Predestined (16 page)

So far this was good. I’d have been
here much sooner tonight if I’d thought this was the kind of
reception I would get. Pulling her tighter up against my chest I
inhaled the smell of her shampoo and kissed her temple. “Mmmm, this
is nice,” I muttered against her head. She sighed in my arms and
then pulled back enough to see my face.

“I’m afraid it all
goes downhill from here,” she explained.

Not what I wanted to hear. I was
hoping the next move would be her asking me to kiss her and then
maybe take her home so I could cuddle in bed with her.

“Leif was here,” she began and I
tensed tearing my complete focus off her to let my senses scan the
area for spirits. But I felt nothing. Except a small icy cold
somewhere close by. It wasn’t strong enough to be an actual spirit
but it wasn’t good either. Holding Pagan closer to me I reached
further for the unwanted presence and realized it was inside the
house.

“Who’s inside?” I asked placing
Pagan behind me and heading to the backdoor.

“What? No, he’s gone. Miranda’s in
there sleeping,” Pagan hurried to keep up behind me but at the
mention of Miranda being alone I closed the distance quicker than a
human could possibly travel and opened the door to find the
throbbing dark essence lying on the kitchen table in the shape of a
moon. The red stone almost had a pulse the evil inside it was so
strong. Red and pink roses lay beside it and I stared at the items
trying to figure out what it was I was seeing.

“That’s what I called you for,”
Pagan huffed out after finally making it inside.

“The necklace?” I asked

“Yes, Leif left it and I’m scared
to touch it.”

My eyes shifted back to the roses.
Had Leif brought those too?

“It isn’t a necklace. It holds part
of a voodoo spirit. Not the entire being, just enough so when you
are near that spirit you will feel an attachment to it.”

I heard the hiss of her breath as
Pagan inhaled. “I knew it was something like that,” she muttered
angrily. There was my girl and her spunk. The voodoo prince had
pissed her off. If I wasn’t so upset about those dang roses I’d
laugh.

“Where did the roses come
from?”

“Leif, why? Are they full of evil
crap too?”

So Leif had brought her the roses.
Wait. There was something I was supposed to remember about today.
The heart shaped boxes of chocolate I’d seen everywhere today as
I’d retrieved souls.

It was Valentine’s Day.

And I’d forgotten.

Well, hell.

“No, they’re just roses,” I
replied. I didn’t point out that they were beautiful roses. The
kind only magic can produce. They’d probably never die. They’d be
eternally beautiful if she placed them in a vase in her room. And
then I could remember what an incredibly lousy boyfriend I was
every time I saw them. Why is it that a voodoo spirit is better at
this than I am?

“I still don’t want them. Can I
burn them?”

My heart didn’t feel as heavy at
hearing her distaste. I snapped my fingers and the roses caught on
fire.

“Dank! What are you doing? You’ll
burn down the house or at least the table,” Pagan ran over to the
sink and I glanced back to see her filling up a pitcher of water.
Crazy girl didn’t think I’d protect the table. I snapped my fingers
for effect and the fire went out leaving nothing behind. Not even a
small pile of ash.

The water turned off behind me and
I heard Pagan let out a small laugh. “Guess I saw fire and didn’t
think things through.”

“It was cute,” I replied and she
blushed adorably.

“What about the necklace?” she
asked her gaze flickering to the evil stone on the
table.

“I can get rid of it just as easily
if you promise not to run to the faucet for a pitcher of water this
time,” I teased.

Pagan giggled and nodded, “I think
I can refrain.”

I didn’t even bother snapping this
time. Instead I stared at it while the flames erupted and within
seconds nothing remained.

Once there was nothing left behind
by Leif, I turned my complete attention to Pagan.

“I’m sorry I missed Valentine’s
Day.”

She
smiled up at me, “It’s okay. I spent most of the day with Miranda.
We ate cookies and watched
Vampire Diaries
.”

Tucking a lock of her hair behind
her ear I remembered I did have something for her. I’d been waiting
for the perfect time to show her and I couldn’t think of a better
time than now. “Come outside with me, I have something for you,” I
whispered before bending down and pressing a chaste kiss to her
lips.

“Okay,” her voice was soft and
wispy. I liked knowing I still affected her even after everything
I’d put her through.

Holding her hand I led her outside
and down the stairs of the back porch until we were in the flower
garden located in the far corner of Miranda’s yard. I nodded my
head to one of the ornate stone benches that lined the garden and
then reached behind my back grinning. The crisp smooth texture of
the wrapping paper I’d selected filled my hands and I pulled it
around watching as her eyes lit up at the sight of the iridescent
pale blue package.

“Nice trick,” she teased grinning
up at me.

I knelt down in front of her and
placed the box in her hands. “Yeah well, I’m good for a few
entertaining side shows now and then.”

Biting her bottom lip anxiously she
reached for it. “I almost hate to hurt the paper. It’s
beautiful.”

“I’ll buy you a whole roll, Pagan.
Just open it.”

Nodding, she ripped open the side
and the paper was forgotten as it fluttered to the ground. The
white satin box sat in her lap as she slowly opened the lid. I
wasn’t sure if she’d remember exactly what it was but I thought I’d
wait and see if she worked this out on her own.

Pagan lifted the small gold brooch
from the box. The flicker of emotion across her face told me she
was working through the memories attached to the brooch in her
hand. I’d been holding onto it for over fifteen years. Reverently
she touched the pink glass stones that decorated the heart shaped
filigree.

“Grandma gave this to me. I was
sick and in the hospital and she’d come to stay with Mom at the
hotel nearby. They took turns staying with me. Then Grandma had to
go home because her heart was bothering her and her doctor wanted
her home under observation. The day she left she brought me this
brooch. She’d cried so hard as she’d told me to hold it close to my
heart always. So I’d always know she loved me.

Pagan lifted her awed gaze to meet
mine. “Then when... when...” she trailed off shaking her head in
frustration. The memory was there. I knew it was and I wanted her
to recall it without my help. It was one I’d waited patiently for
her to remember since she’d discovered exactly who I
was.

Her expressive green eyes showcased
so many different emotions. Finally, she opened her mouth and
whispered, “ohmygod,” and I knew she’d remembered.

“Then
you
, Dank, YOU came
to talk to me. To tell me that I was going to die but I’d get
another life. My body was sick. That when you came back I was to go
where you sent me and I’d come back again. Ohmygod,” Pagan stopped
and took a deep breath. “I gave you this brooch. I told you that I
wanted to take it with me. You said that could be arranged and you
slipped it into your pocket...but--”

“But you never saw me again.
Because your soul was erased off the charts. The only reason I
remembered you was because of this brooch. I knew there had been a
soul that had been spared. Sometimes that happens. It’s rare but
sometimes the Creator changes his mind. I thought that had happened
to you. So, I held onto that brooch given to me by a little girl
who wanted to take something from this life on to her next. I
figured once your name appeared on the books again I’d make sure
you got your brooch just like you requested. But your name appeared
so much sooner than I expected. It intrigued me. I couldn’t
understand why the Creator would stop your death as a child to take
it only a few years later on the brink of adulthood. So, I came to
watch you. To see what about this soul was so unique. Why it had
broken all the molds I’d grown accustomed to over my
existence.”

Pagan’s hand covered her mouth as a
small sob escaped. I hadn’t meant to make her cry. I’d just wanted
to give her something she’d once held very dear.

“Oh, Dank,” she cried flinging
herself into my arms. “I can’t believe I didn’t remember
you.”

She was crying because she’d
forgotten she’d met Death as a child?

Holding her in my arms I was at a
loss for words. How did I comfort her about something like
this?

“This is the most precious perfect
gift anyone has ever received. You gave me back a memory that I
will cherish forever. You gave me something from my grandma I
didn’t know I had. And you kept it and it led you back to me. It
gave me you.”

I felt a wetness in my eyes and I
blinked confused from the strange sensation. A small trickle of
water ran down my cheek. I stared into the darkness as I held Pagan
in my arms in amazement. Death had just shed a tear.

Chapter
Fifteen

Pagan

The little yellow daisy I’d picked
out of momma’s bouquet from her boyfriend looked kind of pitiful
without all its petals. I twirled the remaining stem between my
fingers and scowled at it. Stupid flowers. Stupid candy. Stupid
stuffed bunnies with stupid purple fur. Oh and stupid, stupid
heart-shaped balloons. It was all just stupid. I flung the stem in
my hand into the creek behind my house.

The damaged daisy floated for a
moment as the fast stream washed it away until I saw it slowly sink
to the shallow muddy floor. Serves it right for being stupid, I
thought with a huff. Crossing my now empty arms I glared at the
water as it ran by. I didn’t have anything else to do. So I’d just
stand here and count all the stupid things about today.

“Not having a good day?” a
familiar voice asked from behind me. I spun around and saw a blond
boy with friendly blue eyes smiling at me. He seemed like someone I
should know but I couldn’t figure out where I’d seen him before.
Maybe he played on one of the other teams we‘d played in baseball
this year. It’s hard to recognize people when they don’t have on
their baseball cap and uniform. Out there they all look the same. I
started to respond until I noticed the fluffy white stuffed puppy
dog in his hand. The stuffed animal even had a red heart full of
chocolate candy in its paws. Even he got a stupid Valentine’s
present. I decided I didn’t want to talk to him and turned back
around to glare out at the water. Maybe he’d realize I was rude and
he’d go away.

“You have something against
stuffed animals and chocolate?” he asked in an amused tone. I
didn’t think he was funny. Not one bit. Stupid boy with his stupid
Valentine’s present. From some stupid girl.

“Yeah, what if I do?,” I replied
in a sour tone.

“Well, just seems like that’s a
funny thing to have a problem with. I mean there are lots of things
to dislike. Snakes, for example, or spiders.” He shuddered making
me roll my eyes.

“I can dislike what I want,can’t
I? It’s a free country.”

He cleared his throat and it
sounded suspiciously like he was covering up a laugh. I had a good
mind to slug him one and see if he thought that was funny. Cause I
knew for a fact I could throw a right hook better than most boys on
my street. Nope, he wouldn’t be laughing at all after I decked
him.

“I guess you can. I’m just curious
as to why you have a hatred against those items. Most girls like
them,” the fact he no longer sounded amused but actually confused
saved him from my fist.

“You wanna know why?” I asked,
shifting my angry glare his way. “I’ll tell you why.” I frowned,
swallowing the knot in my throat. I hated that this actually made
me want to cry. Stupid tears were for sissies.

“I’m listening,” the boy
coaxed.

“Because that’s all everybody
talked about today. They all flashed their chocolate hearts around
and teddy bears and even stupid bunny rabbits as they walked down
the halls. Balloons were tied on their chairs with those dumb
cheesy lines ‘I love you’ on them. I mean, really, we are nine,
people. We don’t love anybody yet. At least not THAT way. And to
make matters worse, stupid butt Jeff gave Miranda, my best friend,
a purple bunny with a big ‘ol balloon attached and a big box of
chocolate. And did she share one piece of her candy with me? NOPE!
She didn’t. Said it wouldn’t be romantic to give away a piece of
her Valentine’s candy. Then when I asked to feel the soft fur on
her rabbit she shook her head and cuddled it up against her like I
had a disease I could pass on to it. How absurd is that? Huh?
Ridiculous right. Then I come home and my mom even has a big
bouquet of flowers and a heart shaped box sitting on the table from
her boyfriend. I thought for sure I’d get a piece of candy then.
BUT NO! The box was already empty. She’d eaten it all. Why keep a
stupid empty box?”