He shuffled out of the hollow like he was trying not to bolt. Now I was really confused.
A quiet whistling sound right next to my ear startled me, making me scramble back against the wall. When I saw who it was coming from, I was equal parts annoyed and baffled.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded.
Animus smiled and waved his clawed hand. "You don't seem happy to see me."
"Am I supposed to be?"
"Well, you could make alittleeffort..."
I couldn't believe the nerve of this guy. He was so not what I expected.
Fuck, was it really hot or was it just me? I wiped the sweat off my forehead.
"Look, do you want something?" I asked.
"I already told you. Don't tell me you've forgotten already."
I wracked my brain to remember whatever the hell he was talking about. "Last time you said... you wanted the power I could give you, or something?"
He looked pleased. "Oh, good, then I don't need to repeat myself."
"Sorry, but I don't have any powers, so can you leave me alone?"
"Not very friendly, are you, Ashe?"
"No."
Not to weird, creepy spirits, anyway.
Animus wasn't deterred. He stood up and put his arms behind his back. Despite the casual way he spoke to me, I sensed cold, latent power radiating off him. I recalled my cousins mentioning that Animus wasn't the strongest spirit, but he wasn't weak. I realized I should be more careful talking to him. As weird as he was, I didn't want to get on his bad side.
But what were his true intentions? Animus harmed Zak's grandfather, but he'd also blessed Quinn's daughter. Could I trust Animus? Especially since he already explicitly told menotto trust spirits?
"You have more power than you realize, Ashe," Animus said mildly. "But I understand it can be difficult to realize it in the moment. That's why I've taken the liberty of helping you."
"Huh?"
Why did he sound so pleased with himself? And why was he wearing that smug grin?
Animus waved. "That's all I wanted to say. Goodbye for now."
"Hey, wait!"
Too late. He disappeared in a puff of black smoke, faster than my eyes could register.
"Shit," I mumbled.
As soon as Animus was gone, I gasped and doubled over. A hot, tingling sensation crawled out from below my gut and spread throughout my veins. Sweat beaded my skin, and the entire surface of my body felt hot.
A cold realization gripped me.
Wait. Was I...?
Did that motherfucking bastard spiritputme into heat?
If he wasn't an immortal spirit, I would've killed him.
