Soul Betrayed - Katlyn Duncan

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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, some of them.

      I ventured out into the bedroom. Cooper stood by the window, looking lost in thought. He lifted his head as the door knob lightly bumped the wall, but his gaze was still far away. Shaking his head, he ushered me to a closet. I opened the two doors revealing an extensive collection of dresses. I reached out to touch the soft fabric, one or two hazy memories surfacing as I picked through them. These were my clothes.

      Maybe Cooper had been right and it would just take a little time for me to remember, especially if I had items from my past to remind me.

      “Do we have anything less…formal?” I inquired, sifting through the seemingly never-ending supply of dresses.

      Cooper smirked. “I figured you wouldn’t be happy with Sophia’s choices.” He walked toward the bed and kneeled beside it, momentarily disappearing. I walked to the bed just as he stood up holding a suitcase that he placed on the bed and unzipped, revealing a set of more modern clothes.

      “Ally had a little too much fun shopping for you.”

      Reaching into the case, our fingers brushed and I pulled my hand away as he stepped back, allowing me to see the clothes. As I picked through them, the touch of his fingers still lingered on my skin.

      I lifted a pair of jeans from the case, sizing them up against my body. Underneath were several pairs of underwear. I threw the jeans back onto the case and spun around, my face flushing.

      “I’ll give you some privacy,” Cooper muttered and disappeared.

      I stared at the empty space next to me. With my new status and body I wouldn’t have access to a soul’s quick transportation method, at least not until my transformation. I was reduced to human status, which was a weakness, especially if I was to somehow infiltrate the Shadowed. Wiggling my fingers, I tested the power within me but it was silent. I assumed that was all part of the human package.

      Picking through the underwear and bras that Ally had chosen for me, I piled the robe and towel onto the bed and slipped on the least lacy underwear that I could find.

      “Thanks for that, Ally,” I mumbled. I’d definitely have to do my own shopping from now on. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a fitted tank top I went to the standing mirror near the bathroom and inspected my outfit.

      Not bad for a new human.

      For a century I’d only worn the white Soul Collecting outfit and more recently the black Guard uniform. I’d tried on Ally’s clothes only a few times on our last mission but it was different to wear something that actually fit.

      With thoughts of the mission, a bubble of regret and sadness resurfaced, threatening to drown me again. I swallowed it down, bringing forth another rumble in my stomach. It was time for food. As I made my way to the door, I remembered Ally’s housekeeper, Marie, and her cooking. I hoped she and Henry were safe, wherever they were.

      I opened the door and Cooper came to stand beside me. My gaze flitted to a painting on the wall behind him. It depicted a horse riding through a forest. Another sudden barrage of memories struck me and I fell against Cooper, too distracted to worry about how embarrassed I felt.

      Memories of Gemma and I playing in these halls when we were kids flooded my vision. My mind filled with memories of my sister and me along with shorter memories of the staff members catching us in their sacred space.

      “Are you okay?” Cooper asked.

      I nodded, grinning widely. “I remembered a few more things.” I pointed. “Gemma and I knocked over that painting once and it was an intense ten minutes getting it back on the wall before someone saw.” I clasped my hands over my mouth, laughing at my memory of our clumsy fingers grappling with the frame.

      Cooper chuckled. “Anything else?” I nodded, but nothing important to the mission.

      As we wandered the halls, my legs regained their proper strength, but Cooper held me tight against him, mumbling something about not wanting me to fall again.

      I glanced up and the corner of his mouth twitched. “Let’s just get you downstairs in one piece.”

      “Okay,” I said, my heart picking up an extra beat at our proximity. The only time Cooper had ever touched me while I was human was through Ally. It seemed that all my senses had been heightened after I returned to my own body. Or maybe I just needed to get a grip! Cooper was a loyal friend and protector, I had to focus on the mission and not the way his eyes mirrored what confusing sensations I felt inside.

      Each step was easier as the memories slowed down. “Gemma and I. We used to play here.” I smiled. “Away from our parents.”

      I could almost see a younger Gemma skipping down the hall as if she were a superimposed memory against the backdrop of the present. Suddenly I couldn’t help but smile, until I remembered my theory on bringing my memories back.

      “Jackson,” I choked on the name of my betrayer and I felt Cooper stiffen. “He gave me a small wooden owl when I was inside Ally. It had been a gift in my human life. It showed me a memory of when we first met.” Cooper didn’t know the real reason why I went to see Jackson one of the nights I was inside Ally. The night I realized I’d done something horrible in my past. “I need a trigger to recall my memories. When I saw you for the first time after waking up I remembered the After.”

      Cooper listened, even though I noticed the clenching and unclenching of his jaw. He’d despised Jackson for a long time and had just started to trust him, as I had. “That’s something to bring up with Sophia.”

      I nodded. We walked silently down

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