My Soul to Save (Soul Keeper) (21 page)

He laughs, "Well maybe just a little bit, but the rest is purely because you are extraordinary."

*~*~*

Journal of E.M November 28, 2013

With the second redemption complete, I have to stake out Sam next. This is my punishement, to save the life of the only person keeping Brennen from being all mine. As much as it pains me to witness, I know that she loves him. I can see it in the way she looks at him and I could never hurt
her. If I don't save Sam when the time comes, if I let him die, Brennen would never forgive me. It would ruin any chance of her loving me again.

I watch from the window, keeping a safe distance from Brennen, per Elena's request. Maybe he'll choke on all the turkey he's managed to stuff down his gullet. However, I highly doubt what ever will be the cause of Sam's ultimate
peril, will be anything but an easy save.

Brennen's smile fills the room with light, its contagious to those around her. The room full of guests, keep bringing their eyes back to her face as if they can't help being captivated by her either. I won't try and come between them if that's what she wants, but if she is still on the fence - well, I won't hide my feelings this time around. Once I get my grace back, I hope to be in her life more. When I'm around she can't seem to fight the feelings.

I thought Thanksgiving weekend with Sam was just the thing I needed to fill the giant gaping hole in my heart that
I’d suffered from since June. Yet, hear I stand with an emptyness inside that still has me aching inside. I saw a glimpse of Elijah while I was there, and Elena clued me in on his sucess with the plane. So now Sam's life teeters in his hands, and it makes me nervous. I'm sure Will may step in if Elijah fails to, or refuses to. The uncertainty of the situation has me rattled to the core. I have no clue how it will happen, with demons in charge, whatever route they take won't be pretty.

The memory of the stable fire keeps flashing back to mind. I'm holding my sweet man in my arms with no breath coming from his soft lips. My stomach bottoms out and my heart pounds out in earnest, as if mine could some how restart his by proxy. I hate to think of the fact that death is coming for him, stealthily on its haunches, waiting to steal him from my arms again.

Elijah has kept his distance the past couple of months and it's giving me time to think, take a step back. I can't deny I still love him, but having the same feelings for Sam is confusing as ever. I have to take my own advice on this one and just take my life one day at a time. The line hasn't been drawn in the sand just yet, I still have time. I don't have to choose either one right now.

Right now, I only have to contend with Elena and her horrible demenor. She's been acting strange lately and I'm not exactly sure why. She's been standing in front of the window like a
statue for hours. I just finished a brick of a novel for class. I let it drop to the wood floor with a clap, but she doesn't budge.

"Elena?" I call out. She turns to me looking far off, as if caught in a dream. "Are you alright?"

She slowly nods her head but I'm not buying it. Elena has a snappy comeback for everything. I shoot Jesson a text:
Can you come by? I think Elena is off her rocker.

Jesson replies,
yes be there in five
. Elena turns back to the window. Lexi burst through the door full of giggles with Asher Kennedy attatched at her waist, but quickly moving his hands to other places. "Hey Bren, how was your break," she asks still trying to defend her armpits from Asher's prying fingers.

"Phenomenal. Yours?"

"Oh I'd have to say it was phenomenal alright." She licks her lips and purrs out, “I’ll say this, I had my fair share of butter over the weekend." She waggles her brows to drive home the inside joke.

"Awesome, hope you made Paula Dean envious." She laughs and drags Asher into the bedroom and shuts the door.

"Hey, don't butter anything near my bed!"

Jesson emerges out of no where making me jump. "Dude!"

"Sorry I forget to use the door sometimes." I shake my head and nod over to the porceline figurine gracing my window still. We share a pensive look.

He joins her and puts his arms around her shoulders. They talk quietly and I can't make out what they're saying over the music Lexi is blaring in her room. I try and observe their body language
to gain some semblance of what could be bothering her. She's nodding and agreeing to what ever he's said.

She disappears from the room a moment later. Jesson must have offered to cover her for a while. He smiles gently and sits in the small chair next to me.

“She’s overwhelmed with everything. Elijah’s next course of action will determine everything. A great weight rests on her shoulders and I thought she would benefit from a break.”

“How long will she be gone?”

“She’s in Amorous, so probably just a few hours for you. How was Texas?”

“Seeing Sam again was just what I needed.”

“Then why don’t you look as happy as your trying to make yourself sound?” He shifts his weight to one side and leans on the arm of the chair. He’s right, and I hate that I’m so easily read by him. I thought Sam would fill the gaping hole that I’d been suffering from for months, but it’s still there, abysmal and puss riddled.

“Is it that obvious?”

“No you hide your pain well. May I?” He holds out his hand and I place mine in his. He flips my hand over and circles his finger in my palm. “I have a gift that may be of use to you. Close your eyes.”

My lids drift shut and his finger continues to circle. His touch is sensual and tender. It draws me into a state of trance that is not entirely in nor out of consciousness.

“What are you doing exactly?” I ask. My voice sounds far off and drawn out.

"I'm reading your heart."

I snatch my hand back at his words and shoot him a dark look. He reaches for my hand again. "I've already seen inside, don't worry I'm only trying to help."

I try and read his expression. But his crystalline eyes offer no judgement,
pity, or preference, only unwavering kindness.

"How can you help me? What exactly did you see?"

"You’re deeply in love with Elijah and Sam. You can see yourself having a future with Sam, but when Elijah is near your drawn to him. You don't want your heart to be split in two. You want the choice to be clear and easy."

I glance down and see my hand is nestled in his palm once again. He softly carress my skin trying
to comfort me. Suddenly I wonder if I am the one he has his sights set on. What if he has a crush on me? Maybe he’s trying to hypnotize me into having feelings for him. My breathing quickens and I’m suddenly feeling venerable without Elena’s dutiful protection. The sounds of giggles and soft moans emit from behind my bedroom door.
Geeze Lexi, really?

"It's not me that your interest in is it?"

My question causes his eyes to widen and he places my hand on my knees.

"Brennen I care about you a great deal." His smile lights up his eyes. "But it's Elena I have my heart set on. She's infurriating and obnoxious and the total opposite of me, however she can also be endearing and absolutely loving a moment later. I know, I'm insane right?" He gets a sappy grin on his face as he talks about her and it makes my heart melt.  "I haven't told her how I feel yet, so I would appreciate it if you would keep it between us."

"I think you are crazy, but I won't say anything. But when are you going to tell her?"

"When the time is right, I suppose. She still doesn't trust me. Now I see, you've deflected the focus onto me and I'm trying to help you here."

I scrunch my legs up to my chest and rest my chin on my knees. Jesson gets comfortable in the arm chair and drapes his leg over the arm.

"I don't see how you can help. I already know everything you just said about me."

"The truth is Brennen, once Elijah comes back and you know he will, you are going to want his love with a passion I've never seen before. Right now your heart is trying to keep him out because of the darkess. It knows you don't belong with a fallen angel because you are almost of pure grace."

"Almost?"

"Yes, you have to struggle with your grace a little more than an angel of pure blood. But I can see from your heart that you are nearly full of good and light." I don't know what he means, I hand out lies like free samples of Terryiaki chicken at the mall.

"So you think I'm supposed to be with Elijah too?"

"It doesn't matter what I think. I'm just telling you to let your heart lead you. Right now you love Sam more, so love Sam. Elijah isn't going anywhere."

"He guarded me for months while I was with Sam, before I even knew Elijah e
xsisted. One time Sam and I were watching a movie together and he was about to leave, when we heard a loud crash. A vase had been thrown across the room but the police said no one had broken in. It was him wasn't it?"

Jesson nods. "I had just told Elijah that Sam was the one who abducted you. He didn't take it well."

"Did he talk about how seeing Sam and I together affected him?"

"He didn't say, he seemed sad. So I think it was hard for him.
Will would know, you should have asked him when you were in Texas."

Yes I suppose Will and Elijah must have spent a great deal of time together guarding the two of us. My face fills with heat when I think about the moments I thought I had complete privacy.

Jesson and I sit quietly and think about our own problems for a long while. Finally Lexi and Asher emerge from the bedroom. Lexi's hair looks like she just came from a wind turbine and Asher looks fully satiated like he just ate a large meal and washed it down with a picture of beer. He slaps a lazy grin over his face and lets himself out. Lexi retreats to the bathroom, I assume to scrub the Asher off of herself.

"You hungry? We could go grab some dinner," Jesson asks.

"Yeah, I don't think I want to go into my room until it's been aired out."

Jesson laughs and grabs my hand, transporting us to somewhere else in the world. I blink and gather my bearings. A large steel structure towers over us and it's not until I step back several feet, that I realize it's the Eiffle tower.

"French food okay with you? I'm craving butter," he says coolly. I nod and follow his lead to where ever he's taking us. Lexi's analagy comes to mind and I shake it off. I wonder if he's ever been with a woman. Ugh why do all of my thoughts keep going there? I swear up until these last few months my thoughts have never even ventured into that territory. Then again, I've never had a boyfriend or been kissed until one year ago.

"Oh dang, I'm not dressed for that nice of a restaurant Jesson." He takes my hand and smiles as he pulls me inside despite my protest. As I step through the door, my clothes magically transform into an elegant black cocktail dress and heels.

"Cool party trick."

"You like?"

"I do." I spin around, and his shoulders shake with a silent laugh. He tells the hostess he wants a table for two in French. The petite brunett looks me over and raises a brow. She says to follow her and she leads us to a small round linen covered table nestled between two towering bushes carved into seated lions.

"Come to this shrub zoo often?" I tease.

He brings a smile to his lips. "Don't knock it till you've tried it."

"Elijah loves to cook French cuisine."

"So I've heard, next time, give a fella a ring and I'll see how he fares compard to Chef Louis here."

"Elijah's had a few thousand years to perfect his technique so I'd say he's got an unfair advantage."

Jesson and I enjoy our meal together. He's quiet during the meal and it leaves my mind to wander. I break off a piece of bread and offer it to him. He takes it and smears it with butter while smiling as if bread and butter were all it took to make his day.

"Elijah's been away from me for a couple of months, do you think they are going to figure out that he's not obeying orders?" Jesson is privilaged to know what those orders are and I still haven't managed to weasel them out of him yet, but not for lack of trying.

"He's bought a little wiggle room by spending time in your dorm. They think he may have..." He leaves his sentence hanging in the air and I try and think of what he would have finished it with.

The puzzle pieces are strewn on the floor and all of the corners are missing. Elijah said they only needed to believe I trusted him. They needed to witness him helping himself to my lips and I portioned kisses out like they were at a fire sale. Jesson's clue meant what exactly? What do kisses and trust lead to Brennen? The answer krept into my mind as clear as a stream of water... Butter.

"They want him to make love to me?" I ask with wide-eyes and filled with emotion. Hoping and praying I'm not right. Jesson shakes his head and a small twinge of releif floods through my veins. He takes a long swallow of his chardonay. He purses his lips together, the truth quivers on the edge. My eyes plead with him to tell me. He glances down for a moment and then back up to meet my eyes.

Leaning in he whispers, "They want him to get you pregnant."

I gasp in horror and glare back at Jesson's glass-blue eyes. Tears come fast and sear my eyes like acid.

"No, no don't cry. He was never going to do it Brennen. Do you think we would have let him near you if we didn't trust him? He was just letting them think he was obeying so they wouldn't send someone else to do the job." Jesson slides in to the booth next to me and cradles my head against his chest. A moment later we are back in my dorm, tucked safely behind Elena's door.

"Why do they want to make my life a living hell?"

"You think you have it bad? Come, I will share what a living hell looks like for a life." Before I can utter a word of protest, he grabs my hand and drags me off to some third world country. He points out children gathering there drinking water from a ditch. He spends the next half hour showing me the lives of the grossly malnurished, and I know all to well what it's like to be hungry and not be able to eat. I only had to endure a couple of weeks that way. These babies, would die hungry.

I gripped his arm tightly, "Please can't we help them?"

"Of course we are going to help them." A few seconds later we are sitting in the cab of a large truck. He
comforts me with a gentle smile. We pull into the village and Jesson hops out and opens the back to reveal a water purification system and a ton of food. The villagers begin to crack smiles and it doesn't take long for them to gather around us. We pass out the goods and word spreads quickly. The truck doesn't run out until the last hand has been filled. I wrap my arms around his neck and press a kiss to his cheek.