Page 30 of A Soul's Curse
“But—”
“Lyric.” I held my hand up beside my head. She sat in my palm as I removed her from my hair so I could see her as I spoke. “You can’tkeepme, whatever that means, but how about we be friends? You seem fun. I wouldn’t mind hanging out with you.”
“Really? Iamfun! I want to be friends, too!” She jumped up and clapped her hands in delight.
“Great,” I assured her.
“Then I’ll go ahead and mark you.” She placed her tiny palm on the inside of my wrist, and the golden vines on her skin started pulsing with magic.
“Wait, mark me? Hold on—”
I heard Ren growl beside me. Stella and Ivy froze, but didn’t intervene. Lyric’s magic wasn’t strong, or at least it didn’t feel that way to me as it flowed through the veins in my wrist. There was a brief golden glow, similar to her own magic, and then it disappeared.
“Lyric, what did you just do to me?” I stared at my wrist. There was nothing there, but I could still feel her magic buzzing through my arm.
“We made a pact to be friends!” The magic in my veins flashed a golden hue when she mentioned it, the design an intricate vine. “So now I can find you whenever I want and wherever you are, and you can summon me too! Just like Ivy!”
“Oh, um, that’s awesome!” My enthusiasm wavered. There were horror stories in fairy tales about making deals with fae,but … this wasn’t a deal, was it? That was all superstition anyway … I hoped.
“Hurray!” She flew in small circles, giggling like a balloon about to burst. “So, what’s our first adventure together?”
“Um …” The entire room looked at me, but I was looking at Ren. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, waiting for my answer.
“Well, I guess it’s time we start the ghost hunt.”
13
Despitemyeagernesstojump right into things, Ren suggested I get some rest, choosing to make sure I got home by creeping behind me in his car while I putted along on Scootie Pie.
“I … have to go somewhere and do something,” Ren mentioned as I pulled up alongside his window as we approached my home. The downstairs lights were on. I needed to make this conversation quick in case Sly got curious and heard something outside. “And no, you can’t come.”
“Okay. But—” Ren’s eyes flashed a molten red and cut off my words.
“I am telling you because I am trying to earn your trust. But Theo, you need to trustme, too. I have to do this on my own. You can’t be there.”
“Can you at least tell me what you’re doing?”
He sighed, raking a hand through his messy auburn hair and running his tongue over the piercing on his bottom lip. “Somethings I’d rather not have to explain. But what I can tell you is that I was given some … information that might be helpful to us in dealing with the Syndicate. But whileIam free to do what I want, your oath will punish the person who cares about you if you attempt to intervene. So please … just trust me. I’ll let you know what I find in the morning. Stay in your apartment. It should be safe. The Syndicate, or police, won’t be bothering you for now.”
After Ren pulled away, I knew there was no way I could relax. I paced around the apartment, making myself a grilled cheese and some fries to eat, then sat on the couch with my boyfriend who had joined me downstairs to watch a movie.
“Hey, what’s up with you?” Sly wasn’t actually watching the movie and was messing around on his phone, sliding it on the end table when he saw me walking over. He was dressed in a pair of comfy-looking sweatpants and a college t-shirt looking full of energy and upbeat—the exact opposite of how I was feeling. “Oof. You’re looking a bit rough. Bad day?”
“You could say that.” I nibbled on my sandwich. It didn’t surprise me he hadn’t heard about what happened with Mr. Carson. Sly lived in his own little bubble, and, since the establishment was owned by a demon, he probably wouldn’t have even realized it was the place I worked.
He snagged a fry off my plate, then took the whole thing from me. Before I could yell at him for stealing my dinner, he placed it on the coffee table and held out his arms toward me. With my back against his chest, I leaned into him as his thumbs dug into the stiff muscles of my shoulders to release the tension. “Anything I can help with?”
Sly’s hand glided lower down my body toward the button of my jeans, his touch sending shivers through my skin. His lips lingered at the curve of my neck, planting slow, deliberate kisses that left a trail of warmth in their wake. The faint brush ofhis breath teased my senses, making my pulse race with every tender movement.
“Yes,” I responded with a breathy, desperate moan as he unfastened the button of my jeans, his skilled hand brushing over my bulge through the thin fabric of my boxers, sending a jolt of heat through me.
I craved the distraction, the escape. I needed this release more than ever. With my world unraveling around me, I yearned for something, anything, that felt normal—something to keep me grounded amidst the chaos and make me feel good.
Sly’s phone then chimed, and the heat that had been tingling through my body suddenly turned cold when he removed his hand. “Shit. Sorry, babe. I got this big endorsement from a gaming company to promote their new game. A group of us is streaming it tonight, and everyone wants to meet up beforehand to make sure we have a plan. I gotta go. We can finish this later tonight. I miss you.”
He kissed me on top of the head, then pushed me aside as he jumped up from the couch and scurried upstairs to use his computer.
That wasn’t the first time he said he missed me, yet he was the one always running away. I sank into the couch, drawing my knees up to my chest to hug them and rest my chin on top, closing my eyes. It wasn’t late, only about eight at night, and I wondered where Ivy and Stella ran off to. Sighing, I wished Ellie was here. She always knew how to make me laugh when I was feeling down.
