Prelude for Lost Souls by Helene Dunbar

Author:Helene Dunbar
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2020-04-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 27

Russ

“You know what your problem is?” Alex tried to poke a finger into my chest, but when I narrowed my eyes, he wisely took his hand back.

Still, I was surprisingly curious about what he thought my problem was. I wasn’t even sure I knew the answer to that. “This should be good,” I said. “Please. Tell me.”

Alex took a step forward. “Your problem is that you think you can do anything. Your problem is that there isn’t one single thing you’re afraid of.”

I mulled that over. I didn’t think I could do anything; but thanks to my dad, I was a firm believer in hard work. And there were definitely things I was afraid of, I just had no intention of sharing them with Alex. “Why do you care?”

“I’m right. Tell me I’m not right.”

“You’re not right,” I answered.

Alex let his face slide into its usual sneer. “Name one thing, then.”

I considered how other people I knew might have answered the question. Dec was afraid of being trapped in St. Hilaire. My father was afraid of lightning. A girl from school was afraid of germs. Virtually all of the summer visitors were afraid of dying. My fears weren’t so tangible. “Wasting time,” I said, deflecting. “I’m afraid of pointless conversations that go nowhere but around in circles.”

Alex spun around in frustration. “Your arrogance is going to bite you in the ass someday.”

I was glad I was getting to him. “Promise?” I grinned. Done correctly and at the right time, a grin always disarmed people.

Alex slapped the brick wall next to my head. I didn’t move. “I know things about you, Griffin,” he said. “I know your secrets.”

The challenge in Alex’s words excited me in a strange way, and I echoed his instruction. “Name one thing, then.”

Alex scowled. “I know about your little drug cocktail. I know you need to shoot up to have any sort of contact. The great Russ Griffin is a fraud.”

Okay, that’s interesting. I wondered how Alex knew, but really, I’d been collecting and brewing herbs for the three years I’d been in St. Hilaire. And herbology had been my grandmother’s specialty. Given what some people were into, our family’s process wasn’t completely unusual.

I waited a beat, then slipped under Alex’s arm and walked to the other side of the porch. “Okay, first off, that isn’t entirely true. Though I know you don’t care about truth, so what? You want some? Is that it?” The hungry expression on Alex’s face said that I’d hit a nerve. “That is it. This is your way of asking me for a favor.” I began to laugh and could tell it was the right reaction to get under Alex’s skin. “Don’t you ever learn?”

“Not a favor.” Alex’s face grew red. “It should be for everyone to use if it works. I’m going to tell the Guild. I have Ian’s gun and next time I’m going to…”

Alex ran out of words, obviously unsure of what he was going to do. The

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