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Lowering his gaze, the angel shifted in his chair and cleared his throat. “Of course. How can I help?”
“Tell me what you know about unbound souls.”
He rolled his shoulders back and sat up in his chair. “Very well, um. They are souls without a physical body–”
Jericho raised his hand, interrupting him. “Specifically, I want to know how one gets rid of an unbound after inadvertently allowing it inside the body.”
Soreth jerked, his eyes flitting from me to Jericho, and back to me again. “Would you be asking me this question for any particular reason?”
“Yes. I want to know the answer.”
The angel swallowed a harsh gulp and shifted again. “Once the soul establishes a connection with the physical body, assuming it doesn’t starve and perish beforehand, it will gradually begin to take over. Could take days, weeks, months if it can find a sustainable source of nourishment.”
“Souls?”
“Not necessarily. It depends on what fed it in its natural form.” He cleared his throat again, and I caught a subtle glance toward me. “A succubus, for example, feeds on sexual energy. Therefore, it may compel its host to sleep with a number of partners. In that case, if successful, it might exist inside the body for months.”
Jericho moved beneath me, his fingers curling into my hips in a possessive way. “And what banishes a soul from the body.”
“Well, there is only one way to banish an unbound soul. Surely, you recall the last time we witnessed such a thing.”
A sudden, cold sensation stirred inside my chest, like the first pangs of nausea settling over me. Not wanting to draw attention to it, I swallowed hard and breathed through my nose. The chill expanded and pulsed, pushing against my ribs.
Their conversation became a distant sound over the blood thudding in my ear. I pushed up from Jericho’s lap and felt a tight grip of my arm. I twisted to see Jericho’s face pinched to a look of concern. Sending what had to be an unconvincing smile, I shook my head. “I’m just feeling tired. I’m going to return to my room.”
He nodded at the demon across the room, and when my gaze landed on Vaszhago, I caught him pointing to Soreth, brow winged up, as if to ask if he’d be fine left with the angel.
Jericho nodded again and tugged me to his face for a kiss. “I’ll come check on you.”
“I’m fine. Truly. Just a little tired from earlier.”
With a slow nod, he released me, and as I walked toward the door, I heard Vaszhago fall in after me. Good grief, I’d need to hurry back to my room, or he’d surely make something out of it.
As I stepped out into the foyer, the walls shifted around me,.
Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out.
Blinking away the wooziness, I climbed the staircase and let out a sigh of relief when I arrived at my door.
“You’re all right?” Vaszhago asked, tipping his head as he studied me.
“Fine. I didn’t eat much today, so it’s just a little lightheadedness.”
“Do you need to eat?”
“No. Not this late. I’ll end up puking all over the place.”
Lip curled to a look of utter disgust, he backed himself away. “Very well. I’ll wait outside your room.”
Ugh. I hated the way he’d taken the guard thing so seriously. “Cool.”
41
THE BARON
“What’s so important back at the village?” the baron asked, quickening his pace to keep after Soreth, who remained two steps ahead of him. He’d been on his way to Solomon’s when Soreth had crossed paths with him, scuttling through the forest as if he’d been chased by a horde of bees. He’d told the baron to follow after, though he hadn’t told him the reason.
“A soul stripping. I’ve only read of them. Never saw one in person.”
