11
“You’re leaving?” I shot up from the couch and stormed toward Ren, who lingered near the stairs like he was already halfway out the door. “What the fuck do you mean, you’re leaving? You don’t get to disappear after pulling that stunt.”
Ren flinched, the reaction so brief I almost missed it. “I’m not …” He dragged a hand over his face, exhaustion weighing down his voice. “I’m not leaving, Theo. I just …”
His words faltered.
“I need time to think.” His gaze dropped to the floor instead of meeting mine. “I’m going home. To Boston.”
My shoulders sagged as I exhaled a deep breath. He was running away, but at least had enough sense to come talk to me before he did. “Are you sure going back there is even a good idea? It’s been a while. You don’t know if it’s even safe. Maybe you should … stay here for the night? With me?”
Ren sighed as he lowered his head, a long strand of hair falling across his face, covering his eyebrow piercing. “You don’t need to worry, Theo. I made preparations to ensure that the place was guarded well, but I do need to check on a few things. Stay here and take care of Alex. I’ll be fine.”
But it was obvious he wasn’t fine. Not even close. And for once, it wasn’t Alex I was worried about. It was Ren. He was keeping something from me, and refused to tell me what was bothering him.
“Wait!” I grabbed the back of his shirt before I could think better of it.
Ren stopped and turned, brow furrowing as he looked at my hand, then at me. I let go immediately, suddenly unsure what I was even trying to hold on to.
“I …” My voice caught. I had just gotten him back. And even after everything, after the argument still hanging between us, the idea of him walking out that door again made something in my chest tighten painfully. “I’m watching a movie. Will you stay with me a little while?”
“A movie?” Ren snorted. “Theo, you won’t make it past the opening credits before you pass out. Look at you. Your eyes are half-shut, your shoulders are drooping, and you haven’t stopped yawning since we got back. Go to bed. I’ll be back in the morning.”
The stubborn bastard wasn’t going to cave in so easily. He was heading for the stairs. Panicking, my heart thundered in my chest and my breath stumbled. Deep down I knew he’d come back, but all I wanted right now was to be close to him.
“Ren, stop!” My body reacted before my brain picked up on what I was doing. He turned around and I wrapped my arms tightly around him, squeezing him as I trapped his arms to his sides. “Please. Don’t go,” I mumbled into his chest.
“Theo—”
“Just one movie.” The words were barely a whisper, but the unspoken message was clear. I need you here with me.
“Fine,” Ren relented. “But not a movie. One TV show, then I really do have to go.”
A fragile, grateful smile curved my lips.
Ren and I hadn’t spent much time together before we’d parted, but that time had left its mark on the both of us.
I didn’t know what to think of our current relationship.
We weren’t an official couple, but he had risked his life for me, bared pieces of his haunted past, and trusted me with truths he rarely shared with anyone.
We’d shared one fiery, passionate moment in his bedroom that had lit a spark under both of us.
Every word, every reckless act of care, had drawn invisible threads between us, pulling us closer in ways I couldn’t ignore.
My smile wasn’t just gratitude, it was acknowledgement that Ren choosing to stay meant even he couldn’t deny the feelings that had blossomed between us.
I guided Ren over to the couch in the living room.
Grabbing the remote, I started sorting through the shows, taking my time to select something to watch.
Once it started playing, I tossed a thick blanket over us and cuddled up next to Ren.
My head rested on his shoulder, my arms wrapped around his chest, and my legs draped over his lap, forcing him to cradle me in his arms. I let out a tense breath, relishing that unique scent of spicy chili peppers clinging to his skin that I absolutely adored.
“What the hell are you doing?” Ren asked. Although he didn’t embrace me back, he didn’t push me away either.
“Snuggling, obviously. I’m cold. The heat in this place sucks.” I nuzzled my cheek into his chest, needing to get as close to him as possible.
As Ren predicted, not five minutes into the television show, I started to nod off. I kept myself awake as long as I could by asking Ren questions.
“So, you can use my magic now?” I mumbled. “You dissolved those chains like they were paper. You seemed to grasp it pretty well too.”
Ren’s magic was a touchy subject. He often referred to his power as mediocre because he was so uncomfortable with it. My magic, though, seemed to come naturally to him.
“It must have happened when we made our trade and you gave me your soul.” His voice shrank at the mention of it, and he shifted uncomfortably under me.
“Your magic … feels different. I don’t know how to explain it.
It feels … lighter? Easier to accept? I haven’t tried doing much with it because I don’t want to hurt anyone, but the magic running through your soul and your connection to death helped me not just blend in while I was roaming the underworld …
it helped me stay sane as a living demon in the world of the dead. ”
“Well, I’m glad it helped.” I gripped the blanket tightly in my fist and squeezed my eyes shut. “Maybe I can show you a few tricks sometime.”
“Maybe.” Ren finally tore his eyes from the TV.
“Theo, I want to make another trade.” When his gaze met mine, it was wary, sorrowful, and clouded with a quiet guilt that made his maroon irises look almost fragile.
“I want you to take back your soul. In return, you can take anything you want from me. Whatever you ask, it’s yours. ”
“What?” I recoiled instinctively, my pulse spiking. That look was so raw, so full of apology and regret that it made my heart ache. I swallowed hard and shook my head, words catching in my throat.
“I don’t want it back,” I finally got out.
“But Theo—”
“Ren,” I cut him off, sincerity ringing through my tone.
“I know what you’re thinking, that every other time you took someone’s soul in the past, something horrible happened to them.
But look at me. I’m fine. And I still have my magic.
I willingly gave you my soul, you didn’t take it from me.
I don’t even miss it because I know you treat it as a cherished gift.
So instead of a trade, make me a promise.
My soul belongs to you now. Keep it safe for me, okay? ”
Ren’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.
“O-okay,” he finally answered. “If that’s what you want.
I can do that.” With nothing more to talk about, I drifted off shortly after, only to stir awake as Ren wrapped me in his arms and carried me up the stairs to my bedroom.
He laid me down gently on the bed, tugging on the comforter to tuck me in like a small child.
“I knew you wouldn’t last long before you fell asleep.” His laugh was soft and warm. “You’ve been through a lot, but it’s not over yet. Get some rest, Theo.”
I grabbed his wrist when he moved to walk away. Begging him wouldn’t likely work a second time, but there’d be no rest for me if he left. I’d be tossing and turning all night waiting for the morning, anxiously awaiting his return.
Ren sat down on the edge of the bed, running his thumb down my cheek. “I can’t stay, Theo.”
“Then I’ll come with you.”
“I can’t let you do that either.”
“Why not?”
“Please, Theo. Don’t argue with me on this.” Silence blanketed the room. Ren looked away from me, unwilling to see the hurt swelling in my eyes. Why? Why was he pushing me away?
“Fine.” I blinked away the tears forming in my eyes. I knew he was keeping something from me, but pestering him about it wouldn’t get me any answers. “Hey, Ren?”
He returned his gaze to me.
“You know I’m here if you need me, right? Whatever it is, you can tell me. You can trust me.”
Ren’s small smile brightened the dimly lit room. “Night, Theo. I’ll be back in the morning. Promise.”
He opened the closet door and let the darkness swallow him.
I shut off the nightstand light and stared up at the ceiling, my mind spinning and refusing to let me rest. I was bone-deep exhausted, every muscle aching from two months of relentless searching for Ren.
Life in Salem hadn’t paused for me. My mom and sister still needed me.
I’d helped Nick at the shelter whenever I could, and Stella and Ivy had carried as much of the spell business as possible, but there were limits to what they could do without me.
Ren had been my priority. Everyone knew it, and no one had tried to stop me.
They’d backed my decision without hesitation.
But that didn’t stop the guilt. Leaving them behind sat in my chest like a stone I couldn’t cough up.
I knew they were struggling without me there to help carry the weight.
The thought followed me everywhere, pressing in on me until it felt like I was drowning in it.
Most nights I’d barely slept. Three hours, maybe four if exhaustion had finally knocked me out.
It wasn’t just the physical strain of holding my magic together in the underworld that had drained me.
It was the constant fear gnawing at the back of my mind; the endless questions I hadn’t been able to answer.
Was Ren safe?
Was he hurt?
Was I already too late?
At some point my brain shut down, and in my sleepy haze, I heard the click of a door opening, and felt someone crawl into my bed.
Ren came back, I thought. I didn’t dare open my eyes, fearing I might scare him away, but I rolled over and wrapped my arms around the warm body, pulling him close as I buried my nose into the crook of his neck.
When sleep finally dragged me under, I didn’t dream. I didn’t move. I just existed in a darkness too heavy to fight.
But morning hit me like a punch.
“Theo!” It was Ren’s husky voice. “Theo, wake up.”
I groaned, pulling his body close and pressing a lazy kiss to his neck. “Not yet.”
“Theo!” Hands shook my shoulders. I jolted upright, blinking away the haze of sleep. It was then I realized Ren was standing over me, looking down at me from the side of the bed.
Then who was …
My heart slammed against my ribs and I nearly choked.
Lying there, curled on his side as if afraid to take up space, was a man with short black hair pressed against the pillow. His soft snores stopped with the commotion, and bright blue eyes met mine.
“Alex?” My breath hitched. “What the fuck are you doing in my bed?”