Dark Spirits (5 page)

 I got a peach-mango smoothie. Afterwards, Nathan and I sat at one of the tables with a red umbrella attached to it among a sea of matching tables in a vacant supermarket parking lot. While we ate, we people-watched, taking in all walks of life that seemed to flock here. A tall overweight guy dressed like a clown in a pair of overalls and a tie dyed shirt caught my attention. He even sported the big round red nose and the curly red wig.

I thought of Carrie because clowns totally freaked her out. An image of her hiding beneath a kitchen table when we were six entered my mind. We were at a friend’s birthday party that had a clown to entertain us kids, and he scared Carrie to tears. No joke. Thanks to my sharp immortal mind, I could clearly see her clutching the leg of the table for dear life and the horrific look she had on her face when she opened her mouth to release an earsplitting scream. She had refused to let go of her position until her dad came and rescued her.

“Thanks for the fried bread,” I said as we threw our trash away. “But I wanted to pay because you always pay for everything. You even pay for our groceries.” I frowned at him, but he didn’t seem to notice, he was too busy looking around.

We joined the swarm of people roaming the street in the center of the tents. Some were pulling little wagons full of fruit, produce, and bags of stuff, while others had their dogs with them. A cute little brown and white Chihuahua pranced past us. He had on a little blue sun visor that matched his blue and white camo shirt.

Nathan curled his arm around my waist. “I don’t mind. I love taking care of you.”

I pointed to the Chihuahua. “Look. Isn’t he cute?”

Nathan chuckled. “He is, but I think it’s ridiculous to dress up a dog.”

“Why is that?”

“Because they’re dogs, not humans.”

“So,” I said, looking up at him. “He doesn’t seem to mind.”

“Maybe not.” He shrugged and left it at that when I stopped at a tent with a table lined with handmade jewelry.

I ended up buying Carrie and me matching hemp anklets with ceramic beads and her mom a couple hand painted wooden bangles with bright floral designs on them. Then we wandered around some more, only stopping at the vendors that caught our interest. Nathan couldn’t resist buying some apple turnovers, pumpkin bread, and monster cookies. His sweet-tooth was one of the many qualities I loved about him. We also bought eight ears of sweet corn and some fresh herbs.

“Do you want to sit on the bench by the river?” Nathan asked me a while later after we finished looking at some paintings done by a local artist. There was this one I absolutely loved of Peter Pan and Wendy flying hand and hand to Neverland in the star-filled night over the bright lights of London. But I tried to seem indifferent about it, hoping to fool Nathan, even though I couldn’t resist wandering back to it.

“Sure,” I said, taking his hand.

It was nearing three o’clock, and the vendors started packing their things, but I had us stop to get a corndog before they shut everything down. The crowd was much thinner now, and we were lucky enough to claim a bench all to ourselves. Nathan slung his arm around my shoulders while we ate our corndogs.

“What a nice day,” he commented. “I enjoyed myself.”

“Me too.” I rested my head on his shoulder, staring at the distant boats moving across the river. “I wish you didn’t have to go out tonight.”

He kissed my head. “I know, but soon it’ll be over, and then we can start building a life together. Just you and me. Forever.”

I rose and stuck my hand out for him to give me his corndog stick. He handed it to me, and I went to the overflowing trash can a couple yards away. Then my ears began to ring. I looked at Nathan, and he hurried to me at a painfully human pace. We looked around, but the few people strolling by were immersed in conversation and paid no attention to us.

Nathan took my hand and steered me in the other direction. “C’mon, let’s get back to the truck.” As we rushed off, Nathan kept glancing over his shoulder, his posture stiff and alert.

Our ears continued to ring, but still nothing out of the ordinary caught my eyes. When we reached the parking lot, there were people filing into their vehicles and exiting the premises. I wondered if one of them could be a dark spirit. I was just about to get inside the truck when a soft crying noise tore at my heart. It sounded heartbroken and lost. I followed the sound while Nathan stuck our bags in the backseat. I moved to the front of the truck and there sitting on the curb was the most angelic-looking little girl I’d ever seen. She had to be about five years old, and I wondered where her mommy was. My heart immediately went out to her. She was crying in her tiny hands, leaning forward on her knees, her blonde curls tumbling over her face. She scooted her elbows above her knees while she continued to cry, pushing her blue dress up, revealing black patent leather shoes and white laced socks.

“What’s wrong, sweetie? Did you lose your mommy?” I asked, kneeling in front of her.

“Paige, no!” Nathan hollered at the same time she dropped her hands and grabbed my wrist, yanking me toward her. She was amazingly strong, completely throwing me off guard.

She slowly rolled her head around her neck, her baby face contorting into a ghastly mask, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Then her dark glowing eyes poured into mine. I was too stunned to do anything but stare, even though her grip felt like a tourniquet around my wrist.

“Let. Her. Go,” Nathan demanded, now by my side.

The girl jerked her head up, her glowing orbs on Nathan now. “You have no power over me,” a man’s deep voice spewed forth from her pink, pouty lips, chilling me to the bone.

“No?” Nathan said, bending so his eyes were leveled with hers. “But I can break her neck, which will take you out of the equation.”

“You can’t do that, Nathan,” I gasped. “She’s a child!”

“She’s soulless, Paige,” he said, keeping his eyes trained on her. “I’m going to tell you one more time. Let. Her. Go.”

Nathan wasn’t playing around. He was serious, and his ears were red, signaling the rage boiling inside him. The dark spirit must have realized it because he released me. I stumbled sideways, falling into Nathan’s quick arms. The sheer force of it knocked us to a sitting position on the asphalt.

The little girl hopped to her feet and moved her head clockwise in little jerks, her mouth opened in a silent scream. She stepped forward and stopped in front of us. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, then focused on me, dark and glowing. She grimaced and blinked, her eyes now blue. “Help me,” she said in a sweet toddler voice.

I reached for her, but Nathan snatched my wrist, locking his arms around mine. The girl scowled. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they were dark and glowing again. I sucked in a sharp intake of breath, and her mouth formed a circle. Her head fell back in deep laughter. It was dark, sinister, and male.

She stopped, glared at me, and pointed. “Vos ero pessum ire,” she said in the same deep man’s voice as before. Then she turned and ran away.

Chapter Five

“You will be destroyed”
is what the dark spirit had said in Latin. Just like the dream before I became immortal and just like Aosoth told me before she tried to kill me. The dark spirit inside the little girl was old, and I wondered if it was the same one I’d seen in the vision last night. But to be honest, the message didn’t bother me.

It was old news.

I knew that already.

What freaked me out was a dark spirit possessed a child. Nobody ever mentioned or warned me about that–not Nathan or Anwar. And then Nathan’s willingness to snap a little girl’s neck made me sick. And even though immortals were immune to a virus, we weren’t impervious to an upset stomach.

I coughed and gagged in Nathan’s arms. He released me, and I crawled to my feet. With my hands on my knees, I retched.

“It’s okay, Paige. She’s gone,” Nathan said, pushing the hair away from my face and holding it into a ponytail while he rubbed my back.

My eyes watered and my throat burned as I continued to dry heave, thinking again about Nathan’s ability to kill a toddler. Soulless or not, she was still a child. And what really bothered me was his nonchalant attitude about it. How could he be so heartless?

Okay, I knew he had killed soulless humans before because sometimes it was unavoidable. I also got that eventually I’d have to kill as well. But killing a child had never crossed my mind, and I seriously didn’t think I could do it. I took several small breaths, trying to think of something else to calm myself . . .

Carrie had once asked me how an immortal could tell if the human a dark spirit possessed had a soul. It was simple. A soul gave off a vibration that immortals could hear, and each soul had a different or similar vibration. If a person was genuine, sweet, and caring, the soul inside gave off a warm, soothing sound, like gentle waves in an ocean. If a person had those qualities, but was also ornery and silly–like she and Tree–the vibration sounded like tinkling bells. The sound, though, happened to be very low, probably because the energy in this world slowed the soul’s high vibration to a snail-like pace. At least, that was my theory. But an immortal had to really listen to hear it.

Finally the nausea subsided. I straightened my back, mumbled thanks to Nathan, and stepped in the truck. I stared out the window, not bothering looking at him when he got behind the wheel. He put the key in the ignition and turned to me. I kept staring out the window.

“I’m sorry you had to experience that,” he said in a low voice. “I’m also sorry for never mentioning that some dark spirits like to inhabit little kids.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me that?” I harshly asked, facing him. He jerked his head back, surprised at my outburst. “And how can you snap a little girl’s neck like it’s no big deal?”

“I didn’t tell you because, honestly, I never thought about it. Like I had told you before, there would be things you’d discover along the way.” He looked down and blew out an unsteady breath, then lifted his eyes back on mine. “As for killing a child, I take no pleasure in doing it, but sometimes there are no other options. Just like when I have to kill an adult.” He paused, his face now strained. “I don’t like it, Paige, and I’m well aware these soulless humans have people who love them and my actions give them a devastating blow. But that’s the cross we bear in order to protect humanity and this world.”

I glanced down, twisting my fingers in my lap. He was right. I knew what I had signed up for when I’d decided to become immortal. There were things in life we didn’t like to do, but had to because it was the right thing. But killing a child was something I didn’t think I could do. I wondered if that made me weak and quickly decided it did.

“You know what scares me?” Nathan asked, breaking the brief silence. I looked up to a sad smile on his face. “You think I’m a monster.”

I shook my head and placed my hand in his. “I don’t think you’re a monster. I just wonder how you can do it without having any reservations.”

 “I used to have a major problem with it.” He stared at our hands, interlocking our fingers. “But as I grew into my immortality per se, I’d realized what I did was for the higher good. Of course it took me years to get to that point, but tracking, watching, and seeing what the dark spirits were capable of doing, eventually made me numb to it. The objective became clear. Take out the dark spirit, even if that meant killing a soulless person.”

I nodded. “I understand now. I just wonder if I’ll ever be able to kill a child that is one.” Just the very thought made me sick to my stomach again. I let go of his hand and tucked a lock of hair behind my ears, swallowing against the bile rising in my throat. For a second I thought another retching fit was coming on, but then Nathan handed me some water. I unscrewed the cap and took a couple sips which helped.

I sat for a moment until the nausea passed. “Thank you,” I said, placing the bottle in the cup holder on the console.

The corner of his mouth curled. “Anytime,” he said, reminding me of the time when we first met and the other time when we were in the grocery store and a bratty kid knocked me over. He had said it in the exact same way, making my stomach flip like it did back then.

Something electric switched inside me, blindsiding everything else. This had happened several times since I’d become immortal but never in a vehicle in an empty parking lot where there was a chance we could get busted by a patrolling cop.

I could have stopped it, I suppose, but I didn’t. Instead, I released the caution from my thoughts and submitted to the heady swarm of lascivious feelings, allowing it to possess my senses. I stared at the curve in Nathan’s mouth, and then his lips, imaging them molding to mine.

A fiery sensation swelled inside my belly, and the sound of my quickened breaths stilled the world around us. I lifted my gaze, and Nathan’s eyes were extraordinarily bright, an indicator in immortals that frankly meant, they were horny for you. The next thing I knew, we were in the backseat kissing. I yanked his shirt up, and he took it off. He had a magnificent body, perfectly muscular with a smooth chest. He unzipped my hoodie, pushed my flimsy tank top up and unsnapped the front of my black lace bra. His lips found mine again, and I looped my hands around his neck, my legs around his waist, pulling him on top of me. Our kisses became deeper, more hungry, his tongue expertly exploring my mouth. I softly moaned when his hand slid down my stomach, leaving a trail of warmth in its wake. Half a minute later, I was breathing erratically as Nathan’s mouth slowly roamed my neck, causing parts of my body to throb. He knew my sensitive spots and what sent me over the edge. My soft moans grew louder and my breathing faster as his fingers, tongue, and mouth manipulated places only he had access to.

A while later, I was in his arms. My whole body tingled, and my muscles felt like jello. I thought about when Nathan and I first got together–before I knew he was immortal–and he had pulled away from me several times after our kiss when I’d clearly gave him the signal I wanted more. Not that I was a slut or anything. I mean, I was still a virgin then, but I couldn’t help how much I’d wanted him. Anyway, he’d been a perfect gentleman, even though his frustration was plain on his face. And now that I thought about it, I realized how difficult that must have been for him. I looked up, and he smiled blissfully at me. The setting sun cast an orangish glow in the truck, illuminating him as if he were an angel cast in a fresco painting.

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” I said, breathing out a pleasant sigh.

He kissed my cheek. “I hear ya; however, if you want to get your cell phone tonight, we better go now before they close.”

“Oh . . . right.” Why had I been in such a hurry to get a cell phone? Nathan shifted under me, and I sat up. “Maybe we can--”

“Besides, after what happened with the little girl, I’m anxious to see Ameerah,” Nathan said, dispelling the mood.

My muscles tensed as soon as he mentioned her name. I scrambled to the front seat while he stepped out of the truck and back into the driver’s seat. I wasn’t jealous of Ameerah, but what he just said reminded me of our present situation and him not inviting me along. Now I remembered why I wanted my cell phone and planned on giving Tree my number so he could give it to Brayden. I knew Brayden would never exclude me from anything.

“I wanted to tell you earlier before we got passionately involved,” Nathan purred, trying to ease the tension as he drove out of the parking lot. “A dark spirit knows the emotional triggers it sparks in some immortals when they inhabit a soulless kid. They do it out of spite and entertainment. So try to keep that in mind if you ever encounter one again.”

Even though I knew he was right, I winced at the thought of killing one. I didn’t want to think about it, so I changed the subject. “I was wondering if that dark spirit happened to be the same one in my vision.”

Nathan gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I have a feeling he was.”

“I think he had more to say, but then you threw him off guard with your threat.” I shot him a pointed look. “You should’ve waited.”

Nathan kept quiet for a minute, considering what I’d said. A couple dogs barked in the distance as we drove by a tidy neighborhood with well-manicured lawns in front of early century houses, each one a character all its own. A few of them had solar lights, lining their driveway like black tiny torches, brandishing a gleaming white bulb in its clasp. I wondered what type of life the people who lived there had, and if there were spirits (friendly of course) lurking inside. I’d once watched a show about a house that was over a hundred years old and supposedly haunted by a young girl. Through their research, the investigators discovered an eight-year-old female had died in the house back in the early 1900s from a mysterious illness. My mind then shifted back to the little girl the dark spirit had possessed, and although she was amazingly strong, I couldn’t fathom how she could have been a threat to me.

“What can a child do to me anyway?” I said to myself, thinking aloud.

“They can attack you like a rabid dog,” Nathan commented, glancing at me. “They latch onto you and start biting at your flesh while scratching and kicking you.”

My mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”

He nodded, the muscles in his face lifting, reaching his eyes that for a second appeared haunted. “I was attacked by one once,” he shared, rubbing the side of his neck while staring at the road ahead of us. “The boy must have been four. Very young. He bit into my neck and shoulder blade as if he were a famished beast, and I was the only food left on earth. It was”–he cleared his throat and massaged his temple in slow circles– “the most horrific thing I’d ever personally experienced in my life at that point. After that incident, I no longer had reservations when it came to killing all soulless humans. If the situation warrant it, that is,” he added.

The hair on my arms rose as goosebumps broke across my skin. I shivered and pulled my hoodie tighter around me, yanking the cuffs over my hands and tucking them under my armpits. I wondered if that would have happened to me today if Nathan hadn’t been there. The very thought of it made me realize if one freaked out on me like that, I knew out of survival instinct I’d wind up harming or killing it. I didn’t like it and hoped I’d never be forced into that position.

I crossed my legs, leaned my knees against the door and stared out the window. Nathan pulled into a spacious, half emptied parking lot. There was a large, dark green dumpster on the south side of the strip mall. Garbage littered the ground around it, and a mangy orange cat was eating something off the ground beside it.

“Okay, now I understand why you threatened that dark spirit,” I finally said, trying to see what the cat was munching on, but then we drove in a different direction, hampering my view.

Nathan parked the truck in front of an electronics store in a red brick building that housed other businesses. People strolled on the sidewalk in front of the stores. A young girl with long, dark hair and wearing a princess outfit skipped alongside her mom. An icy feeling crawled up my spine, making me shiver again, which seriously bothered me. I mean, was this how I would feel toward kids now? But then a comforting thought came to me. I would know if they were soulless or not, and as long as I remembered that, my attitude toward children shouldn’t change.

But what if Carrie and Tree had a soulless baby?
I shut that thought out, not wanting to even go there.

Nathan turned to me. “I realize my threat to the dark spirit was harsh, but now you know why.” He paused and cupped the side of my face with his hand. “I will not risk you getting hurt.” I swear he had said that like a gazillion times, and it was getting old.

“I still want to go with you tonight,” I said, hoping my persistence would wear him down. When his lips parted, I raised my hand and continued. “I promise I’ll stick to your side, and I’ll keep my emotions in check.” I gave him a pleading look.

He chewed on his bottom lip. I held my breath in hope he’d change his mind, but then a hard determination entered his eyes, and I knew he wasn’t going to. Right then I decided never to bring it up again. I’d already begged and pleaded with him more than I’d ever have with anybody in my entire life. That sort of behavior wasn’t like me, and I’d be damned if I were going to continue it.

“I can’t have you there, Paige, because then I’d be more focused on your safety than on what needs to be done. Also, you still have a lot to learn.”