Devour my Soul

The steam from my coffee danced into evaporation, leaving behind the faint scent of caramel as it drifted away. My tongue rubbed the top of my mouth soothingly, the soft flesh was sensitive after I’d burned it on the scalding hot beverage sitting tauntingly beside my keyboard and yet I still eyed the brown liquid with desire. I’d had a bad day, and I could only feel it getting worse.

Flicking my attention back to my computer, I scanned the news for recent updates. Habitually, my thumb felt for the familiar metal wrapped around my finger, my stomach sinking guiltily as I brushed against its clear absence. Most probably, the glittering ring was in the ocean, sinking into an unknown depth or perhaps it was just sitting idly at the bottom of the drain in my shower. In any case, my luck had disappeared just as quickly as the steam on my coffee curling above my mug.

A swift double knock at the door startled me from the news article I’d landed on; something about a body found dead in an alleyway early this morning. The remains had been so disfigured, that they still hadn’t managed to put a name to John Doe. My eyes reluctantly snapped to the now silent door, frowning as more than a few pairs of eyes peered through the uncovered glass wall. For the hundredth time, I wondered what the point of striving for this office had been. The privacy was barely any better. If anything, I was under a spotlight.

Another knock echoed past the murmuring voices outside my office and I knew then that it was most definitely not an employee from the building. If it had been, they’d have already walked in. Privacy was not a given in this place. Closing the news article, I folded my hands on my desk, staring hard at the door as if I might be able to see who lurked behind it.

“Come in,” I called out tonelessly, inclining my head and raising my brows at my shameless work colleagues. They didn’t leave, choosing instead to watch as a young man poked his head through my door, literally through it, and gave me a wide acne-faced grin.

“Hey,” he asked, a little too brightly for a delivery boy. “Are you Selena Darling?”

I nodded, impatiently signalling for the boy to come in, and hoping I didn’t look too awestruck when he slipped through easily carrying a large bouquet of beautiful red roses. Though the flowers were gorgeous, it was the boy who really caught my eye. Ghosting through solid objects and structures was a rare gift, and a highly sought after power when it came to certain professions. This kid, with all his showboating, would either end up a millionaire or disfigured and abandoned in the alleyway. Probably both.

“These are for you, miss,” he bowed slightly, offering the bouquet to me, and somehow succeeding in bringing a blush creeping into my cheeks.

Rounding my desk, I gave the boy a small smile of gratitude, almost falling beneath the large array of roses as I took them from his grasp. Grateful that his departure meant the departure of the watchful eyes as well, I carefully arranged the vased flowers to shield my face somewhat from the crowd now dissipating with the boy.

I didn’t need to be telepathic to know that none of my work colleagues possessed the highly desired power that littered a vast number of humans around the world. The fact that they fawned over the slightest inkling of these special gifts was the dead giveaway; pouting in disappointment that they weren’t ‘blessed’ with that unique blood type that enhanced the power hidden within every soul.

Rumours and articles popped into the news feed every so often; the desire having extended so far and deeply that there were many people who spent their money and lives, searching for that one person who could fulfil their deepest craving. Their soul mate.

It was a rare occurrence in our world, for a person to find their soul mate, though it wasn’t for lack of trying. There were hundreds of reasons why a soul pair did not have the chance to meet each other. Death was among the top ten. The simple fact of the matter was, when you did find your soul mate, you became one of the most powerful people in the world. Of course, once you’d actually mated.

The desperation pouring from the eyes of unmated people often had the guilt churning in my stomach. To find your soul mate, and walk away, was practically unheard of. Most would call me crazy or ungrateful. Even if Evan was the criminal of our pair, it would be me that the public would turn against.

At this point, I couldn’t care less. Nobody knew I had found him, and it was going to stay that way. I wasn’t keen on getting hitched to the most wanted man in the world, nor was I willing to give him the power our souls would unleash if we mated. No, in my books, Soul Reapers were the lowest of the low, and this one in particular was the lowest of them all.

Gazing at the red roses, I knew I had done the right thing by Hayden. He was sweet, and perfect enough for me. He was my choice and I wouldn’t let myself start thinking it was wrong. Sliding my phone out from my bag, I scrolled through the contacts list, pausing when I finally got to Hayden.

The flowers are beautiful! I typed, a little smile forming on my lips at my normally clueless fiancé.

Hayden wasn’t much of a typical romantic. Sure he took me out to dinner and a movie every now and then, but his idea of a proposal was far from dreamy. I could still remember the shock turned to utter disgust stamped clearly on his mother’s face as Hayden knelt on one knee, halfway through dinner in her house, and gave me a shy smile.

I’m relieved to hear you say that. – Hayden

Antheon grumbled disapprovingly against my skin, though by now I was used to ignoring him. I wouldn’t let the wolf ruin my mood, no matter how much he growled. I was happy with Hayden, and nothing would stop me marrying him.