Soul Master

42. Amèlie

I woke to the sound of the kitchen door closing, I had cried myself to sleep on the floor by the sofa, replaying his message. I tried to open my eyes, stuck closed by sleep and dried tears it took me a moment to see clearly. It was still dark outside, I pushed myself up and looked over into the kitchen.

'Zayne?' I croaked, my voice was almost mute. I cleared my throat and tried once more. 'Zayne?'

No reply.

I forced myself to stand and looked around for a weapon. I grabbed a vase off the bookcase close to me. I slowly crept towards the kitchen, ready to fight. I peered around the corner the room dark and still.

Behind me someone grabbed the vase from my hold and tossed it onto the sofa. I turned into someone's chest, it wasn't Asha. His smell was different,

I struggled as arms embraced me and his voice shushed me gently, holding me still.

'Get off me.' I pushed at him, my palms connected to his chest I felt them burn and a bolt of blue light seethed between the two of us, only to diminish into nothing.

'Stop.' His voice was familiar, I looked up seeing Mally staring down at me.

'What are you doing here?' I asked shocked, pulling back my hands, and trying to ignore that weird light that had just came from them.

'You need me.' He answered keeping me in his hold.

I shook my head. 'Leave.'

'Amèlie.' He replied, lifting my face up to meet his gaze, I saw a mixture of emotions cross his features, one of sympathy, pain and sadness. 'I know what happened.'

That was all it took. I allowed him to catch my weight as I lost myself into grief.

He held me in the darkness, quietly as once again I found myself unable to do anything but cry. His hands stroked through my hair and he rested his head on top of mine, stroking one hand on my back.

'He's gone.' I said sadly

'I know.' he replied. He swayed his body as he held me, the motion calming my mind.

'I killed him.' I added. 'I woke up and I....' My thoughts went back to me draining him. 'I-'

He lifted my face to his. 'You lived, just as he would have wanted.' His eyes looked between mine. 'He wanted to save you Amèlie.'

'But...'

He shook his head, then quickly lifted me into his arms and carried me to my room, he placed me gently on the bed and sat beside me, taking a moment to brush the hairs from my face. Again his face looked pained, I wondered what expression I had for him to look so stricken.

'Sleep.' He whispered. 'I will stay by you, I will watch over you.'

He already looked as drained as I felt, and I wondered if maybe he had been hit with grief too.

'What happened?' I asked. 'After I passed out.' Something didn't click right away in my mind, and it was only after I asked that, that I remembered that everyone had been frozen in time. And yet Mally had came to my rescue, turning Blitzen to ash and trying to help me, how had he been able to move. I never asked, I don't think he would tell me.

'You didn't pass out,' he answered. 'You died. Asha came for you, he sensed you.' He looked away. 'It was his idea to take you to a witch to bring you back.'