My Soul Keeper (14 page)

“She does. I’m confident when I say I doubt she even knows what she is. I’m confused. I went to Chamuel for advice. I showed him her through me and he called her Muriel.”

Maliki’s sharp intake of air worries me. I walk closer to him. “You know of Muriel?” I ask.

“Only rumours. She fell from Grace but she would remember who she was, Shamar. So unless this girl is an amazing actress, I can’t understand this.”

I feel so confused and I know Gabrielle has all the fucking answers. There’s no way Simone could be that good of an actress. God, her face when I left her earlier. Her soul was saddened, yet I was so confused. I left anyway.

“I need to get back to her.”

I sense her near her house. I appear in her drive and come face to face with Liam and Leah holding hands, and Simone behind them. She has blood all over her. I rush to her and inspect every inch of her.

“What happened?”

She backs away from my touch and I feel my stomach knot.

“It’s not mine.”

“Simone kicked some bitch’s ass and, by the looks of her, I’m going to be kicking yours. What the fuck did you do to her?”

I look at the boisterous, protective friend of Simone’s and smile. She raises an eyebrow and crosses her arms over her chest. I turn back to Simone.

“Please don’t be mad at me. I’m sorry for rushing off. Believe me when I tell you it had nothing to do with you or how I feel about you.” Her blue eyes look so innocent. There is no way she is this Muriel.

“Do you know anyone of the name Muriel?” I ask. There is no sign of recognition on her face.

“Erm, no. Why?”

“No reason.”

I feel the pull in my soul of my father. Death is scary enough but when he’s your father and pissed at you…

I felt my nerves heighten. “I need to go see my father, but can I take you to lunch or something tomorrow?”

She looks up at me and nods a yes. I kiss her pouting mouth and watch her go into her house. My stomach tangles into a nervous knot. I’m glad Simone didn’t pick up on my mood shift. I take a deep breath and give in to the pull.

He stands over a tombstone in a graveyard. His eyes look over to me, their colour mirroring mine.

“Father. You called for me?”

“Indeed I did. I had a pretty little thing visit me today.”

My knotted stomach twists inside out. “Gabrielle.”

He laughs. “Yes. The thing is, Shamar, this is not her first visit. She likes to live on the dark side, that one, and she’s tried visiting me over her lifespan on many occasions.”

I can see by his expression that he means sexually. I am more wary than ever about her intentions now.

“She told me you have fallen for her Destined, meant for another. She wants me to punish you.” He laughs darkly.

“What did you tell her? Is that why I’m here? To be punished, Father?” I ask.

He stares at me for a few minutes before speaking. “You have your mother’s spirit, Shamar, but my blood runs deep in your veins. I won’t have anyone, not even God Himself tell me to punish
my
son! So what do you think I told her?”

My stomach relaxes a little.

“Tell me about this Destined.” He begins to walk and I fall in step next to him.

“Nice location by the way,” I say, gesturing to our surroundings.

He lets out a deep laugh. “I live for the clichés, Shamar.”

“I’m confused about this girl. Gabrielle is vague and I don’t trust her. A dark soul is interested in the girl and I found a birth mark.” He slows his pace. “On her neck,” I continue even when he stops abruptly. “She has the full mark of an Angel.”

He rests his hands on my shoulders. “You seem very troubled. Is it true what Gabrielle spoke of? Have you fallen for her?”

“Yes. I love her,” I tell him, honestly saying it out loud, trusting in the way I feel.
I can love! I do love, I’m in love
.

He nods. “We are not the same as anyone else in existence. Many would say we are not capable of love but that would be a mistake of theirs. We take souls and live miserably, because of our fated titles. But when we love, we’re more alive than anyone else; it’s more powerful than any other’s love. We feel the soul of others, Shamar. Our love is intense because of who we are. I loved once and she was everything. I breathed to be with her but she was reluctant to fall for me and so I sowed my oats to hurt her,” he muses. “Your mother was special, Shamar. When she told me you lived inside her womb, I felt love so powerful for you that I let my love for this girl go and focused my attention on the woman who bore my child.” I stare at him, dumbfounded. “I still think about that lost love. I heard she did the forbidden, fell for a fellow Angel, and was cast out of Heaven. So she fell from Grace in the end anyway, just not for me.” He takes a deep breath and drops his head to his chest, his shoulders slightly sagging.

“You fell for an Angel, too? And she fell from Grace for loving a fellow Angel. When did she fall?”

He shakes his head to focus. “I loved her long before she fell, centuries before. She only fell recently, actually. Maybe eighteen, nineteen years ago. Why?”

That’s his version of recent? Muriel ….

“You still love her after all this time?” I ask.

He smiles like he remembers her. “She was breath-taking. She had the deepest bluest eyes, and her skin was like porcelain. To love is not a weakness, it is strength. She has given me strength that has lasted an eternity.”

“What became of my mother?”

He sighs. “She left you with me and went back to her life. I’m sorry for that.”

He speaks honestly. I embrace him. He flinches at first but then his arms come around me so strong that I almost hear my ribs crack.

“Show me your girl, Shamar.”

I materialize into her room and he follows. She’s just coming from her bathroom, wearing lounge pants and a vest top. Her dark hair hangs loose, fanning over her shoulders. My father stiffens, reaching and grasping onto my arm.

“She looks like her, my God.”

He moves to her bed where she has laid down. She shivers, rubbing up her arms to gain heat. She begins looking around the room, a little panicked, like she can sense that death is around her.

He steps back and looks at me. “Who are her parents?”

I summon him away from her. “Let’s go outside,” I offer.

I breathe in the fresh air as we both appear in her drive.

“She looks like Muriel but she’s not her. Her soul. Shamar… My God it’s so bright. I’ve never seen one like that before. Who are her parents?”

“Well the ones that live here with her are human.”

“She is far from human. I have work to do, but I will seek answers from Gabrielle for you when I can,” he tells me with a wicked grin. Then he is gone.

I go back to Simone. She’s awake and anxious, but her breathing evens out as I draw closer to her.

“You’re here,” she says before she falls into sleep with a smile. She is becoming so aware of my presence in her room, yet she doesn’t know it’s me.

I leave to check on my charges and come back to her in the morning. She is dressed, sitting on her bed and holding my jacket to her face. I can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips. She has a starry-eyed expression. I feel like rushing her and pinning her body beneath mine. God, maybe I should materialize at her front door and kiss her senseless. The sound of footsteps carries up the stairs and there’s a knock on her door.

“Come in,” she calls out, laying my jacket down.

Liam walks in. “Hey.” He comes further into her room and looks at me. “Oh hey, man. Sorry, I didn’t realise you had company.”

My body convulses. I look to Simone, who stares where Liam’s looking… straight at me. The confusion on her face tells me she can’t see me. She scurries off her bed, backward to the other corner of the room. “Who are you talking to?”

Liam looks confused. “Your new dude. Shamar.” He gestures okay to me with his thumb over his shoulder. Then, as if realising his mistake, his face pales. He looks between us and stands in front of Simone.

Her mouth opens. I have no choice, I tell myself, as I become solid, visible. Simone screams, trying to back further up, covering her face with her hands.

“Oh my God, I’m dreaming. I’m just dreaming. Wake up, wake up,” she mutters to herself and pinches her arm.

“What the fuck
are
you?” Liam asks me. He’s not as freaked out as Simone. This is not a shock to him.
What am I? What is he?

“What are you?” I ask in return.

“I knew there was someone here. I could feel you… Oh my God, you could see me in here.” She shakes her head and talks to herself, not me.

“Simone, listen. I didn’t watch you inappropriately. I only stayed when you needed me. I’m sorry this is freaking you out.”

“What’s happening? I’m losing my mind,” she mutters.

Liam turns to her. “No you’re not.” He pulls her into his arms and strokes her affectionately.

“Who are you?” I ask again.

He takes a deep breath and turns to me. I move forward, trying to bring calmness over Simone. She inhales and I feel it as her body relaxes.

“I’m here to watch over her for her father.”

Confusion furrows Simone’s brow. “My dad?”

“Fuck.” He sighs. “Listen, Simone…”

A ringing interrupts his speech. She looks at her phone, more confused than before.

“Hello? Amanda… what? Wait, where are you? Don’t move.”

She rushes out the room and down the stairs.

My life couldn’t get any crazier. I’m not sure if I’m even awake right now, this is too surreal. Did it really happen? Oh my God, I’m freaking out. I’ve felt a presence in the house for a long time now, and then Shamar, he just appeared from nothing. How could he do that? Liam didn’t even look freaked out; he saw him before I did. I’ve fallen asleep, I’m going to wake up. The pinch on my arm I’m giving myself hurts too much for this to be a dream, so I must be awake. Which means this is all real.

Liam and Shamar come out of the house as I’m pulling away in my car, but I need to get to Amanda. She called me; she never calls me. She sounded broken and although she has been a total bitch to me for years, I still remember the girl who shared her juice cup with me in third grade.

When I arrive at Dead Man’s Bridge, her car is parked on the grass. I pull in behind it; she isn’t in her car. I glance around. My stomach drops when I see her. She’s standing on the barrier of the bridge, looking down into the valley below.

“Amanda,” I call out, approaching her slowly.

“What are you doing?” She looks over to me, her weak frame hunched over like she’s in pain. Her feet are bare and the dark circles under her eyes are shaded darker then when I last saw her; she looks like she just escaped from a mental hospital. Her eyes shift erratically, and her clothes are rumpled. “I wanted him to want me the way he wants you. I wanted his desire.”

“What? Who?”

“Lucas, who do you think? He sent me crazy with lust, giving me his brief attention, taking my body to use and I let him because I wanted to win the guy from you for once and God, he ruined me for anyone else. He’s the devil, you know? And he’s coming for you.”

She smiles, tilting herself forward and dropping from the bridge. Pain shoots into my knees as I hit the ground. Screaming fills the air all around me.
It’s me
; I’m screaming.

Shamar’s strong arms lift me from the ground, his scent consuming me.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, looking toward the bridge, but he’s having a conversation with someone else, not me. I follow his eyes but there’s no one there. Did he see what happened? Maybe he’s talking to Amanda. Did I imagine her jumping? Is she really still there?

He takes me to my car and puts me on the seat.

“Baby?”

I’m so confused.

“What are you? Did that really happen… did she really jump?”

He looks tortured. Closing the car door, he goes to the bridge and looks over it. I want to crawl into the driver’s side to drive away from this delusional turn my life has taken but my body began to shake as soon as Shamar walked away. He shakes his head as he walks back toward the car and my body relaxes involuntarily. He pulls open the car door and slides into the driver’s seat.