Soul Mates

Marcus POV

I watched with a heavy heart as the young lady who'd awakened my tortured soul cried out in pain. I longed to sooth and comfort her, but found it impossible without a corporeal body to touch and caress.

Quick as a wink, she was gone again without a trace, leaving only my memories to prove her existence. This time I had more than a handful of new poses to draw and paint. This time I had a location, a direction to follow. I would wrap up things here, then join my sweet mate, finally living the life we'd discussed and dreamed about so many years ago.

Her physical form was different now, though no less beautiful to me, but I would recognize the other half of my soul anywhere. The lines of our bond showed the way the puzzle pieces fit together. Each soul was unique, no two were ever the same, not even in identical twins, and only one could ever match mine exactly the way hers did.

I could tell she didn't remember our lives together before, didn't know who she had been previously. She assumed Didyme had been someone else, not simply another body her perfect soul had inhabited. I wasn't surprised the memories didn't survive her death and rebirth. I was surprised to see her soul reincarnated though.

In all my thousands of years on this earth, with my exposure to the vast multitudes of humans who died at the hands of the Volturi, or who passed within sight of my windows, I have never seen a soul duplicated. I had deliberately searched for evidence of reincarnation, hoping my Didyme might return to me someday in another body, yet I'd never before encountered anything until I first laid eyes on the bodyless spirit who visited my room.

I had become certain the souls of those who'd died here were sent elsewhere, somewhere outside our universe, outside the realm of our understanding. I didn't know where they went, just that there was no evidence even to the supernatural among us of them remaining here in any form. I had speculated that perhaps they were sent to the heaven described in one or more religions popular amongst the humans or perhaps returning to the source of all life and energy as described in other religions and philosophies. The only thing I knew for sure was that, contrary to the laws of physics regarding the conservation of energy and matter, they had not re-entered the cycle of life on this planet as still other religions and philosophies suggested.

I had watched for not only Didyme's essence, but the essence of every other soul I'd encountered to become encompassed within nature, animals, or even the very air we all breathed. I knew my mate's essence would eventually seek out my own if it ever became possible, no matter what form that essence might take. I watched the flowers growing in my garden, the clouds floating in the sky above my room, even the rays of light bouncing off my skin. I had never quite given up hope of seeing some part of her again, and finally, my faith had been rewarded, my beliefs validated.

Her soul is still drawn to mine, seeking me out while leaving her physical body behind, and I refuse to lose her again. It's dangerous for her to be roaming around, leaving her body vacant like that, I worried. Something could happen to it while she was away. It could die or be stolen by another wandering soul.

I'd heard stories of that happening. I was sure my sweet mate didn't realize that was a real possibility. A soul couldn't be happy without a body to call home, a consistent and permanent resting place.

While I'd been lost in thought, I'd packed up all my artwork and the few mementos of my life with my mate. These were the only things I valued out of all the expensive trinkets and luxuries adorning my suite. I wanted none of the opulent reminders of Aro's greed and the pain I'd suffered as a result of it.

I sought out Chelsea and was relieved to find her alone in the garden. Watching her grimace and twitch, I was thankful I'd refused to accept Corin's ministrations and had avoided her like the plague, hating the way her gift had numbed my brain. I had preferred the pain of my loss over losing control of my thoughts and my will. Clearly, I'd made the right choice.

I knelt before her and waited for permission to speak.

"Mas - Marcus! What is it?" she stuttered, surprised and confused.

"Your Majesty, I wish to ask a small favor of you," I pleaded, playing into her vanity. "I wish to be set free of your gift, so I may go join my mate."

"Oh, Marcus," she sighed, looking at me sadly, compassionately.

"I found out today that Aro was the one who killed my Didyme, his own sister. His guilt and his greed compelled him to hold onto me, even after I outlived my usefulness, as he knew my grief demanded I follow her into oblivion. My gift is rendered redundant, superfluous by your own, Your Majesty," I convinced her. "You not only sense bonds, but also create and destroy them. You have no need of me, and I am a constant reminder of the past, of Aro's regime. The vampires here feel a residual sense of loyalty to me out of long habit that could be perceived as a threat to your authority."

I saw the recognition in her eyes as she remembered nearly calling me Master herself a few moments ago. I continued my plea, "I wish to remove myself from the equation. I have no desire for power, no wish to rule our kind. I didn't want the position even when I had it. I only wished to live in peace with my mate, far from the seat of power, which is why Aro killed her - to force me to stay and pretend to rule by his side, when everyone knew he was the only one with any real authority. He always had the final say, though he made a show of conferring with Caius and me. His greed for power, his need to collect the gifted, corrupted him, causing him to hurt the only people who truly cared about him for himself - his sister, his brother-in-law, and even his own mate. Please learn from his mistakes and don't travel down the same path of destruction he followed. Please be a better ruler, the kind of ruler our people need and deserve."

Chelsea nodded, moved by my words and horrified by her new knowledge of the depths of Aro's depravity, and I saw the bonds she'd previously forced upon me fade away into nothingness. "Go Marcus, and find the peace you've been lacking all these years. You're right. You've suffered long enough."

She smiled and waved her hand dismissively. I knew she expected me to kill myself, since she was unaware of my mate's return. I doubted she'd have been so quick to release me had she known of my intention to go out into the world and join another coven.

Whether I wished for it or not, there were many vampires who would rally behind me as the only surviving king once news of the change in leadership spread. Upon seeing how emotionally unstable Chelsea had become in the aftermath of Corin's demise, few vampires would be comfortable entrusting her and Afton to govern our kind justly and effectively.

Gathering my things, I swiftly made my escape before Chelsea could change her mind. Soon I was on an airplane, bound for America, eager to reunite with my mate and catch up with my old friend Carlisle.

xxxxxxx

Spec POV

I heard the flushing of a toilet a few feet away and flashed over to the bathroom. I detected a heartbeat and breathing and slipped into the room with the human, passing right through the doorway. I gasped and staggered back against the wall, seeing my body washing its hands and peering curiously at itself in the mirror.

Someone had stolen my body!