Page 17 of A Soul’s Curse (Fallen Souls #1)

“Okay, hun, why don’t you go upstairs and clean up. I’ll grab you some of that special hangover tea, and Stella and I will be there in a minute. We need to get ourselves ready too.” I gave him a sexy wink. I wasn’t a master of seduction like Sly was, but he was too drunk to notice or care.

“There is no way in hell—” I turned and gave Stella a wide-eyed look, warning her to shut up.

“Mmm, I can’t wait. The things I’ll do to the both of you …” He gave me one last passionate kiss, then stumbled toward the stairs, another photo falling off a bookshelf as he did. When he was gone, I fell backwards onto the sofa and sank into the cushion with a long sigh.

“He’ll be out cold in like five minutes,” I told Stella. “Don’t worry. I promise I have absolutely no intention of ever letting that happen between the three of us.”

“If you want to keep your life, you better hope that he also forgets about it when he wakes up.” Stella inhaled a deep breath, exhaling slowly through her nose.

A sweet, floral scent enveloped her and filtered through the living room.

Shimmery red ribbons materialized from her magic, flower petals circling around her—red rose petals intertwined with leaves from a spidery vine.

When her magic disappeared, she was suddenly wearing a pair of dark jeans, a fishnet top covering her arms, and an embroidered corset cinched at her waist. Even the dark makeup on her face looked freshly applied.

“ Seriously? You couldn’t have done that fifteen minutes ago?”

Stella shrugged, sitting back down at the dining room table to finish her meal. “No one came looking for me? The name Stella Weatherby doesn’t sound familiar to you?” There was a sadness to her voice, a low haunting timbre that lingered in the air like the echo of a distant, mournful melody.

“I didn’t know that was your name. I tried to find your owner, not realizing you were actually a human trapped in there.

But … it was probably for the best that I didn't find anyone. I would have likely handed you right back to whoever did this to you in the first place. Which, by the way, you never answered my question from earlier.”

Stella stopped eating, avoiding eye contact as she busied herself by gathering the dishes and bringing them to the sink. “No. I don’t remember what happened.”

“But you must remember something if you knew it wasn’t the Syndicate, right?” I urged. “What do you know about them?”

“I really don’t want to talk about it.” She turned on the faucet and started cleaning the dishes. I had a feeling she probably knew exactly what happened, but if she wasn’t ready to share, I wouldn’t push her to.

“You’re not like most other fae.” I offered her a cheery smile as I walked over toward her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She threw out her hand, splatters of hot water splashing me in the face—nothing serious enough to hurt.

“Relax. I meant it as a compliment.” I finished my glass of orange juice and put it in the sink.

“I’m just saying, fae and demons are like mortal enemies.

Fae are the super-sexy idols who everyone drools over and who can do no wrong.

Demons are ugly and evil and are responsible for every bad thing that ever happens.

No offense, but most fae I’ve met think pretty highly of themselves and couldn’t care less about anyone they deem beneath them.

But don’t think I didn’t see what you did back there.

You distracted Sly so Ivy could escape. Which makes me inclined to think you’re a good person, and whoever trapped you in a bird’s body is an asshole. ”

“You have no idea the shit I’ve gone through.

” She angrily wiped down a dish. “The last year was utter torture for me. I tried to speak, but the only words I could force myself to say were curses because I was just so angry with the world. I was thankful I found you, but then your stupid boyfriend showed up and started tormenting me for his stupid online videos.”

I flinched at her words. “Wait, what? What did he do? I swear, Stella, I didn’t—” She cut me off with a raised hand.

“Whatever. He didn’t physically abuse me, just humiliated me in front of the world when he streamed, poking at me to say funny things for his audience. I’m over it. Moving on. Not like anyone knew it was me, anyway.”

Stella dried her hands with the towel next to the sink. She did it for an abnormally long time, chewing on her lip as she thought.

“Something on your mind?” I asked.

Stella tossed the towel aside, leaning back against the counter beside the sink as she turned her gaze toward me. “I’m gonna regret asking you this, but are you in trouble with the Syndicate? You mentioned them a few times now.”

“Actually, yeah. Kinda. I released a demon from a really strong sealing ruin similar to yours. Now I think they want to exploit my magic, and they took a good friend of mine, Ellie, because I said no. This guy Leon ripped the magic right from her body, and now she’s fracturing at the seams. She’ll die unless her magic is put back into place.

Do you know anything about them? Anything that might help me? ” Hope blossomed in my chest.

Stella closed her eyes, and a quiet tiredness was etched in her expression as her shoulders relaxed. “I might be able to help you, but I need you to promise to stop asking me questions about my past.”

“Okay. If that’s what you want, I can do that. But if you need help, I can—”

“They like to use abandoned office complexes and warehouses to store things, or more likely people. Maybe try searching those places nearby first. I don’t know who I can still trust, but I know some people.

I’ll ask around if anyone has heard something about your friend. ” She nervously scratched her arm.

“Really? Thank you, Stella. I really appreciate that.”

“Yeah. Sure. I’m gonna head out now. Gotta start rebuilding my life, I guess. Find a job and a place to stay.” With her shoulders slumped, she started walking toward the front door, placing her hand on the lever.

“Hey, Stella?” I asked. She paused. “Sly will be out for a while … for real, this time. If you need to take a shower or something, you’re welcome to. You can even hang out in my room for the night if you need a place to stay. Sly won’t go in there.”

“Oh.” She looked like a deer in headlights, not knowing how to respond to such generosity. “Thanks, but I’ll figure it out, although I’m sure ‘being trapped as a bird’ for the past year isn’t a skill high on the list of things most employers are looking for.”

“Well, what did you do before everything happened?”

She curled her hair behind her ear and looked away. “I don’t want to go back to that life. I want to start something new.”

“Okay. Then forget that.” I smiled at her. “What do you like to do? Do you have any hobbies?”

“I always enjoyed drawing. Flowers, in particular, since they resemble my magic. But I doubt there are any jobs out there that require someone with moderate art skills to sketch flowers.”

I hummed in thought until an idea popped into my head. “You should go see Ivy at the grocery store. They always have these elaborate chalkboard display signs. Or, I know it’s not quite the same, but maybe the bakery department needs someone to help decorate cakes.”

“Oh.” Her green eyes lit up. “That might be cool. I’ll think about it.”

“And take these.” I tossed her a bag of gummies. “Your magic was suppressed for an entire year. I’m sure it probably feels … off. These will help restore it. And if you need me, my number and email address are on the label.”

She stared down at the colorful candies. “You realize I don’t have a phone or a computer, right?”

I ran a hand through my hair. “Oh. Right. Well, if you get one, you’ll know how to reach me. And if you can’t find a place to stay, I know Nick will welcome you at Emberheart Place. There’s also no one living in the upstairs apartment here. I’m sure I could sneak you in for a little while.”

The faintest of smiles stretched across her lips, relief loosening her tense shoulders. “Thanks, Theo.”

One day, my kindness might get me killed, but if it was the price to pay for all the comforting smiles it brought to others, at least I’d die knowing I did something right with my life.