Soul Betrayed (12 page)

Cooper inspected me. “Are you insane? Get back in the car.”

The Shadowed car idled not that far in front of us. The headlights prevented me from seeing how many of them there were. But I homed in on the one soul I knew would never leave me again.

Cooper unsheathed his sword and the car door opened behind us. “Stay, Ally,” he ordered. “Come on Maggie, this isn’t the time for you to be stubborn,” he said under his breath. “We can still make it out of here. If they are driving then they are in human form.”

He was going to ruin everything.
I was torn in half, but I knew what I had to do. Before I could step forward, Cooper appeared in front of me, his sword pointed at the other car.

“Get in the car,” Cooper growled.

I peeked around him but saw nothing. The doors of the other vehicle opened but Cooper was still, his arm never wavering.

“Cooper—”

“I won’t let you do this. You have nothing to prove to Nicholas.”

I touched his shoulder but it was rock hard and unmoving.

He was going to ruin this. It was my best chance for the whole team. I swallowed hard, preparing myself for what I was about to do.

“You can trust me,” I whispered. His head tilted to the side as I weaved my fingers together and rammed my arms into his side. I had the element of surprise. He faltered and I bolted toward the Shadowed car.

Just go!
I wanted to tell him. Hot tears welled in my eyes but I could have easily blamed the rain.

I hadn’t realized the extent of my injuries from jumping from the car, but I pushed through them, my knee screaming for me to slow down.

Glancing behind me, I immediately wished I hadn’t. Cooper’s stony expression sliced through me like a sharp knife, but I knew he would forgive me someday when I made everything right. Suddenly, he disappeared and their car sped away.

Just as I turned my attention back to the Shadowed, my body slammed into something. Waves of pain ricocheted through me. Strong hands grasped my arms and I looked up at the face that I had fallen in love with all those years ago. Jackson’s dark hair was plastered against his forehead and water rolled off his sharp cheekbones. Tingles rippled across every inch of my skin and I knew it wasn’t just the rain.

“Two days ago I felt you.” His eyes darted across my face, his soul pressing against me. He shook his head as if he still didn’t believe it. “Something I haven’t felt for a century. How is that possible?”

I slid my hands down to his, weaving our fingers together and drew our linked hands to my chest right over where my heart was thrumming rapidly.

Jackson’s eyes shot to mine. His expression appeared panicked then it smoothed out to utter relief and he dipped his head, his lips brushing against mine. My breath and the rain mixed, creating a cloud of steam between us. I shivered.

“It’s true,” he whispered. He pressed his cheek to mine, pulling me close to him. “Do you remember anything?” he asked tentatively.

I lifted my head, resting my chin against his chest. “I remember everything.”

He tilted his head back from me, as if searching for the truth on my face. To prove it to him I reached up, running my fingers through his hair and lifted onto the tips of my toes pressing my lips against his. He responded immediately, tightening our embrace. One of his hands cupped the back of my neck and the other pressed against the small of my back. Chills moved up and down my spine and a searing heat spread through my body. Memories swirled around in my head. The secrets we kept for each other and the slow growing romance we’d experienced. It was all real and becoming human was all that it had taken for me to get it all back.

Someone cleared their throat behind him. My eyes popped open but Jackson wasn’t deterred. When he was finished thoroughly kissing me, he pulled away but the hand on my back tucked my body close to his side. Ever the protector.

Three Shadowed stood in front of the car. Even though the headlights threw shadows across the pavement, I knew they were Possessed human bodies. All except Jackson.

“I find it hard to believe they would just give you up like that,” one of them said.

I squinted and could see that it was the same Shadowed from the police department. He had found his way back inside of his human host.

“There are only two of them. Did you think they are that stupid?” one said.

The other Shadowed didn’t move from their spot.

“If you were so loyal, why did you run away from me at the station?”

I wondered how much I should reveal to him. “Things changed.”

He tilted his head, his eyes narrowed. “How so?”

“I don’t need to explain myself to you.” I channeled the commanding nature that I’d possessed as a human.

“Back off, Ollie.” Jackson’s tone was harsh, making my heart stutter.

Ollie clamped his mouth shut.

“The plan is back on track,” Jackson said to the group. “She’s human—”

Ollie crossed his arms. “I told you that.”

Jackson faced Ollie, his voice icy. “He would have wanted to know for sure.”

Ollie snorted. “How do you know she is on our side?”

“She jumped out of a moving car,” one of the other Shadowed said.

Ollie shrugged. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

Jackson lunged toward him but I pressed a hand to his chest. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

I nodded. I was aware of the sets of eyes on me but I only focused on Ollie’s. They needed to respect and trust me or else the plan wouldn’t work. The plan that I was still figuring out. I forced myself not to look back at where Cooper and Ally had been moments before and squared myself up to Ollie. We stood toe to toe and I peered up at him. “I would love nothing more than to destroy the Caeleste who took my memories away.”

“Yeah?” he countered. “What about Leha?”

My hand shot up before he or I knew what was happening. The sound of it connecting on his face stunned us as if we’d both been slapped.
He had no right to speak her name.

Ollie moved his jaw up and down, then a wicked grin spread across his face.

The realization at what I’d just done spread over me and a sick feeling rolled around in my stomach. Think! And as much as the admission intensified the feeling, I had more than just myself to protect. Jamie had to be with them. I had to prove my loyalty to the Shadowed, it was the only way to protect her and show my father that he was wrong about me.

“You’d have to be an idiot to think I didn’t care for my daughter.” I blinked against the rain and turned to the other Shadowed. “I loved her. But she trusted the wrong Caeleste.”

“Why didn’t you come with Hannah and Jackson before?” Ollie pressed.

I looked at Jackson. “Before I returned to my body, Felix had locked away my memories. I only had the knowledge that he had given me.” A rush of heat billowed inside of me with Jackson’s gaze, but this was unlike any other time we’d been together when I was in soul form. I now knew our past. I knew about the secret kisses. Him leaving me for my own good, even though his admission had been too late. But I also knew what he was capable of. He would protect me, no matter what. Just as he stopped at nothing to get what he wanted, I’d have to do the same to ensure Jamie was safe and to uncover the location of the Shadowed.

Jackson turned to the rest of the group. “Go back to the base, let him know the news. I will take her there.”

The group relaxed, all except for Ollie. I’d have to keep an eye on him. They trekked toward the side of the road and released their human forms, but Ollie hesitated, glaring at me before following.

“He’s harmless,” Jackson mumbled, leading me toward the car.

I looked up at him and smiled. “Can you still read me?” I asked. He had said he felt me a few days ago, I had to know.

“It seems that proximity is a factor. I did recognize your presence before but now that you are here…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “You know it’s not something I can help but I do know you were telling the truth. I could feel it.” He brushed a hand down my arm and I flinched. Reuniting with Jackson had distracted me from realized I had just jumped out of a moving car.

His eyebrows pinched together as he gently pulled up the sleeve of my jacket and inspected the deep scratches on my arm. They didn’t look that bad but the raw skin exposed to the rain was not comfortable. “We need to get you cleaned up.”

The rain had let up a little but between that and the nearness of Jackson I shivered. His gaze was intense, piercing straight through to my soul. He shrugged out of his jacket, his eyes never leaving mine and wrapped me into it, zipping it all the way up, his fingers lingered on my chin.

“Thank you.” I tugged the sleeves so they weren’t too long on my arms, careful of the pain that erupted on my skin with every movement. I was now willing to admit that jumping out of the car wasn’t my smartest move.

Jackson led me to the car, but I couldn’t help glancing at the unconscious human bodies on the side of the road.

“They should come to shortly,” Jackson said, reading my mind.

Holding the passenger door open for me, his hand slipped away from mine and I immediately missed it. I dropped into the seat and the door closed next to me. Jackson appeared in the driver’s seat and before I could say anything his mouth was on mine. My fingers tangled in his hair and I drew him closer. As our lips touched all of our shared memories bubbled to the surface, exploding through me.

His hands cupped my face as his lips left mine. “I didn’t think I would be able to find you.”

I took a moment to catch my breath. “Why?”

His gaze dropped again to my lips and they tingled with anticipation. “Felix hid you pretty well the first time and I knew your father wouldn’t let you out of his sight again.”

The thought of my father brought with it a lead weight in my stomach. I was on a mission and I needed to put that first.

Jackson stiffened and I followed his gaze to the side of the road where a Shadowed man stood. The human at his feet was the one I recognized from the station. Ollie was waiting for us to make the first move.

“What’s his problem?” I asked.

“We should get going,” Jackson said, ignoring my question. He leaned over me and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me again but instead he pulled the seatbelt over me and clicked it in place. Lifting my hand to his lips and brushed a feather light kiss to my knuckles sending a thrill through me. I couldn’t help but compare how I felt now to when Jackson had kissed me in soul form. They were both equally exciting but now knowing our secrets, the desire pooled in my middle.

“Where are we going?” I whispered, wondering if Ollie had super hearing powers.

“To a place where you should have ended up a long time ago.” His eyes were focused on the road and his voice was louder than necessary for me sitting next to him.

I caught Ollie’s eye as we passed, his gaze unmoving. I lifted my chin, determined not to let him unnerve me. He disappeared from the side of the road, satisfied that we were back on track.

Jackson picked up speed as he navigated the twisted back roads. With Cooper and Ally, the ride had been filled with anxiety at what we might find at Yera’s, but now a sense of euphoria spread through me.

Jackson chuckled.

“What?”

He shook his head slightly and smiled, melting my heart a little more. “I forgot how loud you were.”

“
You
forgot something?” I teased. “I thought I was the one with the memory problem.”

“I never thought I would be able to sense you again, but now that I can—” He turned away from me as he watched the road, turning sharply toward the woods.

I sat at the edge of my seat. Why was he going off the road? I squinted, trying to see through the rain, but as the headlights blazed through the trees I saw a path appear in front of us. Jackson carefully moved the car along the trail and soon enough the road had vanished completely behind us.

“Now that you can…?” I urged.

“It’s like when I saw you at the cemetery for the first time. But more. Now that I can sense you, I’m not going to be able to let you go ever again.”

I reached over the divider and weaved my fingers with him. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

His eyes flicked to mine and then back to the trail in front of us. He nodded as if holding back something, but I knew I’d do everything in my power to keep my promise.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The rain ceased its assault on the car as we ventured deeper into the woods. Jackson turned off the windshield wipers. I didn’t want to distract him, I even found myself moving closer to the edge of my seat and shrinking away from the nearness of the trees.

“What’s next?” I asked, the lull in conversation killing me.

“I’ve been instructed to bring you to our base,” he said mechanically.

My stomach twisted. “Instructed?” Had my memories completely blinded me from the real danger? Had I misjudged everything in my past?

There was a break in the trees in the distance.
Could I make a run for it?

Then Jackson patted my leg and I turned to look at him again. “So impulsive,” he said, reading my mind. “I haven’t been able to tell you everything but I need to know that we are alone first.”

My heart threatened to beat out of my body but I willed myself to keep calm. I was rarely given a chance to speak my mind. The least I could do was listen to him.

The dark clouds had almost faded away as we navigated down a dirt road toward a white farmhouse. A porch wrapped around the entire first floor and every few feet hung a basket of flowers. It seemed like a peaceful place to live. When the dirt road became wider Jackson pressed down on the gas, lurching the car forward. The house was lit up and I could see movement inside. I wondered if they had seen us drive past. I couldn’t help worrying that we weren’t completely alone out there should the situation worsen for me. I glanced at Jackson but I couldn’t tell whether he had heard me or not.

A blaring sound erupted from my pocket and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Jackson’s head snapped toward me. “What is that?”

I pulled Jamie’s phone from my pocket. Ally’s smiling face was displayed on the screen.