“You won’t let me?” A surprised laugh escaped her. “I suppose you’ll have the potentate take my head?”
“Grier fights her own battles,” Linus told her, sliding into his darker persona. “She’s a powerful necromancer in her own right. She doesn’t need me to shield her.” He placed a hand over his left pectoral, where I had drawn his sigil for the day. “In fact, she is often mine.”
“I require absolute loyalty from my heir, however temporary the designation may be in your case,” Tisdale growled at Midas. “You can’t serve two packs or live in two cities. You must choose.”
Sweat beaded on Midas’s forehead, but he held firm. Eyes on mine, he shook off her order. “No.”
Tisdale stood slowly, unfurling to her full height, and circled in front of him. “No?”
“Grier is pack, and pack bonds don’t break. You taught me that. Atlanta is my home, but if Savannah needs me, if Grier needs me, I will go.” A crimson sheen veiled his eyes. “And then I’ll come back, with or without your permission, and take my place within our pack.”
Expecting an explosion of teeth and claws, I rocked forward onto the balls of my feet, ready to intervene if she drew first blood and didn’t stop there. But rather than snarl and snap, Tisdale threw her arms around his shoulders.
“My sweet, sweet boy.” She drew back, grinning wide. “I knew you had it in you.”
Leaning in to Linus, I whispered, “What did I miss?”
“The passing of a mantle, it appears.” Intrigue pried up the edges of his mask, a testament to the rarity of the event, let alone the fact it had been witnessed by outsiders. “Midas disobeyed a direct order from his alpha while holding her stare. That makes him the new heir. Lethe will have to fight him for second in the pack when, or if, she returns.”
When Tisdale turned back to us, Midas closed his eyes, his expression more desolate than usual.
Awe might have been the appropriate response, but I couldn’t stand how his shoulders bowed under the full weight of his choice.
“You used me.” The words shot out before I could call them back, and I wouldn’t have even if a do-over were possible. “You brought me here to provoke Midas.” A pitiful excuse for a snarl rattled in the back of my throat. “You forced this on him.”
“You cost me one heir,” Tisdale said, shrugging. “And now you’ve provided me with another. I would say this makes us even.”
Rage vibrated through me until I shook with the itch to open a vein and paint terrible retribution on my skin. But that would make me the same as Lacroix, and I refused to follow in his footsteps.
“Even,” I repeated, awed by her gall. Midas had sacrificed his autonomy, for me and for Lethe, while she looked like the cat who ate the canary. Since she valued frankness, I laid it on her. “What about Savannah?”
With Midas keeping her in the loop, she knew exactly why we had come here.
And now we knew why she had agreed to this meeting and demanded it take place in person.
“I’m not sending more of my people to Savannah.” She attempted to soften the blow by rearranging her features from smug to smug-lite. “You’ve got my daughter, my son-in-law, and over a dozen gwyllgi who defected to join her, including some of my best fighters.” She toyed with the locket around her neck. “That’s all I can spare.”
Unable to control my temper, I snapped, “You’ve spared plenty to roam the streets of Atlanta.”
“The reason there’s a stronger enforcer presence in the city is I have more cause than ever to see our current potentate retain his position. Our pack has enjoyed several years of peace with other supernatural factions thanks to his careful handling. I would like that to continue. And, with Midas as my heir and you under his protection, there’s not a single objection anyone can raise.”
Tremors set my fingers twitching in the outline of sigils with purposes I didn’t know or want to know. I made a fist to keep from giving them life. “This meeting is over.”
“Grier…” Midas took a step toward me. “I didn’t know this was why she brought you here.”
“I’m an old pro at being manipulated by a parent.” Maud had been a master of the art. “I won’t hold this against you.” I cut my eyes toward his mother. “Don’t wield my friendship as a blade to cut him again, or you’ll find out there are few actions in service to a friend that I regret.”
Make no apologies for surviving.
I wasn’t about to start now.
“Your fiancée just threatened me.” Tisdale arched a brow at Linus. “That’s hardly diplomatic of her.”
“You baited this trap,” he said coolly. “I can’t help if you didn’t snatch your hand back fast enough.” Taking my elbow, he tipped his chin at Midas. “Congratulations, or condolences. I’m never sure which is the appropriate response in these situations.”
The skin around Midas’s eyes crinkled in the promise of a smile that never made it to his lips. “Thanks.”
I noticed he didn’t claim victory or defeat, but I could see what this interlude had cost him.
His freedom.
While he might have forgiven me for the role I played, I wasn’t so sure Lethe would be as understanding when I had just cost her the position of second in the Atlanta pack, a title she had killed to maintain.
Fiddlesticks.
There might not be enough donuts in the world to make up for this.
Six
After leaving the gwyllgi pack home, me with my tail tucked between my legs, we secured more supplies and directed the distributors to offload them at Woolworth House.
Finally, finally, it was time to return home. As soon as we picked up Clem, who had been using Bishop’s setup to watch cartoons, from Base Four.
Ignoring the bowl of cereal that made my stomach growl, I searched the blank tracking screen. “Vampire watch got boring?”
“There’s no longer a vampire to watch unless your sigil turned this one flame retardant. He took a long walk right into the sun. I’m guessing his assassin buddies finally got around to cleaning house.”
And if they were busy erasing leads, they would make sure there was nothing to find in his apartment, even if we made a pit stop on our way home to search it.
“There goes that lead.” The more we caught, the faster they slipped through our fingers. “Great.” Pushing what had been a long shot out of my mind, I focused on my friend and what was best for him. “Are you sure you want to go back to Savannah?”
“It can’t be more dangerous than Raleigh,” he pointed out. “I should be safer there.” He turned off the monitor then walked his dishes into the kitchen. “Maybe Boaz can help me get a commission with the sentinels again, as Clem.”
As loathe as I was to ask for favors, I would make an exception for him. The Grande Dame drove tough bargains, but she might be his best chance for reinstatement if Boaz struck out. “Let me know what he says.”
While Mr. Hacohen was drawing up contracts for my household, I could draft Clem as personal security if the sentinels wouldn’t take him back on agreeable terms.
Gratitude on his face, Clem let a shrug roll through his shoulders. “I’ll do that.”
“I’ll grab our bags.” Linus started for the bunkroom then turned to Clem. “Give me a hand?”
“Sure.”
Once they left, I claimed Bishop’s seat. “Anybody home?”
“For a few minutes,” a disembodied voice replied. “I pulled dayshift this week, so I have to get jumping.”
I tallied her position to come up with a name. “Lisbeth, right?”
“Yep.” Keys clacked in the background without missing a beat. “What can I do you for?”
Checking to make sure the guys were gone, I explained what I needed in exact detail. “So, can you help me?”
“Oh, you came to the right girl. I got you.” A printer came alive nearby and spit out two sheets filled with names, phone numbers, and various other information. “These guys—and girl—are the best in the c
ity.”
“Thanks.” I snatched the papers, folded them tight, then shoved them in my pocket. “Can I ask for another favor?”
“I won’t tell him.” Her arm raised in a vague gesture. “My lips are zipped.”
“I have to go.” I backed away from the monitors. “Thanks again.”
“See you around, Grier.”
The screen went dark before I could wave, and then Linus was there.
“I thought I heard voices.” He examined the empty screens. “Were you checking in with Lethe?”
“Just chatting with Lisbeth.” Eager to make my escape before I compounded my white lie, I nudged him and Clem out the exit and into the parking garage.
Clem climbed in the back of the van, and I sat beside Linus, knee bouncing in my eagerness to get going.
With Atlanta nearly in the rearview mirror, Linus aimed us toward the legendary Clancy’s Bakery.
Much to my shame, I was too sleepy to steal a single donut from the orders I had promised Lethe.
Not that it stopped me from holding them on my lap and inhaling like a diver finally come to the surface.
Once the orders I placed for the sentinels filled the cargo hold and most of the backseat, Linus aimed us toward home, sweet home. Just the knowledge I would see Woolly and everyone else again in a few hours soothed me enough I fell asleep with my cheek pressed to the cool glass and Linus’s equally cool hand on my thigh.
* * *
The universe must have felt it owed us an apology for the last twenty-four hours. The trip back to Savannah passed quickly and without incident, the parts I was conscious for anyway. We hit the barricade, handed out donuts to everyone on duty, and left more for those who would come on next.
With that bit of gratitude doled out, we climbed into the SUV waiting to carry us to Woolworth House.
Our new clothes, toiletries, and even the van, all safe behind a ward, would be retrieved later.
With the three of us settled, the driver-side door opened, and Boaz swung himself in behind the wheel.
“Have a nice trip?” He met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Any trouble in Atlanta?”
“There’s always trouble in Atlanta.”
Boaz grunted agreement. “Who’s your friend?”
“Oh, yes. My, uh, friend.” I patted Clem on the shoulder. “Say hello to Jake Clemmons.”
Boaz whipped his head toward us. “Taz?”
Eyes rounding, I jerked in my seat. “How did you…?”
“Jake Clemmons was the birthname of one of the most famous black cowboys, well, ever. The Hollywood version anyway. I caught one of his movies on the classics channel Amelie was addicted to as a kid and got hooked on westerns. We watched them in the barracks during our downtime.”
Ah. That explained Clem’s earlier smugness. Other sentinels would be in on the joke, and Taz would be able to reconnect with her close friends through Clem.
“Where’s Becky?” I hadn’t noticed her in line for free donuts. “I didn’t see her.”
“Lacroix drafted her for a special mission.” His hands tightened on the wheel. “She left last night.”
Linus set aside his distaste for Boaz long enough to ask, “Anything we should worry about?”
The muscles in the back of Boaz’s neck bunched and flexed, but he didn’t voice whatever thoughts had twisted his expression into mulish lines. “No, but we’ll update you if that changes.”
Eager to take the focus off Linus, I blurted, “What about the rest of your guys?”
“They’re tailing us.” He pulled onto the road. “Our last trip taught us a valuable lesson about putting all our eggs in one basket. Granted, splitting up isn’t half as effective when the two most valuable targets refuse to be separated, but at least this way we’ll have transpo if this ride gets blown sky-high.”
“You can’t blame us when you didn’t ask in the first place.”
A derisive snort blasted out of him. “Which one of you would have volunteered to ride with me?”
Habit almost tricked me into claiming the honor, but I was still mad enough at Boaz to not want to be alone with him anytime soon. He would want to talk, and I didn’t want to hear him out. I wanted to put our history behind me and do what I did best. Pretend everything was fine.
“Savannah was standing long before us, and she’ll be here long after we’re gone,” Boaz said a few minutes later, as we passed the blacked-out hulls of stores emptied by looters. His wistful tone made me wonder if he meant to put voice to thought when he asked, “Do you ever think about leaving?”
“No.”
Woolly was here. My friends were here. And even if Linus’s future was in Atlanta…mine wasn’t.
His city might not be alive in the same sense as Woolly, but Atlanta pitched a hissy each time I visited, it seemed. Nothing good ever came from my trips there. If I didn’t know better, I would swear she was trying to get rid of me. But that was crazy talk. Right?
We arrived at Woolworth House before my paranoia could fully blossom, and she zinged a welcome into my head that felt like my skull was a bell and her exuberance the clapper.
Twilight had fallen during our drive, a twinkling curtain that made it possible to see the lightning bugs flash against a starry backdrop.
Clusters of my diurnal friends, almost done for the day, worked alongside my nocturnal ones, who were just getting their night started.
Tables had been set up, and most were stacked with boxes of food and supplies. Together, they loaded trucks and crosschecked lists. The three groups functioned as a single unit, and I wasn’t sure how much was the result of Lethe and Hood’s leadership versus the banding together of a community to support its own during a time of crisis, but I was moved to tears all the same.
From here, I could see Amelie seated on the porch, as close to the action as she could get without leaving the house. A clipboard filled her lap, and she called out questions to nearby volunteers before marking down their answers on a form.
Wasting no time, Boaz headed straight for her to say his goodbyes before reporting in.
With any luck, Woolly would be in a good enough mood to allow them a hug. As long as Amelie remained on the bottom step, and he didn’t get closer than the length of her arms.
“Clem,” I said, resting my hand on his shoulder, “before you report to the sentinels, I have a mission for you.”
After I explained the Corbin situation to him, his face lit up with glee. “I’m on it.”
“Don’t kill more vampires than you have to,” I reminded him. “Corbin believes they’re all there willingly, but we can’t verify that without more information.”
“I won’t kill more than necessary,” he promised, which was not the same thing at all.
About to point that out, I groaned when he yanked open the door and took off at a run for the trees.
Linus, though clearly amused, was smart enough not to comment on my shaky leadership skills.
Summoning Cletus required a concentrated effort with my attention so divided, but I finally managed.
The wraith drifted, expectant. The fabric of his tattered cloak rustled on an unseen breeze.
“Tell Corbin we’re coming for him if you can.” I touched the wraith’s bony hand. “If you can’t reach him, keep an eye out for Clem. Help him break Corbin out, then get back to Woolworth House, all of you, whatever it takes.”
A low moan confirmed he was on board, and he dissipated to resume his watch over my progeny.
Loaded down with sugary bribes, I stepped onto the lawn and into the chaos.
“Grier.”
A ball of excited ghost boy smacked into my knees, and I staggered back. “Oomph.”
“You’re back.” Oscar climbed up to settle on my hip. “Early.”
Unable to resist those black eyes shining up at me with such joy, I juggled my boxes and gave him a quick hug as discreetly as possible. “Yep.” Releasing him, I let him hover on his own. “Remember, you have to keep a
low profile around this crowd.”
Boaz in particular would sniff out Oscar if we weren’t more careful. With everything else going on, Oscar ought to be safer than ever, but I didn’t want to take any chances when it came to the Elite. The dybbuk incident might have blown over, but he was unique thanks to my blood. Much like Cletus, I had to keep their differences a secret in order to protect them.
Sentient wraiths might never catch on, but restoring ghosts to their former selves?
The psychic and medium trade raked in millions of dollars annually, and that was only the Society’s take. Humans dabbled too. Most of them were con artists, but a few with diluted supernatural blood in their heritage were legit. And that didn’t take into account the other factions with divination powers.
But there was a vast difference between hiring someone to talk to your great aunt so-and-so’s ghost and having her chat you up in the kitchen, having her remember. Oscar wasn’t a mindless loop. He was a thinking, feeling child. Time had matured him in some ways, and it had altered him in others, but I would have whipped out my checkbook if someone promised they could animate Maud, or Mom. For either of them to haunt Woolworth House… That would be a true blessing.
“I don’t like hiding,” he pouted. “I want to play.”
“How about we play”—I took the opportunity to pat myself on the back—“hide-and-seek?”
“You’re it.” He shoved off me and zoomed away. “Count to one hundred really loud, or I won’t hear you.”
“Got it.” I watched him go. “I’ll give you a head start.”
Happy for the extra minutes, he didn’t question the fact I wasn’t keeping time.
“Donuts,” Lethe squealed and steamrolled her packmates to reach me.
“I haven’t changed my name.” I held the box over her head. “It’s still Grier.”
How to Wake an Undead City Page 10