Page 27 of A Soul's Curse
“Okay.” He let go of the embrace. “And, I know you don’t want to hear this, but cut Ren some slack. Before you got here, the man stormed into my office having a mental breakdown because he thought something happened to you. I’m not saying what he did was right, but he genuinely seemed remorseful for what he did.”
“Really?” I wasn’t sure what to think of Ren yet. I had known him for two days, and I was relying on him for help, but beyond that? I felt drawn to him—scarred, struggling, trying to be better. But no matter how much I wanted to trust him, there was a part of me that still feared there was something else he was really after.
Nick grinned. “Are you kidding? I had to practically tie him up in his chair to stop him from running back out to search for you.”
Hearing this eased some of the tension I was holding toward Ren. I’d have to find him later and apologize, but first I had some sick patients to tend to.
12
IleftNick,cautiouslyslipping through the crowd as I kept my head down to avoid attention. With my backpack heavy on my shoulders, I entered the main church area on a mission to give aid to anyone who would let me. Stone walls that once echoed with hymns now reverberated with the chatter of frightened visitors. The nave of the church, once a grand and solemn space filled with rows of wooden pews, had been replaced with cots, each one with a warm blanket and pillow. Almost every one of them was occupied by a sick patient.
I noticed a crowd of people gathering around a pretty fae woman wearing a white lab coat. Although most of the time fae and demons didn’t get along, Dr. Katrina Brooks took her job as a doctor seriously. Her oath was to help anyone who needed it, and that includedallmagical species and races. I was on my way over toward her when an uncomfortable groan drew my attention away.
“Sasha?” I ran over to the young demon, who was sitting on a folding chair rubbing her very pregnant belly and wincing. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, hey, Theo.” Sasha’s hand rested on her belly and she smiled weakly. A tightness in my chest loosened when she didn’t immediately push me away. “This baby seems to be having a boxing match inside my stomach. He won’t stop punching and kicking. You think he’ll be good at sports one day?”
Her dark brown eyes twinkled with excitement. Despite the obvious discomfort she was in, with constant heartburn, nausea, and inability to tie her own shoes, she showed nothing but excitement to bring her son into this world.
“I’m sure that whatever he does, he’ll do it with a smile just as bright and warm as his mother’s.” I swung my backpack off my shoulder and started digging around inside. I didn’t have a lot of products with me, but I always carried around a few essentials. “Did you eat any of the food here recently?”
“No.” She gritted her teeth and hissed. “I heard Dr. Brooks was here, so I thought I’d try to squeeze in a checkup. Looks like it might be a long wait to see her, though. How are you doing, Theo? I heard about Mr. Carson. You worked with him, right?”
I froze, my hand squeezing tightly into a fist. “Um, I’m fine. Mr. Carson is a little banged up, although his restaurant was completely destroyed.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She readjusted herself in the chair. “I heard a black-haired middle-aged woman started the whole thing. I hope they find her.”
Confused, I looked up at her and she winked at me. I helped Sasha out almost every time I came here, and she also knew my sister very well. Very few people here knew about my true magic ability, but Sasha was one of them. Although now with the rumors floating around, it meant a lot to me that, even knowingwhat I was really capable of, that Sasha didn’t believe I was behind it.
“Thanks,” I told her. She had no idea how much I desperately needed to hear that right now.
“For what?” She smiled. “I’m just telling everyone whatIheard. Not my fault if it’s different from what’s on the news.”
I handed her a red lollipop. “For you.”
“Ohhh. You know, it’s been almost twenty years since I was given a lollipop for being a good patient.” She wagged the candy stick at me.
“Funny. It’s for your nausea and cramps. Maybe not the healthiest of options, but tastes a hell of a lot better than those over-the-counter capsules and lasts much longer.”
She ripped off the wrapper and immediately stuck the candy into her mouth. “Mmm. Delicious, Theo. Keep up the good work. We need you around here.”
Someone tapped my shoulder, and I turned around to see my sister in purple scrubs shining a smiling face in my direction. “How is she doing?” Paige asked. Ren walked up beside her, carrying two giant bags filled with medical supplies, one on each shoulder.
“The baby is really active, and I’m willing to bet she’s going to give birth any day now,” I signed back to her, but Paige caught my gaze flicking over to Ren.
“Chill out.” She flattened her palms and patted the air. “He caught me up on everything that’s happened. Unlikeyou.” She slapped me across the chest. I’d been so caught up in everything that I never told her about Ellie or the Syndicate, or that she might be in danger. I wondered how much he had actually told her. “What have you gotten yourself into, Theo?”
I closed my fist and rubbed it in a circular motion across my chest. “Sorry. I was going to tell you. It just happened so fast.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “Whatever. This guy’s grouchy, but keep him around for a little while, will you? He’s been really helpful. He can’t sign, but he has an ability to communicate through pictures in my head. He’s been interpreting conversations for me.”
“Calm down, everyone!” Dr. Brooks called out, trying to settle the crowd gathering around her. It kept growing, and from what I could see, she was struggling to keep up with the sick patients. “We’ll get to everyone, I promise!”
“Go.” Paige shoved me out of the way. “We got this.”
I hesitated, wondering if I could trust Ren with her.
“I’ll be fine,” she reassured me with a casual hand gesture and a confident smile on her face. I took her word for it and dashed off to assist Dr. Brooks.
