Page 63 of A Soul's Curse
“Blueberries,” he scoffed. “All the premade fruit bowls had blueberries in them.”
I slapped a hand to my mouth, but I couldn’t stop the laugh from escaping. “Oh my God, Ren! While I find that so fucking adorable, you don’t have to pick them out. I promise I’ll survive if I eat a blueberry or two.” I pulled his hands away from the fruitbowl. I felt Ren flinch, but not like he had in the past. He wasn’t afraid that his touch would harm me, he was afraid of all the things my touch might do to him.
“What’s going on here?” Stella strolled into the kitchen, wearing her pink heart and unicorn pajamas. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail, and she rubbed her eyes as she sniffed the air. “Is that bacon I smell?”
Ren glanced behind him at the cold stove. “Uh, no. I’m not cooking anything.”
Stella glared daggers at him. “I’ll say that again. Is that bacon I smell?”
“I’m on it!” Like an excited dog about to get a car ride to the park, Ivy bounded into the kitchen and rushed toward the fridge, grabbing the package of bacon and carton of eggs. I grabbed my bowl of fruit, Ren and I stepping out of the way so Ivy could do her thing. It might have seemed like Stella was taking advantage of the generous demon, but I knew it wasn’t like that. Stella wasn’t bossing her around, she was giving Ivy purpose. Ivy never had anyone who relied on her, and she seemed content that, out of all the people in the world, a fairy was the one who needed her.
“Hey, so, um, Caspian called me last night.” Everyone froze, staring at me with different expressions. Ren looked like he wanted to find Caspian and punch a hole through his chest. Ivy was nervous, her hand shaking as she put down the carton of milk. Stella was intrigued, like she was already thinking about all the different ways she’d make the Syndicate suffer.
“He has a plan. And he wants to do it tonight.”
“Tonight?” Ren scowled. “But we need time to prepare and—”
“And what?” I asked him, my tone more even than sharp. “We don’t have time, Ren. I have two days left to fulfill this deal. We can’t wait any longer.”
“I think Theo’s right,” Stella intervened, twirling a fork in her hand. “The more we sit around here talking about it, the more likely we are to miss our window and fail.”
“So, what’s Caspian’s plan?” Ivy asked, her question filled with anxiety.
“Well,” I sighed, poking at a strawberry. “My deal was to convince Caspian to use his magic for the Syndicate, and in return Leon would ensure Ellie’s magic is returned to her body. Ellie got her magic back, but now he’s holding her hostage. So … Leon can pretty much do whatever he wants now, which makes him super dangerous.”
“I don’t think I like where this is going.” Ren frowned, hands gripping the edge of the kitchen counter.
“You won’t. I’m going to offer to join the Syndicate, without forcing Leon to make me. Technically, that means although Caspian is helping me, he’s also helping the Syndicate.”
“Oh, that’s clever.” Stella took a sip of juice.
“You can’t be serious!” Ren pushed off the counter, slapping his hands on the granite as he seethed. “Theo, I understand how you might think this is a way around the oath, but there’s no way in hell you can possibly believe this is a good idea.”
“Oh yeah?” I refuted, keeping my voice as calm as I could. “Then why did you suggest it to me in the first place?”
“Because that was in the beginning before all this … shit happened and my cover was still intact so I could keep an eye on you. It makes no sense why you’d join now. You got Ellie’s magic back, there’s no need to sacrifice yourself.”
“He’s also got a point,” Stella added. I shot her a glare sharp enough to cut.
“Look, the way I see it, and I know Leon realizes this, I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t. Even if I deliver Caspian, they aren’t going to let me go, and he still has Ellie to use against me. I’d rather offer to join willingly than subject myself to theirtorture or the possibility of someone else getting hurt. No plan is risk free, but I’m fairly confident this will work.”
I had expected Ren to push back, but I had hoped he’d accept my decision and support me. It wasn’t looking good.
“Being ‘fairly confident’ isn’t good enough, Theo. You know they place a rune on you when you join, right? Binding you to their organization like they own you?”
I nodded. “Caspian thought about that. If I can dissolve Thomas’s rune, then I should be able to break any shackles they place on me. If I can’t, let’s not forget Caspian can talk to magic, manipulate it to let me go. And there’s still Markus … although I’m not positive which side he really stands on.”
Ren scrubbed a hand down his face. “Is there nothing else we can do? Maybe I could … make a trade with him. Or just straight up steal his magic and kill him. He deserves it anyway.”
“I’m down with killing the bastard.” Stella stabbed her fork into my bowl of fruit, stealing a grape. We all glared at her. “What? Ren’s right. The bastard deserves it.”
“For fuck’s sake …” I pushed the bowl of fruit toward Stella, my elbows leaning against the kitchen table as I buried my head in my hands. I inhaled deeply, breathing out my frustration. “This isn’t up for debate. I appreciate your concern, Ren, I really do. And I understand where you’re coming from, but this is my oath, my friend, my life. How I handle it is up to me and this is what I decided to do. I waited like you asked, five whole days, and you haven’t given me any kind of plan to go on. I’m ready to make my move. Please, Ren, I need you to understand because I am begging you for your support on this.”
“I don’t think I can support you digging your own grave.” Ren turned around and stormed out of the kitchen.
“Ren, come on.” I got up to go after him, but Ivy snatched my arm. I turned to her with a frown.
“Let him go, Theo.” She dropped my arm. “You know how prideful demons are. Right now, he’s angry that you don’t trust him, and that you chose Caspian’s plan over his.”
