Page 24 of Soul Food

Wouldn’t be the first time a reporter or paparazzi found their way to my door or my house. Being a celebrity was no joke. It could get super crazy and creepy, and way out of hand in less than two seconds flat.

When she opened the door, I heard someone rambling, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying so I got up from the couch and made my way to the front door. Jayne’s mouth stretched from ear to ear when she saw me approaching. “Ruth, you’ll never guess who invited you to join him at Black Heart’s charity event.”

I lifted my eyebrows and frowned. “I thought it was this weekend.”

The young man at the door saw me and turned beet red. Worse than a schoolgirl. Worse than even Jayne did when we crossed paths with some of her celebrity crushes—okay, he hadn’t blushed that bad.

“Ruth.” He dipped his head as he said it.

“The charity event is this Friday, but Mr. Kingston wants to buy you a dress to wear—”

I cut Jayne off by raising my hand in a clipped manner. So, it was Amit Kingston who invited me? “No need, I can buy my own.”

Jayne gave the red-faced man an apologetic look before she glanced my way. “Ruth…”

“And I am going to the charity event this weekend,by myself.” I looked past Jayne to the man. “You can tell Mr. Kingston that I appreciate him thinking of me, but it’s not needed.” Then I glanced back at Jayne. “Now, as you can see I have my running clothes on so if you need me, John will be taking me to the park.”

Jayne closed her mouth and crinkled her nose. “You want a partner?” She leaned in. “Off the clock, of course.”

______

Amit

“I think Ruth wants nothing to do with you now, Sire.” Lars told me his thoughts even when I didn’t want him to. “She looked fine when she left the house.”

I took a deep breath and gripped the desk I was sitting on. I was very restless, agitated, and worn out the last few months. I couldn’t pinpoint why. But then again, knowing that I was so close to having her soul would drive any soul reaper insane. The fact was, it already belonged to me, but I chose to heal it, let it flourish before I ate it. Now I was coming unhinged.

All this work, and she was dwindling on me.

“Yeah, but is her soul happy?” I clipped out. His silence was enough.

“I’m a demon of my word, I won’t take her life before her ten years is up but knowing that her time is almost here is killing her soul.” I picked up the hourglass on my desk and flipped it around. “I don’t know what to do to make her pretty little soul happy. How to keep her mind distracted long enough…?” I drifted off.

“Maybe you could finally let her date?” Lars suggested.

“No.” Hell. No.

“Let her have fun?”

I lifted my eyes up and pinned him with them. “What kind of fun?”

Lars lips curled, showing his sharp tiny teeth. “You always get mad when I do it to dead things.”

“You fucking gremlins,” I spat. “You don’t hump dead things or play with your food. As long as you want to stay by my side and serve me, then I better never catch you doing it again!”

He bowed his head. “I only meant to explain what might lift Ruth’s spirits. I don’t play with my food anymore, Sire. I learned.”

At the mention of Ruth coming into contact with any human male, I switched into my reaping form and hissed. “Absolutely not.”

Then I went in search of her.

Chapter Eight

RUTH

The next three days flew by uneventfully, and with each hour that chipped by, my nerves were even more restless and stirring beneath my skin. I visited Ma every day, and every day she gave me the same push to go. Every time she did so, I found the presence of another truth hidden in the way she stared at me. I didn’t know what her gazes were, but I felt like they were a look of missing someone you spent so much time pushing away, that you no longer knew how to ask them to stay.

Then again, I was always hopeful toward the woman when it came to her changing her life around—and how she felt about me—so maybe I saw what I wanted to see in her eyes.

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