by Elicia Hyder
“Do you know where he is?” Jesus asked.
“Nah, man, but I can find out,” Danny said.
“Maybe you should give him a taste of this to loosen his lips.” Jesus picked up the stamp bag of heroin and hypnox.
I dug my short black nails into Orion’s forearm. “If you let them kill another innocent person, I swear to God I’ll—”
Orion reached into his pocket as Danny reached for the bag. Faster than even my eyes could follow, Orion snatched the drugs from Jesus’s fingertips with the glove.
Jesus slid his chair back against the desk.
Danny jumped, dropping his phone with a loud clatter, onto the floor. “What was that?”
“Where the fuck did it go?” Jesus asked.
Danny turned all the way around. “Did you see another hand?”
“Man, you’re trippin’. Another hand from where?” Jesus asked.
Danny looked all around the room. “I don’t know, but I swear to god, I saw another hand.”
The two men uselessly searched the floor, the desk, and under the desk while we looked on, smiling.
Danny’s eyes wandered all around the room. “What if there’s a ghost in here?”
Orion chuckled as he put the drugs in his pocket. “That never gets old.”
“A ghost?” Jesus got up and shoved Danny’s shoulder. “Man, I think you’re on drugs right now.”
“Watch the tape,” Danny said.
“Is that going to be our answer for everything? Watch the tape?” The last part he said in a mimicking voice.
Danny just stared at him.
With a huff, Jesus turned to his computer, grabbed the mouse, and clicked open a camera icon on the desktop. The two men watched the video feed from the office camera. So did we. It showed movement, but Orion’s hand moved too fast for me to see.
Shaking his head, Jesus got up again. “I’m going to get some dinner. By the time I get back, you’d better have found those drugs.”
“What do you want to do about Teek?”
Jesus grabbed the front of Danny’s shirt. “Find him too.”
After memorizing the tag numbers of the two cars in the parking lot, Orion and I returned to my condo. Together, we reappeared in my bedroom.
I sat on the edge of the bed, next to my body. “At least if it was Kush who died in that fire with Ryder Stone, plenty of eyes will be on the Fleming family. The Kings won’t be able to get close enough to hurt Teek.”
“Teek? Are these legal names?”
“No.” My smile faded. “I wish I could get more patrols on the place, just to be safe.”
“People ask for extra patrols all the time,” he said with a shrug.
“But cops don’t ask for them without a reason. What the hell am I supposed to say?”
“I can visit the home when they’re asleep and make a suggestion. That is if anyone there has enough brain cells left to pick up the message.”
“People can really hear you when they’re asleep?”
With a nod, he sat beside me. “Somehow the soul and the subconscious are tied together. Not exactly sure of the mechanics behind it, but it works. People can hear you too, but the majority of them will be sleeping while you are unable to detach.”
“Yet another curse of being a day sleeper.”
“Yeah, graveyard sucks.”
Graveyard. Paps was the only person I knew who called night shift that.
I wanted to ask Orion if he’d ever worked nights, but it felt too personal. Too soon. In addition to what his life had been like as a human, I had a million other questions.
Did spirits still need to sleep?
Did he, like Flash, like it in Imera?
Did he have balls?
He leaned toward me. “What are you so lost in thought about?”
“There are so many things I want to know. I’m not sure we’ll ever cover them all.”
“I think we have time.” He grinned. “Does this mean you’re more interested than you’d originally let on?”
I didn’t meet his eyes. “Maybe.”
“Well, one thing is for damn sure.” He stood, and I looked up at him. “You’re definitely not like your father.”
No one outside my small family had ever known me or Elias well enough to make that statement. “Thank you,” I said, meaning it more than he would ever understand.
“You should get some rest.”
I looked at my body. “Am I not sleeping now?”
“Of course you are, but how many times have you really felt rested after a night of fitful dreams?”
He had a point.
“Multiply that exponentially,” he said.
I nodded.
“Are you working tonight?”
“Yeah. With my boss.”
“The boss you made out with?” he asked again.
“Shut up.”
He laughed softly. “I need you to do some recon when you have access to a work computer.”
“What recon work?”
“All the known associates, addresses, places of work, whatever you can get on Kush Fleming. He knew where that plant was before he died.”
“OK.” I pulled off my Boundary shoes. “What will you do?”
“Tonight, I’ll drop in on the Flemings. Until then, my mission is to find Lucas Costa. He’s the immediate danger, second only to finding the plant. It will continue to bloom until winter, producing enough melatryptophine to kill this whole city a few times over.”
“Are you sure it’s here? Couldn’t it have been brought here from somewhere else? Kush just got a car.”
“No, it’s here. The nightwalkers are too fixated on Sapphire Lake for it to be anywhere else.”
“What will you do if you find it?”
“Burn it. That’s the only way to keep it from growing back.”
“How do you do that?” I asked.
“Create fire?”
I nodded.
He wiggled his fingers. “Magic.” I scowled, and he laughed. “Someday, I’ll teach you. Fire is of my world. A long time ago, it was stolen from the gods and brought to Earth.”
Skepticism was creeping back into my mind, but I kept my thoughts to myself. “We didn’t accomplish much today. We still don’t have any leads on where the plant might be.”
“No, but we’re not the only ones looking for it. It will turn up.” He was quiet for a moment. “I need to talk to you about something else.”
“Shoot.”
“You need to watch your back. Whoever stabbed Elias is still out there. They won’t have good intentions for you either.”
“Do you think they know who I am?”
“I’m sure of it. They obviously knew what Elias was and how to kill him. They would also know he had an heir. Hell, Elias might have been murdered to get to you or Ransom.”
“Why?”
“Because Elias’s gift wasn’t nearly so impressive with him behind bars.”
“Great,” I mumbled.
“I have some more things for you.” He leaned to the side and pulled something from his pocket. In his palm was a small clear bottle, like something from a minibar, filled with clear liquid.
“Vodka?” I asked with a smile.
“The Water of Lethe.”
My eyes widened. “My way out?”
“Yes.”
I reached for it, but Orion held it out of my grasp. “Not so fast.”
I frowned.
“You need to understand what this means.”
“It means I’ll get my life back.” I reached again, and he moved the bottle farther away.
“Hear me out?”
I dropped my hands into my lap.
Orion balanced the bottle between his thumb and index finger. “If you drink this, your tether to the spiritual world will be severed. You will no longer detach, you will no longer dream—”
“I won’t dream at all?” I asked.
“Not at all. Dreams are of the spirit, not of the bod
y. You will be completely cut off from the Boundary, and every memory of it—and those connected to it—will be erased.”
“I won’t even remember Elias anymore?”
He shook his head.
“If you’re trying to talk me out of this, it isn’t working,” I said.
“Consider it carefully. Once it’s done, there’s no undoing it.”
“But the power will be gone?” I wiggled my fingers. “Like poof, gone?”
“The spirit of Nyx will pass to the next scion.”
“The child I may never have.”
The corner of his mouth twitched up. “Something like that.”
“How does it work?”
“Can I see your shadow blade?”
I pulled the knife from beneath my pant leg and handed it to him. With its sharp tip, he pierced his index finger. Silvery white liquid oozed from the wound. When I leaned in for a closer look, he stretched his finger toward me.
I recoiled. “First rule of police work: if it’s ooey, gooey, or sticky, and not yours, don’t touch it.”
With a chuckle, he held the finger over the bottle. “A few drops of your life blood will do. Mix it well and drink it.”
“Give me the blade. I’ll stick myself right now.” I held out my hand.
Reluctantly, he handed it to me and wiped the blood—if that’s what you could call it—on his shirt sleeve. I pricked my finger and watched mesmerized as the silver liquid drizzled down to my palm.
“Wicked,” I whispered.
“Want some help?” he asked.
I handed him the bottle, and he unstoppered it. I turned my hand sideways above the narrow rim and squeezed. Drip. Drip. Drip.
“Is that enough?”
Orion nodded and put the cork back into the bottle. He shook it, and the blood sparkled like glitter as it mixed with the crystal-clear water.
“Will only my spirit blood work?” I asked.
“The blood is the power of Nyx, so any scion’s will work—”
“Nyx has more scions than me?”
“A few, but don’t count on their help.” He balanced the vial between his thumb and finger. “Each scion’s blood will only work once. Once this is used, and the magic activates, you’ll never be able to create more.”
“We can’t just get more water?”
“No. It’s a one-and-done shot.”
“Do I drink it while I’m in my body or while I’m detached?”
His brow crumpled. “Your physical body must ingest it.”
“Got it.” I held out my hand.
“I have a request,” he said, placing it in my open palm.
“OK?”
His hand lingered on mine. “I need your help to find the plant. You owe me nothing, but I would like to ask that you wait to drink this until after the threat is neutralized.”
I swirled my free finger toward the ceiling. “Aren’t there other guardians who can help you?”
“Yes, but with your knowledge of the area and your direct connection to an entire police force looking for this thing, you’re our best hope to find it.” His grip tightened. “Please?”
I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Since you asked nicely.”
He smiled. “Thank you, Saphera.”
With a nod, I slipped the bottle into the ergane bag on the side of my go bag. My finger was still dripping, thankfully onto my knee and not onto fertile ground. “How do I make it stop?”
He wrapped his fist around my finger. “A little pressure will do.” While he held it, he met my eyes. “Don’t forget: this blood is very powerful. A god can never capture you in this form. And you can never allow them to use it to enter the Boundary.”
“Tell me about Nyx. You said you would when we had more time.”
The corner of his mouth tipped up. “For someone who wants out of this life, you certainly are curious.”
I scowled.
“Tell you what. If you stick around after we’ve found the plant, then I’ll tell you.”
“That’s blackmail.”
“Yes, it is.” He smiled.
I stood. “Never mind. I don’t need to know because I’ll forget it anyway.”
The amusement faded from his eyes. He stood beside me and pulled out his oneiryte necklace. On the chain with the bottle was an icy-white stone, long and slender and wrapped in wire, very similar to the one Elias had given Ransom. “Keep this with you too.”
“What is it?”
“The light of Imera.”
I cocked a skeptical eyebrow. “The what?”
“Think of it as a homing beacon. I hope you’ll never need it, but wear it always, and if you’re ever in trouble, I’ll be able to find you.” He slipped it off the chain and gave it to me.
“Thank you.”
There was a light knock at my bedroom door.
“You expecting company?” Orion asked.
Another knock. “Nyx, are you awake? Sorry to bother, but you have a package to sign for.” It was Bess.
“That’s my roommate. My new phone is probably here. So much for getting some rest,” I said. “When will I see you again?”
“Tomorrow. Same time and place?”
“Sounds good.” I put my hand on my forehead.
“Hey,” Orion said.
I paused.
“You did well today.”
“I have a decent teacher.”
His dimpled grin was the last thing I saw before I disappeared back into my body. When I sat up, Orion was gone.
Chapter Twenty-One
“We have to get a few things straight,” Essex said when I opened my front door to him that evening.
My brow lifted with surprise. “OK?”
“We are not talking about what happened this morning.”
I held up my hands in surrender. “I couldn’t agree more.”
“We both need to keep our heads clear tonight. We’ll deal with”—he gestured between us—“this when we’re not in uniform. No talking. Deal?”
“It’s going to be a long, quiet night.”
“You know what I mean.”
I gave him the side eye as I walked out of my condo carrying my Boundary go bag. “Do I strike you as the kinda girl that likes to talk about feelings?”
With a laugh, he started down the stairs while I locked up.
“Got any leads?” I asked when I got in his passenger’s seat. I put the backpack in the floorboard, by my feet.
“I think we should sniff around Quick Fix Auto.”
“That’s a solid place to start.” More solid than he knew. “What have I missed?”
My replacement phone had been flooded with missed group-chat messages that would have taken days to catch up on. Most of it was the usual crap the guys post, memes and inappropriate jokes.
He pulled away from my building. “Last night was pretty quiet other than the news from the hospital. No signs of heroin or hypnox. Just a couple of MVCs; no fatalities. I also wrangled two loose cows back into John Larson’s fence.”
“You wrangled them?” I made a lasso gesture overhead.
“OK, I shooed them.” He stared straight ahead, trying to keep a serious cop-like face. “Begged and pleaded and pushed a little.”
I laughed. “You pushed?”
“Yeah. And I’m calling bullshit on cow tipping. Those suckers don’t move.” At the exit of my neighborhood, he turned toward the highway. “I did get to take a picture with a llama though.”
“A llama?”
“Yep.” He handed me his phone. “I made our selfie my new lockscreen.”
I laughed. On his phone’s screen was a picture of an alpaca licking his eyeball. “That’s an alpaca.”
“Same thing.”
I returned his phone. “Any word from Gregg about Mal?”
“Not yet. Have you seen Mal at all since she got out of prison?”
“Only a few times, most recently at Gran’s funeral. I’m lucky though. My brother’s had it w
orse.”
“How come?”
“He’s the firstborn.” Which was way more complicated in our family than most.
“I’m thankful to be an only child. No competing with siblings.”
“Trust me, it’s a competition I was happy for Ransom to win.”
“Is she really that bad?”
“Well, if she collected puppies or trapped souls in a garden, she’d make one hell of a Disney villain.”
Essex laughed.
“Seriously, Paps said she’s even worse now that she’s out. Like she’s always been selfish and conniving, and now she’s hateful and bitter too.”
“Gregg says she got married again.”
“Not surprised. She’s made a career out of marrying for financial gain. I don’t even know her last name anymore. Nor do I care. How’s Karma?”
“Lonely today. My dog walker is out of town, so I’ll have to stop by later to let him out. I can’t wait to have the new kennel done.”
“Have you had any time to work on it?”
“I framed the dog door from the laundry today. All that’s left is to paint it and finish the fencing outside.”
“Didn’t you sleep today?”
“Not much.”
I started to ask why, but my mouth snapped closed. After our morning exchange, he’d probably had too much on his mind for sleep. My cheeks warmed at the thought.
God, I needed to tell him the truth. We had a twelve-hour shift ahead of us, and we still had some time before calling 10-8 . . .
My heart pounded in my chest. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and blew it out slowly.
Was I really going to tell him?
What would he say?
What would he think?
I wasn’t just jeopardizing our friendship and whatever more could be between us. If Essex thought I was a lunatic, I could lose my job.
But . . . what if he did believe me?
For once in my life, I could have a true ally, and at least one person in the world who knew absolutely everything about me and stood by me anyway. Aside from Ransom and Paps, I’d only ever had that with Josh, and even he hadn’t known everything about Elias and all the craziness that came with him.
“Nyx?”
My face whipped toward him.
“You all right?” he asked with an amused grin.