Existence 03 - Ceaseless

“I’m not doing anything wrong. I’ve left her alone. I just came to see if she was okay. Before you showed up , protecting Pagan had been the only life I’d ever known.”
    Leif had been Pagan’s dark angel. One she hadn’t known existed. His sick and twisted claim on her soul had been something I’d fought his father, the Voodoo lord of the dead for in his own dwelling.
    “You ’ve screwed with Pagan’s future enough. She i s just now learning what a normal human life is like. I’m the only one that she needs to assure her protection. I won’t tolerate you r hanging around. This isn’t your business.”
    Leif started to say more when Gee appeared by my side. “Well look what Hell has done drug up,” she said with a sigh and plopped down on the table. “Do I need to make sure you boys play nice? Bec ause I will and I’ll enjoy every second of it.”
    Leif’s glare turned to one of hatred when he shifted his focus to Gee. There was no love los t between the two of them. “She doesn’t remember you either,” Leif snarled.
    “ Ooooh look , Dankmar . He’s still just as quick as he ever was. Doesn’t that just make us the lucky ones ? ”
    “I’m not leaving until one of you explain to me what is wrong with Pagan,” Leif demanded.
    Gee cackled and I knew her small bout of humor was running thin. The Voodoo prince was pushing it. “Pagan is fine. She is finding herself without the claim of evil on her soul. “
    Leif started to take a step forward and Gee was in his face in less than a tenth of a second. She’d moved at inhuman speed and I looked around quickly to make sure no one had seen her.
    “You take one more step this way and I w ill c ut. y ou , ” s he hissed.
    “You need to leave. This is your final warning.”
    Leif didn’t argue. He was gone.
    Gee cursed and spun around to look at me, “Dammit . I was hoping he’d stay here. That woulda been fun. I’ve been wanting to beat his voodoo ass for a year now.”
    “ That would have been fun to watch, “ I agreed. “But we need to get to work. There’s been an earthquake in Haiti. It’s a bad one.”
    Gee sighed, “Guess you’re taking me to o, this time.”
    Surprised at her lack of enthusiasm I stopped and raised an eyebrow her way.
    “Oh, don’t look at me like that. Can I help it if I like being a college student? It’s a hell uv a lot more fun than dealing with dead people.”

Chapter Six

    Pagan

    Miranda was standing at her closet with several outfits laying over both our beds and the desks when I walked into the room. I’d spent the rest of the day checking out my classes , meeting with professors , and finding a coffee shop close enough to stop by in the mornings on my way to each class.
    “Did our closets throw up?” I asked as I closed the door behind me and took in the mess in front of me.
    “Maybe,” she nibbled on her bottom lip nervously. “I have nothing to wear. Nothing.”
    I knew for a fact she had enough clothes to cloth e a small country. What she meant was she didn’t have anything to wear on a date. Must be someone she really liked because I hadn’t seen her go this crazy over what to wear in years.
    “Who ’s the lucky guy?” I asked , moving over a blue jean skirt that belonged to me and her royal blue scarf shirt so I could sit down on my bed.
    “Nathan. The guy from the club,” Miranda clapped her hands excitedly, “And get this! He is in the same fraternity as Jay. They want both of us to go out to dinner tonight and go see a movie.”
    Uh - oh. That wasn’t going to work.
    “Um, well , see here is the thing. Jay has a girlfriend or is obviously in a relationship. I saw it last night at the club. You know I don’t do drama and that is some serious drama there. You’ll have to tell Jay ‘no thanks’ for me.”
    Miranda’s face fell and she dropped the red jacket she’d been holding up in the mirror. “Pagan, please. This is important to me. Nathan is, he is like, I just haven’t felt about anyone like this, since, well since,” I saw tears well up in her eyes as she stared pitifully at me.
    “Since Wyatt?” I asked.
    She sniffed and nodded. “It isn’t as strong as what I felt for Wyatt , but I just met him. He makes my heart race and I get all tingly when he touches me. He isn’t Wyatt. No one will ever be Wyatt. But when I’m with him my heart doesn’t hurt.”
    Well, crap. She finally finds a guy to move on with and he is a friend of my ex. Just freaking