Soul Betrayed. Katlyn Duncan

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СКАЧАТЬ next to the bed and I jumped back against the window. I tilted my head, inspecting him. He was dressed like Jackson but instead of the face of the man I loved, this one was friendly and warm. A sudden pressure in my head pulsed until I had to close my eyes from the pain. Images flitted across my eyelids in quick succession and I reached my hands up, pressing them against my temples, willing the images to stop. Cooper, Ally, Leha, Jamie, Calliope, Robert. The memories of the After downloaded into my head. Being inside of Ally’s body. Training with Jackson. The feelings of love I had for him in my previous life mixed with his betrayal. The agony of losing Leha struck me over and over. I cried out as I came to the realization of what I was. A Rodas. My revenge on Hannah and Jackson boiled under the surface of my skin.

      As my heart slowed down to a steady thrumming, I opened my eyes, recognizing the boy in the room. Cooper was in front of me in seconds, his eyebrows knitted together.

      I looked down at my hands, wiggling them in front of me. I was back in my human body. Taking in another breath of air, slow and deep, a grin spread across my lips. “It worked.”

       CHAPTER THREE

      Cooper stepped closer to me, his hands opened expectantly at his sides. “You remember everything?”

      I nodded, recalling the two memories I’d just experienced, of my death and meeting Felix for the first time. I couldn’t believe I thought they were dreams. Even though I’d experienced my death a few times through memories, this time was different. I had seen my Collector. Seen my father kill me. Maybe that was the plan all along?

      The strange space I had occupied must have been Gate Seven. But it wasn’t as beautiful as I’d always seen through other souls. Why had mine been different? And why was Felix there instead of the Collector?

      I strained to recall other memories from my past but they weren’t easily grasped. I knew my house like the back of my hand, but I couldn’t remember much before my death. Shaking my head I looked at Cooper. “Not everything.”

      “Sophia said it might take time,” he reminded me.

      But only two memories? I unfurled my fists, releasing the now wrinkled silk fabric of my nightgown.

      I lifted my eyes to Cooper, aware of how his eyes strained to keep fixed with mine. I wasn’t wearing more than a thin nightgown. My heart fluttered in my chest, until an uncomfortable popping sensation and a low growl from my stomach broke the trance.

      Cooper grinned, the corners of his eyes lifting with his smile. “You should change. If you feel up to it you could join Sophia downstairs for breakfast. She’d love to see you.”

      I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest. My skin was a bit greasy and my breath was hot. “I’m going to shower first.”

      He averted his eyes and pointed to the door behind me. “The bathroom is through there.”

      “I know. I remember this house, but just not the memories in it.” I shook my head. “Does that even make sense?”

      Cooper nodded. “I’ll be waiting in the hallway.”

      My face flushed. I pressed my hands against my hot cheeks as Cooper exited the room. I dug my toes into the ornate area rug and scanned the room, trying to piece my memories, or any memory for that matter, together, but instead I hit a brick mental wall. My patience was quickly waning. Closing my eyes, I remembered when I had been inside of Ally. Why had I experienced those memories within her but not now in my own body? What was different?

      Each time I had seen Jackson, shortly afterward I had experienced a memory. The wooden owl flashed before my eyes. When I’d touched the owl I had seen the memory of looking for it with Jackson.

      My eyes opened and I stared at the space Cooper had just occupied. When I saw him again memories of my after-life had flooded back to me. Maybe I needed some sort of trigger to bring my memories back?

      Cooper’s shadow appeared under the door breaking me from my trance and I headed quickly to the bathroom.

      The tile was cool against my bare feet, so I sprinted across the floor stepping onto a rug near the vanity. As my feet warmed up, I glanced around the bathroom. Even without memories, I knew I had never been inside this room. The servants’ quarters had been strictly off limits, but I was more than surprised by the size of the room. I’d thought Ally’s bathroom was excessive, but this one made it seem miniature in comparison. The high ceilings magnified the size of both rooms and the adornments were simple, yet elegant. Paintings clung to the walls and each piece of furniture was intricately carved, making them decorative pieces themselves. To one side of the bathroom was a claw-foot tub enclosed by a curtain.

      Looking into the large mirror over the vanity I noticed that my soul form had mirrored my body exactly with one minor difference. The Prognatum favored the looks and otherworldliness of the Caeleste, something I never found in myself even after finding out I was one of them, but the reuniting of body and soul had brought back those similarities. Even though my brunette hair was disheveled from sleeping, it shone against the sunlight streaming in through the windows. I leaned on the chair in front of the vanity, bringing my face closer to the glass. My blue eyes were brighter and full of life, reminding me of Leha.

      My chest tightened and pinpricks touched the corners of my eyes. Before I knew it, the girl in the mirror was blurry and hot tears ran down my cheeks. In soul form I didn’t have all the functions that a human did, crying included. I had been devastated over Leha’s death but now that I was human again, with it came the rush of emotions. My shoulders shook as sobs caught in my throat, making it hard to breathe. I sank to the floor, my tears dropping onto the tiles in tiny puddles.

      Strong arms appeared under my arms and lifted me to my feet. Cooper’s gray eyes searched mine as he tightened his grip, pressing me against him. I buried my face into his shirt, feeling the vibration of the soothing sounds in his chest and felt his fingers comb through my hair while I cried. Each stroke unraveled the tight knot in my chest.

      Cooper murmured something against my hair and I was transported to the warehouse once more. The sadness that had crippled me slowly turned to burning hatred as I replayed Hannah taking Leha from me. My chest ached. I pushed away from Cooper, slightly embarrassed and swiped my hands over my cheeks, before mustering up a brave smile. “I should, um—” I pointed to the shower.

      His eyes narrowed as if judging my ability to make it there in one piece.

      In response, I went to the shower, leaned over the tub and turned the nozzle. When the water was warm against my hand, I glanced over my shoulder to find Cooper was gone.

      ***

      I took special care to wrap a towel and robe around me after I exited the shower in case Cooper surprised me again. Pressing a hand into the crook of my neck, I stretched. The pressure of the water had pounded the remaining tension out of my body. My limbs were light and the contrasting cool air outside the shower sent a shiver across my skin. I plucked a comb from the vanity and tilted my head to the side, sliding the teeth through the strands, pulling the roots of now luminous and shiny hair.

      A soul really did do a body good. Especially a Prognatum one. I remembered how lifeless this body looked in the freezer and now I was living in it. And I would for a long time. A lightness in my stomach sent waves of satisfaction through me. I never would have dreamed that I would have been human again, at least, not a human with all of my memories.

      Well, СКАЧАТЬ