Page 31 of Darkness Consuming
Chapter Sixteen
Warlocks, Girlfriends, and Cupcakes
Violence
We wait for Link but finding a rope to reach the underworld seems to be a real task. I’ll have to come back to the King’s office tonight to make sure a rope isn’t hanging suspiciously from the ceiling.
I sneak Nollix into my room that night. Somehow, the number of sexy men I am hiding in my bedroom has just doubled.
I’m getting quite the collection here. I should cut back, but they’re pretty limited edition and such, so I’m not willing to sell them off just yet.
Cameron’s dark eyes locks on to Nollix as he trails in after me. The Warlock sits at the center of the bed, his knees bent to support the book he’s reading. The door closes with a soft click and suddenly the room feels smaller.
As Nollix takes a step closer to me, his chest skimming my back, Cameron pulls his attention back to the book in his hands.
The swooping letters across the front readsSevered Souls.
“Any new news?” I cross the small space to the old bedpost. The mattress sinks lightly as I sit at the edge.
“I think you were right. The Darkest Deed is what we’ll need.”
“TheDarkest Deed?” Nollix leans against the wall, his gaze shifting from to the dangerous book held in Cameron’s hands to me. “That doesn’t sound … pleasant.”
It most definitely is not.
“The idea is that King Melic is using these souls somehow,” Cameron tells him.
“I think he’s feeding off of them.” There’s a vacant tone in my voice as I think about how ominous those words are. His immortality is coming from somewhere. I just know it’s the souls. These people lost their lives and now my father’s taking their souls.
“Why would he feed off of them?” Dark brows lay low over Nollix’s pretty eyes.
The sound of crisp pages turning brings my gaze to Cameron as he flicks quickly through the book.
“It’s said if someone properly devours a soul,” he pauses, his eyes scanning the lines for accuracy, “the souls of the dead will breed immortality so long as the process continues.”
Nollix nods slowly, his arms crossing over his broad chest. The bottom of his shirt is skewed against his hip and my attention locks onto the small detail. My teeth roll across my bottom lip as I remember how he felt against me.
I’m apparently the only person not focused on the topic at hand.
“So take away the souls. It only breeds immortalityso long as the process continues. Discontinue the process. Problem solved. Don’t listen to the Warlock and stay the fuck away from whatever the hell the Darkest Deed is.” Nollix nods as if everything is all settled.
It’s not though.
Not even close.
“It would take centuries to starve him.” I feel the heavy pull of my lips as I speak and Nollix’s attention settles there at the corner of my mouth. “The best we’ve found is to take his morning mixture of souls and … alter the power he put into the concoction.”
Nollix’s gaze narrows.
“Oh. You just want to poison him. That’s not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.” He nods decidedly. “Yes, let’s just poison him.”
My lips part and it’s hard for me to explain.
“Well the souls would be destroyed in the process as well.”
Another nod. He tilts his head back and forth as if he’s quickly weighing the pros and cons.
“He would devour them either way, yes? And they’re underworld souls. Have you ever taken a stroll through the underworld, Vi? It’s not nearly as charming as its name seems.”
