The Soul Healer

by Melissa Giorgio

  Tears flowed down my cheeks as I listened to his explanation. Why? Why had that happened? He had been trying to protect me, and Nina—that heartless traitor—how could she?

  “Did I heal him?” I whispered, knowing the answer without them having to say a word. Their saddened expressions said it all. I had failed Rafe this time. “But I healed someone!”

  “You really don’t remember?” Kain asked, not unkindly. “Your powers are something else, Gabiella.” He looked eager to study me, like I was some sort of science experiment, but was too polite to ask if he could. “I wish I could have seen you in action, healing Alexandra.”

  Alexandra? I had healed her? That, I didn’t remember. How had I gone from the fight in the lobby to the eighth floor?

  “Mrs. Chen took you to Alex,” Philip said, noticing my confusion. “She stopped you from healing Rafe and forced you to bring Alex out of her coma. And you did—bring Alex back, I mean. She’s walking and talking and it’s nothing short of a miracle, but because of that, Rafe…”

  I had never felt such an intense flash of hatred before in my life. It was worse than what I had felt toward Davenport, after he had taken my sister. Mrs. Chen had seen Rafe lying on the floor, dying, and she had ignored him for her own selfish desires. I hoped I never saw her again, because if I did, I might try to kill her.

  “She’s furious with her mum, once we explained what had happened,” Kain continued. “Said you should have been able to heal Rafe, not her. And she won’t even talk to Underwood for betraying Rafe like that. Seems like she finally came to her senses about him.” He sent a teasing grin in Philip’s direction. “Maybe now I’ll have a chance with her.”

  “Don’t be an idiot,” Philip mumbled, turning red. He cleared his throat a few times. “Besides, I thought you and Evan were okay now? You worked together to help Rafe.”

  Kain held up a finger. “That was a temporary truce. It’s already been broken. Haven’t you noticed how I keep stepping out when he comes in to check on Gabiella?”

  “Is he…okay?” I asked. Despite everything, he had still come to our aid and saved Rafe from being hit the first time. Sure, he had thrown me at the wall, but that seemed infinitely better than getting hit by that parasite spell.

  “He’s pretty upset about everything,” Philip admitted, “and keeps going from here to Rafe’s room. He’s blaming himself—”

  “Which he should,” Kain interrupted.

  “And seeing Rafe in that state is hitting him a lot harder than I think any of us realized it would.” Philip frowned. “I feel bad for him. I know I shouldn’t, since everything that happened is his fault, but I still do.”

  I did too, but I didn’t say anything, especially when Kain made a rude noise and rolled his eyes. Philip sat back in his chair, looking exhausted, and ran a hand through his short hair. Quietly, he began telling me everything I had missed after Mrs. Chen had grabbed me, from Kain breaking down his door, to their fight with Nina, to Charles’s appearance.

  “So, then my dad showed up and took care of Nina, and Kain and Evan used their magic to stop the parasite-thing inside of Rafe from killing him.”

  “You just completely glossed over the best parts of the story,” Kain complained. “And why are you pairing me with Underwood? I did most of the work!”

  “This isn’t a story, Kain, it’s real life!” Philip shook his head. “She wants to know what happened to her boyfriend, not hear about how heroic you were.” He looked mortified. “How heroic you thought you were, I mean. You weren’t. I mean, you did save Rafe, but—”

  I squeezed Philip’s hand, telling him with that gesture to shut up. He understood my meaning and snapped his mouth closed. Kain, meanwhile, was grinning like a cat who’d just cornered a mouse. “My, my, my. You thought I was heroic?”

  “I just told you I didn’t!”

  “I think you’re lying.”

  “Shut up!” Philip dropped my hand and stood, pushing his chair back with a loud screech. “Look, the point is, Rafe is okay, Gabi, but he’s really weak, body and soul. I know you probably want to rush to his room and try to heal him, but you can’t risk yourself like that. And there’s no point; he’s going to wake up on his own. Right?” He looked to Kain for confirmation and the other hunter nodded.

  “It was a tricky, evil spell, but like Philip said, I stopped it before it could do any further damage.” His eyes darkened. “A moment more, and it would have been too late.”

  “I still want to see him,” I said stubbornly. “Can’t you just shove me in a wheelchair and take me to his room?”

  “You need to rest—” Philip began.

  I yelled, “I want to see him!” And just like that, whatever energy I had managed to gather disappeared, leaving me utterly spent. I glared at Philip; it wasn’t his fault I was weak, but I needed to be angry at someone besides myself. “Please…”

  Philip pulled me into a hug, handling me carefully. “As soon as you’ve rested more, I’ll take you to him. Promise.” He pulled away, searching my face to see if I believed him. I managed a sort of nod, and that seemed to satisfy him. “I’m going to let the doctor know you woke up. Try and get some rest.”

  “Okay.” I was sad to see him leave the room. The sadness surprised me. When had Philip and I gotten so close? What would happen when I went home? Would I still see him?

  Something told me I would, and that thought banished some of the sadness that had welled up inside of me.

  Kain, surprisingly, had remained sitting, and I sent him a questioning look. “I’m certain you’re eager to go back to sleep,” he said. “Healing Alex must have been the hardest thing you’ve had to do yet.”

  I opened my mouth to reply, but I had nothing to say. Once again, I couldn’t remember any of it. I remembered going for Rafe, to heal him, and then, nothing. And now they were telling me Alexandra was awake. It was astonishing—I had done that. I had brought someone in a coma—someone who was never supposed to wake up—back to the land of the living. And I was still alive. According to Kain’s book, I should have died after doing something like that.

  Maybe what Nina had said was true. Maybe I was part demon.

  “Nina said…” I struggled to gather my strength to ask Kain what he thought, half-dreading his answer.

  “Are you asking about the demon blood allegedly inside of you?” Kain interrupted, saving me from having to waste any more energy. “You have to understand, the girl was clearly mental, so there probably wasn’t any truth to what she said.”

  “But what if—”

  “What if she’s right?” Kain smiled grimly. “You have four hunters willing to lay down their lives to protect you. You have nothing to fear. Demon or not, you’re still Gabiella, and everyone is going to work their hardest to ensure you and Rafe get the happy ending you deserve.” He paused. “Wow. I just said something pretty amazing right now, didn’t I?”

  “You just ruined it.”

  Kain chuckled. “That’s impossible.” He stood, stretching his arms high over his head. “I’ll let you get your beauty sleep, but don’t worry—we’ll be just outside your room, Philip and I, drinking copious amounts of horrid hospital coffee and playing games on our mobiles.”

  “I’m sure Phil loves that.” I said it sarcastically, but I bet Philip was having the time of his life. I mean, aside from Rafe almost dying and me passing out with a concussion.

  Kain paused at the door. I was surprised to see him wearing an uncertain expression. Kain was always so confident; a look like that didn’t belong on his handsome face. “Does… Does Philip ever speak of me?”

  Well sure, I could have said, continuing to be sarcastic and playing off Philip’s feelings for Kain like they didn’t exist. He talks about how annoying you are all the time. But I wasn’t an idiot, and I didn’t feel like being cruel. I knew exactly what Kain meant by his seemingly innocent question, which is why I said, “If you hurt him—”

  “No.” That one word was spoken with such emph
asis that I knew Kain, for once, was being serious. “I would never.”

  “Then…” I hesitated. Philip would kill me if he heard what I was about to say. But you know what? Life was way too short and complicated, and Philip was being a stupid fool, wasting his time thinking Kain wasn’t interested when he clearly was. “Yeah, he does. A lot.”

  Kain smiled, pleased. “Thank you. And sweet dreams, Gabiella. You just paid off the favor you owed me.”

  The door clicked shut quietly behind him and I closed my eyes, welcoming the sleep that came almost instantly.

  Chapter Forty-seven

  The next time I opened my eyes, the room was dark, save for a single lamp to my left. I struggled into a sitting position, cursing my stupid, weak body. Last time, when I had healed Evan, it had taken a day for me to recover, but something told me bringing Alexandra back had taken a much higher toll on my body. There was no way any sane doctor would let me leave if I couldn’t even muster the energy to pick up my hand, let alone get out of bed and walk around. It was ironic, actually. I had gone from being a prisoner, trapped at HQ, to a prisoner, stuck in a hospital bed.

  How many days can I stay here before Dad realizes his eldest daughter is MIA? Would the others help me? Kain had said they were all willing to protect me, but did that extend to my personal life as well? Considering Charles had dragged me away in the first place, I couldn’t imagine him caring if I was about to be grounded for the rest of my life. It would be easier for him to keep tabs on me, if the only places I were allowed to go to were school and my bedroom.

  “You’re awake,” a voice said, scaring the crap out of me. I swiveled my head to the right to see Charles sitting in the seat Philip had occupied last time I had been awake. Oh, crap. Had I somehow summoned him with my thoughts? If that were the case, then maybe I should start chanting “Go away” in my mind or something. I managed to lean my body over the side of the bed, peering around for a bedpan—preferably full—I could chuck at his head, but besides a pair of slippers, the floor was empty.

  “Easy, Gabi,” Philip said, stepping forward from the shadows. He maneuvered himself around his father’s chair and helped me back up before I toppled over the side of the bed.

  As he fluffed up my pillows, I hissed, “What is he doing here?”

  “He wants to talk to you,” Philip said. Finishing with the pillows, he then proceeded to busy himself with my blankets. I resisted the urge to rip them out of his hands and demand that he stop fidgeting; it was making me nervous. “He has something you need to hear.”

  “And you think he’s telling you the truth?” It was kind of amusing, talking about Charles as if he wasn’t in the room with us. “Why? After everything he did—”

  “Gabi.” Philip placed his hands atop of mine. “I would never, ever leave you alone with someone I thought could hurt you. I—” He glanced over his shoulder at his dad. Straightening his shoulders, Philip faced me again, his brown eyes filled with resolve. “He knows he made mistakes, and he’s trying to atone for them now. He said he wants to protect you, and I believe him. You can trust him.”

  It couldn’t be as easy as that. “But—”

  “Just listen to him. For your sake and… For Rafe’s, too.” He leaned closer. “Please?” The last word was a whisper, a plea, and I found myself nodding, despite my misgivings. It was hard to say no to him, especially when he brought up Rafe. Philip let out a sigh of relief. “I’ll be right outside the room. I’m going to keep the door open, so call me if you need me to come back in, okay?”

  I nodded. “All right.” I watched him leave and wondered why he couldn’t just stay.

  Charles settled back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. He looked comfortable, while I was so nervous to be alone in the same room as him that I was ready to crawl out of my skin and start screaming. “I’m not here to hurt you, Gabi.” Charles paused. “May I call you that?”

  I shrugged. “Sure, whatever.” I hoped he didn’t think me allowing him to refer to me by a nickname meant we were buddies now. “So, why are you here?” Rude, but I didn’t care.

  “I wanted to talk with you, to explain my absence from HQ when—” Charles looked away, his face tightening with anger. “When everything happened.”

  “You mean Nina going crazy and stabbing my boyfriend with her hot pink laser spell?” I focused on the fury brewing inside of me; it helped me forget my uneasiness over being alone with Charles. I hoped Charles could hear my anger with every word I spat his way. “Or Mrs. Chen forcing me to heal her daughter instead of my dying boyfriend? Did he wake up yet?” So much for anger. My voice shook as I asked him that, both scared and desperate for his answer.

  “Not yet,” Charles said. He even sounded sorry when he said that, like he truly cared about Rafe, but I didn’t buy that for a minute. “It’s only been a day since the two of you were brought here. He needs to rest more.”

  “I want to see him.”

  He nodded. “I understand that, but I wish to speak with you first. Like Philip said, what I have to say involves Rafe, and what you told me about his parents.”

  Charles’s words hung in the air between us like bait, and I chomped on them, hook, line, and sinker. “What do you mean?”

  “You recall I said I would return to you with food?” Charles asked.

  “Yeah, and you didn’t, and Charlotte decided to make a snack out of me instead.”

  “Charlotte?” Charles appeared confused, but I did nothing to clarify things for him. “Do you mean the demon?” Still I said nothing, and he let out an exasperated sigh. “I didn’t realize you named them. That’s rather morbid.”

  “Seriously?” I asked. “You live in a building that has an autopsy room. With dead demons galore all spread out on tables, waiting to be chopped up. Don’t talk to me about being morbid.” A thought occurred to me. “How did it get into HQ, anyway?”

  “We’re still looking into it,” he said. By “we” I assumed he meant other senior members of Silver Moon. Aww, did they have to cancel their holiday plans and come back to New York? Excuse me while I don’t cry. “But it’s safe to assume Nina let it in.”

  “Why would she do that—” I stopped myself. “Oh. Right. She’s crazy.” I wondered how she had found the demon and lured it to HQ—was that something a hunter could do easily?

  “I believe she hoped the demon would kill you, and she could chalk it up to a bizarre accident.”

  “She’s a bizarre accident,” I muttered. “Where is she, anyway? Not that I care.”

  Charles’s face betrayed no emotion when he said, “She’s been taken care of.”

  My eyes widened. Taken care of? Did he mean permanently? Was Nina dead?

  Did I care?

  Considering the way my heart had squeezed painfully at his declaration, then yeah, I did care. Not for the girl who had went crazy and tried to kill Rafe, but for the one I had thought I had known. The one that was my friend. That’s the one I mourned, even if she was a lie. Even if she had never existed.

  Charles continued with his story. “I decided to do some research, to see if the madness Davenport had spouted had any validity to it.”

  “About Silver Moon killing Rafe’s parents?” I still thought Charles had killed them, but I kept that opinion to myself. For now. I wanted to see what he had discovered first before pissing him off.

  He nodded. “I left HQ and contacted a few of my retired trusted colleagues, senior members of Silver Moon, if you will, to ask them what they knew about that incident, and I discovered something very disturbing.” Charles blew out a shuddering breath and clenched his hands into fists. He’s angry, I realized. Not at me, but at what he had found out. My heart began racing, and the stupid machine next to me followed suit with its annoying beeps. I was very close to ripping the wires out of my arm, just to shut it up so I could fully concentrate on what Charles was about to say.

  “Matthew Davenport was correct, in a way,” Charles told me. “The stakeout, the nest,
the demon sent to the room they were occupying—it was all a test for Rafe. A test gone horribly wrong, which the people who orchestrated it—including the former New York director—quickly tried to cover up.”

  I almost fell off the bed again. Holy crap—what? Davenport, a giant, raving lunatic, had been telling the truth? Or was Charles lying to me, to save his own skin? I peered at him closely. His face remained calm, but his eyes were burning with fury. And it was impossible not to notice how his fists were shaking.

  “Why would they do that?” I asked, my mouth dry. “Did they—Did they want to kill Rafe?”

  He locked gazes with me. “I think so.”

  “But why?” I threw my hands in the air, wishing I could throw something larger and heavier instead. “Why would they want to kill one of their own?” Charles said nothing as a horrible thought occurred to me. “Is it because he doesn’t have the Sight? Did they think he was inferior? Is Silver Moon that pretentious and idiotic?” I was shouting, and I half-expected Philip to come rushing into the room to see what the problem was, but he didn’t. Probably because his dad already told him this stuff. He knew I’d react this way—I mean, who wouldn’t?

  “I think that’s exactly why,” he said quietly. “Gabi, Rafe was—is, if he’ll still allow me—my godson. Him not possessing the Sight never made any difference to me, or Rosa, or Liam. Rafe worked harder than anyone, was better than anyone, and that bothered the others. They wanted him out of Silver Moon. They claimed he was a liability, that he would miss a demon and one of their sons or daughters would pay the price. Liam refused, of course, and I stood by his side. It was such silly reasoning. Why would you banish one of the best fighters from the organization?” Charles looked down at his hands in surprise, like he hadn’t realized he had been squeezing them so tightly. He uncurled his fingers, shaking them out before continuing. “After Rafe proved himself, time and again, things got better. Yes, the others teased him, but that’s what children do, isn’t it? Rafe never let it get to him; he wasn’t like Philip, who launched himself into the fray, breaking someone’s nose for insulting him.” Weirdly enough, Charles actually looked proud when he talked about his son breaking noses. “We thought, foolishly, that Rafe had won the opposition over.”