My Soul Keeper (26 page)

“The box was made by an Angel and the soul keeper Lana to hold a human soul, Shamar. We don’t know if it can sustain Lucifer’s.”

“Wait. There are more keepers? I thought only you and your father could take souls? That’s what your father said?” Leah asks for no reason other than her own curiosity I’m beginning to see why my father found her irritating.

“We are. Lana gives souls, she can’t take them,” I answer, my tone letting her know she’s asking questions she shouldn’t be. Certainly not in front of Gabriel and Michael. She already knows way too much.

“I honestly don’t know where it is. There must be a reason my father doesn’t want to say,” I continue to Michael.

“Your father has been breaking too many rules. He has no respect for any authority or life. The Guardian Carmen told us your father took Maliki and now he can’t be sensed. We know how the gateway to Purgatory is opened, Shamar. Maliki is a great loss to us and I would have hoped to you too. You were friends, were you not?”

It’s a statement, not a question. I feel the weight of his death pierce me like a blade.

“Your father will be held accountable for the breach into Purgatory, for the loss and the corruption of Charmeine, and for the murder of Maliki. If he doesn’t give up the box, his punishment will be so great that you will also suffer as a consequence.”

“What of my mother?” Liam asks Michael.

“She has sinned against our father. We will not intervene in her fate.”

Liam steps toward him. “What does that even mean?”

I reach my hand to his shoulder. “He means they’re leaving her there.”

He brushes my hand from his shoulder with force and turns to reach for Simone. She lets him lead her from the room. I hate the unsettled feeling between us, but I’m relieved he took Simone from the room.

“What the fuck, Liam? Hello? Erm, you forgot your girlfriend!” Leah huffs and follows them.

“Should we wipe the memories from the humans, Michael?” Gabriel asks.

I freeze. I already feel like I’ve lost Simone, but to have them erase me from her memories would be the last straw; to have her never even remember loving me or me loving her would be unacceptable.

Michael looks at me for a long time. Maybe moments before he answers.

“We will decide our course of action once we have the box.”

He gives me a knowing look. If I want Simone to keep her memories, I need to get my father to give up the box.

I convince Michael to give me a couple of weeks to find the box. I learn that my father has been changing its location to keep from them finding it. The Angels are not the only ones looking for it; the dark souls have come out in force as well.

After asking to see the box, my father got defensive and accused me of not trusting him, so I haven’t asked again. Instead, I follow him, hoping to get lucky at one of the locations.

It’s coming to the end of the two weeks I was given by Michael and it’s been a hard two weeks. I haven’t seen Simone. I’m trying to give her what she wants; time, but I miss her. I love her so deeply I can’t stay away completely. Simone is unaware of my ability to cloak myself from all beings including Angels. I watched Simone at her parents’ and brother’s funerals. Her sorrow filled the air like a mist coating everything and everyone with a damp light rain of sorrow. I wanted more than anything to go to her, to comfort her, to love her. But I didn’t. I watched from afar as Leah and Liam took my place comforting her. I’m thankful she at least has them.

I sense my father’s movement. He’s in an Atlantic ice cave.

It’s time. This must be where he’s picking up the box, or leaving it. I follow him and watch as he places the box in a hole in the ice. After he leaves, I retrieve the box. I hate to deceive him, after all, he is my father and everything he’s done was for me or to protect Simone. However, I can’t let them wipe her memories, wipe me from her. With the dark souls looking for the box, surely it’s in better hands with the Angels anyway.

I waste no time. I leave the cave with the box in my possession and call for Michael. The flash of light reflects brightly from the white snow and causes me to cover my eyes. Michael appears with a thud; the loose snow lifts from the ground then sprinkles and settles.

“You have the box?”

I nod and hold it out to him to take, which he does. Multiple flashes light the space like strobe lights at a disco. More Angels appear and there’s a rumbling sound. Darkness follows, like someone is playing with a light switch. It’s quick but when the light floods back into my eyes, there are many dark figures standing around me, forming a half circle. The Angels move forward, joining the dark souls to create a circle.

“What is this?” I ask Michael.

“I’m sorry, Shamar. Your father must be held accountable for his actions.”

Michael closes his eyes and raises his arms. My father appears next to me. He looks around the circle of both light and darkness.

“What is this?”

“You have gone on too long thinking you are untouchable, Uno. What you have failed to realise is that you created another who can do your job. It took both light and dark to give you your abilities - your mother and your father - and it will take both to take it back.”

There’s a loud whooshing sound, like a giant umbrella being opened. A gust of wind lifts the unsettled snow and ruffles our hair. The scene is like nothing I’ve ever seen. White wings expand from the shoulder blades of the Angels and black wings expand from the dark souls.

“What are they?” I ask.

Michael looks to me. He seems to debate with himself for a few moments before he speaks.

“When Lucifer turned on our Father, he had an army of followers. When he was cast out, so were the angels who fought beside him. Traitors. Sinners.”

“Watch your mouth, Michael. We’re here for one reason, not for a history lesson,” one of the dark angels tells him. The Angels reach to the Heaven and the dark angels drop their hands toward the below. A chanting in angel tongue commences.

My father drops to his knees. I go to him as the ground shakes beneath us. Thunder booms and lightning crackles across the sky. There are flashes of light, then darkness, back and forth. My father calls out in pain. He rips off his jacket and holds up his arms. The names filtering up his skin like a moving tattoo fade and then completely disappear.

He looks to me in horror. I stand back, feeling a cold sorrow creep into my skin, followed by a rush of names flickering into my memory like a shutter on a camera. I pull off my jacket and watch in horror as the names appear on my arms, travelling upwards like an elevator. The sky settles and the ground rumbles to a gentle hum. Then, there’s silence.

“Thank you for the box, Shamar, and I’m sorry not to tell you of the plan beforehand.”

The dark angels stare at Michael and the box. He laughs.

“You are more foolish this time around than last. You really believed we would give you the box, Azrael?”

My father stands and his body convulses. His eyes fill with black liquid, consuming him until his black orbs look back at me,

A dark grin lifts his lips.

“They don’t need the box, Michael. I was never in it.”

I step back and look to Michael. He opens the box; it’s empty.

“How?” I ask, confused. Lucas, wearing my father’s face, laughs deep.

“I was fighting for control. I managed to keep him from forcing me into the box, but he was strong, too powerful. Until they removed his power. Ironic, really. Thank you brothers for making him weak.”

He vanishes before anyone can stop him and, with a few flashes of darkness, all the dark angels have gone as well. I panic as my thoughts immediately go to Simone and her safety. I sense her and go to her.

I pack the last of my things; I can’t wait to leave this house. Muriel has been staying here and I’ve managed to convince people she’s a distant relative, here to support me after my parent’s death. People have been helpful with the funeral arrangements. It went off without a hitch. The Angels must have cleaned up the mess that Lucas and Gabrielle left, because they made it look like they all died when my mother’s car swerved off the bridge to avoid an animal.

Jacob said I can stay with him until I go to college. We all agreed to go to the University of Arizona together. It was Leah’s first choice; she plans on being an artist. Jacob’s football scholarship has been put on hold with his doctors still waiting on physio reports. I plan to heal him over the next few weeks so he will still be able to go to his dream college and be the big star he’s meant to become. If they call it a miracle, I don’t care. I won’t leave him the way he is when I have the power to fix him.

I didn’t care what college we ended up at as long as we’re all together. Liam insists on going wherever I am. As much as I want him to live his own life, it makes me happy. I’ve lost too many people. The last two weeks have been agony from burying my family and missing the reason they’re gone. Shamar.

I felt him at the funeral, watching me. I looked for him but couldn’t see him. Charmeine had said that I would be able to see him now that my true nature has become known to me, but I couldn’t. I knew he was there, though. I felt him in my heart, in my soul; I miss him more than anything. Breathing is hard when he’s not around and sleeping is a struggle. I eat only when I feel so weak it becomes necessity. I know everyone’s worried about me, but I’m heart broken and it’s hard to come around. It’s hard to heal all that’s been broken. I’m hoping time will heal me, but really I know there is not enough time in the world that would ever stop me from loving Shamar.

I trot down the stairs and pop my head through the living room door to see Muriel stroking a plant. She’s different from the woman who raised me, but I’m beginning to bond with her.

“Do you want some sweet tea?” I ask her.

She startles and we both giggle.

“Sorry, were you busy?”

Suddenly, Shamar appears, looking panicked. “Simone, thank God.”

There’s a flash of light and a thud, the ground shakes a little, then the light fades.

“Michael,” Muriel whispers, getting to her feet. He looks at her.

“So you did know where she was.” He turns to Shamar. “This isn’t over.”

Michael reaches out to Muriel. There’s a flash and then they are both gone. Shamar falls to his knees. I look to see names on his arms, moving, disappearing under his t-shirt.

“Shamar, what happened? Why do you have those?”

He looks completely defeated; it shatters any pieces left of my heart. I go to him, drop down in front, and cradle his head.

“Everything’s so fucked up.” He doesn’t usually swear in front of me so I know something really bad has happened. It suddenly sinks in that Michael just took my only other family member to God knows where. I can’t help but giggle at my own brain - to God knows where? That’s funny. My giggle turns into an outright laugh, then hysteria. Shamar’s head lifts. He gazes at me like it’s the first time he’s seen me. He cups my face in his big strong hands.

“I missed you.” He brings his forehead down to rest on mine and my laughter subsides.

“What will happen to Muriel?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know, Simone, but we have other things to worry about.”

I look into his troubled, but still totally mesmerising eyes.

“What happened?” I ask.

He sighs. “They stripped my father of his job title and gave it to me without my permission.”

I run my fingers up his arm; it doesn’t feel any different. Just colder.

“That’s not all, Simone.” A knot forms in my stomach. “Lucas, he’s free.”

My world spins, my vision swimming in a fog of fear. “How?”

“My father. He manipulated it so he could keep the soul inside himself, but when they stripped his power, Lucas was strong enough to take over his body.”

“So he’s your dad?”

He sighs again. “My dad’s not in there anymore. Lucas has consumed whatever the Angels left in him.”

He pulls me into him. “I don’t know what he plans with regards to you, Simone, but I won’t let him ever take you again. I promise.”

I let his words sink in. Lucas wanted me to bear his child and marry him. He used his abilities to make me desire him. Oh God, what if he tries again in Shamar’s father’s body?

“Shamar, he needs me pure for his plan. Please make love to me.”

I see the conflict flicker across his features.

“I don’t want it to be like that, Simone. You’re still hurting and I’m not worthy of you. What I am now doesn’t deserve your love, your light.”

It kills me to watch him come apart; he really thinks those things about himself.

“Shamar, we should have done this ages ago. We’ve both lost everything. We are both the only ones of our kind. We’re soul mates, I feel it. I feel you even when you’re not with me. You’re meant to be mine and I yours.”

I watch the tears strain for release in his eyes.

“I want to show you something. You have to open your mind to me for it to be possible, okay?” he asks. I nod.

His finger brushes my temple; I close my eyes and open my mind to him. I watch as flickers like snapshots fill my mind. Light from the golden room I ended up in, when I went briefly to Heaven. I see the man there, my birth father. He’s being shown to me through Shamar’s mind. I feel his love for me. More images flicker into my mind. A peaceful calm, No hunger, no thirst, no pain, just bliss. It’s Junior. It’s his soul in Paradise. I feel the hot streaks of my tears staining my cheeks. Shamar removes his hand and I open my eyes.