Shadow Soul (Narun Book 1) Read online

  “You’re doing good. It’s coming back to you.”

  “It never left me,” I corrected. “It’s just been a while since my opponent has been equally lethal.”

  “Wow. Was that a compliment?”

  “No.”

  “You know, it’s not easy switching your perspective from defence to attack, but you’ve got a knack for it.”

  “I like it. It’s more… aggressive.” Gives me an outlet to vent.

  The birds chirped their lullabies before the night sought to tuck them in.

  “Did Tony ask you?” I opened my eyes, instantly pulled in by the dusk of the sky.

  Leo twirled a strand of grass between his fingers. “About being his best man? He sure did. And I hear you’re a bridesmaid. Though you doing girlie things… That’ll be a hoot.” Leo blocked my feeble attempt at trying to hit him. “Apparently, it’s customary for the best man and—”

  “Don’t. Just don’t.” I propped myself on my elbows.

  “Tony’s a good man.” The corners of Leo’s mouth twitched. “I’m glad I picked him.”

  “What do you mean you ‘picked him’?”

  Leo dropped the strand of grass and yanked a clover off the ground. “You don’t think it was a coincidence Tony figured out you were the girl in a coma?”

  I drew a blank for too long before the fireworks began.

  Leo had placed the newspaper articles and police reports in Tony’s path. He had fed Tony’s curiosity and led his ‘investigations’. He’d coordinated the whole thing; he’d caused me to reveal my identity.

  Some nerve.

  Much to my surprise, I couldn’t muster the anger. In all honesty, he’d done me a favour. Not that I’d ever admit it to him.

  There was, however, one thing I had to know.

  “Did you orchestrate our whole friendship?” I partly feared the answer.

  “Of course not. Tony seemed trustworthy and understanding, so I dropped a few hints.” Leo threw the clover at me like a javelin; I flicked it off my cheek.

  “You’re lucky it all turned out well. Or you’d be paying.” I flexed my joints, feeling my clothes sticking to my skin, courtesy of the slightly moist ground.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  I looped my arms around my knees. “You’re going to anyway.”

  “Why don’t you use your gifting anymore?”

  “What makes you think I don’t use it?”

  “You’re not using it on me,” Leo reasoned. “And Tony mentioned you never talk about it.”

  “He did, did he… I’m not happy with you two being so close. He talks too much.”

  Leo snorted, confirming my suspicion.

  “I don’t use it, because that’s not who I am anymore.” Or at least didn’t want to be. My gifting had mostly brought grief, anyway. Without it, he might still be alive.

  “I hope you realise how stupid that sounds.”

  “I don’t expect, or need, you to understand.”

  Leo cast his sapphire eyes heavenwards in frustration and jumped up, beckoning me to follow. I gathered my protesting limbs, not nearly as fast as I wanted to.

  We practised for another hour before calling it a night and heading out of the park. The gates would be locked soon.

  “Oh, I forgot your clothes,” I said. “They’re washed.”

  “Keep them. You could do with a wardrobe upgrade.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You do rise to everything, don’t you?” he said flatly.

  I pictured the contents of my wardrobe in my head before I realised he was right: I did rise to everything.

  Leo hopped over a ditch filled with water and I followed, ignoring his extended hand.

  “What is it about me that annoys you so much?”

  For once he didn’t hide his frustration, yet I gathered, it was only the tip of the iceberg.

  “You know the answer to that, Leo.”

  “No, I don’t, Kalika. I thought it was the whole partner thing and me reminding you of home, but you do genuinely hate me, don’t you?”

  A guilty conscience pricked me. Leo was giving up a lot, and the fact that I had changed wasn’t his fault. I couldn’t blame him for my mistakes.

  “It’s not like that,” I said quietly.

  “Then elaborate,” he retorted much louder.

  “Can we not have this conversation?”

  “You’d like that wouldn’t you, fleeing from everything that might involve emotion.” If Leo’s voice was a knife, it’d be the opposite of blunt.

  “See, that’s why! You go too far, you tease it out of me!”

  “I see.” His jaw was taut, pulsating from the pressure of his gritted teeth. I felt sorry for those who came against him in real battle. What surprised me more was that a part of me just felt sorry for him.

  I pulled my jumper on tighter. “You’re right. You’re a reminder of everything I left behind, so it’s easier to stay away from you. Plus, it’s not exactly a secret why you’re here. Any sign of a friendly word and you think you’re closer to your cause! I don’t want to give you the encouragement.”

  “So, you don’t hate me?” Leo stopped across the road from my house.

  “No, you doughnut, though you do rub me the wrong way.”

  “Likewise.” His crooked grin was short-lived. “Where does that leave this weird thing we have going on?”

  I twirled my house key in between my fingers, over and over.

  “I can train you. If you like,” Leo added.

  “Why are you so eager to train me?” I searched for signs to read his mind, but his body language was as impenetrable as his fighting.

  “I told you: I want you to be able to look after yourself, whether I’m here or not. Also, I could do with a punching bag to keep my skills fresh.”

  “Funny.” Leo was forgetting even without him honing my skills, I was far more advanced than the average Jane when it came to self-defence. “There’s just one problem: why should I do anything that’ll make you stay longer?”

  “I’ll stay in any case,” Leo noted. “But I’ll make you a deal. If you train with me, I’ll give you some space. No more turning up on campus.”

  Interesting. “No stalking or hanging around my friends?”

  “I’ll ease off on…following you. Our friends, you’ll have to share, but if you wish, we can ignore each other in public.”

  “And you’re fine with that?”

  “On one condition,” he said. “Truce” —Leo extended his hand— “when it’s just the two of us? After all, you’re the only fellow ‘foreigner’ around.”

  I stared at his arm and fingers that waited perfectly still.

  This could work in my benefit. If we trained together, I would get back up to shape twice as fast, which would speed up the process for resolving the Blood Debt. What was more, it would be the key to getting rid of Leo. If I was no longer under the Blood Debt, they would call Leo back, and I could get on with my life.

  Win-win.

  With a firm grip of his wrist, I shook his arm once.

  Chapter 22

  I fastened a black belt on top of a burgundy top Jill had bought for me. The diagonal neckline did wonders for the off-the-shoulder feature. Thankfully, the yellowing bruises from training were mainly on the other arm where the sleeve reached down to my elbow.

  I slipped my feet into borrowed high heels and smoothed my palms down the front of the slim-cut jeans. Sebastian should be picking me up any minute for Jill and Tony’s engagement party.

  I hoped they didn’t mind the plus one.

  As we arrived at the party venue—Stan’s parents’ house—a bunch of people I vaguely recognised from university already filled the lounge and kitchen. Voices soared over the music. Jill was the first to spot us and question Sebastian’s still blackened eye. He’d be getting that a lot.

  Jill briefly introduced us to Stan’s girlfriend who tidied a pile of shoes away from the doorway. Sebastian saw a mate of h
is and started chatting as Jill pulled me into the kitchen.

  “I hope you don’t mind I brought Sebastian.” I tugged at the black cardigan Jill wore on top of her dress. “I double-booked.”

  “It’s fine, don’t worry,” Jill chirped and stopped in front of two girls fixing drinks. “Camilla…meet my two other bridesmaids!”

  The two girls—a blonde, Lana, from Jill’s course, and Annie, a childhood friend—shrieked in excitement and jumped to hug me. I felt a twinge of remorse this was the first time I’d heard of either of them.

  We exchanged pleasantries and I smiled along, a little windswept, as Lana launched into plans to go shopping for Jill’s wedding dress. Annie, the chief bridesmaid, handed me a cup of lemonade and fell into a conversation with Jill.

  Very quickly I gathered Lana liked to talk and did it with such speed I struggled to keep up. As she carried on, I glanced over my shoulder to see where Sebastian had disappeared, and instead noted Leo and Tony in the lounge.

  I’d never realised Leo was a few inches taller than Tony.

  “Camilla?” Lana burst me out of my bubble.

  “Sorry, say what?”

  Lana sucked in her already flat stomach. “I asked if you have a boyfriend.” She took a bottle from the counter and topped up her plastic cup. “You want a drink?”

  I lifted the half-full cup in my hand. “No, I’m not seeing anyone. You?”

  “Nah, I’ve just got out of a relationship, so I’m not ready for anything.” Lana giggled, biting the rim of her cup, and I noted the small gap between her front teeth. Her fringe was tangled up with her long eyelashes and she brushed the hair off with a finger.

  I was about to attempt small talk when Jill hooked her arm with Lana’s.

  “Come on, let’s get out of the kitchen and go mingle,” she said, looking even tinier compared to Lana’s height.

  Annie smiled at me with her full lips and I started after them, only to wave them off as Sebastian caught me by the doorway.

  “Hey—would you believe I actually know quite a few people here?”

  “That makes one of us, then.” I looked at the sea of faces. The number of people I knew was decreasing rapidly. “I’m not good with people.”

  “What are you talking about? You’re not from around here but you already seem to have made close friends. Bridesmaid-level friends. That’s rare.”

  That was all down to Tony and Jill taking me under their wings.

  “Still.” I pointed a finger to myself. “Anti-social.”

  “I find that hard to believe.” His shoulder collided with mine. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to some people.” He roped his arm around my neck, letting it hang free from the elbow. I stumbled with him into the lounge, the music hitting me harder, and locked eyes with Leo.

  It felt like someone pressed pause, and I registered several things at once: Leo’s smile fading as he saw Sebastian, Sebastian’s grimace as he realised Leo was looking at him, and Jill’s concern as she noticed the reason for Leo’s change of expression.

  Then, the party resumed.

  “Awk-ward,” Sebastian whispered in my ear. “I might’ve earned another talking to.”

  Me too. “Don’t mind him. He won’t bother you anymore.”

  “You talked to him?” Sebastian pulled his arm from around my neck.

  “Oh, I sure did.”

  “You didn’t have to do that. If he bothers you again, I’ll send him packing.”

  “How chivalrous,” I quipped. “So unlike you.”

  Sebastian caught me in the ribs, making an uncharacteristic squeal escape my throat. A few people nearby threw curious glances at us but soon lost interest.

  “It’s a good thing you have your looks, Milla. Your cheek could get you in real trouble.” Sebastian feigned reproach, and I gave my best dramatic eye roll.

  In the corner of my eye, I caught Lana jumping on Leo to give him a bear hug.

  So, everyone did know each other—except for me.

  *

  It was past midnight when the last guests had left the party. Lana lay passed out on the sofa, breathing heavily, her arm hanging on the floor. Annie pulled a throw over her. Most of the tidying up was done, apart from the boys still moving chunky furniture back to their places.

  Jill brushed her hair with the back of her hand, a duster scrunched in her palm, as she caught me by the kitchen door. “I thought the party was pretty successful.”

  “I’ll say. How you know so many people, and still hang out with me, is beyond me though…” I kicked my heels off and gave my feet a quick rub.

  Jill smiled, confirming she was all smiled out for the night. Her yawn backed it up.

  “I hope it wasn’t too awkward seeing Leo again,” she whispered to me. “I know you haven’t really talked since…forever.”

  My face twitched. In her books, my last proper encounter with Leo had been when I talked to him at Tony’s flat. I should just come clean.

  “Listen, Jill—” I started but sucked in the rest as Sebastian walked in the kitchen from the opposite direction.

  “Are we ready to go?” He jingled keys in his hand.

  “Go, go.” Jill wafted the duster in the air. “We’re all done here. Thanks for staying to help tidy up. You really didn’t need to.”

  “Of course, our pleasure.” Sebastian flashed a brilliant smile that quickly fizzled out thanks to the arrival of Tony and Leo.

  I was pretty certain the evil eye Leo had been giving me all night hadn’t gone unnoticed by Sebastian.

  “You two heading off?” Tony shook Sebastian’s hand. “Good of you to come, mate. I’ll text you about footy.”

  Jill gave me a hug and I followed Sebastian out, ignoring Leo altogether.

  We walked to Sebastian’s car which was parked on the far end of the street. As he reversed the car around, I glanced back at the house and witnessed Leo carrying a passed-out Lana to his car.

  *

  After work the next morning, I was relieved to find my seminar cancelled. I had toyed with the idea of skipping class, but at least now my attendance record wouldn’t take another hit—and I’d have time for some over-due grocery shopping. My diet needed an update now that I was training harder.

  I walked through the sliding doors of the supermarket with a trolley and zipped up my jacket. The air conditioning must have been set for a heat wave.

  I sauntered down the aisles, picking up nuts, fruit and vegetables, and anything with high protein, aware I’d have to carry everything home. As I rounded the corner towards the chilled food, my trolley bumped into another.

  In horror, I recognised the stunned face pushing the other trolley.

  Chapter 23

  We both froze, swung back in time to memories stored very differently in our brains.

  “Hey.” I questioned if my voice had been loud enough.

  “Camilla. Hi,” Anita replied after several seconds, almost visibly shaking herself from her thoughts. “This is a surprise. I thought—I thought I’d never see you again.”

  I squeezed the handle on the trolley, knuckles popping white. “I decided to stay. I thought the chances of us—”

  Anita raised her hand, and I sucked in the rest I had to say. “I never had a chance to thank you for what you did for Aaron.”

  “Really, there’s no need. After how I lied…” I trailed off, failing at basic vocabulary.

  Anita lowered her chin and then lifted it with a faint smile. “I understand why you did what you did. I don’t necessarily agree with the methods, but I get it.”

  “Anita. You should be angry at me, shout at me, insult me… Anything but understand me.”

  “Yes… David doesn’t share my views.” She lowered her eyes again, fixating on her shopping.

  I only wondered what he’d say if he saw us now. “I don’t want to cause a rift—”

  “No, it’s fine, don’t worry.” She rubbed her wedding band. “We’ve come to terms with not seeing eye to eye in re
gard to—to…”

  “Me.”

  Anita smiled, and I felt even worse. “How have you been?”

  I flicked hair off my face, although none of it was in the way. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I meant what I said, Camilla.” A frown deepened on her forehead as she said my name. “I believe you didn’t mean to hurt me or my family. I did think of you as a friend; I want to believe that was real.”

  “It was. It killed me to lie to you.”

  “Listen,” Anita pulled her trolley back an inch, “I need to pick up Aaron, but do you want to meet up one day, for a coffee or something? We could catch up.”

  “What about David?”

  “Don’t worry about David. Please, meet me, for me?”

  Her brown eyes had always been impossible to resist and warily, I agreed. Anita dug out a pen from her bag and handed it to me. I scribbled my number on the back of her shopping list.

  I gave back the pen. “I still…go by Camilla.”

  Anita covered the twitch on her lips with a smile. “Sure.” She steered her trolley out of the way. “I’m glad I bumped into you.”

  I dove into the next aisle with my shopping and stopped. What had just happened? She wanted to catch up…?

  There was no end to her grace. Somehow, I’d find a way to make it all up to her.

  I hovered in the shop until it was highly unlikely Anita would still be there. It was only after I had paid for the shopping the obvious dawned on me: I wouldn’t be able to carry everything home. I rummaged my purse and ruled out public transport. I’d blown my monthly budget on food, anyway.

  I sighed, annoyed with myself. I needed a lift.

  Jill was busy with Annie, so I dialled Tony. No luck. Sebastian’s number did the same—voicemail. I hardly knew the others enough to call in a favour. I glanced at the trolley full of bags. Who buys five different types of cereal for one?

  Idiot.

  Reluctant, I dialled the one person who was sure to answer.

  Leo picked up in no time. “Kalika, what’s wrong?”

  “Why does something have to be wrong?”

  “Why else would you be ringing me?” he said, much calmer.

  “Never mind, this was a bad idea—”