Read Online Gods of Chaos (Red Magic) by Jen McConnel - Free Book Online Page A

I softened my tone, hoping he would let me stay, but he just shook his head.
    “Leave. Now.”
    I thought of one last thing. “I’m staying at the hostel on Princes Street. If you change your mind—”
    “I won’t.”
    “But if you do, come and find me.”
    He crossed the room in two wide steps and pushed me out the door. “You don’t want me to find you,” he threatened, slamming the door in my face.
    I stared at the peeling red paint on the door for a minute, stunned. What the hell was I supposed to do now? I trudged down the stairs and headed back to the street, my thoughts churning furiously. I had come all this way to find Marcus, and I hadn’t considered that another Red wouldn’t want to help. It seemed like the obvious solution to me. Was I the only one who didn’t want to destroy things?
    I paced around the city, barely noticing the cobblestone streets lined with souvenir shops and pubs that had caught my attention before. What if this entire trip was just a big mistake? Two more people were dead because of me; what if something else happened? Guilt pressed into my thoughts, and I thought about Sandra and Joan with a shudder. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I clenched my teeth and inhaled sharply.
    Forcing my thoughts away from the awful memory of the vaults, I pulled out my cell phone. Acting on impulse, I dialed a familiar number.
    The phone rang once, twice, three times, but on the fourth ring it cut off abruptly and I heard a distant voice.
    “Hello?”
    I smiled despite everything that had happened. “Justin! It’s me.”
    “I hoped you would call today.”
    “You did?” My heart swelled, and I fought to keep the silly grin off my face.
    “Yes.” He paused for a moment. “There’s something I need to discuss with you.”
    I wanted to keep my voice light, but it quivered slightly. “Don’t sound so serious!”
    “I’ve been having dreams.”
    I paused. “Go on.”
    “Dreams about you.”
    “What every girl wants to hear.” I fought back the surge of fear that rose in my chest. Did he somehow know what I’d done to those poor girls?
    “Lena, I’m worried about you.” His voice was full of emotion, and I almost started to cry right there on the Edinburgh sidewalk.
    I forced a smile into my voice. “But there’s nothing to worry about.”
    “Maybe. But you haven’t made any bargains, have you?”
    I laughed bitterly, thinking about Marcus. “Actually, just the opposite.”
    He exhaled loudly. “Good. Now is not a good time for you to try to make a deal.”
    “You can say that again,” I muttered.
    Justin continued talking over me. “You need to be careful. I don’t know why, but I keep dreaming about you winding up trapped. I don’t think you’ll have pomegranate seeds to get you out of any bad choices.”
    The seeds had undone my bond to Aphrodite, but they’d also broken the love spell that I’d cast on Justin. I winced at the memory.
    “Not expecting any other random seeds, thank you very much.” I tried to sound confident, but my stomach clenched as I remembered that Persephone couldn’t reach me now.
    “But seriously, be careful. Please?”
    “Fine.” I closed my eyes for a moment, wishing I could lean my head on his shoulder.
    He paused. “Is that a promise?”
    I sighed. “It doesn’t matter, because I’m coming home.”
    “What?” His voice sounded alarmed. “What are you talking about?”
    “This whole thing has been a waste of time.”
    “Did you find the other Red?”
    I grimaced. “Unfortunately.”
    Justin was silent for a minute. Then he surprised me. “I don’t think you should come home yet.”
    I stared at the phone blankly. “Are you kidding? What’s the point of hanging around here if I’m not getting any help?”
    “Maybe you could enjoy yourself.” His tone was so earnest; I could picture his warm brown eyes willing me to stay.
    “But I miss you,” I whispered. For a moment, there was silence on the line, and my stomach