Soul Master

22. Asha

When I woke up, my head was pounding, my eye was swollen and the metallic taste in my mouth coupled with the fat lip suggested that my lip had at some point bled from Mally's impressive strikes. He wasn't a particularly large guy, but he sure knew how to throw punches a fuck load harder than Darren.

I sat up, Zayne's car was still behind me, so Amèlie was still shopping, I wiped my mouth and winced. Then the thought of her shopping alone with Blitzen made me groan. No matter how hard I try, I am never able to protect her. I thought it would be easy, when she brought me from the realms between and made me a shapeshifter I thought I was invincible.

I stood as a protector between her and Blitzen. Strong enough, and capable. I remember one night he had crept into her bedroom, her body still curved and womanly, he approached her bed. Sensing his intentions from down stairs I had came up silently behind him, the belt to his trousers had been loosened, I took a hold of him and used magic to silence him as I dragged him from her room into the woods, and pummelled him against a tree, allowing him to speak so I could hear his wails. His laughing was unnerving, the painful blows I was striking him, seemed to induce a sick pleasure from him even as his body was crushed by my hands.

'You will never have the power to overcome me.' He had laughed. 'You will never stop me from getting what I want.'

He was right.

It may not have been instantly, but now, nine years later, his words haunted me. I realised then, that his power was more than I was capable of breaking down. What I had done on that first day when I threatened him, was ignite a fire within him to prove me wrong, to show me how weak and useless I was when it came to protecting Amèlie.

I stood up and taking a few paces from the car I turned to look at it. The faded red Panda sat in all its retro glory, back then, Amèlie would have insisted the car be transformed into something from a fairytale, probably something like a pumpkin. I smiled at the idea, she would have used her power to make it happen too.

She was a creator, artistic flair and curiosity were natural traits to her. I remember thinking to myself that she didn't belong to this world, that maybe she would have been better to the Realm of Make Belief. All that had awaited her here was indoctrination, and being told what she was, and what she could do was to be kept secret. Hidden, like she should have been ashamed to show who she was. As I, her very creation stood beside her pulled from a different reality.

With a final glance at the car, I ran my hand over my face and head.

'Heal.' I insisted, and to my pleasant surprise I felt the tingling of my body healing below my hand. The throbbing of energy between the space of my hand and face heated and cooled as my energy drained slightly, leaving me feeling cold. I touched my lip, feeling the swelling almost completely gone, I left.

Instead of rushing back to the empty house in the form of an angry wolf, I decided to take a casual walk. The forest was a short distance from the car park, and easily accessible. As I walked past the local housing estates deep in thought an idea came to mind.

What if I took her back, what if I could convince her to return with me to the Realm of Make Belief, where I could protect her. I stopped walking, the idea lifting my mood. I had to get her away from all three of them, this was an easy way to do it.

A dog ran past, yipping as its owner ran in pursuit, ending my train of thoughts as I watched them. The little white Pomeranian stopped momentarily to piss on a 'for rent' sign and upon seeing its owner running at it, took off down a side street.