Page 28 of A Soul's Curse
As I made my way through the maze of sick patients occupying every seat, cot, and space on the floor, I was met with a number of uncertain, hesitant faces glaring my way. Each glance felt like a silent accusation, and no matter how hard I tried to focus on helping, the weight of their fear pressed heavily on my chest.
A flash of confusion crossed my face when I saw Ivy standing alongside a strange woman in flowing, pale-blue robes next to Dr. Brooks. I looked around for Stella as well, remembering that I told her to find Ivy at the grocery store and wondering if they had met up and came here. I didn’t see her, though.
“Ivy?” I peered over her shoulder at the older woman, a serene and dignified figure with an aura of calm wisdom. Her silver hair fell in long, soft waves around her shoulders, streaked with hints of its original dark brown. Her eyes, a soothing shade of green, were warm and reassuring, and spoke of a life filled with compassion and experience.
“Theo!” Ivy exclaimed. “I’m so glad you’re here. Stella and I got here maybe fifteen minutes ago, but we could really use your help.” She noticed I was still staring at the strange woman.
“Alyeesa,” she introduced herself, holding out a delicate hand for me to shake.
“Oh! Right.” Ivy started playing with the hem of her sweater. “You probably already figured this out about me, but I prefer avoiding conflict, so my magic manifested as the ability to summon people from other realms. This is Alyeesa. She’s a fairy from Elaran, a renowned healer from her realm. Her ability to treat others is unmatched—”
Alyeesa held up a hand for her to stop. “That’s enough, child. While your praise flatters me, it’s entirely unnecessary.” Alyeesa redirected her gaze toward me. “Theo. You must be the boy with death powers everyone here in speaking of?”
I winced at that.
As a healer, I expected Alyeesa to berate me about the rumors being spread like wildfire, both in the shelter and on the news. Instead, she placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “This sickness isn’t deadly, thank the ethereal gods, but someone really wanted to make us panic. It wasn’t some liquid or powder, but an ability to sever the magic being used to keep the food fresh. It may have looked fine, but it was clearly spoiled. For most of these people, it’s just a nasty bout of food poisoning. But depending on what they ate, some reactions may have developed into something more serious.”
She all but confirmed it couldn’t have been me who did this, since that wasn’t how my magic worked. But itwashow Leon’s did. Someone must have glamoured him to look like me, just like someone was made to look like me during the attack on Carson’s Pizza. The bastard was going to pay for this. There was nothing in my deal that said I couldn’t hurthim. “I’ll start over there.” I pointed to a small group of people to my left and got to work.
“Hi. How are you feeling? Can I—”
“Get the fuck away from me, you savage!” The elf violently slapped my hands away before they could come anywhere nearher torso. Remembering what Nick told me, I took a deep breath, encouraging myself to let it go.
“That’s not a very nice way to treat someone who is trying to help you.” Ren’s voice, low and simmering with anger, startled me. “Apologize to him.”
“It’s okay, Ren. Let’s go.”
He held out his arm to stop me, but kept his sight locked on the woman. His maroon eyes flashed with a fiery red glow. “If you’re content with remaining sick, so be it. But don’t take it out on the man who is here volunteering his time and offering to ease you of your discomfort. Apologize.”
The terrified woman cowered under Ren’s shadow. She grumbled an apology that was barely audible, but thankfully Ren didn’t push it any further. I accepted it and moved on.
“Your sister is taking a break,” Ren said. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”
My mouth immediately opened to snap at him that he’d done enough, but after remembering Nick’s words, and my sister’s, I decided now wasn’t the time. “Not unless you have some kind of healing ability. But you can follow me around, make sure no one kills me, I guess. You appear to be a good bodyguard.”
The corners of Ren’s mouth curved into a confident, almost playful expression.
Over the next couple hours, I stopped to see a few regulars and to check in with some unfamiliar faces I hadn’t seen before. Most of them had turned away my help, but I was thankful for the small number of people who accepted it. Maybe they hadn’t heard the news yet, or perhaps Ren’s imposing presence scared them into complying. Either way, by the end of it all, I was exhausted.
I braced a hand against the wall for balance, the dizziness spinning my vision. I stepped forward, searching for a chair tosit in, when I tripped over the tip of my sneaker and crashed into the wall.
No, not a wall. Just a set of rock hard abs.
“You look like shit.” Ren’s strong arms wrapped around my shoulders to stabilize me, my face buried in his chest. I had expected him to be the kind of guy who smelled like aged whiskey and Christmas trees, or some kind of overly masculine aftershave, but instead I inhaled a good whiff of … was that chili powder?
“Subtle,” I joked. “You really know how to make a guy feel good about himself.”
The feet of the folding chair screeched against the wooden floor as Ren pulled it over. I immediately sat down, the ache in every one of my muscles intensifying.
“Here.” Ren handed me a bottle of water. “Maybe eat some of those gummies of yours or something. You need to take a break.”
“Gee, thanks,Mom.” I sat there for a few minutes to recover, but my work here wasn’t done. I stood up and reached for Ren’s arm, not giving him a choice as I grabbed his soft hoodie and dragged him up the stairs to the upper level of the church. “Follow me.”
What once used to be the choir loft was now a cluttered storage area, filled with extra cots, chairs, and other furnishings. Stacks of supplies—blankets, first aid kits, and crates of nonperishable food—lined the walls, leaving only a narrow path through the chaos.
I pulled out a rolling stool and swiped off some dust, then gestured for Ren to sit down on a sturdy chest filled with clothes beside me.
“I’m, uh, sorry about how I acted before.” My cheeks burned with embarrassment as I forced myself to look into his eyes. Now that I had time to think and settle down, I needed to get this off my chest. “I’m usually pretty calm and can keep myshit together, but this whole situation has me losing my mind. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but you have to know how that made me feel. I really wish you had just told me what was going on. You had to know how I'd react to something like that.”
