My Soul Keeper (11 page)

“I can only assume that she is special and that her destiny is of great importance and the course comes from the Almighty himself.”

“But if that’s the case, then why Gabrielle?”

He turns to me and takes her book. “Exactly, Shamar. That’s what I don’t understand. If this Destined is of such high importance, then a guardian like Gabrielle would surely not be used. I need time to look into it further.”

“Thank you, Maliki, for doing this.”

He lays his hand on my shoulder in understanding. I stay and watch the ocean with him for a little while longer.

I appear in her room, walking closer to her bed where she’s sleeping. She sighs and cuddles deeper into her covers. Her phone starts to play Thirty Seconds to Mars’,
The Kill
I smile at her good taste. A perk of not being seen means I can see concerts from the stage, not the crowd and, although I’m not human, I still love music, movies, coffee, Mississippi mud pie, Simone... Shit, Simone? God,
can
I even love?

She reaches over and kills the sound. A smile spreads across her face as she speaks. “You’re back.”

I freeze, and then look around the room. It’s empty except for us two, but she can’t see me.

“Please don’t leave me again,” she whispers into the air.

I notice she’s wearing my jacket as she gets up from her bed and a warm heat burns in my chest. I go and check on Junior while Simone gets dressed. I need to take back Junior’s soul in a week and it pains me. I still don’t understand why she needs to feel this grief, but there’s nothing I can do. This is my youngest soul; its life force is eight weeks and if I left it longer, the soul would lose its light, either becoming trapped, which is worse than death, or turn dark. Leaving behind a trapped soul in a body making it comatose or a body with a dark soul is not an option; I have no choice but to take back the soul.

Simone enters and kisses her sleeping brother and mom. When her phone starts ringing, she hurries to get it out of her jeans and puts it to her ear while she tiptoes from the bedroom.

“Hey, that’s great, okay. I’ll be there then. One o' clock. Okay, bye.”

I’m sitting in my first class, one table over from Lucas and Amanda. I’m anxious to get out of here and go help Jacob. He’s being discharged and they’re leaving for their lake house tonight so I need to say goodbye.

I feel the usual flush creep up my skin from Lucas’s eyes. I look over to him; his dark eyes roam my body like he’s seeing me naked and he’s hungry for flesh. He reaches for Amanda and devours her mouth. He rips open her blouse and lays her down on the table, taking his lips to her bare skin. I look around the room and no one’s paying attention. When I turn my eyes back to them, Amanda’s head is turned from me and Lucas has a devilish grin on his face. He yanks down her jeans. She gasps and turns to face me. I scream and fall back; the face looking at me is mine.

I feel the chair fall behind me and I land on top of it, crumbling in a heap. My eyes close and I hear voices fade out around me. Heat burns up my arm and then my face. My eyes flutter open to Lucas’s dark ones and I realise I’m now in his lap; my body heats up and lust pours through me. Even though he scares me so much lately with his intensity, I still feel aroused by him. I don’t understand the effect he has on me; it’s like a spell. I can’t control the way he burns me up. I scurry off his lap and stand.

“Simone, are you okay?” he asks.

“What was that?” I ask, pointing to his table where Amanda is still sitting, looking bored. She’s fully dressed.

Everyone stares at me.

“You fell asleep, then fell off your chair, dude,” Lance informs me. I look to Lucas who shrugs his shoulders.

“You went down before I could reach you. Are you okay? Are you injured?” Liam asks, rubbing his hands all over me, checking for injury. Worry creases his brow.

“Touch her much?” Lance laughs.

“Don’t be stupid. I wouldn’t do that,” Liam snaps.

“Whoa, chill, dude.” Lance backs away.

“What’s going on? I’m late once so you’re all out of your seats?” Mr Harris calls over the crowd, pushing through.

“I need to leave, sorry,” I mutter, making my way out of the classroom, down the hall, and out the exit. I run across the field and straight to my tree. I lie down and let the sky soothe me. I send up a silent prayer to give me courage; I feel like I’m losing my mind.

I feel his calming presence as he steps into my view, casting a shadow over my body. I feel desperate to be in his arms. I sit up and drop my face to my hands in my lap, tears spilling to my hands. He crouches down and tips my chin up.

“Never look down, Simone. Your beauty should only ever look up.”

I rush into his arms, knocking him backwards onto his ass. He lets out a whoosh of air from the impact. His arms wrap around me and the electric current ignites every cell in my body. He feels so familiar, so comforting. His hot breath hits my neck and I hear myself whimper as his hand runs along the bottom of my back and the other travels up my spine, into my hair.

I turn my head so our lips are hovering in front of each other’s. His eyes captivate me; they look into my soul and own me. I close the gap, feeling bold and desperate to feel him on my lips. His soft lips caress mine with just as much need; his tongue grazes my bottom lip, asking for entry. I open my mouth and bring my tongue to dance with his. My legs fall to each side of his thighs and I find myself moving on him. I just want to be as close to him as possible.

He moans into my mouth, causing the same response from me. I feel the storm building in my body, wanting release. His hand rubs down my neck and over my collarbone; his lips tiptoe along my jaw and onto my neck. I rest my head back, giving him better access. His hand flutters down between my breasts and leaves me gasping for air.

“Simone?”

I bring my head forward. Shamar’s hands have stilled and he’s looking over my shoulder. I turn to see Liam and Leah standing there. Liam’s face is confused and worried; Leah has a smile spread all the way to her eyes.

“Wow, that was hot, girl,” she hums. Shamar lifts me gently from his lap.

“Hey,” I say, looking to the grass, embarrassed.

Shamar’s hand lifts my chin. “Never look down, Simone.” He plants a gentle kiss on my lips and leaves.

Liam raises his eyebrow; his eyes stalk Shamar’s back across the field. “What’s going on? I was worried about you so I went and got Leah.”

“Thank you. I need to go. I have to see Jacob.”

I walk away, hearing Leah’s laughter. I smile and bite my lip. God, Shamar can kiss.

I see Jacob exiting the hospital as I arrive; his dad is pushing him in a wheelchair.

“Am I late?” I ask, checking my watch and seeing it’s only twelve.

“Got out early. I tried your phone but it went to voice mail.”

“Oh, battery must have died.”

He smiles at me. “I’m glad you came.”

He looks over his shoulder at his dad, who pats his shoulder and tell us he needs to bring Jacob’s luggage down.

“So Dad’s taking me straight from here. I don’t think they want me to see all my football stuff in my room.” The strain in his voice knots my stomach.

“I have faith in you. You will get better and play again.”

“Will you come see me at the lake over break?”

I push my hands into my jeans pockets and tilt back on my heels. “Sure, that would be nice. Maybe Liam and Leah could come too.”

Silence falls between us. I bend down and wrap my arms around his neck. “I’ll miss you. I’ll call you.”

He squeezes me tight. “You better charge that phone.”

I kiss him on the cheek. He grabs my face and pulls me to his lips. I don’t feel anything like what I feel with Shamar, but I let him press harder to my lips and I smile as I pull away.

“See you, Jacob.” It feels so final and I know he feels it too, as he watches me walk to my car.

I feel eyes on me as I walk into my house, yet the house is empty. Walking to the fridge, I drop my purse on the counter and see a note on the fridge door from Mom. She had an appointment, so she suggested I help myself to pasta she made earlier.

I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and go to the stove. Lifting the lid, I flinch from the assault on my nostrils; Mom never was one for cooking. I replace the lid, grab a few cookies instead and head upstairs. My eyelids feel heavy as soon as I lay on my bed.

I open my eyes to a silhouette filling the doorframe; my breathing becomes hitched as Lucas steps forward. It’s dark in my room except for the moonlight that shines through the window and dances over his skin, lighting his face. He lays himself over me and my body responds to him; I don’t know why. The heat floods my body as his lips touch my neck. I feel it all the way down to my core. I am on fire with lust.

He rips open my top, making me gasp; his lips roam my skin that’s bared to him. My body rises and falls but my mind starts to think of Shamar and I realise I only want
him
to touch me. I feel his calming presence fill the air around me.

“No, get off me, now!” I scream. Lucas looks at me, confused, and then glances around my room. “Get off,” I shout again. My eyes shoot open. I’m still dressed, on my bed. Lucas is nowhere. My body is dampened with sweat and I can still feel myself shaking. I rush for the shower and let the water wash away the dream.

Watching Simone suffer with a nightmare and not being able to hold her was unbearable; her screams nearly broke me. Her body looked like it was in pleasure, not pain, until she started screaming.

I stay with her as she comes from the shower and goes to lie on her mom’s bed next to her brother’s crib. She plays with his little fingers and he looks at her like she’s the most fascinating object he’s seen. I smile as both their souls tell me they’re happy, but then the crippling reality that I will be taking him from her hits me. I hate human emotion, I hate that I’m having them. To care for someone is an amazing feeling but with it comes with other complicating feelings, making you question things that have always just been a part of who you are. To care for someone makes you vulnerable to their feelings and the effect your actions will impact on them. My life, my job, my actions will subject her to so much pain and its already eating away at me inside.

I leave until morning.

I follow her to school. She looks beautiful in a summer dress and cowboy boots, her hair loose down her back. She follows her friends into the building and I watch her interact with them at her locker. Darkness fogs the atmosphere around me as a guy walks past me. The blackness in his soul is the darkest I’ve ever seen. I watch as he passes Simone and winks at her; her body’s response leaves me agitated.

Gabrielle appears beside me. “Didn’t take my warning, Shamar? You should have.”

“Did you see that dark soul?” I ask her.

“You know better than anyone that not all souls are light.”

I turn to face her and grasp her shoulders. “He was pure darkness, Gabrielle. Why do I always feel like you’re not telling me what you know?”

“Because I’m not. I don’t have to. This has gone too far. Tomorrow you will take back the soul and leave Simone alone for good,” she commands, disappearing before I can reply to her bitter tone, and the impression she has that she somehow holds authority.