My Soul Laid Bare: Book 4 (The Soul Keeper Series) (2 page)

My body slumps with defeat. Part of me wishes Nehemiah could steal the memory of that night, just the one from my mind. Maybe then I could look at Sam like the kind gentle man he really is. Maybe then I could trust him again. I quickly shake the idea from my head; the thought of Nehemiah anywhere near my precious memories has me running in the opposite direction.

“I'm not as strong as you think I am… not this time Elijah.”

What happened to the Elijah that wasn't afraid to just take what he wanted? He scans me trying to decipher the right thing to say, no doubt. I appear to be doing the same to him. Neither of us says anything, and my shoulders slump slightly as my gaze rolls to the floor.

He notices and pulls me into one of his comforting embraces. “Get dressed. We're going for a walk.” He squeezes me once more and leaves me. I stand there dumbfounded that he just told me, not asked, what to do.
There’s the man I know.

I head back to my room, and the sight of my warm cozy bed is inviting. I hesitate a moment before fishing an oversized sweatshirt out of the closet and pulling on a pair of jeans. I slip my feet into a pair of faux-fur lined boots and pull a cap over my head.
“Go for a walk,” I mutter to myself. It's thirty degrees out, and the air is damp enough to be mistaken for gazpacho, making it feel like Antarctica in a freak snow storm.

I find Elijah at the bar
in the kitchen. His eyes light up when he sees me round the corner. He takes my hand and kisses me on the cheek. I eye the grey sky as if it has the potential to turn me into a Popsicle in seconds.

“
I'll keep you warm. Don't worry.”

He helps me into my coat and holds the back door open. The beach…? That will be even colder. He takes my hand up and leads me down to the shore. Heat radiates from his hand and up my arm, and I wonder how he is doing that.

“Do you want to end things with him?”

“
I don't know. I'm scared, but he doesn't know that. He has no clue what he did to me.”

“
You told him the truth once before.”

“
We're too far gone for the truth, Elijah.”

“
You're probably right; he'd have you committed.”

“
Let's just make it through this week. It's something I am going to have to work out in my own head.”

“
The pier is open today for the New Year’s Day celebration.” He points to a carnival in the distance.

Every year Sandbridge has fireworks on New Year’s Eve over the water. The next day, they put on a carnival and a formal dance. It's a small affair designed to bring some tourist back to town in the off season.

“If I can get rid of Sam tonight, do you want to go to the dance?”

“
That depends. How do you plan on disposing of the boyfriend?”

He laughs,
“Already getting your sense of humor back, I see. I promise. It will be painless.”

His eyes light up at the possibility of another date, and I nod in his direction. Elijah pulls out his wallet and buys a roll of tickets for the carnival along with two tickets to the dance. The fair grounds are already beginning to fill. I think the whole town must have shown up. I've never been to any town event before, so I only recognize a few people, mostly my grandmother's friends.

“Have you ever been on the Ferris wheel?” I ask.

“
No, do you want to go?”

“
Come on. It's fun.” I tug his hand toward the ride. We make our way through the crowd of people dressed in every bit of winter clothing they own. Elijah pays the operator, and we sit side by side in a bright red car. The lap bar goes down, but his arms secure around me insuring I’m not going anywhere. We only rise up a few feet to allow the boarding of the next passenger, and I’m afraid this ride is not as impressive as I made it out to be. Maybe I should have stuck us on the Zipper, AKA the Stomach Flipper, instead.

Elijah and I finally sit perched atop the Atlantic. For someone who can fly around on his own accord, I'm sure this is less than amusing. While I gaze out over the boundless ocean, Elijah's gaze never leaves my face. When I finally
turn to him, he melts into me. He puts a hand behind each ear to keep me still as he brings his lips to mine like a lighthouse guiding home a stray ship. The wheel makes a full revolution before we come up for air.

That night Elijah tells Sam that I'm still not ready to see him
yet. Sam agrees to crash at the home of one of his old swim team buddy's. He feels guilty just thinking he got drunk on my birthday. I imagine how dark he'd be if he knew the real truth.

I have no idea what to wear tonight on what feels like the first real date in public with Elijah. I emerge from the bathroom with my hair done up in a messy but elegant side bun of sorts. I comb through my closet and find my lack of evening wear to be a real problem. I doubt I'll see anyone from school down here, but with my luck, I will.

“How about something like… this?” Elijah says with a hanger wagging from his index finger. A beautiful antique gold dress sparkles under the light as if it had flecks of diamonds in it. It's short and strapless with a fluffy organza skirt.

“
I love it. How do you have such good taste in fashion? And how...” I trail off finally remembering I'm only wearing a towel, and he is looking as sexy as I've ever seen him in an Armani navy blue suite, perfectly tailored to his body. His face is clean shaven, and his hair shines under a layer of product. Elijah is as polished as a diamond. Forget the dress. I'm ready to drop the towel. I blush just thinking about it. For a brief moment, I imagine the look that would spread over his features, the way he would explore me with his eyes.

And we're waiting, we're waiting,
my subconscious sings obnoxiously.

“
I saw you eyeing it on page forty two of your prom magazine last year. So I picked it up for you,” he says like it was nothing. My head ticks back.

“
That's cool, but did Cartier deliver my diamonds yet?” I tease, but secretly wonder to what extent he and the other Keepers can fabricate things out of thin air. When I met him, he drove a cool classic Mustang. Elena brought me home a Porsche that could buy half of this house. He raises his brow and holds out his hand over mine. His eyes are lit up with inner light reminiscent of ancient blue glacier. They twinkle like he’s got a secret he can’t keep.  I open my palm, and a sparkling necklace pools in my hand. An emerald tear drop encased in a wreath of diamonds hangs from the delicate gold chain. His dimples are firing like they’re about to launch rockets from their deep wells. It makes my stomach cinch, and I try hard to keep it together and not bounce on him like a lioness grabbing a quick meal.

“
It's so pretty.” He takes it from my hand and puts it on my neck. His feather soft touch sends waves of butterflies swirling around inside of me. He lands a kiss on my neck, and it increases the flutters tenfold. I give a soft sigh. Elijah waits outside my door while I change. When I open my door, he comes around and takes me all in.

“
You are stunning. Your beauty outshines every precious gem, because your heart is made of pure gold.”

“
Thank you.”

We enter the small ball room of the only place in town that has one, the old McNally mansion. I've heard about this place, but I've never been inside. The place was taken over by the socialites of Sandbridge. They restored the Civil War
era estate to its original glory. A beautiful chandelier dripping with crystals hangs high in the center of the room. White paneled walls sit under gold damask wallpaper, making the place feel even more luxurious.

“
Can I get you a glass of wine?”

“
Please.” Elijah pulls out the chair from a nearby table. Each table holds eight guests, and the place is already almost packed. I don't see a single face in the crowd that I recognize, but I only care about one person tonight anyway. Elijah returns with two glasses of wine, and I recognize the taste on the first sip. It's the wine he gave me the night of the party. It’s the only time I've ever been remotely drunk. The feeling has held no appeal to me after that night.

“
Can I have this dance?” He stands and holds out his hand. The other people at the table gush over what a gentleman he is and tell me I'd better hang on to him. I feel a pang of guilt for running Sam out of town tonight, and I try to push it to the back of my mind.

The band is playing Sinatra's
“The Way you Look Tonight,” with a man who sounds remarkably like the original singer, crooning over the microphone. Elijah's hand slides over my back and guides me around the floor. He fills my ear with whispers of sweet things the entire night. I feel lost in a fairy tale and fear any minute something will go completely wrong. It's my luck. Nothing is ever this perfect for me.

But Elijah keeps telling me how much he loves me in one hundred different ways. Eventually, I let the ominous feelings melt away and embrace the pure joy I'm feeling right now. After the last song of the night, Elijah and I escape to the grounds to explore. He takes his coat and places it over my shoulders. The grass is thick and soft, and my heels sink into the dirt. Elijah picks me up and carries me to the small gazebo still lit with twinkling Christmas lights. The landscaping is all neatly manicured without being too
eccentric. Sprawling live oak trees are strewn with thousands of lights, dotting the lavish lawn like stars in the night sky.

He slowly sets me down, but stays pressed against my body. It's gorgeous here; the perfect setting for the perfect date. His hands cup my cheek warming my cool skin. He brushes his lips over mine softly at first and then deeper until I'm lost right along with him. His tongue sweeps inside doing its best to drive me insane. I'm stuck inside a dream, a fairytale I never want to wake
up from. How does he always have such perfect control? I want to strip him down right here under the starry sky and show the moon she should revolve around his glorious body instead.

“
Brennen,” he says after I evict an involuntary moan from deep within his chest. “You make me never want to let you go.” His voice comes out low and sultry, and I know the depth of his words is true.  I'd shackle our bodies together just to never have to be away from him again.

Then the trickle begins. Something dark,
something unholy, downright evil is coming for us. I can feel it on the brink. Deep down I know Malphas is out there, planning with expert care how he'll take us down. He'll be the poisoned apple, and more likely, I'll take the first bite without knowing. Death will follow swiftly after, and not even true love's kiss will wake me from this nightmare.

It feels good to be back in my dorm. It's funny how much I had longed for that break, and now I wish I'd never left. Who knew so much could change in the course of a week? Elijah carries my bag up the stairs to my room and sets it on the end of my bed. His cashmere covered arms emit heat like a furnace as they wrap around my waist. I melt into him and run my hands up his sculpted back. He releases a sigh, and I wonder what it would be like to have him sighing like that in other lust driven ways. 

Lexi must not have made it back from Colorado yet. It feels good to be in Elijah's arms and all alone. We're so close. I can feel his heart thudding next to mine, playing out some wild African beat just for me. I'd give anything for a simple love, just him and me, no impossible destiny, no demons hunting us, just Elijah's perfect love raining down over me like hurricane.  It would be the perfect storm of attraction and heat; blanketed with a love so deep we could never reach the top.

“So Sam wants to get settled in, and then take me to dinner to celebrate his first night here. I have to keep him away from Lexi. If word gets out that she knows Jesson, Elena and Inara, I'm going to have some serious splaining to do Lucy. She already thinks Inara left a few months ago because she couldn't handle the pressure.”

“
Actually it was easier to just wipe them out of her memories altogether. When she comes back, all she will know is that your former roommates dropped out of school, and now you can have separate rooms.”

“
You shouldn't play around with people’s minds so much,” I say searching his eyes for a glint of guilt behind them.

He dips his brow low and ticks his head back as if he can't believe I would mind.
“We only do it when we have to protect our secret, and there is absolutely no other way.”

“
Reminds me of the flashy thing on Men in Black. Hmm, let me guess…we're all aliens, right?” I reduce my eyes to slits hoping he'll confirm the theory.

“
Always trying to decode the universe,” he gives a soft chuckle. “So do you think you're ready for a date with Sam?”

“
No, I'm dreading it.”

“
Call him and cancel. Spend the night wrapped in my arms. I'm much better company.” His dimple flashes as if he's trying hard not to unleash the gorgeous smile my way. He knows it’s my weakness, and he'll use it if he absolutely has to.

“
I don't know how you managed to keep him away from me for nearly a week in the first place. Besides, it's his turn to woo me. Maybe going to dinner at a public place is just the buffer we need so I can get over this attack.”