Page 24 of A Soul’s Curse (Fallen Souls #1)

“You wanted to do something, Theo. This is your chance,” Ellie whispered, and she was right. It could have been a trick, but if what Gray said was true, that I’d be given the opportunity to speak with Caspian, then I had to take it.

“Okay. I’ll do it.” I wished my answer came out more confident than it did.

“Good. You’ll find out more details when you get there. Hurry up. You’re already behind schedule.” There was a beep as he ended the call.

“I’ll head over there—” Ellie had one hand through the wall before I stopped her.

“No,” I snapped, racing to the front door to snatch my hoodie and backpack. “Caspian is part ghost, and he probably has others watching out for him. He’ll see you. You should stay back.”

I stared at my phone. The first thing I wanted to do was call Ren, but I quickly realized that while I gave my number to him, the bastard never gave me his. I only knew two others who could help me with this, and although I hated to drag them into this mess, I wasn’t sure I had a choice.

“Theo?” Ivy answered. “Are you okay?” I was relieved to hear another female voice in the background, yelling at Ivy that she needed to hang up because they both had an early shift tomorrow. I allowed a brief smile at the fact Stella got the job after all.

“Um, I’m really sorry to ask this from you, but something came up and I need your help.

I … got this call from someone saying he knows Caspian.

The guy said I’d be able to meet with him, but he’s asking me to do something in return and it has to be right now.

I don’t know what he wants and I know I have no right to ask you this, but I need your help.

Can you meet me at the Salem Inn—” I had my hand on the front door handle when the thought occurred to me.

Without a car, I’d have to take the scooter, and it would take me at least a half hour to get there.

“We’ll pick you up in five and go together.”

“Five minutes? Are you two lurking outside my apartment again?” She had already hung up.

Sure enough, not more than five minutes later, a hazy cloud of white smokey magic appeared in the center of my living room.

I jumped back and readied my magic, thinking I was under attack, but through the fog appeared Ivy, dressed in jeans and t-shirt with the addition of a denim jacket.

Next to her was Stella wearing a casual outfit of short sleeves and skinny jeans, with her short hair tied back in a stubby ponytail.

Beside her, though, was a strange semi-transparent figure of a wiry young man.

Jutting through his messy brown hair were a pair of small horns, and his bright blue eyes glowed with a mesmerizing magical hue.

“Let’s go, man! What are you waiting for?” he said as Ivy lunged forward to grab my arm.

Before I had a chance to ask what was happening, the white haze wrapped around my body.

The space around me seemed to stretch and blur, like I was being pulled away and unraveled thread by thread.

There was a moment of nothingness, and then suddenly a burst of cold wind hit my face and I was rolling against the rough cobblestone.

I wasn’t familiar with the Salem Inn, just that it was a historic landmark that’d been around since before the Salem Witch Trials, and it was a hot spot for ghosts to hang out.

However, I knew from the lights on in the rooms around us we were outside in a garden courtyard.

“Sorry, dude. You okay?” the demon ghost asked.

“I'm Jacob—Ivy's friend when I was alive, phase-walker now that I’m dead. You have just been transported here by slipping through the realms of the afterlife. But I can’t keep the portal open for long, especially to places I’m not all that familiar with—hesitate, and you’ll end up stuck in the Nether, in between realms, so we had to drag you through pretty quickly. ”

“Oh. Okay. Well, thanks for the lift.” What else could I say to that?

I picked myself up off the ground and glanced around looking for any inkling of what we were supposed to be doing here.

Wrought iron tables and chairs were placed throughout the courtyard, the weathered stone fountain that served as a centerpiece drained for the winter.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but since I can’t see or hear ghosts,” Stella interrupted, “I’d like to figure out what the fuck we’re doing here and get it over with so I can go back to bed.

” She crossed her arms and rubbed them to keep warm.

A moment later, a colorful array of petals danced across her fingertips, adhering themselves to her skin to create a warm barrier from the wind.

“Are you supposed to meet someone?” Ivy asked, searching the courtyard for any signs of life. “What exactly are you looking for? Maybe Lyric could help locate its magic.”

“Uh …” Stella tapped my shoulder and pointed off to my left. “Theo, is that a ghost? Because last I checked, I don’t have the ability to see ghosts. But if I can, then that means—”

“She must be super powerful,” I finished.

A tall, ethereal figure draped in a flowing white gown approached us.

Her long, wavy hair fell over her shoulders on either side, and her delicate face, which I imagined must have been striking when she was alive, was tinged with an eerie, almost hollow sadness.

“You must be Theo. I didn’t expect you to be bringing others with you tonight.

” She bowed her head slightly in greeting.

“The guests here call me Katherine. I sometimes roam the hallways, keeping an eye on things. I was sent to assist you.”

“These are my friends Ivy and Stella.” Ivy took a step behind me, while Stella stayed frozen in place, in complete and utter shock at the ghost appearing before her.

“Damn. She’s kinda hot for a ghost.” Jacob wagged his brows at Katherine as he looked her up and down.

“ She can hear you.” Katherine turned around and started walking away. For a moment, I thought Jacob might have offended her and the deal was off. But when she stopped and glared at me, I waved for the others to follow.

“Thank you for meeting us.” I offered a kind smile to Katherine.

Ghosts might no longer have been living people, but that didn’t mean they didn’t deserve the same respect.

They appreciated gratitude and being acknowledged as much as everyone else.

“And you can thank Caspian for agreeing to meet me.”

“Caspian has agreed to nothing yet. If he’s satisfied with what happens tonight, then perhaps he’ll consider meeting with you face-to-face.”

Floating a few inches off the ground, Katherine led us to the fire escape, her white gown flowing behind her.

“So, um, why are we here?” The second I stepped onto the metal stair, a loud creaking noise halted my movements. Everyone’s gazes locked on me.

“What?” I whispered. “These stairs have to be, like, a hundred years old.”

“Be quieter,” Katherine informed us.

I rolled my eyes at her, then with a fluid hand motion, I made an “X” with my flattened hands and swept them outward, casting a sign language spell for silence.

“Neat!” Jacob exclaimed behind me. I then did the same for Stella and Ivy, making their footsteps eerily soft.

The spell wasn’t that strong since sign language wasn’t my dominant form of magic—it was a learned ability that had its limits—but it was quiet enough that the subtle creak and moan of the metal under us gave little worry of being detected.

Katherine stopped at the third floor, overlooking a large rectangular window only half obscured by a curtain.

It looked like a suite with a bedroom, main living area, and kitchenette.

A female sat on the patterned couch, seductively smirking through her deep red lipstick.

She was too far away to make out the color of her eyes, but her sultry gaze was locked onto the man sitting at the dining room table across the room, although his back was toward me.

All I could make out was his blue sweater vest and flat cap on his head.

The woman started speaking, her mouth and hands moving, but her words never reached my ears.

“What’s going on?” Ivy whispered. “I can’t hear anything.”

“I’ll go in and check things out!” And in a flash, Jacob passed right through the brick wall and into the room.

“They’re making a transaction,” Katherine informed us, standing beside the window as she swiped a glowing finger along the glass.

“There’s a ward placed on the walls to block sound from escaping the room, but it looks like it’s weak around the windows.

I don’t like others messing with my property.

I formed a crack in the magic so you can hear. ”

“What is the transaction for?” I asked.

“The female is Tara. She’s a Syndicate member but isn’t above using their resources to conduct her own personal business on the side. She is in possession of a powerful grimoire. Caspian wants you to retrieve that grimoire and deliver it to him.”

“And how the hell am I supposed to do that out here? I can’t exactly walk through walls and I’m pretty sure they’ll notice if I climb in through the window.

” My voice was barely a whisper, but I abruptly ducked when the female rose from her seat on the couch.

When I peeked over the ledge, I saw she had put on a pair of black gloves and pulled out a book from her large tote bag.

It looked both heavy and thick, with a faded silver sigil pressed into the aged, dark brown leather.

The man held out his hand to take it from her and inspect it.

Katherine made a sound of disinterest. “How you get inside isn’t my problem, it’s yours. Acquire the book, and Caspian will be in touch.”