Nameless Ghoul

Ghoul Party

Itzal and the other ghouls filled Secondo in on their findings. He looked concerned at the mention of Lucia.

“I had the misfortune of meeting her once, at a function in Spain. She is not someone who I would wish to socialise with again.”

Itzal could understand that. She was calculating the same as her brother, but whereas he had a hot temper, she was ice cold. They were unnaturally close to each other, closer than a brother and sister should be.

Itzal shuddered as he remembered their first encounter. Santos had gone back to visit his home a couple of years after Itzal was summoned and introduced him to his sister. He had wanted to show off the progress he’d made with his new pet. It was a time he didn’t ever voluntarily think about, but his mind flashed up a memory. Yet again he realised he had left his thoughts unguarded around Secondo, and he cursed himself.

When he looked up, he saw that Secondo had stopped talking and was scowling at him, and everyone else was also looking at him with interest. He felt Secondo soothing him through the bond, and he resumed what he was saying. The others looked confused, but he wasn’t about to tell them what had happened.

They decided they would watch the comings and goings at the warehouse for a few days before deciding the best plan of action. The Abbey was still on lockdown, so they were as safe as they could be for now.

When the ghouls were dismissed, the others asked if he wanted to have a drink with them, but he felt tired from the stress of the evening and politely declined. He thanked them and said he would see them tomorrow at the ghoul party.

Sunshine wasn’t there when he got back. The other ghoulettes were gone also, so he took himself off to his room and lay down to sleep.

A couple of hours later he woke up, feeling the bed beside him dip and he smelled Sunshine. He rolled over to greet her with a sleepy smile and she climbed under the covers with him.

“Sorry, I tried not to wake you,” she said.

“It’s ok, I won’t ever mind being woken up by you,” he replied as she wrapped herself around him.

“I wasn’t sure how long you’d be gone for, so we went for a bit of a pamper with some of the Sisters. Got to look our best for tomorrow night!”

He could hear the smile in her voice, and now that she mentioned it, he could smell the herbs from some kind of beauty potion. He gently touched her face with his fingers, and it felt even softer than usual.

“Well, I’m sure you look as radiant as ever.”

“How was Secondo’s thing tonight?” she asked.

He wasn’t sure how to answer.

“It was ok. It was nice to be useful, I guess. To feel like I’m giving something back.”

She kissed him sweetly and they drifted off to sleep.

When Itzal woke the next morning, Sunshine was still fast asleep. She stirred ever so slightly when he got out of bed, but he left her to sleep. He grabbed a drink of juice and checked his phone for messages while he was in the kitchen. Omega had sent a text not long since asking if he fancied running, so he quickly texted back and headed out to meet him.

It had been raining, and the smell of the woods was more pungent than usual. The earthy scents tickled his nose. Omega didn’t seem like his usual self, he seemed as if something was bothering him.

“Is something wrong?” asked Itzal.

Omega sighed and shook his head.

“I'm worried about Alpha. You’re probably not the ghoul to talk to about this, though.”