A Touch of Souls (Immortal Souls) (3 page)

My phone started vibrating in my pocket and I groaned. I knew exactly who it was without looking. Candy had been calling me since she left me at the bar last night. I still couldn't figure out why I had chosen her to be my distraction. As soon as I had found out how much she hated Gwen, I immediately sought her out. I wanted to stay away from Gwen and being with a girl who hated her made it seem infinitely easier. I wanted to hate Gwen. I needed myself to hate her. It was safer for both of us.

Chapter 2

♀

I pulled into the school parking lot and immediately scanned it for Dimitri's bike. I felt the panic swell in my chest, despite myself. I couldn't like him. I knew guys like him, they were trouble for everyone. Whenever I saw him again, I was going to stay as far away as I possibly could, although that would be hard considering the factors in how we came to know each other.

"Hey babe, what's up?" I asked Hunter innocently when he walked up to me. No way was I letting on that I was actually hurt because some guy I barely knew wasn't here to hate me another day.

"Oh, nothing much, what's wrong? You seem a bit upset," he asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Nothing, um, I just don't feel well today, I guess," I shrugged. "Hey, did you ever hear back from any of the college scouts?" I asked, trying to change the subject and steer him away from my plummeting mood.

"Yeah! They're going to be at the game this Friday! Isn't that amazing?" he exclaimed excitedly. Hunter's green eyes were sparkling with excitement.
Excitement you should be sharing
, I scolded myself silently. I couldn't belive I was letting some prick distract me from being happy for my boyfriend of four years. It was simply ridiculous. I couldn't let the fact that some hot new guy didn't like me, get in the way of how happy I was with Hunter, or even my life all together.

"Wow! This is a great opportunity for you!" I said, trying to sound as excited as he felt.

I just couldn't keep my mind off the fact Dimitri wasn't here today. Maybe he decided to leave after he saw me here.
Maybe he hates me so much I drove him away
, I thought with rancor.
Regardless, I'm going to be in a great mood and not let Dimitri's absence bother me.
I promised myself, full of pride.

In each of my classes, I caught myself looking for him, even hoping for him. On my way to one of my classes, though, I saw Candy sulking in a corner, and it further proved he really wasn't here. Knowing he wasn't just avoiding me made the pain in my chest ease up, although I didn't think it would truly dissipate until I saw him again. Until I knew he didn't hate me.

Dimitri didn't show up at the bar that night, knowing he wasn't going to show made it easy for me to be happy I only had a two hour shift. I wouldn't have to pretend to be happy for the sake of everyone at the bar that night. I walked out of the bar, happy the sun was still shining, and decided it would be a good thing if I went for a run to clear my mind from all the things that had been fogging it lately.

I grabbed the workout clothes I kept in my car and quickly slipped back into the bar. As I made my way to the bathroom, I noticed I had caught the attention of a man standing in the corner. The man was sitting in the shadows as if he were deliberately trying not to be noticed. I casually walked in the bathroom, pretending like I hadn't seen him. After I changed my clothes and washed my face, I stood in the bathroom for a few minutes to ensure the man wasn't really watching me. Once I walked out, I immediately scanned the room for the strange man. Without any sign him nearby, I walked outside and shoved my clothes in the back seat of my car. Still seeing no indication the man was nearby or watching me, I set out for my run.

I ran a quarter mile before I stopped at a T in the road. Having never been where I was, I didn't really know which way I should go. I looked both ways, mentally listing potential dangers and threats. The left side didn't have near as many lights as the right, and remembering the man from earlier, I decided to go right, feeling I would be safer in a better lit alley. I started jogging right, but as soon as my foot hit the ground, I heard faint footsteps behind me.

The farther I went
, the more freaked out I became. I couldn't get rid of the feeling I was being followed. Deciding to find out for myself, I jogged a little to the side, and "accidentally" caught my shoelace on a nail sticking out of the ground. The lace untangled and I slowly bent down to retie it. As soon as I was kneeling down, I felt a rush of heat come over me and I wasn't looking at my shoe anymore.

I saw a man, the one from the bar, watching me from a few cars away when I came out of the bar. I witnessed him start following me and I saw him now. Only about twenty feet behind me, he was trying to quiet his loud footsteps as he pursued me. Cold air rushed around me and I was suddenly staring back at my untied shoe.

I stood back up after tying my shoe back and continued running. I didn't know what I had seen and I was wholly freaked out by it, but whatever it was, I now knew I was being followed and by who. I tried to slow my heartbeat and even my breathing, I didn't know how long I was going to have to run til I was safe, but I needed to conserve my energy, just in case. I searched frantically to find someone who could help me or for a place to hide. A few more steps and I finally saw my opportunity.

Just a few feet away
was an alley. I could hide until my pursuer passed. I knew it was a man, not only from what I had seen, but from his ragged breath and the pounding of his heavy footfall. I heard him come closer, and listened as he stopped walking when he reached the entrance to the alley. I searched frantically until I found a dumpster I could hide behind. I wasn't sure if he could see me in the minimal light, but just to be sure, I made my way as slowly and quietly as I could manage. I could no longer hear him walking, and feared he was at the end of the alleyway, stalking my every movement with his eyes.

"Come on out, darling, I won't hurt you," he chuckled to himself, "or will I?" I heard him back tracking his steps, and felt a rush of relief that he truly hadn't seen me. Before my excitement could bubble up, though, I heard him turn down the alley. I pushed myself as far against the wall as I could. The nearer his steps became, the further I shoved myself behind the dumpster.
              "Come out, come out, wherever you are," he slurred, I could hear the smile in his voice as he discovered my feeble attempt at a hiding spot. His footsteps slowed now that he knew I was trapped with no way of escape. I could almost hear my heart's rapid pounding, as though it were literally about to pound out of my chest and into the hands of the man who now stalked me as a lion would stalk a gazelle. My mind whirled with the possibilities of escape. By what I could remember from the bar, the man was large, much larger than me, so it would be next to impossible to overpower him. But he was drunk, maybe I could slip away and run.
That's what I'll do, I'll run until I find someone, I can't just give up
, I thought. By the sound of the man's strained breathing, he would be rounding the corner to my hideaway any second, I closed my eyes and waited until I heard him directly in front of me to make my move.

The dumpster vibrated as something hard was flung against it. There was no man standing in front of me. I couldn't hear his steps or his breathing anymore. I fell to my hands and knees, crawling out if the tiny space. I was horrified by the scene laid out in front of me. The man from the bar was
lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious. Slowly, I raised my head to see who had come to my rescue.

The sight of Dimitri standing there, over the body of that man, sent shock waves of fear rolling through my body. I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my lips and alerted him to my presence. When his gaze slowly slid up and found mine, his eyes were glowing. I was so terrified of the gorgeous man standing in front of me. He had saved me, but I couldn't but shrink back in fear.
I stubbled to my feet and turned to run from him.

"Guinevere, please stop," There was a tight straining in his voice as he whispered my name. I didn't know if it was the tenderness in his voice, or the command of it, I stopped dead in my tracks. I could feel myself shaking in fear, but I was unable to control it, no matter how hard I tried. I didn't know what I was supposed to do, how I was supposed to act to this guy I knew from school that hated me, standing here. I cowered lower to the ground when he started moving toward me. I tried to back up, but whimpered when I felt my back touch cold, solid stone. By the time Dimitri made his way to me, I was sitting on the ground with my knees beneath me, protecting me from most of the dirt and mold. I was powerless as Dimitri soundlessly reached down and picked me up in his arms.

Once we were out of the alley, I realized I had no idea what time it was. The sky was dark and the moon was spying on us through the clouds. I wanted to ask what time it was, but in Dimitri's arms, it was hard to find my voice. My world was spinning as I laid my head down on Dimitri's shoulder. My stomach jerked as I was lifted into some kind of vehicle. Through the fog clouding my brain, I vaguely noted that we were in a truck-like vehicle, when I had only ever seen Dimitri's bike.

I jerked awake at the feeling of someone at my side. My eyes roamed over the strange furniture that surrounded me. Where the hell was I? I tried to sit up but stopped with a sharp intake of pain. I turned and was face to face with Dimitri. Last night's events all came rushing back in a tornado of fear and shock. It was as if a dam had cracked and all the memories trying to leak through had caused it to crumble.

Dimitri didn't say anything as I laid my head on the arm of the couch I was sitting on. I tried my best to lay down, but Dimitri grabbed my arm and pulled me over to him. He sat silently as I cried all my frustration out. I couldn't believe I was lying here, in the arms of the guy who saved me. I slid my gaze up until it met Dimitri's. His eyes were cloudy and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Wh- Where are w-we?" I stammered, unsure of what I was supposed to do in the strange position I had been thrust into. I could never have imagined I would be sitting in someone's home, with Dimitri, after he saved my life from someone who wanted to do God knows what to me.

"You were in no shape to drive, or even to point me in the direction of your house, so I brought you here. Welcome to my home," he grinned, spreading his arms wide to show of his living room.

"Why did you bring me here? How did you know where I was? What time is it?" I stumbled over the questions as they flew out of my mouth involuntarily.

"It's nearly one in the morning. It was nine when I put you in my Jeep. Have you slept quite well?" He questioned with arched brows.

"I, uh, I guess so," I immediately blushed at the thought of being here asleep for nearly four hours with Dimitri watching over me.

"I can take you home as soon as you like, I had your car taken back to your place, so you don't have to worry about that," he said quietly, a small blush staining his cheeks at being caught taking care of me.

"I don't really want to be alone right now," I admitted a little embarrassed. "I can find a friend's house to sleep at."

"No, it's perfectly fine for you to stay here. I can have your car brought here for you, so that you don't have to worry about not having a way to go anywhere you like," he said before getting up and walking out of the room.

I didn't know what to do, or even what to say? Should I stay here, in this house with a man who I knew pretty much hated me? But if he hated me, why did he save me? How did he know where to find me? Something inside of me told me not to ask any of these questions and just follow his lead.

Sitting here in Dimitri's house, was like a dream. I had spent so much time believing that he hated me. Yet he had held me when I cried. He had saved me when I had given up on being saved at all. He couldn't hate me that much, could he? .

Just as the thoughts circled my brain, I watched Dimitri round the corner and come to sit back down. My nerves immediately calmed seeing him. There was just something about him that made me feel safe. He wouldn't hurt me, I didn't know how I was so sure of that, but I was.

I woke up the next morning feeling hungry and grungy. I stood up and walked to my bathroom, only to be face to face with a massive television in my face.
What the hell?
Wiping the sleep out of my eyes, I looked around trying to place where I was and why I wasn't home. I walked back over to the glorious bed and put my face against the pillow. It smelled of Dimitri. His sweert earthy scent clinging to the blanket and each last pillow.

I didn't really know what I was supposed to do, or how to even find my way back to the living room. I was too weak to stand for much longer, so I climbed back in his bed and pulled the covers to my chin. I laid there for a long while, simply inhaling Dimitri's beautiful scent and reminiscing in last night's memory of him holding me while I wept. I smiled at the memory before I let in the reality that it could never work between us. I had Hunter and he had Candy.

The thought of him holding Candy as he had held me last night tore a hole straight through my chest. I felt the despise I felt for her bubble up inside me. I had no idea where the aggressive feelings were coming from, but when I thought of her with Dimitri, I felt like I was being betrayed by the one I cherished most. I had only known Dimitri a few days, what was it about him that brought these feelings on?