Page 22 of Woven Souls

Willow turns around to face me, and this time, I can’t help but give her curvy body a sweeping glance as I take in the lacy material hugging my favorite places on her body.

“Tell me.”

When her hands latch onto her hips, I know there’s no way she’s going to let this go now. That knot in my throat grows even larger. Shecaresenough to want to know what’s wrong with me. No one has ever expressed any interest in me, let alone cared enough to wait and hear me out. I have to look away from those intense green eyes as they search my face. Trying hard not to embarrass myself in front of the ex-Ghost lounging on the bed, I fight the emotions bubbling up my throat.

“It’s really nothing,” I assure her when I can talk without my voice wavering. “I just… I’ve never hadnewstuff before. I’ve only worn hand-me-downs or thrift store items. No one has everboughtme essentials before.”

I can feel my face turning red as I look down at the pile of clothes again.

“Well, you can thank Theo for the clothes. It was his money.” The bitter bite to her voice makes me laugh.

When Theo told her there’s no limit, to buy whatever she needs to be comfortable, she definitely made sure to put a dent in whatever savings he had. The evidence of her shopping spree is all around us in bags that were delivered to the house an hour ago. Willow called it revenge. But even with revenge on her mind, Willow had gone through every room of the house, checked the clothes Theo had stashed here, and made sure everyone had a few items that fit them and were in style.

I wonder how such a large heart can fit in one person.

My head drifts back and forth, slowly. When I look up, I meet her concerned gaze. “It wasyou, not Theo, that took the time to make sure everything will fit and that I would like it. Thank you, for, you know, the clothes.” I swallow. “And for caring.”

Willow crosses the small space between us and crouches down in front of me. Her absolutely perfect breasts spill forward into my face, barely contained by the lacy bra, but my attention is on her face as she stares into my eyes, truly seeingme. My heart flutters happily in my chest.

“You never have to thank me, Jonah.” Her eyes twinkle. “But you’re welcome. And I do care, a lot.”

I know she does. I’ve never doubted it for a second. Leaning forward, I steal a kiss from her. It’s supposed to be a quick peck, but Willow leans into it. My body shakes hard as warmth rushes through me. I feel both light and heavy as my heart expands. When Willow pulls away, I’m breathless.

Willow stands and looks over to Kwil. The slight uptilt of her chin challenges Kwil to say anything about the kiss. I look over at him. With his hands behind his head, his legs outstretched and crossed in front of him, Kwil looks like he doesn’t have a care in the world. But I don’t miss the way his eyes have been tracking Willow since the three of us converged here to sort through and make piles of everyone’s stuff. This morning the bastard wanted to control the situation, but since then he seems to be back to his old self. Even before Willow got stabbed, I didn’t mind Kwil out of the three Ghosts. If he hadn’t tried to gut Theo, I might have hated him now. Instead, I’m ambivalent about his presence. As long as he has Willow’s best interests at heart, I’m good with him hanging around.

“I don’t care if you kiss, or fuck, Jonah.” Kwil shrugs. “I just want to make sure you’re both aware that I’m here to stay.”

I study his face, but he’s hard to read.

Turning my attention back to Willow, I ask, “What were you saying before?”

Willow walks over to the mirror and reaches down to grab something out of the bag next to it. She pulls out a black dress and holds it up to her body as she studies her reflection. She opens her mouth to say something but is interrupted by a knock on the door.

Over her shoulder she calls, “Come—”

“HOLD ON,” Kwil snaps over Willow, shooting her a dark look.

“What?” she hisses quietly.

“Get something on. He doesn’t get to see you like this.” Kwil glares at her again before rolling off the bed and heading towards the door. Cracking it open just an inch, he asks, “What is it?”

“I’d like to speak with you and Jonah while Willow gets ready,” Theo says. “We should discuss Willow’s protection before we leave the house.”

Kwil looks over his shoulder at me, but I’m already on my feet. I blow Willow a kiss before Kwil and I slip out of the bedroom.

“Why include me? I’m not a fighter like you guys,” I ask Theo’s back as I follow him down the hallway.

“You’ve been fighting demons for a week without our help. I think that makes you a valuable player when it comes to watching Willow and Viktor’s backs tonight,” he says over his shoulder.

I flush with pride. Theo may be a traitorous asshole, but he wouldn’t say something if he didn’t believe it. That much I know about him. I walk into Viktor’s room to find him pulling on the jacket of his tux. I have to admit it, Viktor can certainly clean up. Showered, shaved, and dressed to the nines, Viktor looks more prepared to slay a photoshoot session than to murder a warlock.

No, not murder, talk,I remindmyself.Willow and I need to be uncursed. Then, the ex-Ghosts can do whatever they want with the guy.

Kwil leans up against the door to the bedroom, his arms crossed over his chest, while I flop down onto Viktor’s unmade bed.

“Alright, listen closely. The moment we leave this house, the curse over Willow will fall back into place. I—”

“It’ll be that quick?” I interrupt curiously.

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