by J. C. Hart
But how could that be? He was a spirit already, it wasn't like he could die.
Samantha wiped her hands on her skirt and headed for the backyard. Barefoot, broken-hearted. If Shadow was gone, then her last and only link to her true love was buried in the backyard, and there was no way in hell she could exist without it now.
It had been hard enough coming to terms with knowing she would never find love, not in a physical form, in this lifetime. She'd always had Shadow, and he was enough. How could anyone have hope if they knew there would never be any love at all? Well, maybe a stronger person than she.
Dirt was thick beneath her nails when she finally got to the necklace. It was grimy, but she didn't care, she slipped it around her throat and felt a rush of her past wash over her. Oh, Shadow.
She refused to cry. Something had happened to him, and she wasn't going to let it stand. Someone out there had done this because there was no way he'd leave of his own volition, and she was going to find them and get him back.
Samantha stormed through the house and it wasn't until her hand was on the shop door that she realized she had no plan. No idea where to even start. It's not like she could go and see the town local psychic. For all intents and purposes she was the local psychic. Which meant...
She let her hand drop and scanned the shop. The necklace wasn't going to be any good, unless it could act as some kind of compass to guide her towards the energy of her loved one. She needed her pendulum, but where had she put it? Being able to read from objects was a great skill, but totally useless when it was about herself.
Samantha dug around behind the desk and eventually found it. The clear purple crystal she used for dowsing was strung on a light chain. She pushed everything else aside to give herself a clear space, and then drew on the desk with a pencil, a circle to signify the barrier.
"Spirits, help me now. Can you give me a yes?" The pendulum swung in a small circle, growing wider with each turn. "And a no?" The circle dwindled, the pendulum tracking down to a line, back and forth, back and forth. Sam bit her lip, and then asked the question she most wanted answered. "Is he gone forever?"
The pendulum stilled, coming to rest. Wrong question. "Is he still in the Bay?" It moved slowly, tiny eddies before swinging out into a full circle. She let out her breath, the relief palpable. She moved her hand slightly, hoping that the pendulum would show her where he was, but it just kept swinging until she moved it outside the barrier. She grabbed the crystal in her other hand and kissed it. "Thanks. It'll have to do."
As long as he was still in the Bay there was hope. And she knew exactly what she had to do.
Sam didn't bother calling ahead, she knew Alyssa would be home. Since the barrier had gone back up it was like the magic that connected them, that family bond, had grown stronger than before. She could sense where everyone was, which made life a whole lot easier.
Alyssa opened the door just as she made the top step. "What's got your knickers in a knot?" She raised an eyebrow, but Sam just pushed past her and headed for the kitchen. There were two cups on the table, coffee steaming and a plate of cookies in the middle.
"I'm that obvious?" Sam asked as she sunk into one of the chairs.
"At the moment, yeah. What do you need help with?"
"It's about the barrier. We need to lock that down as soon as possible."
Alyssa frowned. "Hold up. Yesterday you were against that, what changed your mind?"
Sam burst into tears, she couldn't hold it in. No one knew, but now she had to come clean. "I have a... A spirit companion."
"Like Magnus?" Alyssa asked. She glanced at the ceiling before stating loudly, "They can be hard to get rid of, those pesky spirits."
"No, no, not like that. He's not a ghost he's... I don't know. My soul mate, for lack of a better word. He's been my companion since adolescence and now he's gone."
"Gone?"
"Yes, gone. Are you deaf?"
Alyssa leaned back in her chair, unusually silent. "Okay. I know this is serious because that's so not like you to speak to anyone that way. When did it happen?"
"A few hours ago he was gone completely. I did some dowsing and I know he's still in the Bay, or that whoever has him is."
"So you want to lock it down to make sure they can't get away."
"I need him, Alyssa. I don't know how to explain it to you, but he's my one, my only. I’m never going to meet the right man for me in this lifetime and he's all I've got."
Alyssa tugged her earlobe and frowned. "You know a few months ago I'd have said you were bat shit crazy, but oh how life has changed." She let out a sigh.
"You have your guy, please don't deny me mine. Please?" She sunk her head into her hands, fresh tears dampening her cheeks, her heart aching. Was it possible to keep going knowing that she'd lost him?
Alyssa reached across the table and tugged Sam's hand away from her face, gripping her fingers. Sam was used the being the one on the other side of the table, not the one who needed help. She'd kept herself so safe, kept everything tidy, and now she felt untethered, like she didn't know which way was up.
"I have to talk to the others, find out whether Jake found anything from Kyle," Alyssa said.
"Let me. I'll do it. I need to do something anyway. But promise me you'll make a plan and that as soon as we have the okay we bring it down."
"Okay, Sam. Okay. Just... Can you tell me why you think someone would steal your spirit companion?"
Sam froze. The why of it hadn't crossed her mind, just that he was gone and there was a gaping hole where he'd departed from. "I don't know. There is no reason. No reason that I can see, unless someone wants to hurt me, distract me so that I can't help."
"If that's the case, they know you better than anyone else, and it means the rest of us need to keep our guard up as well. Hey, maybe Brandon could try and contact him? I mean, he's not dead as such, but he is in the spirit plane, at least in some sense. I'll ask."
Sam leapt off her chair and threw herself at Alyssa, hugging her tightly. "Thank you for taking me seriously. Thank you." She pulled back and wiped her eyes, sniffing away the last of her tears. "I'm going to go and find Jake now, see what he knows."
"Bye," Alyssa called after her, but she was already out the door, phone in her hand. Where are you? Need to talk.
At Mum's place, need coffee?
Sam laughed. Strong and dark.
"SO WHAT'S GOING ON?" Jake asked as soon as she stepped inside.
"Did you go and see Kyle yet? What do you know?"
"No small talk today huh?" Jake raised an eyebrow and led them into the kitchen. It was vacant, which was probably good. "I went to see him this morning, actually."
"This morning?" Her body tensed, the breath leaving her as her throat clenched. "What time?"
"Um, after nine? I wasn't keeping track really, he just said to come over any time after that."
"And what did you find out? Did the plan work?" She forced herself to unclench her fists. The palms of her hand stung from where she'd cut into them with her nails.
Jake grinned. "It was so easy. I couldn't believe it actually worked, such a genius idea. He started fading not long after I got to work, gave me long enough to riffle through his gear and come up with some names. I took photos. Hang on." He pulled his phone from his pocket and opened up the gallery. Sam moved around behind him and when she saw the first photo she snatched it off him.
It was Shadow. He was there, on the man's body, etched in ink, his eyes glowing with ferocity. Her hands shook and she dropped the phone, clasping them together as the shake crawled up her arms and overtook her whole body.
"What have you done, Jake? What did you do?" Her voice was a thin thread about to snap. She couldn't stop the shakes, they were rattling her teeth, her bones.
Jake frowned and pushed his chair back and wrapped his arms around her, she clung to him, gasping for air as she waited for the shakes to subside. "I just did what we agreed on. I went to see Kyle and finish his tattoo. S
am... Sam, what's wrong? You're as pale as snow."
"It's him. He's taken Shadow. Somehow... somehow... I don't know."
"Shadow? What are you talking about?" Jake's voice was gentle, kind. "Come on, sit down and talk me through what's going on." He guided her into her seat and returned to his, never letting go of her hand.
Sam inhaled, long and slow, letting her breath out the same way as she tried to regain some calm. "Shadow is my spirit companion, he’s a panther. That panther." She pointed at the phone lying on the table between them. "Somehow you tattooed him into Kyle, and now he's gone and I can't feel him anymore. Kyle has taken him, and I need him back. Jake, Jake what happened? How did you do this? How could you..." She let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around herself. She knew it wasn't his fault, not really. She couldn't blame him, but she couldn't look him in the eyes either because he'd played a role in this too.
"Sam, I had no idea. Honest. How could I have known?" He sounded so reasonable that she did look at him then. "Come on, you know I'd never do anything to hurt you. You spend all your time making sure we're okay, and now I've gone and fucked something massive up for you, but I swear, if I'd known that panther was yours somehow? I'd never have done the job, no matter how important finding the information was."
"Oh Jake," she whispered. She knew he was telling the truth, though when he put it like that she would probably have had to make the sacrifice if they'd asked. For the Bay. But now Kyle had Shadow, and she had no idea what he intended to do with him. "Did he say anything, about why that tattoo?"
Jake shrugged. "Not really, just that it felt right, it seemed like a part of him. And it did, I swear I'm not lying Sam. It came out better than I could imagine, like it was there all along and I was just drawing it forth. I'm an okay tattoo artist, but I'm not that good."
Sam pressed her lips together, not wanting to acknowledge the stir of hope inside her. Kyle was not her love. Shadow was. Somehow he had known that taking him from her would be the easiest way to weaken her, to distract her from her purpose.
"Where is he?" The words came out harsh, a thread of steel wending through them.
"Who, Kyle?" Jake frowned. "Sam, I don't think you should see him. We don't want to let him know we're onto him."
"He has Shadow. I have to talk to him." She reached for the phone, dragging it back towards her and opening the photos. She hadn't even seen his face before, so focused on the panther on his back, but there he was, soft brown hair, deep brown eyes, his smile almost pleasant.
"Sam. Don't do this. Don't start something we aren't ready for." He grabbed his phone back, sliding it into his pocket. She could still feel Shadow's eyes though.
"I'm not going to start anything I can't finish, trust me." Her sorrow had been burned away by rage. Who the hell did Kyle think he was, taking something so important? She would not stand for it. "Look, I appreciate your help in this. When are we meeting with everyone to discuss what you found at his place? You did find things, right?"
Jake nodded. "Documents and stuff, I took photos, it seems like they've taken over some property in town, and that his boss is either moving in soon, or here already."
"And Kyle, is he sticking around?"
"Doesn't sound like he's going anywhere in a rush. Please, don't you rush either. Sam?" He raised an eyebrow. "Promise me you're not going to do anything extreme. You're meant to be the level headed one." He grinned, though it was tense, like he only half meant it.
"That's me, Samantha, the sensible one." She got up, leaving her coffee untouched. "I've got to go and clear my head. Let me know when we're meeting. We need to decide how to deal with this."
"Okay." Jake stood too, came around the table and squeezed her shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't do it on purpose, but I'm sorry that I helped him take Shadow from you. I hope... I hope we can get him back. Are you going to be okay?"
"I'm fine," she said, even managing to give a realistic smile. Trying to keep the rage burning, and not let the sadness well up to drown it again. "Catch you later."
CHAPTER SIX
He felt... weird. Because he was feeling things he hadn't in years, and it wasn't tied to the simmering fury that lurked inside him. There were tears on his face and he couldn't quite figure out how they had got there or what they were about. He scrubbed them off, gripping the bathroom sink with hands turning as white as the porcelain from the intensity of his grasp.
"What has happened to you," he whispered the words, but he had no response. He simply couldn't fathom. Didn't know how to name the sensations running through his brain, his body. It was like everything he'd done in the past had caught up on him.
One thing was for sure, he couldn't do the job his boss had asked of him, not until he was himself again. He couldn't imagine ever hurting someone, taking them out permanently, no matter what it cost him.
Kyle took a shaky breath then ran the tap, splashing icy water against his face. He didn't bother to dry off, instead headed for the table and grabbed his phone, but it started ringing before he could dial.
"Anahera? I was just about to call you," he said.
"Well, you know me, I like to be first. You need to get on with offing Alyssa."
"Already? I was kind of hoping for a few days off." He waited, could feel her steely glare through the phone.
"What seems to be the problem, Kyle?"
"I need some time." He drew in a breath, tried to steady his voice. "I just need a couple days."
"Oh, Kyle. You know there are no days off in this line of work, and not when we're so close. When you're so close. You do what I need, and when you've paid your debt to me you can have your soul back."
"Look." Kyle clenched his jaw, feeling that old rage bubble up. "I've been working for you for years now. I was just a kid. I didn't even know I was agreeing to back then—"
"You knew enough, and you made a deal. We need that woman dead, and the sooner the better. I'll be in town soon, and if I have to do it myself I will, just don't go thinking your debt will be paid. I own you." The words were a hiss, one that seeped through the phone and crawled against his neck, making him shudder.
"Okay, okay. I just. I'm not feeling well, think I'm coming down with something. I'll sort it out."
"You better."
Anahera hung up and Kyle threw the phone onto the couch. "Fuck!" He glared at it, then grabbed his jacket and left the house. He had to find a way to go through with this because his soul was more important than one person's life. Wasn't it? And if he had no soul now, surely it couldn't be tarnished by whatever actions he took.
His mood didn't improve as he got closer to town, his long strides taking him past the tattoo parlour where he'd first met Jake, past the café and the local supermarket. It was such a small place, hardly anything to it. To anyone who accidentally ended up here it would seem like your run of the mill country town with nothing going on—not the birthplace of the gods, not the location of Hine-nui-te-pō where the dead could be reborn. Sure, there were more magical people here than you might normally find in one place, but magic users lived all over the world, and this was just one small spot.
Kyle shook his head, not wanting to think about it too much.
"Hey!" someone yelled behind him. "You! Kyle! Stop right there!"
Confused, he spun to face the speaker. A blonde woman approached, her long hair whipping round her face in the wind.
"Just who the hell do you think you are?" she demanded as she pulled to a stop in front of him.
"Ah, Kyle. But then you knew that, because you just called me by my name. I don't think we've had the pleasure." He held his hand out, and she looked at it like his fingers had turned into venomous snakes.
"You took my companion, and I want him back."
Kyle's frown deepened. "Look, I've done a lot of things I'm not that proud of, but I've never 'taken' anyone's 'companion'. No offence, but with an attitude like that are you sure they just didn't take off.”
She froze, her whole bo
dy tensing. And then she did something he never would have expected. She reached out and grabbed his hand. The world tilted and disappeared, everything a haze apart from her. She was glowing, her hair a halo, her eyes full of love and warmth and his heart thudded, filled with emotion.
And then she let go and reality kicked back in again. Her eyes weren't warm now, not filled with love, but confusion.
What the hell had just happened?
"Shadow?" she whispered. "Is that you?"
Kyle took a step back, when what he really wanted was to take a step forward and embrace this stranger. He had no idea where that feeling came from, but he fought against it. "I don't know who Shadow is," he said. "And I'm sorry if you think I did something to them. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you." What the fuck? Where had that come from? Kyle searched his thoughts, found that even if he had no idea who this woman was the sentiment was true. But why? "Do I... Do I know you from somewhere? I feel like I must have met you before, but I've got no recollection."
The woman's face crumpled, tears welling in her eyes.
"Oh, no, don't cry. No need to cry. I'm here." He did move towards her then, wrapped his arms around her and felt her sink into him like he was her home. God he'd never felt like this before, he'd never felt this closeness, not with anyone. How was this happening? And what had Jake done to him to make everything so different? The old familiar rage started to flare, but then it was stomped out, extinguished by the feel of this woman.
After a minute she seemed to realize what they were doing and she pulled back, letting her arms drop. "I'm Samantha. I don't know what's going on here, but I want you to trust me. I'm going to get to the bottom of this." She pursed her lips and kissed him on the cheek before turning and running away.