Page 2 of Falling for Famine
Ares was all that mattered.
So, like Michael, my motives were simple. The trouble was, ending the world meant hurting the human Ares protected. It wouldn’t mean much if I did as Michael bid, but until I found the other Horseman, I’d need to keep up appearances to distract the angel.
It wasn’t clear how we ripened our souls and delivered them for the apocalypse. I’d exploit that well-known uncertainty and make the most of it.
One way or another, I’d need to find and keep an eye on my Counter Soul so the ones after them didn’t succeed in making Are’s the only one left to use. Which meant wandering around mortals, something I very rarely did on purpose.
After another long stretch of silence, I nodded. “You’ll leave Ares and her Counter Soul alone.”
“As long as you do your part, Horseman,” she snarled, losing her mask of patience.
Another powerful creature run purely by emotion without a whisper of control. Unlike Ares. She utilized her emotions instead of letting them rule over her.
My wisp of fire sparked and flickered into existence. Michael wouldn’t see it. No one could, much like me when I slipped on my cloak and disappeared, so I cut my eyes to it and gave a slight nod. It danced and melted its shape, its language not of words but of emotion. Ironic as it was that I rarely expressed or felt any.
It hadn’t found her. Not a trace.
I slowly returned my gaze to Michael. I detected the shift in her expression—determination, frustration, skepticism, and finally, resignation.
I’d need to track her to see if she’d lead me to Ares, but she’d be guarded for a while. She’d know I’d be watching and wouldn’t likely make that error. Better to give her the illusion of following through on my part and wait until her defenses were down.
Without another word, I embraced my cloak and disappeared from her view. Her jaw strained before her great feathered wings spread behind her and sent her straight into the sky.
It was time to find my Counter Soul.
Chapter Two
Nomi
“Oh, Dean, you saucy beech. You better get spanked by Castiel in this chapter. It’s time,” I whispered to my phone, already scrolling through the new chapter of For the Loveof a Winchester. It was my most present obsession. A fan fiction shipping of Dean Winchester and Castiel and absolutely filthy to boot, the way I liked them.
I glanced at my surroundings, hoping I didn’t run into another pole today. I’d smacked right into one while nose-deep in the last chapter, which always accompanied my walk home from the bakery café, Dolci Caldi, whenever the author posted an update.
Sure enough, the offensive pole in question was barely a foot away and at risk of issuing another smackdown if I hadn’t been paying attention.
I sidestepped and glared at it. “Not today, pole. You’ll have to be sneakier next time.”
I was yanked out of my threat by a series of raspy barks. Felix, who I always affectionately called Old Man, nearly fell on his way down the front steps, his adorable French Bulldog scrambling around his feet to attack whatever he’d caught wind of.
“It’s a damn squirrel, you overfed goober,” he yelled at Mr. Pugsworth as I rushed to keep the aging man from falling over. “Ah, my back,” he crowed. Then his eyes flew to me. “Oh, hello there, Nomi. It’s late.Again. I told you to leave early today.”
Mr. Pugsworth, undeterred by us, skittered across the pavement to chase his long-standing nemesis up the nearby tree, barking offensive insults and chuffing his anger, while his tiny paws gripped the bark. I laughed and made sure Felix didn’t lose the bag of food he’d been carrying out.
“It’s early for me. I had to finish a few things for you tomorrow. Clara kept me company.” He scoffed, not believing me at all, so I quickly pivoted. “Are these for Maude? Wooing her with apples today?” I teased.
His eyes went wide before he huffed petulantly and readjusted his grip on the bag. “She’s as thin as a rail. Of course they’re not apples. The woman needs carbs.”
I noted he hadn’t denied the wooing part. Maybe because it’d been three months of him wandering over to her place down the street with treats and he’d given up the fight to pretend otherwise.
I hid a smile and nodded my head in agreement. “Lots of carbs.”
His eyes dashed across to Mr. Pugsworth who was still attempting to murder the critter who’d taunted him for nearly two years. “I bet you didn’t eat all day. Again. You hadn’t before I left. You want some of the croissants I made earlier?”
I waved him off after making sure he wasn’t at risk of a fall. “I’d never take from Maude’s spoils.”
His gentle blue eyes had seen the world and hadn’t lost their affectionate gleam no matter how long he’d been dragged through the mud. After losing Mary several years ago to cancer, I’d been checking in on him every day.
Felix and Mary had been the only people in the world to notice the bruises when my father’s anger turned to blows and my body took a beating for it. Their apartment was always a safe place to run.
