Page 39 of Haunted Hearts

It takes me a moment to process that he is referring to him and you.

I recognize the grimoire’s power, but it’s wrong. It’s what started this curse on my entire bloodline and killed hundreds of innocent people. I will accept the blessing, but I can’t push my luck… though I can’t deny that if we have no other choice, we may have to.

“I’ll think about it,” I respond.

He nods once.

“So for the record, you don’t intend on stealing her soul?” I ask dryly.

Kai laughs. “No, not in the way you are thinking.”

“If I’m supposed to believe you, and what you’re saying is true, then you’re on our side.”

“I’m on her side,” he says, deadly serious. “Don’t twist that.”

I let that settle. “Then I can trust you not to hurt her?”

He doesn’t hesitate. “No one will harm her.”

I believe him, I don’t know why—and it makes me sick. All those deaths. All those rituals. All that blood. I stare at the trees for a long second.

“Does Calli know your real name?” I ask.

“Kai is my real name, Alabaster was my given name. In my world names hold power, so we go by chosen names.”

“She can’t know about any of this.”

Kai nods. “Then we finally agree on something.”

“I suppose so.”

I walk behind Kai as we head back to the house, the lights glowing in the windows like a beacon of safety.

But I don’t feel safe. I’m following a monster, a God I am helpless to defeat. The very concept unsettles me, to know that something could be that powerful. It’s terrifying, and wrong.

“I can hear your heart,” Kai says dryly and I straighten.

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I can tell you’re scared.”

“I’m not scared of you.”

Kai stops abruptly, turning toward me. A golden glint glows in his eyes. “No? Just scared of what I’m capable of, scared because you can’t kill me if you needed to,” he says with a twisted smile.

I put my hands in my pockets and straighten my shoulders. “Yes.”

“Oh! I wasn’t expecting you to admit that.” He’s disappointed.

“Who wouldn’t be afraid of an enemy they can’t kill?” I try to keep my tone casual.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m your enemy. More of a nuisance.”

I look over at him as he matches my pace. “I’ve killed people for less than that.”

“Ah yes, the big scary hunter has met his match.” He acts as if I was joking.

“Does any of this affect you in the slightest? Does it even occur to you that the person you claim to care for so deeply will die?” I don’t meet his eyes, but his silence speaks volumes. “Who knows how old you are, and how much longer you will exist. Why does any of this matter to you in the first place?” I ask, genuinely curious at this point.