My Soul to Take (Soul Keepers (Young Adult paranormal romance)) (9 page)

The sky this morning is once again an oppressive shade of grey. Clouds roll ou
t in a never ending expanse of sheep’s wool over Sandbridge beach. The sun is but a distant memory. I sip on my coffee while kicking the porch swing to life. Gentle waves lap the shore, while gulls glide like kites in the sky.

Elijah saunters out to the porch in his sweat pants and a white T-shirt and my pulse quickens in my veins. I resist the urge to stare and turn my focus on a few birds scrapping over a bit of something they found on the beach.

He sits in a nearby chair and quietly watches the shoreline. “Sam’s got a meet today, do you want to go?” he offers it like he could live without paying witness to Sam in a Speedo.

Not that I feel like cheering for anything at the moment but Sam needs to know I’m not going anywhere. So I give a nod and continue to stare off at the majestic ocean while I finish my coffee.

Elijah knows me well enough to leave me to my thoughts.

****

I sit in the bleachers overlooking the indoor pool and spot Sam’s bare chest in the ivory-skinned line up. I could pick it out of a hundred even if they were all cloaked and masked.  Peyton sits two rows below me, clapping and cheering for Sam. I think about telling her to go jump off the high dive, knowing she would, but then I decide murder is not becoming of an angelic being, even a half-breed like me.

The stands are crowded with fans. Ari is front and center and has her eyes trained on Sam’s silken form as well. Bless me now! Emily, where are you at? The whole Sam Montgomery fan club is only missing one more to be complete.

Sam lines up on the block, his long torso leaning over the water, poised and ready. Muscles twitch in anticipation, he looks focused. When the pistol is fired, Sam shoots into the water with minimal splash. I watch as he moves like a dolphin under the surface, not coming up for air until the last of his competitors. It puts him well ahead of the rest. Peyton cheers him on at the top of her vocal range. Glancing back, she notices me.

~ Oh now
she
shows up to one of his meets. I’ve been coming to everyone since the season started. Who does she think she is? She treated Sam like dirt when all he wanted was a little water so she could make him mud, and she wouldn’t even give him that. ~

I glance up at the high dive again, seriously contemplating the scenario. I envision her strawberry blond locks speeding toward the unforgiving tile floor, and shake the gruesome image from my head. Sam wins the event and emerges smiling from the pool. His eyes go straight to me, bypassing Peyton all together. I see her shoulders slump with defeat.
Hello, Sam.

I give a small smile to Sam, who looks utterly surprised to see me here. I know Payton hit the mark with her thoughts. When Sam and I dated back in the fall
, we hardly saw each other, both consumed with SAT prep and getting our class ranks up in the top ten percent. Elijah kept his distance during that time but I could always detect his animosity underneath the facade, thick as pine bark. Look at me now, I’ve found the time to come here for an hour. It will mean I’ve to finish the last half of the Iliad tonight but I’m sure Elijah was personal acquaintances with Homer, so perhaps he can give me some insight. 

He is sitting invisible in the back row, making sure I’m safe, as always. Sam returns the smile, only it’s directed at Peyton. Now
my
shoulders slump. After the meet is over, Sam joins Peyton poolside and pulls her in close. Her hand caresses his silky smooth shoulder while the other rests on his bare chest. He glances up at me before covering her lips with his own. Heat fills my face as I look on as if I were watching a train wreck. Complete disaster unfolding before my eyes and I’m physically unable to turn away. My heart collapses in my chest and it feels like he’s just ripped it out with his hunting knife, speared it, and brazenly raised it to the sky in triumph. He breaks away from her and looks to me again. Tears accost my eyes, unwelcome and exposing the vulnerable girl I really am under the armor I parade around in.

~
God, I hate hurting her like this. She’s better off without me though. ~

He pulls Peyton in for another round and clings to her back for dear life. I’m long gone by the time he comes up for air. How could he intentionally hurt me like that? I would never blatantly fondle Elijah in front of him just to keep him away. I don’t know what to do with the new and improved Sam.

“Are you okay?” Elijah asks, appearing in the passenger’s seat of my car. He is stunning. His deep blue eyes sparkle with light even under the umbrella of clouds and the absence of sun.

“
Nope.” I start the car and back out of the parking space. Sam, for whatever reason has slipped through my fingers and Peyton has snatched him up like free candy from a piñata.

“
He’s afraid of what he almost did to you the night he was possessed.” I tick my head back at Elijah’s comment.

“
And just how does he know what he almost did to me that night?” I ask, not hiding my irritation. Elijah sighs out a breath and bites the inside of his cheek.

“
Because I told him. But in my defense, he was quick to point out how he was there for you even when I wasn’t. It angered me. Are you upset with me for telling him?” he asks with such sweet innocence that my fury melts away. He blinks his dark lashes slowly down in a contemplative bow of silence.

“
You’re impossible to stay mad at.” I glance at him while I drive, wondering how I got so lucky to have a being so incredible, so perfect for me, breathing in the same air as I do. A slow smile appears on his face, blessing his already flawless features with a beauty reserved for carved statues and other monolithic works of art.

“
But I’m at a loss on what to do about Sam’s new found solace in Peyton of all people.”

“
I’ve been around humans more than my own kind, so I can tell you without a doubt that there will come a time when Sam will realize that you are worth the risk, that loving
you
is undeniable.”

Journal of E.M
              February 12
th 
2013

Brennen
keeps
asking me for my advice. She wants to know how to deal with Sam. Truthfully, I hope he continues to derail their relationship. I’ve my doubts that they’re destined for each other. How can they be, when what we have feels so right?

Something feels off about that kid and I need to figure out what it is that’s bothering me.
I’ve a
strong
instinct and I’m rarely wrong when I follow that instinct. In all my years, I’ve never been put on the peripheral of vital information as I’ve been on this case. This needs to stop.

Nehemiah
is
getting out of control. Perhaps the wealth of power this project has brought him has turned him into some sort of dictator with a God-complex. This whole thing could come crashing down on their around their ears if they’re not careful.

Brennen is
strong
, stronger than I ever dreamed she could be, but if they keep tearing away the people who love her, she may unravel one of these days. I know she has come to depend on me to be her glue and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love her with all that I’m. I will not stand idly by while Sam chips away at her confidence. I get that he thinks he is keeping her safe and I can even respect him a little bit for that, but blatantly making-out with his ex in front of her? That’s just plain ignorant. I guess I need to have another talk with the boy. Here’s hoping I can keep my hands in my pockets long enough for him to walk away from that conversation.    

Chapter 8 ~ The Deal

My phone buzzes next to my ear, I peek one eye open and fumble for it. My screen is lit up by Grandma’s sweet face. It’s still dark out and I know her condition has deteriorated enough that she doesn’t know my number anymore. Adrenaline surges through me as I answer.

             
“Hello?” The voice on the other end confirms my identity. My grandma’s nurse tells me that they had to transport her to the E.R due to a medical emergency. Elijah sits on the edge of my bed, concern spread over his face, a look he wears more often lately. I hang up with her nurse and hurry to my dresser to grab some clothes.

             
“Is she okay?” Elijah grabs my shoes from the closet for me.

             
“I don’t know, they won’t tell me anything over the phone.” Elijah turns away as I pull my sleeping T-shirt over my head and dress quickly. He is already fully dressed and looking like he just stepped off the pages of GQ. I walk out of the bathroom with my hair tangled around my head, sweats, and a hoodie.

             
“I’ll drive,” Elijah states like it’s not up for discussion.

             
I wish Elena could teleport me instantly. Elijah doesn’t have that gift. I’m learning that they all have unique specialties. He can heal the body better than any Keeper out there and his sense of knowing what is around him is acutely sensitive. We take his powder-blue classic Camaro for extra speed and arrive at the hospital in a heart stopping twenty minutes.

             
I rush to the counter where a stout woman with a jolly demeanor greets me with a smile. The waiting room is bursting with all sorts of ailing people, crying babies, bleeding head wounds, and coughing elderly are all dizzying up the small space.

             
“Ann Marie Hale?” I ask the woman whose name tag is ingeniously covered by a smiley face button. She types the name into her computer and confirms my identity.

             
“She is in the ICU and they’re still trying to stabilize her. I’ll have her doctor come out when we know anything else. You can wait in the overflow area over there. It may be quieter.” I nod and sink into Elijah. He holds me close against his chest and walks me to a chair. 

             
“Can’t you heal her Elijah?”  Sadness washes over his features.

He speaks slowly.
“If it were only up to me, I would have restored her mind and given her back to you months ago. I would do anything for you Brennen, but I can’t do that. Let’s pray for her together.”  Elijah takes my hand in his and prays for God to heal my grandmother, to wash away her pain and fill her with his holy light. He prays for me, he prays for Sam and finally he prays for us. His words strewn together pleading for life, love and healing all around, fill me with a sense of comfort.

             
We wait in the hard pleather chairs for what seems like an eternity. I’ve memorized the two small paintings that adorn the wall in front of me, a generic sail boat over a choppy sea, and a hideous vase of lilies.  I look up every time those huge double doors ease open. The sun is coming up outside. I lift my head from Elijah’s shoulder and stretch my arms.

Elijah offers to go find me a cup of coffee and I nod weary from the stress of the night. Wonder if they can run an espresso line right into my vein. 

              No sooner than Elijah disappears from my sight, Malphas eases into the seat next to me. I nearly jump right out of my own skin and scramble to the floor. I open my mouth to scream for Elijah but the demon shakes his head and points his finger at my mouth. He’s made it so only my breath escapes beyond my lips. Oh no, not again.

             
“Miss me?” he asks innocently enough. With my body cringing at his feet, it’s the holding cell all over again. He shrugs off my look of sheer terror and eases into his seat. I’m stunned into stone, he’s here in public for all to witness. We are in a far corner of one of the many waiting rooms this hospital has, so maybe I’m the only one blessed with this curse.

“
Gran’s not doing so well? In fact she will be meeting her untimely demise very shortly, I would stick around for the show but I’ve a feeling your beloved will be rounding the corner shortly. To be honest I thought he’d never leave. Poor judgment on his part if I may be honest.” He chuckles to himself like he is quite pleased with having me cornered yet again.

“
So, I’ll get right to the point. The offer on the table is your grandmother’s life, five good years, we’ll even throw her memory back in for good sport.” Is he seriously using my grandmother’s life as a bargaining chip? My mouth hangs agape. He points to my mouth again and my voice is returned.

“
What do you want Malphas?” A slow smile spreads across his smooth face.

“
The master wants your soul. He promises you a room in his castle.” Yeah, I bet, in his dungeon.

“
First you offer me Elijah, now my grandmother, maybe if I hold out you’ll bring my dad back.” I don’t know where the anger comes from but I’m suddenly a ball of rage. I stand up in front of him. My legs don’t agree with my sudden lack of self-preservation and they wobble beneath me unsteady.

His smile never wavering, he doesn’t miss a beat.
“No, resurrections were never his forte,” he says coolly.

I slump down in the seat opposite from him. For a second, I consider the offer.

“Well that’s my cue, if you decide you don’t want your grandmother’s blood on your hands, just say my name and I’ll return. You have one hour.”