My Soul to Save (Soul Keeper) (20 page)

“You take care and don’t worry too much. I’ll be fine, love.”

I can still feel the trail of heat where he touched my face, and I touch it wondering why it’s so hot. What if this is the last time I see him? He could be captured and imprisoned for what he’s about to do. Regardless of his success or not.

Suddenly I don’t care if Elena’s got a front row seat. I leap into his waiting arms and he catches me, securing my legs around his waist as he presses his lips to mine. Elijah sears a memorable kiss into me that I will dream about for days, years. His soft lips are tinder to a fire I want to let burn all night until there’s nothing left but ash.

“I know you’re confused right now, so just remember my promise. I’ll see you soon.” He kisses me one last time as he eases my body back down. He whispers, “I love you,” in my ear and as I recover each of my senses one by one.

By the time I say, “I love you too,” he’s out the door and gone.

“Alright, snap out of it and come back to earth,” Elena teases. Shoot, Sam. I forgot I was supposed to call him right back. Elijah's kisses could make me forget there was an entire planet of people surrounding us. I'm a horrible person. I can't believe they chose me to be destined to anything more than a fry cook.

I connect with Sam on my laptop. He brings a smile to my face as soon as he comes on.

"So I haven’t given you the tour of my new house yet," he says toting his tablet around with me on display.

"Is that Brennen? Hi Brennen we miss you." One of the twins sings out in the background. I'm thankful my boyfriend lives at home with my two trusty covert spies keeping an eye on him for me. Not that Sam would cheat on me. Not like I just did to him.
But we were on a break!
I hear Ross’s line from
Friends,
shout in my head.

"Hi Mia and Maci. I miss you too. I can't wait to spend Thanksgiving with you."

"Wow we've come full circle. This time last year, I wasn't sure you'd even go on a date with me." I have my own memories of Thanksgiving last year, two very different scenarios altogether. In one, I'm broken hearted that Sam got so angry over the fact that I wouldn't fly with him, that he caused our break-up. In the other, I spent Thanksgiving with him and his family and it was categorically insane, and beautiful all at the same time.  

Seeing him sitting there so blissfully unaware of the blow he’s been dealt, is tragic.
 If Elijah succeeds in his next endeavor, we will move to the last and final redemption, to save Sam’s life. Will he even do it, knowing that Sam is the only thing standing in our path?

The next few months of school drag out like a slow torturous fade into death. By the time our break rolls around, my bags are in the car in minutes
, and I'm putting Cambridge, Massachusetts in my rearview mirror as fast as this Porsche can fly, and damn it can fly.

Four days off with Sam. We've been waiting all summer for this break. Now the only thing between the two of us
, is a plane ride to Texas. I hate flipping planes. I hate that I'm putting a couple hundred people in danger just by boarding. The TSA should tattoo, "I have a bomb," on my forehead. Elena swears it will be fine, says she checked the future and this fully loaded plane, will land safe and sound in Houston in a few short hours. I pray she's right.

Sam's transferring here in January. Elijah's on his mission this weekend too, so he'll be back in my life soon enough as well. How the heck that is going to work has me baffled. The thought of Sam and Elijah together in the same state, has me wrought with worry. Will I be able to hide my feelings for Elijah from Sam? When I think about how Elijah must have felt seeing me in love with Sam for months, it physically makes my body ache.

I lay my head against the seat and worry about the turmoil I'm about to cause all over again. Before my memories were stolen, I loved Elijah and I was ready to let Sam go. Then they took that certainty from me the day they erased Elijah’s cobalt eyes from my mind.

Now I know it all. I know that Sam attacked me when he was possessed by a demon.
I know I was afraid of him, before but since then I’ve come to trust him implicitly.

Back then, Sam was all I knew. I didn't know Elijah even existed, now I don't know how I'd live without him.
When I try to stay away from him, I end up pressed to his soft heated lips every time. Now I know why my subconscious was pushing for me to be single. It seemed to know what my heart didn't.

November 27, 2013     Journal of E.M.

It only took three days for me to find the doomed flight of the thirty five individuals I am destined to save. I had checked local hospitals, narrowing it down to the children that were incurable. Even then
, it was buried under mountains of bureaucratic paperwork, but I finally made the connection.

Dr. Phalmas
, is an anagram for Malphas, and he's peddling a cure all to these devastated parents of children with a certain kind of cancer. He plans to lure them down to the easternmost point of the Bermuda triangle. Planes, entire ships disappear there all the time, despite modern GPS and mapping technologies. He tells them he's found a way to help them – cure them even – all for a price of course. These parents sign their soul away in a heartbeat. That's what any parent would do.

Even if Malphas made it crystal clear, that they were selling their soul to the highest bidder in exchange for their dying child’s health, they'd sign happily on the dotted line. That's what is so magical about the bond between a parent and a child. It's the strongest love there is in existence.
The moment a child is brought into this world, a parent instantly has this love wash over them. It's in every culture, in every age throughout history.

The flight is scheduled for midnight tonight, the day before Thanksgiving. Tonight
, he’ll attempt to steal thirty-five unwitting souls from this earth. The parents have no idea they've just doomed their lives and their children's to an eternity of torture and anguish.  The flight leaves Miami bound for Bermuda in a few hours.

I've been staking out the airport since Monday trying to find out how they plan on doing it. Explosives are out of the question with security so tight. They're left with
either manufacturing a malfunction, or plain old debauchery once the flight takes off.

This is my second redemption
, and after tonight, only one more away from completion, that is, as long as I can save them. Brennen, my song, my soul, she's waiting for me. She still loves me even after everything they've put her through. After everything Nehemiah put her through, it took every fiber of grace God ever instilled in me to free him. If it were up to me, I would have left him rotting in Hell for a hundred years.

Once my grace is returned, I want to make her fall in love with me all over again. She's finally single and free to date who she wants, not who they say she should. She has no idea I know. She's still trying to fight it. But no one can love her the way I do. Sam can try all he wants, but in the end she'll come back to me.

For now, I cling to the honeysuckle scent of her sweet skin. Jasmine blooming fragrantly from her hair even in the fall. I wonder if she has her own angelic scents the way I have over her. She mystifies me at every passing glance, she's even more captivating when she doesn't know I'm watching. I love the way her hair half covers her face when she's reading. She'll look up with only the one eye peering out at the world around her and then back to the words on her page. In that moment even the birds stop flying and glide through the air in hopes of catching her gaze. The squirrels stop scampering in the tree top for just the moment her raspberry lips tilt up toward the sky. She has no idea the world stops spinning just to capture a glimmer of her smile.

I lie in the cover of a bed of sego palms watching the tarmac glitter under the dull glow of runway lights. I never take my sights off of the plane. Will Malphas himself show tonight or will he leave the task to his devils? Malphas has a legion of ten thousand demons at his disposal. He can rain enough demons to cover New York in a flood of destruction if he felt like it, much less this tiny aircraft.

I have to try and get on board now, without being seen. There are five demons here already. If I wait much longer I could lose my chance. This is what I'm good at – stealth mode. This is how I got into the Elite, by being a sneaky silent dart of an angel. I brazenly slide right through the first two. I crawl under the belly of the plane next door. Now there are three lingering around the plane. In an instant I'm at the tail, in the next, I'm inside the quarters of the flight crew, never raising a brow over their yellow eyes.

I keep a constant ear on all of them to see if they go near the engine compartment. The crew finally arrives and begins their routine of pre-flight check. I stay hidden in the shadows, invisible to anyone who's not of dark or light blood. Outside, I hear one medaling in the engine. I sneak out to gain a better perspective. A small greasy looking fellow dressed as a mechanic loosens a mechanism or two. He knows just what to break so that no alarms or sensors are disrupted. I wait and once he disappears
, I emerge with my own set of tools.

I repair the damage and vanish before I'm spot
ted. Maybe the mission was that easy, but I doubt it. The families begin to board the flight. I account for each soul little and not, and now I have to bet my very grace on each one's precious life. Almost every single one of the children spot me right away. The dying can sometimes have a gift of sight before their final days. I pray they get their divine cure. God will grant some of them miracles and others he will keep for himself. I wish I knew why he chooses who lives and who comes home.

I wish I could say that the ones he spares are the lucky ones but even if the parent's don't know it, the children who God calls to Heaven are spoiled with love and kindness. Jesus himself carries them on his shoulders through the fields, playing with them and lifting them in the air to fly. The angels sing lullabies to the dear babies at night
, and long lost grandparents cradle them all the night long so there's nary a bed doled out. They never know an ounce of sadness.

The demons don't go back into the engine and I breathe a sigh of relief as we leave the ground. The ocean is beneath us in minutes and the plane levels out. The hearts of the thirty-five regulate their rhythm and slowly relax. The calm before the storm
, I think to myself.

The sky is dark, they'll be hard to spot from inside with all of the lights on. I'll have to rely on my sensitive hearing for most of this. The children busy themselves with card games and books. A few have their face lit up with electronic games. The worn faces of their parents are proof of their illness. Months of hospitals and worry have taken a toll on their own lives. Each one will probably live ten fewer years due to the impact of stress alone.

I hate this part, the part I go from stationary to keeping up with the plane cruising at five hundred miles an hour. Time to see if these shiny new black wings have any perks besides camouflage. I slip outside the plane, and the airspeed plows into me, knocking me around before I catch my bearings. It's harder to make out a demon's heart beat over the sound of the air and the plane.

I pick up several. They're all over this thing, almost as many as the ones that took down Brennen's plane. But I couldn't save those poor souls. They were following their destiny. These people are not supposed to die today. I n
eed to catch each demon, surprise and destroy them one by one. I can't let any of them escape or they may betray my true loyalties. I'll do almost anything to avoid that torture again.

One
a time, I track them down. I find them-- and I end them. The last one proves to be more difficult, he must be their leader. He dodges my svelte hands and rolls from side to side, maneuvering himself just out of my reach. His bright yellow eyes light up the night like a beacon. He's calling for reinforcements. Great.

I accidently hit the tip of the wing and the plane shudders hard. I watch in horror as the small dent gives way to more and more damage.

It distracts the beast for just a moment and I reach up over his back and shred him with both fists. The plane struggles to steady itself with part of the wing tearing loose. I fly under it and with all of my strength I grab hold of the wing and give life support to the failing plane. I stay the course of the flight and as we touch down safe and sound, I physically feel my burden lighten.

I did it. I completed the second redemption. Relief washes over me like a river, an ocean. I'm coming Brennen, I'm almost your white winged angel again.

I spot Sam as soon as I emerge from the gate. The enormous Will, stands by his side with his arms folded over his chest. He looks disappointed that Inara isn't with me. I knew there was something going on. Sam pushes past the crowd of holiday travelers and wraps me in his arms. Six months of waiting culminates onto our lips.

I nearly knock him over as I wrap my legs around his waist. His hands secure my back as he presses his lips to mine as if trying to fuse our faces together. He pulls back to confirm it's really me and that I'm really in his arms again. His next kiss is softer. Tears mingle on our cheeks both his and mine, seeping in a saltiness on his sweet tongue.

He sighs out, '"It's so good just to hold you again."

"I never want to leave, I think you may have to carry me to your truck."

He laughs and gives me a wicked grin. He easily flips me onto his back and grabs my small bag. I cling to his shoulders as Sam gives me a piggy back ride all the way to his truck. In the lot, he shifts me back around to his front side and pins me between his body and his truck door. He covers my mouth again with his beautiful lips and lets me know exactly how much he's missed me.

Elena doesn't say a word. She doesn't even light him on fire. It's a step in the right direction at least. Traffic is horrible, but once we make it out of the airport area, it begins to flow better. Sam lives far from Houston's epicenter. The air is hot and humid, a far cry different from the brisk thirty degrees I just left.

"You look beautiful, I think your just getting prettier every day I don't see you," Sam says as he squeezes his arm around my shoulder.

"Thank you." I want to say that I bet he has these college girls falling at his feet but I know it's a sore subject, so I stay quiet.

"My sisters have been so excited that you’re coming to our house to stay. Get ready for an all-nighter. I hope you haven’t gotten a pedicure recently because they have big plans for you babe."

I laugh at his comment. Mia and Maci look up to me like a big sister already. As much as I've missed Sam, I've missed them as well. I've always hated being an only child. We take the exit for Magnolia and drive another twenty minutes until we reach Sam's ranch.

It's beautiful, just like the pictures I've seen. Sam's dad is outside hanging Christmas lights on it and the sight triggers the memory of last year’s big break up. Sam has come along way since then but he still shuts down when things get to be to much. His dad climbs down the ladder as Sam pulls into the circular driveway.

"Brennen, it's so good to have you here. I hope Harvard’s been kind to you."

"Thank you Mr. Montgomery. I'm pretty sure Harvard is trying to kill me, but at least they do it with the flare of polished mahogany gracing the walls."

He chuckles and opens the front door for us. "Girls, Brennen's here."

His announcement is followed by squeals of glee from Mia and Maci. They race down the stairs and wrap their tiny arms around my neck and waist. I take them both in my arms and give them a tight squeeze. "Missed you girls."

"We missed you more!” they sing in unison.

"Come on we'll show you where you sleep." Mia says already pulling me towards the stairs. Sam gives me a pitied look and smiles.

I recognize Sam’s leather sofa and decor from their Virginia home, but this house is much larger. The girls lead me to a room and Sam follows with my bag.

"This bed is super comfy; sometimes I come in here to read," Maci says.

"Oh? What are you into these days?"

"My friend just got me hooked on the
Percy Jackson
series by Rick Riordan. Have you heard of it?"

"Yes I've heard it’s a great series actually. Unfortunately the only thing I get to read lately are very long, very boring stories written centuries ago."

"Ah, the classics," Mia says with air quotes. Sam pulls up behind me, and rests his chin on my shoulder. The girls give a mock pouty face before leaving us alone.

"I don't think I'm going to sleep a wink knowing you’re in the next room over," Sam says hot on my neck.

"Your dad will beat us both with a stick if he finds you in my room tonight and you know it."

"Damn straight," Mr. Montgomery chimes in from the hall way. Sam doesn't even flinch. But he must give his dad a murderous look because he saunters off without another word.

"Wanna go for a ride?"

"Sure, let me just change into something more suiting."

Sam kisses my cheek and leaves me to change. I pull out the jeans that drive him nuts and my old pair of boots. I meet him downstairs where his sister's wear disappointment on their faces like a mask. Sam puts an arm around each one. "Oh chill out, we won't be gone for long, then she's all yours," he says giving them a squeeze.

There is a large sun room in the back of his house that overlooks the property and his stable. They even have a pool, it's so hot here, I bet they could use it nine month out of the year.

"This place is fantastic." His stables are large enough to hold twice as many horses.

"Yes, but wait until you see the best part." He flashes a coy smile my way. He saddles Clancy and asks one of his workers to ready mine in Spanish.

"Gracias," I say to the young man as he hands me the reigns. Sam helps me into the saddle. His hand lingers along my hip as if he can't tear himself away. He mounts his horse and once out of the barn we break into a sprint. Rolling green pastures expand for miles in every direction. We head toward a tree line in the east and cut around a small lake. In the woods, we slow our pace, and as the trees begin to thin again Sam stops and helps me down.

"Come on it's just up ahead."

"What is?" I ask.

He leads me to a small gravel road and says, "You'll see." The sun is just beginning to set and Sam stops me to take my picture. "I always want to remember you this way."

"What, jet lagged, and bow legged from riding?" I laugh out.

"No, you look stunning with the sun setting, amber light bouncing off your hair, eyes sparkling like some exotic tropical ivy, and full of love for me. I had to capture you in this moment because I know I'll never forget it, but just in case you need a reminder one day."

His comment stings and my smile drops a little, knowing damn well that Elijah has the power to make me forget everyone, Sam included.

Maybe he reads into my look of despair, because we pause in the middle of the road, and Sam sweeps his lips over mine and draws me into a long slow kiss. He makes my head spin and I wonder how I'll ever choose between them. He takes his time at first, exploring my mouth with his tongue, then he deepens his pull and I let out a needy sound that causes him to shift his body closer. He finally releases me and I
exhale a sigh. He takes my hand, and we travel up the road until we come to a small home. It's a sleek modern log cabin like I've never seen before. This place was some architects dream come to life.

He reaches into his jeans and pulls out a key.

"What is this place?"

"This could be our little spot to get away from the world once in a while depending on where we want to live. But it's ours if we do end up getting married. I took you the long way around, but this road meets up to the main road about a mile up." He unlocks the front door and scopes it out before I follow behind him. It's empty except for a small table and chair set in the kitchen.

The living room has a small limestone fireplace and hard wood floors. It must have been built the same time as the main house because it is still very new looking. The kitchen has modern stainless steel appliances, white cabinets and beautiful wood countertops. It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. A perfect spot for a vacationing young family. He leads me out to the back of the home to a view of the lake we had gone around earlier.

"It's perfect Sam. We'll bring our kids hear and you'll teach them how to go fishing and the fine art of s'mores making." He moves behind me and kisses my neck.

"It's music to my ears to hear you talk about our future."

As much as I love Elijah, the truth is, Sam is who I know I will end up with. I can't explain how I know this, but the feeling is welled deep in my soul. You don't need to see the sun set, to know it will be back in twelve hours.

We sit on the small dock and take in the beauty around us. I forgot how pretty Texas could be. The heat has disappeared and a cool breeze caresses our necks as we talk.

"So you're all set to transfer to Yale?"

"Yes. We'll only be a couple of hours away. I got Dad's okay to spend Christmas with you. We could meet at your house and spend the winter break together."

"Two weeks alone with you sounds like heaven."

"These past few months have been so hard. I never want to be away from you for that long again," he says quietly like saying a thought out loud by mistake.

Sam tenderly kisses my lips again before pulling me up. "We'd better get back before it gets dark, or my sister's will skin me alive."

Back at the main house, Mia and Maci give me a manicure with pink polka dots on one hand and hearts on the other. I'm struggling to stay awake during the movie they chose, even though Jackie Chan is kicking some serious tail. I'm cuddled against Sam's chest and I never want to leave his arms. The weight of my lids finally consumes me and I drift off. He rests his cheek on my head and makes me feel like the most loved person on the planet.

*~*~*

Mr. Montgomery is outside tending to his turkey smoking on the pit. The girl's and I begin prepping for dinner. Sam's expecting about thirty guests, his whole family lives here. I should probably feel like crap for stealing him away to Massachusetts but I'd ship him off today if I could.

"Okay what can I chop?" Sam asks as he walks into the kitchen grabbing a large knife from the butcher block.

"You, can go watch football, we got this." I say kissing his cheek. Elena about spits out her coffee, since Sam is still wielding the ten inch knife in his hands. She leaps to my side looking very cartoon like.

I disarm Sam and place the knife back in its home. Elena visibly melts with ease.

"Sound's good to me, but I'd better check on dad first." He walks out the back door and the girls give each other a shared look of knowing. I wonder if the whole twin thing has them able to communicate in their own silent language altogether.

Once everything is premade, and in its respective casserole dish, I take off upstairs to get ready for the day. The weather has turned colder overnight so I slip into jeans and a cozy plum
cashmere sweater with a cowl neck. Downstairs the house is quiet. The smell of smoke lingers in the air like a badge of deliciousness, earmarked for only special occasions such as Thanksgiving. Texans do love their barbeque.

*~*~*

Sam sit's beside me at the table, and laces our fingers together atop his leg. The room is alive with chatter and the sounds of drinks being poured.

"Brennen, Sam tells me you say a good blessing, would you mind?" Mr. Montgomery asks putting me in the spotlight once again. My face fills with color instantly. I was still trying to work on my outloud praying skills and I didn't feel like I was ready to handle a full on holiday worthy prayer. But my stupid head nods anyway.
Why? Why do you do this to me, Brain?

I swallow hard and begin, my voice is shakey at first.
“Lord thank you for introducing me to this loving family. Thank you for allowing all of us to gather today for a meal that will help us embody all that we are thankful for." I look at the hoards of food and think of how Elijah must be starving and hurting. "We praise your holy name for not only providing our bodies with the sustanance of bread, but your words that fill up our spirit instead. Without your words, no matter the delicacy we were given, we would still feel empty, hungry for something unattainable.

Thank you for the many blessings you have placed in our lives. May you continue to bless us with health, safety, wisdom and prosperity. In Jesus name amen. "

"Amen,” the group follows with.

"Thank you Brennen, Sam was right, you can bless the hell out of a meal." Mr. Montgomery chuckles. I smile and take my seat feeling overwhelmed by the whole thing.
Thank you for putting the right words in my mouth.
The room fills with chatter and plate filling sounds. I've never been to such a large holiday gathering.

"How you holding up," Sam asks as if he knows just how unconfortable I am right now.

"I'm adjusting. It's very different from my small family gatherings." I wonder what holidays with Elijah would be like. Would we dine with a bunch of Keepers? Would my angelic mother cook a turkey? Would Elijah's former suicide-victims-slash-butlers wait on us?

"Babe, you have that far off look in your eye again.Where do you go?"

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking what life would be like if I didn't have you in it. I am so thankful to have you."

"Really? I don't know what I'd do with out you either. I love you so much."

"Not just because I made apple pie?" I ask.