Page 36 of A Soul’s Curse (Fallen Souls #1)

For a fleeting moment, I convinced myself none of this was real—that it was all just a terrible nightmare.

Any second now, I’d wake up in a warm bed.

Ren would be lying beside me, tangled limbs wrapped securely around me.

We were safe and far away from the Syndicate.

Later in the evening, I’d go to work at Carson’s Pizza.

Vic would give me that tired smile when I walked in, and Ellie would teach me about history when I delivered her favorite pepperoni pizza to the museum.

But then a sharp, stabbing pain pierced through my chest and the illusion shattered like fragile glass.

The warmth of my hopes slipped through my fingers, replaced by the harsh bite of reality.

Ren had lied to me, betrayed my trust and hurt my family.

The Syndicate had their eyes set on me and weren’t planning to let me go.

They had taken my best friend, and while I now had clues where the Syndicate was holding her, they had no intention of keeping her alive.

I gasped, my eyes shooting wide open. I clutched my chest as if I could rip the pain away. The ache sank deep, raw and unrelenting as my soul reentered my body. The ice cream shop blinked into focus, Ellie’s ghost hovering over me.

“Theo! Wake up!” Ellie cried and attempted to slap me. The fizzle of her magic tingled my skin.

“Your friend is quite vocal,” Caspian commented. As part ghost, he’d be able to see and communicate with her.

“What?” I sat up, rubbing my forehead and trying to collect my thoughts. “Wait, how did you get here, Ellie?”

“When Caspian triggered his spell, my ghost was pulled here. Why, Theo? Why would you do that, you idiot! That was so reckless! What if you got trapped in my body or something?” Worry flashed through Ellie’s fading orange eyes.

It was a good thing she couldn’t physically touch me, because I was pretty sure she’d murder me with an ice cream scoop.

I shrugged, wiping away the exhaustion from my eyes as I laid back down on the tablecloth. “I guess I’d have to get used to having boobs then.”

Caspian snorted. Ellie didn’t find the joke amusing.

“Did you find out anything useful about where she’s being kept?” Caspian asked, a curious note to his voice.

I rubbed my chest, sighing as I tried to relieve the burning pain that lingered there.

The sting of my soul being ripped out of me still gave me heart palpitations.

“Two names—Helen and Markus. Ellie’s being kept in an office park somewhere, one that has some kind of morgue to store bodies.

I can’t imagine there’s a lot of those around. ”

“Morgue?” Ellie’s voice tightened.

“Well, yeah. Unfortunately, you aren’t the only one being kept there, but I don’t know how many others there are.”

I averted my gaze from Ellie, turning it nervously toward Caspian and Gray standing behind him. “Something else you need to add?” Caspian asked.

“There was this … glowing rune on Ellie’s wrist. When I touched it, I was able to see that memory of the conversation between Helen and Markus.

But … there’s something more to that rune.

The Syndicate never intended on giving Ellie back alive .

Those fuckers found a loophole. I don’t know what the symbol was but …

” I saw the cup of chocolate syrup next to me, dipped my finger in it, and attempted to draw the symbol on the tile floor.

“Hmm.” Caspian scratched his chin. “Looks like it might be a Hemlock Rune. It’s invisible to everyone but the person who created it and the person it’s attached to, designed to act like a … virus of sorts. Eradicating the ability for the body to accept magic.”

“So basically … if anyone attempts to place her magic back into her body, it’s going to backfire.

Ren told me—” I cut myself off at the mention of his name, pushing myself off the floor to stand in front of Caspian.

Ren told me to expect something like this, that they’d no doubt try something backhanded against me.

I should have seen it coming. I wavered slightly on my feet, finding a stool tucked next to the metal table to sit down so I didn’t fall over. “Fuck.”

“You see the dilemma here.” Caspian flashed me a knowing look. “Technically, Leon is not breaking his promise to return Ellie’s magic to her body. She just won’t survive the process.”

“Can it be removed?” I leaned over, propping my elbows against the steel table and cradling my head in my hands.

“Well, there’s good news.” Caspian walked over to a stool, gently patting my shoulder before sitting down across from me.

“Even if you can’t see it, you know it’s there.

From what I know, it’s typically not a very strong rune, and with your magic rooted in all things deadly, I don’t think you’d have any issues with removing it.

If you could dissolve that spell to free Ren’s brother, this one should be quick and easy.

I doubt anyone would even notice you doing it. ”

I eyed him with narrowed suspicion, but he didn’t explain how he learned about Thomas, because I knew I never told him.

“That would require figuring out where my body is first,” Ellie reminded us. “And assuming no one catches on to what he can do with his power.”

A yawn escaped me before I could stop it. I had taken a long nap before coming here, but everything hurt, from the ache settling deep in my bones to the dull throb behind my eyes. My muscles screamed with every movement, my skin felt raw, and even my thoughts seemed weighed down by exhaustion.

Sighing, I grabbed my backpack and headed toward the back door.

“Where are you going?” Caspian questioned.

I turned toward him, fighting to keep the desperation out of my voice. “You’ve done your part. You allowed me to find some clues where her body might be. I’m gonna go do some research and figure out what to do next. Thanks for your help.”

“Theo …” The sadness in Ellie’s voice was heavy and unshakable.

“Before you go …” Caspian snatched the grimoire from the table and handed it to me. “I don’t need it. Keep it safe. Maybe there’s something helpful in it you can use.”

“Uh … if you didn’t need it, then why the hell did you have me go through the trouble of stealing it in the first place?” I stared at the dark brown leather, running my finger over the silver sigil on the cover.

His mouth twisted into a smug grin. “Look at the first page.”

I did. And although the black ink was smudged, the name was clearly legible, written in a fancy script. “Wait. You wrote this book?”

He nodded. “I chose you to retrieve it because, despite what I said earlier, I do trust you. Emily Dickinson put in a good word for you, but it wasn’t difficult to figure out that you’re a good person, Theodore Kingston.

I wanted to make sure it stayed out of the Syndicate’s hands, and if I’m being honest, I didn’t trust your friend Ren.

His motives were unclear, so I had to be selective of who I sent to retrieve it. ”

My throat tightened and I forced down a swallow.

“For what it’s worth, Theo, I apologize for you having to find out about Ren that way. But you deserved to know the truth and who you were getting involved with.”

“Yeah. I know,” I muttered, shoving the book into my backpack and zipping it up.

“Take this too.” Caspian handed me a business card, the logo of an ice cream cone melting into a swirl of magical energy and a phone number listed on the front.

“I’d appreciate it if you called me Casper in public.

If you find Ellie’s body, let me know. You might be able to dissolve the rune, but you won’t be able to return her magic to her body.

Or, if you’re in the neighborhood and yearning for some ice cream, feel free to stop by.

After living for over a hundred years, there’s not many people I find fascinating, but you intrigue me, Theo. Let’s stay in touch.”

He curled a long strand of his black hair behind his ear and gave me a genuine smile, then extended his hand out as an offering of friendship.

“Will do. Thanks.” I shook his hand, a firm handshake with a tight grip.

Gray showed me to the back door, Ellie’s ghost following behind me. When he pushed it open, my heart skipped a beat at the thought I might have found Ren’s glowing red eyes staring back at me.

I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or upset that he wasn’t there waiting for me. As I rounded the front of the building, the parking lot across the street was empty. Ren was nowhere in sight. He had just … abandoned me.

“I’m sorry, Theo.” Ellie could see the hurt in my eyes, and the softness in her gaze faltered, as if she wanted to reach out but didn’t know how. “Caspian filled me in on what happened with Ren. Warned me to stay away from him.”

“None of this is your fault, Ellie. It’s his . He brought that urn to you. He brought the Syndicate to me. And he … he …” As the anger washed away, it was quickly overtaken by a deep, consuming sadness. “Walk with me? I want to go to the cemetery. Here’s your chance to meet Emily Dickinson.”

Ellie squealed, her ghost vibrating with magical excitement and flickering like a faulty Christmas light.

Walking the streets of Salem alone in the middle of the night probably wasn’t my wisest decision ever made, but I wasn’t sure who else to turn to and none of the buses were running this late.

Even though it was only a ten-minute walk, Ellie threatened to possess my body if I didn’t pick up my pace to walk faster.

She was still struggling, still in pain, but through her cheerful attitude she did her best to hide it from me.

Her teasing was a welcome distraction, and when we finally reached the Howard Street Cemetery, the usual crew was waiting there for me.

My connection to them let them know they were needed, and like the good friends they were, they showed up.