Page 23 of Woven Souls

Theo frowns. “I’m fairly certain, yes.”

Oh. Weird.

Theo continues, “I don’t know where or how many monsters lurk in this area, but when I purchased this house, I made sure it was far from a ripple, or a chance encounter with other Ghosts,” Theo starts. “Due to our distance—”

“Why?”

Theo pauses, turning his attention to me again.

“Why, what?”

“Why did you buy a house where you’d be far away from Ghosts?” I ask him.

Theo’s mouth presses together in a thin line as he considers answering me.

“So that my family has a place to go to escape should I ever fail. Here, they won’t have to face our people’s scorn… or wrath.”

I stare at Theo in surprise. I hadn’t expected the truth.

“Can we get back to the situation at hand?” Viktor asks, buttoning up his jacket.

Theo nods. “Because we are far from any known ripples, I believe that might buy us some time before any monsters sense Willow and come looking. We may not even run into one tonight. We do, however, need to worry about the demons gunning for Willow. Since I’m not quite sure how these demons are crossing over into this realm, I am uncertain of the likelihood of seeing one tonight, but we need to keep our eyes peeled. Jonah how often did you two run into Utikyie?”

I think about it for a moment.

“Only maybe twice.” I consider our run-ins. “They don’t seem to appear as often as demons do for whatever reason.”

Theo nods slowly. “I noticed that. And when they did appear, were you in isolated places?”

“Yeah, but to be fair, Willow didn’t want to get close to where people would be, just in case we faced something that didn’t care who lived or died when they came for us.”

Although no one in the room says anything out loud, there is a shift in the atmosphere. It’s like an understanding passes between all of us. Of course, Willow wouldn’t risk anyone’s life. That’s why it’s important to protect this woman, because she would protect us if the roles were reversed. After a moment, Theo clears his throat and turns to Viktor.

“We need to leave here a little early so that Kwil, Jonah, and I can surround the building,” Theo continues. “Jonah, I checked the satellite view where the restaurant is situated. There’s a small rose garden next door. Hang out near there. I’d like for you to stay the closest to Willow and Viktor in case something happens.”

“Me?” Again, I’m taken by surprise by Theo’s willingness to include me. “Why not you or Kwil? You’re faster with a blade and stronger.”

Theo gives me a small smile.

“I think having the one person she trusts implicitly to watch her back will put her more at ease than having either me or Kwil nearby.”

I scowl, as does Kwil, but he keeps quiet as I push, “Yeah, but you guys are real fighters—”

“And you’re not?” Theo leans against the dresser. “You’ve dove headfirst into danger and fought it off whenever Willow’s been in trouble. I think that makes you just as fierce as the three of us.”

I look for some sign that Theo is playing with me. When I find no sign of mockery, I fall silent after giving him a sharp nod. Of course I’ll stick close to Willow. If she needs me, I can be there in a second.

“Don’t forget that Viktor will be there, too, Jonah,” Theo points out. “You’re not alone if trouble happens.”

I’mViktor’s backup? I look over at the guy, ready for him to make a snide remark about my lack of strength, fighting skills, or just anything really. Instead, Viktor nods as he grabs his tie off the dresser and wraps it around his neck.

“I’ll keep her safe. But backup would be nice.”

Is the world ending or something?

“Okay, this is weird. Cut it out,” I snap. “Why are you really suggesting this?”

Kwil frowns as he looks between us.