Chapter 20 - Just a Sunday Morning #2
I blink, and the image of Horigos fades away.
This could be my only chance to tell Galen everything.
That I know the way my next soul smiles, the look of terror in his light green eyes.
And that he did not make any bargain with Roden because he is not a Nistares nor a Rogue—he’s one of us, and I’m the one designated to shred his soul to pieces.
Instead, I brace my forearms on my knees, staring at the empty square.
“I hope they won’t suffer too much. Whoever they are,” I shrug and put the rest of my doughnut back in its brown bag.
“Galen,” I take a deep breath, measuring every word I’m about to say, “Have you ever thought about leaving this place?”
His eyes widen, and the sunlight catches the little silver specks in his left iris, turning his blue right eye into a miniature lake. His cup of coffee stops halfway to his lips, and I expect to see Lily and Nikrah popping out of the bushes behind us to take him away and teach me a lesson.
Have I said too much? Did I trigger something inside him without realising it?
I peer over my shoulder and offer a smile to melt his sudden stiffness.
“What do you mean? Like a holiday?” He puts the cup down on the bench.
“Never mind.” I wave one hand as if to disperse a cloud of flies. “I was just toying with the idea of an ungifted life, like the Nistarei’s. Their souls sound so… Simple.”
He cocks his head, shading his eyes from the sun rising over the horizon. “Why? You’re not happy here?” His innocence will always strike me.
I play with the edge of my paper bag until it tears. “I am, but sometimes I’d like to know what it feels like to live every day not knowing what will happen next. To travel and meet new people who will remember you even when you’re gone, as in gone-gone.”
Galen places a hand over mine. “You mean—dead?” The atmosphere around us darkens. It's just a passing cloud, but to me, it has a different, daunting meaning.
I fall silent, searching for an answer in the pavement of clean stones with engraved little flowers.
The gentle touch of his thumb, brushing the back of my hand, and his voice, snatch me out of my reverie. “I will never forget you, Sof. Even if sometimes I wish you weren’t so clingy and loud and messy and—”
“Galen Sulfridge,” I spring up, nearly spilling coffee everywhere. “You should be honoured to call one of the brightest Harvesters - and the only living one who can capture Rogues - your friend…”
Friend… I recoil, but Galen is already on his feet, pretending he’s offended and about to leave me here.
“Galen, wait.” I pick up the pace until I’m by his side. He tries to hide a giggle, and I exhale so loudly that my breath shines bright purple in the pouring sunlight.
He mutters with his face half hidden in his hood, “You’re an idiot.” I spot a little puff of violet darkened by the coffee that still lingers on his tongue.
“Yes, but you taught me how to be the best idiot,” I tease him as we stroll towards the shore, where we usually sit for the rest of the morning until our stomachs remind us that we need some grown-up food, and cannot just survive on sugar and caffeine.
Lost in our little microcosm, I realise we’re heading for the shortcut through the wood rather than the main path with the flowery arches, and I freeze.
My legs and mind recall the recent events, and I fear I cannot take another step.
How do I explain to him that now I’m terrified of the trees we used to climb when we were kids?
When my phone rings, relief spreads from every single cell of my body. Private Number flashes on my screen, and I automatically look at Galen, who shrugs. “Maybe they have the wrong number.”
Maybe. Or…
“Hello,” I try to keep my voice as neutral as possible.
“2 p.m. My office.”
The conversation, if I can call it that, ends with a click, which can only mean one thing: a landline. Popplewish’s vintage office phone.
“Who was that?” Galen asks.
I check the time before my screen goes off. I still have a few hours before my meeting, but I need to find an excuse to skip our fancy takeaway on the beach, where we crouch between the same two massive rocks by the water, to avoid the rest of the students. And Lucretia, in Galen’s case.
I’m wondering how she is. I didn’t mention her name, but I’m sure the Chapter has all the right tools to track down the source of the video and whoever received it.
“Sof!” Galen waves a hand in my face, so close I can smell coffee on his skin, “Where did you go?”
“I’m sorry.” I blink. “I’ve just remembered there are some things I must prepare before crossing. Dinner tonight? My treat…” Shit! I hope this doesn’t trigger any lingering memories. I wait, holding my breath until my lungs no longer allow it, but he raises his finger and pokes me on the forehead.
“Your mind is such a convoluted net of thoughts. We should create a card game out of it; we could be millionaires,” he laughs.
He doesn’t remember.
I take a step back and get on my tiptoes to pull his hood down. “And then what? Invest in Libera shares? Buy a bench in the square and have our names on it. Maybe buy the doughnut place?” I give him a genuine smile. Galen has the special power to make me feel safe, always.
The sea lapping at the shore turns into a distant sound, calming against the rumble in my ears when Galen slowly leans towards me. He blinks a few times, confirming that time hasn’t stopped.
His skin is soft, if not for a light stubble when I cup his face. We’re so close the purple air escaping our lungs becomes one breath.
“If anything happens to you this time…” he murmurs against my lips before resting his forehead against mine.
“It’s just another mission,” I reply, breaking the whispered connection between us, setting back on my feet when my legs are too tired of standing on tiptoes to remain at Galen’s eye level.
But unexpectedly, Galen wraps one arm around my waist, tugs me against him, and tilts my chin up to kiss me like he’s never done before—softly, tasting the grains of sugar still stuck on my lips.
My eyes are still wide with surprise when Galen slides his hand off my face, lowers it to my waist, and pulls me closer.
Deprived of Galen’s warm touch, my skin cools down, grazed by the sea breeze, blowing from the distant shore. I gently push him away, with my cheeks still stained with the idea of what that kiss could have led to. His heart thunders beneath my fingers when I rest a hand on his chest.
“Don’t go.” His voice gets lost in the soothing melody of the green foliage rustled by the same wind that plays with Galen’s untamed curls.
I huff a laugh, “I promise I’ll come back. And I will give you a haircut.”
Voices that I didn’t notice before begin to fill the space around us. Libera’s taller bell tower begins performing its first song of the day, and from three strategically chosen spots, allowing the sound to travel all over the island, the other sister towers respond with their tolls.
“We should go back,” I say, if only to fracture the tense wall between us, as I motion back to my building.
But Galen grabs my hands, “Let me speak with Popplewish—”
“No, don’t.” I press my lips together, forcing a smile. “There’s no need. Besides…Why are you nervous about something you’ve seen me doing dozens of times?”
He searches my face intently. “Promise you’ll come to me before your crossing.”
“You’re avoiding my question.”
“Just say you will not return to Horigos without saying goodbye.”
“Goodbye? Galen, what the fuck?” I free my hands and move a couple of steps back. “I’m not going to war.”
The last word strikes something inside him. He bites his lip, hiding his hands in his pockets, and stalks past me as he sputters, “Fine, I’ll come find you then. Invited or not.”
I hear him stomping away, his steps growing distant.
“I didn’t mean you were not…Galen, stop!” I shout, spinning on my heel and raising more than a few eyebrows from the growing crowd populating the square.
He doesn’t stop but slows down enough for me to catch up.
“What was that for? Why are you being so protective?”
What do you know?
Still walking, he glances around and picks a hidden spot under the arches leading to the square. Without a word, he jerks his chin in that direction, and I follow.
When we reach the shaded area of bricks and rows of fresh flowers looped around the metal arches, Galen leans against the wall, beckoning me closer. “Hug me.”
“What?”
“Just do it. Put your head against my chest and pretend you’re hugging me.”
“Fine.” Not that he needs to ask me twice. I lift my arms and loop them around his neck, resting my ear over his heart.
He smells clean with a hint of coffee when he whispers, “The night you harvested that woman’s soul, you left me a longer message. You said something about stolen souls, but also that that woman’s soul glowed red.”
I tense and cling to him harder. I didn’t…My message was broken. I wrote it on a piece of paper…I didn’t…
I shake my head, faking surprise. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Whatever it means, we need to inform…”
Who? The Chapter?
He distractedly runs his fingers up and down my stretched arms, leaning closer to whisper, “After what you told me about the Turret? I didn’t want to feed your dangerous curiosity.
I thought I could find something out about it, but there is no mention of such souls in any books I could put my hands on without raising suspicions. ”
Why did Roden decide to leave those memories intact? Is he playing with me?
This is not a coincidence. I start shaking.
“You cold?” Galen asks, tugging me closer into his warm embrace.
“I’m fine. What do we do now?” I snuggle against his body, hiding my face in the soft cotton of his hoodie.
“We don’t do anything. You have a crossing to worry about. Don’t think I forgot about it. I will keep digging around.”
“Be careful, please. Especially if I’m not here to save your ass before kicking it for being reckless.” I look up with a tentative smile and sigh with relief when he smiles back.
He nods. “I can’t risk asking too openly about what happened to the weird red soul you captured. But I’m still a Deleteri leader; I’ve got some strings I can safely pull without taking the whole freaking web of security down. I’ll be fine.”
This is taking a dangerous turn, and I cannot even ask him to stop investigating when I’m the one who gave him the information. If I don’t call the Chapter’s attention to Galen by saying or doing something stupid, this will certainly do it.
A low rumble in Galen’s chest snaps my attention back. “What is it?”
He cups my shoulders and gently pushes me away. “What we’ve just discussed, don’t talk about this with anyone. Not even Popplewish.”
I blink fast, shaking my head, “Not a word.” Especially to Popplewish, if I don’t want to crack the already thin line that keeps the Chapter and Roden from changing their minds about me.
“Good,” he smacks a quick, innocent kiss on my forehead, and I hear a swarm of giggles behind me, followed by a rehearsed cough. “Don’t turn just now,” Galen adds, brushing my cheek with his thumb.
“Lucretia and her subjects?” I play with a string of his sweatshirt, wrapping and unwrapping it around my finger.
Galen lowers his face to mine, and a plume of dark purple escapes his perfect mouth as he says, “All of them, and they’re walking with their heads turned towards us.”
“I swear, if one of them face-plants into a wall…”
His soft laugh against my lips sends shivers down my spine. “Lucretia has tugged them along. Not without throwing daggers at your back with her eyes, though.”
“Galen?”
“Hmm?” His eyes gleam with the same spark flaring within me.
“When I come back…”
“Yes…?” His breath warms my face and my mind.
“I want to talk about this.”
“Lucretia’s plans to eliminate you?” He places a delicate kiss on the corner of my lips.
“Us—”
His reaction to my offer exceeds my expectations. His kiss is deep and hungry as if he’s been taming it for a while. His tongue searches for mine as though he’s not expecting to taste my lips for a very long time.
I melt under the weight of his urgency because the thought of what I’m about to do has never left my mind since last night, and I need the distraction. I need to feel us.
I bury my hands in his hair and press him against me harder, slightly tilting my head to get lost under the skilled touch of his mouth.
A deep moan in his throat tells me we should probably head somewhere more secluded.
“It’s eight in the morning, for fuck's sake. Get a room!” A passerby yells from somewhere. I don’t care. I want this.
But the moment has passed, and when Galen backs away, my heart sinks.
“You are addictive, July. But I like to consume my sources of pleasure slowly.” His eyes are glazed with the storm of heat still thrumming in our veins.
And there it is—the Galen that makes so many people do silly things to spend time with him.
But I’m not many people.
I step into the sunlight, licking his taste off my lips, staring at Galen while he tries to give his tousled hair a look worthy of a Deleteri leader. “Pleasure must be deserved. I’ll see you later,” I wink.
We’ve been playing this game for so long, and yet I’ve never savoured the taste of that word - us - like I did moments ago.
I turn towards my building without looking back. It will be too difficult to separate from Galen if I do. But as I stroll down the path that led us here just over an hour ago, I can hear his laugh, deep and warm.
Except for the red soul, he doesn’t remember anything.
He’s going to be fine.
He doesn’t know I’ve agreed to doom one of us to save us all.