Gabriel always left immediately when a reading was finished. This time, he took a step closer. “Feel like dancing?”

                “What?”

                Without breaking eye contact, he spoke over his shoulder. “Ben, leave us.”

                My nerves fluttered. He sent Ben away. Ben was gone. Just the two of us left. This was not good. Then again, good things were reserved for other people.

                Leave! my brain begged.

                I couldn’t mask the growing agony much longer, the pain that would constantly plague my future, forever chaining me to the past.

                His face was void of expression. “Dancing. I asked if you wanted to go dancing.”

                “No.”

                “I didn’t think so. The past Cypher used to go out afterward, as if this whole process energized her.”

                “Maybe she was too outgoing. I’m not a good dancer.”

                My pained heart scrambled to calm down, which only caused it to beat more furiously.

                “No. You struggle.” He took a step toward me. “I’ve been watching. I know this is abnormal for a Cypher. Your soul is gone, and it should know its duties, why it’s gone.” He claimed another step. “Your body shouldn’t crave the loss as it does. It should accept its freedom.”

                This man—no—this vampire was about to figure out a secret that could not be told. Not yet. Not ever. The sting in my heart couldn’t grow much worse than the squeezing, irregular thumping it had adopted from the impact of his words.

                Was Gabriel really that observant? I should have known. He wasn’t stupid, and he was definitely malicious. I should have been nicer to him. Why couldn’t I ever just be nice? Maybe because my soul had been pried from my body, leaving me with an uncertain afterlife and a hollow space next to my heart. Things like that tend to leave a girl a tad bitter.

Download Souled Out by Blakely Chorpenning while it’s free on Amazon December 5th – 9th.