Page 37 of Chained
“I have. But I also came to make you an offer. Both of you.”
Again Edge tensed, and he uttered a little growl that Townsend might not have heard. Terry wanted to growl as well. “That offer from Whitaker didn’t work out well.”
“Mine comes with better terms and no coercion. Terry, I’d like to persuade you to return to your position at the Bureau. You’re a fine agent, and I’d hate to lose you. And Edge, I’m hoping you’ll join us as well. I believe you’d make an excellent partner to Terry—professionally as well as personally.”
Edge stepped out of Terry’s arms and turned to look at him, wide-eyed. “Join the Bureau?” He seemed shocked but not at all upset by the idea.
But Terry shook his head. “I can’t go back.”
“Why not?” Townsend asked. “Surely your injuries are healed by now. You’re fit enough to be tromping around in these woods.”
“I don’t have a soul.”
Townsend gaped at him. “Pardon me?”
“I sold it, remember?” Terry forced the words out through gritted teeth. “I told Agent Warren I signed the fucking contract.”
For possibly the first time in his life, Townsend appeared chagrined. “I apologize. I should have debriefed you myself, but I was… tied up with other concerns.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Itdoesin fact matter, my boy. If I’d been there instead of Warren, I could have told you that you still possess your soul. He didn’t know that.”
Edge clutched Terry’s arm—hard—which was good because Terry was beginning to feel a little dizzy. “I signed the contract. So did Whitaker and Stroman. The paper wentpoof. And Ifeltit here.” He patted the lower part of his chest.
“Terry, do you love Edge?”
“Of course I do!”
“How could you love him if you didn’t have a soul?”
Terry had given that very issue a lot of thought but hadn’t come up with a satisfactory answer. Love, souls… these things were too complicated to understand. “I don’t know,” he admitted.
“You couldn’t. A soulless creature cannot love.”
“But….”
Edge moved closer and now had both hands on Terry’s shoulders. Grounding him.
“The pill,” Townsend said.
Terry squinted at him, bewildered. “Pill?”
“The one I instructed you to swallow right before meeting with Whitaker. It’s an extremely strong medicine, but short-lived. And expensive! That pill cost more than your annual salary. Also, I couldn’t tell you what it would do, because if you’d known, I’m not sure you’re a good enough actor to have reacted naturally to Whitaker. I’m aware you prefer to enter your assignments somewhat raw as well, and—”
“What did the pill do?” Terry managed a growl as good as Edge’s.
“It’s a sort of antidote. Nullifies most magic. In this case, it blocked the spell that would have taken your soul.That’swhat you felt.”
Terry wanted to sit down, but there were no rocks or fallen logs nearby, and the ground felt too far away. He leaned against Edge instead. And Edge supported him.
“The spell?”
Townsend huffed as if annoyed. “A contract like that has two things that make it valid and bind the parties. One is the law. Under that aspect, you’re free because the law won’t enforce a contract signed under duress. Plus, of course, the other party never delivered what she promised. So—legally null and void. Normally, however, the… enchantment would also have applied binding force. The being you call the devil is good with those kinds of details. But in this particular case, the enchantment was nullified by our own spell. And therefore you still own your soul.” He brushed his palms together.
Terry stood there, letting the words sink in. He didn’t fully comprehend what Townsend was talking about. But the part about love—that made sense. And Terry had no doubts at all about his love for Edge. Plus he’d spent the past eight months sneaking nervous looks at his reflection, and his eyes had always looked perfectly normal. “Edge, do I—”
“You’re complete.” It was said with complete conviction—and a generous dash of joy. “I thought maybe.... But I couldn’t see how.”
