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“Yeah, actually…”
“Oh no.” I leaned my head back against the headboard. “I only had six more times. Now I’ve wasted one.”
Collin shook his head. “You lost me.”
I explained my blood oath and our agreement.
“You didn’t lose anything, Ellie. Tsagasi told you to call on him when you need to use their protection.”
“But you said they showed up and guarded me.”
“Yes, but they volunteered.”
“Why would they do that?” I shook my head in confusion.
“They call you the salvation of the world. They think you’re going to save them.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Then they’ll be bitterly disappointed, won’t they?” I asked with an acrid laugh. “Shall we run through the very long list of people I have not only disappointed but gotten killed?”
“Ellie.” Collin’s voice was soft and gentle. “Stop.”
When I looked into his face, I was grateful to see no pity there, only understanding.
“You need to eat. We need you to be strong enough to go to Durham tomorrow.”
I nodded and took a bite of the hamburger. “This is cold,” I mumbled through a mouthful.
“I can’t help it if you slept for hours and hours,” he teased, but it was forced.
“Ever heard of a microwave?”
He laughed and took the plate from me. “Glad to see you’re feeling better. I’ll be right back, Diva Princess.”
“Cold hamburgers are disgusting,” I called after him.
He’d been gone for several seconds when I heard a pounding on the front door.
“Curse Keeper.” My title floated through the house with authority, rippling through the air as though it were smoke. This was different from any other time I’d had a house call. I could feel it in the simmering burn in the mark on my hand.
Pure unadulterated panic shot through my body. After my most recent experience, I definitely didn’t feel prepared to face anything supernatural. But I scooted to the edge of the bed and put my bare feet on the floor.
Halfway across the living room, I heard the pounding again.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Collin asked in disbelief, standing in the kitchen doorway.
“Getting this visit over with. It won’t go away until I answer, and they usually last for less than a minute.”
“You need to go back to bed.” He sounded angry. And scared.
I stopped in front of the door, the knob in my hand. I turned to him, wariness washing through me. “You remarked the doors, didn’t you?”
“Will you stop this madness if I tell you no? You’re in no condition to deal with a supernatural visitor.”
Collin had marked my doors for over a month when he thought I was safe. There’s no way he would have left them unmarked when I was in this state. Before he could stop me, I pulled the door open.
I gasped when I saw who was on the other side.
Okeus.
