Page 85 of Soul Food

Jayne: Want me to join you at the studio? I figured that’s where you’d go to rehearse.

Jayne: Do you know what song you’re gonna sing?

Her last question left me puzzled. What was I going to sing? My recent lyricsSoul Foodslipped inside my head. No. The lyrics were all wrong. A lie… But what if I rewrote them? A stabbing pain snagged in my chest, and I swallowed.

I wanted to. Which meant I needed The Oppressors help after all.

Since my life was a giant infestation of demons and lies, it was no surprise that I jumped a mile when my phone went off. It was bound to happen when one spent all morning in complete silence. I picked up my phone off the counter and saw that it was a number I didn’t recognize.

I answered. “Hello?”

“You think I won’t kill you?” The blood drained from my face when Mr. James spoke. “That I wouldn’t know?”

“Who is this?” I pretended not to know. “And what are you talking about?”

His voice was full of menace. “How could you kill her?”

I couldn’t process or think what I should do or say over the adrenaline and fear coursing through my veins so I hung up and stared at my phone. There was no way he’d know, buthe did.

“What is it?” I jumped again at the sound of Lars’s voice. My knees buckled, and I clutched the counter for dear life to keep from crumbling to the floor.

I looked down at him. I couldn’t even get mad. Not after that phone call. I was freaked out about this. “It was Liz’s dad. I think he knows something. Tell your master that.”

“Sire can take care of him, no problem,” Lars nodded as if we were talking about lunch.

“Are you talking about killing someone else?” I screeched. The phone started ringing again—same number, and I silenced it.

“When it comes to you or the lives of any others, you’ll always come first to Sire.” Lars shrugged casually like it was old news.

“You mean my soul,” I corrected him.

“For him, there’s not a difference anymore.Youare your soul.”

I hesitated, curious when I didn’t want to be. The gremlin could fill me in on things I didn’t know. “What does that mean?”

He shook his head. “That isn’t for me to say.”

I covered my face with my hands and sighed. “Everything feels so out of control.”

“It will all be over soon,” Lars’s ominous words made me look up from my hands. “I’ll go tell him.” He disappeared before my eyes. There was nothing left to be surprised about now. I just dropped down on the stool beside me and braced myself for the soul reaper’s arrival.

A minute later, he filled up my kitchen space with a scowl as he glanced down at my phone on the counter. “I’ll take care of him,” was what he said to me. No greeting. Not that I expected it. He looked angrier than usual.

“Can you stop killing people because of me?” I rushed out. “Do you have any idea what a heavy burden it’s been carrying around the weight of everyone that has died around me?” I stared at the ceiling and laughed. My shoulders began to quake as I did. “What am I saying? You don’t care. You’re just a heartless demon.”

“Am I supposed to let myself die to appease your standards?”

He stalked toward me, and now I couldn’t figure out how I was brave enough to keep running my mouth.

“I’m never going to be a human. I can’t change what I am. I eat souls which means I kill people. I do have a rule. I only eat the ones that don’t deserve to live.”

I jumped out of my seat at that last part, getting too close to him in the process. I could feel his heat pressing against me. How did a demon like him have a body temperature? “Then why me? Does that mean I’m a horrible person?”

His veins protruded from his arms and forehead. “You are the exception. Do you think I want to be here in the human world for ten years trying to please your soul?” he threw back.

“If it’s so hard, then why are you?” I growled in return. It was amazing how contained he kept himself. He was obviously angry, but every word he spoke was a lot calmer than mine.

He grabbed his forehead and shook his head. “If I could stop myself from this madness, I would.” He lifted his head. Red eyes weighed heavy on my dark ones. “I am very aware of all the foolish things I’m doing and as much as I should stop, there’s no way I will.” His eyes fell over me as his chest expanded out with his next deep breath. “Not until I have you.”

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