Leif (Existence)

LEIF
(Existence #2.5)

LEIF
is
a novella that consist
of Leif’s point of views in both
Existence
and
Predestined
. Also, you find out what happened when Dank took Pagan away from
Vilokan
, leaving Leif behind. Where is his story headed next? You’ll get an idea in the end.

With the purchase of this novella you get a free download of Dank Walker’s song “Closer” featured in
Ceaseless
(Existence #3) to release on 9/18/12

Find the link for the do
wnload at the end of the novel.

Leif   
Copyright © 2012 by
Abbi
Glines

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes. If you are reading this book and you have not purchased it or won it in an author/publisher contest, this book has been pirated. Please delete and support the author by purchasing the
ebook
from one of its many distributors.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

For information concerning the cover art please visit Stephanie Mooney’s website at

http://stephaniemooney.blogspot.com

Published by
Abbi
Glines 16125 County Road 13 Fairhope, AL 36532

Ebook
edition

1.
Death was stalking her –
Leif
 

             
It was time. I’d let her grow up normally. I’d stood back and protected her and guided her
silently. Now, it was time I mad
e her mine. The soul that the Creator had made to be her mate was gone. He’d moved away. My path was clear. Finally. I’d been waiting a lifetime for her.

             
I ignored
the jealous glare from Kendra. She was annoying me lately. Once she’d been a good side distraction. Father had sent her to me as a form of entertainment. There were times she’d been useful but those days were over. Kendra knew her fun
had come to an end
. I
need
ed
to talk to
Father
about removing her if she was going to cause problems. Nothing was going to stand in my way now.

             
I sat down in the empty seat beside Pagan. The excuse to be near her had been rehears
ed in my head for over a year, w
hen I’d started planning a way to ease into her life. She didn’t like me much.
Once
this amused me but now it worried me. I needed her to like me. She was my world. She always had been.

             
“Hey, Pagan, Mr.
Yorkley
said I needed to come talk to you.” Pagan stared at me wide eyed. The shock in her expression was adorable. I’d been waiting to
finally speak to her
knowing
that this time,
she’d remember
me.

             
The shock was quickly replaced with an annoyed frown. Not what I’d hoped for but from what I could tell she really didn’t like me. Nervously
,
I rubbed my hands on the knees of my jeans wondering if I should have taken another
route to get close to her. No, questioning my plan now was a bad idea.
I had to m
ake this work. “Uh, um, well,” I
began, “I mean, that is, I need some help in Speech. It isn’t my thing and Mr.
Yorkley
said you were the one to talk to about getting some assistance.”

“This is the first day of school. How can you need help already?” She asked.
I force myself to look at her, e
ven
though
the disdain in her eyes was painful to witness. She wasn’t buying into my excuse. This wasn’t something I’d planned for.

“Um, yeah, I know, but I, well, that is Mr.
Yorkley
and I know I’m going to struggle,” I explained. Did I tell her about my “dyslexia
” now or later? Leif Montgomery—quarterback,
wouldn’t be that open. He’d want to keep his cool persona. I had to remember to play the part. If this was going to work I couldn’t let her see me too clearly this soon.

“Why do you both think you’ll struggle? Surely, you’re not afraid to speak out loud in class.”

I wanted to tell her everything. I couldn’t keep looking at her and reply properly. I turned my gaze away to stare straight ahead before answering.
“No, that’s not it.”
Was the only response I could come up
with.
Real smooth.

“I don’t really know why you need my help. It’s really simple. You write speeches about the topics assigned and then give them orally. Simple, basic, no fancy strings or hard equations.”
Her dislike for me was so obvious in her tone. What had I ever done to her to make her hate me so much? I thought I was a nice guy. Everyone else liked me. Why not her?

“It isn’t so easy for me.”
I started to say more and stopped. This wasn’t going
like I’d hoped
. I needed to think this through.
“Never mind, forget I asked.”
Without another glance back
at her
, I stood up and walked away.
I’d completely screwed that up. For over ten years I’d been waiting for the moment when I would speak to her and know that she would remember me it tomorrow.

“I
don’t
understand
why you want her so badly. She’
s a complete bitch.” Kendra caught up to me as I stalked down the hallway as far away
from
my
debacle in the cafeteria as I could.

“Shut up
,
Kendra. I’m not in the mood,” I growled picking up speed.

“Testy, testy. Not attractive, my prince,” she replied with an amused tone.

“You’
re pushing it,” I threatened
,
as I reached my locker.

“She’s uptight, Leif. Breaking through her wall of ice is going to be impossible.”

             
Jerking my locker door opened, I reached for my gym bag. “Leave me alone,” my words left me as the
eery
presence of Death crept through the halls. Kendra felt it too. She stiffened and took a step closer to me. Who was he after? No one’s soul had left
their
body.

             
“Do you feel
him?” Kendra
whisper
ed
.
The awe in her voice was obvious.

             
“Yeah,” I replied searching the halls for a sign of him. But I saw nothing. Slowly the feeling left and I took a deep breath. He was gone.

             
“That was
Dankm
ar
wasn’t it?” Kendra asked sta
ring up at me.

             
Nodding my head, I slammed my locker
.

             
“Why was he here?”

             
“I have no idea, Kendra. He’s Death. He can go wherever he wants to go. Just back off me, okay.”

             
I stepped around her and headed for the locker room.
Maybe I could get some peace and quiet in there.

             
             
                  ~*~

Death was stalking her. Anger, fear, and helplessness battled inside me. Should I go ask my father what to do? Would he know the answer to this? We’d saved her from Death once already. Why was he back? How many times would Death come for her? She was only seventeen.
I had to find a way to stop this.

             
I couldn’t get close enough to her house without alerting Death that I was near. He
would
feel me and come find me. Although Death had no power over me, crossing him wasn’t something I wanted to do. Did he know it was me that kept her alive all those years ago when he’d come to take her soul? Had he figured it out? Was he coming to right a wrong?

             
“
Ghede
!” I called out into the darkness knowing my father would come at the sound of my voice. I didn’t come to him often for help. I preferred to keep my distance from his life in
Vilokan
. The Voodo
o afterlife would be my final
dwelling once Pagan was mine. But right now
,
I wanted to be close to her.
Vilokan
felt so dark and lonely without her
with
me.

             
“
Whut
do I need da fix now, huh?” Father asked as he stepped out of the darkness. The two small orange tips of his cigarettes were the only light around us.

“
Dankmar
is stalking Pagan. Again.” I explained forcing myself not to begin pacing. Father hated it when I paced.

             
“Is
dat
so?
Whut
dat
gurl
done to send de Death
afta
her again?” Father pulled the cigarette
s
from his mouth with two of his long slender fingers and blew rings of smoke into the air before looking back at me. “Dis jus mean you got to take her now, huh.
Dat
all it means.”

             
“I can’t take her yet. She hates me. I don’t know why but she does. I need to make her love me before I take her to
Vilokan
. If she doesn’t love me
,
she will never accept her fate.”

             
Father shook his head and waved the hand holding the cigarett
es toward Pagan’s house. “You
wan de Death to take her? Jus t
ake de
gurl
and be done wit it. De fun is de sex
,
not de love.”

             
I wanted to roar in frustration. This was not the helpful
words
I’d been hoping for. But then my father believed that sex, parties, and rum were the most important things in life. “I need her love. I’ve worked too damn hard to win her trust over the years. I’ve pr
otected her. Met her needs. I’
ve MOLDED her. I need her love. Can’t you understand that?”

             
Father sighed and placed the cigarettes back in his mouth then shook his head. “
Y
ou don make no sense son. I wilt
do
whut
I can. But
if’n
it’s
de love you need. Den get it
,
soon.”