Questions tumbled like sharp rocks in my mind. How had he found me? The last time he’d seen me, I’d been in the body of Eli’s sister, Sharayah. Now I looked like Alyce. Yet Gabe looked the same. If he was trying to elude the Dark Disposal Team, he should have switched bodies — since he didn’t have to stay in the same body, why not steal into a new identity that no one would recognize? Even though he wasn’t born into the face that loomed in my rearview mirror, there was a ruthless determination in his gaze that I recognized … and feared.
The brim of his navy blue cap rose above his dark-gold stubble; a strong jaw and hazel eyes stormy with intensity locked with mine in the mirror. I could have kicked myself for not checking the back seat before getting in the car. That was one of the first things I’d learned from my book on The Savvy Girl’s Guide to Self-Defense.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded.
“I had to see you … Amber.”
He knew who I really was!
I could hardly speak with his Dark Lifer hand on my shoulder, tingling with a heat that drained my energy and made it hard to focus on the road. Chaotic thoughts raced in my head. It really was Gabe! I hadn’t imagined him below my window last night. How had he found me? What did he plan to do? Was he angry because I’d sent the Dark Disposal Team after him? Obviously they hadn’t caught him, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t hold a grudge and want revenge.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” I managed to say, struggling to hide my fear. “The Dark Disposal Team will find you.”
Gabe’s hand sizzled as he pressed hard against my shoulder. “I never worry about the DDT. Keep driving.”
“Where?”
“My usual destination — nowhere,” he added with a bitter laugh.
“I can’t just keep driving.”
“So pull in somewhere we can talk.”
“Talk?” I asked in a breathless whisper.
“You’re not in any danger from me, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“I wasn’t,” I lied.
“Good, because I’d never hurt you. I’ve been thinking about you since we parted on the boat. It’s great to see you again.”
I wanted to snipe back that it was hell to see him again, that his nearness and energy-sucking touch drained me. But it took all my strength to keep driving.
“Am I scaring you? Sorry, that’s not my intention. It’s just I couldn’t find any other way to get you alone. So I followed you.”
“Stalked,” I spat out in a furious whisper.
“It was necessary so we could talk.”
Times like this, a girl could really use an eject button to fling an unwanted passenger out of the car. It was hard to think straight, especially with the white lines on the road wavering like wiggling snakes. Fields and trees and paved road blurring, I drifted away, fading like smoke …
“Watch out!!” Gabe released my shoulder as he lunged over the seat to steady the wheel.
“I can drive just fine!” Without his heated touch, I could think more clearly. “Keep your poisonous hands off me.”
“Sorry — I forgot how my touch affects a Temp Lifer.” He sucked in a deep breath, then blew it out and leaned away from me. “I promise I won’t touch you unless you want me to.”
Like that would ever happen—not.
I kept my gaze on the road and spoke coolly, “What’s this all about?”
“You have every reason to hate me, and I don’t blame you. I simply want to talk.”
“So talk.”
“Not in a moving car. Find somewhere to stop — choose a public place if that will make you feel safer. You can trust me.”
Trust him? Never. But I was all for going to a public place where I could yell for help. I thought fast, knowing that his Dark Lifer touch was as deadly to me as a loaded gun. Playing along with him seemed like the best idea for now — until I could sneak to my GEM and report him to the Dark Deposal Team.
“I’ll pull over in that park.” We’d driven into a suburban area with large homes that practically bumped into each other. There was no space left for yards, but it offered a few acres of lawn and shade trees in a community park.
He didn’t argue, so I took that as acceptance.
I was relieved to see little children swinging and whooshing down a slide while parents sat nearby on benches. If Gabe pulled anything, a shrill scream would activate the mother-warrior instinct and playground moms would punch 911 on their cell phones.
As I pulled into a parking spot between two SUVs, I kept a hand poised on the door handle, debating on whether I should give into my curiosity and listen to him or try to escape.
But Gabe must have guessed what I was thinking because before the car even came to a complete stop, he sprang from the passenger seat, coming around to my side to open my door. With a sweeping gesture, he said, “Allow me.”
I didn’t thank him.
I pocketed Alyce’s car keys and stepped out of the car.
“This way, please,” he said, with such gentlemanly charm that anyone listening would think we were on a date.
Now that I could see him better, his body was still hot looking: long, muscular legs in snug blue jeans; a dark-blond ponytail; and a golden tan that I knew was sprayed on to hide the Dark Lifer grayness of his hands. He had a subtle style, too, which seemed modern at first — jeans, a button-down shirt over a T-shirt. But a closer look revealed that the large silver watch he wore was obviously an antique and his boots were heavy leather, more suited for sailing than hanging out at a mall.
“What’s this about?” I insisted, facing him with my hands on my hips.
“It’s complicated.” He pointed beyond the playground to a rose garden. “Let’s go over there.”
“Why?” I demanded. “Because it’s remote and deserted?”
“No, because flowers are beautiful — I’ve always been a great admirer of beauty.” He gave me a significant look.
I felt myself blushing and had to remind myself that I was talking to the enemy. “So why go to all this trouble to talk to me?”
“Would you have met with me otherwise?”
“No.”
“My point exactly.” He moved slowly and I fell into step beside him, walking down a worn dirt path between rows of brilliant blooming and budded roses. “Aren’t you going to ask how I found you?”
“Why bother? You’ll eventually tell me.”
He chuckled. “You’re right, of course, but then I expected no less from you. You’re unlike any girl I’ve ever met.”
“Nice line, but it won’t work on me. I know your history of leading girls on, then breaking their hearts. I know better than to believe anything you say.”
“Aren’t you curious why I still wear this body?”
Well, duh. Of course I was, but I wasn’t about to admit it to him. With a shrug, I stepped ahead of him over a green hose stretched across a dirt path between the roses. Inhaling soft flowery scents mingled with damp earth, I pretended nonchalance as I reached out to brush my fingertip across a lavender petal.
“Who can resist a rose?” he said with a wry twist of his lips. “As D. H. Lawrence said, I am here myself; as though this heave of effort at starting other life, fulfilled my own: Rose-leaves that whirl in colour round a core of seed-specks kindled lately and softly blown.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
“It’s about appreciation and living life to its fullest.” He sighed. “But no matter how many lives I live, I’ll never regain my own.”
He spoke in a voice raw with emotion; the dark hopelessness in his eyes made me feel as if I was staring into his soul. I could imagine his endless cycle — stealing a body every moon, decades passing in a whirl of wars and technology. Yet he’d chosen to live as an outcast.
“I should have already moved on. I need to find a suitable host to inhabit before the full moon next week.” He stared wistfully at the roses. “But I wasn’t ready yet.”
“Why not?” I asked quietly.
“Because of you.”
“Oh, please. You don’t even know me,” I pointed out. “Most of the time we were together, you thought I was someone else.”
“Appearances mean little. It’s your soul essence that sparked emotions in me I thought were long dead — curiosity, interest, and a longing to see you again. I stayed in this body so you’d know me when we met again.”
“That’s a dumb move. Aren’t you afraid the DD Team will find you?” I thought of Monkey Bag tossed casually on the floor of Alyce’s car, with the GEM zipped inside. All I had to do was get to the car, open the book, and report him to the DD Team.
“You were worth the risk,” he said simply.
“That’s crazy.”
“No crazier than discovering you’re a Temp Lifer — only one of the intriguing things about you. And the way you stood up to me, fearless. I’ve thought of nothing else but finding you since we last met.”
Had that only been a few days ago? I could hardly believe so little time had passed since the drama on his boat, where he’d barely escaped the Dark Disposal Team.
“You should never have found me,” I told him. “It’s my duty to turn you in again and I will, if I get the chance.”
“I know … and I find it strangely exciting. You probably have a GEM in the car. If you want to report me, go ahead. I won’t stop you.”
“Why not?” I asked suspiciously.
He arched a dark brow, studying me. “Perhaps I have more trust in your good nature than you have in my bad nature.”
“Doubtful.”
“Would you really turn me in?”
“Yes.”
“Then do it. Your car’s not far away.”
I turned to look at the car, then back at Gabe. I couldn’t figure out what sort of game he was playing. Was he trying to con me into believing he was a friend? I wasn’t that naive. Still, he could have hurt me and hadn’t … yet.
“First tell me why you’re here,” I said.
“Curious?” He smiled, amused.
“I’ll listen to what you have to say before turning you in.”
“Ah, being fair-minded. I’m grateful.”
“You’re mocking me,” I accused, irritated by his smug smirk. “You may not respect Temp Lifers but I do, and it’s important to me to do a good job.”
“It was important to me too … once upon a time.” His face tensed into hard lines, but otherwise he showed no expression. He just stood there, surrounded by blooms of new life which seemed like an ironic background for someone who stole lives and should have died naturally decades ago. I should have run to the car and grabbed my GEM. But I stood still, too.
“Aren’t you afraid of being captured?” I asked.
“The DD Team has been trying for over a century with no success,” he said wryly. “The only way they’ll catch me is if I let them.”
“They came close on the boat.”
“I was gone before they even touched Earth. I have powers far beyond the average Dark Lifer. Most of them think the only way to gain energy is to steal glowing light from someone who has recently contacted the other side. But powers mean little to me anymore. This existence is meaningless and boring.” His shoulders slumped and he stared down at his hands. “I’m tired of always running, only living borrowed lives. That’s why I’ve decided to change … if you’ll help me.”
“Why me? We’re not exactly friends! You threw me in the ocean and then tied me up with duct tape.”
“That’s all in the past.”
“Only a few days!” I argued.
“Mark Twain said, Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” He gestured to a small lavender rose bush that was past its bloom and hung heavy with withered pedals. “A purple flower represents forgiveness. I’d offer you a bouquet if you’d accept it.”
“Are you trying to apologize?”
“If I was, would you accept?”
“No. I doubt you went to all the trouble to track me down just to say you’re sorry.”
“It wasn’t that difficult to find you.” We turned down a row of miniature roses, most still full with buds and ready to bloom. I had to hurry to keep up with his long-legged stride. “Once I’ve met someone, I know not only their face but also their unique aura, which is like a soul fingerprint. When I found the imposter in your body, I knew she wasn’t you.”
“You met her!” My breath caught nervously. Grammy hadn’t said a word about meeting a Dark Lifer — especially one that was #1 on the Wanted, Dead and Alive list.
“I was suspicious at first to find a Temp Lifer in your body. I thought this might be a DD Team trap until it was obvious she believed I was a friend from your school — she didn’t recognize me. Her glow, though, was surprisingly bright, almost as sweet as yours. Who is the Temp Lifer in your body?”
I shook my head, determined not to give Grammy’s secrets away. “I don’t know. I only do what I’m told.”
“But you’re a living girl, so why leave your body? It doesn’t make any sense … unless this is an elaborate trap to catch me.”
“Not everything is all about you.”
“You’re avoiding the question,” he said, his eyes narrowing.
“If you must know, I’m doing this because I care about people — something you obviously know nothing about.”
“I know too much about people — most of it unpleasant.”
“Negativity equals a bad attitude. You aren’t the only one who knows quotes. That’s from a self-help book called Pollyanna’s Rules for Gladness. You could really learn from self-help books.”
“I’d rather learn from you.” He reached out, taking my hand, his touch sizzling hot, tingling dangerously.
“No!” I pulled back. “You promised not to touch.”
“Right,” he said. “I apologize and hope you’ll listen to what I have to say without judgment. You see me as a villain but once I was like you, a new Temp Lifer eager to do a good job and improve lives.”
“Improve by lying, being cruel, and betraying trust?” I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest.
“You made me realize I’ve made grave mistakes. That day on the boat, I wanted to stay and get to know you — the real you. I regretted having to leave so abruptly, before I could confide in you. I sensed you would never betray a trust.”
I knew he was referring to the great betrayal of his human life, back in the late 1800s, when he confessed to a crime he didn’t commit to save the woman he loved, but she left him to the gallows while she went off with another man. I felt sorry for him … but was wary.
“What do you want from me?” I asked softly.
“Only that you listen to me as you would a friend.” He frowned, staring beyond me out the window. As his gaze shifted back to me, I sensed tenderness. “I’ve been alive for over a century yet don’t have one true friend.”
“You must have had some friends.”
“Only sweethearts … and that always ends badly.”
“Your fault,” I said. I thought of girls like Eli’s sister, who had fallen in love with him only to have their hearts broken.
“If I’d met you sooner, things might be different.”
“I doubt that,” I said, leaning slightly toward him as I studied his sad face. His salty ocean scent stirred my sympathy. It was dumb to feel sorry for the guy who’d carjacked me. I didn’t let down my guard but nodded for him to continue.
“No one else has talked to me like you did that night in the boat,” he told me.
I tried to remember what I’d said. After we got past the whole kidnapping thing, he’d explained about his past and how he’d gone to the gallows for the girl he loved. I’d told him a few things about myself, too. I’d admitted to being a Temp Lifer but only because I wanted to convince him to let me go.
“You said some things that made me realize I’d been living my lives wrong. I wronged you, too, yet you didn’t hold a grudge and showed unusual compassion. That’s another reason why I sought you out.”
“I can’t do anything.” I shook my head. “I’m just a typical human girl.”
“Typical?” he asked with a hint of a smile. “I think not. You’ve changed the weather of my soul like a force of nature. You’re my only hope for forgiveness so I can end this half-life of stealing bodies.”
I gasped. “You want to end your life?”
“No — I want to begin it again, where I belong. I’m ready to go home.”
“You mean … to return to the other side?”
“Yes.” He bowed his head in a solemn nod.
“I don’t believe you. This is some kind of trick.”
“No, only the truth.”
I doubted him … yet he sounded so sincere, and I couldn’t think of any other reason why he’d risk coming here. “Well … that’s easy enough,” I said. “I’ll contact the DDT with my GEM and they’ll come ASAP.”
“No!” he protested with a shake of his head.
“But you just said you wanted to go back.”
“Not by force with the Dark Disposal Team. If they take me, my future will be hell. They’ll lock my soul away in such a dark pit of horror that I’ll never see light again. I won’t be able to prove that I’ve reformed and that I’m ready to make amends for my mistakes. You’re my only hope for a second chance.”
“Me?” I shook my head. “You can’t be serious.”
“But I am. Deadly serious.” He stared deeply into my eyes. “Amber, will you help save my soul?”