Soul Keepers (Editing) #Wattys2020

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Sometimes he thought he trained her too well, she was one of the only people who could sneak up on him or shield her mind when she wanted to.

"Where are you going?" asked Kit softly.

"To keep my promise."

"So what's the plan," wondered Drake, standing calmly against a wall. "You go in kill everyone and if they happen to kill you in the process of it all nobdy gives a fuck right?"

"Sounds about right."

"Well then if that's your half-assed plan I'm coming with you."

"No. This isn't a negotiation Drake."

"I wasn't asking for you fucking permission. I'm coming with you, so you can skip the arguing?"

"Drake's right,"started Kate, her eyes were red and swollen, her voice thick from her crying.

"I don't need your help."

"Oh get over yourself, " the was an edge of anger in Kate's voice. "Don't make the mistake of thinking that you were the only one here who cared about Millie. We all promised her that we were going to stop Micah and that is just exactly what we intend to do."

He stood in the middle of the town and broadcasted his memories of Millie calling one person in particular. The one person whom he hated more than anything in this world.

He felt it when Micah came behind him, his eyes red with riotous anger,  but Theo never changed his posture. In fact he kept his mask of indifference.

"You," he accused. "You took her from me."

"She was never yours," he surmised as he continued pushing the images of Millie at Micah.

"Stop!" he roared clutching his fingers over his ears his fingers tugging hard at his own hair. "Stop! She was mine!"

Theo grinned and it was nasty. "She was mine."

****

Millie woke in a place that was made of white light. Shapes of things were recognizable but it was all very blurry. A figure slowly walked toward her.

"Isabel?" Millie asked confused. "What's going on? Where am I? What am I doing here?"

A soft smile touched her serene face, her skin luminous.  "I'm holding you here."

"And where exactly is here?"

Isabel started walking down the stone path and Millie followed wondering how she knew where she was going. "We call it The Fade. It is where those who have died but are unable to move on remain. There are few of us left who can walk here, it is a rare Talent, one thought long lost."

Millie stood looking at her, still very much confused. "Okay. So what exactly am I doing here? I thought that the poison was going to kill me. That I was going to die. You said so yourself."

"You are essentially dead." Isabel turned away, her lips holding a small sad smile. "I am not so cruel as to rip you from everything, from everyone in your life, when youve only just now discovered that life. There are few things that we Immortals have done without, like the love of another. It is a rare gift that most of us have had to do without. Once the poison had spread and it destroyed your physical body your Spirit sought refuge here. Your bond with Micah has been broken, but there is another bond. One that is yet anchoring you to this world."

Millies fingers crept up to her Mating Mark. She looked at her shoulder, just making out the curling ends of her mark.

"You are the Mate of an Ancient, Millie. That is not a bond so easily broken. Even by death."