Chapter Four: Who Believes In Soulmates These Days?

Okay, what have we learned so far? Angels are real, but not in the Biblical sense. Both humans and Celestials are greedy sons of bitches. I have a new guest who happens to be one of these Celestials and I have no idea what to do with him. Oh, I almost forgot. He’s also the future king of Celestials. What the hell did my life turn into?

“Well, this has been fun,” Jaime’s voice suddenly breaks through my thoughts loudly. “We should probably set the angel up in a hotel.” He keeps his gaze on me, rudely ignoring Arisen. What is his problem?

I frown at him. “He’s staying here, Jaime,” I say firmly. I’m not sure why the thought of him leaving me makes me so uneasy.

Jaime’s eyes narrow in annoyance. “Can I see you in the kitchen for a moment?” he asks. He avoids eye contact with Arisen as he stalks from the room without waiting for my response.

I sigh and turn to the Celestial beside me. “I don’t know what his problem is but I’m going to find out,” I promise. “I’ll be right back.” I hurry to the kitchen to find my best friend pacing back and forth while mumbling to himself. “What’s going on?” I demand sharply.

He pauses and spins around to face me. “Have you lost your damn mind?” he hisses. His voice is full of fury, a tone I’ve never had directed at me before.

I take an involuntary step back. “What are you talking about?”

“He’s a stranger, first of all,” Jaime replies. “Not to mention a creature who shouldn’t exist. We have no idea how powerful he is. We don’t know what he can do. Hell, we don’t even know if he was telling the truth. He can’t stay here, Sam. I’m not gonna let that happen.”

“Since when do you tell me what I can and can’t do?” I ask slowly with a raised eyebrow. I’m seriously getting tired of all the men in my life thinking they have a say in what I do. “This is my house, Jaime. You don’t let me do anything.”

Jaime hesitates before a triumphant look flashes across his face. “What would your dad say?” he questions.

I scowl. “I don’t care,” I lie. A sigh escapes and I deflate. “Jaime, please. I need you to trust me. My gut is never wrong. And right now, it’s telling me that Arisen is a good person and can be trusted. So, if you can’t trust him yet, then trust me. Please.”

It’s Jaime’s turn to deflate. “Fine,” he says quietly. “We’ll do things your way for now, but if anything happens, and I mean anything, I’m calling your dad.”

I roll my eyes with a small grin. “Deal,” I answer. We leave the kitchen and head back to the living room. Arisen is standing in front of the TV, holding the landline in his hands and studying it intently. He points it at the TV and presses a few buttons. Jaime clears his throat and the Celestial spins around, dropping the phone on the floor. His cheeks are dusted with a light rosy blush.

“Sorry,” he mutters, glancing down at the phone.

“Do they not have TV on your mysterious island?” I ask curiously.

He shrugs. “We know about it,” he answers. “We are educated about human technology, and we have a satellite phone so we can get in touch with our government contact if we need to. But they don’t allow us to have the same technology as humans. Any technology we have had to be snuck in. Humans need to feel like they are in control of us.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, trying to offer some kind of comfort. “Humans are assholes.”

Jaime snorts as he retakes his seat. He eyes Arisen thoughtfully. “So, bird boy, what can you do besides fly?”

Arisen looks confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what superpowers do you have?” Jaime asks with an eye roll.

“Superpowers?” Arisen shoots me a questioning glance.

I sigh. “He’s asking if you can do anything crazy besides flying, like controlling the weather,” I explain.

“Oh.” Arisen frowns as he thinks. “We can melt people’s brains.” A mischievous smile crosses his face as he glances at my best friend who has visibly paled. “Just one touch can cause a human body to shut down and their brains to ooze out of their ears. Want to try?” He raises a hand and moves towards Jaime.

I can’t hold back a laugh as Jaime lets out a girly squeal and leaps away from Arisen, vaulting over the back of his chair. “Your face!” I crow, as more laughter peals out.

Arisen chuckles. “We don’t have superpowers,” he assures us. “At least not like the human movies you love so much. Like I said before, we have healing powers. We can heal ourselves, and we can heal others up to a point. And we can fly. We are stronger and faster than humans, but that’s it. We weren’t born for war. We are a peaceful race, or we’re supposed to be.” He shakes his head, his lips twisting into a frown as he gets lost in memories.

I move closer to him and rest a hand on his upper arm, giving into the urge to offer him comfort. I jolt slightly when I feel the warmth radiating from his skin. My fingertips spark with a shock that startles me into dropping my hand. He flinches and turns to me with wide eyes as a ponderous look crosses his face. He looks at me like I hung the moon. I feel frozen in place, unsure how to react to him staring at me like that.

“I had hope that I was right in the way I was feeling,” he whispers in awe. “Now I know that it’s true. I finally found you.”

I take an unsteady step back, even though my body screams at me to stay put. “What are you talking about?” I demand.

He suddenly looks nervous as he glances at Jaime before turning back to me. “There might be more news,” he says, awkwardly scratching his chin.

I sink back onto my couch with a groan, rubbing my hands over my face. “What?” I ask. “What else is there that we need to know?”

He hesitates, then suddenly blurts, “Do you believe in soulmates?”

I blink up at him in surprise. Jaime suddenly lets out another loud snort.

“Well, this is just great!” he exclaims. “You don’t need me around for this bit of information. So, I’m going to make myself busy and go anywhere that isn’t here. Have fun, bird boy.” He stalks from the room before I can call him back to explain himself. I find his reaction a little strange. He’s been acting like an overprotective brother up until this point. I shake my head in confusion and glance back at Arisen.

I raise an eyebrow. “You were saying?” I prompt him.

He lets out his breath. “Soulmates, Samara White,” he answers quietly. “Every Celestial has one, but it’s usually among our own kind. It’s our other half. The person made to complete us and make us whole. The only person we will love forever and have a bond that connects our souls.”

My head jerks into an uneven nod. “That’s a beautiful concept,” I say slowly.

He stares at me intently. “It’s you, Samara,” he says in a firm tone. “You’re my soulmate.”