Raine grinned when she saw him. “Talents, huh?” she whispered. “Do tell.”
My face flamed. “Shut up.”
Laughing, she waved and headed toward her car while I joined Echo.
“See what I have to put up with because of you?” I said.
He straightened. “What did I do?”
“Other talents? And you said that in front of Raine,” I scolded him.
“You mean you two don’t gossip about us and compare notes?”
“Ew, no. That’s reserved for book, TV, and movie boyfriends.”
His hands came to rest on my hips. He pulled me closer until my body was flush with his. “Are you telling me you’ve never compared our kisses?” He lowered his head. “I’m a better kisser than St. James.”
“I’ll let you know after he and I kiss.”
His eyes gleamed. “Then I’d have to rearrange his pretty face,” he said against my mouth. “Then punish you for being a bad girl.” He nipped my lower lip.
I was helpless against the shudder that rocked my body.
“Go ahead, then you’d have to deal with me and Raine.” I went on my toes and planted one on his lips, taking my time. His hand left my waist and wrapped around my nape. Things were getting out of hand fast. I leaned back, breaking the contact. “I gotta go. I have a doctor’s appointment.”
He stiffened, eyebrows slamming down. “What’s wrong? You’re not sick, are you? You can’t…”
I pressed my fingers on his lips and grinned. “No, I’m fine, but Mom insists I see her doctor for a checkup. I can’t very well tell her I’m an Immortal.”
He visibly relaxed and pulled me in for a hug as though holding me tight would reassure him I was okay. I rested my cheek on his chest and let him chase away his demons.
“When do you have to be there?” he asked.
“Four.”
“Can I come?”
“Uh, no.” I leaned back to see his face. “This is a gynecologist visit, Echo. We’re going to talk about female issues, and you can’t be there.”
“Why not? I’ll be invisible, and I know enough about female anatomy not to be shocked.”
There was no way I was discussing birth control in his presence. “No, you’re not going, and that’s final. Don’t give me that lost puppy look,” I added. “It won’t work.”
“You’re a cruel woman.”
“I’ll see you afterwards. The visit should be over in forty-five minutes.”
“I haven’t seen you since Sunday.”
I sighed. “Fine. You can sit with me in the waiting room, then stay there while I see the doctor.” He grinned triumphantly. Gah, I was so easy. “Come on. I’m dying for a macchiato.” I opened the back door and threw my backpack on the back seat.
“We have time to check out the next house. I need to close the deal by Friday.”
“Why the big hurry?”
“It’s prom night. I’m hoping to get lucky.” He laughed when my jaw dropped. He was being impossible. Worse, he hadn’t lowered his voice and a few girls walking by giggled. I shot him a death glare, but he just smirked and glanced around the parking lot, eyes narrowing. “About your tires and those responsible…”
“Took care of them this morning. Come on.”
He studied me from across the roof of my car. “You need a new car.”
“There’s nothing wrong with this one, Echo.” I got behind the wheel and waited for him to settle into the passenger seat. How I’ve missed having him in my car. He took up too much space and often pushed the passenger chair back to accommodate his long legs.
“It makes weird noises when you drive,” he said.
Blaine had been talking to him. “I’ll get one when I can afford it. And don’t even think of offering to buy me one.”
“Why not? I can afford it.”
“I can’t accept such an expensive gift from you, Echo.”
He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed the Druid ring he’d given me. He didn’t have to explain what he was saying. The ring was priceless, yet I’d accepted it.
“Dad’s pride would be hurt if you did, so let’s not discuss it.”
He didn’t bring it up again. When I pulled up outside The Hub, my car made a weird noise as I shifted gears to park.
“Not a word,” I warned.
Surprisingly, he didn’t say anything. As we started for the building, he fell in step beside me and wrapped his pinkie around mine. Just before we entered The Hub, a tingle in the back of my neck had me glancing over my shoulder. There were no souls in sight, but I had a weird feeling we were being watched. Nothing seemed out of place around the parking lot and the line of stores. It was probably Dev. I didn’t want to bring him up yet.
I untangled our pinkies and wrapped my arms around Echo’s.
We got our drinks and scones. Echo even got a bag of cotton candy. A soul walked past, glanced at me, smiled, and disappeared through a bookshelf. Could she be the one I’d felt outside? I’d seen her before. Since she’d never come to me for help, I left her alone.
The feeling of being watched returned when we left the store. Echo insisted on driving, and I let him. Arguing with him was pointless. Plus, I wanted to get away from whatever was giving me the chills.
Maybe Echo wanted to see how the car felt, or maybe his “You don’t know where we’re going” was the reason, but he drove too fast.
“There’s a speed limit on these roads, you know,” I reminded him when we pulled up outside the house.
“I didn’t notice.” He smirked when I swatted his butt and pulled me to his side. We stood in front of the house and studied it.
It was even cuter than the first one and was inside a new subdivision with tennis courts and a pool. Neighbors studied us from their lawns and front porches. Echo hated it before we went inside. But I felt that weird feeling again and looked around, waving at a few people walking by and staring at us as we left.
“No privacy,” Echo said.
“And it’s near the forest,” I added, knowing how much he hated wooded areas.
He crossed it off the list and promised to show me one last one after my appointment. I let him drive me to the doctor’s.
“May I borrow your car?” he asked when he pulled up outside the doctor’s.
I eyed him suspiciously. He’d made a big deal about visiting the doctor with me and now he wanted my car. Could he be any more transparent? “Why?”
“I’m going phone shopping and this way I can appear normal when I pull up.”
I laughed. He’d never cared whether he appeared normal or not. “That’s the lamest excuse ever. If it makes you feel better, yes, you can take my car to have it checked.”
“Who said anything about having your car checked?”
“I can read you, Echo. And please, don’t listen to Blaine. He is a car snob.” I gave him a quick kiss. “Go, but take good care of it. And don’t go changing anything without checking with me first.”
“I’d never do that,” he protested, but I saw through him.
“Yes, you would. Love you. Gotta run.”
***
The gynecologists’ offices were in a sprawling house that looked more like a home than an office building. The waiting area had leather sofas around tables with magazines like a furniture store. Women in various stages of pregnancy were seated with their husbands or alone around the room. I felt out of place. Worse, when I made eye contact, eyes shifted to my stomach as though to check how far along I was.
The women behind the counter were nice. Unfortunately, the room was quiet, except for the muted sounds of preschooler kids in the playroom to my right, so I felt like our conversation carried. By the time we finished, I was sure everyone knew this was my first visit and my mother had made the appointment for me.
I took the paperwork and found a chair as far away from anyone as possible and faced the window. They’d also given me some kind of a square beacon that flashed red. If the light turned green,
it was my turn to go inside, which meant no one would be calling out my name.
I did the paperwork. It was all smooth sailing at first. I even called Mom when the questions were about family health history.
“I’m so proud of you, honey,” she said.
I frowned. “Why?”
“You’re taking charge of your health. If you want to talk later, I’ll be here.”
“Thanks, Mom.” But I wasn’t smiling a few minutes later when I got to the part asking if I was sexually active and if I had multiple partners. So intrusive.
My face red, I looked around, but no one was paying me attention. I was tense by the time I finished, wishing I didn’t have to do this alone, yet I couldn’t see myself asking Mom to come with me. Maybe Raine, but I was sure the doctors didn’t encourage friends to accompany you. I was happy Echo wasn’t with me.
Waiting for the green light became hard, and I actually sighed with relief when it flashed.
Better get it over with.
The nurse who took my blood pressure was nice, but Dr. Steiner was even nicer. We went over some questions: my periods, how far apart they were and how long they lasted, and of course, when I last had one. I just started this morning.
My face warmed when she asked, “Are you currently sexually active?”
I blanked out for a moment. My online research said they didn’t ask such questions. “Yes.”
I braced myself for judgmental comments and more personal questions, but all she talked about were different types of contraceptives, how they worked, and the ones she thought were suitable for someone my age.
I was more than happy to leave with my prescription and the sample of the vaginal ring she’d given me. Echo wasn’t in the lobby, but I refused to wait for him there with eyes on me.
As soon as I stepped outside the building, I felt the presence again. This time, it was stronger. I searched the parking lot, expecting to see Rhys or Nara.
A cool draft swept my skin. I searched for souls.
“Dev?” I called out.
Silence. That was strange. He usually had no problem showing himself. Maybe it wasn’t Dev. I couldn’t continue talking to myself without attracting attention.
“Listen, whoever you are. Show yourself or get lost,” I snapped.
A dark, shapeless mass floated toward me. With it came air so frigid it hurt my lungs to breathe. I wrapped my arms around me, but it was blasting me with evil energy, or sucking heat and air from around me. Flower and plants along the entrance shriveled and turned black.
I started to shake. My mouth went dry. I tried to take a step back, but I couldn’t move. Panic wrapped like steel around my chest and brain.
“Who a... you?” I managed to gasp.
It charged at me and I opened my mouth to scream, but terror stole my voice. I braced myself for the possession, but a familiar dark figure appeared and cut it off.
Dev.
They tumbled in the air until I couldn’t tell which mass was Dev and which one was the evil one. They barreled toward me like a giant swirling mass of my worst nightmare. I tried to step out of their way, but I wasn’t fast enough.
The iciness hit me first when they plunged into me, followed by a feeling I’d never experienced before. Like my insides had turned into jelly filled with shards of glass. I was being ripped apart from the inside. My breath had turned into ice in my lungs. Nausea rose to my throat, and black dots appeared in my vision.
I wasn’t sure whether they were inside me or not. I couldn’t hear their thoughts. I just had the weird feeling that I was no longer in charge of my body. I tried to fight back, breathe, move, but I kept sinking. It was as though the dark energies had ripped out a part of me and filled it with something vile.
I staggered backward, and my elbows connected with the wall. My skin stung, but the pain was like an afterthought. I realized why. Blood circulation was returning to the surface of my skin.
They hadn’t possessed me. They’d passed through.
I became aware of my surroundings. My little gift bag from the doctor was on the ground. I knew I should pick it up, but I couldn’t move. My body shook so badly the only thing holding me up was the wall.
The door to the building opened, and a couple stepped out.
“Are you okay?” the wife asked, her voice reaching me as though from afar.
I nodded. At least I think I did. My breath was still a heavy fog in my lungs, and my vision was still screwy.
“Honey, get help from inside,” the woman told her husband and moved toward me. A door slammed shut. In the next second, Echo was beside me.
“What is it? What happened?” he asked, gathering me into his arms.
I let go of the wall and sunk to his side.
12. THE LIGHT IN MY DARKNESS
Echo scooped me up, and I buried my face in his neck.
“What happened?” I heard him ask, his voice sounding harsh. I clung to him. He was my anchor now, my buffer against the cruel, ugly, and painful world.
“We found her clinging to the wall when we left the doctor’s office,” the man said. “Should I get the doctor?”
“No. I got her.” Echo started down the ramp.
“This is hers,” the woman called out, and I knew she’d just handed Echo my ring.
Inside the car, he cradled me close as though to absorb my pain and cold. He had this down to a science because every time I had a bad encounter with a soul, he was there to help me, infuse me with his energy. This time was worse. I couldn’t even engage my runes. I had to depend on his. He started the car and ramped up the hot air.
He didn’t say anything. If he could wrap his entire body around me, he would have. He tried and warmth returned to my limbs. My insides still felt like I had just stepped off a spinning ride at an amusement park. I loved riding roller coasters, but hated spinners with a passion.
When I sat up, my stomach heaved. Echo studied me with bleak eyes. I hated seeing that look in his eyes. He reached inside the glove compartment and removed the bag of Twizzlers. I’d tried M&Ms, Skittles, even ice cream, but none seemed to work like Twizzlers after a possession. I shook my head. I didn’t think I could hold anything down.
“A dark soul?” he asked in a voice that said he wanted to kick someone’s ass.
I nodded. I was sure if I spoke, I might throw up.
He cursed softly under his breath. “Dev?”
I shook my head.
I swore relief flashed in his eyes before he lowered his lashes and hid them from me. That gave me hope. Maybe, just maybe, he’d listen to what Dev had to say. I burrowed in his neck, not ready to leave the comfort of his arms. He stroked my back and tried to absorb the occasional shudders that rocked my body.
“Every time I leave your side, some weird shit happens,” he whispered in an unsteady voice. “I don’t think I can take any more of these scary situations without going insane.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that. Telling him I’d be okay would be lame because we both knew I wouldn’t be. He’d rescued me often enough from possessions gone bad, and dealing with dark souls was a whole new level of badness. The only thing I could do to reassure him was hug him tight.
“Tell me what happened,” he said again later, his voice steadier.
“A dark soul came after me and Dev stopped it.”
Echo stiffened. “So he was here.”
I leaned back to look into his eyes and hoped he saw the truth in mine. “He saved me, Echo. I felt a presence outside The Hub and even the house, but it was too faint. At first I thought it was Dev spying on us.”
“He’s been spying on us?”
I sighed. His mistrust of Dev defied logic. “No, he hasn’t. All he wants is a chance to talk to you and explain things, and so he checks on me periodically to see if you’re ready. I told him you’re not. He was going to leave and try a few centuries down the line, but I convinced him to stay around because I know that deep inside, you need to talk to him.”
“It’s a good thing I did or he wouldn’t have saved me,” I continued as though Echo hadn’t interrupted me again. “The dark soul must have followed us and waited until I was alone.” I shuddered, my stomach still churning.
“Damn dark souls,” Echo mumbled. “I’m taking you home where you’ll be safe. Then I’m going to find Dev.”
“You’re not going to disperse him, are you?”
For a second a look crossed his eyes that said he’d love nothing else, but he sighed again. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Would it matter that he did it because of Teléia,” I whispered.
He leaned back and cocked his eyebrows. “What?”
“He said he did it because of her.” Echo didn’t respond, and when I glanced at him, he wore a preoccupied expression. “Do you know what that means?”
He shook his head. “Teléia disappeared when we were under attack. We searched for her, but she wasn’t among the dead or the living.”
“Was she an Immortal?”
“No. She didn’t want to be one. She was close to her parents and her brothers. When they were taken and presumed dead, she wanted to die, too. She begged me not to turn her, and I honored her wish. She…” His voice trailed off. “Teléia was like a delicate flower. Sensitive and fragile. She could not have survived the Romans. They would have used her, so she chose death. By the time Dev betrayed us…” He went quiet, and I could feel his pain. “Teléia had been dead for almost a year.”
I squeezed his hand, trying to absorb his pain.
“So, I don’t understand what Dev meant. Before the Romans started rounding us up, he begged her to reconsider the immortality thing, but she refused. He found her a hiding place, or a place he thought she’d be safe among non-Druid members of our society. She refused to go. Dev was insanely in love with her and would have done anything for her, but she didn’t feel the same way. It’s tragic when love is one-sided like that,” he added quietly. “It makes me appreciate what we have more.”
Souls (Runes series) Page 15
