Morphed into Love, Book 2

19- The Socketless Ghouls

RONAN

I laid Ophelia down on my bed, delicately instructing her to close her eyes and steady her breathing. It took her a few minutes to breathe normally again and I basked in silent pride that I'd pulled that reaction from her. She was usually so composed, I'd seen a side to her no one else had.

I'd been her first kiss.

And I felt... Guilty. Guilty for more than one reason.

Nothing was simple anymore. Nothing. I felt guilty because I wanted more, emotionally I wanted more and physically, too. I had absolutely no right to want it, I was entirely out of order. I'd never wanted more before. I wasn't sure of the specifics of what I wanted, but more seemed to be the best way to describe it.

Whatever I wanted, it wasn't good for either of us. Feeling guilty over that was one thing, but there was a much bigger phantom looming in the room.

I was a liar.

Lying to her.

"Have you relaxed yet?" I sat on the edge of the bed, relishing in the way she stiffened at my warmth.

"I think so." Her eyelashes were so long, eyelids twitching as she fought to clear her mind.

She looked so beautiful. So peaceful. And in turn, I felt that same wave of calm flood my stomach and drown the unease that kept infesting my belly.

I couldn't tell her the truth. Not yet.

Just a little longer, then I'd tell her. Just a few more days of teasing her and kissing her and exploring my feelings, then I'd tell her and it would all come to a grinding halt.

"Okay, now stay still. And keep your eyes closed, these rogue spirits can be awfully disfigured." I held my breath, conjuring up the invisible spirits in my room.

They materialised, floating above Ophelia's head like the pesky little vermin they were. In appearance, they were unlike the thousands of spirits I had under my command, they were decayed and foul-looking.

"What do we have here?" I raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

These spirits didn't speak. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't. Their faces were melted and their eye sockets entirely empty.

"Leave this woman alone." I commanded, watching in mild interest as one of the spirits let out a strangled wail and stuffed its mottled hands into its eye sockets, "You're awfully dramatic, aren't you?"

The other two followed suit, gripping their eye sockets and yanking the skin down in a grotesque display of rebellion.

"So you won't listen." I nodded, sighing, "Then you will have to die a second death."

The spirits froze for a moment of realisation, then sprang into movement, twisting around each other like unhardened candy. By the time they finished their theatrics, they were a meaty ball of entwined limbs and loose hair.

I didn't like dispelling any kind of spirit, no matter how disobedient they were, because from time to time it could upset the balance of nature. But today, I had no such mercy to spare.

I scowled, conjuring up a small ball of spiritual energy. It sprouted in my hand, the same shade of red as my eyes, before I pushed it through the air towards the trio of ghouls.

They screeched in horror, but for all their entanglements could hardly move anyway. When the energy reached them, it grew in size before enveloping them and swallowing all three whole.

It took a few moments for them to compress and for their sounds to fizzle out, but eventually they had dissipated and were officially banished to the spirit realm.