Page 80 of Soul Food

She frowned. “I want to ask, but I get the feeling you don’t want to say anymore.”

“Thanks,” was all I gave her.

“How’s your songwriting going?” She asked next, and I swore my damned eyes started watering.

“That went up in smoke too,” I admitted, wiping my eyes.

“Ruth…” I knew what she was about to do as she got up from her seat and sat next to me. “What did he do to you?” She hugged me, and I cringed for every little memory stuck in my head.

“He pretended to be someone he wasn’t,” I whispered as I covered up my face with my shirt. “Why? Why did he do this to me?”

_______

AMIT

“Why are you standing outside the apartment?” Lars asked as I tried to drown out the sounds coming from the other side of the door.

“She doesn’t want me near her.”

“That doesn’t matter when she doesn’t know, does it?” Lars asked.

“What she wants, she gets.” It was amazing how much I had to keep informing him of this.

Lars dared to sigh. “Yet we stayed next to her all this time without her knowing,” he said under his breath.

“Do you want to die today?” My reaping form rippled with my anger, sweeping over him until he staggered back.

“No, Sire.” He lowered his head, then raised it. “What are we going to do?”

“Wait it out until the very end.”

The sad sounds grew louder, and I stepped away. “Your soul, Sire… It’s wilting again.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

RUTH

It was another morning of rinse and repeat. The last few months were full of that. I’d go through the emotions of knowing I was going to die. Then I’d have to be okay with it.

First, the demon got me down about life. Then he went and stomped all over me as a woman. I thought about it long and hard all night. He avoided me. Maybe this was why, but when I approached him—I wouldn’t even let myself think of the fact that I came onto a demon. But heknewand didn’t shut me down hard enough. Then I was slightly mortified because the only one that came on strong was me.

I didn’t know what to think.

The fact of the matter was, the one who did the seducing was all me. But I had every right to feel betrayed. Of all the people I could have been attracted to, I became ensnared by the soul reaper himself.

I hadn’t seen the gremlin since yesterday, but I didn’t doubt that he was in my home creeping somewhere. Maybe even the demon too.

I shivered at the thought. When I had left Jayne’s apartment yesterday, there was a single Red Grace left at the door. I knew what it was that left it without needing an answer.

I got dressed and got the hell out of there in fifteen minutes. I wouldn’t have taken that long if it wasn’t for waiting on John to pick me up. Rupert wasn’t back from vacation, but I did let him know that Max was a no-show. I had no clue where he was and at least that much was true.

I texted Jayne to ask if she wanted to visit The Oppressors with me today. I needed a distraction and with them I could count on that, but of course, she shot me down. I had expected that much. Something about them made her nervous. But she did that a lot. Got all weird around attractive guys.

As I entered Black Hearts studio, I was convinced I was asking to run into the demon. He did own the place. Which now that I thought of it, made perfect sense. No wonder I succeeded. He made it happen. For the price of my soul.

Music was my air, lyrics were my lungs, and without them there was no living. Music was my one and only after all. My one true love.

That was why I came here. Even if it meant asking for trouble. If I couldn’t write, I could still listen and sing. I could set myself free. My restless mind and body needed that.

---