Seduction of Souls (6 page)

“Yes, but it wasn’t in your normal voice.  The voice that came out of you sounded like a young girl,
quite a bit higher and very sweet.  There was an innocent quality to it.”

“Did I beg you to help me?”  She
sensed in her gut what had happened but wasn’t ready to accept it.  Bracing herself, she waited for his answer, dreading it, but at the same time needing to hear it from someone else.

“You did ask for help, except this time you added a little more.  It was as if you were searching for something with your eyes, and then you called out the name ‘Nathaniel’ like a question.”

“This is just crazy.  Am I so far gone that I’m losing my mind?  Normal people don’t go around having their bodies taken over by spirits or call out names of people they’ve never met before.  I think maybe I need a different kind of help than what you can offer.”  With her head bent down, she rubbed her forehead with her fingers, as if that action would erase everything that had happened.  She was sure she had lost her mind.

“
RayeAnn, look at me.  I know I’m exactly the kind of person to help you, possibly the only one.  You are not crazy.  Do you understand me?  I have a Ph.D in psychology, so I’m qualified to make a diagnosis.  I promise you, you are fine and will continue to be fine.  Take a few deep breaths now and shake off the tears, now’s not the time to fall apart.  I know you’re strong enough to deal with this, so suck it up.” 

“Really, Mr. Psychology, please enlighten me then.  I’m just dying to know what happened.”  Angry now at his rough demeanor
, she crossed her arms over her chest and began to bob her leg. 

“Good.  Anger.  I can work with that.”

“Then let’s do that, shall we?”  Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Ryker began to explain to her exactly what he knew about the situation.

“Well, for starters, it’s pretty obvious that Charity took over your body. 
From the symptoms you described, especially the electrical stimuli, I’d say another energy form, Charity most likely, entered your body.  It’s unusual, but not unheard of.  There have been many documented cases of possession by spirits, both good and evil.  I don’t believe Charity is evil, just confused.”  He paused for a moment, trying to decide exactly how to broach the next part of the explanation without alarming her.

“Remember when I told you over the phone that I believed you one hundred percent?  There was a reason.  I didn’t say anything at the time because I didn’t want to influence you in any way, but now I need to lay it all out as far as I know it.”

“God, please tell me this is all a joke.”

“Sorry, I can’t lie
, even to make you feel better.  For the last several weeks I’ve dreamt of being a man other than myself, possibly in another life, but I’m not sure about that yet.  Anyway, in my dreams I’m in a blacksmith shop in the Victorian era, I’m not sure exactly what year.  Clearly though, I’m young, maybe mid twenties, and dressed in pants held up by suspenders and a kind of blousy shirt, white.  I’ve been working because I’m sweating profusely and hammering on something hot, sparks are flying up every time I strike it.  Suddenly I stop what I’m doing and look up.  I am staring at someone, and then I hear myself say ‘Briarwood’.  I just keep repeating it over and over until I wake up in a sweat and frustrated as hell.”

“So when I gave you my address it all clicked.”

“Right.”

“Great, are you trying to tell me that this is destiny?”

“No, I don’t think it’s that at all, though I have to admit it would be a lot better than my usual pick-up line.”

“Which is…”

“What’s your sign?”  He looked sheepish but sincere.

“Oooh, sad.  Really, really sad.  I think my grandfather might have used that one on my grandmother, that’s how outdated that is.”

“What can I say, I’m an old fashioned kind of guy.”  He did apologize for being a dork.

“So now what do we do about all this?”  She swept her arm around in the air above her head in a huge circle.

“One good thing we’ve already learned tonight is another name, Nathaniel.  You mentioned when we met before that you do a lot of research.  We need to find some records that pertain to Nathaniel.  I’ll leave that to you.  I’m assuming you’ve already done some research on Charity?”

“Yes, but I didn’t find out very much.  She was referenced in one of the Crawford County historical books, but only briefly.  I haven’t been able to find anything more since then.  Nothing in my dreams is familiar to me since it takes place in a field with a tree line and a stream running through it.  Not really any landmarks to speak of.”

“Now that we have the name Nathaniel I would suggest looking into him.  You may just get lucky and run into Charity through him.  In the meantime, I’m going to gather my team and discuss the best plan of action for this situation.”

“What are the possibilities?”

“Electronic surveillance, research, psychic medium, séance.  There are a ton of things we can try, so don’t give up hope.  We’re just getting started.”  He watched her hug herself, as if trying to comfort her body and mind.  Fear showed on her furrowed brow, her body language yelling as loudly as it could without making a sound.  Before thinking it through, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, rubbing her back and neck in an effort to both console and comfort her, validating her feelings as real and terrifying things.  He felt her arms wrap around his waist, returning the gesture and drawing out his protective instincts.  Nothing was going to happen to her.  That he vowed, as he stepped away slowly.

“All right?  If anything…and I mean anything new happens I want you to call me immediately.  I’ve written my cell phone number on the back of my card.  Day or night, it doesn’t matter
.  I’ll call you in a few days, and we’ll start our plan of attack.  Are you going to be okay until Bryn gets home?”

“Yep.  I’m feeling more hopeful than I have in a long time
, and I feel better just knowing we’re taking positive steps to resolve this.”

“Okay.  Goodnight.  I’ll walk myself out, you need to start looking for Nathaniel.”

“Slave driver.”

“You’re a quick learner.”
  He winked at her over his muscular shoulder.

Walking out the door
, Ryker realized that sometimes he didn’t always like what he learned.  But for now he would keep that to himself.  Once he was behind the wheel of his car, he allowed a long suppressed shudder to run through his body.  Images of RayeAnn’s beautiful but terrified face kept flashing through his mind, heating his protective instincts to a boil.  Now that he had gotten a good, long look at her he realized just how attractive she was.  Beautiful refined features graced her ivory skin, and those freckles were adorable. He was overcome with the desire to kiss each and every one, wondering just how far down her chest they went.  The pale gray/blue of her eyes changed color and went dark when she was frightened, and he found himself wondering what they would look like in the throes of passion.  He was looking forward to finding out…hopefully sooner rather than later.

CHAPTER 7

RayeAnn felt completely drained after her ‘visit’ from Charity.  It felt as if someone had unplugged her from her charger, letting all the life drain out through the cord.  She lay on the couch in the library, hoping to gain enough strength to make it up to her bedroom.  As she lay there thinking about everything that had gone on, one thing that struck her was how handsome Ryker was.  Funny, she had never given him another thought after the beer incident at the bar.  Maybe that had been a mistake.  He certainly seemed to be made of sturdier stuff than he had that night.  She had underestimated him, a mistake she wouldn’t make again. 

One thing she had gotten right, he was tall, really, really tall.  Chuckling to herself
, she realized she’d fit nicely right under his armpit, just the spot a girl didn’t want to be.  His jet black hair and blue eyes were a stunning contrast, no wonder his eyes glowed in her ‘dream’, for lack of a better term.  They were such a bright blue that she guessed they would appear to glow even in the daylight.  For a tall, muscular man, he moved with incredible grace.

Yes, he made for a pretty package
. 
Too bad he was so gruff and bossy
.  Everything about him was all business.  He was so serious.  Too serious for her tastes.  Maybe Bryn and Ryker would hit it off.  Picturing herself and Ryker, she giggled at the mental image.  They certainly did
NOT
make a cute couple.   Her flame red, curly hair sticking out from one of his armpits with a wide smile while he peered ominously into the camera.  She wiped the air to erase the image like she was cleaning a chalkboard.

Amazed at how refreshed she felt after her little rest on the couch
in the library, she changed her mind and decided to start poking around to see what she could find on Nathaniel.

When Bryn walked in from her shift
RayeAnn was still at the computer, absorbed in her research.

“Hey, how’d it go?”  Bryn sat down
in the chair in front of the desk, propping her stocking feet on the top of the desk.

“
Once I figured out it wasn’t a joke, pretty well, I guess.”

“Why, what happened?”

“Apparently we were visited by Charity, only this time I was awake.  I was scared to death.  It was the weirdest feeling.”  She shuddered violently from head to toe before continuing.  “Plus, as it turns out, he’s been having weird dreams and visits from some dude named Nathaniel.  That’s what I’m looking into right now.”

“Umm, honey, did it ever occur to you that you’re just a little…gullible?  I mean, come on, you’re talking like all the planets aligned in some cosmic twist of fate to bring you two together.  Did you bother to check any of his references before you invited him here?”

“Apparently I’m not the ninny you think I am.  Yes, and they all gave him glowing recommendations.  The thought did cross my mind while he was telling me about his dreams, but here’s the kicker.  In his dreams Nathaniel kept talking to him, repeating the same word over and over.  Briarwood.”  When Bryn attempted to speak RayeAnn held her hand up to stop her, wanting to finish the story. “Plus, I was the one who went into the trance and said the name Nathaniel, and that was before I even knew someone with that name even existed way back then.”

“So what have you found out about this Nathaniel person?”

“Well, a lot more than I know about Charity.  Nathaniel was orphaned when he was twelve years old and taken in by the town’s blacksmith.  He became his apprentice, learning the trade and most likely poised to take over the business.  Oh, and his last name is Buford.  The blacksmith, John Connor, still has some relatives living in the area.  I thought tomorrow I might be able to go over some of the historical records in town, maybe pick up more info.”

“My, my, haven’t we been a busy little beaver.  So what’s the rest of the plan?”

“Well, right now there isn’t any.  Ryker wants to meet with the rest of his team and plan out how best to approach this.  He’s supposed to get back to me in a few days.”

“Cool.  I’m bushed.  Are you going to sleep at all tonight, or is this another
research marathon?”

“I think I’ll give a little sleep a shot, but I’m going to try the couch in here.  This afternoon I got four hours of uninterrupted sleep.  I’m hoping for a repeat.”

Bryn held her hand up in the Vulcan salute and recited, “live long and prosper,” before turning to run up the stairs. 

RayeAnn
laughed and mumbled something about sci-fi freaks and their quotes before stretching out on the couch, covering herself with the throw that was lying over the back.  Immediately she fell into a heavy sleep.

********

Charity paused momentarily to put her shoes back on, having taken them off in order to make it through the house as silently as possible.  Sneaking out of the house was definitely against her strict, demanding father’s rules, yet what choice had he left her?
Through the misty fog swirling violently on the ground Charity made her way to the barn. 

With her heart beating like a large kettle drum
, she snuck around the back of the house, carefully searching the mist for her lover, a man her father regarded as too far below her social standing to even consider his request to court her.  He had asked for permission many times, only to be turned away on each occasion.  The last attempt even had the dogs chasing him off the property at her father’s command.

She moved silently toward the stables, their usual meeting place, excited at the prospect of
lying with him.  Loving him had consumed her mind and heart, taking over all sensibilities about the possible consequences.  Knowing that he felt the same way about her made her determination to be with him all the stronger.  She felt her heart quicken at the awareness that he was already here, waiting for her.  Her one true love.

“Nathaniel.”  Running toward her love had never felt so right, as if their love were stronger than the universe itsel
f, as if moving heaven and earth into proper alignment as their bodies came together, uniting their very souls.