Page 64 of A Soul's Curse
“I do trust him, but he doesn’t have a plan,” I clarified.
“Maybe he does. Maybe he doesn’t. Either way, that’s a big blow to his selfish demon ego. Give him time to settle down. I’m sure he’ll come around.”
“But we don’t have time. Caspian wants to do this tonight and—” She gripped my arm again when I tried again to sneak away.
“Theo. As someone whose magic relies solely on trusting others, believe me when I tell you that trust is a fragile thing. One wrong move from either side and the thread snaps. Neither of you is level-headed right now, and if you march up to him thinking you’re going to have a civil conversation, it won’t end well. Just wait a little while first to cool down and think about what you want to say.”
I peered over toward the doorway. I hated leaving things like this, but Ivy was right. “Fine. Fine! I’ll wait.” I pressed my palms against my eyes. “If you need me, I’ll be … I don’t know what I’ll be doing, besides anxiously pacing around the house all day until we’re ready to go.”
My gaze darted between Stella and Ivy. “You know, I don’t expect either of you to involve yourselves with this. In fact, I wish you wouldn’t. This is between me, Caspian, and Leon. There’s no telling what’ll happen or what Leon might drag you into.”
Stella let out a hearty laugh. “Oh, please, Theo. You need all the help you can get. And I just so happen to enjoy kicking ass, so you can always count me in.”
Ivy nodded. “I might not be able to fight, but I always know someone who can do it for me. You gave me a place to stay … and you gave me … friends.” She glanced at Stella, who turned away and blushed. “I’ve never had close friends, but I like it. And Iwant to keep them. So … I will do what I can to make sure it stays that way.”
“Okay,” I sighed. “Thank you. But if shit gets real, Ivy, you summon Jacob and get everyone the fuck out of there. Got it?”
Ivy nodded, her wild hair flapping about her face.
I turned to head upstairs to the bedroom to change. I paused at the doorway, wondering if Ren was waiting inside. He wasn’t. But there was a note left on the desk. I picked up the piece of ripped paper—a phone number with a single name written in Ren’s handwriting. Leon. An excited flutter erupted in my chest, the gesture the slightest acknowledgement of his support. I hadn’t even thought about how I’d get in contact with Leon. I just assumed he was always watching me, or that Caspian had a contact who could reach out. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and dialed.
“Hello?” the voice on the other end sounded annoyed. Maybe Leon was a late sleeper.
“It’s Theo. I’m ready to meet,” I breathed out, and instead of feeling the weight being lifted off my shoulders, a heaviness settled deep in my chest.
“Great. Fantastic.” He grumbled something I missed. “There’s a club in downtown Salem called The Deep End. We will meet there at 8PM. Don’t make me wait. I hate waiting—and you’ve made me wait long enough. Try anything and I’ll peel off the fingernails from your demon friend. I never said I had to return her to you in one piece.” His snarl was an ominous darkness that made it difficult for me to breathe.
“This ends tonight, Leon,” I said, and it definitely didn’t come out as threatening as I had hoped.
“Yes. It sure will.”
And then he hung up.
I went for a run. I took a shower. I got dressed. I cleaned up the kitchen. I went into the basement and just worked, worked, worked. For hours.
“It’s almost time.” Ivy looked up at the cheap wall clock hanging above the wooden workbench.
Ren still hadn’t returned.
“He’ll come back. Maybe. Does he even know what time we’re supposed to meet Leon? Or where?” Stella was completely unbothered. She was doing some kind of magical zen exercise with her magic, white petals swirling around her and following her movements like liquid as she gracefully swept her arms across her.
My heart ached, a dull throb in my chest. “No. He left before I called Leon and I still don’t have the bastard’s phone number to reach him.” I thought about the closet door, but Ren had told me only those he allowed to could pass through it. Was I one of those people? I had no idea, but I didn’t want to find out the hard way.
Lyric, who somehow felt my sadness, suddenly appeared and demanded to be a part of this mission in Ren’s place. She was enjoying herself as she dug around in my hair to make a nest. I kept resisting the urge to scratch my head every time she shifted or tugged on a strand with her tiny fists.
I took a piece of paper, scribbling a note to Ren and leaving it on the work table. If he did come back, the basement would be the first place he’d look.
Stella peeked over my shoulder, before slapping me upside the back of my head. “Ow! What the fuck was that for?”
She picked up the pen and wrote an address on the other side. “I get that you don’t think he wants anything to do with this, but if he’s going to make a heroic entrance to save us just when we’re all about to die, he at least needs to know where we are.”
I rubbed my neck. She rolled her eyes and muttered, “Men. Overly dramatic idiots.”
The doorbell rang, and the three of us raced up the stairs to answer it. Caspian was waiting on the steps. He had his long, dark hair tied back in a low bun, a black canvas jacket over a dark gray henley. There was an easy confidence about the way he carried himself, a quiet presence that made him hard to ignore despite his best attempts to blend in with society over the past decade.
“Caspian,” I said as he invited himself inside.
“Are we ready?” he asked, his curious gaze darting around searching for the missing member of our group.
