My Soul Laid Bare: Book 4 (The Soul Keeper Series)

by Solis, Melissa

  Journal of E.M December 14th, 2027

  I follow Michael into the other room gravely. If he wants to talk to me alone, it can't be good news. Will something happen to Brennen soon? I hope not. I want her to live a full life on earth even if it is with Sam.

  This new threat with the devil has me on edge as well. I'll need to use every morsel of instinct and skill to keep her safe.

  Michael, my old friend, sly old dog sneaking a hug into my wife. I know he has a thing for Emmagen and Brennen is the spitting image of her. He's been after Emmagen for years but I think she really loved Brennen's father, William. He wasn't just a pawn in their quest for the perfect father genetically.

  Michael pulls me to the side. His alabaster skin glows almost white againstthe dark gray walls.“Elijah, it's time to do what we talked about.”

  “Wait she can't...”

  “She can,” he says before disappearing once and for all. Michael never was one to stick around long. I rush back to Brennen eager to tell her the news. She's showing her mother her wedding ring from Sam. She’s going to have so much guilt when Sam does come home. And now, this news is just unbelievable, I can't tell her. I can't take the riskthat it doesn’t work and leave her disappointed yet again

  ~.

  “It's time to go love,” I call out to her. She captures my heart when she throws a smile my way. She hugs her mother goodbye and we walk back to the transport room hand in hand.

  “Do you want to try and get us back home?” She studies the air between us wondering if she is brave enough.

  “I don't know. What if we end up on Pluto?”

  “Why, are you concentrating on Pluto?”

  She laughs,“No but you know my mind wanders.”

  “You'll do fine, the worst that can happen is only half your body arrives at home.”

  “What?” She looks mortified. And I can't help but laugh.

  “I'm only kidding. Just think about your bed, better yet, think about your bed with me in it.” I flash her a smile and a smoldering glare and she laughs. That sound is music to my ears.

  She closes her eyes and I take her hand trusting her implicitly. I've never known someone as fragile as a human being to be so brave. We arrive safe and fully whole a moment later. Emmagen chose her gift well. If anything should happen to me, Brennen will be able to get away safely.

  “I can't believe it's only Tuesday morning, yesterday seems like it happened ages ago. I guess I'd better get ready for work.”

  Brennen disappears into her closet and I make a quick check of the perimeter. The yard is crawling with demons, the Live Oaks are stock still, their largest branches weighted with flocks of the ugly beasts. I make a call for back up and try to get this place cleared out before she leaves for work. I have a shield up around her house so that nothing can get through.

  Elena arrives and choses to fight instead of guard Brennen, she's in and out of the house in a second. Within minutes it’s a slaughter house outside. Demon heads rolling around the green pastoral yard like a heard of beaked bowling balls.

  Brennen emerges from the bathroom in a slim fitting ivory skirt and cropped jacket.“Mm nice.” Her hair is pulled back into a low ponytail exposing her long slender neck. The spot between her shoulder and nape, begs me to kiss it. I can't resist, and follow through with the urge. She melts against me as I do and my hands grip her body tightly before releasing her to leave for work.

  Her phone rings on the night stand. Sam always calls at this hour. She moves away from me to answer it and fear grips my heart. What if the guilt is too much for her to bear? What if she banishes me from her sight again? Not that Michael would even honor the request now, too much is at stake.

  There's an obvious edge to her voice. He's saying something to upset her. I hone in on his voice and learn he's decided to extend the trip another three months. How about another year Sam? Make it count. She glances over to me conflicted about something. She sounds disappointed but doesn't try and convince him otherwise.

  I disappear from sight as she leaves her room. She keeps herself occupied at work but I can tell she's tired today more than usual. I suppose we did have a very exhausting trip to the In-Between. Just as she's waiting for the elevator doors to open I hear a slight tinkering noise in the elevator shaft. I have Elena stop Brennen from getting on. She whispers in her ear to return to her office because she forgot something. I transport myself inside the shaft and spot a black shadow fading into the dark. The elevator car groans below ready to break free. The doors open and people step on. The cables come loose and the car begins to fall. The emergency brakes fail and people scream in horror. I grab the steel cable with my bare hands, wincing in pain as the cable rips through my flesh. I'm able to slow it down enough so that it lands roughly but far from fatal. Gasps of relief cry out inside.

  My hands are deeply cut and bleeding. I make some bandages appear and wrap my hands up for now. I find Brennen and Elena downstairs helping people out of the elevator. Brennen mouths the word thank you to me when no one is looking. I hate these constant attacks on her life. I've never seen anything like it in all of my days.

  Five people, shaken up but unharmed, exit the elevator, luckily they were only six floors up. Elena heals my hands once we're in the car. I remove the soaked bandages to reveal the perfect skin underneath. The wound reminds me of the time I stopped a two ton block of limestone from crushing an Egyptian slave that almost left a mark.

  Brennen blinks into the other realm to check on me. She rolls my hand over in hers and caresses the new skin. She looks exhausted. She lays her head down on my shoulder and actually falls asleep. I don't have the heart to wake her when we pull into her drive. I kiss her forehead softly and Elena nudges her awake. She scares herself forgetting she's not in her own realm and quickly returns to her world.

  She tells her cook she's not that hungry and not to go to too much trouble for dinner. From the smells emanating from the kitchen, I gather he's already had the prime rib slow roasting for hours. I follow her up to the bedroom, appearing to her once behind closed doors. I unzip her skirt and offer her a night gown.

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  “I'm just really tired.”

  Brennen has never been sick a day in her life. The angel blood that courses through her veins keeps her healthy. I'm sure it's just the stress of the job combined with me being severely injured taking its toll on her.

  “Will you lay with me?” she asks slipping under the covers. I do and she nestles herself against my chest and falls asleep in minutes.

  A couple of hours later the intercom in her room goes off announce dinner is ready. She stretches her legs out over mine and I give her a small hug.“Feeling anybetter?”

  “I feel like I could sleep for days.”

  “We could go to Amorous tonight and you could literallysleep for days.”

  “No, I'm only exaggeratingI'm sure I'll be fine by morning. Besides it's probably the three days in Amorous relaxing and loving you that has me so groggy.” She lends me a weak smile as she slips into her robe.

  I pull Elena aside while Brennen picks at her dinner.“What do you thinks the matter with her?”

  “How should I know? From what I can tell she's physically fine. Let's see how she is in the morning.”

  “What if the chef is poisoning her food?”

  “The chef's been vetted by Michael himself, he's a good guy and we've blessed his soul to protect against possession.”

  We both round the corner as we hear her groan out. She bolts from her chair and runs to the nearest restroom. She expels her dinner promptly and rests her back against the small vanity. I offer her a cool wet cloth.“Tell me what's wrong.”

  I grab hold of her hands and try to heal whatever illness has come over her. Elena brings her a glass of ginger ale.

  “She's still half human maybe she finally caught a bug. Or maybe the meat was tainted before coming into the house.”

  “I'll be fine. You two quit worry
ing so much,” Brennen admonishes from the cool tile floor.“I'm just a little queasy. I'm going back to bed.” I offer to carry her up but she refuses my help and makes her way back up the stairs.

  That night it snows, the roads freeze over unexpectedly. The city of Austin try’s to make sense of the unexplainable storm and scurries to salt the roads but there are quite a few accidents already. I watch the television with the sound nearly off. Brennen wakes up before her alarm and gets sick in the bathroom again. She's really starting to worry me.

  She takes a shower hoping the heat will ease her illness. She comes out wrapped in a plush robe and climbs back into bed.“It's probably best you don't go into work today anyway the roads are a mess. It snowed last night.”

  “Snow?” She climbs back out of bed and goes to the window to marvel at the grounds covered in a blanket of pristine white powder.“It's so beautiful.” I go up behind her and wrap my arms around her.“

  “You should call down and let the staff know.”

  “I'm feeling a little better, I'd love to spend a snow day locked in here with you.” She turns around in my arms and presses her lips to mind. She smells of mint with a soft sweet honeysuckle emanating off her skin naturally. Her Rainbath body wash has left her skin silky smooth and begging to be touched. I pull the cord to her robe and it falls in a puddle around her ankles. I light the fire from where I stand as the snow begins to fall outside again.

  “Ah ah, business first,” she giggles out as she plops naked on the bed and grabs the phone from her nightstand. I blanket her with my body as she talks to the person in charge of her daily schedule. She tries very hard to not let the person on the line know that she's being caressed and bathed in touch right now. She ends the call and rolls over to her side with a smile just for me lighting up her face.

  “You are so bad. You're not really an angel at all are you?”

  “Not around you I'm not.” I laugh.

  I spend the morning showing Brennen another side of me all together. It's a challenge for her to stay quiet but we make a game of it. I'm glad to know she's feeling better. Whatever it was must have got out of her system this morning with her shower. Maybe her blood just took a little longer to heal her. ~

  Chapter 13 ~ Good Things Come ~

  Brennen~

  "Do you think it's safe to go outside? I really want to feel the snow under my boots." The cloudless sky is painted a crystal clear blue. The trees are dusted with piles of snow like some New England Christmas card. I watch a cardinal land on a branch from the window and preen its feathers, posing for my camera.

  "I can make sure it is," Elijah says looking out over my shoulder. Elena comes through the door startling me.

  "I see, make like you're sick and shack up all day, but now princess wants to play in the snow."

  "What Princess wants, she shall receive," Elijah placates her. He must have sent her a message through their mental connection.

  "Elena, you know you want to throw snowballs at my head,” I say with narrowed eyes.

  Her face lights up like a small child and bounds out of my room to get a head start on what must have been a brilliant idea.

  "You said them fighting words," Elijah teases in a hillbilly accent.

  "Shoot paw, I done riled up the cat."

  "Yep and she's an ornery one."

  As soon as we step outside, a cold wet ball of mush slams into my cheek. I squeal with shock. I didn't think she'd actually do it. I run off the porch only to discover it’s covered in ice as I go flying. A scream fires from my throat only to be cut short when Elijah cradles me in his arms, saving me from bodily damage once again.

  "Careful love, you never learned to ice skate."

  "Right." Elijah helps me to my feet and disappears just seconds before Ian and Brody round the corner.

  "Guys, it is target practice time," I call out to them. Elena stares into me and then aims her threatening glare at them, daring the guys to make a move. I take her momentary distraction to send a tightly packed snowball whizzing just past her ear. She jumps back, and a second later, I see a powdery white explosion ricochet off the back of her head. It's followed by a direct hit to the back. I watch her face contort into pure vengeance.

  "Ooh, perfect shot guys. I think they deserve a raise, Elena. They obviously have mad skills."

  She returns fire nearly incapacitating Ian and beheading Brody. I haven't had this much fun in a long time. It feels good to let loose. I stand up after making a few more round slushes of ammo for the fight, and my world spins around in a blur. I feel my body weaken, and I land softly in the snow before I drift into unconsciousness.

  "Brennen, open your eyes," I hear Elena command. I obey and stare up into her dark brown eyes. She looks relieved to see I'm okay.

  "What happened?"

  "You passed out. You looked dizzy when you stood up," Ian replies standing near me with Brody by his side. They have already moved me to the cushioned wicker sofa on the back porch. "The ambulance will be here soon."

  "No, I'm fine. I don't need an ambulance."

  "Sorry Mrs. Montgomery, we can't take that chance. We could lose our jobs."

  "Elena."

  "They're right. You need to get checked out."

  What I really need is Elijah, and with all of these people around, he can't be here with me physically. I also can't go all catatonic at the moment either. I hear the shrill sound of sirens in the distance, and I dread what will come next. I hope they don't take me to the hospital.

  "I'm fine, really." I go to stand up, and Elena pulls me back down.

  "Stay put, Mrs. Montgomery."

  The EMTs arrive and insist on taking me to the hospital, the standard protocol for elected officials. They don't want to lose their jobs either. The battery of tests they run could probably pay for a new wing of this hospital or at least a luxury Hawaiian getaway for the good doctor they've assigned to me.

  They've stuck me in one of those weird hospital gowns with snaps and ties in strange places, and I'm still barely concealed. Elena sits in a mauve vinyl chair beside my bed looking honestly worried. I blink into the red sky world and find Elijah pacing by the window. You would think I was dying the way these two are fretting.

  "Good news Mrs. Montgomery," the doctor says as he enters the room. Well, that's a relief. "I only have one more test to run."

  A nurse wheels another machine in behind him, and he asks me to lie back. I do and roll my eyes up to the ceiling in frustration. I jump as I feel something cold and wet on my stomach. The sound of a microphone being disturbed blares through the small room.

  He has an ultrasound wand gliding over my abdomen. He pauses, and a steady woosh, woosh, sound floods the room. It sounds like someone waving a piece of sheet metal back and forth. He smiles out and continues moving the wand around. The sound changes as he does, and now a different rhythm pulsates out.

  "Just what I suspected in the first place. You dear, Governor Montgomery, are pregnant."

  "What? That's impossible."

  "Not only is it possible, but lightning struck twice. You're having twins. You look to be about six weeks along."

  He keeps talking, but I can't hear a word he's saying. Six weeks along? Sam's been gone for ten weeks.

  Twins! My heart thuds in my chest drowning out the amped up baby heartbeats all together. Elena hurries the doctor and nurse from the room. As soon as the door is shut, Elijah appears.

  He leans over the bed and kisses me. His dimples are firing off like the samba next to his elated smile. The vision with the two children, twins, plays on a reel in my head, one blond, one dark haired climbing onto my lap eager to tell me some sort of highlight from their day.

  "You are going to be the best mother to our babies."

  "I think she's still in shock."

  Shock? Yes, I was told after years of trying to get pregnant with Sam that I was infertile, at his hand no less, and now, Elijah manages to get me pregnant on the first try. Years ago, Malphas wanted hi
m to do just that so that I'd bear an evil offspring. My mind keys in on the sight of Elijah taking a private walk with Michael, heaven's equivalent to Malphas. This was their plan. These babies will probably bear their own gifts. I'm nothing more than a host for the next generation of half breeds. These children will probably be more powerful than me and wholly capable of saving the world.

  "Please tell me the truth... What am I saying? You can't lie." I rub my temples as I gather the courage to ask him. "Did you get me pregnant as part of their plan?" Elijah cocks his head back. Elena looks as confused as I am, so she must not be in on it, if it's true. The smile slides off his face and is replaced with fear. He goes to grab my hand, and I pull it away.

  "Please just let me explain."

  "Elijah, I can't believe you would do this without asking her first," Elena scolds him backing him into a corner.

  "Now hold on you two. First of all, when I came to you that first night, you were so upset. I made it feel like a dream so that you wouldn't feel guilty for being unfaithful to Sam. I knew that he had left you unable to have children. Your own mother knew this fact. It wasn't until Michael told me to try to get you pregnant the night we left Amorous that I realized their plan. He had mentioned it many years ago, but I thought it was laid to rest when Malphas hurt you." He turns to Elena.

  "I didn't ask her Elena because I didn't want to get her hopes up. I know she wants to be a mother more than anything in the world. I'm the one that watched her break down in tears every month when she would find out she wasn't pregnant, not you."

  I clench my stomach wondering if I would have said no if he had asked. Truthfully, no, these babies were loved by me the very first time I saw them wrap their tiny arms around my neck in the vision I saw years ago... Sam, where does he fit it with all of this?

  "Please talk to me, love."

  "I'm feeling every emotion known to man right now. So please, just give me some time to think."

  "Let's get you home," he says so softly. I think I've just broken his heart for the first time. The reporters outside have already gathered in mass, and although my press secretary has kept the statement brief and vague, they still bombard me with questions as soon as they wheel me out the rear exit.