Page 46 of Virgin Lust

“Prudence sleeps at the castle for now, but as long as she’s with you, she can do her Reaper work,” Grim said, running his fingers through his hair. Stepping closer, he placed his hand on my shoulder. “What I’m about to tell you is for your safety. You should know that my children have soulmates. Three have already found theirs.”

My heart tightened. She wasmysoulmate. I saw her pink goat. We shared the same symbol. How could she be destined for another? I refused to acknowledge the possibility. Then again, maybe Prudence did something for it to be on my chest, but I didn’t ask. I’d wait for her to tell me.

But if she grew tired of me, what would I do? I couldn’t give her a reason to let me go. After knowing her sweetness, I’d die without her. Glancing down, I saw the purple flower petals falling at my feet.Fuck.My heart ached at the mere idea of someone else being her lover.

“And Shepherd,” Grim said, pulling my attention away from the mess I made on his floor. “Stop waiting before it’s too late.” I frowned until he added, “you’re running out of time to say goodbye. Your sister deserves to know whose made sure she’s lived a great life.”

He retreated from the ballroom, leaving me alone to digest his words.

Twelve

Prudence

I rummaged around in Shepherd’s memories again…

“Miss, we’ve searched for your brother,” said the Chief of Police as he tightly pressed his lips together. His words were clipped and irritated after repeating himself over and over. After months of trying to comfort my sister, he was tired of the situation.

“Bullshit! You searched the first week. You guys haven’t looked for Shepherd since then. It’s been six months. Something’s wrong. He wouldn’t just disappear.”

The man sighed. “I don’t have the time, money, or resources to send my men out on a wild goose chase. It’s time to face the facts. Your brother was eighteen. He wasn’t a six-year-old that got lost in the woods. I want to help you find him, but he probably just left town.”

“He wouldn’t leave me!” she screamed.

“Of course.” The police chief nodded. “We’ll call you if we hear anything.”

She stormed out of the building.

Outside, she wiped her eyes and yelled, “I hate you! I hate you!”

My stomach knotted as I followed. Not close enough to touch her accidentally, but close enough to make sure she’d be all right.

“You better be alive. You better,” she muttered.

I didn’t know what I was. It definitely wasn’t alive. Hunger was a better description. I was voracious until I slipped through someone. When they died, my appetite ebbed. I didn’t understand what was happening to me, and I couldn’t stop either.

I’m sorry, Tiff.

Even if I could show myself to you, I wouldn’t. You wouldn’t like what I’d become.

______

A few months later, I found Tiffany working at a diner wiping down the counter. She still lived with Dad, aiding him with his self-destruction. But a leech named Lance had entered her life. I had been gone for a while, wandering the earth aimlessly. When I returned, she was covered in bruises, thanks to him. Eventually, I became the harbinger of his death.

“Come here,” her junky boyfriend slurred.

My sister cringed every time the jerk yelled her name. Her hands curled around her middle as she apologized to her workers. That only pissed him off. He ran over and pinned her to the bar. “Do I embarrass you?”

Slipping through him, a burst of flavor—like coffee—filled my senses. Lance toppled over and died on the spot. Tiffany cried. She might be sad, but his death was for the better.

Two weeks later, Tiffany attempted drugs. I followed the man home that sold them to her. As he entered the door, I swept through him, followed by everyone else in the house. Vials of pills, bags of weed, lines of coke, and dollar bills littered a coffee table. Five bodies lay on the floor. I didn’t regret my actions. In the long run, Tiffany would be better off. I just had to make sure she survived her choices and eliminate those that messed with her.

Heavy footfalls rushed toward me.

“Oh, my God!” A woman exclaimed and then gasped.

Before I could whirl around, she breached my form and died.

I rippled, and bitter apple assaulted my senses. The flavor was harsh, unlike the pleasant flavor of Tiffany’s ex. Sadness dimmed my shadows, and I tried to ignore the change. Then I figured the woman was a dealer like the people on the floor. Bruises covered her face and arms. Pain manifested inside me as I realized I was wrong.

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