Dead Girl in Love (7 page)

So how long should I stay here doing nothing except staring at graves?

I glanced around one more time, wishing for inspiration, but there was nothing for me to do. Except leave.

When the gate clanged behind me and I returned to my car, I saw another car parked there, too. There was no one inside, so whoever was visiting graves must have gone on a different path. I liked imagining this unknown person paying solemn respects to an ancestor; that even the graves with fading names on their tombstones were still alive in the hearts of those left behind.

Cheered by this thought, I slipped back into the driver’s seat. The engine sputtered a few times, then started right up. Good old Junkmobile, I thought, giving it a fond pat on the dashboard.

Keeping my foot on the brake, I waited for a slow-moving hay truck to pass and wondered what to do now. It was still early, and I should get something accomplished. But what? I could return to Dustin’s for matchmaking plans. Except I got sick thinking about going out with Kyle and Zachary and wasn’t sure what scared me more—a guy who might have beat up his girlfriend or one who was sure to bore me to death. Anyway, Dustin probably would be at his protest by now, so I couldn’t go there even if I wanted to.

What I really wanted to do was go to my real home. A strong yearning grabbed hold of my heart and I could almost feel the car pull in that direction as I backed out of the graveled parking lot.

But if I saw my family, I’d never have the courage to leave again.

So it was back to Alyce’s house. But I wasn’t in a hurry to get there, so instead of heading back to the freeway, I opted for the long country route and made a left turn onto the main road. I could use the extra time to figure out a plan.

It was odd to be so close to a busy freeway yet isolated, with a panorama of crop fields stretching endlessly around me. An uneasy feeling struck me for no logical reason, and I shivered with a strong sense of wrongness.

Slowing, I looked around to make sure I wasn’t being followed. But the road was deserted. Maybe I was going the wrong direction again—that could explain my bad feeling. Yet when I double-checked my map it showed I was going the right way.

So why did my heart thump with anxiety?

It had something to do with a smell, I realized. A sea-breeze scent wafted inside the car, so briny that I tasted salt on my lips. Yet there was no logical way I could smell the ocean, which was over a hundred miles away.

Panic stole my breath. I could hardly breathe. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew enough to listen to my intuition. Right now it was screaming,
Get the hell out of the car!

I spotted a small country store ahead and sped up, eager to be around other people. Inside the store, I’d be safe and everything would be fine.

But before I made it halfway there, a hand clamped down on my shoulder.

“Keep driving,” a familiar masculine voice ordered.

Too shocked to utter a sound, I looked in the rearview mirror, already knowing the face I’d see.

Gabe was back.

Questions tumbled like sharp rocks in my mind. How had he found me? The last time he’d seen me, I’d been in the body of Eli’s sister, Sharayah. Now I looked like Alyce. Yet Gabe looked the same. If he was trying to elude the Dark Disposal Team, he should have switched bodies—since he didn’t have to stay in the same body, why not steal into a new identity that no one would recognize? Even though he wasn’t born into the face that loomed in my rearview mirror, there was a ruthless determination in his gaze that I recognized … and feared.

The brim of his navy blue cap rose above his dark-gold stubble; a strong jaw and hazel eyes stormy with intensity locked with mine in the mirror. I could have kicked myself for not checking the back seat before getting in the car. That was one of the first things I’d learned from my book on
The Savvy Girl’s Guide to Self-Defense.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded.

“I had to see you … Amber.”

He knew who I really was!

I could hardly speak with his Dark Lifer hand on my shoulder, tingling with a heat that drained my energy and made it hard to focus on the road. Chaotic thoughts raced in my head. It really was Gabe! I hadn’t imagined him below my window last night. How had he found me? What did he plan to do? Was he angry because I’d sent the Dark Disposal Team after him? Obviously they hadn’t caught him, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t hold a grudge and want revenge.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” I managed to say, struggling to hide my fear. “The Dark Disposal Team will find you.”

Gabe’s hand sizzled as he pressed hard against my shoulder. “I never worry about the DDT. Keep driving.”

“Where?”

“My usual destination—nowhere,” he added with a bitter laugh.

“I can’t just keep driving.”

“So pull in somewhere we can talk.”

“Talk?” I asked in a breathless whisper.

“You’re not in any danger from me, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I wasn’t,” I lied.

“Good, because I’d never hurt you. I’ve been thinking about you since we parted on the boat. It’s great to see you again.”

I wanted to snipe back that it was hell to see him again, that his nearness and energy-sucking touch drained me. But it took all my strength to keep driving.

“Am I scaring you? Sorry, that’s not my intention. It’s just I couldn’t find any other way to get you alone. So I followed you.”

“Stalked,” I spat out in a furious whisper.

“It was necessary so we could talk.”

Times like this, a girl could really use an eject button to fling an unwanted passenger out of the car. It was hard to think straight, especially with the white lines on the road wavering like wiggling snakes. Fields and trees and paved road blurring, I drifted away, fading like smoke …

“Watch out!!” Gabe released my shoulder as he lunged over the seat to steady the wheel.

“I can drive just fine!” Without his heated touch, I could think more clearly. “Keep your poisonous hands off me.”

“Sorry—I forgot how my touch affects a Temp Lifer.” He sucked in a deep breath, then blew it out and leaned away from me. “I promise I won’t touch you unless you want me to.”

Like that would ever happen—
not.

I kept my gaze on the road and spoke coolly, “What’s this all about?”

“You have every reason to hate me, and I don’t blame you. I simply want to talk.”

“So talk.”

“Not in a moving car. Find somewhere to stop—choose a public place if that will make you feel safer. You can trust me.”

Trust him? Never. But I was all for going to a public place where I could yell for help. I thought fast, knowing that his Dark Lifer touch was as deadly to me as a loaded gun. Playing along with him seemed like the best idea for now—until I could sneak to my GEM and report him to the Dark Deposal Team.

“I’ll pull over in that park.” We’d driven into a suburban area with large homes that practically bumped into each other. There was no space left for yards, but it offered a few acres of lawn and shade trees in a community park.

He didn’t argue, so I took that as acceptance.

I was relieved to see little children swinging and whooshing down a slide while parents sat nearby on benches. If Gabe pulled anything, a shrill scream would activate the mother-warrior instinct and playground moms would punch 911 on their cell phones.

As I pulled into a parking spot between two SUVs, I kept a hand poised on the door handle, debating on whether I should give into my curiosity and listen to him or try to escape.

But Gabe must have guessed what I was thinking because before the car even came to a complete stop, he sprang from the passenger seat, coming around to my side to open my door. With a sweeping gesture, he said, “Allow me.”

I didn’t thank him.

I pocketed Alyce’s car keys and stepped out of the car.

“This way, please,” he said, with such gentlemanly charm that anyone listening would think we were on a date.

Now that I could see him better, his body was still hot looking: long, muscular legs in snug blue jeans; a dark-blond ponytail; and a golden tan that I knew was sprayed on to hide the Dark Lifer grayness of his hands. He had a subtle style, too, which seemed modern at first—jeans, a button-down shirt over a T-shirt. But a closer look revealed that the large silver watch he wore was obviously an antique and his boots were heavy leather, more suited for sailing than hanging out at a mall.

“What’s this about?” I insisted, facing him with my hands on my hips.

“It’s complicated.” He pointed beyond the playground to a rose garden. “Let’s go over there.”

“Why?” I demanded. “Because it’s remote and deserted?”

“No, because flowers are beautiful—I’ve always been a great admirer of beauty.” He gave me a significant look.

I felt myself blushing and had to remind myself that I was talking to the enemy. “So why go to all this trouble to talk to me?”

“Would you have met with me otherwise?”

“No.”

“My point exactly.” He moved slowly and I fell into step beside him, walking down a worn dirt path between rows of brilliant blooming and budded roses. “Aren’t you going to ask how I found you?”

“Why bother? You’ll eventually tell me.”

He chuckled. “You’re right, of course, but then I expected no less from you. You’re unlike any girl I’ve ever met.”

“Nice line, but it won’t work on me. I know your history of leading girls on, then breaking their hearts. I know better than to believe anything you say.”

“Aren’t you curious why I still wear this body?”

Well, duh. Of course I was, but I wasn’t about to admit it to him. With a shrug, I stepped ahead of him over a green hose stretched across a dirt path between the roses. Inhaling soft flowery scents mingled with damp earth, I pretended nonchalance as I reached out to brush my fingertip across a lavender petal.

“Who can resist a rose?” he said with a wry twist of his lips. “As D. H. Lawrence said,
I am here myself; as though this heave of effort at starting other life, fulfilled my own: Rose-leaves that whirl in colour round a core of seed-specks kindled lately and softly blown
.”

“I have no idea what that means.”

“It’s about appreciation and living life to its fullest.” He sighed. “But no matter how many lives I live, I’ll never regain my own.”

He spoke in a voice raw with emotion; the dark hopelessness in his eyes made me feel as if I was staring into his soul. I could imagine his endless cycle—stealing a body every moon, decades passing in a whirl of wars and technology. Yet he’d chosen to live as an outcast.

“I should have already moved on. I need to find a suitable host to inhabit before the full moon next week.” He stared wistfully at the roses. “But I wasn’t ready yet.”

“Why not?” I asked quietly.

“Because of you.”

“Oh, please. You don’t even know me,” I pointed out. “Most of the time we were together, you thought I was someone else.”

“Appearances mean little. It’s your soul essence that sparked emotions in me I thought were long dead—curiosity, interest, and a longing to see you again. I stayed in this body so you’d know me when we met again.”

“That’s a dumb move. Aren’t you afraid the DD Team will find you?” I thought of Monkey Bag tossed casually on the floor of Alyce’s car, with the GEM zipped inside. All I had to do was get to the car, open the book, and report him to the DD Team.

“You were worth the risk,” he said simply.

“That’s crazy.”

“No crazier than discovering you’re a Temp Lifer—only one of the intriguing things about you. And the way you stood up to me, fearless. I’ve thought of nothing else but finding you since we last met.”

Had that only been a few days ago? I could hardly believe so little time had passed since the drama on his boat, where he’d barely escaped the Dark Disposal Team.

“You should never have found me,” I told him. “It’s my duty to turn you in again and I will, if I get the chance.”

“I know … and I find it strangely exciting. You probably have a GEM in the car. If you want to report me, go ahead. I won’t stop you.”

“Why not?” I asked suspiciously.

He arched a dark brow, studying me. “Perhaps I have more trust in your good nature than you have in my bad nature.”

“Doubtful.”

“Would you really turn me in?”

“Yes.”

“Then do it. Your car’s not far away.”

I turned to look at the car, then back at Gabe. I couldn’t figure out what sort of game he was playing. Was he trying to con me into believing he was a friend? I wasn’t that naive. Still, he could have hurt me and hadn’t … yet.

“First tell me why you’re here,” I said.

“Curious?” He smiled, amused.

“I’ll listen to what you have to say before turning you in.”

“Ah, being fair-minded. I’m grateful.”

“You’re mocking me,” I accused, irritated by his smug smirk. “You may not respect Temp Lifers but I do, and it’s important to me to do a good job.”

“It was important to me too … once upon a time.” His face tensed into hard lines, but otherwise he showed no expression. He just stood there, surrounded by blooms of new life which seemed like an ironic background for someone who stole lives and should have died naturally decades ago. I should have run to the car and grabbed my GEM. But I stood still, too.

“Aren’t you afraid of being captured?” I asked.

“The DD Team has been trying for over a century with no success,” he said wryly. “The only way they’ll catch me is if I let them.”

“They came close on the boat.”

“I was gone before they even touched Earth. I have powers far beyond the average Dark Lifer. Most of them think the only way to gain energy is to steal glowing light from someone who has recently contacted the other side. But powers mean little to me anymore. This existence is meaningless and boring.” His shoulders slumped and he stared down at his hands. “I’m tired of always running, only living borrowed lives. That’s why I’ve decided to change … if you’ll help me.”

“Why me? We’re not exactly friends! You threw me in the ocean and then tied me up with duct tape.”

“That’s all in the past.”

“Only a few days!” I argued.

“Mark Twain said,
Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.
” He gestured to a small lavender rose bush that was past its bloom and hung heavy with withered pedals. “A purple flower represents forgiveness. I’d offer you a bouquet if you’d accept it.”

“Are you trying to apologize?”

“If I was, would you accept?”

“No. I doubt you went to all the trouble to track me down just to say you’re sorry.”

“It wasn’t that difficult to find you.” We turned down a row of miniature roses, most still full with buds and ready to bloom. I had to hurry to keep up with his long-legged stride. “Once I’ve met someone, I know not only their face but also their unique aura, which is like a soul fingerprint. When I found the imposter in your body, I knew she wasn’t you.”