Soul Wielders were something else entirely. They didn’t just speak to souls, they commanded them. Bent them to their will. Legends said a Soul Wielder could extract a soul straight from a living body if they wanted to.
David told me those days were long gone. That Soul Wielders, like the Soothseers who could glimpse into time itself, were extinct relics from a darker age.
But lately, my abilities were changing, growing. And a strange dark part inside of me grew with them. It didn’t whisper anymore. Ithungered. And honestly, that scared the living shit out of me more than anything. It felt like a cold phantom living in the back of my mind, a reminder that I didn’t know who my biological father was, orwhathe was.
Practicing my Soulsayer ability helped keep the itch and daunting thoughts at bay. I didn’t need the money—I had a job teaching at the Institute and David had me well cared for. But I most definitely needed the practice to keep my control in check, and more than anything, I wanted to build a life where I finally felt like I fit in.
I swore to him I wouldn’t work for Lochlainn again. And yet, here I was, getting ready to go see him.
Whoopsie.
What David doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right? Besides, I was a grown-ass woman! He didn’t have to coddle me anymore. I could take care of myself. Sorta.
Slamming the drawer shut, I looked around the room.
Where the hell could they be?
My sights landed on a small hole in the wall. Ground-level, right next to the bed, something shimmered.
I already knew it wasn’t a cute, little mouse family living there.
“You little thieving cockroaches!” I growled, reaching into the hole trying to pull out the gold earrings.
One pulled out freely, but the other was snagged on something. My fingers explored inside.
There, I felt the earring and twisted it free. I drew my hand back when?—
“Ow!” I yelped as something nipped down on the tip of my finger.
I launched backwards.A small bead of blood started to form, along with two rows of tiny bite marks.
“You littlemotherfu—” My words were cut off by my door swinging open.
Breena, my lovely fairy roommate, stood in the doorway. Beautiful black wavy hair spilled over her shoulders, gold-flecked freckles splattering her cheeks.
Her earthy green eyes bore into mine.
“What the feck is going on here?”
My annoyance built.
“It bit me! The little thief stole my earrings thenbitme!”
She rolled her eyes, half-smirking.
“I told ya not to mess with ‘em—Brownies are not to be toyed with! They are the wickedest of sprites. They’ll make life a living hell if you keep offending ‘em!”
“Me? Messing with them?”My arm shot out, pointing to the crime scene. “They’re the ones who keep messing with me!”
Breena chuckled.
I couldn’t believe people actually tolerated having these pests in their homes.
I crossed my arms and exhaled.
“Can’t we call an exterminator or something?” My eyebrows lifted. “Oh! Maybe I can stick the hose in the wall and flush them out!”
Breena’s eyes went wide in shock.
