My Soul Keeper (20 page)

I shake my head. “No. I couldn’t see Shamar before, when he was here.”

Leah cocks her eyebrow at me.

“Your abilities are just becoming known, Simone. Usually they come at twenty one, but I think the stress and the situation has pushed your timeline up.” Charmeine smiles. “You would see him now, or anyone else for that matter.”

“How did you travel with Leah like that?” I ask her.

“We can travel anywhere, with the thought of where we want to be. Or we can sense souls that we are tied to.”

Her eyes drop and I see the sadness written all over her face.

“Like family? Is that how I ended up seeing my father earlier?”

Her head springs up. “Chamuel? You saw him?”

She rushes around the breakfast bar to me and grips my upper arms softly. “Simone, he is locked in Heaven, which means you went there. You can’t do that again. They will sense your light and keep you there,” she pleads.

“I know,” I assure her. “Anyway, I need to go lie down for a little while.”

I go to my room. I need to clear my mind and just think of where I need to go. Maybe I should just sneak out and drive. However, I hear Leah talking about Liam and I know I won’t be able to sneak out without them seeing me.

I have to meet him at the school. My tree; I picture myself at the tree. I close my eyes and picture it over and over until I feel a flutter and a stirring in my stomach. I open my eyes and I’m standing in front of my tree.

“Oh God.”

Liam is pinned to the tree, his arms spread and feet together in the pose of Christ on the cross. I fall to my knees and a strangled cry retches from my chest.

Lucas laughs. “Poetic, no?”

“You bastard,” I scream at him. His smile broadens.

“Actually, sweet Simone, I have a father. I’m impressed with how well you’ve embraced your abilities. I wasn’t sure if you would be able to travel yet, but I knew if you could, it would be here. They call this a Heaven tree, you know? Because of the way the light bleeds through the branches like Heaven smiling down on you. Ha! You taste of Heaven, Simone, and later you’ll be smiling down on me.”

I get his innuendo, as do the four guys standing around me, smirking. I sense it now - the darkness radiating from all of them. Lucas is almost a being of his own; it’s like there’s a mist around him, like his darkness is too great to be contained.

“Never, Lucas. My heart belongs to another.”

His smile drops. “You will come to me willingly. I don’t fucking need your love, Simone. Just your consent.” He roars and I wilt under his fierce, penetrating glare.

“You will never have it,” I whisper.

He laughs. It’s so menacing that I actually tremble with fear. “I think I will. It just depends how many people you want to see suffer beforehand.”

He raises his hand toward Liam and closes his fist. Liam screams out and tries to hunch forward but he’s bleeding from the wrists and feet. I know without getting close that he’s nailed down. A sob wracks my body.

“Oh God, stop,” I cry out. I’m pulled to my feet by one of the men.

“Don’t insult him by using that name here.”

One of Lucas’ men sneers at me before he brings his palm hard against my cheek, knocking me backwards to the ground. The pain shoots up my face and tears flood my eyes. I taste the metallic tinge in the blood that fills my mouth from my tooth piercing my gum. My tears pour down my cheeks, stinging the area sore from his abuse

“Noooo!” Liam screams, but his voice is strained. Lucas’ roar drowns out Liam.

“You dare to strike her? She belongs to me!” he bellows as he races forward and grips the man who hit me by the throat. Anger steams from him like a lit fuse. I watch in horror as the man’s body shakes and then bursts into flames; his screams are deafening.

“We’re leaving.” Lucas offers his hand, but I shake my head. His irritation flares.

“Remember you asked for this. Go get him,” he orders one of the men, who nods and vanishes.

“Poor little Liam. How easily she’s willing to sacrifice you.”

“No, no, don’t,” I cry out. “Please let him go.”

The man appears again. He has my father with him. Fear for my mother and brother causes a pain in my heart.

“No, Dad,” I whimper.

He comes to me and lifts me from the grass. “What the fuck, Lucas? You said she wouldn’t be harmed.”

Lucas fumes. “Don’t forget your place, ant, or I just might step on you.”

My dad drops his head and nods.

“I have another job for you.” He smiles darkly. My father shifts on his feet. “You will kill him.” He points to Liam and I scurry from my father’s arms and rush toward Liam.

“No,” I breathe. “You stay away.” I point at them all as I shield Liam’s body with my own.

Lucas grins at me. “Maybe I should send him to kill your mother and brother instead?” He cocks an eyebrow.

“He wouldn’t,” I tell him confidently.

“Ah, but he will. I own him, Simone. He will kill whomever I order him to, just like every other time.”

My stomach revolts, bile burning the back of my throat. “You’re lying.” I focus my eyes on my father; his gaze is downcast.

“No, no,” I repeat.

“Yes, he sold himself to me in exchange for raising you. Your mother was desperate for a child, so I gave you to them. I needed someone to raise you until I was ready for you.” He grins. “Kill him,” he orders again.

My father starts walking toward me and Liam. Fear and anger pulse in my veins.

“NOOO!” I growl and raise my arms. A light pours from me, surrounding me and Liam. Lucas looks angry and confused by this new found ability. My father tries to touch the light, but he’s jolted like an electric shock. He flies backwards like he’s touched an electric fence. I watch everyone’s faces drop and look to my injured father as he struggles on the ground.

“Simone, go. Please leave me,” Liam breathes.

“No way.”

Shamar appears in the field. I watch as his worried face takes in the scene playing out in front of him. Lucas laughs.

“Great fucking timing.”

Lucas rushes him, grabbing him by the throat. My heart crumbles as the light dims and fades from around me.

“Don’t hurt him,” I beg.

My heart is pounding. I couldn’t believe Simone wasn’t there when I got back to her house. I sensed her here but never would have guessed the reason.

I take in the scene before me. Liam is staked to the tree Simone loves. He looks like he’s dying. She’s standing in front of him, her hands out in front of her in a protective stance; a light of energy flows around them. Her face loses all composure as Lucas rushes me and the light fades from around her.

“Don’t hurt him,” she cries out. Her broken tone kills me. Lucas’ hand grips my throat. I grab at his wrist with one hand and rain punches down on his face with the other. He’s stunned by my fighting back. Why, I don’t know. I’ve been around a long time. I’m Death’s son, I’m no pushover.

Lucas stumbles back and his men rush at me. I attack each one, connecting lethal blows. They each fall.

“Enough,” Lucas bellows. “I’m leaving. Come, Simone. I won’t tell you again. I will kill him.”

He raises his hand and I buckle as he closes his fist. My insides twist; the pain of knowing I’m helpless to stop him is unimaginable and a groan erupts from me.

“Please. Okay, okay, I’ll go where you want to go,” she screams. I try to call out to her, but Lucas grips his fist tighter. I can’t speak or even scream. I hear my heartbeat, like a drum, boom, boom, boom, crashing against my chest.

Simone steps toward him. I’m paralysed, the pain is crippling. The thought of her leaving with him literally paralyses me. With every step, my heart slows until it’s a slow thud. Boom… boom… boom… boom. She steps closer to him. Boom… boom… boom… She’s in front of him. Boom… boom… Her hand slips into his. Boom… She’s gone. Darkness closes in all around me.

My eyes flutter open to my father looking down on me.

“What happened?” I take in my surroundings. I’m in the field; Liam is still attached to the tree. Lucas is gone and so is…

“Simone,” I breathe as my chest constricts.

“I’m sorry. We’ll get her back. What happened to you? Have you ever passed out before?”

I shake my head no. I don’t sleep, therefore I have never passed out, but the pain of feeling helpless overwhelmed me. I rush to my feet, but feel dizzy from having my throat squeezed. That bastard Lucas. I call for Charmeine after I pull Liam down from the tree. He slumps into my arms.

“Simone,” he moans.

Charmeine appears with a flash of light. Leah runs out from beneath her wings, straight to me and Liam.

“Oh no, no, no. Liam, baby, stay with us. Have you called an ambulance?”

Charmeine taps Leah’s shoulder. “Let me, Leah. I can heal him,” she pleads.

Leah hurries out of the way. I watch a tear fall to Charmeine’s cheek as she cradles Liam. Light emanates around her, healing him.

“Thank you,” he whispers and he moves into a sitting position. “That fucking sucked.”

He shakes his head. Leah rushes him, throwing herself into his lap and knocking his breath from him.

“Liam, I love you, I love you, I love you,” she continues while covering his face in kisses.

“Where’s Simone?” she asks, looking around.

“He took her,” I mutter, anger flaring.

“Maybe it’s time to tell Michael. They could help get her back.”

“They would never let her live a life,” Liam replies.

I brush my hands through my hair, frustrated, and I pace the field.

“What’s the alternative, Liam? Let him have his way with her?” I spit angrily.

“I have a plan. I need to work out some details but I think it could work.”

I turn to my father’s voice. “Really? What?”

“Let’s get back to Simone’s house and I’ll explain.”

I’m sitting, even though every fibre of my being is telling me to sense Simone and go to her.

“Just wait, Shamar. Going to him blind is only going to get you killed,” my father warns me. “We need to be ready. I think I can pull his soul from him.”

Everyone stares at him for a few silent minutes.

“But won’t you just have to send it below?” I ask.

He nods. “If he dies. If he doesn’t, I could keep his body empty.”

“Where would you put his soul?”

“I would have to transfer it from vessel to vessel unless we can find something else that can hold it.”

“But won’t he just corrupt any vessel you put him into?” Charmeine asks.

He nods again. “He will. Those are the kinks I need to work out.”

He sighs. I pace. I feel like I’m losing my mind.

“Wait, Angel Gabriel had a lover. Once he had finished with her, she couldn’t cope with the loss, so she killed herself which is a sin and means her soul would be sent to the below. It devastated him. He couldn’t bear the thought of her soul going below because of him, so he had a soul keeper box made. It contains the power of Angels and a keeper; it’s like a box that holds her soul, just like a vessel would,” Charmeine informs us.

“Wait, how don’t I know about this? Shamar and I are the only people who retrieve souls from their vessels. One of us would have had to remove it.”

I rub down my face. “I retrieved her soul,” I admit.

He shoots me a death stare that chills my bones. “How? You’re the keeper of infant souls.”

I nod. “I know. It took a lot out of me but I did it.”

He stands in front of me, pinning me nervously to the spot with his eyes. “You broke the rules, Shamar. That could have messed with my list.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Gabriel asked me for the favour. I didn’t question his reasons and I haven’t thought about it since.”

“So where’s this box? Can we get another?” Liam asks, breaking the tension that’s crackling the air.

“It was a whisper in Heaven. Only a few know of this. If he ever got found out, he would be punished. It was covered up pretty tightly,” Charmeine informs us.

“Wait.” My father stops me from pacing again. “If Shamar removed her soul, he would be able to sense where she is now.”

“So what will we do with the soul that’s in there?” Liam asks.

“I will send it below, where it belongs.”

“Won’t that piss off Gabriel?” Liam asks, gaining him a hiss from my father.

“Do you think I care? I don’t answer to them.”

Liam’s shoulders drop and he sits further back on the sofa with Leah throwing my dad dirty looks.

“This could work.” I feel a small sliver of hope building.

“Right. Well, I need to sort something first, and you need to get the box, Shamar.”

The door bursts open. Liam jumps to his feet, shielding Leah from view as Simone’s mother walks in, cradling Junior. Her face is pale and sweat glistens along her face.

“You,” she bellows, rushing toward me. “What are you doing to him? “Fix him, you son of a bitch.”

I look down at Junior, who’s snuffling. His breathing is erratic. In all the madness, I forgot I need to take back his soul.

“Fix him. I won’t let you take him,” she screams.

“His body is dying, Maria. He is only an eight week soul, which means that his light will die if I leave his soul in this vessel. He is rewarded with his place in Heaven. He’s earned it.”