Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

"Fuck you, I'm coming too!" Ebony snapped as she faced Lark with her hands on her hips. Everyone else had gone to their rooms and they were supposed to meet in the lobby in fifteen minutes.

"You can't be seen," Lark said again.

"No, I can't be recognized, so as long as no one scans me, I should be fine. We are going in with Shine Buchanan! No one is going to be scanning her entourage, Lark. They are going to be scrambling to kiss her feet and alert her father to her unexpected presence."

"We don't know what we are going to find there," Lark said with a soft tone that grated on Ebony. She was no child and she wouldn't be treated like one.

"We might find my father there." She poked a finger into his chest for emphasis. "We might find out what my mom was running from, we might find out why I have more than half a soul and why Shine has less," she whispered the last. "This is my journey and I hired you," she pulled the cash from her old purse and shoved it at his chest. "I am going."

"I don't want your money, soulwife," he growled.

"And I don't want to be told I can't be a part of whatever this turns out to be," she snapped back.

They glared at each other, neither wanting to back down from their stance.

"Fine," Lark finally consented. "But you will stay close to me."

"Of course," she said and stood up on tiptoes to kiss his lips. "I like being close to you."

He just grunted and led her out of the room and to the lobby. They sat in a small waiting area with a view of everyone coming and going. There was a lot of traffic this time of day and it made her a little nervous.

Ebony tried to ignore everyone and take the few moments to think, and since Lark didn't want to accidentally reveal anything to a passerby. He was sitting quietly too. She appreciated the forced silence that being in such a public space gave her. Meeting her soulsister was not the experience she'd feared and she wasn't sure what she was doing anymore. Shine wasn't what she expected, not of her soulsister and not of the famous daughter of Senator Buchanan. Ebony had really thought that as soon as she met her soulsister there would be an undeniable urge to fight, to kill, to take what was missing. But there was none of that. Just a feeling of home, a comfort. How did people get past that to kill? Or was it only because she'd never planned to kill the woman and take her soul that she didn't feel the urge as soon as they were face-to-face? She couldn't say what she would have done if Shine had attacked her immediately. She probably would have defended herself instinctively, though she had no idea how to fight.

Shine didn't seem hellbent on taking Ebony's soul either, though. It sounded like she just wanted to take down the senator and disappear. But did she really want to live the rest of her life with just a sliver of soul? Did Ebony still want to give up her soul to Shine? Somewhere deep inside she'd never thought it would happen, never thought she'd actually meet her soulsister. She had hoped that the effort would have been enough to prove herself and be reincarnated into a fullsoul body for the next go round. A life and family with all the privileges, all the opportunities. She'd thought when the cancer finally took her, she could die thinking she'd done all she could to give a full soul to someone else so they could live a full happy life this round.

But what was she supposed to do when her soulsister didn't want to take it? Neither one willing to make that move? Did they just go their separate ways as if they didn't know about each other? That seemed kind of weird, and she had to admit it felt like a loss to perhaps not see Shine again.

"You're very fidgety." Lark put his hand on hers where they clenched in her lap atop her vibrating legs.

"I know this is what I wanted, but it's not what I expected," she admitted. "What happened when you met your soulsibling?"

Lark's face darkened. "It wasn't anything like this, that's for sure. I was the first of our little group to find his soulsibling, though we were all searching together at the same time. I found him in a small community of halflings North of Salt Lake. He was expecting me. I'd felt him strongly as we made our way and he'd obviously felt me coming. He was waiting in the town square, prepared for the battle. He was older than me, but still in good shape. The town surrounded us, not to interfere, but to witness. It was a good match, and I didn't come out unharmed, obviously. But in the end, I won, I stabbed him through the heart, and I felt his soul enter mine and I knew," Lark paused and cleared his throat. "I knew that I had taken something from the community in that instant. He had been a good man. He took good care of the halfling orphans there, taught them usable skills, helped others when they were too old for the government to care about, and I took his life. For what? So that I could have more?" Lark's voice was rough with emotion and she could see a shine to his bright eyes as if he were holding back tears. He shrugged and shook his head. "It's not easy, no one talks about how hard it is living with the memories of the one you killed. I don't think it's right or wrong, I think it's a no win situation for all of us." He turned then and grasped her chin lightly. Kissed her lips softly. "But then I met you and I realized, this is why. This is what makes it okay and without this, I understand why so many kill themselves after they get their full soul. Ebony, I can't lose you now."

"I don't think I can do it, Lark. I can't kill. I'd rather give her my soul and let her be your soulmate, your wife. It was always the plan, until I met you." Ebony hated how those words felt coming out of her mouth now. She didn't want to resent Lark and Shine for being meant for each other too, but she did, she hated the thought of them together after she died.

"I don't want her," Lark said viciously and slammed his lips to Ebony's again, kissing her deeply. "I'll never want anyone but you, and I'll die by your side if I have to, Ebony. I want to follow your body to the next life; I don't give a fuck about your soul."

"I think I love you, Lark," she whispered.

"I think you do too," he teased and kissed the tip of her nose. They sat close, cuddled and content for a few more minutes. All Ebony could do in that moment was hold Lark close and try to embrace the uncertainty they were in. Perhaps some answer would come along, but if they didn't, maybe she just needed to live in the moment with Lark for as long as she could.

Stone arrived a few minutes before Granger and Shine strode out of the elevator making an entrance no one could miss. Shine had her bright blue contacts in and her white-blonde hair flowing around her. She was dressed in a black pantsuit, and she looked like the woman Ebony saw on the television regularly. People stared and pointed and whispered.

"Well, her father will know she's here in under an hour I bet," Lark remarked.

"That's the plan, I think. Should we arrange for rooms somewhere else tonight, just to be safe?" Stone asked.

Lark shook his head. "I think we need everyone to know where she is, the more public the better. Like she said, he isn't going to go after her with the eyes of the world watching."

"Ready?" Lark stood and offered Ebony his hand.

"I suppose so," she said and took it, enjoying the spark. They met Granger and Shine in the center of the room and walked out together to Lark's waiting car. Ebony and Shine sat in back with Granger, Lark drove, and Stone took the passenger seat.

"How are you feeling about all this?" Ebony asked Shine.

"Surprisingly good. I was never comfortable with my place in this life, but I really did think I was doing a good thing speaking about the orphanages."

Ebony nodded; she believed it. How could Shine have known anything other than what was presented to her, isn't that what the problem was for everyone? Isn't that why things were the way they were? The government presented the picture for everyone to just accept. And they did. Ebony had even bought into most of it, just trying to exist in her little slice of the world.

Now, she was questioning everything.

Ebony reached forward and put a hand on Lark's shoulder as he drove through the city. The soulmate spark jumped through her body giving her a little hum of desire and happiness.

"Woah!" Shine said, rubbing her thigh where it pressed against Ebony's. "Is that what the soulmate spark feels like?"

"What the hell, Lark?" Granger hissed and Ebony scooted away from Shine, immediately cutting off contact with both her and Lark.

"I'm driving, dude, I am not doing anything."

"I think it sort of passed through Ebony and into me because we were touching," Shine said with a shiver.

Ebony didn't like that Shine had felt it. It was such a personal thing, so intimate a bond between her and Lark, she didn't want to share it with anyone.

Apparently, Granger felt similarly because he pulled Shine over his lap to the other side of the car and settled himself between them.

"Handsy beast," Shine said with a smile.

"Possessive bastard never did like sharing his toys," Stone chuckled from the front seat.

Granger punched Stone's arm, but Stone only laughed more.

They soon arrived at what looked like any other basic office building, outside the main streets of the city, but not so far it would seem suspicious. The parking lot was half full and people dressed in suits as well as lab coats were coming and going from the front entrance.

"What is this place?" Ebony asked.

"BaneCore is all it says officially. No description of what type of business, it was originally leased out as office space under the corporation's name. With a little digging I was able to uncover Buchanan as the owner of BaneCore, but it was buried so no one who didn't know how to follow a paper trail would find it. Nothing has changed, no renovations listed, it was built by a private company that went out of business after. There is no record of blueprints, probably because it was built so long ago nothing was digital then," Stone explained.

"Seems very unusual," Lark said.

"It is, I don't have any idea what to expect when we walk in there, we need to be ready for anything," Stone said.

"So what's the plan then?" Ebony asked.

"I walk in," Shine said with a confident smile. "You four follow, and once inside we try and figure out what the place is really doing and get access to whatever files they have on hand. If there's something here about Henrietta, that's what we want to find but also anything against my father will be helpful."

"Let's do it," Lark said, getting out of the car and opening the door for Ebony.

She accepted his hand out of the car and soaked up the soulmate spark that was all hers.

"Are you certain I can't convince you to wait here in the car?"

"Very," she said with a smile.

"Let's do this," Stone said enthusiastically. "No one will harm either lady. Buchanan isn't even here so I am guessing the danger is low. His official schedule has him meeting with the governor and walking through an orphanage this morning."

"He won't miss that P.R. opportunity," Shine agreed.

Shine took the lead as they headed across the lot, and they all followed at a short distance. Ebony was sandwiched between Stone and Lark, Granger was in front of them, a half step behind Shine. Eyes were on them as soon as they got close to the entrance, but no one approached. Shine knew how to play the part of rich and entitled. She paused outside the front door and Granger hurried to open it for her, they all went through, then he took his place again right on her heel. Playing the part of bodyguard well.

Silence met them as they walked across a very clean and sparsely furnished lobby to a large white desk where a secretary sat looking horrified and not covering it well. There were at least ten others in the room, and they all stood frozen, staring at the group as if they couldn't believe what was happening, and as expected, they didn't know how to react.

"I am here to tour the facility," Shine demanded, not introducing herself and not asking. She had to expect obedience, it was a trick to throw off the workers.

Ebony hoped it worked.

"Ms. Buchanan, we weren't told to expect you today. Your father isn't here."

"I know he isn't," she huffed and fluttered a hand. "I am here to tour, so are you going to get someone, or am I going to be left to wander on my own?" she snapped.

The poor secretary's eyes went wide, and she looked like she might cry, but she picked up a phone and requested someone named Marty to come to the lobby immediately. "He'll be right out," she said as she hung up.

"Cameras," Lark whispered. "No doubt everything happening here is being recorded."

"We may only have a few minutes before Buchanan is alerted and one of his lackeys shows up to take Shine," Stone whispered back.

"That may be enough," Lark said.

A man hurried out of a hallway. He had on a cheap suit and the look of someone who would happily sleep at his desk rather than go home to face his lonely existence. Ebony felt instantly sorry for the man.

"Max," Shine said before the man could speak.

"M-Marty," the man corrected. "And Ms. Buchanan, what exactly did you hope to tour here today?"

The secretary hadn't said why the man needed to come to the lobby when she'd picked up the phone, which meant that he'd been watching on security cameras that had sound as well. High tech stuff. Ebony realized they needed to be very careful.

"Everything," Shine said and started walking the way the man had come from.

He jumped and hurried to get to her side and cast disapproving looks at the rest of them. "Perhaps your security can wait here?"

"No," she said simply and kept walking even though she had no idea where she was going.

This girl was good, Ebony had to give her credit.

"Of course," Marty said, then motioned to a doorway. "This leads to the main offices."

"I want to see the labs," Shine said.

"Of course," Marty said stiffly.

They followed a bumbling Marty further down the hall and Lark grunted at Stone who took the door through to the main offices.

Divide and conquer was the plan, then.

They followed Marty to an elevator that had buttons indicating at least three levels of underground floors. Ebony felt a moment of panic when the doors slid shut and Marty hit the lowest level. She gripped Lark's arm and looked up at him questioningly. Were they making a huge mistake? Anything could happen to them underground.

He just nodded slightly; it wasn't reassuring, but she also knew this may be their only chance to figure out what was really going on. They had to risk everything, at least she, herself, wasn't risking a long and happy life, but the others… they quite possibly were.

"Weren't there more of you?" Marty asked suddenly.

"No," Shine said without a moment's hesitation, and Marty looked immediately unsure of his own memory.

The doors dinged and every muscle in Ebony's body tensed. Beside her she could feel Lark tense up too, though he didn't show it in his face.

She heard it before the doors opened and knew exactly what they were about to see.

Stone peeled off from the others and waltzed into the office area of the building as if he owned the place. He was ready to charm and talk his way around and into whatever files he could. His eyes took in the completely normal and dull looking office space full of cubicles and chatter, quickly picking out his mark.

She was short and dressed extremely professionally with her dark brown hair in a tight bun and cat-eyed glasses on her pert nose. She had bright green eyes and plump red lips and she looked like she would fall for his particular set of charming skills quickly. She was standing at a file cabinet off to the side and frowning at whatever it was she saw there.

"I am hoping you can help me, love," Stone said cheerily.

"Doubtful. If you're here for the interviews, they aren't until this afternoon and being this early is not a point in your favor." She talked without looking at him, so he just stood there smiling until she finally did lift her gaze to him.

He knew the moment she felt an attraction and he knew he had her. It was the slight widening of her eyes and parting of her lips, it told him everything.

"I'm here to retrieve some files for the senator," he said conspiratorially. "He told me to find the prettiest piece in the office and she'd be able to help me."

"Oh, well, what exactly are you looking for?" she asked, a little breathless and reached up to finger the star charm hanging from her necklace.

"It's a file on a woman, Henrietta Landry."

"Breeder or placement?"

"Breeder," Stone guessed and hoped he was right.

"We keep all the breeder files over here," she said quickly, leading Stone through a short hall and into an office filled with filing cabinets. His mind was reeling around the word, breeder. "When was she here?"

"About twenty-five years ago I think."

"Okay, that would be one of the originals, here in this one." She opened a file drawer and started thumbing through it. "That's weird."

"What's wrong, love?"

"Well there's a file with that name but it's empty."

"He's not going to be happy if the file was lost," Stone said with a frown, trying to decide how far he might be able to push this woman for information. "Are there backups anywhere?"

"On files this old? No, we didn't start inputting stuff into computers for backup until fifteen years ago. Honestly, I don't know why we even keep the hard copies anymore," she said with a laugh.

"You've been a huge help," he assured her, then gave her a wink and leaned forward. She was too startled to respond, and he kissed her as his hand snaked around to grab whatever file he could reach. Whatever was in Henrietta's would be in the others, at least in a general sense and tell them what the women had been in here doing. He stuffed it down the back of his pants under his jacket before pulling away.

She was too dazed by his kiss to notice or care that he'd stolen something. Then he held out his arm gallantly. "Escort me back through the office?" he asked sweetly.

"Oh," she said shakily, "of course, Mr.—"

"Soren."

"Mr. Soren, please tell Mr. Buchanan that I am sorry I couldn't have been more help."

"Certainly will," Stone said then paused and frowned down at her. "Actually I'll tell him it was some fat guy who tried to help me and couldn't. That way if he gets mad you won't get fired," he said with a wink.

She blushed and smiled, nodding approval and he knew he'd just sealed her lips. She'd never mention this interaction for fear of losing her job.

As he left her at the door he stroked his hand down her arm enjoying the way she shivered slightly. "Enjoy the rest of your day, love." He emerged back into the hallway, there were the elevators that he'd heard the others get into at one end and in front of him a set of doors. He decided more exploring was necessary as the others hadn't seemed to have returned yet.

He walked with confidence across the hallway and tried one door, locked, then the other. It opened easily and he stepped into a breakroom.

"Well why the hell not," Stone muttered and sat at a table, grabbed a cookie out of a box sitting there, then pulled the files out to examine as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

They were for a woman named June Person, sounded like a made-up name to him he mused as he read on. He nearly choked on what he found inside.

June Person had entered the facility of her own free will .

Now why the hell had they needed to specify that?

She had sold her uterus to the corporation. A fullsoul with no family listed and no personal resources. She had been impregnated by a donor and given birth to a son. The son is listed as having been placed in an orphanage after tests came back negative.

"What tests?" Stone mumbled and ate another cookie.

June was then impregnated a second time, same donor. She birthed a daughter and the tests were positive. Daughter was placed with a family for observation. Third pregnancy was stillborn, and June was disposed of.

"What the fuck are you doing, Buchanan?" Stone mumbled.