“My guess is that she thinks she’s duped me into doing all the grunt work of collecting the souls. But in the end, I’m expecting her to double-cross me and take everything for herself.” Nick snorted. “And this is why my mother’s death rests on my shoulders. Because I left her just to try to have a relationship with Lorelei.”
“She sounds like a witch with a capital B,” I said, trying to imagine anyone worse than my aunt.
“That’s an apt statement,” Nick agreed. “But here’s where I need you to trust me. I came here not to destroy your town but to actually save it from her. All those bottles you saw, they don’t contain any full soul. You’ve seen your friends and neighbors still walking around.”
“Walking, yes. But definitely different. What did you do to get those pieces?” I asked.
Nick looked to his left and his right, gesturing with his hand. “This whole spa was my idea. Bring in the clients, and while they’re getting a massage, I encourage them to tell me about their desires. Their wants. Not big wishes, but small, incremental changes.”
“From what I’ve witnessed, those differences are not that small,” I said.
He shrugged with one shoulder. “I siphoned off a little of their soul and gave them a taste of what they wanted in trade.” Leaning forward, he spoke in a honeyed tone. “But there’s no contract, no formal deal. I hoped to appease my sister and focus her interests elsewhere with my compromise.”
“But you’re stealing a very important part that belongs to each individual!” I shouted. “You had no right to steal from any one of us no matter what your intentions were.”
Nick pondered my accusation, and I watched for his reaction. While he stewed in silence, a thought dawned on me.
“Sweet honeysuckle iced tea, you tried to steal from me, didn’t you?” My heart rate jumped as my eyes flashed to the closet. “Is there a jar in there with my name on it?”
The demon sat back in his chair. “No. In fact, my skills didn’t work on you at all. That’s had me puzzled ever since.”
“Ever since you hurt Fenwen.” The truth reminded me that no matter what his intentions were, Nick had caused damage.
He furrowed his brow. “That was unintentional. I meant to knock her out much like I did you. But my sister and I underestimated how our powers would work on other species. The fae seem to react differently. I truly regret what happened to your friend.”
I thought about Sassy and her tiny wings. I’d bet all the money in my savings she’d do anything to go back to the way things were. “I’m so glad you learned something new and that you’re capable of feeling bad about what happened, but that doesn’t help me understand how you think your heinous actions were saving Honeysuckle,” I redirected.
“Or why you didn’t alert someone to the sprite’s condition earlier,” Dash added.
Nick sighed and pulled the cork out from the whiskey bottle again. “I told you both, I’m a coward.” He poured more of the amber liquid into his glass and swirled it around. “I’d hoped you’d see things from my perspective. If I openly defied my sister, the consequences to my life would be dire. But I couldn’t strip away every single soul in town either. So, I did what any good businessman does. I compromised.”
“Hooray for you, I guess you deserve some medal,” Dash snarked.
Nick slammed his hand on his desk, sloshing some of the whiskey onto it. “I’m here, telling you everything. Owning up to my mistakes. Asking for you to give me a chance to make things right.”
“You’re here because Charli’s aunt closed the border down before you could escape.” The shifter took a few steps closer. “That’s the only reason you’re here.”
“What her aunt does or doesn’t do can’t stop me or my sister,” Nick said, swallowing a large sip of his drink.
“Why not?” I pressed.
He finished his whiskey in three more swallows, emitting a long sigh afterwards. “Because everything that’s happened…Lorelei finding out about your town? Me being here? It’s all your aunt’s fault.”
Chapter Nineteen
“What do you mean Aunt Nora’s to blame?” I bellowed. “Are you saying she willingly brought two crossroads demons into Honeysuckle?”
Nick sighed. “She didn’t know her actions would have bigger consequences than she thought. But she was the one that put your town on Lorelei’s radar.”
How could my aunt do something so stupid and reckless? What could she possibly want that she’d do business with an actual demon?
I groaned and closed my eyes. “She made a deal with you. An actual, binding contract.”
“Not with me. With Lorelei,” Nick clarified. “To gain control of the town by taking over the seat of power.”
I tried to wrap my head around the truth. Sure, Aunt Nora had challenged Nana time and time again for control. She’s aligned herself with the Charleston council once and failed. But signing away her soul for something so trivial?
“I want to say I don’t believe it, but I can’t,” I sighed, collapsing onto the small sofa.
Dash risked leaving the doorway open and closed the distance in two powerful strides. He crouched down in front of me. “I’m sorry.”
I snorted. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. She did this all on her own, and for what? A little say in how life exists in our tiny town. It’s pathetic.”
“And it didn’t exactly go the way she wanted either,” Nick admitted. “She’s been after me about why things hadn’t changed quicker than they did. After she signed the contract, things should have changed immediately with her taking her desired position. But it didn’t just poof happen. Something prevented the normal outcome.”
Dash grabbed my hand. “Your grandmother.”
I gasped. Now that I knew what all the pieces of the puzzle were, I could put it all together. “What’s happened to Nana…it’s because of my aunt’s deal.”
“Yes,” Nick admitted.
With my hand, I pushed
