Possessed Soul

Chapter 41

Chapter 41

I must have fallen asleep, because I opened my eyes to the sound of someone screaming.

"Who are you?" The blonde from reception was sitting on the bed; her eyes wide, clearly disoriented and confused. She was talking to Holden who seemed only slightly more put together than she did. She hadn't seen me yet. I wasn't sure if it was better to let them sort it out themselves or if I should make myself heard. I decided on the former, but only because I knew that my presence would only complicate the situation by a fairly large margin.

"Hi," Holden greeted. He was lost for words, which was uncommon for him. He averted his eyes from her, since her dress-shirt was unbuttoned, and she fumbled as she tried to re-button it. Holden was now looking directly at me. His black eyes bore into mine as if he was asking me a question. I shook my head, signalling that I would prefer it if she didn't see me and he replied with a very subtle nod.

"Where's the guy with the green eyes?" she enquired. Despite her shaky voice she was able to form words perfectly.

I shuffled away on my hands and knees, grateful that the floor was covered in carpet so I didn't have to try to keep my movements silent. I hid behind a wall, as she began to survey the room. She bobbed her head in a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree angle, causing her hair to fly around her, like sun rays.

"I think you have the wrong room," Holden solemnly stated.

"This is my room," she hissed through her teeth. "My suitcase is under the bed." Well at least that explains why there were no clothes in the cupboards.

"Then I have the wrong room."

I sneaked a peek around the wall to see him blush, as he hobbled off the bed and pulled a shirt over his naked torso.

"Nice meeting you." He waved and grabbed both our bags, while proceeding to the door. He didn't dare give her a second look, which made me wonder if he was considering ditching me.

"Wait," she exclaimed. "That's his bag. The guy I came here to see."

"Two people can have the same bags," he said, unsure of himself.

The girl titled her head to the side in confusion. "You stole it," she concluded, her eyes widening.

Huh, that was the perfect story to go with, it even explained why he had the key to this room.

"I didn't steal it," Holden defended himself.

The way she surveyed him, from head to toe, implied that she didn't believe him. She bent her body over the side of the bed, so that her hair just grazed the floor and she could see under the bed. "I'm calling the police," she decided, pulling on the handle of a brown leather suitcase. She reached into the front compartment and pulled out a phone.

Okay, maybe the thief story wasn't the best one to go with.

"No!" Holden yelled dramatically. He dropped the bags and made a dash for her, grabbing both her wrists and sending the phone flying to the far side of the room. He pinned her hands to her sides and showed no acknowledgment of her struggle when she tried to squirm out of his tight hold.

"Let me go," she told me. "Let me go, or I'll scream."

"This place is full of psychopaths; a scream will mean nothing."

Obviously she knew this, or she would have screamed instead of threatening to do so. "Please," she begged. Suddenly she sounded scared and vulnerable.

"Let her go," I sighed as I stepped forward.

She wept openly when her eyes landed on me, causing me to feel bad for her. The second Holden released her she threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around me and putting her cheek on my chest. I gingerly put a hand on her head and soothed her hair back. We stood there for a couple of minutes, Holden watching us with an unreadable expression. I didn't push her away; as much as I wanted to, I couldn't. She had walked into my trap, so it was only fitting that I suffer along with her. I let her weep into my shirt as she mumbled words that I couldn't understand.

"It's going to be okay," I said after a while. "But I need to go now." I forced myself to gently kiss her hair and tried to imagine it was Sage in her place.

"Who is he?" She pointed at Holden. "I thought he was going to rape me."

"You tried to force yourself on me when you thought I was Kaden," Holden protested, working his jaw angrily. I was about to tell him he wasn't helping the situation, but then I realised I wouldn't be helping the situation if I said anything, so I kept my mouth shut instead. "We really should leave."

"Yeah," I agreed, and held her by her shoulders as I took a step away from her.

"I'm really sorry," were my last words as I followed Holden out the door.

She didn't follow us, nor did I expect her to. She might have wanted me, but I'm pretty sure hooking up with me was not among the many things that clouded her mind right now.

"Sage has changed you." Holden peered at me as we walked down the stairs at a relatively fast pace. "A couple of months ago, you didn't respect women so much. You wouldn't have been so tender with a girl you just met."

I shook my head. "I still kissed her and led her on."

"But if you hadn't met Sage, you would have done a lot more."

Holden was observant, I'd give him that much. But he had it all wrong. The only reason I was gentle with the blonde was because I had wanted to be rid of her as soon as possible. I didn't respect her; well, not in the way Holden thought, anyway. The only reason Sage had changed me was because she took up every little spot in my brain and in my heart. She ruled me; and if I was being completely honest, it frightened me to think that I could have such strong feeling about someone.