Page 16 of Falling for Famine
Still, I couldn’t overthink his actions. They probably didn’t mean anything. And I had bigger issues to worry about. Like how I was going to avoid demons and angels and for how long.
After finishing my meal, I washed the dishes I’d used and took a seat next to him on the couch. “How long do you need to protect me?”
His hands stopped mashing buttons, then he was looking at me. “As long as it takes.”
“For what? The end of the world or until I die?” I asked calmly, though my heart was anything but. “Is there a deadline on the end of the world?”
His controller went down and he turned to me. “Not that I’ve seen, but what we know about it is relatively minimal.”
“Even the Horsemen meant to bring the apocalypse are clueless? That’s…a choice, I guess.” I leaned back and sighed. “So you’re going to watch me forever then? That’s a long time to play protector.”
His impassive face twisted for just long enough to give him away. I read it off him—he didn’t intend for it to be that long. He was going to leave me at some point, but it wasn’t clear when or for what reason.
If he was the only one who could take my soul, then I didn’t understand why he didn’t just let the angels or demons kill me so I couldn’t be used. It felt like I was missing something.
“What about the others?” I asked instead.
He cocked his head.
“The other Horsemen. Are they after me, too? There’s meant to be four of you, right? Can they take my soul for the apocalypse as well?”
“No, they can’t. They have their own souls.”
“That they will take? So what’s the point of protecting me when they’ll do it with their own anyway?” I asked in all seriousness.
Probably a bit stupid to argue protecting me was pointless, but I needed to get this story plot out of him so I could figure out how much time I had or if there was anything I could do to stop it from happening.
I didn’t have powers that I was aware of. I wasn’t under any misguided impressions; I couldn’t fight an angel or demon if they attacked me. It was a simple fact.
His silence was heavy. Even if his face didn’t give him away, something told me he wasn’t sure if he should go into more detail than he already had. But it didn’t take him long to decide.
“They don’t want the end of the world, either,” he told me confidently. “But one does need my help, and…she’s like your Felix. Chosen family.”
I was surprised by his candid statement. He didn’t seem like the type to openly admit something personal to him. I hadn’t expected Ghost to tell me things, but it made sense that me, a total stranger, wasn’t his main objective. It was a relief to know that at least the other three didn’t want the end of the world. That meant Felix was at least safe no matter what happened to me.
“Horsewoman?” I snickered. “That’s badass. Which one is she?”
“Mortals call her War,” he finally answered after a pause, his head still tilted. “I’m the one they call Famine.”
A lightbulb went off in my head. “Oh! So these cuties bring cold and heat to kill crops and such? That makes so much sense.”
I snuck a glance at them as they bounced from one of my knees to the other, leaving streams of water dripping down my legs. I’d had the good sense not to wear pants. Wet denim was a sensation I’d rather avoid today.
Ghost stared at the two, and I noticed belatedly he was much closer to me than before. His side was pressed against mine. “You’re very perceptive for a mortal.”
“Thanks?” I sassed with a laugh. “So, War needs your help?”
He nodded, his eyes cutting up to mine. His expression was much softer than it’d ever been, and I had to wonder if that had something to do with her. He’d said family, but maybe…
“You love her,” I whispered, and it was the first time his face creased with confusion. He waited for me to go on, so I explained. “You said she was like Felix, and I love him. I want to help him in any way I can. That’s how you feel about her, too, right? Or is it a bigger feeling than that? Are you like…together?”
He stared at me as if he couldn’t figure me out. “We are not together. Ares is more of a sister to me, if I were to compare her to mortals and their families.”
I didn’t know why it felt like I’d been barely breathing until he said so, but I’d blame the fact that there was a lot of new information being thrown at me.
“And why are you here instead of with her?”
I’d never seen Ghost sigh, so when he did, my eyes opened a little too wide. “I can’t find her.”
