The Soul Thief

Chapter 30

"You look like shit."

The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. Though not put tactfully, they're true.

Blake looks awful. Worse than me. After spending days unconscious, I feel like my half-dead chic look is kind of explained, so I can't help but wonder his excuse. There are dark shadows under his bloodshot eyes, which stand out dramatically against the pale of his skin as he smiles tightly. "Feel it too, but I kind of deserve it, don't I?"

He looks down, refusing to meet my eye, and my frustration with him softens. I pat the bed beside me to encourage him to sit with me. "Maybe, maybe not. Come here."

He moves slowly towards me, as though afraid I might retract the offer at any moment. I wait until he is sat beside me and examine his face more closely.

There's guilt, shame, and other emotions swirling across his features. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would never have put me in danger if he had a choice.

"It's not your fault."

My words break him, and he pulls me into a fierce hug. "It is. But I will spend every second of every day earning your trust back. I failed you and let you down, but I'll never hurt you again. I swear it."

My hand moves in soothing circles on his back. "I know you had no choice. I think you're kicking yourself enough for what has happened. You don't need me to join in."

"How are you so calm? Why don't you hate me?" He asks, sitting back so he can look at me.

"I don't hate you. I don't think I ever could. Maybe I was annoyed with you." I shrug. "After seeing what your family is like though? Who am I to judge? You didn't have a choice then, you do now. I think I'll judge you on your choices, not your theirs."

There's a wonder in his eyes now. "How did I get so lucky? This is far more than I deserve."

"You need to stop beating yourself up. You got help for me as soon as you were able, didn't you?" I point out.

As Nancy helped me sort myself out, she explained how they found me. Blake had run up to them and said, "She needs you." Before leading Enzo, Nancy and teachers to where his family were holding me.

It had to have been painful rebelling against his sister's orders, even if he never explicit mentioned me and did his best to dodge around the fact to get me help.

"I should never have led you there. If I had known what you were, I would have done more to protect you from my family." He shook his head. "I'm never going to stop hating myself for what you went through."

"Well, you need to. Because I don't hate you and I'm the only person whose opinion matters here." I grin.

He gives a small smile and we fall into a comfortable silence whilst exploring each other's faces. I want to drink him all in and memorise all his features. I want to know him well enough that I recognise when he's doing something against his will.

His hand reaches out for mine and I look down at them as his fingers knot with my own. It feels so right to be with him.

"What's it like?" Blake asks.

I frown and look up. "What is what like?"

"You know," His voice drops to a whisper, "Being a banshee."

"I don't really know. It feels sort of normal to me now. Like a sense that was always there, but I didn't know how to use it. Or another limb. Just useful and... there."

He nods. "I know you don't know this world well, but you should know that banshees are rare and that puts you in danger."

"Like three in a generation rare? I read the books." I reply.

"More than that. They're used and experimented on. You'll need to learn to defend yourself."

I cock my head to one side. "Are you offering to teach me?"

"Teach you, train you, guard you with my life? Yes, all the above."

I shook my head. "I'd never want you to give your life for mine."

"I'm not sure that's your choice to make." He said with a wry smile. "I've not been able to decide much in my life, but I'm choosing this."

"Then I guess I'll just need to stay out of trouble."

That startles a laugh out of him. "I'm not sure you'd know how to if you tried."

I roll my eyes and laugh along with him. When we fall silent again, I stretch out my awareness through the banshee senses.

"I can hear them, you know."

"Hear what?"

"The souls. It should be weird. I should be completely freaked out. But it just feels so normal. Like I've been underwater and unable to hear them, and now I'm above the surface and it's all so clear." I close my eyes and tilt my head as the pleasant humming of the souls shows me three people in the room next to mine.

Someone strolls down a corridor and my lips tingle slightly at the memory of the souls I swallowed. Such a weird thing to remember. The buzz of a living soul, not yet ready to pass but calling to me that it recognised who I was at my core. A hummed promise that it knew where to go when the time came.

"They're calling on experts to come here and help you, train you how to use your gifts and explore them." Blake explained when I opened my eyes again.

I nod, "I know. Nancy said. Isn't it weird that who I am will become a school subject for me to learn?" I mused.

"Not as weird as falling in love with the person your family wanted to trap and experiment on."

My eyes snap to his. "You love me?"

"Well duh. I don't think I could have made it any clearer, little thief." He teased.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he shook his head. "You don't have to say it back. Not until you're ready and you feel it too. I can wait. It will only make it all the more special when you do say it."

I let that sink in before choosing my words carefully. "I am growing to love you, Blake. Even though I don't know if I fully understand love, I know I've never felt like this before. I've never had a person I really trusted with all of me. The good. The bad. The nightmares. You've seen my worst, and it doesn't phase you. We've both been through some shit in our lives, but our futures? I've not got the power to see the what's coming, but I'm really hopeful for us."

He stared at me for a moment before a smile split his face. "I'm going to kiss you now, Erica Winters."

I laughed. "You don't need to ask my permission." I teased, before darting forwards and pressing my lips to his.

It felt safe, and warm and dangerous and right. In all the best ways.

I meant every word I said to him. I didn't know exactly what the future held, but I was pretty damn happy I wasn't facing it alone.

- The End -