Page 60 of Shattered Heir
“No, I am not done,” he said, following me down the street as I began to walk again.
“Well, nothing is ever going to happen between us, so just go away.” I paused. “I thought you wanted to go back to Terra. If you really cared about me at all, you would make this right. Give Shad back his soul and leave.”
“It is not his soul; it is mine.”
I turned around to face him.
“You stole his soul. Sorry to inform you, but when you steal something, it doesn’t automatically become rightfully yours.”
“No, you don’t understand—”
I held up a hand to him. “Hey, guess what? I don’t want to understand. I don’t want to understand anything about you.” He moved in closer to me, and I was surprised by the sudden movement. I didn’t step away. His lips were an inch away from mine.
“Yes, you do. Your melody wants to know, wants to understand me. Let it come out to play, little monster.” His fingers were touching my side, and I wanted to break each andevery single one of them and then hit him in the head with his camera.
“You cannot hear my melody.”
“Not now,” he agreed, moving away. “Not when that monster of corruption is there. But I heard it before, and you were curious. I make you feel whole.”
“I think you have gone insane.” I shoved his chest hard, wishing I had the strength to knock him onto the ground. He barely moved.
“Emma, I just want to help you—so you are not just alone with your thoughts. That monster seems to be getting stronger and stronger.” How had he known that I needed someone? Needed a distraction from the thoughts? Suddenly, and before I could ask, a car pulled up beside us, and Ryker jumped out. I ran over to him, and he motioned for me to get into the car. Only, I didn’t listen, and I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Stay away from her. You should be on Terra right now, not here bothering Emma.”
“I have unfinished business,” he said, looking at his hands as he spoke, seeming to be unconcerned about Ryker in the slightest.
“I don’t care about what you think you have to do here. Get out of Roseville.”
“It seems that I have a song, and I cannot leave, not without it. I am sure you understand, knight, when love is involved, eh?”
Instead of continuing home, I got into the car with Ryker, and he took us to Shad’s house. I burst through Shad’s front door to see Keil standing in the living room on the phone. I threw mybackpack to the ground and walked to him, taking the phone and hanging it up.
“Emma, that was an important call.” He looked at me, his eyes scanning. “Emma? You have darkness around you. Are you letting the corruption inside?” He walked over to me and looked into my eyes
“I am fine, just upset.”
“Once it reaches your eyes, I am not sure it can be undone.”
“What are you talking about?” Worry drained the hate out of me for a time, and I heard my melody expand and then flow out from me, warming me, and calming me. I felt like an idiot for only a few moments before giving in to the hateful monster.
“Emma, I told you, emotions are very powerful.”
“Yes, I know that. I was just talking to Cade, and I had to keep my melody away from him.” And I kissed Shad. But Keil didn't need to know about that.
“That is—” He put his face in his hands, and I could see worry lines around his eyes. He slumped into the brown leather couch and groaned.
“What is wrong?” I asked, walking over to him, almost tripping on a pile of books on the floor near the coffee table and couch. Someone really should clean this place up. It was a mess, which was unusual. Both Keil and Shad were very organized and clean people.
“I have no way to save him, Emma.'' His voice was strained, and I could feel it inside of me: his pain, his despair, and his loss of hope.
“Keil, what is happening? I feel weird, like the emotions I am feeling are not my own emotions?” I questioned, touching my heart. He looked up, first at where my hand was, then up to my eyes.
“You can feel my emotions?”
“Are you feeling like your son has just died?” I asked, breathing hard.
“Yes.” He stood up with a smile, and hope radiated to me in time with his smile.
