The Soul Healer Read online

  THE SOUL HEALER

  BY MELISSA GIORGIO

  Published by

  Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing, LLC.

  Novi, Michigan 48374

  The right of Melissa Giorgio to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him/her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it was published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Cover Design by

  Rue Volley

  Edited by

  Elizabeth A. Lance

  Copyright© 2014

  All rights reserved

  Published by

  Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing, LLC.

  Novi, Michigan 48374

  To Amy, who listened to every complaint, fear, and doubt I had about this book and always answered with the same three magic words: “Just keep writing.”

  Chapter One

  Once upon a time, there was a girl who could See demons. She also had the crazy ability to heal people with her magical, glowing hands (not that she ever remembered doing so after the fact).

  But she absolutely sucked when it came to wrapping gifts.

  “Argh!” I yelled, only barely resisting the urge to hurl Rafe’s present across the room.

  My best friend Penny glanced at me over the top of her phone and sighed. “Gabi, why are you stressing over the damn wrapping paper? You could put his gift in a paper bag and he would still love it just as much!”

  Wordlessly, I held up the box to show her my problem; not only was the wrapping now wrinkled, but it didn’t even meet in the middle, revealing the box (and its contents) underneath. Way to ruin the surprise, Gabi.

  “Oh my god, give me that,” Penny said, snatching the box from my hands. She ripped the paper off and held out a hand for the scissors and tape. “Why are you so bad at this?”

  I watched as she carefully measured the paper before cutting it in a perfectly straight line. Ugh, was she a robot? “I knew I should have had them wrap it at the store. But I wanted to do it myself…”

  “Which is why I’m currently wrapping your boyfriend’s present for you,” she muttered under her breath.

  I chose to ignore that. “I just want it to be perfect.”

  Penny taped one side of the shiny red paper down. “Gabi, like I said, Rafe will love anything you give him. The boy is completely smitten with you.”

  My cheeks reddening, I pretended to ignore her, although I was definitely dancing with glee inside. “So you mean I could have saved my money and gotten him nothing?”

  “Not nothing,” she said with a sly smile. “You should have put a bow on top of your head and told Rafe you were his Christmas present.” She said that last part loudly and I almost fell off my bed.

  “Penny!” I hissed, glancing at my open bedroom door in apprehension. Dad was in his bedroom, which was right down the hallway, and I was absolutely, positively certain he was listening to everything we were saying. And he didn’t even have to press his ear to his closed door since Penny liked to talk extra loud.

  From the grin on her face, I knew she was doing it on purpose, too. She was lucky she was wrapping Rafe’s gift for me, or else I would have thrown something at her head.

  “Then again,” Penny said, resuming a normal speaking volume (which was still loud for most people), “Rafe’s head would probably explode if you did something like that.” She shoved the now- neatly wrapped present into my lap. “The two of you are going to be, like, forty before you learn to properly celebrate the holidays.”

  “Shut up!” I admired Penny’s wrapping skills, unable to deny she had done an amazing job. Swinging my legs off the bed, I placed the present on my desk, next to Rafe’s card. At least I had been able to fill that out without needing help. When Rafe commented on how beautifully wrapped his present was, I was so taking all the credit for it.

  I put the card on top of the present, then took it off, laying the card next to the gift. Frowning, I looked at the green and red gift bag I had bought just in case I couldn’t get Rafe’s gift wrapped (and couldn’t convince Penny to do it for me) and wondered if I should put the gift in there. Or would it look better without the bag?

  Penny started laughing. “Look at you, obsessing over his gift! I never thought I’d see this day!”

  I whirled around, my hands on my hips. “What day?”

  “The day you went crazy for a boy!”

  “I am not crazy!” I mean, if I told her what Rafe and I did when we went out on dates (and by dates I meant hunting for demons), she’d definitely say I was crazy, yeah, but I knew what she meant and no, that wasn’t me. I wasn’t like the other girls who constantly talked about their boyfriends, checking their phones every two seconds to see if there was a message from them.

  Speaking of which, I wondered if Rafe had messaged me about tonight. I had just checked not too long ago, but maybe I hadn’t heard it beep over Penny’s obnoxiously loud screeches. I reached for my phone—

  Argh, dammit!

  “You totally are. You’re doing it right now,” Penny said, watching me with my hand frozen over my phone. “You want to see if he’s texted you in the five minutes since you last checked.”

  With considerable effort, I pulled away, curling my hands into fists and commanding them to not touch the phone or else.

  Or, at least wait until Penny went to the bathroom before checking the phone again. I eyed her cup of soda on my nightstand, wondering if she had drank enough that she needed to pee in the next five minutes.

  Crap, I was doing it again.

  “Poor Gabi. How are you going to survive an entire week without Rafe?”

  “Easily,” I said, proud that my voice was calm even though my heart had just squeezed painfully. Me, Dad, and Chloe were going to Vermont for a week to see his family (my grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins—Dad’s family was huge and we only saw them once or twice a year, so reunions were always a big deal) for Christmas, while Rafe was stuck here, Nowheresville, New York. I felt so bad for him! Evan was flying back to California to see his parents, which meant Rafe was alone. For Christmas. That has got to be the most evil thing I have ever heard. He tried to play it off, saying he had things to do, essays to write, but no. You do not write essays on Christmas. You exchange presents and eat obnoxious amounts of food and kiss your girlfriend in front of a roaring fire as you shower her with a crapload of presents. That’s what Christmas was all about!

  And yes, I had asked Dad if Rafe could join us in Vermont and I swore he had been considering it, but then we had this teeny-tiny incident that involved a bit too much PDA when we thought that Dad wasn’t home when he actually was (see, Penny didn’t know what she was talking about), and now he didn’t trust us. As if we would do anything when we were surrounded by great-aunts and uncles and third cousins once removed! And Dad had been so trusting of Rafe up until then, too.

  But, no, it was just a week. We could survive not seeing one another for one measly week. I was not that girl, the clingy, whiny type who thinks she will absolutely die if doesn’t see her boyfriend right now.

  One week without Rafe? Please, I’ll be fine.

  Chapter Two

  Rafe slid me into his lap, doing that nuzzle-kiss thing on my neck that he knows drives me crazy and I let out a scream of frustration when I realized there was no way I was going to make it through the next week without him.

  I’M THAT GIRL. OH MY GOD, I’M THAT STUPID, CLINGY GIRL.
/>   Laughing, Rafe pulled away to say, “Seriously, Gabi, if I’m that bad of a kisser, you really need to tell me—” He took one look at my face and broke off, his laughter dying. “What’s the matter?”

  I snuggled closer to him, ignoring the steering wheel that was currently pressing into the small of my back. Rafe shifted slightly, wrapping his arms tighter around me and I sighed, leaning my head against his shoulder. The front seat of his car wasn’t exactly ideal for making out, but our options were restricted. My house, obviously, was off limits.

  His apartment had Evan.

  Okay, don’t get me wrong, Evan was great, but he was worse than Penny when it came to the teasing. And there was no way that I was spending my last night with Rafe listening to Evan explain the birds and the bees to us one more time. In graphic detail. With pictures. Although, the last time he had done so, Rafe had summoned his sword and I think Evan had gotten the hint. Then again, he was pretty dense, so maybe he didn’t think Rafe was seconds away from beheading him. No, he probably thought Rafe saw a fly on the wall and wanted to kill it with his sword.

  So, the car it was. Rafe had the heat going full blast for me (he was actually wearing a jacket, but I knew for a fact that he didn’t feel the cold like normal people. I, on the other hand, was wearing a shirt, sweater, jacket, and scarf and still felt cold. God, I hated the winter!), and the radio was softly playing Christmas songs. We had picked up some hot chocolate and red velvet cupcakes (already eaten, of course), and now we had moved on to the very important make out session.

  And gift exchange, which was equally, if not more, important.

  “Gabi?” Rafe tapped me on the tip of my nose when I didn’t answer. “Still with me?”

  For now, I thought glumly. Tomorrow at the ass crack of dawn, Dad would be shoving a nearly unconscious Chloe and me into the car, happily whistling as he drove to his family’s place. And Rafe would be stuck here doing…essays.

  “Are you sure you can’t follow us tomorrow in your car?” I pleaded. “Dad totally wouldn’t notice you, I swear.”

  Rafe chuckled. “I think he would notice me when I suddenly showed up at his family’s house! Unless you planned on sneaking outside to see me late at night? Which is a horrible idea, you know.”

  “Really?” I pulled back slightly to glance up at him. “What’s so horrible about seeing me?”

  “Not that part, the part where your dad catches me and kills me.”

  “Oh.” I bit my lip. “I see your point.”

  “It’s only a week, Gabi,” Rafe said. “We’ll be fine. You’ll be so busy with your family that you won’t even miss me. And I…I have things to do, too. It’s not the first Christmas I’ve spent alone, you know.”

  Rafe’s tone was light, but there was no mistaking the pained look in his green eyes. This was so screwed up, I wanted to scream! Dad knew about Rafe’s parents, and he still had no problem forcing him to celebrate Christmas alone.

  “Don’t blame your dad,” Rafe said, accurately reading my mind (as usual). “It’s not his fault I’m an orphan. He’s just trying to protect you, Gabi.”

  Protect me? If only Dad knew what was really out there, the things that went bump in the night and splashed you with disgusting green blood when they were beheaded. If he knew how many times Rafe had saved me (okay, a bunch of those times it had been Rafe’s fault since we had actually gone looking for demons), he would have given him a medal or something! Not for the first time I wished I could just tell Dad the truth, but saying, “Demons are real, Dad, and Rafe kills them for a living, and sometimes I help. Oh, and I heal dying people too, yay!” would probably not help the situation one bit. At least he still lets me see Rafe and have some alone time with him (although Rafe was currently banned from my bedroom for the next seven years). Telling him the truth equaled never seeing Rafe ever again.

  Okay, maybe one week apart was doable, all things considered.

  I reluctantly pulled away from Rafe and slid back into my seat. I pulled his beautifully wrapped gift out from my bag, then paused. “But what are you going to do while I’m away? And please don’t say essays. I might have to kill you.” Who did homework on their vacation?

  Rafe settled back in his seat, staring out the front windshield. It was snowing lightly, and a thin layer of white covered the glass like a lacey veil. “I have some research to do. About…” He trailed off, his gaze sliding to my gloved hands. I squeezed them into fists, swallowing hard.

  “My freakish ability?” I tried to play it cool, but my voice broke slightly. After saving Evan’s life (and not remembering doing it, of course), my hands had been normal. No white light, no trances, and my hair had stayed its normal light brown color after I had dyed it. If the healing had happened only once, I could have played it off as a fluke. But I had saved both Rafe and Evan, and we knew whatever I was, it wasn’t normal.

  I was grateful that Rafe was looking into it for me, but sometimes I wished I could just pretend it had never happened. As long as the boys stopped getting themselves nearly killed, I wouldn’t have to heal them, right? We hadn’t even seen a demon since an incident after Thanksgiving, when Rafe had taken me out to eat during my break at the Convenience Corral. I was hoping, praying, pleading with the universe that our demon hunting days were behind us for good. It was really nice being able to go out with Rafe and not come home and have to trash my entire outfit because either he or a demon or both had bled on me. Very nice, indeed.

  “Where do you even go to research this stuff, anyway?” I asked, running a finger down the length of Rafe’s present, the wrapping paper crinkling in response. I yanked my hand away, afraid I’d mess up Penny’s wrapping job and not know how to fix it. “I’m pretty sure the library doesn’t have a section on demons.”

  “No, but HQ does.”

  I stared at Rafe in surprise. Silver Moon’s New York base, located down in Manhattan, was a place full of bad memories for both him and Evan, and they avoided it like the plague. For him to consider going there for me— “Rafe, no. I don’t want you to ruin your holidays by going to that hellhole.”

  He laughed quietly. “You’re not allowed to call it a hellhole; you’ve never even seen it.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I know it sucks, and I’m forbidding you from going there!” I held up a fist to show him I meant serious business.

  “Gabi, I promised I’d figure out what’s going on with you, and I meant every word. If going to HQ is the only way, then I just need to suck it up and go.”

  I was struck by a sudden idea. “Why don’t you wait until I get back and we can go together?”

  He sucked in a sharp breath. “No.”

  “Why not? This way you won’t be alone—”

  Rafe was already shaking his head. “That’s a bad idea for a number of reasons. Firstly, I don’t want you anywhere near them. Secondly, how would we convince your dad to let you go to Manhattan with me?” He held up a hand when I started speaking. “And don’t say we’ll lie to him. I’m not giving him another reason to come after me with his kitchen knives!”

  I huffed, crossing my arms across my chest. Saying we could lie to Dad was exactly what I had been about to suggest. What? We might have even been able to get away with it, too! I could have told Penny to cover for me, gotten Chloe in on it…

  Rafe reached over to place his hand atop of mine, entwining our fingers. “Look, I know what you’re doing, and I appreciate it, Gabi. But I can handle them. I did it for most of my life, didn’t I?”

  And it had sucked. Rafe could pretend all he liked, but I knew how much the other hunters’ comments about Rafe’s Sightless eyes had hurt him. Still hurt him, even though he was miles away from them. I was not going to let him spend what was supposed to be the happiest time of the year with those jerks.

  “Rafe, listen.” I shifted in my seat so I was facing him. “I don’t want you going there this week, when I’m not home. Wait until I get back from Vermont. Hell, wait until next year. Just…wait.”
/>
  His green eyes were very serious. “You sure? I’m doing this for you, you know. I can take whatever they say; you’re the only one I care about.” He touched my cheek with his free hand. “Only you…”

  I leaned into his touch, a little breathless. His words were heavy, weighing on my shoulders like they were real, tangible things. For anyone else, saying “only you” could be considered an exaggeration, but with Rafe, I really was it (Evan didn’t count). “I’m sure. Stay here. Pig out on food. And call me every free second because oh my god, I’m going to miss you.”

  “I’ll call every evening,” Rafe promised. “But you’ll probably be so busy that you won’t even answer your phone. And I’ll waste away to nothing, forgotten by my girlfriend…”

  I grinned. “That sounds about right.”

  “You want me to waste away?” His eyebrows rose.

  “Absolutely,” I said. “It shows what a great catch I am.” I held up his present. “Just wait until you see what I got you!”

  With a rueful shake of his head, Rafe accepted his present, shaking it a few times before tilting it this way and that, as if to guess the contents inside. I was practically bouncing in my seat, impatient for him to rip it open and proceed to gush about how I was the most perfect girlfriend ever.

  He carefully ripped the paper, complimenting the wrapping job in the process. (I just smiled and accepted his praise—Penny would never know) When he saw what was inside, he let out a surprised gasp.

  “Ta-dah!” I couldn’t help but sing, waving my fingers. “I’m the best, right? Right?” I nudged him a few times with my elbow.

  “Gabi,” he said, holding up the brand new, cost-me-about-two-months-of-Corral-salary, baseball glove. Rafe’s eyes had gone a bit wide, I noticed gleefully.

  Yes! I had totally nailed this present.

  Best. Girlfriend. Ever.

  “Try it on!” I implored when it was clear Rafe wasn’t going to do anything but sit there, gaping at the glove in shock. He quickly opened the package and removed the glove, sliding his right hand into it and flexing the fingers a few times. “Is it good? I don’t know crap about gloves, but I talked to the guys in the store and they went on and on and on and I had to stop listening. But in the end they said this one was the best so I got it!”