Page 44 of A Soul’s Curse (Fallen Souls #1)

“Of course!” Ivy nodded, her hands occupying themselves with more bags filled with product.

I watched the two of them closely. Not everyone despised demons, but regardless of what people believed, there was always that subtle bias toward them, even from those who didn’t fully buy into the rumors.

Seeing a demon made people hesitate and point fingers.

But Stella? She was different. She and Ivy had somehow become good friends, and I couldn’t help but notice the quiet connection forming between them.

I wondered if maybe one day it would eventually grow into something more.

“Oh, good. You’re still here.” Ren scurried down the stairs.

“Did you really think we’d leave without you?” I scrunched my brows and frowned at him. He was trying so hard to prove himself to me, but I had some work to do as well.

He stepped forward, his hand trembling slightly as he reached for my face. His thumb grazed my lip, the touch so gentle it felt like a whisper against my skin. “You had some powdered sugar on your face.”

I licked my lip, right where Ren’s finger had just brushed, the heat of his touch still lingering on my skin. The air between us felt charged, like something unspoken was hanging there, waiting to be acknowledged.

“Real cute,” Stella interrupted. “Now can we get this show on the road? It’s my day off, and I want to spend at least some of it with a margarita in my hand while I binge-watch the latest season of Hexes & Exes.”

“You don’t have to come,” I retorted, but Stella looked at Ivy, who had to come since she was the one using her magic to transport us.

Stella scoffed. “And miss this live-action soap opera between you two? Never. Let’s go.”

The air crackled with Ivy’s magic, and a moment later Jacob appeared. The ghost looked exactly the same as last time, scrawny with glowing blue eyes, but his outfit had changed into something more casual and relaxed, like Ivy had just pulled him from lounging by the side of a pool.

“What brings me here today on this fine late afternoon?” Jacob asked, swiping his messy brown hair off his pale, transparent face.

“Can you take us to Emberheart Place, please?” Ivy asked, her voice lowering as she did. “I’m sorry. I know you’re not my personal valet service or anything, it’s just a lot easier and faster and—”

“Ivy,” Jacob interrupted. “I’m a ghost. I don’t sleep and the most exciting thing to happen in the underworld is being called out of it. I wouldn’t have made an agreement with you if I never wanted to be summoned. Whatever you need, wherever you need to go, just ask.”

Jacob’s magic chilled the air around us, a white fog drawing us in.

The four of us grabbed a box of supplies and walked through, appearing in the church's foyer. The late afternoon meant it was already past lunch, but not quite dinnertime yet. There were some people wandering about, but it wasn’t as busy as I was used to it being.

A yelp off to my right startled me. A young woman, a demon with dark brown eyes, even darker curly hair, and a pregnant belly that looked like she was smuggling a beach ball under her dress, stood there staring at the group of people who suddenly appeared out of thin air.

“Sasha!” I waved, walking over to see if she needed any help.

“Jesus, Theo! You can’t just go around appearing like that and startling people. Not after … everything that’s happened.”

“What do you mean?” I raised an eyebrow at her. Ren strolled up next to me, like he wanted to hear what the demon had to say and was prepared to go to war over it depending on her answer. “Are people here still skeptical of the food poisoning thing?”

“Well, the whole thing with Mr. Carson has mostly died down, but the food poisoning incident caused a lot of tension here. Once the word spread about what your magic actually was … some regulars decided to dump all your products into the dumpster out back in retaliation. Nick is out now trying to get more supplies, but the people here … don’t feel comfortable around you.

” She stopped, her eyes gazing toward the front door as an older male demon walked in, gawking at us as he passed by.

“There’s something else, isn’t there? It’s okay. Just tell me.”

“Well, that same group went to Nick and demanded he ban you from Emberheart Place permanently. Of course, Nick said that was ridiculous, reinforcing the fact that it wasn't even you responsible for the incident, but he also has a duty to these people to make this place feel safe.”

My heart deflated. “I guess Leon wins after all,” I muttered to myself, raking my hand through my hair. The police might have stopped chasing me after the incident with Mr. Carson, but the damage was already done. Rumors were spreading, trust was broken.

“Don’t worry, Theo! Nick would never let that happen. There are some naysayers, but I’m sure there are even more people here who support you. I think they’ll come to their senses if you give them time and continue to earn back their trust.”

I could hear Ren’s rushed breaths next to me, his hands clenching like he wanted to strangle every person here who thought ill of me. I discreetly brushed my hand against his, touching his fingertips to unravel his anger.

“Thanks for the warning, Sasha. I’ll be on my best behavior. We all will. Right, Ren?”

Ren’s shoulders remained stiff, but he nodded.

Sasha went on her way, and when I returned to Stella and Ivy, they were already digging through the boxes, handing out whatever was needed to the visitors who stopped by.

“How’s it going?” I asked. Ivy handed a plastic bag to a man with green scales and yellow eyes. When he saw me behind her, he threw the bag in her face.

“You’re with him? I’m not accepting anything from that piece of scum,” the lizard man, likely some form of shifter with a love for reptiles, said before his wife came up beside him.

“Henry, let’s go.” His wife stuck her nose up at me, tugging on her husband’s arm before they both stormed off.

“Ren,” I warned as his fierce growl echoed in the foyer. “Remember what we just spoke about? We’re on our best behavior. If he doesn’t want to accept it, he doesn’t have to. We’ll focus our efforts on those who do.”

Whatever Ren was planning to do, he didn’t get a chance. The doors to the nave, where all the cots were lined up and most of the shelter’s guests were hanging out, burst open.

“Help! Please, someone help!” A human male, tears streaming down his panic-stricken face, stormed into the lobby waving his arms around. “My daughter … she’s barely breathing!”

I darted over toward the anxious father, Ren and Stella right beside me. Ivy had enough sense to guide the man back into the nave, where he led us to his daughter on a nearby cot.

“What happened?” I asked, as I immediately began assessing her.

“I … I don’t know! She said she wasn’t feeling good, then just collapsed. Please do something!” He sat down on a folding chair next to the cot, rocking back and forth as he dragged his hands down his face.

“What’s her name?” The young girl, probably about fifteen, had raven-black hair braided over her shoulder and freckles dotting her pink cheeks.

She was breathing, barely, but wasn’t responsive.

Her lips were turning blue, and her skin was unnaturally cold.

Her pulse was weak, and when I pulled up the sleeve of her jacket, it was littered with hives and rashes.

“Emily. Her name is Emily. I’m … I’m her father. Patrick.”

“Is she allergic to anything?” I asked, magic pulsing at my fingertips and ready to neutralize whatever was about to kill this poor kid.

“No … not that I know of. The only thing she had was a piece of that candy being handed out in the lobby.”

“See? I told you. He’s poisoning us all.” Henry, the scaled shifter from before, approached with a smug grin on his face, like this was the proof he needed to show everyone how truly evil I was.

“Wait, what?” Patrick studied me for a minute before realization dawned on him. “Wait. I know you! You’re that guy responsible for the food poisoning! I didn’t … I didn’t recognize the demon who gave me the bag. I didn’t know she was working with you .”

“ You, get the fuck out of here!” I growled at Henry.

“Back up, you ungrateful asshole. Let him do his work.” Ren, ever the faithful bodyguard, stepped in to push him back.

“Don’t you fucking touch me. I can’t believe you’re defending him.” The guy’s venomous glare darted toward me, his face twisted in disgust. Then, he called out in a booming voice so the entire church could hear, “He’s a damn murderer!”

Ren scoffed, stepping in between me and Henry as a human shield. “Oh, give me a break. If he wanted you dead, you wouldn’t still be standing here running your mouth.”

“Ren! You’re not helping!” When I went to dig my magic into the girl, Patrick slapped my arm away.

“I do not give you consent to touch my daughter, and everyone else here now knows it.” A crowd was forming, and at least a dozen sets of eyes were watching me.

“Look, buddy, your daughter is suffocating from what looks like an easily curable allergic reaction and I don’t see anyone else rushing over to save her. I’m not asking you for your permission to make sure she lives.”

Ivy and Stella came to my side, urging the crowd back to give me some space, but the whispers being uttered by the onlookers was meant for me to hear.

“Was it really him? He’s been coming here for years! I can’t believe he would lie to us this whole time.”

“I thought this was supposed to be a safe place. How could Nick let that bastard in here?”

“Theo!” I heard my name, but it was like a distant, fuzzy sound. “Theo!” It came again, and this time when I looked up, Sasha had pushed her way through the crowd, holding her belly, wincing, and had a horrified expression on her face as she stared at the puddle on the floor beneath her feet.

“Oh my God, her water broke!” Someone next to her gasped, helping her to a chair.