Soul Betrayed (8 page)

“Is that her phone?”

“It’s dead,” I answered.

Ally raised an eyebrow but helped us look for a charger. Cooper found it in the drawer below the microwave. He plugged it into the wall and the phone. We waited, holding a collective breath until the screen lit up. Cooper tried to navigate the phone but he had no idea how to use it, so Ally grabbed it from him.

“Guard don’t have many uses for a cell phone,” he said by way of an excuse.

“Old man,” Ally said under her breath. “Here we go!”

“What?” I asked.

Ally scrolled her finger over the keyboard. Her expression tightened. She pressed send and put the phone up to her ear. “The last phone call she received isn’t saved on her phone and it’s from an area code I don’t recognize .”

A muffled tinny voice came from the phone. Ally’s eyes widened as she quickly pulled the phone away from her ear and ended the call.

“Who was it?”

Ally placed the phone down on the counter. “It was Springmeadow police department.”

“Where is that?” Cooper asked.

Ally shook her head as she pulled out her own phone. Her fingers moved quickly over the screen.

“Why would Jamie be in touch with a police department?” I wondered aloud.

Cooper picked up the pill bottle from the counter and stared at it.

“Okay,” Ally said, her eyes still on the screen. “Springmeadow is in upstate New York about five hours from here. Why would Jamie—?” She paused momentarily then typed something into Jamie’s phone.

Cooper moved across the room, turning around in a slow circle, inspecting the room.

“What are you thinking?” I asked him.

“I’m not sure yet.” He looked back down at the pill bottle in his hand. “Ally, can you look up what this medication is?”

“One sec,” she said to the phone. “Guys,” she spoke seconds later. “Yera has the same area code as this police department.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

Ally lifted Jamie’s phone to her ear once more. I heard faint ringing from the speaker. The same tinny voice sounded before Ally spoke. “Hi, this is Jamie Blackhorn. I am returning a phone call.” We waited. Ally picked up her phone and typed something in. A male voice came on the line. Ally appeared to be far away while listening, but when the voice stopped she looked at Cooper before speaking. “Yes—Uh huh—I see—Yes, sorry about that. I can be there as soon as possible—Thank you.”

Hanging up the phone she turned to face us, her skin even more pale than normal. “It appears that Yera is missing and Jamie was her emergency contact. The officer spoke with Jamie a few days ago but they were cut off.”

“Maybe Jamie went up there?” Cooper suggested.

Ally held up her hand. “Without her phone?”
As if that would be the end of the world
. “And the officer said he needed to give her something. He would have known I was lying if he had met with her.”

“What are these pills?” I asked.

Ally searched on her phone. Cooper and I stood on either side of her.

“It’s a sleeping medication.” She took the bottle from Cooper and examined it. She uttered a gasp. “A very strong dosage.”

“Could it be for her arm?” I asked, knowing she was still healing from her injury from Ally’s birthday.

Ally scrolled across her phone screen. “It’s not a pain medication.”

Cooper took the bottle back and stared at the label, “It’s in Robert’s name.” Tucking it into his pocket he shook his head, “Something else happened here.”

“The police officer said they were interrupted. Had she taken these by accident?”

“She would be here if she took them,” Ally said. “Unconscious, but present.”

My stomach lurched at the thought of someone taking her. “Something must have happened.” I didn’t know much about her powers but I guessed since her father worked on cases involving the paranormal, it wasn’t unthinkable that someone would have done something to her. Especially since Yera was missing as well.

“We need to go to Springmeadow,” I said.

“We can’t.” Cooper’s eyes darted between us. “Jamie is our friend but we have a bigger mission here.”

“The mission I’m not allowed to be involved with?” I asked.

“That’s not fair,” Cooper said.

“Something is wrong here and we need to find out why,” Ally interrupted. “She would do it for us.”

I nodded in agreement.

Ally and I stared Cooper down until he conceded. “Fine, but I need to make a phone call first.”

He took Ally’s phone from her hand and dialed.

“Who are you calling?” she asked just as Cooper said, “Thomas. It’s Cooper—”

Cooper explained the situation, slightly bending the truth about what we were actually doing. He told Thomas that we were going to hang out with Jamie for the night because she was alone. Cooper handed me the phone.

I lifted it to my ear. “Hi.”

“Don’t worry, Maggie, I have you both covered. But hurry back, you know how your father can get.”

I bid Thomas goodbye and gave Ally her phone back, then scooped Jamie’s phone from Ally’s hand and shoved it into my pocket.

Cooper took the keys from Ally.

“Hey!” she cried.

“It will be easier if I drive the whole way. It will give you two time to rest.”

Neither of us argued with him. I was exhausted from the day’s events and knew I couldn’t do anything to help Jamie at that point. I’d just have to wait until we arrived.

Cooper shrugged off his baldric and leaned it against the back seat. He indicated for me to get into the car and I did. His head dipped low, close to my face. “She’s going to be okay.”

I nodded, forgetting that I was supposed to be mad at him.

He lightly squeezed my arm and offered a reassuring smile before closing the back door.

I caught Ally’s eye which slid from me to Cooper in an unreadable expression. Anger? I couldn’t imagine her being angry for Cooper easing my mind.

I shoved those thoughts away when Cooper got into the car and Ally grinned broadly at him. Her mood swings were almost as difficult to deal with as they were with the Caeleste. I never had doubted her heritage.

Then Ally lifted her hands in the air and whooped. “Road trip!”

***

Cooper and I waited in the car while Ally transported to her house, returning several minutes later with a small bag. She tossed me a jacket. The arms were slightly longer than I needed but it worked. It had been warm in Jamie’s house but if we were going to be traveling into the night I was thankful for the extra layer.

Ally plugged Jamie’s phone into the car charger just in case someone called. I hoped that Yera would call and this would all be a misunderstanding but I knew better than that.

We stopped at the closest fast food restaurant before heading out of town. I hadn’t realized how hungry I had been since my late breakfast. A lot had happened and my human body didn’t fare that well. I found myself betrayed by a long yawn after I’d finished.

Ally had the same idea. She rolled her seat back and tucked her arms close to her body. Minutes later she was lightly snoring, leaving Cooper and me to the open road.

When he noticed Ally was sleeping, Cooper lowered her blaring pop music and switched to a mellow blues station. I smiled, remembering the day I woke up in Ally’s body and Cooper and I shared a car ride with a similar station on the radio. So much had happened since then. I sank into the seat and watched the road pass, straining to keep my eyes open. I couldn’t sleep, not when my friend was missing.

I caught Cooper’s gaze in the rearview mirror as it slid back to the road.

“Are you still mad at me?”

“No,” I said honestly. “I have other things to worry about.”

“If it helps, I don’t think he should still treat you that way.”

Our eyes met again in the mirror.

“Thank you.” Leaning my arm against the door I rested my head on my hand.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked in a low voice.

I blew out a breath and stifled the memories of Jackson that suddenly roared to the surface, he always asked me that. Apparently I was still easy to read.

Something you should work on before infiltrating the Shadowed.

“Everything,” I replied. “I hate to think that Yera and Jamie are missing…or worse. Why else would there be a random bottle of sleeping pills and her phone in the trash?” I didn’t want to think the worst but I was sure they were related.

Cooper flicked his gaze to the mirror again, his gray eyes lit up as a passing car drove by. “If I can get a hold of Calliope I’ll ask her to try and find Yera as well. She was the one who introduced them.”

I nodded, feeling a little better. Calliope would do anything for Cooper.

Cooper changed the subject.. “Are you getting used to being human again?”

“Just like riding a bike,” I mused.

Cooper chuckled.

“I’m just not sure of this mental block with my memories,” I admitted.

“You’ve done well so far,” he commented.

“With all memories except—” I swallowed the rest of my sentence. With each block of memories returning to me my soul and body were melding together. Each encounter with my father kept my human side dominant, yet I wondered if I would lose my soul-self completely when my memories of Jackson returned? But it might also explain a lot of things.

“It’s getting dark out, maybe you should get some rest?”

At the thought of sleep, my eyes started to droop again. Worrying about Jamie or my temporary amnesia wouldn’t get us there any faster so I took his advice. I stretched my legs across the back seat and rested my head against the soft fabric and closed my eyes.

***

Human dreams were a lot like the visions I experienced. But dreams could become a twisted reality that seemed as real as a memory.

Jackson was there. He wore dark jeans and a black button-down shirt. His head was cocked to the side as he stared at me and the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. My legs moved on their own toward him. A black haze rose up from the ground, contorting around us in a mindless dance. His normally piercing blue eyes reflected the haze, making them appear black and within seconds I was in front of him, bushing his hair from his face. I traced his sharp features with my fingers until his eyes met mine.

I ripped my hand back as if he’d stung me. His eyes
were
black. Just like the Possessed humans. His hand struck out, snatching my wrists.

“Jackson,” I cried, wishing I’d just stayed away from him.

He trapped his bottom lip under his teeth in a menacing grin. “I have you now.” His voice was unnatural, slow even.

How had he been Possessed? He wasn’t human.

“You need to come with me before it’s too late.”

“Let me go!” I struggled against him using all of my strength to release his grip from my wrists but my attempts were futile. He was a lot stronger than I remembered. Our training sessions floated to the forefront of my mind and I pulled my own strength up from deep within me. “Let me go!” I repeated, shoving him away.

Stumbling back he let go of my hands and his wicked grin transformed to terror. The black haze around us had shifted. It floated through the air toward him and his eyes darted around as if he saw something I couldn’t. “No,” he murmured.

Then the haze shot forward, crushing him. He fell to the ground and struck at the haze as if he were being attacked.

I went to him but ran into something solid. I lifted my hands, pressing against the invisible barrier between us and watched as his movements quickly slowed until he was still. His head fell limply against the ground, the black eyes turned to blue. I screamed, the sound muted by the barrier. I raised my fists again to try to break through but stopped when I realized the black haze had enveloped my hands as well. I shook them, not wanting the same fate as Jackson, but when the haze moved with me instead of killing me, I realized I was the one who controlled it. I had somehow made it take Jackson. But it didn’t feel the same as it had been with David. I didn’t feel any different. Dropping my hands to my sides I squinted at the protective barrier. It glistened and when I stepped closer it reflected a face that was not my own.

I was Hannah.

CHAPTER EIGHT

I sprang up from the seat, slamming my head on the roof of the car. Something touched my leg and I shrieked again as the dream dissipated from my mind.

“Relax,” Ally said, pulling her hand back against her chest.

The car was illuminated and I realized we were stopped. Fumbling for the handle I spilled out of the car onto concrete. My hands scraped against the ground, confirming the fact that I was awake and hadn’t just killed Jackson.

Cooper had parked at a well-lit rest stop, the fluorescent lights keeping the shadows at bay. I looked down at my hands but there was no black haze.

I heard Ally get out of the car, “Are you okay?”

I took in a few quick breaths, nodding.
It was just a dream.

Ally looked around the parking lot. A few other cars were parked along the stretch, but no one had seen me. I stood up from the ground, wiping my hands on my jeans.

Ally’s nose wrinkled. “Cooper wants to know if it was another memory.”

“No, just a dream.” I looked around for Cooper but I guessed he was non-corporeal so as not to be seen by the other humans.

“Okay,” Ally said, reaching her hands over her head in a stretch. “I have to pee.” She then snorted as if Cooper said something funny.

I led the way to the bathrooms and pushed the door, a little harder than necessary.

Ally bounded past me into a stall. I stood by the mirrors. The sink top was a massive puddle so I was careful to keep my body away from it as I washed the dirt from my hands and dried them. I moved out of the way of two older women who commented on the less than ideal situation in front of them. Ally was still in the stall so I took a minute to look at myself in the mirror. I ran my fingers through my hair, attempting to detangle my wavy locks. They were wilder than I had hoped, the dream having something to do with that.

“Here.” Ally handed me a comb.

“Thanks.”

She retouched her makeup while I brushed my hair.