Page 77 of Death Warden
“Wasn’t that centuries ago?”
Curo’s jaw ticked, and he nodded. “I doubt time matters to the likes of him, and from the looks of it, he’s back, and he’s no longer offering a trade for what he wants. He’s simply taking it.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Curo, Logan, Wendall, and I sat around the kitchen table poring over several old texts Logan had dug out about soul eaters and soul catchers, the spirit realm and necromancy.
If Curo was right and the creature he’d sold his soul to was back, then it explained why I wasn’t able to summon Magda’s soul. This guy had it locked away, warded it or something in such a manner that not even a Blackmore necromancer could get to it.
It also meant that Curo’s original soul was close by. I kept stealing glances at him. The lich was tense, but then so would I if the creature who’d claimed my soul was suddenly back and murdering innocent mages.
He flipped through pages and then made a sound of exasperation before shoving the book away. “He’s not in any of these.”
We’d been scouring the books for over two hours now, looking for the trader, as he’d called himself back in the day. According to Curo, he was a mystical figure who’d come to his village centuries ago offering miracles in exchange for promises. Curo was from a non-practicing mage bloodline, and his younger sibling was dying of an ailment they couldn’t cure. He sold his soul to save his brother’s life, but the transaction didn’t kill him like he’d thought it would; it simply turned him into a lich. Now the trader was back. We had to find him.
“There is nothing in these books,” Curo said. “I need to be out there, looking for him.”
“And we will,” Logan said. “One of the mages who found Magda informed me of a powerful Circle that specializes in location spells. They happen to be based in Bay View.”
“Okay…” Why was he looking at me like that?
“Spectre’s in Bay View.”
My pulse skipped a beat, but I kept my expression neutral. “You contacted him.”
“Yes. He knows the Circle leader. He’ll be back in a few hours with them. They’ll help us cast a net and find this fucker.”
Curo exhaled. “Good. Okay. I need to get some air.”
He shoved his chair back and strode out of the room. I wanted to go after him, but it was clear he needed space right now.
Wendall stretched. “I need to catch some sleep before Spectre gets here. Been on shift for fourteen hours.”
“Go,” Logan said. “I’ve got this. I need to find a location for the spell anyway.” He opened a map and began to scan it. “Somewhere where the leylines’ convergence is strong…”
“Logan, honey, are you coming to bed?” Chrissy stood in the doorway in sleep shorts and a vest, golden hair mussed, looking gorgeous.
Logan glanced up with a distracted smile. “Sorry, club business. I’ll be up soon.”
Her gaze tracked to me. “So you can hang out withher, but not me?”
Logan blinked with a frown, then sat back in his seat. “You’re welcome to stay, Chrissy. There’s been a murder and we’re investigating.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I don’t know why you insisted on bringing me back here if you were going to be poring over boring maps all night.”
His jaw tensed. “I’m not psychic. I didn’t know there’d be a murder.”
She huffed. “Whatever. I’m going to sleep. Do not wake me.” She shuffled off.
Logan sat with his chin tucked in, breathing in and out through his nose for several seconds.
“You okay?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t care so much before.”
“About?”
“Having to mate with Chrissy for the family. But these past few weeks, spending time with you…” He shook his head again.
