Soul(s) (20 page)

I was startled when she took a step forward
towards us. I could see now that she was crying and upset. I read a
little bit of her emotions. In the short time she’d been with him,
she’d fallen for him. She had so much hoped wrapped up into their
relationship. It symbolized a new beginning for her. She felt like
I’d stolen him from her; that the Aura always took everything.
Wait, my mind snapped erect. How does she know about the Aura?

I was distracted by the sudden realization
and didn’t see her hand coming at me until Keegan blocked it,
holding her wrist firmly.

“
Don’t,” he said
curtly.

Eliza snatched her hand back clinging it to
her chest. Her eyes darted from me and then back to Keegan
loathingly.

“
How do you know about the
Aura?” I asked her abruptly.

Her eyes widened before narrowing. “I should
have realized with the way you held me against the wall that you’d
also be able to mind read.”

“
You didn’t answer her
question,” Keegan interrupted angrily, “how do you know about
us?”

“
I’m a High-Banguri that’s
how,” Eliza said snapped back. “I thought you were different
Keegan. We had a connection and when you didn’t remember that you
were an Aura, I thought the Banguri would finally have a chance for
peace. But I was wrong; utterly wrong.”

“
You’re going to have to
explain a little bit better than that,” Keegan said. He left my
side and grabbed her by the elbow ushering back in.

“
Don’t touch me,” Eliza
spat vehemently. Keegan dropped her elbow shrugging off her
words.

“
Look,” he started again
when we were all back into her apartment. “I’m sorry for what’s
happened between us, especially if it brings you pain. But if
you’re a High-Banguri, then you should know that I’ll never love
anyone but my Venku. With my memory back, which it would have
eventually came back, anything between us would be minute compared
to what I’ll always feel for Sariah. Not to mention, the fact that
you lied to me doesn’t make me feel too sorry for you.”

I blushed under his words. It was so honest
and he said it without apology. My eyes darted to Ajani who had
positioned himself in a chair away from everyone.

“
Where were you?” he said
to me directly as if none of the conversation between the others
had been taking place.

“
Exactly where she chose
to be,” said Keegan answering the question even though Ajani hadn’t
been talking to him.

Ajani broke his gaze from mine, staring at
Keegan for a moment before saying, “We need to handle this
situation and figure out how the hell we’re going to get back to
Second-Plane. They’re expecting us to return with intel, so, let’s
try to stay somewhat on task.”

To my surprise Keegan eyes lost some of
their alpha male sheen and he nodded in agreement.

“
Fair enough,” he said.
Then he turned to Eliza who was sitting on the couch next to him,
“Start talking.”

26: KEEGAN

Eliza looked stung by the way I had just
spoken to her. I felt a pang of guilt, and I regretted it. Even
though I felt betrayed by her, I couldn’t ignore that we had been
intimate.

I pitty her.
Sariah’s voice echoed in my head.

Don’t. She lied. She knew what I was and the
rules of our world.

“
Get used to it kid,”
Ajani said to Eliza.

“
What?” Eliza asked
looking awkwardly over at Ajani.

“
Unrequited love,” he said
laughing to himself. “Be happy you had him for a moment, it’s not
likely it’ll ever happen, even for a millisecond,
again.”

I felt Sariah hand twitch in mine, and I
looked over at her trying to read the expression on her face, but
she didn’t meet my eyes.

It’s just more of his
games,
I theorized to her.

If only it were just a
game,
she thought. I knew she was thinking
of their kiss and it infuriated me.

Be kind to her, Sariah
added
.
She had no
way of knowing if you had someone. A lot of venku are
widowed.
She did save your life after
all.

“
I know I don’t deserve
your help. I did know you were an Aura, but you were so different
from them. I thought—,” Eliza said looking timidly at me but didn’t
finish her sentence. “Keegan, you can’t tell the Aura about the
portals or about us being in First-Plane.”

“
Why shouldn’t
I?”

“
I know you’re angry,
Keegan, but you’re not cruel. You’ve lived side by side with us for
days. You know we’re good beings. If you knew the situations we
were so desperate to escape from, I know you would understand. I
know you would help and you can help.”

“
Would you father have
tried to kill me when he came back?”

“
No he’s not like that,”
Eliza insisted.

“
But he hates the Aura?” I
pushed.

“
Yes, but—”

“
Then you don’t know what
he would have done. Do your brothers know?”

“
No, without the suit
Aura’s are physically just like Banguri. They thought you were just
acting weird because of your memory loss.”

“
You should have told me,”
I snarled angrily at her.

Sariah interrupted my verbal attack, “How do
you think we can help?”

Hear her out,
Sariah thought to me.

Now you’re on her side, but if I hadn’t come
in here you would have killed her.

Keegan,
Sariah sighed.

“
Yes,” Ajani added, “your
minions are killing newlies, but let’s take a moment to hear how we
can be of assistance to you—the great benevolent
Banguri.”

“
I was hoping Keegan would
speak to the Aura on behalf of us so—”

“
Not happening,” I shot
back. “You’ve lied to me for days, how can I even trust you, let
alone defend your people to the Aura leaders?”

“
How have you managed to
keep your ability to travel to First-Plane hidden for so long?”
Sariah asked.

“
By killing newlies as a
distraction; it was the only way. We have to be able to move
High-Banguri safely to earth. Otherwise our whole species will
die.”

“
What about the rest of
the Banguri? You just abandon them?” Ajani interjected.

“
Unfortunately,
yes.”

“
How frigid,” Ajani
muttered under his breath.

“
No,” argued Elizabeth her
eyes blazing, “realistic. Banguri have a cast system. The
low-Banguri would be like wild animals that are very spontaneous
and impulsive. They are led by simplistic urges and natural
instincts. Middle-Banguri are like dogs, cats, elephants, whales.
But because they are so large and so unearth like, they’d stick
out. We haven’t quite figured out an integration plan for them.
High-Banguri us, we’re people ruled by logic, compassion, morals,
ethics. The most we can hope, at this point, is to save as many as
we can.”

“
You’re lying,” Ajani
added smoothly. “We saw low and middle Banguri traveling through
the portals to earth. Explain that?”

“
I don’t know anything
about that,” Eliza said. Even though I was furious with her I knew
she wasn’t lying. I was so upset and overwhelmed by the whole
situation I couldn’t even talk to anymore. I let Ajani and Sariah
take over.

“
I need some air,” I told
them, dismissing myself from the room.

“
What’s your proposal?”
Sariah asked quietly.

I had just gotten up, but
I sat back down on the couch .
You can’t be
serious,
I thought to her.

I am. I hate killing. Besides, we’ve never
trusted the Aura.

“
My father is the
political leader of this sector. He comes back in seven days. If
you’ll commit to working with us, seeing how we live and what we’re
like, I promise—regardless of if you change your mind or not—to get
you back to Second-Plane unharmed.

“
How?” Ajani asked with a
sarcastic glint in his eyes. He didn’t believe it was possible and
neither did I.

I saw Eliza blush under his reproach.

“
I’ll make it happen, I
swear it!”

“
You’ll have to tell your
brother who we all are. Will he go with your plan?” Sariah
asked.

“
Yes, we’d all do anything
to save more Banguri life.”

I thought Ajani was going to make one of his
normal douche comebacks, but he surprised me.

“
If Keegan agrees, I’ll go
along with it too.”

Sariah’s eyes flicked over to him before
turning back on me.

Why not? Plus, we don’t have a way to get
back without her help.

“
Fine,” I roared. “Seven
days, we go back to Second-Plane and if there is so much of a
sideways glance, I’ll wipe out your race myself.”

Eliza jumped at the harshness of my voice. I
didn’t know why I was feeling so aggressive. I was just so damn
frustrated with her for knowing who I was, or rather, what I was
this whole time. I felt like she played me, but had she really?
Maybe not, but I was entitled to my anger.

While I was mulling over my emotions Eliza
had gotten up and left the room, but I’d only noticed when she
returned. She tossed Ajani a key before muttering something about
it being too late to start today but to meet her in the diner
tomorrow at 8:30AM. The door rattled in the hinges as she slammed
it behind her.

“
You could have been
nicer,” Sariah said aloud to me.

I glared at her.

"Especially that bit about killing her whole
race,” added Ajani. “That was more than a little presumptuous. Even
if there’s only a hundred or so of them in this borough, we’re
vastly outnumbered. Although, they don’t have powers like we do;
that does give us an advantage.”

“
Fuck off,” I muttered as
I dug my hands deep into my hair.

“
It’s late, or is it
early? I don’t know the time here, but let’s get some rest,” Sariah
said softly. Her hand caressing my back in slow circles, energy
from her palm transferred into my skin and flowed through my body.
Some of my anger dissipated.

I looked out the window the sun had come up,
it was morning. It’s been about four to six hours since Eliza had
knocked on my door and brought me in to her room. In that short
time, everything had changed. I felt aged.

“
Fine,” I said. I stood up
and he hand slid down my back before dropping to her
side.

“
Fine by me too,” Ajani
echoed. “Which one of you is going to help me find my
room?”

Neither of us justified that with an
answer.

Back in the old studio I’d been staying in,
Sariah sat down on the bed staring at me intensely. That touch of
hers had leveled out some of emotions. Just like that day in the
hallway before we our mission debriefing back on Second-Plane when
she’d tugged me away from the entrance and kissed me. I’d forgotten
our touch had healing qualities other than just physical. We could
put each other at ease; erase bad emotions.

I looked at her now. Her hair was all
tumbled from that impromptu pounce of mine and now she was giving
me an expression that made me want to muss her up all over
again.

“
Earlier wasn’t enough?” I
asked as I sat down adjacent from her in the only chair in the
room.

She laughed her left hand floating up to her
face and brushing away the two stray tear that had begun to roll
down her cheek.

“
Why are you crying?” I
asked startled. I got up, skidding across the carpet and kneeling
before her.

She leaned forward curling her hands in my
hair as half laughing half crying as she pushed her lips into my
hair line.

“
I was so scared I’d lost
you.”

“
Oh darling,” I murmured
scooping her up in my arms and pulling her to the floor.

There isn’t anything more
important to me than you.
I heard her
voice whisper.

“
I know. I know,
Wats.”

She pulled back looking
earnestly at me before kissing me, our lips melding together. I was
surprised at the rush of emotion I felt for this woman,
my woman.

“
Is it too soon to tell
you I love you?” Sariah said softly in my ear.

“
It’s never too soon,
Wats.” I told her. “Besides, I’ve always loved you.”

She buried her head into my shoulder and I
wrapped my arms around her pulling her into a straddle on my lap.
Her energy felt weird—low, dark, troubled.

“
What are you telling me?”
I breathed into her hair. Her breath quickened in surprised, but
she didn’t say anything.

“
Is it about today?
Earlier? About Eliza? Are you still upset? I mean, of course your
upset, but you have to know how I feel about you at this point,
don’t you? I’ve tried everything I can think of to convince you, to
show you—

“
It’s not that,” she
whispered, her head pushed against my chest as she talked. “I
killed a lot of Banguri today at the portal.”