Page 7 of Falling for Famine
But that comment had frozen him to the spot. The first sign of surprise twisted his expression, however brief, as if he never expected me to pick up on it. That happened a lot with people, so I had the usual shpiel to explain it away.
“I’m very good at reading faces and body language. Sorry if that bothers you.”
He stayed quiet, his eyes dropping to the wisps under my chin. “Hmm.”
It was a soft noise, but it brought my full attention to his very nice mouth. A mouth a girl could get very addicted to kissing, I might add.
“Ignis. Glacies,” he murmured.
I felt the wisps move, but they didn’t leave my neck, and that seemed to bother Ghost. He stared at them, his expression void of emotion, but I detected the shift in his presence. He was confused again.
“Are they yours?”
He didn’t answer, just stared at them.
“Hey, cuties. Your daddy wants you to go to him,” I said to them, nearly missing the twitch of his mouth.
The colors shifted and tickled across my face, a brief chill that was followed by a warm heat kissing my cheeks and forehead. They wandered from one side to the other before settling next to my ear.
I huffed with a smile. “I’ve always had a way with animals, so I guess these cuties aren’t any different. Ignis and Glacies is what you named them? That’s adorable.”
They flew out and danced above me, as if their happiness couldn’t be contained. He watched them the same way I did. I wasn’t the only one dazzled by the sight.
But then his eyes shifted to my window. “Stay with the mortal,” was all he murmured before stalking out of my room. The colorful cuties scurried across my chest, but I was left to stare at where my Ghost had gone.
Or was it Horseman?
Such a weird dream.
Chapter Four
Limos
Ilifted the demon by his neck, the stolen mortal form turning to ice. An angry hiss escaped his lips before he fled it, seeking refuge in Hell. With a grunt, I released the mortal and his lifelessbody hit the ground with athump. Heat washed the ice away, and after a few seconds, he took his first breath.
Not dead. Good. I couldn’t risk Thanatos finding me here. Not until I found Ares. Then I could aid in protecting her human and stopping the apocalypse.
From my assessment of both Thanatos and Zelus, we’d have the power of four to ensure it didn’t happen. This soul was only necessary for as long as it took to track down Ares, then it wouldn’t matter what happened to her.
With a quick glance at the rest of the street, I casually strolled back to the building that housed my Counter Soul. I ignored the prick of emotion in my chest at the thought of talking to her again.
A mortal who could see me despite my cloak. One who could see my familiars, and who my familiars relished the attention of. Was this the power of a Counter Soul the others insisted was the case over the last month?
Very few things derailed my carefully curated plans. I was meticulous. All variables considered. All outcomes planned for. But when she’d caught sight of me following her, I hadn’t been prepared. I’d nearly lost my calm.
But like Ares, I’d learned how to pivot.
I couldn’t keep her out of harm’s way long enough to find Ares if she didn’t know exactly what lurked around her. It was worth it to explain and answer her questions. The more she knew, the less danger she’d unintentionally put herself into. I only had to keep her alive long enough to do what I must. But navigating the mortal experience was difficult and would take time if past experiences were anything to go by.
I rarely dealt with mortals, so when she read my hesitation, I’d been shocked in ways I hadn’t been before. The cleverness of a Counter Soul had taken me off guard.
Only Ares could depict some of my moods, though they were rarely anything more than boredom, and it’d taken her centuries. But this human had read me on day one, and for the first time in what felt like my entire existence, I was uncomfortable.
After ensuring no others had come to claim the mortal’s soul, I entered the building again. The attack came quicker than I anticipated. I’d expected to have at least a few days to get her settled with the idea of demons and angels, but they’d found her the same day I had.
Had Michael not been eager for the end of the world, I’d suspect her intervention, but she wouldn’t want the soul at risk. She’d want me to ripen it and collect. So how then did they find my Counter Soul so quickly?
Wandering back into the room where the mortal was, I took inventory of the space. She lived rather minimally. The building was worn and at risk of crumbling if there was even the slightest earthquake.
