Uniting the Souls Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Other books by Annabella Michaels

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Annabella’s Recommendations

  Uniting the Souls

  Souls of Chicago Series #6

  Copyright © 2017 Annabella Michaels

  annabellamichaels.blogspot.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover art provided by Jay Aheer of Simply Defined Art – www.jayscoversbydesign.com

  Editing provided by Pam Ebeler of Undivided Editing – www.undividedediting.com

  Proofreading provided by Judy Zweifel of Judy’s Proofreading – www.judysproofreading.com

  Interior Design and Formatting provided by Stacey Blake of Champagne Book Design – www.champagnebookdesign.com

  All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original publisher only.

  This book contains sexually explicit material and is only intended for adult readers.

  Copyright and Trademark Acknowledgments

  The author acknowledges the copyright and trademarked status and trademark owners of the following trademarks and copyrights mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Chicago Bulls

  Batman: DC Comics

  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mirage Studios, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

  Band-Aid Brand Bandages: Johnson & Johnson

  Possible trigger warnings: This book contains situations of child abuse, physical violence and substance abuse which may be disturbing to some readers.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Other books by Annabella Michaels

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Annabella’s Recommendations

  Other books by Annabella Michaels

  Souls Of Chicago Series:

  Feeding the Soul, Book 1

  Music of the Soul, Book 2

  Protecting the Soul, Book 3

  Renewing the Soul, Book 4

  Contructing the Soul, Book 5

  To Allison, thank you for being my friend, cracking the whip, encouraging me and talking me off the ledge more times than I care to admit, but most of all, thank you for Tompalooza. I can never thank you enough for all that you do.

  I smiled as I looked around at the new building and everyone gathered there for the grand opening. The new Agape House was much bigger than the old facility and we’d be able to help so many more kids. Lately, we’d seen a rise in teens that had been kicked out of their homes or needed to run away to escape an abusive parent, or were just living in such terrible conditions that they needed a helping hand. Whatever their reason for coming to the center, they all had one thing in common, they were all members of the LGBTQA community.

  It hadn’t been that long ago that I was one of the teenagers that needed the center. I didn’t allow myself to think about the circumstances that had led me to seek refuge at Agape House very often, choosing to focus on the positive things that had happened since I first walked through those doors instead.

  Agape House had changed the course of my life, just as it had done and would continue to do for countless other teens, and it was all because of the man standing next to me. Matt was the first face I saw when I walked through those doors so many years ago. I’d been wary of him at first, which was completely understandable given my situation, but after getting to know him as a teen and then working with him as an adult, I found it laughable that I’d ever been afraid to be around him. He was an amazing man with a huge heart and a kind soul. He would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need, yet rarely shared any personal information about himself. I gazed up at Matt as he looked out over the crowd with a small smile on his face that got wider when he caught me looking at him.

  “This is really something, isn’t it?” I said.

  “It sure is. It’s still a bit mind-boggling that someone would take such an interest in my little center and want to help in such a big way. This new building will change everything,” he replied.

  “Well, they’re a great group of people for sure, but I bet none of them would have fallen in love with the center if it wasn’t for you and the work you’re doing to improve the lives of those kids. You’re the heart and soul of this organization,” I told him, speaking passionately because it meant that much to me.

  “I don’t really do all that much. It’s the kids who are the heart of the center,” he replied modestly. I shook my head with a smile. That was typical Matt, always deflecting any praise away from himself.

  Matt was an amazing boss who genuinely cared about the kids that came to his center. He did his best to provide care for each LGBTQA youth that walked through its doors, but it had become a constant struggle to keep the program running while trying to maintain the old building that threatened to crumble around them. Government funding had become scarce, so Matt was forced to rely on donations and various fundraisers just to remain afloat, but that barely covered the cost of the daily operations.

  Just when things started to look their bleakest, music mogul, Lachlan Edwards stopped in one day to look around. He’d heard about the work the center was doing from his fiancé, Rylie, who’d begun volunteering at the center as part of his recovery program from drug and alcohol abuse. Lachlan had been so impressed with Matt’s program that he’d immediately offered to build a new facility for the center.

  Lachlan, Rylie, and several of their friends—including the entire Greene family who had taken turns volunteering at the center ever since I could remember—worked quickly to put together a plan which would not only provide a new location for the center, but
also allow us to help more youth than ever before. Lachlan and the band, Carter’s Creed, had used their connections to raise awareness, and enough funding to ensure that Agape House would be able to keep running for the next hundred years at least.

  I looked out over the room and smiled as I watched our friends who had helped make the new center a reality. Giovanni and Caleb were kneeling on the floor talking animatedly to their daughter, Sarah, as if they were telling her a story. Carter had his hand in Ryan’s back pocket as they talked to Lachlan and Rylie. Every so often, I’d see Ryan glance down at his husband, giving him a very heated look and I could only imagine what Carter was doing with that hand.

  Landon and his husband, Micah, were talking with Landon’s parents and I watched as Micah reached up and put his hand on the back of Landon’s neck, letting him feel their connection. And then there was Morgan and Akio, who were standing in a corner, talking quietly. Every once in a while, they’d glance down at the rings on their fingers and then give each other a look that was so intimate that I knew, for them, they were the only two people in the room.

  “I hope I find a love like that someday,” I said wistfully, not referring to any one couple in particular. As far as I was concerned, they all had found the kind of love I’d like to have; the kind that lasts forever and defies all logic.

  “I hope you do, too,” Matt murmured quietly and I thought I detected a hint of sadness in his voice. My heart ached at the thought of anything hurting Matt.

  I glanced over at him and opened my mouth, but then shut it right away. I could tell that there was something in Matt’s past that haunted him and I wished that he would open up and let me in, but I knew, better than most, how painful it could be to revisit the past, so I let it go. I was still watching Matt when suddenly his back straightened and his eyes grew wide. He looked startled.

  I turned my head to see what had caused his reaction and my heart skipped a beat when I saw the gorgeous man walking towards us. He was tall, even taller than Matt, with broad shoulders and biceps that would probably rip the sleeves of his shirt if he were to flex at all. He was wearing black dress pants and a gray polo shirt, making him look both stylish and sophisticated.

  He had beautiful ebony skin and full lips and his eyes were…his eyes were zeroed in on Matt and the look he was giving Matt could only be described as…hungry. I quickly looked at Matt and saw that his attention was still focused on the man. The look in Matt’s eyes was a mixture of heat and confusion and something else that I wasn’t quite sure of, but if I had to guess, I’d have to say…guilt?

  My stomach knotted as I continued to watch the two men. There was an electric charge in the air that I’d felt on a few other occasions, but now it seemed stronger and I wasn’t sure if it was coming from the two of them or if it was my own reaction.

  Just as the stranger was about to reach us, he turned his eyes on me and those warm brown eyes widened just a fraction and then heated further. I could feel my body starting to respond to him, which surprised me because I had only ever reacted that way to one other man. His eyes bounced back and forth between Matt and me and he looked just as confused as I felt. When he was standing in front of us he spoke and his voice was rich and deep and it caused goose bumps to break out across my skin.

  “Which one of you is Matt?” he asked.

  “I am,” Matt answered gruffly and then cleared his throat. He looked nervous and I could see sweat beading above Matt’s brow. The stranger moved his head and my legs turned to jelly as I became the focus of his attention.

  “Then you must be Isaac.” He smiled, showing a row of perfectly straight teeth. It was a friendly smile, warm and inviting and my instincts kicked in, letting me know that he was safe.

  “Yes,” I said weakly. I tried to think of something else to add, but the synapses in my brain were too busy misfiring.

  “It’s nice to meet you both,” he said, sticking his hand out to shake first Matt’s hand and then mine.

  He stared at Matt as they shook hands, but Matt pulled away quickly, looking down at his hand as if he’d been shocked. He looked back up at the stranger in confusion. He shook mine next and I watched as his large hand engulfed my smaller one. It was warm and soft and I felt a current of electricity that traveled from my hand all the way up the back of my neck and out the top of my head. I looked at him in surprise and he was staring back at me, his head tilted to the side and I could see the questions behind those eyes. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any answers as to what was going on.

  I looked to Matt, because he’d always been the one I turned to, but his eyes were going back and forth between the stranger and me. He paused on me and when he looked at me, it was as if he were seeing me for the first time. His tongue darted out to wet his lips and I felt a stirring in my groin. That wasn’t anything new, but the way he was looking at me was. I felt off kilter and I wasn’t sure what was going on with me or with Matt who had always been the strong and steady one of the two of us. Who was this man and what did he want?

  “What’s your name?” I asked. His brown eyes turned to me and my skin heated under his gaze.

  “My name is Hudson.”

  I punched the button on the coffee maker for the hundredth time, but no amount of begging, pleading, or cursing was going to get the thing to turn on. I groaned as I unplugged it from the wall and tossed it into the trash can, making a mental note to pick up a new one as I stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Hopefully, the water would be enough to wipe the remnants of sleep from my mind until I could make it into work and get a cup of coffee.

  I showered quickly then wrapped the towel around my waist before walking out to my bedroom. I stood in front of my closet, deciding which outfit to wear. I chose something quickly and began getting dressed then I took the sheets off the futon that I used as a bed and folded it back into a couch position. I placed the sheets on the shelf in the closet then glanced around, making sure everything had been put away. Not that I ever had company, but I took pride in my home and I liked to keep it neat and organized.

  My apartment was nothing fancy by any stretch of the imagination. It was tiny and cramped, with the kitchen, living room and bedroom all in one space. The only room that was separate was the small bathroom. There were holes in the walls left by the previous tenants, the heat didn’t work properly in the winter and I was constantly having to clean up the white dust that would fall from the plaster ceiling whenever the neighbors above me walked through their apartment. I knew most people would consider it deplorable living conditions, but to me, it was safe, it was home, and it was mine. It was filled with things that I had earned on my own, working a job I loved, and no one could take that away from me.

  I checked the time on my watch, knowing I needed to get a move on if I didn’t want to be late for work. I slid my phone and wallet into my pants pockets and locked the door behind me then raced down the stairs and out the front door. I got to the L train just as it pulled up and quickly paid and climbed on, the doors swooshing closed behind me.

  As the train began to pull away from the station, I slid my phone out and brought up my reading app. I’d argued with Matt when he’d given me the phone, telling him that I didn’t need anything that fancy and that I had a prepaid phone if he needed to get ahold of me. However, he’d insisted, saying that with the new center, I was going to be taking on a lot more responsibility and that I would practically be able to run the entire office with my new phone. He’d explained that it was a business expense and had already been accounted for through the funds that Lachlan had set up.

  I’d finally agreed and then I’d spent hours learning all the things my new phone could do. I’d been surprised when I’d seen the reading app already loaded with a full library of books, but when I’d questioned Matt about it, he’d just shrugged his shoulders and said that he knew I liked reading and that the phone didn’t have to be used strictly for business. I still remembered the way my eyes had stung. It was the most
thoughtful thing anyone had ever done for me.

  I let the book I was reading transport me far away from the noise and the smells of the train until an announcement rang out over the speaker system, alerting me that my stop was coming up. I closed the app and shoved the phone back in my pocket and then stood, holding onto the metal bar until the train came to a complete stop.

  The sidewalks were crowded as I walked the three blocks to work and neared the area of the city that used to be nothing but old abandoned textile factories, and was quickly being revitalized as the warehouses were sold for office and housing use. I smiled when I saw the building stretched out in front of me, the sign above the door reading Agape House—A safe place to call home. I had been running the front desk at the center ever since I graduated from high school and I couldn’t imagine ever wanting to work anywhere else.

  I opened the front door and was greeted with the sounds of laughter and lively conversation. Some of the teens that came to the center only needed us for a few hours a day. For them, we offered a safe environment where they could hang out with kids their own age that were part of the LGBTQA community. We also helped them with tutoring, mentoring, and applying for colleges or jobs to get them started out on the right path.

  For some kids though, Agape House was their home. Many of the teens that came through our doors had been kicked out of their homes or had run away in order to avoid abusive situations. Matt worked closely with the police and children’s services in those situations, making sure he went through all the proper legal channels so that the teens could remain in his care until everything could be resolved. Often times, the parents chose to sign custody over to the state rather than work on fixing themselves. When that happened, the teens either went into foster care or stayed at Agape House until they could be adopted out. Unfortunately, the chances of them being adopted once they were teenagers were very slim.