One Soul Book Two

Chapter Two

Harlee POV

“I don’t understand.”  I said softly.  They’d had to go get a newspaper to prove to me the cellphone they’d shown me hadn’t had the date changed somehow.  Nor the laptop.  I’d lost the last few years of my life.  They were just gone.  Completely wiped.  Missing.  It was terrifying to have this hole in my memory.  It was the only thing keeping me from crying.  That, and the one called Sands.  Whenever he was near me I just felt.. At peace.  I couldn’t explain it.  He was currently rubbing a thumb across the back of my hand.  It was soothing, but also slightly irritating.  The motion stopped, and he ran a hand through his light hair.  His hair was almost silver, it was so blond.  I sort of wanted to touch it.  I blushed and looked away.  All three of the people who’d been taking care of me were unreasonably attractive.  Even if they did look exhausted.  I was terrified at first, after all, a solitary girl waking up in a houseful of men, or people with male genitalia..  Well, rape had definitely been one of the first things to occur to me.  But none of them had made an untoward move.  Even the one who was supposedly the other parent of the child within me, had never done more than gentle caresses and chaste kisses.  There were looks and playful teasings, and oh how that one flirted!  But they had been nothing but kind..  It’s just that sometimes they looked at me like I was a meal, and they were starved.  I shivered.

The three had shown me a few pictures, there weren’t many, to prove who they were.  They mostly centered on me, a small boy who I’d learned was my son named Cael, and whoever happened to be close enough to be caught within the frame, which surprisingly, it seemed as though I was always surrounded by one or more of them.    Sometimes there were distortions in the photographs around us all, lots of discolored eyes and things like that.

When they’d brought the little boy in to see me, he’d cried when I didn’t recognize.  It broke something in me and I held him until he fell asleep, even though he was quite big and a little heavy and my stomach got in my way.  I still rocked him like an infant, which seemed to settle him down as if I’d answered some secret question he had when he’d tried placing his little hands on my face and staring into my eyes, as if the poor little thing could will me to remember.  As he’d stared at me, I’d reached out a hand and bushed his little caramel cheek.

“My eyes..”  I’d said softly, and that was when he’d burst into tears.  I knew he was mine then though.  I had recognized it somewhere primal, in my bones, I just didn’t know him, which made me sad.

They were keeping me on bedrest, but the first time I’d asked to get up to use the restroom, I’d nearly fainted.  I’d lost a lot of weight, my stomach jutted out crazily and I had tattoos!  When did that happen?  I fingered the one along my jaw and felt a shock.  I heard a howl that wasn’t mine echoing inside and outside my head and clutched my forehead in pain.  I kept hearing things in my head like this.  I thought it was an after effect of my accident.  Whatever the Hell that was.  All I knew was I’d been told my pregnancy was now at risk and I’d lost my memory and a lot of blood.  I scoffed.  Hell of a non-answer.  I pulled my shirt up to look at my stomach.  There were scars dotted across the swell of my abdomen, and I wondered if they had something to do with the elusive ‘accident’.  Apparently, my plug was missing, and I’d miscarried a twin.  That information was hard-won.  I had to sneak around to overhear it.  It made me stick to the bed more frequently, fearful I’d lose the other child.  I had a few other scars I didn’t remember also.  One in my side, my shoulder, another tattoo on my collarbone.  That one was a pretty flower.  It had bloomed, but the petals were falling off, down the skin below my collarbone.  I wondered why I’d chosen that, it seemed sad.  And I wondered what the heck the one on my jaw was supposed to be.

“It was once Polaris.  The North Star, and surrounding constellations.”  The one named Ash informed me from the doorway.  I tugged my shirt back down quickly.  I knew we’d obviously had s*x, apparently the child was theirs, but I coudn’t remember it.  Ash was leaning against the doorframe, staring at me with I think the right pronoun was ‘their’ arms crossed.  “Yes, their is fine.”  Ash seemed amused.  Had I been speaking out loud?  Ash moved into the bathroom and cupped my cheek, rotating my face to look at my jaw more closely.  Their hands were cool, long fingered, the nails painted black.  But what happened to the green sparkles?  The inane thought hit me.  Ash sighed.

“Though what it is now, you’d have to talk to Zeev.  If you could talk to Zeev.”  Ash muttered.  They leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.  I froze, the contact unexpected, but also somehow sweet.  It stirred something inside me.  A memory, itching at my mind, but it was gone as soon as I tried to grab it.  Ash’s face was still very close to mine and their scent, a smell I had begun to associate with Fall and pumpkin pie, was washing over me.  And there was that look again.  That hunger.  For a moment, I thought Ash would push me onto the bathroom sink and have their way with me.  Part of me was kind of excited about that idea.  Ash sighed and withdrew.  I stopped myself from pouting.

“Come on Harlee, you shouldn’t be on your feet too long.  Your pregnancy is still very high risk and only gets worse as it gets nearer your due date.”  Ash tugged me gently back towards the bedroom beyond the bathroom door.  I let them lead me and sat when instructed.  Ash had me scoot back, then swung my feet up for me and lowered my torso to the huge bed, looking longingly at the large expanse beside me.  I had the distinct impression Ash was starved for physical attention, and to tell the truth I could really use a bit of comfort myself.  My chest ached and I felt.. Empty.  Half hollow in a way I couldn’t explain.  As Ash turned to leave I caught their hand.

“Ash, would you.. I mean.. Could you hold me?”  My voice came out almost whiney and I bit my bottom lip, not daring to look at Ash in case I was rejected.  Ash made a choked sound and then I felt the bed depress near my feet and behind me as they crawled up the bed.  They laid down and wrapped their arm around my ribs, tugging me to their slight dancer’s-build body.  I shivered slightly.  If I let myself, I could almost remember this touch.  The cool skin, the long, thin fingers, the teeth as they sank into my shoulder.  I jerked away from Ash quickly, turning to look at them.  Ash still had their arm extended, a confused and hurt look on their face.

“Harlee?  Are you ok?”  Ash asked carefully and slowly.

“I.. um.. Had a stupid feeling.”  I laughed nervously.  “I’m sorry.”  I scooted closer, heart still hammering.  I was being ridiculous.  Right?  Those teeth-they would have been more like fangs.  There was no way!  Miy mind started making stupid conclusions.  Hot guy, emo, thin, pale, cold, fangs.. I stared wide-eyed.

“I’m not a vampire Harlee.  I’m not going to bite you.”  Ash scolded.  I laughed nervously.

“N-no, of course not.”  I stammered.  What even was going through my head right now?  Whether it was to comfort me or themselves, Ash wrapped a sheet around me and pulled me back into their arms.  I commanded my muscles to relax, and took several deep breaths while Ash rubbed my back.  I had a flash of Ash and someone else doing something similar when my stomach was much larger.  My brow furrowed, trying to capture the memory, but it slipped away and I slipped into dreamland.

Zeev POV

“I need her!  I need her!”  I howled.  They wouldn’t let me out of the cage because she doesn’t remember anything about us.  Angels, Demons, her life.  My Harlee’s gone.  But her soul is still mine, and it calls to its other half desperately, clawing at the inside of my chest, trying to escape, ripping and shredding my Demon’s Heart as it tries to tear its way out of me.  I’ve taken to trying to help it escape from the outside, clawing at my own skin, trying to expose it, so it can escape.  Maybe then my torment will cease.  Maybe then, I can find my peace.

“Zeev-stop!  You’re hurting Harlee!”  Ash had suddenly screamed.  It had taken all three of them to subdue me.

“Your soul creates a Bond, remember?”  Sam growled.  “What happens to one, happens to the other?”

“Then why do I have all my memories still?  Why does my Heart ache?”  I screamed as they tied me down to keep me from tearing into my chest anymore.  I was just going to let Harlee’s soul free..

Harlee POV

I’m burning up, feverish.  There are bandages on my chest, and puckered, healing skin underneath them.  What did I do?  Scratch myself in my sleep?   I sighed and struggled from the bed, hobbling towards the bathroom to survey the damage.

“..no, she doesn’t know we’re Demons and Angels.  If we take her down there while she’s like that..”  Ash was saying urgently.

“She’s going to know soon enough.”  Sam’s low grumble echoed through the room.  I had met them all, but Sam still scared me a little bit.  “How much longer can you keep that Incubus child satisfied in your state?”

“As long as it takes.”  Ash growled back.  A literal growling sound.  I flinched and saw Ash’s back stiffen.

“And there are the Bonds to think about-especially between you, Harlee and Zeev-”  Sands’ soft voice was speaking, but Ash shushed him, looking over their shoulder at the bedroom door I was now peeking out of.

“She’s awake.”  Ash murmured.  I jerked back inside the room, breathing hard.  What the Hell was going on around here?  I rubbed my stomach.  Did they mean the baby when they said the Incubus child?  What was that, some kind of sick joke?  And why did it offend me so much?

“Calm down Harlee, these people have done nothing but dote on you from the moment you woke up.  They’ve shown you the title to the house.  It’s in your name.  You could call the cops.  Or just leave..”  I was talking to myself, pacing back and forth in the bedroom when the cramping in my lower abdomen started, reaching around into my lower back.  I bit back a cry, this was why they’d all been trying to keep me calm and in the bed.  I sat on the edge of the bed, breathing deeply, trying not to sob as I leaned back, attempting to ease the ache.

“Harlee?  Are you ok?”  Ash asked, knocking as they opened the door.  I looked at them with tears in my eyes.

“No.”  I whispered and Ash’s eyes widened.

“Sands!  Sam!  In here, now!”  Ash yelled as I whimpered.