Immortal Souls (The Immortal Souls: Magic & Chaos)

Chapter 18

Jamie felt a surge of Power shoot through his body, momentarily paralysing him and causing him to fall to the floor. He instinctually closed his eyes against the pain, and tried as best he could to pull his strength together so he could push himself to his feet.

"What did you do that for?" he heard a man ask. Jamie felt his body tense at the sound of another person's voice. When he had come into the library he hadn't seen anyone, or felt anyone's presence. The entire place had seemed deserted. It's why, when he saw the open door, he'd gone through it, hoping he'd find Sam.

But he didn't fully understand what he'd found.

He heard light footsteps approach him. "He saw me use Magic," Sam said. Magic, he thought, but, that's impossible. "I have to wipe his memory."

"You don't have to Sam," the man said. "You could just explain everything to him, and then you'd have another ally."

Sam placed her hands on either side of Jamie's head. Warmth radiated from her fingertips and seeped through his skin, causing his body to relax at her touch. "Another ally who will just be killed," she replied. Her voice seemed cold and detached.

"Do whatever you want." The man sighed and mumbled, "You always do."

Something pushed inside his head. A Power stronger than anything he'd ever sensed before moved within his mind. Searching through his memories with alarming ease. Jamie tried to build walls in his mind, in an attempt to shield himself, but his efforts were futile. Whatever was within his head pushed through his defences before he had even finished creating them.

It searched through his memories.

More specifically, his memories of the past fifteen minutes.

He felt the memories being pulled from his mind and he didn't fight it. Instead he put all of his energy into staying perfectly still, unsure as to what he would, or could do to help himself out of this situation.

Was it Sam who was doing this?

He couldn't believe that it was.

Last night he had spent hours looking at her, watching her, observing her. And although he was unable to sense her presence and was unable to enter her mind, she still registered as human. She looked human and she acted human and he was sure she wasn't a Vampire. So what else could she be?

After a few moments of Sam attempting to remove his memories, he felt new pictures being formed inside his mind. Images replacing those that had just been stolen from him.

He saw himself enter the library and walk over to the desk where Sam was sitting, reading a book different to the one she had been reading yesterday. He'd struck up a conversation with her, in which he'd suggested that they spend some time together. She declined. He pushed. She told him she wasn't interested. He'd been offended. They argued. She told him to leave.

The scene repeated in his head again and again until it was burned onto his memory as if it belonged.

He felt Sam take her hands off him. And for a moment he just lay there, his cheek pressed against the cold marble floor, fully aware of what had just happened and knowing that Sam had to have been the one responsible for it. But not understanding how she was capable of doing something like that.

<Get up> he heard Sam's voice in his head. Another thing which he knew she shouldn't be capable of doing.

Jamie paused for a moment, before he complied with her command, not sure what else he could do.

He pushed himself off the floor, and stood facing Sam who was standing behind the desk in the exact same place she had been when he'd first hit the floor.

She folded her arms across her chest. He looked at her, his head tilted slightly in confusion. She was in the exact same place. It made him wonder if he had imagined everything that had just happened.

"You should leave," Sam said, her tone completely neutral, not giving any insight into her emotions or thoughts.

For a moment Jamie just stood there staring at her. She looked human. Everything about her looked human.

Though everything about him seemed human too, and he wasn't. And she worked the night shift, so perhaps . . .

He felt his hand rise slightly as he reached out towards her. He stopped himself before he touched her, remembering how she had attempted to manipulate him into believing she didn't want him anywhere near her.

Sam watched him steadily, her eyes not leaving his for even a moment. Her lips were set in a harsh line, indicative of her anger, contradicting the feeling he saw in her eyes. Which were filled with an immense sadness and held a strange familiarity. One which he was still unable to place. He didn't know how, but he knew those eyes.

Jamie let his arm fall to his side. Then, turning sharply, he walked out of the library. Deciding to give Sam exactly what she wished for.

For now at least.