Body and Soul (Body and Soul Trilogy) Read online

  The first year that Aaron purchased the flowers was the year that the family moved to Australia. The couple had been strained because Aaron had been unable to find a position at the local attorney’s office. The family had been living on Blaire’s meager salary; there was little to no money that could have gone toward a beautiful anniversary vacation, which was the norm among Kate’s parents, and Blaire had been feeling gloomy about it. However, Aaron had arrived at their small cottage with a bouquet of yellow and red roses, a map, and some string. That evening Blaire and Aaron planned out their anniversary vacations for the next few years, imagining what they would do when they reached each port or destination. The map now hung in a frame over Blaire and Aaron’s bed.

  Kate shook her head to clear her mind. There was no time to reminisce; the man inside needed Kate to help him with the plants that her mother purchased.

  “Excuse me,” she called. “Did you take the flowers with you? I don’t see where they are.”

  “They’re back here, Miss. I carried them back here since you were taking so long. I’ll be right back up there if you just want to wait,” he added, talking loudly enough this time so that Kate could hear him clearly.

  Kate waited in the kitchen for a couple minutes but grew impatient. The sun was waiting for her, and she wouldn’t allow it to wait so long. She assumed that the man was watering the ten arrangements her parents had in their bedroom and headed that way, deciding that it was better to meet him than wait.

  She walked into the room but the man wasn’t there. Instead, she saw the beautiful arrangements of lilacs and lavender; the purple of the flowers stood out against the aqua bedspread and ivory pillows. The dark wooden canopy bed dominated the room; the familiar, worn map hung above it, a symbol of hopes and dreams. This man was too big to hide in here without being seen, and Kate turned around, ready to wait outside for the big lug, when she bumped into him. His muscles were solid and very large, much larger than they appeared before. Kate imagined that he was scary if you angered him, and she felt a twinge of sadness for the person that would do such a thing.

  “Goodness,” she breathed. “You startled me for a second.”

  “I startled you?” he asked. His voice was laced with concern, but grew oddly serious when he made his next statement. “I meant to scare you.”

  Chapter 10

  Kate stumbled back into her parent’s bedroom, and inadvertently forced herself to sit down when the backs of her knees came in contact with the side of the bed. Was this man a demon? Why did he want to hurt her? Did he want to possess Kate? Then the worst question: Was this man an elder demon? These thoughts flew through Kate’s mind in a second. Her heart began pounding involuntarily, a hammer knocking against her chest. She clutched the ends of the blankets, pulling herself away from this monster, this demon. Why hadn’t she listened to Rico? He was, after all, much smarter than Kate when it came to this stuff.

  Kate’s thoughts centered on Rico, on how he saved her the night of the second attack. Had it really been three attacks already? She found herself whispering his name, begging him to come rescue her again.

  The man stepped forward, holding out his arms, his hands reaching for Kate. His callused hands were large; long fingernails protruded from the ends of thick fingers. Kate found herself shuddering, her lips quivering. The man sneered – an evil, yet excited, emotion.

  Kate’s mouth was dry; her pleas helplessly tumbled out in rapid whispers that she barely heard herself. She was crying, truly afraid for the first time in her life.

  The man ignored her fear and began reciting something:

  “I beg of you, my soul, to grant thy one request.

  Let thee share thou pleasure.

  Allow thee wishes met.

  Thou warmth concedes – blend fire and ice.

  Then give to thee, eternal life.”

  Kate stared at the man, shocked that he would attempt to possess her right now. It was broad daylight and there was a witness. She shuddered at the thought that the gardener didn’t know or care. Rico might have been wrong about the gardener, and fresh tears fell to the aqua blankets as Kate lost hope.

  Kate shook her head quickly, tearing herself from her thoughts, knowing that she needed to take some sort of action before it was too late. Now was not the time to break down; Kate had to fight her way out of this.

  The man was still walking toward Kate, his hands reaching for her face. Kate crawled backward, slowly, so that she didn’t tumble off the bed. She kept licking her lips, preparing herself for a shrill scream, hoping that someone would hear her. All the while, Kate’s eyes darted around the room, looking for anything that could be used as a weapon. There was nothing in this room except flowers and furniture. Kate cursed at her mother’s lousy attempt at decorating; at least Donovan had purchased something with stability and structure. Kate could never disarm a demon with a flower pot.

  When Kate reached the end of the bed, she pushed herself off so that she landed on her feet. She knew she was fast, probably faster than her attacker, and she glanced at the sliding glass door that led to the deck, hoping that it wasn’t locked. She glanced back at the man for a moment; he was crawling across the bed toward Kate. This was her only chance. She knew that it would take the man a moment or two longer to get off the bed. She knew that was all she needed to push open the door and dash outside.

  Kate counted to three, waiting until all four of the man’s limbs were touching the mattress. On three she ran, unlocking and pushing open the heavy door in one lithe movement. Her leg crossed the threshold, and Kate pushed harder.

  The man was faster than Kate. His strong hand grabbed Kate’s wrist before she made it completely outside. He pulled Kate back in, but this time she was kicking and screaming. She managed to shout Rico’s name more than once before the man pushed her onto the bed and smothered her with a pillow. She choked on the lack of oxygen, sure that she would pass out at any moment. Once again, Blaire was ruining Kate’s life; Blaire’s insistence to lock every door and window might save the family from people that tried to break in, but it hindered those that wanted to break out.

  The man began the incantation again. When he finished he placed his hands on either side of Kate’s face; his thumbs were placed firmly on her temples. He looked into her eyes and Kate noticed absently that his were a dull, muddy brown. She felt herself captivated by this man’s words, by his eyes, and drifted off into another dimension.

  Kate walked along the beach with Rico, his warm hand in hers. She saw herself surrounded by people that admired her, people that wanted to be her friends. She saw her mother and father next to her, the three of them riding bikes through a lightly wooded area. She saw the world crumbling in the flames of evil.

  “Kate. Kate, wake up. Come on, Kate. Kate!”

  Kate was jolted out of her vision. Rico was shaking her shoulders violently. He stood over her, blocking out the sun. Where was she?

  Kate sat up quickly. Stars spun around her head. Rico put his arm around her, supporting her as she stood up. She was at Adriana’s mansion again. How did she get there? Was that the sunset? What time was it?

  When Kate was balanced she felt Rico’s strong hands on her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. His own cobalt eyes were stormy.

  “Do you remember what happened, Kate?” he asked. His voice sounded concerned.

  Kate shook her head automatically but winced when pieces of the puzzle came back to her; she stopped for a moment then nodded.

  “Can you tell me exactly what happened?” he asked calmly, carefully.

  Kate nodded and began to tell him about the demon man that tricked her into walking into her house.

  “It’s worse than I thought,” Rico said, more to himself than to Kate. He sat back then and poured Kate a glass of sweet tea. She drank it quickly and he poured her some more. She could tell that he was thinking, mulling something over in his mind, so she left him alone as long as she could.

  “What happened?” Kate
asked him. She couldn’t hold her burning questions in any longer. She had to know.

  “I heard you screaming for me. I wasn’t far from your house, just up the street really, and heard you screaming. When I got there the demon was standing over you, saying the Rite for Control. He almost had it, but I walked in, breaking his focus. After that, I got rid of him and brought you here to recover.” He looked down then. “It was almost like you had given up your life to him willingly, Kate.”

  “I would never give my life up to him, or to any other demon,” she said angrily.

  “You weren’t fighting, though. I’ve seen possessions enough to know that people are capable of fighting. You didn’t.”

  Kate sat there for a moment, collecting her thoughts. Had she given up? Had she given herself over to the demon man?

  She felt Rico’s hand on her own, comforting her. He was looking at her, searching her face for emotions.

  “I don’t know why I didn’t fight,” she admitted. “When he put his hands on my face and started mumbling those words, I felt myself drifting away.”

  “He pulled you into an alternate reality?” Rico asked, incredulous. He sat up, pulling his hand away from Kate’s a little too quickly. It was almost as if he forgot it was there.

  Kate watched as Rico stood up and began pacing around the deck. The setting sun touched his raven hair and colors danced around his head like a halo. She watched his muscles flex as he moved, and thought about the image she had of the two of them walking along the beach together.

  “What dimension did he pull you in?” he asked. “What did you see when you were gone?” Then more to himself: “I knew you weren’t unconscious because you were exhausted. I knew it had to be something else but that didn’t even cross my mind. They must want you badly.”

  “I don’t really know what dimension it was,” Kate lied, embarrassed. “I just saw colors and stuff; there were no real images to focus on. I’m sorry,” she added.

  “That’s okay,” he said. He sat down then and ruffled his hair. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to figure out what they want with you if we have no clues, no clues at all. This is absolutely ridiculous. I can’t sit here and save you if I don’t know what they’re after. I don’t know where to start.”

  This time Kate leaned over to comfort him. She was too timid to grab his hand so she just placed her own on his shoulder. He lifted his head to look at her and smiled weakly.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “We’ll be able to start figuring it out soon.”

  “I hope you’re right,” he said, getting up again.

  Kate stared at him. Rico would grab her hand but then release it, almost as if he hadn’t realized he grabbed it in the first place. He would hold her face in his hands but then push her away when she tried to touch him. Boys were completely confusing. Did Rico like her or not? Kate blushed at the thought, afraid that Rico would be able to read her mind as easily as he did her emotions.

  As Kate watched Rico she let her conscience weigh in on her most recent decisions. She knew that it was wrong not to tell Rico about the end of the dream or the alternate reality showing her what she desired most. She didn’t want Rico, the hero, the good guy, to see her as a monster when she told him about the burning world. She didn’t want to admit that one of the things she wanted most was for them to hold hands for more than thirty seconds. Kate was afraid of how Rico would analyze the situations, the clues as he called them. What could he say about the burning world? He could say that she was sick for wanting it, that she was going to cause such a thing, that she was the catalyst. What could he say about the things she wanted most? He could say that she was pathetic, that he didn’t feel the same way about her, that he was just in this to protect her, and that he would disappear when it all ended. It was wrong of her to keep these to herself but she just couldn’t bring herself to admit any of this to Rico.

  Adriana stepped onto the deck a moment later, her long dark hair pulled up into a messy bun; flyaways framed her face, making her look both undone and gorgeous.

  “Well, I’m done cleaning up the mess. Your parents shouldn’t notice anything wrong in your house,” she said.

  “Thank you,” Kate said, suddenly realizing that was probably the reason why she was back at Adriana’s in the first place.

  “So, did you two figure out anything while I was gone?” Adriana probed. Her eyes landed on Rico who was still pacing the deck. “Rico, babe, you’ve got to calm down. We can’t figure it all out right now anyway.”

  “We know nothing more, Adriana. A strange demon tried to attack her, but Kate can’t remember a thing about being pulled into an alternate reality. She has no other clue to give us,” he said dejectedly.

  “Wait. Back up. Did you just mention an alternate reality?”

  “Yes. Remember how she was passed out when I brought her here and we thought it was just exhaustion? Well, she was floating around an alternate reality.”

  Adriana looked at Kate, perplexed. “You didn’t see anything while you were there? You were there for a couple hours, Kate.”

  Kate shook her head and looked directly into Adriana’s eyes. Wow, she was getting pretty good at this lying thing. “I told Rico that I only remember seeing colors. I didn’t see any actual images or anything.”

  Adriana looked at her skeptically then turned to Rico. “Look Rico, I’ve met some people that have traveled to alternate realities. They’ve all seen things. No one has ever mentioned seeing just colors.”

  “Kate has no reason to lie to us, Adriana. This thing is happening to her, not us. Why would she lie to us about something so important?”

  “Probably for the same reason that she didn’t finish telling you about the dream; she cares too much about what you think.”

  Rico turned around, his eyes fiery. “Stop, Adriana. I trust Kate. She wouldn’t lie about the images, and she’s going to tell us about the dream when she’s ready. I can’t force anything out of her. You can’t either,” he added, seeing the glint in Adriana’s eyes.

  Kate just stared at the two of them. Were they honestly going to argue about her, in front of her? She stood up, angry at Adriana for seeing through her, angry at herself for having broken the trust that she and Rico shared.

  “I’m going to go back home,” she said. “If you don’t mind, I would prefer further discussions about me to take place when I’m not around. It’s uncomfortable and I know you would want the same courtesy.” Kate stomped down the stairs, headed toward her home, half afraid of what she would find when she got there.

  Kate made it to the third house before Adriana caught up to her.

  “I don’t think you should sleep alone tonight,” she said. “It’s too dangerous.” She fell into step with Kate, her eyes searching Kate’s features.

  “I know you don’t trust me,” Kate said.

  “Of course, I don’t. But it doesn’t mean that I’m out. I’m still here to protect you, Kate. But you have to know that it’s not going to be easy if we can’t put the pieces together. Your own fate is in your hands right now. You need to decide what you want and what you plan on doing with the knowledge you’ve hidden from us. If you don’t want us to solve the puzzle for you, then you have to be willing to solve it to save yourself.”

  Kate looked over at Adriana. She understood what Adriana was saying, and she decided in that moment that she would be the one to figure all this out. She would find out what the demons wanted with her soul, what the burning world was about, and how she would save herself and the people she cared about.

  “So what do you plan on doing if I’m not sleeping alone?” she asked Adriana.

  “We’re having another sleepover, silly.”

  Chapter 11

  Kate’s parents loved Adriana. Then again, considering that Adriana was Kate’s first real girl friend, they had no one to compare her to. The four of them sat around the dinner table, talking about Adriana’s life here, fishing, and marine biology. Adriana knew a lot about t
he ocean and was able to contribute to the conversation.

  After dinner, the girls went upstairs to Kate’s bedroom, stopping along the way to peek inside Blaire and Aaron’s room. Adriana had been right about the house; everything was back in order, even the decorative pillows in Kate’s parents’ bedroom had been placed in the same way Blaire did each morning. Kate wasn’t surprised to see it that way; she knew that Rico and Adriana claimed that they were good at their jobs.

  When the girls first entered the room, Adriana moved about, checking the windows and walls. She pushed against the surfaces, making sure that everything was safe. When she finished she sat down on the bed and looked at Kate.

  “I think we need to have a spa and makeover night,” she said. “I’ve been dying to flat iron your hair ever since I met you. Don’t get me wrong, you have perfect bouncy curls that look great on your face shape. Have you ever seen yourself with straight hair though?”

  Kate shook her head.

  Adriana stood up and clapped her hands. “Excellent!” she exclaimed. “Let’s start with that. Then I can do your makeup afterward.”

  Adriana pushed Kate down into her vanity chair, and rushed to the window. She opened it quickly and whistled to Rico to toss up her supplies. She waved before closing the window. Kate spun back around to face the mirror, shaking her head at Adriana.

  “What?” Adriana asked. “You know you’re just as excited as I am.”

  Adriana set to work then, and Kate watched as she ran the flat iron down the length of her hair, forcing her curls to unwind themselves. Kate was shocked to see that her hair seemed to double in length when straight; it was almost longer than Adriana’s locks. Adriana finished and spun Kate around so fast that Kate didn’t have time to stare at her reflection. She pulled out pastel chalk and waved it in front of Kate’s face, a genuine smile of excitement on her own.