Borrowed Souls (Soul Charmer #1)(90)

The white bathmat did little to protect her knees from the Saltillo tile below as she knelt in front of the toilet. She hadn’t exactly wanted the guys to follow her in here, but she thought her upchuck move would have at least killed the conversation. Wrong. In between heaves she heard the two.

“Don’t know what you’ve threatened my sister with, but it ends now.” That was the Josh she’d saved. The perk of family was that you knew each other’s cores. Yeah he was a junkie and a thief and an on-and-off liar, but when it came to choosing between people in the family and those who weren’t, he always sided with her.

“You’re one to talk.” A thread of possession laced Derek’s derision. He understood her core, too, and had accepted her despite her special brand of crazy.

Goddamn men. Arguing on her behalf while she puked in another room.

“Pretty sure you and the Soul Charmer shouldn’t be involved.” How well did Josh know Derek?

“You’re the one who threw her to Ford to pay off your fucking debt like a coward. You’re the one who foisted her on the Soul Charmer. You’re the one who risked her goddamn life.” The floorboards creaked. One of them must have edged toward the door.

Derek. He continued, “So I’d point that finger elsewhere if you don’t want me to snap it off.”

She pushed up from the floor. The first person outside her family to have her back was now yelling at the one other person who had regularly stood up for her. As if one couldn’t feel worse while leaned over the commode. Derek wouldn’t actually injure her brother. Probably. Intervening would be smart, regardless, but she didn’t make it far before her stomach roiled again.

Josh chuffed. “You don’t know anything about me or my sister. She’s done with the Charmer anyway.”

Callie wished that were true. Derek must have agreed. “She’s done with him, but she isn’t done with me. And I’m not about to let you make her feel like shit.”

“Wait. What? Me?”

“Yeah, you.” The edge of a wicked growl sliced Derek’s voice, a tone she knew he saved for uncooperative targets. “How ungrateful can you be? She risked everything to save you. Not saying she shouldn’t have done it, but that kind of dedication deserves your respect and never-ending gratitude. If you were anyone else, I’d have already broken your face for the shit you put her through.”

Josh’s voice had gone tight. Callie couldn’t tell if it was out of fear or guilt. “I appreciate her, and I know her a lot better than you do.”

“It’s not a contest, kid, but I’m the one keeping her safe, so quit being a dick. Sit on the damn couch, and when she gets back out here thank her and then shut the fuck up.”

Josh didn’t say anything more. Glass clicked as her refrigerator door closed. That reminded her: the empty vodka bottles sitting atop the fridge needed to go in the recycling. Focusing on the mundane steadied Callie. The dry heaves had finished—she hoped. She quickly brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth a few times before wading into the tension of her living room.

The magical layer between the Soul Charmer’s rooms was thick, but the energy in Callie’s living room rivaled it. Josh sat on the sofa, taking up as little space as possible. Derek was on the other end. He took a deep swig from a glass of orange juice and tried to project a controlled aura. She wasn’t fooled.

“Stomach settled?” He pushed off the couch and walked toward her. He placed his glass on the kitchen counter, and then wrapped his arms around her.

Being angry took more energy than she had. Indulging in a hug was simply easier. “I’ll be all right.” Her words were muffled against his chest.

He pulled back enough to look at her. “Water?”

Were her eyes still ringed with red? She shook her head. “I’m exhausted.”

He nodded and gave her a quick squeeze.

She leaned around him to speak to Josh. “You eat anything recently?”

His gaze darted to Derek before answering. His nerves were showing, but his voice was solid. Faking confidence was a genetic trait. “Not much. You guys already eat breakfast?”

Callie’s eyebrows drew together. Before she could point out his idiocy, he answered his own question. “Right. Sick. Never mind.”

She was going to get high on oxygen at the rate she was taking calming breaths. “Kitchen’s pretty bare, but feel free to make yourself some toast.”

“Thanks.” He got up and started toward her. “Thanks for letting me crash and, um, for everything else.”

She took a couple steps backward, but smiled.

“It’s what we do.” Her DNA might be muddled at the moment, but despite the outside influences, at its core it held the same traits as Josh’s. Family loyalty was locked in, right alongside their brown eyes.

Her brother moved to hug her, and Derek intervened.

“What the fuck, man?”

“You can’t touch me.” Callie couldn’t hide her wince.

“I know I made things hard for you or whatever, but I still love you.” He edged forward again, and Derek put a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s not that.” Couldn’t Derek explain this? She gave him a pleading glance.

Earning his care this quickly was scary, but that didn’t temper her gratitude when he took over. “She can’t be near people who have used soul magic right now. Part of the shit with the Charmer. Hurts her,” Derek explained.