Soul Snatcher

by annie nadine

  “I need to say thank you, Annie,” he said, emotion thick in his voice. This brought her out of her pain for a moment and she concentrated her attention on him. He looked to her with almost a longing in his eyes. “You saved my life. No one has ever touched my heart like you have and I know that you may not feel the same for me…but I will always love you.”

  The words came out as if they were lyrics to a beautiful song that was missing a tune. If there was a tune then it felt like it would be a solemn one because he was right, she never would love him like that.

  “Micah, you would have done the same for me.” She avoided having to reject him again. A little bit of the light left his eyes when she did not return his feelings, though he knew she wouldn’t.

  “I know your heart belonged to Baden,” Micah said his name coldly. “And though he is gone, your heart is still with him but there are some things you must know about him.”

  Annie’s heart started beating terribly fast. She wasn’t sure if her palms were sweating because of the fever or because of her nerves. She knew that whatever she was about to hear was going to hurt, regardless of whether Baden was still alive or not. She looked at Micah waiting for words she knew would break her heart.

  “I met Baden when he had first been turned,” he started. Annie was surprised by this and it showed on her face. “I would venture with him in the night trying to show him a better way to live.” She didn’t know why but she was angry that he had known Baden before her. “But he was bent on creating havoc. He had been wronged by someone he thought he could trust and he gave up hope for the human race. He…” Micah paused, like he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

  “What?” Annie asked anxiously.

  “I do not know if I should continue,” he said looking away as if to contemplate what to say next.

  “Please, I want to hear,” she asked, feeling desperate to know. He looked back to her and saw that he should not have started in the first place but found it useless refusing now.

  “He was easily angered. Any person that reminded him of the one who betrayed him, he killed. Any person that became a hindrance or irritated him enough, he killed.” Each time Micah said the word killed felt like another dagger through her. “It was almost as if Baden received a sick pleasure from hurting them. He felt it was ridding the world of another useless human.” Micah found it hard to recount the story. It was as if he were expurgating the account.

  “Micah, what are you not saying?” She wondered how there could be more to it. He took a moment to decide on the right wording.

  “Annie, I do not want to hurt you. I only say this because you need to know, so you can move on,” he said with a hint of sorrow in his voice. She waited nervously for whatever it was that he was going to say. “He has stolen a soul before,” Micah said and then there was silence.

  The words took a moment to sink in but when they did they made her feel sick. The symptoms of the fever seemed to erupt within her and she wanted him to leave. Perspiration started to cover her body and the aches that were dull before were now sharp and noticeable, particularly the one around her heart.

  “Well, he was a soul snatcher,” Annie reasoned weakly, trying not to care but failing. She didn’t realise she could have offended Micah. He wasn’t offended at all though, only concerned for how she felt.

  “I know you hurt for him but knowing that he never really loved you will make it easier for you to move forward,” Micah opined and it almost sounded liked he got satisfaction from being able to bring Baden down. Hearing the words from someone else made them feel more real.

  He never really loved you. Somehow it didn’t make her angry or bitter, it just made her feel hollow and sad and so close to dishevelling that she desperately needed to be alone.

  “Thank you for your visit, Micah but I am feeling rather drained. Would you mind if we cut our visit short?” Annie’s voice was a little strained but she held herself together better than she thought she would. Leaning over, he took her hand and kissed it as if to apologise for being the bearer of bad news. Then he stood to leave.

  “Do not fret, Annie. You will love again,” he assured her. She half smiled at his attempt to comfort her and however realistic his words may have been they didn’t stop the pain in her soul that threatened to consume her.

  “Goodnight, Micah,” she said. He knew he had hurt her but he only did it to help her move past loving a heartless snatcher.

  When the door was closed after his exit tears loomed in Annie’s eyes but she pushed them back. She refused to cry over someone that did not love her. No, she would not cry for someone who would not cry over her. Before she could defeat the internal battle raging inside her there was another knock at the door.

  “Yes?” She asked brusquely. Eli came in with a ready smile that she was not in the mood for.

  “How are you feeling?” He asked as he approached her. She ignored the fact that her skin was burning up but inside she felt ice cold to the bone. She overlooked the fact that she had a splitting headache and was struggling to breathe. Her heart hurt too much to notice any of that.

  “Eli, I am sorry if I sound ungrateful or harsh in any way but I would very much appreciate having some time to myself.” The words put together sounded like he had an option but it was obvious that he didn’t. He spoke from where he stood across the room.

  “Annie, you need to be watched,” he argued.

  “Please!” She almost yelled the word. She felt like she couldn’t hold back the hurt that was barging against the unstable wall she had built to keep it all in.

  Eli waited for a moment but saw the seriousness in her eyes. Without another word he left and shut the door behind him. She would usually feel uncomfortable with the fact that she just hurt someone’s feelings but at the moment her empathy was clouded by her own sadness.

  Still she did not cry. She laid down under the covers and fell into a fever filled sleep, one that would find her no rest from the tormenting pestilence of a broken heart.

  CHAPTER 24

  Baden quietly snuck into Annie’s room that night. It was the first time since she had been hurt that she was left alone. He had no intention to wake her, just to see her would be enough. He closed the window silently so she wouldn’t be chilled by the night air but he left the curtains open because he loved the way she looked with the night sky flooding in. The moon was full and cast a blue light that rested on the room. He stood by the bed watching her and he couldn’t help but smile to himself as he did.

  After a time he was about to leave, he had granted himself only a glance but after seeing her he found it hard to go. Giving in, he crept over to the seat near her bed and sat next to her. Being near her gave him a peace that he was only starting to realise came from loving someone. From loving Annie.

  Before too long she started tossing and turning. She was restless from the fever but mostly from Micah’s words. She felt herself going in and out of sleep, not really sure which moments were a dream and which were reality. Or were they all just nightmares?

  Baden remained perfectly still so as not to disturb her any further. He had not planned to touch her but he heard her wound rip slightly from her movements. She sat up in pain, which caused her developing scar to rip further from her abrupt movement. Baden was at her side in an instant and held her gently by her arms to stop her from doing any more damage. Her mind was blurry and she found it hard to make sense of anything because of the fever.

  “Eli?” She said through the night, her voice husky as if she had been crying. Baden waited a moment before he answered.

  “You have hurt yourself,” he whispered. He glanced around the room and found fresh dressings, cloths and a bowl of water on her bedside table.

  “You sound just like him,” she said hazily, struggling to flutter her eyes open. He quickly decided his course of action and went to work.

  “Like who?” He asked as he sat behind her and carefully rested her against him. He moved her so her back was ag
ainst his chest as he leaned against the headboard of the bed, with his legs either side of her. He would be able to easily reach the dressings and hold her so she could not move too much.

  “You sound like Baden,” she said painfully. He paused for a moment then looked down to her face. Her eyes were closed as she slumped against him in what seemed like defeat. He ever so carefully slipped her arm out of the sleeve of her nightgown and placed the extra material under her arm, so that only the skin of her shoulder was bare. He made sure she was covered by the blankets as much as she could be.

  The vicious stab marks looked strange against her soft, delicate skin. He gently stroked the unmarked skin of her shoulder with his thumb because he couldn’t help himself. He had been outside when he heard what went on in the library but there was nothing he could do to stop it. He pushed the memory out of his mind and reached for a cloth nearby. He dipped it in the water and slowly dabbed it against her skin. It was cold and he regretted that there was nothing that could be done about it. A single line of blood trailed down her shoulder to her chest and he carefully wiped it away.

  Annie breathed deep from the shock of the cold against her chest and Baden waited a moment before he placed it directly on her wound again. When he put it against the swollen mess she gasped a little and fidgeted for a moment before settling. When she seemed calm he reached for another cloth to clean the back of her shoulder.

  “It hurt less,” she mumbled to him.

  “What did?” He asked softly as he dabbed the exit point of the wound. She winced a little from the sting of the water but seemed to be accustomed to the chill.

  “Being stabbed hurt less than him not loving me,” she said breathlessly. The tears that she refused to cry before stubbornly broke through and silently trickled down her cheeks. Baden froze and peered down to her face. Her eyes were still closed but the tears ran down her neck and mixed with the new line of blood on her chest.

  He quickly reached over and grabbed another cloth. He carefully wiped her face with more care than if he were holding a priceless gem. He used the tips of his fingers under her chin to lift it slightly so he could wipe her neck clean. Before he realised, his own tears had started and it all felt like a mess of blood, pain and tears.

  “How do you know he does not love you?” He asked and it felt as if his heart was slowly tearing apart from knowing that she was so hurt. That she didn’t know he loved her.

  “He has stolen a soul before so why would I be different?” Her tears came in earnest now and she moved to try and rest more comfortably against Baden, who she drowsily thought was Eli.

  But no matter how much Annie moved it did not change the sadness she felt. With all the care and gentleness within him, Baden pulled her a little closer and finished wiping her clean. He had to manage with hindered vision because of his own tears, which he was not used to. He carefully wrapped her shoulder and slipped her arm back into her dress. She moved onto her side that was unharmed and nestled into him.

  “Annie,” Baden whispered.

  “Do you know what the worst part of it is?” Her voice was smaller than a whisper from her heartache but he could still hear her. His tears prohibited his response so he tenderly brushed her hair away from her face, waiting for her to speak. “I had never loved someone before him and I do not think I will love another.” Her words squeezed around his heart in a painful way. He was elated that she felt that way about him but it hurt him to know that she thought he didn’t love her.

  “Annie,” he whispered again but he didn’t have a chance to say anything else.

  “But even if he were alive he would only try to steal my soul. Even knowing that and though he is gone, I still love him. Why?” Her voice was thick with pain and her tears were seeping through his shirt. He silently cried along with her in the room caressed by the soft, blue glow of the moon. He took a shuddering breath in and composed himself enough to say a few small words.

  “Annie, Baden loves you.” He paused a moment before he went on. “You have become something that he can no longer live without. It breaks him to know that you hurt like this and he would give anything for you to have the joy you deserve,” he said as he stroked her hair.

  “He has killed. He hates…everything. Humans are nothing to him,” she said fearfully. “What is he?” She asked. The fever made it easy to forget about the barriers she had built and distracted her enough so she did not realise she was talking to Baden.

  And because of Annie he felt sorrow for the people he had killed, for the families he had torn apart and the lives he ruined. For the love that he had stolen without thought. He had never once questioned his actions and he had always walked away so easily but now he felt the guilt weigh him down as the one he loved questioned the goodness in him. And he felt ashamed.

  “He is a man…” he whispered. He wished that the words were true but he knew they weren’t because he was not a man, he was a monster. He swallowed back his remorse so he could speak. “…who stole so much from so many and now has the burden of that pain because he has learned how to love,” he said through his tears. “And now he has to live, knowing that he has disappointed the only one he has ever loved,” he finished quietly.

  “I wish he were here. If feels like I want it so intensely that he might come back,” she cried. “I did not mean to kill him.” He pulled her closer against him as gently as he could and comforted her with his touch. “I know I should not say this but I would take the chance of losing my soul just to see him again. Just so I could know if he truly loved me,” she confessed, keeping her eyes closed to avoid the throbbing in her head from becoming too much.

  “Do not say that, Annie.” He worried that she wanted to willingly risk her soul. She shouldn’t want to at all, not for him or for anyone and it made him realise what he had to do. What he was about to say next was a painful truth that he would have to accept but because he loved her he would. “You keep your soul for someone who has earned it…” He swallowed hard against the tears. “…and Baden has not.”

  Though it hurt to do so, Annie leaned her head back so she could look into his face. He held his breath as she looked up at him but it was too dark for her to recognise who it was. The selfish part of him wanted her to realise it was him but she closed her eyes once again because it hurt too much to keep them open. The new, selfless part of him, the Annie part of him, was relieved when she closed her eyes again. He knew it was for the best that she thought he was gone forever.

  His face twisted in pain as he held back the sob that tried to escape him. He knew this was goodbye. He had to let her go so she would want someone that couldn’t hurt her. He held her feverishly warm cheek in his hand and placed a kiss on her forehead. His tears were a constant stream down his perfect face.

  “Do not go,” she said fearing that she was missing something. That she was losing something she didn’t realise she had. He looked into her face and even though her eyes were closed and her face was pale from pain, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

  “I love you, Annie,” he whispered then he kissed her lips with all the love in him. His kiss was gentle and sweet and he held back his passion, knowing that it would hurt her delicate, wounded frame.

  Before he was ready he hesitantly broke the kiss, moved off the bed and laid Annie back down. When she was as comfortable as she could be, he stepped away from her and just watched her for the rest of the night.

  “I Love you,” Baden whispered one last time as the sun peeked over the trees that surrounded the manor and rested on her face as she slept.

  Just one last look, then he was gone.

  CHAPTER 25

  One very cold and lonely night Micah walked through the trees towards Annie’s room. When he had just reached the edge of the woods he stopped when he heard someone come out of hiding. Without turning around he knew it was Baden.

  “Where do you intend on going?” Baden asked with anger in his voice. Micah turned around and faced him without
saying a word. Baden folded his arms, leaned against a tree and just looked at him. He had no intention of letting Micah get near Annie.

  “It does not concern you where I am headed.” Micah said trying to scare him but Baden could sense he was hesitant. Micah may have been older and more practiced but Baden was stronger.

  “I will say this only once and then I will do what is necessary,” Baden warned, waiting until he felt that Micah was concentrating before he continued. “You will not be entering Annie’s room tonight or any other time during your existence,” he threatened.

  Micah knew he had to leave. If it really came down to it he would lose. He clenched his jaw to try and contain his anger then started back in the direction he came from. Before he went too far he stopped when he was next to Baden. Micah turned to him but Baden didn’t bother to look at him, he kept his eyes on Annie’s room.

  “You cannot watch her every moment, Baden. She is not yours to have.” Micah tried to sting him with his words but they seemed to have no effect. He studied Baden for a moment, deciding on what would hurt him and he tested his idea. “Remember that she is the one who ran the dagger through you. She may think she wants you but she will find that she truly does not,” Micah said with a satisfied smile. Baden’s lip twitched slightly before he composed himself but Micah had still seen it. He hid his surprise. “You think she would ever want an abomination like you?” Micah asked to provoke him.