LITMIR.BIZ

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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

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