Soul Snatcher

by annie nadine

  “Get up,” he yelled over the rain as he pushed her into the saddle. When she finally realised he was helping her onto the horse their stalker found them. He sped through the rain and grabbed Annie off the steed, taking her far away from Baden.

  Her attacker took her partway to the trees then precipitately threw her along the ground causing her to skid to a muddy halt. She could hardly breathe as she choked on the rain that she couldn’t keep out of her mouth.

  “Nice night for a little fun, Annie,” the stranger taunted. His voice made it sound like he licked the words on their way out. She looked up through the dark night, the only light was filtered through the window of the distant house. She struggled to determine if she knew him or not. Before she had the chance to see his face any closer Baden crashed into him and they skidded along the ground, flicking water up as they went.

  Annie couldn’t see anything after they moved past the light and disappeared into the blackness but she could hear the wild fight between them. It was as if the rain amplified their movements. By the sounds she heard she thought if a human had to suffer through the abuse of the fight that was taking place it would not take long to bring them to an end. All she knew was it didn’t matter if Baden or the other snatcher won, either way she had to get to that horse. Both of them would hurt her in very different ways.

  She pushed herself off the wet ground in a slippery mess, tripping as she did. She finally got running, finding it hard to balance and keep upright. Why did it have to be raining? The light from the house that cast onto the horse’s tail comforted her as she headed for it. She kept her eyes on her goal and tried to ignore the sounds of violence that assailed her ears, violence that might soon be on her.

  As she heard the horse bray the water from its nose her relief was stolen away, as was her balance, by the hand that grabbed her ankle. She tripped and fell, only just bracing herself before her face slammed into the ground. She presumed it wasn’t Baden taking her, he would at least be gentle with her death.

  She was flipped onto her back as the stranger relentlessly dragged her deeper into the night and further away from the horse. She gripped at the soft, slushy, rain-soaked ground hoping to gain a hold but failing every time. She kicked and screamed knowing that there was nothing she could do. Her tears mixed with the rain as they fell down her muddy face. She choked and spluttered on the rain as she was being pulled. She was going to die a hideous, gruesome death and all she could think was Baden must have lost the fight. This somehow filled her with more pain than thoughts of her own imminent demise.

  Just as she was about to lose all hope for life something grazed passed her and she heard it collide with the stranger at her ankle. Without missing a beat she pushed herself up as quickly as she could and ran for the horse again, seizing the only chance she might get to stay alive.

  Annie ran with everything in her. She wanted to live, she wanted to get away from the fear and the rain and be somewhere no one could get her. She reached the horse and grabbed the slippery reins but as her foot found the stirrup she felt hands grip her. This time anger helped to fuel adrenaline in her and she decided to fight. She was not going to let this stranger win. Amazed that her hair still held her dagger, she had time to pull it from the strands and grip it. This was her only chance. With panic riddled, trembling hands she thrust the point into the chest she could feel close beside her.

  She heard him grunt and he fell onto the ground beside her. She didn’t bother to hesitate another moment. She jumped onto the horse’s back, slipping into the slick saddle. She gathered the reins into her freezing hands and manoeuvred the horse as best she could. Before she sped off into the lonely night she glanced back to the dimly lit figure that lay on the ground. As the water ran into her eyes she thought she saw Baden laying there. She moved her hair away and swept the water from her face but it wouldn’t make the image of Baden disappear.

  Finally she realised that it was him laying there in the rain, bathed in the small glow of light from the house. She had pushed the dagger into him. She peered down at him, his shirt wet through and sticking to his skin. His hair slicked back from the rain and his eyes closed almost as if he were asleep. His peaceful face was juxtaposed against the sharp, ghastly dagger protruding from him. His hand clenched around the object.

  Something snapped Annie out of the daze she was in. She looked around to see if the stranger was still there to no avail. She wasn’t sure if she heard something or not but it reminded her that she had to go. After one last look at Baden she kicked the side of the horse and sped off into the night. She trusted the horse to know where to go because she had no idea where she was headed.

  As she sped through the rain she couldn’t stop the ache in her heart growing until she felt like it split her soul into many small pieces. Baden had come to steal her soul but he managed to break it instead. She wondered if that was any better.

  She held onto the reins as if they were her grip on life. She just needed to get home, she just needed to see Eli and then everything would be fine. Her mind raced with thoughts of Baden but she threw them out as best she could. He had been using her, he had been doing what his kind does. He was pretending to love her so she would love him and then he would take her soul.

  She wasn’t sure what pain caused her tears; the fact that he had played her so easily or that she hurt to know he was gone forever. It was probably better this way, if he was still around he would most likely be able to fool her into believing that he actually cared. Her tears started to become the main hindrance in her vision and even though they were spilling rapidly she could only see through a blurry film as the manor came into view.

  Annie had no idea what time it was but there was light spotted throughout the house. As the horse trotted to a slow stop just outside the door she noticed the rain had eased slightly. She practically fell off the horse and dragged herself over to the door. With a heavy heart she pushed the weighty door open with the little energy she had left. Once inside she closed it with just as much effort and leaned against it to rest for a moment.

  Head in hands and tears falling down her face, Annie tried to figure out how she was ever going to move on from this. That’s if she ever could.

  CHAPTER 21

  Annie looked down to her clothes and they were so wet she could see straight through them. The rain had washed most the mud off her skin but her clothes were stained from it. Not really caring who saw, she made her way to her room to change into something dry and warm. When she had walked into her bedroom and locked the door she rummaged through the wooden chest at the end of her bed in the dim light cast from the evening sky. The rain seemed to have cleared and though the moon was small, mixed with the starlight it was bright enough.

  She found a warm nightgown and dressed in her unlit room, finding no strength to care about anything. Moving to her bed she lay staring at the closed window that had been Baden’s entry point. She just had to push it all away; the fact that she had almost died tonight, yet again and the fact that Baden was gone forever. In an attempt to ease the hurt she tried to dwell on how he had used her. That gave a fake coating of normalcy and whenever that coating tried to chip away she would layer it up with another thick coat of, ‘he didn’t really love me’.

  When it all became too much she thought of Eli. He could take her mind off it, he would be able to explain what had happened and why her life had been ripped into shreds. She rushed out of her room, down the stairs to the library and entered without knocking. She stopped suddenly when she saw he wasn’t there. She hurried to every other room in the house but she couldn’t find Eli or Garrick. Where were they? Panic started to take over. If she was left alone then she wouldn’t be able to keep herself together.

  “Why are you not home?” She whispered, agony sounding through her small, sad voice. Just as she started to feel hopeless and that she would imminently lose all semblance of togetherness, she heard a horse approaching outside. Relief filled her as she ran to the door and swung i
t open anticipating Eli’s return.

  Annie almost jumped when she saw Micah standing there ready to knock. He paused in surprise then lowered his hand, staring at her for a moment. Seeing him broke through every wall she had made to contain her pain and she didn’t even think as she moved into his arms, sobbing from the hurt. She buried her face into his clean, crisp shirt, hoping that he could be her friend in this moment. Hesitantly he moved his arms around her and held her as she cried.

  “Please, can you just come in and stay a while and be my friend?” She asked weakly through her tears. There was silence before he answered and she thought he was going to say no. She looked up into his face ready to plead with him but he was already nodding his head yes. She grabbed his hand as she always used to and pulled him inside.

  For some reason she led him to the library. It was a room full of facts, it had no room for emotions and it felt like that was the best place to be for both of them. Silently they walked to the settee that contained the daggers and made themselves comfortable. Micah kept his distance from Annie which made her feel a little lonely. She subtly moved over towards him, wanting them to be like they used to be. Before life got in the way.

  “I am so glad you came back, Micah. I could not live with myself if I never saw you again.” She pushed the words out before the tears resumed. He sat there staring with nothing reading on his face. He looked like a statue, emotionless and cold. It made her pain even more acute and the tears persisted. Suddenly warmth crept onto his face and he resembled the old Micah she knew.

  “Annie, what is going on?” He asked giving up on his attempts to stay away from her. He put his arm around her shoulders and she melted into his body. He leaned his head atop hers and she felt great comfort from his touch.

  “I just…I was…” But when she went to say the words they died before they came out. What was she meant to say? He didn’t know anything about soul snatchers and definitely not about Baden. “I need us to be there for one another. Please do not leave me here alone,” she pleaded.

  She felt as if she was bordering on hysterical. How had her life turned into such a mess? What happened to the days when Micah would ride with her to the markets and they would spend all day together in happiness? No heartbreak and no loss.

  “Has someone hurt you?” Micah’s tone was serious and she felt his body tense.

  Was she hurt? Physically she had a few scrapes and bruises but she would heal from that. Her soul was what she was worried for but not because it would be stolen. No, Baden wasn’t around to do that anymore. She was worried about her soul because the pain seemed to be stitching itself into her heart and making a home for itself there.

  She cried even more at the thought of him. It felt as if she would willingly give her soul just to have him there with her. Though that was foolish and she knew it.

  “No, not in any real way.” Annie tried to calm herself and succeeded to some measure. She sniffed and wiped away the tears from her face. Her skin felt stiff from the drying tears as she wiped the salty water from her hands onto her dress. She sat up straighter and took a deep breath to steady her heavy heart. She closed her eyes and tried to forget everything but found it almost impossible.

  Micah kept his arm around her and his eyes on her the whole time. His body seized in anger when he saw her neck. He clenched his jaw to try and control himself from bursting out in rage. Annie looked over to him when she noticed something was wrong and was alarmed by his anger.

  “Micah, what is the matter?” She asked in panic, placing her hand over his. His breathing became heavy as he tried to rein himself in and she started to become a little scared.

  “What happened to your neck?” He asked through gritted teeth. Annie took her hand back and covered the side of her neck that Baden had bitten. She felt lifted skin outlining the shape of his teeth. It was a clean and neat mark, a scar of him. No matter what happened he would be with her forever. She thought herself stupid for feeling relief at the idea. She focused back on Micah who had done nothing but become angrier in her silence.

  “It was…you see I had to go…” Damn, what could she say? Micah stood and paced back and forth in front of her, covering his mouth with his hand to try and control himself. She had never seen him so upset and he didn’t even know what happened.

  Abruptly he picked up the nearest glass object, which happened to be a lovely, glass ornament on one of Eli’s tables, and pelted it across the room. It practically shattered into dust as it collided with the wood of the shelves. It left a dint in its wake. Annie stood in an instant, shocked at what he did. She stopped herself from moving to him for fear he might lose all control.

  Micah covered his face with his hands then dragged them through his hair in an attempt to calm himself. She had no idea what was going on and she started to hope with everything in her that Eli would walk through the door soon.

  “That was not meant to happen,” he said under his breath but she still managed to hear him.

  “What did you say?” Annie furrowed her brow in confusion. What did he know of what went on tonight? Micah looked over to her as if he only just realised she was there. He looked like a guilty man.

  “Annie, you have to know you were not meant to be bitten. I sent him to bring you to me because Miss Danes was going to…” But she interrupted him before he could finish.

  “You sent Baden?” She felt sick from what she was hearing. Confusion clouded his face then recognition replaced it.

  “Baden bit you? He was with you tonight?” Micah asked her pointedly, he was testing to see if she would lie to him. He already knew Baden had been there though he hadn’t known that Baden was the one that had bitten her. She started to put it together in her mind as she picked the clues from his reaction.

  “You sent the stranger?” Annie was horrified from what she was finding out. Micah moved over to her and took her hands in his pleadingly. He bent lower so his face was in line with hers and looked at her until she turned to him.

  “I sent him to bring you to me. When you had not arrived at the designated time I checked the house where you were meant to be then I came straight here,” he explained desperately. She tried to pull her hands free but he had them tightly and she was stuck.

  “Well, he became preoccupied with torturing me!” Annie said harshly still trying to regain her hands but failing.

  “I am sorry, Annie. Please, I would never have sent him if I knew,” Micah begged holding her hands tighter. Her face screwed up in pain as his grip became too tight. He didn’t seem to take notice or he didn’t care that he was hurting her, one or the other.

  “Micah, release my hands,” she asked, trying to hide the distress she was feeling.

  “You need to come away with me, Annie. You are not safe here. Please, I can make everything better. Please,” Micah beseeched adamantly as his grip tightened even more.

  “Let go!” She screamed as the pain became too much. He let go unexpectedly and her hands jolted back towards her. She nursed them against her chest and took a step back until her legs hit the settee. Micah started pacing the room again. He laughed at some joke she was left out of.

  “What, you would prefer Baden?” He practically spat his name at her. How did he even know Baden?

  “Micah, I do not know...” But she was given no time to finish.

  “I am a soul snatcher, Annie!” He yelled.

  She felt gobsmacked by his confession. She looked at him, mouth agape from his words and he just stood there watching her. The strange thing was she didn’t feel afraid. This was Micah, her Micah. Or at least he was…once.

  CHAPTER 22

  “How?” She asked breathlessly. It was the only word that would come out.

  “I have been a soul snatcher for longer than you have been alive. I stumbled across you all those years ago. You were alone and homeless…so I…” he paused and just looked at her.

  “You what?” She prompted.

  “I could not leave you. Anything coul
d have happened to you. So I went to Miss Danes…Martha,” he said her name like it was a disease. “I offered to change her in return for a good life for you.” He paused for a moment and looked at her standing there being beautiful without even trying. Of course he would have helped her, who wouldn’t have?

  “I took up residency in her house to ensure she upheld her part of the deal. Though that was broken the night she threw you out,” he informed. Annie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. All this time she had been surrounded by these…things and she never knew.

  “So her and I are not distantly related at all?” Annie asked, realising it was all a lie. Micah just shook his head.

  “She only said that so it would make your decision to stay easier,” he answered quietly.

  “And how did you come in here uninvited the first day you visited?” She referred to the day he proposed but she opted not to bring that part of the story up.