My Soul to Steal
Page 68
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I dont like the way things were! I shut off the engine and pulled the key from the ignition. And he doesnt, either.
Ask him. She grabbed my arm when I tried to get out of the car. Ask him if he really wants to be rid of me, Kaylee. Hell tell you the truth. And if he says he doesnt want to lose meat least as a friendand you still wont help me, then youre intentionally trying to make him unhappy. Why would you do that if you really love him?
That doesnt even make any sense! I But I didnt have anything logical to follow that up with, so I could only groan and let my head fall back against the headrest. You are the most infuriating person Ive ever met.
She lifted one brow, half-amused, even with tears still standing in her eyes. Im going to take that as a compliment.
Its really not.
Yet you havent kicked me out of your car.
Not for lack of trying! I sighed again, but recognized the sound of futility in that breath. It was so much harder to hate her when she wasnt kissing my boyfriend or stalking my dreams. Sabine, I have to be on the clock in five minutes. And this isnt going to happen. You cant seriously expect me to forgive you for a topless make-out session with Nash. Much less sanction your friendship.
Why are you always telling me what I cant do? Theres nothing I cant do, and the same goes for you, whether you know it or not. And if you werent so threatened by me, youd have no problem with this.
Thats it. Im done. I shoved open my door and got out. Lock the doors when you go. And stay out of my car. And out of my life.
MY SHIFT ENDED at two, and I was relieved to find my car empty. And not so relieved to find all four doors unlockeda metaphorical middle finger from Sabine. Fortunately, I didnt keep anything in my car, so there was nothing to be stolen except the car itself, which probably would have happened if Id been working a night shift.
When I walked through my front door half an hour later, I found a note from my father in the empty candy dish on an end table, where I usually dropped my keys. The note repeated what his voice mail had already told me: hed driven Alec to the factory for a preliminary drug test and training video, and hed be back by six with dinner.
What the note didnt say, but Id heard in my fathers voice, was that he was unwilling to leave Alec alone if at all possible, after last nights demon-roping marathon.
So for the first time in weeks, I found myself alone in my house. I would have loved a nap, or even just a couple of hours spent staring at the TV, with no one else around to fight me for the remote. Unfortunately,I couldnt really relax until I knew how to keep Avari out of my dreams, and out of Alecs body.
By my best guess, the only reason he hadnt tried to steal my body was that I couldnt feed him like Alec could. But it was only a matter of time before I made him mad enough that hed take me over just to hurt or humiliate me. Or worse. Because if he had the power to possess a half hypnos, he had the power to possess me, and it wouldnt take him long to figure out how to use my own abilities to cross me into the Netherworld. And I couldnt just sit around with that thought eating at me like acid.
Unfortunately, I had no idea where to start looking for solutions. My dad and uncleand probably Harmony Hudsonwere already burning their respective candles at both ends, so far without a thing to show for their efforts.
My only ideasome of that weird Netherworld dreamless-sleeping herb Harmony had given Nash while he was sickwas shot down before Id even fully expressed it. Nash said that the herb would keep Sabine from giving me nightmaresshe cant mess with dreams that arent therebut wouldnt even slow Avari down. He didnt need us to dream; he only needed us to sleep.
And I already knew from experience that the internet had nothing about hellions. At least, not about real hellions. There was plenty of info on comic book and video game hellions. But nothing of use, unless I had an enchanted sword hanging from my belt or a gang of mismatched but powerful superheroes at my back.
And even then, there were no guarantees.
I was staring at my Betty Boop phone message padstill blankwhen the doorbell rang. Surprised, I dropped my pen and pad on the coffee table and crossed the room to glance out the front window, where I found Tod standing on the porch, his hands behind his back.
Huh. Weird.
I pulled open the door and looked up at him. Whats with the doorbell?
He grinned, and a blond curl fell over his forehead. Just tryin on some manners.
Why? Who died? I meant it as a joke, but when his smile faded, I frowned. Please tell me no one died.
Well, Im sure someone, somewhere, died. But no one I know. He hesitated, and I stared at him, still trying to figure out what the reaper was doing on my porch. Can I come in?
I shrugged and stepped back to clear the way. You dont usually ask permission. Or use the door. Sowhat are you delivering todaypizza or death?
Both, actually. He pulled his arms out from behind his back as he stepped over the threshold, and his right hand held a grease-stained medium pizza box. Pepperoni for you now, and a fatal aneurism to the woman in room 408, in about ten hours.
Ask him. She grabbed my arm when I tried to get out of the car. Ask him if he really wants to be rid of me, Kaylee. Hell tell you the truth. And if he says he doesnt want to lose meat least as a friendand you still wont help me, then youre intentionally trying to make him unhappy. Why would you do that if you really love him?
That doesnt even make any sense! I But I didnt have anything logical to follow that up with, so I could only groan and let my head fall back against the headrest. You are the most infuriating person Ive ever met.
She lifted one brow, half-amused, even with tears still standing in her eyes. Im going to take that as a compliment.
Its really not.
Yet you havent kicked me out of your car.
Not for lack of trying! I sighed again, but recognized the sound of futility in that breath. It was so much harder to hate her when she wasnt kissing my boyfriend or stalking my dreams. Sabine, I have to be on the clock in five minutes. And this isnt going to happen. You cant seriously expect me to forgive you for a topless make-out session with Nash. Much less sanction your friendship.
Why are you always telling me what I cant do? Theres nothing I cant do, and the same goes for you, whether you know it or not. And if you werent so threatened by me, youd have no problem with this.
Thats it. Im done. I shoved open my door and got out. Lock the doors when you go. And stay out of my car. And out of my life.
MY SHIFT ENDED at two, and I was relieved to find my car empty. And not so relieved to find all four doors unlockeda metaphorical middle finger from Sabine. Fortunately, I didnt keep anything in my car, so there was nothing to be stolen except the car itself, which probably would have happened if Id been working a night shift.
When I walked through my front door half an hour later, I found a note from my father in the empty candy dish on an end table, where I usually dropped my keys. The note repeated what his voice mail had already told me: hed driven Alec to the factory for a preliminary drug test and training video, and hed be back by six with dinner.
What the note didnt say, but Id heard in my fathers voice, was that he was unwilling to leave Alec alone if at all possible, after last nights demon-roping marathon.
So for the first time in weeks, I found myself alone in my house. I would have loved a nap, or even just a couple of hours spent staring at the TV, with no one else around to fight me for the remote. Unfortunately,I couldnt really relax until I knew how to keep Avari out of my dreams, and out of Alecs body.
By my best guess, the only reason he hadnt tried to steal my body was that I couldnt feed him like Alec could. But it was only a matter of time before I made him mad enough that hed take me over just to hurt or humiliate me. Or worse. Because if he had the power to possess a half hypnos, he had the power to possess me, and it wouldnt take him long to figure out how to use my own abilities to cross me into the Netherworld. And I couldnt just sit around with that thought eating at me like acid.
Unfortunately, I had no idea where to start looking for solutions. My dad and uncleand probably Harmony Hudsonwere already burning their respective candles at both ends, so far without a thing to show for their efforts.
My only ideasome of that weird Netherworld dreamless-sleeping herb Harmony had given Nash while he was sickwas shot down before Id even fully expressed it. Nash said that the herb would keep Sabine from giving me nightmaresshe cant mess with dreams that arent therebut wouldnt even slow Avari down. He didnt need us to dream; he only needed us to sleep.
And I already knew from experience that the internet had nothing about hellions. At least, not about real hellions. There was plenty of info on comic book and video game hellions. But nothing of use, unless I had an enchanted sword hanging from my belt or a gang of mismatched but powerful superheroes at my back.
And even then, there were no guarantees.
I was staring at my Betty Boop phone message padstill blankwhen the doorbell rang. Surprised, I dropped my pen and pad on the coffee table and crossed the room to glance out the front window, where I found Tod standing on the porch, his hands behind his back.
Huh. Weird.
I pulled open the door and looked up at him. Whats with the doorbell?
He grinned, and a blond curl fell over his forehead. Just tryin on some manners.
Why? Who died? I meant it as a joke, but when his smile faded, I frowned. Please tell me no one died.
Well, Im sure someone, somewhere, died. But no one I know. He hesitated, and I stared at him, still trying to figure out what the reaper was doing on my porch. Can I come in?
I shrugged and stepped back to clear the way. You dont usually ask permission. Or use the door. Sowhat are you delivering todaypizza or death?
Both, actually. He pulled his arms out from behind his back as he stepped over the threshold, and his right hand held a grease-stained medium pizza box. Pepperoni for you now, and a fatal aneurism to the woman in room 408, in about ten hours.
