Page 65 of A Soul’s Awakening

“Everything okay?” he asked as he put down a paper cup on the nightstand.

My magic had been working overtime to repair the damage, but with my body so thoroughly broken and my energy completely drained, recovery was slower than usual and I had been spending most of my time lying in bed. Ren had rarely left my side, tending to my wounds, providing me with his magic to heal, and keeping me company even though I mostly slept.

“Yeah, just hungry.”

He poked a plastic straw into the lid and handed me the cup. “I got you one of those green smoothies. I wasn’t sure how your throat was feeling, but figured you’d want something other than soup for a change.”

I pulled him down for a kiss. “Thank you.”

After taking a few sips, I put the cup back on the nightstand. I rubbed my chest, my gaze casting down toward my lap. I had ended Caspian’s life to spare him from this misery, but in the end, it didn’t seem the magic had completely left him after all. There was a spark that still remained, residing in his soul somewhere, lost and fractured.

“You’re still thinking about him, aren’t you?” Ren surmised.

I changed the subject. “Ren … I know I’ve said this every day for the past three weeks, but thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I don’t just mean protecting my soul, but for opening up and trusting me. For telling me everything you learned about Caspian in the Nether, how my magic is adapting inside you and the dreams you’ve been having. It means a lot to me.”

Ren sat down at the edge of the bed, holding my hand in his as he spoke. “I made you a promise to protect your soul. I would have rather died than offered it up as a sacrifice to complete that array.” He brushed the hair from my face, his gaze lingering on every bruise and cut as if he still couldn’t stand the sight of what I’d been through.

Since returning from the Syndicate’s testing, he hadn’t let me out of his sight. He brought me food, carried me to the bath, and stayed beside me every night, insisting on taking care of me while I recovered.

It was ridiculous, but I didn’t complain. After nearly killing me by stepping into that array, I would’ve expected him to pull away. Instead, he clung tighter, afraid to lose me again. And while I understood it, a part of me still worried about the weight of his fear, and how close I’d come to being truly broken.

I clenched my fist under the covers, feeling my magic stir beneath my skin with familiar restraint. If I pushed it too hard, it would flare silver through my veins, a lingering reminder of the corruption left behind by those chains. The only reason it hadn’t taken everything from me was the sentient magic inside me, stubborn and protective in a way I still didn’t fully understand. It kept pushing back against the corruption, refusing to let it settle, as if it were fighting to preserve something it wasn’t ready to lose.

I exhaled slowly and looked up. Ren was already watching me, worry creasing his brow. He leaned in, capturing my mouth with his in a passionate kiss. The unease settled as I met his urgency with my own.

This wasn’t something I could hide from him. If I expected Ren to trust me with his secrets, then I had to trust him as well.

I pulled away from the kiss. “Ren, I—”

A knock sounded on the door. “Theo, can I come in? I have to talk to you.”

“Go away,” Ren grumbled at the same time I told Alex to come in.

Alex stepped into the room, ignoring a possessive Ren squeezing my hand so tight he was cutting off my circulation. The grown ass demon still had a jealous streak in him, and he hated that Alex and I shared a bond with our magic.

“I need to speak with Theo alone.” Alex, a boy who had once barely said a word and hid behind me, now stared Ren down. If they could have shot lasers from their eyes, they would have erupted into an all out battle.

“It’s okay, Ren. Give us a few minutes.” I squeezed his hand back and pressed a kiss to his cheek. The show of affection in front of Alex calmed him down.

“Just so you know, I’ll be standing right outside the door. Make it quick. We were about to engage in something extremely important that requires my hands-on attention.”

“Ren!” Embarrassment colored my cheeks, but Ren only smirked as he walked out the door.

“Theo …” Alex sat down at the edge of the bed. “Markus and I have been keeping an eye on the veil, but everything seems … good. We did it. There have been no sightings of crazy phantoms around Salem, and through my connection with the veil, I can tell the phantoms made it back home safely.”

I sat up, my muscles straining at the sudden movement. But Alex was frowning, avoiding eye contact. “Then why do you sound so upset about it?”

“Because … it means I have to go. I don’t belong in this realm. I need to go back to the underveil make sure nothing like this happens ever again.”

“But you can’t go back there! You’re a living human being.” My heart sank. “What about the Syndicate? What if they come after you again?”

Alex placed his hand on top of mine. “Theo, I know our time together has been short, but I’m grateful for every second of it. You freed me from the Syndicate’s chains and showed me I could live a life with people who cared about me. But … those people in the underveil need someone to care for them. Some of them are still alive. Most of them are leftovers that the Syndicate cast aside, abandoned the moment their magic was no longer useful. But because you freed me, the Syndicate no longer has authority there. My magic is beginning to trust me again. That’s why I need to go back and help the others.”

I clutched my chest, the magic we shared stirring uncomfortably inside me. “How?”

“I’ll reconstruct the barrier somewhere new the Syndicate will never find. If they were able to keep the underveil hidden for this long, then I can do the same. I’ll protect them, just like you protected me.”

“I understand, but … you know the Syndicate isn’t going to give up on you. How will I know you’re okay?”