A Thousand Years (Soulmates Book 1) (2 page)

2

             
“My feet hurt," Dylanne Reed complained into her best friend's ear over the loud music thumping through the speakers. They had been dancing for at least three hours on and off – it was already after one o’clock. Anabell Todd was still going strong though, jumping around and singing along with the music, only stopping to listen to her friend's plea.

             
"Then go sit down, I'll be fine. Get yourself something to drink," Anabell yelled back. Dylanne shook her head.

             
"There's only two of us, we're both women, it's your twenty-first birthday and I’m only twenty-two. I'm not leaving you on the dance floor. It's both of us on the floor or both of us sitting down. The bathroom, even I am not willing to venture to. Not even with the Spanish armada at my back." She was definitely stubborn and determined; Anabell had to give her that.

             
With a fake sigh, Anabell abandoned the guy she was dancing with a smile and accompanied her friend back to the tables. They picked the least sticky one to sit down at, after wiping it down with a stack of napkins they had bummed off another table. 

             
“Now I know why you only go out once a year, Anabell. Keeping up with you takes way too much energy. I definitely couldn’t do this every weekend,” Dylanne said as she kicked up her feet on the empty chair.

             
Anabell laughed and kicked the chair out from under Dylanne’s feet.

             
"Do you need anything else to drink?" Anabell asked her, looking over at the bar and determining how long it would take her to order a couple drinks.

             
"No. And neither do you, if you want to wake up tomorrow without throwing up or having the headache of a lifetime. Water, though, would be good for you." Anabell pouted at Dylanne, but she stood up anyway.

             
"I thought that’s what you're supposed to do on your twenty-first birthday. Go out and get completely trashed so badly that you forget half of the night and part of the next morning," Anabell said in a fake whiny voice.

             
Dylanne laughed and waved her away to go get some water.

             
Anabell got stuck behind four people. Once she was done making faces at Dylanne, she turned to watch the dance floor. At least half the people were grinding, the rest were doing what they thought looked like dancing but looked more like synchronized flailing. She was having a good time laughing at them when her eyes caught sight of one of the sexiest men she had ever seen.

             
He had blonde hair, ice blonde, and it was braided tight, lying flat against the back of his neck. She couldn't see well enough, but it had to be long - at least waist length or longer. And his eyes - the dim club lighting seemed to bring out the bright, blue paleness.              

             
A red, long sleeve button-down complimented his light skin tone, and the buttons looked like they were poised to pop.

             
A tattoo peeked out of his left rolled-up sleeve.

             
His jeans were dark, well-tailored, but not too tight, and he was wearing expensive leather boots. Everything about him oozed sex.

             
She couldn’t see it either, but something told her he had an ass that most women would have liked to take a bite out of.

             
Then his eyes found hers, and she was lost.  His gaze was all-consuming. It swallowed her up so completely that she forgot where she was and almost who she was. It was terrifying and exhilarating.

             
He was looking at her like she was a drop of water after a lifetime in the desert.

             
It was oddly familiar, but Anabell knew that she would have remembered meeting him before. He was the kind of guy you never forgot.

             
"Can I help you?" the bartender asked for the third time, snapping her out of the trance.  Anabell shook her head a moment, trying to get him out of her head.

             
"Sorry, water. Two glasses of water, please. Just water." The bartender, although somewhat annoyed, filled her order easily and sent her on her way.

             
Anabell was halfway to the table when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and lift her off her feet. Both cups of water fell out of her hands and crashed to the floor below her, splashing the person holding her.

             
"Anabell!" Dylanne yelled from somewhere behind her as someone began pulling her through the crowded club.  She thrashed and tried to fight for freedom. No matter how hard she thrashed, though, he still didn't let go. He held onto her even tighter.

             
“Get the car and watch out for the warrior. He is bound to be close. He’s not dumb enough to leave her unprotected, no matter how loud and annoying she is,” her captor yelled over his shoulder to someone else.

             
No one in the club made a move to help her. Except the guy with the eyes.

             
He was over to them in a flash. The person holding her never saw him coming, but Anabell did.

             
A second set of arms swept her away from her captor and set her down on her feet.

             
"Stay behind me," the guy said, not so gently pushing her small frame behind his larger one.

             
Just as he went to punch the guy in front of him, two more came up from opposite sides. One leaped on his back, and the other delivered a hard punch to his ribs.              

             
Anabell barely jumped back in time to avoid getting a kick in her face. She landed on her back on the slimy club floor.

             
Any other day, Anabell would have complained about ruining her t-shirt. But watching four men beat the daylights out of each other right in front of her took precedent - at least three of whom were trying to kidnap her.

             
Maybe the forth guy wanted to also, but he was awful sexy for a kidnapper.

             
The only thing she knew was that she needed to get out of there in a hurry.

             
As she was getting up, one of the guys went flying over her head, landing in a heap in the nearest corner. Sexy guy was still going strong despite the odds.

             
"Get out of here!" he yelled between his teeth as he took a fist to the stomach.  Anabell didn't need to be told twice.

             
She looked around for Dylanne. There was no way she was leaving there without her friend. Who knew what those guys were up to? If they couldn't get her, maybe they would go after her friend.

             
Fighting her way back through the club and the crowd watching the fight, Anabell tried to find the table they were sitting at before she was grabbed. The table was knocked over, though, and she was nowhere to be seen. The back of the club was deserted. The only one back there was the bartender who was cowered behind the bar, calling the police. Either the club didn't have bouncers, they were incompetent, or something bad happened to them long before the fight broke out. She was betting on the last one.

             
The mass of bodies and the darkness of the dance floor made it impossible to see who was there unless she was up on them. There was no time for her to check every person in the club. Her only option was to run. It was going to have to be without Dylanne. She really hoped her best friend got out safely.

             
Anabell made it back through the crowd easier that time, meeting no opposition as she escaped from the club into the cool night air. Her heels hit the asphalt hard, knocking her off balance a little, but she righted herself easily.

             
When she reached the parking lot, she realized that she had no way of getting out of there. Anabell and Dylanne came to the club in Dylanne's car. Even if she had the keys, she couldn't drive a stick.

             
Her cell phone was at home, too, so she didn't have to worry about losing it. So no taxis and the bus didn't run that late in that part of town.

             
"Come with me," a voice said from behind her, startling her. She didn't have time to fight or even turn around. The only sound she was able to make was a squeak as he tossed her into the passenger side of his car.

             
He locked the door and slammed it shut. Then, he jumped in the driver's seat.

             
"Where are you taking me? You can't just kidnap me like this. I have rights. Let me go!" Anabell screamed, finally finding her voice. The car was already rolling, but that didn't stop her from reaching over and punching his in the arm and the side of the neck until he was forced to grab her wrist to stop her.

             
"We're fleeing from a group of people that are trying to kidnap you. I'm the only person who can get you to a safe place where they are less likely to find you," he told her. "Besides, it's no' safe to hit the person driving the car unless a car accident was on your agenda for the day." The soft Irish lilt to his voice made her gut clench in response. Somehow, it made him even sexier than he already was- and it was making it harder for her to be mad at him. He was criminally sexy, and she was more than willing to bet that he knew it.

             
"How do I know you're not one of them?" she snapped. Eadric growled and rolled his eyes as he turned onto the interstate.

             
"You did not just growl at me!” Eadric growled again.

             
"Just buckle up. I don't need to get pulled over by the police tonight. They will just slow me down." Not taking his eyes off the road, Eadric reached over her right shoulder and grabbed the seat belt and pulled it down in front of her. He held it until she reached up and took it.

             
It was Anabell's turn to growl as she fastened her seatbelt.

             
"What's your name? If you really are saving my life, I'd like to know it. And if you’re not, I’ll know who to report to the police when I escape."

             
"Eadric Bishop."

             
“How do you spell that?”

             
“Take the ‘c’ off Cedric and stick an ‘a’ between the ‘e’ and the ‘d’. It’s an old English name. Spelling my name is the least of your worries, love.”

             
"Just how old are you, Eadric? It’s important to know as many details as possible when making a report." Anabell reached over and poked him in the arm with a fake stern look on her face.

             
"Older than I look. Can you please keep your hands on your side of the vehicle?" he snapped. It came out a little harsher than he wanted it to, but her touch was driving him crazy.

             
It was hard enough being so close to her and not being able to do anything about the feelings he had been waiting to have again for a very long time. Just a feather light touch and it rocked his concentration. He needed to get her to safety first, then he could decide how much to tell her.

             
Her hand withdrew, and he could feel a twinge of the hurt he just caused her.

             
"Don't you want to know my name? Or are you not worried about it because you're two seconds from making me shut up for the rest of the night?" She was definitely hurt, and it really was entirely his fault.

             
Eadric's face and his mood softened. She hadn't asked to be put into the situation that she was thrown into, and she didn't ask him to save her either. Being an ass to her was not going to keep him from feeling their bond or prevent him from falling in love with a young, fragile human. He needed to accept that.

             
"What's your name, love?" He did his best to convey his sincerity.

             
The small blush that lit up her cheeks brought a smile to his normally stony face.

             
"Anabell Todd. But you can just call me Anabell." Eadric took one hand off the steering wheel and touched her knee chastely.

             
"Pleased to meet you Anabell."

3

              After an excruciating two hour drive of Anabell asking where in the hell he was taking her every twenty minutes, Eadric finally drove his car through the open gate, up his driveway, and into his four car garage.

             
"Where are we? A freaking mansion?" Anabell asked as he cut the car off and unlocked the doors.

             
"My place." Eadric was out of the car and opening her door before she could ask another question.

             
Anabell expected him to yank her out of the car as roughly as he put her in it, so she was surprised when he offered his hand to her and gently helped her out – like a gentleman

             
"Thank you.”

             
A sudden flood of heat raced up her arm as their hands touched - a warm, electric feeling that lit up every nerve in her body. Her toes curled in her shoes, and her knees caved a little.

             
Eadric kept her upright easily, cradling her against him. The electricity from his hand was nothing compared to the exquisite shock of being body to body with him, his arms wrapped around her back holding her tight.

             
Anabell couldn’t help it as she closed her eyes to savor the moment, but she was quickly jerked out of it when she felt his erection pressed against her stomach. She wrenched herself out of his arms as fast as she could.

             
"Is that why you brought me to your house?" Her voice hit an octave Eadric would never have guessed it could hit, wildly motioning to the tent in the front of his jeans. "You kidnapped me for sex! You probably hired those other guys as actors so you could rush in and play the hero, rescue the poor, little girl, and carry her home like a he-man. Well, news flash, I don’t have sex with just anyone!"

             
Eadric's desire exploded into anger so hot that he had to force his fangs to stay up, eating up most of his concentration.

             
Then Anabell did something he wasn't expecting, she started wailing like a banshee, her head tossed back and her mouth open as wide as possible to make the most sound.

             
Eadric wasted no time.

             
Jumping into action, he threw her over his shoulder and carried her, kicking and screaming, through the door that lead into his house. Her small fists rained down on his back in a flurry of blows. Each landing against his lower back but doing zero damage.

             
Eadric just laughed and bounced her on his shoulder, then leapt up the stairs three at a time to scare her.

             
If she hadn't been screaming in her ear, he would have thought that it was cute.

             
Hell, he still found it fucking adorable.

             
Between watching her shapely, jean-clad rear as she wriggled in vain and listening to the frustrated grunts she made as she assaulted him, Eadric was rock hard again.              

             
A barrage of images flashed through his mind. Carrying Anabell to his bedroom and throwing her down on his bed. Stripping the clothes from her body, slowly, piece by piece until he could see every bit of her, teasing and tasting every supple inch of skin until she sank her fingers into his hair and begged him for release. Giving in to her. Then finally, covering her body with his and claiming her the way he had dreamed of since the day he sold his soul for hers.

             
A sharp kick to his ribs slammed him out of his fantasy and back into reality. Where she loathed his touch.

             
"Could you calm down just a bit, please? I’ll let you down as soon as we get to my office, where it's more defensible. There’s no need to try to injure me." It seemed to work because she settled down, muttering profanities and what she would do to him with a rusty spoon if he tried anything.

             
Gods, she was something else.

             
Eadric unlocked his office and strode through the door, careful not to knock her head into the frame. Once the door was locked, he flipped her back upright and plopped her down in a leather chair.

             
"What's to keep me from escaping? There is nothing between me and the door," Anabell asked defiantly as soon as he was seated behind his desk.

             
Eadric rolled his eyes, making her clench her fists. Eye rolling was her top pet peeve.

             
"The thing keeping you from escaping is the fact that I am the only person that can stand between you and the people trying to hurt you." He had a good point, but she still wasn't sure if she believed him.

             
Anabell was almost a hermit. Without Dylanne forcing her to go out every so often, she would be. She was content to take most of her business classes online and work in the back of a bakery part time. She didn't come in contact with anyone who would want to hurt her. Not that she knew of, at least.

             
Scooting to the edge of her chair, Anabell gave Eadric the best
no nonsense
look she could muster.

             
"Why are you the only person who could help me? Shouldn't we get the cops involved if someone is trying to kidnap me?"               Eadric stood up and walked around the desk and sat on the edge of it. His size was menacing in such a tight space, making her withdraw into the seat a little. His desired response.

             
"The kind of people who are after you don't care about police. They will kill anyone who gets between you and them. Guns and handcuffs won't stop them. Neither will flesh and bone. They’ll do anything it takes to make sure you end up in their hands."

             
"Then how can I expect you to keep me safe? You’re just a man. Flesh and bone, right?"

             
"Because I know how to destroy them. And I haven’t been
just
a man in a very long time."

             
Lugh was not the typical god.

             
Before anyone sold their soul to him, he made sure that they knew precisely what they were in for – so they couldn’t blame him later. Eadric was no exception.

             
"Before we strike this accord, I need to know that you are certain that Deirdre is your soul mate," Lugh told Eadric as they sat down to a large flagon of ale. "Because, if she's not, you will be making a grave decision. Once you sell your soul to me for hers, there is no getting your own back. Not without your soul mate facing the trial to win it back for you.”

             
Eadric threw back an entire mug of ale and slammed the cup down hard. Half-leaning on the table, he looked Lugh in the eyes and nodded.

             
"Deirdre was my soul mate, my sonuachar. I am no one without her. I would move the heavens and earth to get her back. No matter what," Eadric said, a harsh sadness to his voice. Lugh nodded his head in understanding.

             
"If you do this, I cannot guarantee that she will choose to be yours again. All I can do is let her be reborn. I cannot even tell you when or where she will be reborn. It could be ten years or ten thousand years, but you will walk the earth every night until she is reborn or until you choose to take your own life." Lugh drank two mugs of ale in the time it took Eadric to pour another for himself. The god couldn't get enough of it while he was on earth.

             
"Then how will I know how to find her?" Eadric didn't know how big the world was, but he knew that there was a lot out there that he could not fathom. If he couldn't tell Eadric how long until she was reborn, he couldn't tell him where.

             
He could search the world for three thousand years only to get to her grave.

             
"The moment I return her soul to a mortal body, you will feel it. Like a pull deep down in your own soul. Until she is of age, though, you will not be able to locate her. Your soul will not see hers until she is old enough to accept you." Lugh found out after he made the first deal that boundaries were needed to keep them from hunting down their soul mate and holding her captive until she is old enough to marry. He didn't trust desperate men.

             
"And if she dies?" Lugh sat down the glass and got up from the table. Walking over to the table in the corner, he picked an ember from the fireplace and held it in his open palm.

             
"That is why I tell you to be certain that she is your soul mate before you put your soul in my hands. If you sell your soul for a lover who is not your one, true soul mate, or the fates decide to kill her before you can reach her, then your soul is truly lost forever. Like this ember," Lugh closed his hands around it where only a little air could get to it and its light was barely visible.

             
"Her soul is your light - the spark that keeps you from falling into darkness. She dies - your light dies." Lugh slammed his hands closed, putting out the ember. “If she is not your soul mate, you will never feel the pull of her soul being reborn. You will labor on earth until you lose your mind and choose to seek the sunlight. Your soul will be mine for eternity.”

             
Eadric swallowed another mouthful of ale, letting Lugh's words sink in. Was he still willing to lose his soul? Absolutely.

             
"That is where you come in. My offer does not come without strings. Of the men and women whose souls have been bartered to me, more and more are losing their light. Ones who bartered for the wrong one or were too careless or wasted too much time searching. We call them the Soulless - demons who wander the world preying on humans and causing as much pain and suffering as they can because that is all they can feel. I cannot hunt them because I made the deals, but you can. You will hunt them from one side of the world to the other, never resting, because they will hunt you and your soul mate once you find her.

             
"I need you to be my sword, along with the others who sold themselves for their true loves. Kill the Soulless ones and keep this world safe for me. If Deirdre is your mate, then she will be returned to you in a new vessel. Just remember, she will no longer be your wife. Treat her kindly because it is her choice - to share her soul with you - and if she chooses not to, then you are lost as well.”

             
“And my life? Will I live forever?” Eadric’s voice was almost a whisper. “What of my soul once I find her?”

             
“You will be a demon too; Eadric, a fanged beast who relies on blood – just like the Soulless – but, in time, you will learn how to take it peacefully. It will keep you strong and alive – think of it as my life’s blood. Once you find her again, you can make a plea to me. If you both pass the test, I will return your soul to you and release you from my service.What say you?"

             
"Aye. I will do whatever it takes to have her again."

             
Lugh took the pendant Eadric had sat on the table and pressed it back into the warrior's hand.

             
"Press this against your heart, tight. No matter how badly it hurts, you must hold it there until your entire soul is mine."

             
Eadric tore open his shirt and lifted the pendant to his chest. Holding it to the left side, he held it tight against the pale flesh.

             
"I'm ready."

             
Seconds later, a white-hot bolt of light pierced his chest.