Return to Eden by G.P. Ching

swear as her drink disintegrated, and then he was in the chair in the parlor. He placed the stone back in the dish on the table and headed for Abigail’s bedroom. Maybe the answer to all of this was for him to become like her. If he fell like she had, if he became like her, they could be together. It wasn’t ideal and he’d be giving up the humanity he’d desired for as long as he could remember, but if it kept her from Lucifer, he would do it.
    He hurried up the stairs, hoping they could watch the sunrise from the tower and talk about it. It was a beautiful morning for a sunrise.
    When he opened the door, the room was empty. Abigail was gone.
     

Chapter 12
    Jacob and Malini
     
    "Why can’t we go in now?" Jacob asked. They waited, parked outside a restaurant called the Nowhere Oasis, somewhere in rural Nebraska. Jacob wasn’t exactly sure where it was because he’d slept the last two hours of the journey while Malini drove. They’d made the long trip in her mother's Honda, and Jacob was anxious to get out and stretch his legs.
    Malini leaned back against the seat and sighed. "It’s not time. A little while longer."
    "I’m hungry."
    "How could you be hungry? You ate all the snacks."
    "I don’t know. I just am."
    "It won’t be much longer."
    Jacob sighed and repositioned his knees against the glove compartment. "Okay. If you say so, but if we’re going to keep doing this, we need to borrow a bigger car."
    "Just wait until we put three more in the back."
    "Three?"
    Malini grinned. "Yep. You know that expression ‘hit two birds with one stone?’ Well, today we’re going to hit three Soulkeepers with one trip."
    "How did you manage that?"
    "I didn’t. Fate did. They’re a family, like you and your mom."
    Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Makes sense, since Soulkeeping is genetic. Who are they?"
    She popped open the car door just as a couple with two small children exited the restaurant. "Come on. See for yourself."
    Relieved, Jacob unfolded himself from the passenger seat, stretching his arms above his head. "After nine hours of driving, this better be good."
    Rolling her eyes, Malini led the way into the restaurant. There was a tiny foyer with a dusty and outdated braided rug, brick walls decorated with the occasional hanging plant, and Formica tables set with paper placemats. The restaurant was completely deserted.
    Malini took a seat at a booth by the windows and Jacob slid in across from her. He grabbed a menu from the stack wedged behind the napkins. A girl, maybe sixteen, sauntered from the kitchen, still chewing whatever she’d been eating, and pulled a pad of paper from the apron pocket of her tailored blue uniform.
    "Hi, I’m Sam. I’ll be your server. Can I get you something to drink while you’re deciding?" She flipped her long, red hair behind her shoulder.
    Jacob piped up. "I’ll take a cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke. Do you have Coke?"
    Malini gave him a sharp look, obviously annoyed that he interjected his order into their mission.
    "Sure," Sam said, taking the menu from his hands and replacing it in the stack. "Do you know what you want?" Sam raised her eyes to Malini’s.
    With her left hand, her healing hand, Malini touched Sam’s wrist. The girl’s eyes widened. Jacob was familiar with the feeling, like waves of light from the inside out.
    "I need to talk to your mom and your sister," Malini said.
    Sam nodded and backed away.
    "And I want a cheeseburger, too," she called after her.
    Jacob chuckled. "Pot who calls the kettle black."
    She shrugged. "I’m hungry. It was a long trip, and you hogged all the snacks."
    Only seconds later, a heavy set woman with dark red curls fringed in gray, ran from the kitchen. "Hello! I’m Grace, Grace Guillian." She eyed Malini suspiciously. "Can I have your name?"
    Malini extended her left hand. "Malini Gupta, it’s a pleasure to meet you."
    The woman accepted her offered fingers. A moment's connection and she lit up like a Christmas tree. "Welcome,