Chapter 36

Bastian walked out of the library, the journal in his hand. This keeper, he glanced at the cover, Callie, she had witnessed someone being taken and it was only a handful of decades past. He stopped when he spotted Nova on the sofa, curled around a pillow, and sleeping. She’d been sitting out here a while now, writing in her journal. He’d almost told her that would no longer be necessary when she’d decided to do it after their last chat about the things he’d read. There would be no next keeper for that soul.

Moving silently, he set the book he carried on the table and pulled the blanket from the back of the sofa. Covering her with great care, he sneered when his hands stung because he was too close. I’m just making sure she’s warm, you stupid rock. He picked up the journal that sat open beside her and then bent down and retrieved the pen off the floor.

Sitting on the table was a half-eaten sandwich and an empty glass. What time was it? He patted his pocket for his phone, but it wasn’t there. He looked at her journal in his hand. It was thicker than the rest, the pages well used. Flipping to the start he stood there and read the words she’d written. He could see the ink splots where she’d paused many times.

'The good news is, I’m not crazy. The things inside my head really happened and a part of me lived them. I have just read journals filled with things inside my head and now understand my purpose. I am to keep this soul safe and maintain this hidden home until— The angle of the writing changed, indicating to him she’d paused for quite some time before continuing. —I don’t know what the outcome is supposed to be, but I’ll figure it out one way or another.

'Tomorrow after I move my things here and clean layers of dust away, I’m going to go out and look at others without fear. I don’t know why some people have this aura about them, but I plan to figure that out too.'

He closed it and looked down at her. For seven years that was exactly what she’d been doing. The books and papers on her desk told him that, she’d never stopped looking for answers.

His muscles ached, and not that he was looking around, his eyes weren’t feeling much better. How long had he been reading? Picking up the journal, he’d brought out, he turned and went back to find his phone.

He found it on the desk beneath a few of the journals. At some point, he’d turned it off. He frowned at the desk, he remembered it vibrating a few times, but had been too immersed in the writings and didn’t bother to see why it had.

Turning it on, he blinked, the entire day and half the night had gone by. Ten messages and five missed calls, he winced, that couldn’t be good. Two calls were from Trendan and three from Tor. He opened the first message, or rather a few of them from his brother.

Call me was the first. Bas, they know we have four of their errand boys.

He scrolled to the next one. Put your damn link back on! Closing it, he brought up Tors. Your brother is losing it. The lawless presence has increased. They know we nabbed the others. Contact at morgue transport just called we have two that need to be checked out.

Sounded like he’d missed some excitement.

Bastian, if I find your soulless body, I’m going to be pissed.

He smirked, he’d have to ask Tor what he was thinking when he sent that one because if he really was dead, did he think that threat had some sort of credibility?

Opening the next one, his heart sped up as he read it. They got one of our watchers, his wand is missing.

Fuck. He didn’t read the rest, just hit the call symbol.

“Where the hell have you been?” Tor answered it on the first ring. “Shit is getting deep out here.”

“I’ve been with Nova, reading the journals. There’s a lot of…”

“Bastian, did you read my messages? A watcher was one of the bodies, the other one was a lawless. They were picked up together.”

“Shit. Were the bodies retrieved? How would that even work? Did they kill each other…”

“Yes. Trendan is losing his mind; you need to get back here.

Bastian went around the desk and grabbed his coat. He felt the pocket and sighed; his link was there.

“Is Nova safe? She has to stay hidden until we clean this mess up. Did you find the wand?”

“No. Ulric is tracking its location now.”

Hitting speaker, he set the phone down and put on his jacket. One of the lawless had a wand that was bad news for them. They could strip bodies of souls without pause. He scowled, if a human had happened across it, that was worse. He glanced at the door. “Just give me a second. I want to leave Nova a note, I can’t just vanish and be gone when she wakes up.”

“Just get your ass back here. Trendan and I are on our way to fill in your father.”

Bastian winced, that was bad. He put his hand on the journal he’d been reading and then looked at Nova’s. He was going to have to tell his father sooner than later about her. Looking at his phone, he sighed, “I’ll be right there.” Tor grunted some sort of profanity and hung up. Putting his phone in his pocket, he looked back at the journals, he was going to need proof. Grabbing them, he tucked them inside his jacket and patted the pocket his wand was in. He turned to leave and then saw the fish looking out at him. “I’m bringing them back,” he snorted and went out. He’d leave her a note and tell her to stay put until he returned.

She didn’t know it, but when he did, it was going to be to get her somewhere out of the city. He stopped and looked at her. She looked so peaceful right now. Guilt filled him. It wasn’t her fault the lawless were after her, it wasn’t his either, but he knew he was going to ruin her peaceful, secluded life because of it.

Grabbing her notebook, he opened it and squatted down at the table to write.