Free Reclaiming Souls by Arielle Caldwell Page A

Kale to go to him.
    “Guess I better go. See you tomorrow, Dev.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek really quick.
    I waved as he walked off. “See you tomorrow. Hope today doesn’t whoop your ass too bad!” I laughed.
    Jackson and Kale disappeared through the portal. I looked down at my list and shook my head.
    “Guess who got assigned with you for the day!?” Lexie bounced down next to me and draped an arm around my shoulder.
    “So now I need a chaperone, huh?” I teased her.
    “Guess so. Last time you went bat shit crazy down there,” She squeezed me.
    “Let’s go get some souls then! We’ll have these knocked out in no time. I only have seven today.”
    “What are the crimes?”
    “The usual- murder, abductions, theft.”
    “Sounds like a rather boring day. At least we should be finished by what, lunch time? What do you think?”
    “I think we should just go and see what happens.”
    “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” We went through the portal and landed in the middle of a snow storm somewhere north; very, very north. “So, you’re meeting Kellin tonight after work, are you?”
    “He told you!?” I shot her a look of amazement.
    “No! I was standing in line behind you but you were too head over heels talking to him you never even heard me or felt me flick your hair or felt me try to trip you.”
    “Wow, you’re cold. Really, were you behind me?”
    She rolled her eyes, “Yes, I was there, I heard the conversation and saw the way you looked at each other. You should just drop Kale while you’re ahead.” We began to walk as the irregular heartbeat became clearer to our ears.
    “I feel bad for him. It’s not his fault I lost all my memories and I’m sitting here like a moron trying to figure out my feelings. I did tell him about Kellin. More like he knew. He said he could just tell.”
    “If he can tell, trust me, you’re done. Don’t drag it out and make it worse for the poor boy. Give him a chance to find someone else and not be all hung up on you while you’re hung up on Kellin.”
    “I thought you weren’t getting in the middle of this?” I eyed her teasingly.
    “I never seem to be able to mind my business especially when it comes to what I know is right for you,” she laughed.
    “I don’t know. I need some time to figure it out,” I shrugged.
    “You don’t have time. If you’re going to break it off with Kale, just do it. Don’t drag it out and make him think he has a chance when we both know he doesn’t,” she said a little more seriously, crossing her arms over her chest.
    “You don’t know that,” I retorted. The thumping of the heart beat got louder. I raised a finger over my lips to silence her. We both listened to the lub lub sound and walked around the corner of a building. A man was pulling the knife out of another man, letting his body fall to the ground in a heap. “Wow, a stabbing? Really? You’re going to spend the rest of your eternity in confinement over this?” I glared at the middle aged man staring back at me with his eyes wide and mouth dropped open to the floor.
    “It’s not what it looks like! He robbed me at gun point and I think he was going to kill me when he was done,” the man sobbed into his hands.
    “The Creator doesn’t send us after souls that were protecting themselves. You honestly think we believe that?” Lexie tapped her foot with her hands on her hips.
    “I swear it. I’ve been staying out of trouble and being good for the past three years since my second chance,” he replied, feebly with his head down.
    “Well, you finally messed up, haven’t you?” Lexie retorted.
    “Lexie, stop!” I hissed at her.
    She glared at me with ice cold eyes. “Stop what? We’re here to do a job, Dev! Now, reclaim him!”
    “He was defending himself! How is this justified! He was just supposed to die and not protect his own life!?” I yelled at her.
    “How do you know he’s not lying?” She got in my face and wouldn’t back