Soul Seers Complete Set (22 page)

“There’s one more generally
understood directive Soul Seers have stuck with over time,” Jonah said as he
looked into my eyes and held my hands with a gentle touch. “Soul Seers don’t
breed with one another.”

I tilted my head and wrinkled my
brow as I stared off into space, a look of confusion overtaking my features. I
could hear the words that just came out of his mouth, but my brain didn’t
comprehend what he was talking about or why he was telling me this.

“Do you understand what I mean,
Ella?” he asked as he dipped his head down to put his face in my line of sight.
“What I mean is, two Soul Seers are not supposed to have children together.”

After a few moments of his
beautiful emerald eyes burning me with their intensity, I suddenly realized
what he was saying.

“You mean… I… and… Oh, God!” I
groaned as I pulled free from Jonah’s grip and buried my face in my hands. I
didn’t cry. If you thought about it, no matter what connection we might have,
we’ve only known each other for a day and a half. Talking about something this
intense that was related to our budding relationship was borderline crazy. Yet,
it broke my heart to think that we may not have a future together all because of
some silly rules. With that thought, anger began boiling under my skin.

“How can these people govern such
things? I don’t understand what right they have to screw with the lives of
others!” I exclaimed, pissed to the core that I may never be able to build a
happy family with the man I already considered to be forever mine.

“I don’t know, Ella. I honestly
don’t know. Which is why we just need to talk to our parents before jumping to
conclusions. They’ll have more information for us, I’m sure. I’m just going by
what I was taught many years ago,” he paused as he looked at my worried face.
Holding his arms out wide, he said, “Come here. I need you.”

I didn’t hesitate. Maybe I should
have kept my distance. Because getting closer to him when we had no chance of being
together would only make things harder for us in the future. Yet, I couldn’t
comprehend another moment without him. Yes, I did live my life just fine
pre-Jonah. But, I wasn’t happy. Anyone can tell you. Even normals who could not
read my mind knew I wasn’t a happy Ella.

Launching myself at Jonah, I
curled my body up into his awaiting arms, nuzzling close to his neck and
breathing in his scent.
Right here… I
have no doubt in my mind this is where I belong. Who gives a shit what some
Sideri have to say?

“I couldn’t agree more,” Jonah
murmured as he kissed the top of my head. “Hey, would you like to go to the
nature museum today? I need to get a few more measurements and we could spend
some of this beautiful day in their butterfly garden.”

I sat up excitedly. “Oh, that
would be wonderful! A perfect way to get my mind off all this heavy crap. But,
I need to take a shower and get ready first. Do you mind waiting? I’ll try to
be quick.”

“I’ve waited six years for you,
Ella. What’s a few more minutes?” he said with a slight chuckle as he brushed
his nose against mine.

Slowly, I closed in and met his
lips with a gentle kiss. “Thank you. I’ll be quick, I promise.”

“No rush. I’ll be here,” he
responded as he leaned back against the chaise lounge, propping his hands
behind his head and flexing those delicious muscles. I was half tempted to sink
my teeth into… “I thought you were going to take a shower?” he interrupted,
never looking up in my direction at the guilty look on my face. He caught me
lusting over him. Of course, it wasn’t the first time and it sure as hell won’t
be the last.

“I’m going! I’m going!” I said
playfully as I backed up into the house. Just before I rounded the corner into
the kitchen, I heard a light chuckle come from outside. Even his laugh made my
insides jump to attention.

Eager to get showered and back to
Jonah, I quickly shuffled my way down the hall and into the bathroom. I didn’t
hesitate as I turned the shower on and began fumbling with my clothes.

Above all the other rumbling minds
of my nearby neighbors, I heard Jonah mind-mutter something about preoccupying
his mind as he began thinking about a Snow Patrol song.

“Shit, I need to shave!” I mumbled
to myself as I pulled my pants off, knowing full well I didn’t want to take the
time to do so but might regret it later.

Go ahead and do what you need to do, Ella. I’m in no hurry.
Jonah projected. Yeah, Soul Seers have absolutely no
privacy! Honestly though, I enjoyed the distant company.

Christ, it’s killing me,
he pushed, his thoughts becoming a bit jumbled with random other flickers of
images.

What’s the matter?
I
asked as I rummaged through the cabinets for my razor.

Nothing. I’m just being a typical male. Don’t mind me.
It didn’t take me long to realize what he was battling
with internally. It was driving him nuts that I was just a few yards away from
him, naked and about to get all soapy and wet, while he stood by and waited.

An evil grin crept up on my face
as I thought about teasing him a little.

Ella. My self-control is wearing thin as it is,
he projected rather forcefully. Maybe messing with him
today wasn’t such a good idea…

But I just couldn’t help myself!

Leaning up against the counter, I
stood with my back facing the mirror. I wasn’t bold enough to show him my
entire body, but I still wanted to feel his reaction to just a glimpse of my
naked skin. Turning my head slightly, I peeked over my shoulder to see my
reflection in the mirror. In the brightness of the vanity lights, I could see
the echo of my entire back, all the way from my head to the very top of my ass.
Covering my breast with my arm, I studied myself and projected the image to
Jonah.

Immediately, my heart rate began
to flutter with excitement, causing my blood pressure to rise and my face to
feel flush.

Your beauty is so breathtaking,
Jonah thought as he seriously contemplated throwing
caution out the window and barging into my bathroom. I smiled at my image in
the mirror, continuing to project the vision of my doppelgänger before looking
away and stepping into the shower.

Hurriedly, I rushed to wash my
hair, face, and body. My heart rate never calmed, which meant Jonah felt the
same way.

In my haste to get ready, I didn’t
bother to pace myself. My body was still very weak and recovering from being
immobile for so many years. If I didn’t pace myself, I would run out of energy
very quickly.

With adrenaline coursing through
my veins, I suddenly began to feel weaker than usual. Exhaustion hit me like a
boulder as the hot water coated my body and relaxed all my trembling muscles. Teasing
Jonah didn’t help matters because now my heart was racing a mile a minute.

I couldn’t hear Jonah’s thoughts
and I just prayed he could hear mine as I cried out for help and fell to the
shower floor.

The last thing I remember is
seeing Jonah’s worried face as he yanked the shower curtain open.

After that, everything went black.

The End of Part Four

 
“To draw, you must close your eyes and sing.”

– Pablo Picasso

Wrapped in a towel, lying limp in my arms, was my reason for
being. She was my purpose in this life. She was the sole reason my heart
continued to beat. And now, I struggled to keep my composure as I carried her
to the bed.

Staring at my fragile Ella for a long moment, I suddenly realized
I had to call Delphina. With shaky fingers, I fumbled for my phone and was
thankful I never deleted her number.

“Hello?” an angelic voice chimed through the receiver.

“Ms. Hugh? This is Jonah Chantrey. I think Ella needs help,” I
said as calmly as possible, knowing full well she would likely freak.

“Oh dear! What’s wrong?” she responded, her breath hastening,
presumably because she had picked up her pace while walking.

“I’m not sure. I think she fainted. I could hear her project to me
she was getting weak and then she went silent. I knew something was wrong, so I
went to help her.”

“Shit! Are you at my house?” Delphina asked, her voice becoming
more frantic by the moment.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay. I’m only five minutes away, at most. I’ll be there as soon
as possible,” she practically yelled, then paused for a moment. “Jonah, what
was she doing when she passed out?”

“Ahh. Well, I was going to take her somewhere and she said she
needed to shower first. I was waiting for her out on the patio when her
panic-stricken thoughts permeated my mind. I’m sorry. I promise I was as
courteous as possible when I tried to help her from…”

“Jonah, don’t you worry about that. I’m thankful you were there
for her,” she assured me. I could hear the rev of her car engine in the
background between her words. “She’s been so weak lately and she definitely
needs the support, even though she won’t ask for it. I’m not sure if she has
shared her past with you.”

“Yes, ma’am. She told me,” I confirmed.

“Good. I’m glad. She doesn’t tell many people. She’s been working
so hard at gaining her strength back and I admire her determination and
vitality but I wish she wouldn’t have tried to take a shower without me there.
So far, that’s been one of her most challenging endeavors. I think it’s the hot
water that soothes and relaxes the muscles so much. It actually makes her weak
before it begins to invigorate her. She’s needed my help every day, despite the
fact she is very strong-willed and wants to do everything on her own.” I could
tell Delphina was just talking to keep her mind busy while she headed to the
house.

While I pressed the phone to my shoulder and listened to Delphina
talk, I sat on the bed next to Ella, stroking her head and making sure her wet
body didn’t become chilled. Carefully and with every attempt to respect her
modesty, I covered her with the blanket and unwrapped the towel from her body
to begin drying her hair.

“Are you almost here?” I asked. My voice was practically begging
for her help. I was desperate for someone to tell me she would be okay. I’ve
never dealt with anyone who had fainted before.

“Yes, I’m turning on our street. However, Jonah, there isn’t a
whole lot we can do other than wait it out. She is usually out for only a few
minutes, at most. Okay, I’m here,” she said as her voice cut off and the line
went dead.

Within moments, Delphina came barreling through the door as I
continued drying her hair and face carefully.

“I’m so sorry you had to worry about this, Jonah
,
” she apologized, touching my shoulder
like we were old friends, yet I don’t think we’ve ever officially met, unless
you count my stalking session the first time I saw the two of them in
Lavendine.

“I just wasn’t expecting it. I didn’t realize she was so weak,” I
explained, still worried it was something more than just simple exhaustion.

“Jonah, could you do me a favor and go shut off the water?”

“Of course. Do you need me to give you some privacy?” I asked
politely, worried she may want to try to make Ella more presentable in this
situation.

“No, no. That won’t be necessary. You can hurry back,” she said
with a soft smile playing on her lips before turning her attention back to her
daughter.

Doing as I was told, and not sparing even a second, I shut the
water off and practically ran back to Ella’s bedroom. I heard warm whispers of
a song coming from Ella’s mother and the tenderness of her actions turned me
into a total sap as her love for Ella tugged at my heartstrings.

Delphina’s sweet melody filled the room as Ella’s eyes started to
flutter open.

After taking a few moments to focus on her mom’s face, Ella’s eyes
sprang open and she began to sit up while mumbling, “Where’s Jonah?”
Immediately, she grabbed her head and winced.

Christ. This has to
be more than just simple exhaustion.

“I’m right here, Ella. I’m not going anywhere,” I assured her as I
grabbed her hand.

I’m sorry.
Ella projected
instead of spoke as she looked into my eyes with sorrow.

“As soon as you regain your strength, I’m taking you to the
hospital. No arguments,” Delphina scolded, drawing Ella’s attention away from
me for a moment. Ella just nodded, unwilling to argue.

“A good friend of my dad’s is also a doctor and a Soul Seer. Maybe
it would help if I contacted him?” I offered, worried about her seeing a normal
doctor and definitely concerned about involving my dad. As I watched Delphina
contemplate the option, I thought about the possibility of explaining our
theory to Dr. Jessen. Would he help us? Could he?

“Mmkay,” Ella mumbled as she lulled her head to the side and
closed her eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips.

“Okay, what?” Delphina asked, wondering what Ella was mumbling
about.

Dr. Jessen can help
us if we just tell him,
Ella thought. Her thoughts were crisp and clear even though her
body continued to look weak.

“What do you mean? What are you going to tell him?” her mom asked,
concern growing on her face as she stared down at her daughter.

Ella didn’t respond audibly or in her thoughts. My heart dropped
as I sunk to my knees next to the bed.

Delphina turned to me with a demanding look overtaking her
features. “Jonah. Call your doctor friend… and your father. I don’t care what
your problem is with him. You get him here, now.”