywhere to go, so I just decided to go in and play some pool while waiting for Adrian to get back. Walking in, I saw Josh walking up the stairs and I turned away in hopes he wouldn't see me. I had no such luck.

"Hey, so I didn't see much of you tonight," he said, catching up to me and trying to pull me back by the elbow.

"That's because I am a waitress while you are simply a cook," I answered coldly trying to get away from him. Upstairs was packed but no matter where I went, he was one step behind me, never slowing down, never faltering in his step.

"Don't be so cold, babe," he whispered, his hot breath tickling my ear.

"And here I was thinking you were supposed to be a good guy, real genuine and sweet. But I guess once again, I was wrong," I bitched. I watched as he looked down and shook his head as if he were clearing it before turning back to me with confusion in his eyes.

"Wait, I'm sorry Gwen. I don't know what made me say that. That's not me, I swear. Please forgive me? Give me another chance?" he pleaded, walking directly beside me.

"Look, I just want to be left alone right now, please?" I asked turning to him and begging him with my eyes to just go. He sighed before turning and walking off. Would Dimitri miss me? Would he look for me?
If he wanted you so bad, he never would have let you leave him
. I was really starting to hate that little voice inside my head. It whispered words I never wanted to hear, never wanted to admit. But if I were being honest with myself, I knew its words to be true, no matter how much it hurt for me to concede the painful words.

"Hey, not having second thoughts are you?" Adrian chuckled, walking up and wrapping an arm around my waist. I shimmied away and glared at him.

"Did you forget right after I broke up with you, I caught you making out with that girl on the couch?" I asked, I couldn't help but hold it against him because he knew what I had been through and he still chose to hurt me that way.

"It was a mistake, Gwen. Come on, dear. I didn't mean it. Honest," he said holding up his right hand.

"Oh my goodness, you sound just like Hunter," I replied, walking away. I really didn't know if I could do this. Where would we even go? "Where are we going, Adrian?"

"A little island off the coast of California.
None of the humans have found it because its hidden by magic and not many angels visit there because I pretty much claimed it as my own and I'm pretty protective of my property," he explained, wrapping his arms around me tight as if I too were his "property." When I didn't answer, he reached in my car and pulled out the few clothes I had in there and put them in his Camaro before opening the passenger door for me.

As I climbed in, the reality of it all hit me. I was really leaving. "Did you tell Dimitri where we are going?" I asked, concerned that he may be worried that I can't help him if I'm gone. He was going to be furious when he found out I didn't want to help anymore anyway.
Maybe if he really cares about me, he'll come looking for me,
I thought, but then again I wasn't going to be lost. I was going to be safe with Adrian.

Chapter 12

♂

I have to go talk to her,
I thought as I put on my shirt and shoes. I didn't really know where Gwen was, but I had to find her, I had to talk to her. I needed to fix this. I didn't care if I wasn't supposed to care about her. I did and I had since I met her for the first time, and now I had to find her. I knew she didn't want to be around me, to be a part of this.

Grabbing my keys, I jogged down to my bike just to find the gas tank had been emptied, same with my Jeep.
What the hell?
Looking around, I saw no one was in sight before removing my shirt and spreading my wings. In the air, I knew Gwen had been thinking about going back to work so I figured I would try there first.

Landing on the roof, I saw Gwen's car outside, so I rushed in to find her. Not seeing any sign of her upstairs, I went to the bottom and walked up to Blaze, the ever charming, tatted up bartender.

"Hey, have you, uh, seen Gwen lately?" I asked as casually as I could. Inside, my heart was racing. I couldn't see her anywhere and I didn't sense the beautiful fiery air she put off any time she was around and the possibilities of what could have happened were starting to haunt me.

"Not since she left, I think someone told me she was upstairs trying to get the new cook, Josh, to leave her alone," he answered.
Josh?
That was the guy who was with her at the school, wasn't it? I walked upstairs to find him talking to a group of girls.

"Where's Gwen?" I asked, pulling him up by the arm.

"Hell, I don't know, haven't seen her all day," he lied, smirking and trying to sit back down.

"Oh, no you don't. You were with her earlier and you wouldn't leave her alone."

"And who told you that lie?" he asked casually, but I could hear his heart start pounding harder and I knew I was getting to him. I started listening in on his thoughts to see what he knew.

"Hey, so I didn't see much of you tonight," he said, catching up to Gwen and trying to pull her back by the elbow. The sight of his hands on her was starting to piss me off. The little weasel had a problem keeping them to himself.

"That's because I am a waitress while you are simply a cook," She answered, obviously trying to get away from him. Everywhere she went, trying to lose him, he just followed her like some lost puppy dog. The sight sickened me.

"Don't be so cold, babe," he whispered, leaning in close to her ear so she could hear him over the noise in the crowded room.

"And here I was thinking you were supposed to be a good guy, real genuine and sweet. But I guess once again, I was wrong," Gwen answered. He looked down and shook his head as if he were clearing it before turning back to her.

"Wait, I'm sorry Gwen. I don't know what made me say that. That's not me, I swear. Please forgive me? Give me another chance?" he pleaded, struggling to keep up with the stride of her beautiful, tan legs.

"Look, I just want to be left alone right now, please?" She asked,turning to him and I could see she was truly bothered by something and needed to be left alone. He sighed before turning and walking off. Josh stopped walking at a blue Mazda and climbed inside. He rolled down the window and watched as Gwen paced back and forth around her car.

"Hey, not having second thoughts are you?" I saw through Josh's eyes as Adrian walked up and grabbed Gwen around the waist as if she were his. What the hell was going on?

"Did you forget right after I broke up with you, I caught you making out with that girl on the couch?" She asked sarcastically. The whole scene plying out in front of me was like a nightmare. There was no way she would have willingly got into that car and left with him.

"It was a mistake, Gwen. Come on, dear. I didn't mean it. Honest," he said holding up his right hand.

"Oh my goodness, you sound just like Hunter," Gwen rolled her eyes and started walking away. I didn't know how much more of Josh's memory I could stomach, but it may lead me to where she was so I had to keep going. "Where are we going, Adrian?" She asked, her voice sounded small and afraid and I felt the need to go and protect her even though I knew she was safe with him.

"A little island off the coast of California.
None of the humans have found it because its hidden by magic and not many angels visit there because I pretty much claimed it as my own and I'm pretty protective of my property," he explained, wrapping his arms around her once more and squeezing her. I watched as he opened his car door for her and she slid in without another word.

Pulling myself back in to reality, I nod to Josh and mutter
a thanks before turning and walking out the door. Just as I was about to step out the back door, I felt a hand pull me back and whip around to see the not-so-smart boy holding onto me.

"What the hell was that?!" he demanded, gesturing to his head.

"What was what?" I questioned back, deciding to just play dumb rather than come clean that I was an angel and Gwen was a witch. Yeah, definitely not going to get into that one with this kid.

"I don't know what you did back there, but I know you did something and now my mind just feels all fuzzy," he accused.

"I think you may have just had a little too much to drink, buddy," I explained, clamping my hand on his shoulder before leaving him standing there with everyone staring at him.

Upon arriving home, I immediately started looking up flights to the coast of California, but all of them would take too long. I would have to fly myself. Especially if I had any chance of beating them there. I just couldn't understand why she would just leave. If she didn't want to be in this, all she had to do was tell me. I didn't want her caught up in the middle anyway. I could find a way to keep her safe, away from all this. I just had to get her back first.

As I was flying somewhere over Nevada, I began thinking about what could have caused her to
leave.Did she not think she was safe here? I thought she had feelings for me, but maybe she just kissed me and pretended to like me for the fun of it. Maybe that was the real reason she left. Could she not see how much I cared for her? As that question popped in my head, I remembered how I had treated her when I first arrived, I treated her like some rich spoiled kid. Yeah, I had saved her and helped her but that didn't change the fact that I knew she liked me and I still hurt her. There was nothing I could do to change that, but I could try and make it right by showing her how much she meant to me now, starting with saving her from whatever scheme he was trying to pull.