Page 53 of Shadows of the Soul

He huffed as we moved. The front door creaked open, and we were out in the sunshine that warmed my flesh.

“No, not your rooms. The stables. But someday soon you’re going to explain to me why you are dead set against anyone going in there.”

When I’ve got rid of the damning portal, you can have all the access you want. I kept silent as we made our way across the lawn.

“Where are you taking her?” Aunt Anita called out from behind us.

“The guest house is full,” Aunt Dayna explained. “So we are relocating to a less trafficked area.”

“Who’s the dork?” Rebecca asked.

Oh boy. “No,” I told her.

“What?”

“No, you can’t seduce him. He’s here to help fix me, not scratch your ever present itch.”

“Spoilsport,” she muttered.

“You live in a building brimming with potential rendezvous. Go torment them.”

“But I’m feeling like a nerd right now.”

“I’m gay,” an unfamiliar man with a high-pitched voice stated. “And not interested.” Oh god, a challenge.

“Are you sure?” Rebecca asked. “I’ve been known to turn a man, and a woman, or two.”

I groaned and buried my face in Hudson’s chest. “Make it stop.”

“Head in the game, or leave,” Hudson growled.

The air grew silent as we stepped into the stables. I knew we were here because Hudson’s woodsy scent got stronger. Plus, the sun had stopped coaxing freckles out onto my skin.

“I’m going to put you down on the sofa,” he explained as he lowered me and left me on something soft.

“Right then,” Aunt Anita said from in front of me. “Let’s see what we have.”

“This happened during a read?” the nerdy guy asked. It was no surprise that he knew about my gift, being sent by the head honcho herself, meant he was high up and likely privy to personal information. I had to tread carefully, as I’m sure he would feed every detail back to my grandmother.

“It did. I was treating a shifter who’d been involved in a fight. Her injuries proved fatal, and I accidentally touched her after her death.”

“Was there anything unusual about the read?”

Silence stretched as I thought about how to navigate the truth.

“There’s a voodoo priest screwing with my pack,” Hudson growled. “He had something to do with it.”

I pressed my lips together. Damn it, Hudson. If my grandmother sensed weakness, she’d exploit it for her own nefarious intentions. At least the devil was simplistic in his evil plans. He wasn’t a wolf in sheep’s clothing acting as the supernatural society savior.

“When she came around, she was blind,” he finished. Someone gasped. My Aunt Anita, I think.

“Why are you shocked? It’s not like it’s a spoiler—we already know I end up blind.”

“Did he do anything during the read?” nerd guy asked.

“He blew some dust in my eyes. Well, Mary’s eyes.”

“I see,” the nerd guy said. Save me now. We have a comedian on our hands.

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