See How She Fights (The Chronicles of Izzy #2)(51)

“What is a food baby?” Aberto looked perplexed.

“My stomach gets really full after I eat and I call it my food baby because it causes it to stick out a little,” I said snickering. These men were all so literal.

“So, there are no babes yet?” Conall asked.

“No, and none in the plans for a long time. Being a mom is not exactly on my agenda right now. Maybe if the world would stop falling apart I would have time to think about it. For now, I just need to survive this latest catastrophe. If the world stops crumbling after that, well, maybe.” I thought of little Kennans running around and started to smile. I hoped he would return tonight. I missed him.

“If you are finished, I fear we must return to the task at hand,” Aberto said, changing the subject. I looked at him and found that the sadness had returned in his eyes. I wondered what had caused the change.

“Alright,” I sighed, getting up from the table.

“I shall wait outside the door once more,” Conall said, following us out of the dining facility and back to the office.

We walked down the hall and entered the office, leaving Conall to stand guard outside. Aberto walked up to me, putting his body so close to my own that we were almost flush with one another. I tried to step back, but he grabbed me pulling me ever closer.

“Excuse me?” I placed my hands on his chest and tried to push him away. I didn’t like it when he got that close to me. It made me uncomfortable for so many reasons. Some of which I was not willing to look too closely at.

“Please stop fighting me. I would like to try something. It may help you to separate yourself. I will not do anything untoward. You have my word.” He looked down at me with pleading eyes.

“Fine, but no funny business.” I narrowed my eyes at him. I trusted him to help me but no further than that.

“Thank you. Now I need you to relax.” He took his hands and placed them on either side of my face. He closed his eyes, causing his long black lashes to fan out against his cheeks. It was so unfair that he had such pretty lashes. He began saying words I could not comprehend and I felt a strange sense of peace settle over my body. He stopped and stepped away from me.

“Try now.” He nodded toward the couch for me to lay down.

“What did you do to me?” I asked, doing as he commanded.

“I eased your fears. You are holding yourself back with your self-doubt. You are a soul walker, Izzy. You have done this before, yet your fear of being unable to save the Seers is holding you back. I eased some of that fear,” he said, moving to stand as far away from me as the office allowed.

“Thank you.”

I laid back against the pillows on the couch and let myself melt into the cushions. I did as I had that morning. I thought of myself as two halves of a whole and I mentally began to untie the binds that held me together. This time it did not feel forced. It felt like the most natural thing I’d ever done. I pulled myself apart and found myself standing over my prone body. I felt nothing pulling me back. I looked over to find Aberto staring at me.

“Very good,” he said.

“How can you see me?” I asked.

“Now is not the time for those answers. Put yourself back and do it again,” he commanded. He was so bossy and vague. He could totally win a man of mystery award. It wasn’t nearly as appealing of a trait in real life as it was in the movies.

I narrowed my eyes at him before I pulled myself back into my body. I felt everything stitch itself back together and I opened my eyes. I was once more lying on the couch. I breathed deeply and thought of the Seers. I needed to get this right. I had to perfect this so that I could save them. I felt a wave of nausea creep up and I tamped it down. I had no time for it. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes once more.

“Do not try and force it. Let it happen. This is not unnatural, Izzy. Like your visions, this is a part of you. Accept it and it will no longer be a burden. Now, do it again.” he was relentless. I wanted to throat punch him every time the word “again” passed his lips. Stupid know-it-all.

We spent the next couple of hours that way. I hopped in and out of my body like some sort of deranged Jack-in-the-Box. I was exhausted and hungry. I wanted nothing more than to quit and go sleep for the next five days.

“Now, we will try it without the damper.” he moved toward me and pulled me up from the couch. My body was flush with his, once more. The closeness drew that strange familiarity back to the surface. I knew this man, but I the truth was, I didn’t know him at all.

He lifted his hands to my face and I kept my eyes staring straight forward. I did not want to see what secrets were written in his blue eyes. I wanted to survive this and go back to Alabama. I wanted to marry the man I loved and have a future that did not involve eyeless Seers and death.

I felt my fears come rushing back to the surface and instead of letting them drown me I embraced them. These fears were not unfounded. I would take them and make them fuel I was determined to get this right. Just as I resolved myself the door to the study burst open and Kennan came stomping in.

I looked up to find his eyes burning with a fire I’d only ever seen there once. I was afraid of what he thought was going on. I felt like I needed to defend myself and then I realized he was the one being unreasonable. I swallowed my explanation and moved away from Aberto and towards him.

“I missed you,” I sighed as I wrapped my arms around him.