One Soul Book Two

Chapter One

Harlee POV

“After all, the eyes are the windows to the soul.”

“ABOMINATION!”

“Give him to us!”

“I just want you!”

“How will I ever train you if you spend all your time unconscious?”

“Finally.  Now to get the other one.”

The voices and memories swirled around in my head dizzily.

“Damn, I had her, but I lost her to her memories again.”  A voice spoke.

“For an Incubus, it’s pretty bad that you can’t even draw a human into a simple s*x dream.”  Another voice rumbled.

“Hey, you want to try it, go right ahead.  I’m no better off than you are pal.  I’m drained, and the longer this goes on, the weaker our Bond grows.  And look at what it’s doing to Zeev.  He’ll be feral soon.”  The first voice replied.  There was a sigh.

“I know.  We’re all feeling the strain.  Sands slips farther towards Corruption daily.  I worry for him.  He may yet Fall, and if he does at this juncture and then loses Harlee…”  There was a pause.

“It won’t just be Zeev who’s feral.”  The first voice answers grimly.

Zeev POV

We were racing against a clock now.  Sands and I were slipping.  Falling once for an Angel was unimaginable.  For Sands, he was a little luckier than Sam and I, he Fell right into Harlee’s waiting arms.  But to lose your tethering, to Fall twice..  I was already on the edge of mental collapse, and having a soul made it so much worse.  The anxiety, depression, hysteria.  For everyone’s safety, they’d locked me in a Demon Trap.  I didn’t blame them, but I was certain it was making me worse.

“Let me out!”  I howled.  “I need to see Harlee!”  I yanked the cage bars even though my skin sizzled and popped.

“Please, I need to see her!”  I pleaded.  “At least one more time.. Before we die..”  I rested my head on the bars, feeling my flesh burning off my face, but I couldn’t find the energy to care.

Harlee POV

“Harlee.”  The voice was soothing, deep and calm, but rough like he’d been crying.

“I know you.”  I reached out a hand.  A dark figure floated just out of reach.  “Oh, that must mean it’s time then.”  I said sadly.

“Time for what, Harlee?”  The dark figure comes closer.

“Well you’re the Angel of Death aren’t you?”  I point out.  I mean it was obvious looking at him.  All dressed in black, gloomy looking, pinched expression.  The guy screamed ‘Death’.  The figure jerked.

“You don’t recognize me, do you Harlee?”  He asked softly.  I tilted my head.

“Hmm.. should I?”  I respond.  He flinched, then ran a hand through his hair.

“This is not going to be easy.”  He muttered.

“Why, you’re here to take my soul to wherever, right?  So let’s go.  Giddy up or whatever.”  I mimed cracking a whip.  There’s an amused look briefly on the dark figure’s face.

“I can’t take your soul anywhere Harlee.  First of all, you’re not dead.  Second, it’s not complete.”  He said with a wry smile.

“Not complete?  How does that happen?”  I ask, mouth agape.  The figure’s grin fades and he runs his hand through his hair again.

“Jeeeezussss.”  He breathes.  “You don’t remember anything do you?”

Zeev POV

I drift in Harlee’s reams.  A mixed concoction of nightmares of all the horrible things that had happened since she met me.  I was the star of a lot of the horror.  I barely had the energy to move my hand away from the bars as the flesh burned away from my fingers, revealing the muscles and ligaments beneath.  A song was stuck on repeat in Harlee’s dreams.  She couldn’t remember all the words, but her mind filled in the lyrics for her.  They didn’t always make sense, but I sang along.  It was something from a TV show her mother used to watch.  A sad ballad mourning the short life of humans.  Tears were slipping from my eyes as I sang.  I could almost hear the orchestral music in her head when suddenly it all stopped.  I felt it as her soul left her body.

“NO!”  I howled, somehow finding the energy to turn over and pull myself up the bars of the cage.  “NO! NO!  ASH!”  I screamed before passing out.  I had one final glimpse through Harlee’s mind.  It was Sam.  Sam was her Reaper.  I nearly scoffed.  How fitting.  The world went dark.

Harlee POV

“Harlee, listen.  I pulled your soul fragment from your body so I could try to speak with you, a little less burdened as it were.  I didn’t realize.. I mean we didn’t know..  Harlee, you have to wake up.  The Bonds are crumbling and Sands and Zeev..  Zeev’s not going to make it Harlee.  You’ve gotta come out of this at least.  For us.  For Zeev.”  The figure kept pushing his fingers through his hair until it was standing up wildly all over his head.

“Oh that’s very sad.  I’m so sorry.  Who are Zeev and Sands?”  I asked.  The name Zeev sparked something though, I rolled it around in my mouth a few more times.  “Zeev..”  I say slowly, then shake my head.  “Nope, I don’t recognize the name.  Should I?”  Frustrated, the figure moves closer.

“What about Ash or Cael?  Do you remember them?”  The figure demanded.  The second name made my chest hurt and I frowned.

“I don’t.. think so..”  I answered hesitantly.

“Then what about that.”  The figure pointed at my stomach.  “Surely you remember..”  I gasped, looking down.  My stomach was well rounded.

“Am I.. PREGNANT?”  I asked in a near shriek.  The figure closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face.

Zeev POV

“Zeev.. She’s awake.”  Ash’s gentle voice pulled me from my unconscious state.  I jerked upwards.

“Is she ok?  The baby?  I thought Sam had taken her soul..”  I babbled.

“Listen Zeev, she’s fine, there’s just one problem.”  Ash was speaking softly like I was a mad person about to explode.  Hell, maybe I was.  “She doesn’t remember any of us.  Or any of it.  No Demons or Angels or Bonds, the attacks, nothing.  She doesn’t remember Cael.  She doesn’t remember us Zeev.”  Ash's voice broke, but me?  I just laughed.  I laughed so hard I thought I’d lose my breath.  I laughed long enough that Ash eyed me warily and left.  I laughed while I cried.  My Harlee was gone.  She might as well be dead to us.  What a cruel sense of humor Heaven has.  Sent to us indeed.  I screamed, yanking the cage bars in frustration.