Читать книгу The Life After Trilogy: Soul Taken / Soul Possessed / Soul Betrayed - Katlyn Duncan - Страница 16

“Turn around!” I yelled and reached for the fallen towel, pulling it tight around Ally’s body. I bolted to the closet, slamming the door shut and leaned against it, Ally’s heart pounding. I stood there until I could catch her breath and then rummaged through her dresser until I found a drawer full of terrycloth tracksuits. I picked the first one I saw and shrugged it on. The smooth outfit hugged Ally’s body and I smoothed a hand over the soft fabric, almost forgetting about Cooper.

Almost.

“You could have knocked,” I said as I stormed back to the bedroom, nearly tripping over the awkward cast.

“I never needed to before,” he said, with no hint of embarrassment. “I always knew where she was. If I knew she was in the bathroom taking a shower or whatever I wouldn’t be in there. You could have used one of the robes to wrap yourself up. They are hanging in there for a reason,” he said, not really meeting my eyes.

“Oh,” I said. Flames licked across Ally’s cheeks.

I slid onto the bed, exhaustion overwhelming me, and tucked into the mounds of pillows.

Cooper became corporeal and grabbed the pill bottle Marie had left. He twisted the cap and tipped it over, rolling a pill into his hand.

“You should take one,” he said, walking over to me. “She has her own healing abilities but this will help you rest.”

Dropping the pill into my outstretched hand, our fingers brushed.

I popped the pill into my mouth and swallowed, but the chalky tablet stayed in the back of Ally’s mouth. I gagged, the nasty taste spreading over her tongue.

Cooper held out the glass of water.

I chugged the liquid until the pill released its hold on her tongue and slid down her throat.

“Ugh,” I groaned. “How can humans stand it?”

Cooper took the glass from my hand. “Sorry, I didn’t think it would be that difficult,” he said, grinning.

“Funny,” I griped settling Ally’s hands in her lap. “So what’s the plan? Am I supposed to just sit here until you find her?”

Cooper slid into the love seat across the room. “Pretty much. You need to keep her body safe from harm, well, further harm until her soul is returned.”

“What if she isn’t returned by her birthday? What happens to her soul? What happens to me?”

Cooper picked at a loose thread on the couch. “Felix experienced this before, with the Shadowed, I mean. Depending on who has her soul they could influence her for their side.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Okay. If the Shadowed are in possession of her soul on her eighteenth birthday, then they can make her one of them?”

“Yes,” he said. “Felix said that if a human soul is removed from the body before death without the True Soul, it becomes weak and in turn is easily influenced. But in the case of Prognatum souls, like Ally’s, there shouldn’t be any irreversible damage.”

“Shouldn’t be?” I didn’t like those odds, especially when talking about a soul.

Cooper gave me a sad smile. “There aren’t any statistics about this. They’ve only tried in the past to influence while the soul was still with the body, but the Guard are the deterrent.”

Okay, next question. “Who are the Shadowed?”

Cooper leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “I’m not allowed to speak about this, outside of the Guard.”

I slapped a hand on the bed. “Are you kidding me? These people— things— whatever, stuck me in this body and you aren’t allowed to talk about it?”

Cooper lifted his hands defensively. “It’s not my call, Maggie.”

“Like hell it isn’t!” I hissed. “What is Felix going to do? Fire you? I’m a part of this now, like, all in. I need to know what we’re up against.”

He rested his chin on his hands and closed his eyes. “Fine.”

I leaned forward, silently waiting for him to speak.

“The Shadowed clans are made up of souls who were influenced by the Caeleste that crossed over all those years ago. Since they are unable to return to the After, they gain their strength by feeding from the life force of human souls.”

I swallowed. “I thought Collectors were the only ones that could take souls? Don’t they need the True Soul?”

Cooper shook his head. “The True Soul is needed to extract the soul from the body. The Shadowed don’t need the soul out of the body to get what they want.”

Ally’s stomach turned, sending an uncomfortable feeling to the base of her throat. “But what happens to the soul?”

Ding dong!

I jumped. Cooper transported to the balcony and looked down over it. The muscles in his upper back tensed. Before I could ask who it was, the doorbell rang again.

“Looks like you have company,” he said, appearing next to me.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“First things first. Relax,” Cooper, said grabbing Ally’s hands in his. They were warm against her clammy ones. My head still reeled with the information about the Shadowed.

He quickly tucked the duvet around me, tight enough that I knew how a caterpillar felt before metamorphosis. I wriggled Ally’s body to loosen it up.

“I’ll be here the whole time if you need me. Just don’t talk too much; they are keen to everything Ally does.”

“Who is?”

The bedroom door burst open and Heather bolted in, her flip-flops flying from her feet as she wrapped me in a tight hug.

I groaned under her weight.

“They wouldn’t let us visit at the hospital since we aren’t family. I was so worried,” she said. I inhaled, sucking in her excessive perfume along with a significant amount of her hair.

I coughed and she leaned back, pulling her strands from my face.

“Oh, sorry! You must still be in a lot of pain,” she said and in the same breath. “Oh! I brought your purse. I didn’t want any crazies getting a hold of our photos. That would not be cool.”

Her friend just toppled down a flight of stairs and Heather was worried about photos?

I looked to Cooper and he put a finger over his lips. Taking the phone from Heather I mumbled a thanks.

“Do you have amazing pain meds? Mind if I snag some?” Heather’s eyes darted around the room.

“I said don’t talk much,” Cooper assisted. “Not at all.”

I glared at him and then turned to Heather.

Come on Ally, help me out here. I know part of you is still in here.

“No way!” I said, in the best Ally attitude I could muster. “Hands off. I didn’t take a death- defying leap for nothing.”

Heather blinked.

Crap, I said something wrong.

Then she smiled. “I totally get it. But don’t think I’m going to share my stash next time my brother skateboards off a jump and breaks his other arm.”

I laughed, startling myself with how much like Ally I sounded. “You know you will!”

Heather bounced up and down on the bed. “I know!”

I joined her laughter, mine a little strained.

“What’s so funny?” Krystal’s form darkened the doorway.

Heather turned to me and rolled her eyes. She slid from the bed and walked to the desk, opening Ally’s laptop.

“So glad you are okay,” Krystal said. She walked over to me and patted Ally’s shoulder before sitting in the love seat across from the bed. She whipped out her cell phone and started typing.

“Okay,” Heather announced. “Seth and I worked all day yesterday, getting any photos of your accident taken down.”

“What?” I said. “Who took photos?”

Krystal’s mouth twitched, but she said nothing.

“Ugh, who knows? Anyway,” she said, her eyes glued to the screen, “all the social sites have been checked and are now clear. Go us!” She twirled around in the chair, a huge grin across her face.

Her giddiness was infectious and I smiled back at her.

“What are they saying about my accident?” I asked. Maybe someone saw who pushed her.

Heather answered. “Just stupid stuff, like you just doing it for attention or—” She broke off.

“Or someone pushed you,” Krystal added snidely.

I narrowed my eyes, and she quickly turned her gaze back to her phone.

“Well, let them think what they want,” Heather said. “It’s better than them thinking you’re clumsy. Right?”

“Ally-bear?” Seth said softly. He sauntered toward me, his green eyes barely hiding his concern. He knelt at the bedside and took Ally’s hand in his.

Memories flashed over my vision of Ally’s relationship. Ice-cold fingers raked her spine as I experienced their most intimate moments. I tried to push them away but they thrust forward, showing every moment between them. The ice melted into a radiant heat and spread through me until it settled in Ally’s chest.

I licked my suddenly dry lips.

Seth watched my involuntary action and slanted his soft lips on Ally’s. Ally’s desire filled me, bringing with it a pulsing electric current. I pulled back, but he moved closer, pulling me back into the kiss. Ally’s body took over as if by memory and grabbed his shirt collar tight in her fists. He opened his mouth and I tasted mint. Her heart roared in her ears as his gentle hands stroked her cheeks.

Cooper coughed and I jolted, moving back from Seth.

Cooper’s mouth pressed into a hard line and he turned away from us.

I looked back at Seth; his eyes drooped and a lazy smile spread across his face. “Are you in pain?”

I shook my head. Ally’s lips throbbed, though.

Seth hopped over Ally’s body without touching her and snuggled into the pillow next to me. I turned around, keeping our faces at a safe distance. The barrier between Ally’s memories and my thoughts had blurred for a moment, and I didn’t want to test her resolve again.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Better,” I breathed.

The door squeaked open. We both turned to see Marie and her one-eyed stare.

“Door open when boyfriend is here,” she said, more of a demand than a request.

Seth sat up, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “It was good seeing you again, Marie,” he said through a wide grin.

Her gaze flicked from Seth to Krystal then to Heather, and finally back to me. “Door open.” She turned away from us slowly and walked down the hallway.

Heather giggled. “You two are in trouble,” she sang.

“Are we going to be here all night?” Krystal groaned. “I was under the impression we were just stopping by.”

Heather gaped at her. “Our friend was in the hospital for the last few days and you can’t stay for more than ten minutes?”

Krystal avoided my gaze. “It’s not like she’s going anywhere. And we have a French test to study for.”

“She’s in the room,” I said. “Don’t talk to her like she’s not.”

Heather gave Krystal a smug smile.

“Whatever,” Krystal said, getting up. “I hope you feel better.” Her dark eyes held mine before flicking over to Seth’s. “I’ll be in the car.”

The second she crossed the threshold, Heather spoke. “What a bitch.”

“Hey,” Seth said.

We both looked at him. “You’re defending her?” I asked.

“You girls are always griping at each other about something. No need for name-calling.”

I yawned, the medication making the edges of my vision fuzzy.

“We should go anyway,” Seth said. “You should get some rest; I’ll text you later.” He pecked me on the mouth and waited for Heather.

She bounced on the bed and wrapped me into a tight embrace. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I said, a little breathless from her grip.

They both left the room and when I heard the front door close I rolled over onto Ally’s back breathing a deep sigh.

“Well, it looks like you enjoyed yourself,” Cooper said, standing with his back to me.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “That Krystal girl is a nightmare. How can Ally be friends with her?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Cooper said.

“What? The kiss?” I snorted. “You’ve never seen Ally and Seth kiss?”

He grimaced.

I sat up. “He took me by surprise; what was I supposed to do?”

Cooper shook his head. “I felt how much you enjoyed it. Keep your head on the mission. Remember this is Ally’s life. You are only here temporarily.”

Why was he lashing out at me? We’d been on good terms so far; what had changed? Did he have more than a professional relationship with Ally?

Another yawn stretched Ally’s mouth to the limit. I snuggled into the pillows and wrapped the covers tighter around me.

“Get some rest,” Cooper said.

I didn’t have the strength to argue.