Page 82 of Soul Food

“Vampires?” I croaked.

“Let me guess, she found out what you are, so you had to tell her about us?” One of Liam’s brows shot up.

“I deserve to know what I’ve been hanging out with,” I told him.

“We’re friends, Ruth. Why should our being vampires matter?” he asked me.

“Because vampires and demons are not even supposed to exist, and yet I’m surrounded by them!” I yelled.

“Have we hurt you?” he asked me with a frown. “Have we even hinted at trying to do anything to you?”

I thought about it even though I already knew the answer. “No…” His words left me even more confused. It felt like it should matter that I was surrounded by non-human beings but at the same time, did it really when these guys had never done anything to me?

“He’s the only one that plans to hurt you.” Liam eyes hardened on the soul reaper.

“He’s right.” Gray eyes trapped mine. “I’ve given you everything, so I can take it.” And with those haunting words, the soul reaper strode out of the room.

One foot moved forward, followed by the other. Before I knew it, I was ready to chase after the demon. I wanted to fight and yell, but my traitorous heart hadn’t gotten the message yet. It was collateral damage in my body’s recent lust for a man who was never really a man.

“If there was a way I could save you, I would, but there’s nothing that can be done when he owns your soul already.”

Liam’s frightening words brought me back to reality. I peered over my shoulder with fearful eyes.

“It’s amazing that you’re even alive,” he continued. “The fact that you are—”

“Means that you might have the ability to save yourself,” Steve finished for him.

“How?” the word tumbled off my tongue clumsily. I felt strange—like an out-of-body experience as I tried to come to grips with more truths.

“The question is how you found out what he was?” Liam backed away as he spoke. I thought it might be to give me the space I needed since I began to breathe easier when he did.

“I was kidnapped, and he saved me.” This was the part I ignored in a desperate attempt to forget what I had learned. “He killed two others to save me.”

Steve smirked and nodded while Pete scooped down and picked up something from the floor. It was another Red Grace which he handed to me before saying, “Use that to your advantage.”

I studied the beautiful flower in my hand.

“Who he is as a demon, and who he was before you found that out, maybe there’s an in between where he can be both,” Steve said.

“He wants to eat my soul.” I never took my eyes off the flower. “That’s all. And I don’t want it to be anything else.” I let it fall to the ground as I met Liam’s eyes. “Show me your fangs.”

“Why?” He sounded just as alarmed as he looked.

“I need to see it for it to be real,” I told him.

I gasped at how quickly the three of them complied. The fluorescent lights above us glinted off the sharpened points as they lengthened from their exposed mouths. I stumbled then righted myself as I took in the sheer size of those fangs. They retracted them quickly, but not before I envisioned them completely as rabid monsters about to tear into my juggler. “Don’t run!” Liam yelled right before I did.

________

John took me home. I found myself alone when I didn’t want to be, but I wasn’t in a good place to be around anyone either.

My mind stayed on the soul reaper. He continued to turn my world upside down. He didn’t only shatter some part of me, but he took my haven as well. My music. I couldn’t sing or think. I couldn’t get pasthim.The Oppressors had been my last little refuge, and he ruined that too.

I walked out the door full of burning energy to fight back and a couple hours later the fight was dim. I didn’t even walk inside my house since there was a good chance the gremlin was there. I slumped down on my steps and laid back. I tried to look up, but the sun was too bright. It didn’t stop me from trying and trying until spots were all over my vision. Kind of like my life the last ten years. Always going, but never getting anywhere. My end was already mapped out.

I thought about ignoring my phone when it started going off, but I didn’t. “Jayne,” I mumbled.

“Wanna sing?”

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