Getting Familiar with Your Demon: That Old Black Magic, Book 4 by Jodi Redford

slightly, he glanced in the mirror and spied the faded section of his tattoo that covered his brand.
    The visual proof of his broken seal filled him with contradicting emotions. He’d managed to accomplish what should have been the impossible, and in the process severed the one true claim Pricilla held on him. To say he was thrilled about that turn of events was a massive understatement. But having a huge part of himself stripped from existence left him with a strange hollowness inside. He’d been a soul collector practically his entire life. Certainly longer than he hadn’t been one. It was a status he’d hungered for. Killed for. Before Nettie came along, he would have sworn with his last breath it’d be a title he’d take to the grave.
    Now it was simply…gone.
    “Sam, you okay?”
    A snort fell from Nikki. “Jeez, Cass. The guy’s been through the wringer the past two days. Not to mention tortured for six solid months before that. What do you think?”
    He dropped his hand from the sink and met the concern in Cass’s eyes. The softness he read there clued him in that unlike Nikki, she’d picked up on his disturbed musings. Everything was too new, too raw, to share with anyone. Hell, he didn’t even know how to untangle the twisted mess of his thoughts. There was no way he could reveal any of it in a way that’d make sense. So he lied. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
    Cass didn’t look convinced, but she remained quiet for a long spell as he dragged his damp fingers through his hair, trying to tame it into submission. The heat of her and Nikki’s stares continued to drill into him, and he waited for the dreaded questions he knew were forthcoming. Being typically female—well, in Cass’s case anyway, most of the time he suspected Nikki didn’t realize she wasn’t a hardassed guy—they’d want gossip.
    Specifically, dirt on his seal breaker. He’d just as soon not think about Marabella. Ever. It’d go a long way toward breaking his obsession with her.
    Against his better judgment, he glanced at Cass. Aw hell. Might as well get it done and over with. “Go ahead and spit it out.”
    “I didn’t want to say anything until you’re feeling better, but it’s probably best you know now.” Cass took a deep breath before releasing it in a weary rush. “Pricilla put a bounty on you yesterday. Word on the street is the price tag on you is outrageous.”
    “A cool quarter of a mil,” Nikki supplied. “You’re a real popular dude right now, coz.”
    He groaned. Bloody fuck. The odds of him living to the end of the week—hell, tomorrow —were slim to none now. Shit, he had said he’d rather be dead than shackled to Pricilla. Guess he’d gotten that wish handed to him on a silver platter. One lined with a disgusting amount of cold hard cash. Mighty generous of Pricilla to be contributing to the state of the economy with his death warrant.
    “The orders are to bring you in alive,” Cass added, apparently plugging into his morose thoughts again.
    “Naturally. No doubt the damn bitch wants the honor of killing me herself.”
    Nikki gnawed her lip. “It’s not safe you staying here. Maybe popping off to some remote hideaway in Antarctica is in order.”
    He gritted his teeth. “I’m not moving to Antarctica.”
    “That won’t work anyway.” Cass pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “With your seal fried, you’re not popping anywhere.”
    Aw fuck. That’s why he hadn’t been able to teleport the other night. He hadn’t considered how losing his seal would end up costing him his soul collector perks. Yet one more part of his life that’d been stripped in one fell swoop.
    “So he’ll have to drive.” Nikki pivoted and strode into the bedroom. “Where’s your suitcase?”
    He stumbled after her. “I’m not going anywhere.” This was his home, damn it. Pricilla could sic all the goons she wanted on his ass. He wasn’t going to tuck tail and run.
    An exasperated sound fizzled from Cass,