Dance With Death

by Becca Vincenza

  His nostrils flared, his sharp gaze catching everything. “Which ghost did you summon here?”

  “The first victim, who happened to be a mage Curse Breaker. He believes the second body we found was Cassidy, his wife, but then he sort of flipped out on me, and I haven’t been able to get much more information from him.”

  “And what is he doing right now?”

  “Gathering magic to use against us.”

  His upper lip curled back to expose his growing canines. “Well then, use your powers and control him before he can leave.”

  Indigo stepped behind me, silently allowing me to take the lead. Since he was unable to see the ghost, he wouldn’t be able to do anything other than watch as I got my ass handed to me. Having him at my back gave me a boost of confidence, and a surge of power blasted through my core. My powers amped up quickly, and suddenly, dealing with this angry ghost didn’t seem like a problem at all. Just a minor inconvenience.

  “Trust in your powers,” Indigo offered.

  I didn’t, though. Mine had always leaned more toward the physical, ever since I was a child and would reanimate roadkill that followed behind me like my own morbid Snow White rendition. It was in Abel’s magic that I trusted. Our shared tattoo flared against my skin.

  “You don’t have the strength to shred me, Princess Undead,” the mage ghost growled.

  “Again...I’m not undead. I control them. Please call me by my actual title: Queen of the Undead.” Gritting my teeth, I pushed a wave of power at the ghost, forcing him to pause in his power-gathering activities as my power pulsed against him like a shockwave.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” he snarled at me. “Don’t you want the answers you seek?”

  “No, I’ll find them another way.”

  “Good cop, Rowan,” Indigo reminded me quietly.

  But I didn’t want to play that game. This ghost had pissed me off, and he was going down. I was trying to help find his killer, but all he wanted to do was hurt the people I cared about.

  Using some of the energy he’d been able to amass, he casted a wind spell at me that threatened to knock me on my ass. It would have, if it weren’t for Indigo stepping behind me and holding me in place.

  “You motherfucker! You messed up Willow’s puzzles!”

  Okay, maybe it was less about Willow and more about the fact I had helped with half of them. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, the puzzles had become increasingly addictive. The activity calmed my mind and kept it occupied enough that I didn’t have time to think about anything else.

  “Rowan!” Indigo’s shout kept me focused.

  “Right.”

  The more I focused my strength toward banishing the ghost, the harder he fought back. Controlling the physical was a different sort of power that felt almost too easy for me to handle. It’s why I’d fallen victim to slipping into ghouls’ bodies more than once. My control was shaky, at best, so I had to pinpoint my focus onto whatever energy I could get from the ghost. It was why Abel excelled with his control over ghosts.

  Just then, the door opened behind us.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Cornelius sounded more annoyed than angry, like he expected something like this to happen eventually.

  “Oh, you know, just the typical, run-of-the-mill, accidental-summoning that turned into making a poltergeist.”

  Luckily, my ghost hadn’t quite earned that title yet, but he was becoming angrier and stronger by the minute. Because of his status as a mage, he already had an upper hand. Even worse was that he was a Curse Breaker. If he managed to access much more magic, he would quickly turn into a full-blown poltergeist.

  “Banish him, Rowan.” Nix’s deep timbre came from the doorway. I couldn’t spare a glance behind me, but it sounded like Cornelius shifted his massive body out of the way, so Nix could see inside. Indigo still stood behind me, holding me in place. His scent, reminding me so much of home, settled my racing heart.

  The longer I breathed in the uniquely woodsy scent that filled my childhood, the easier it became to see the Lines from which I needed to pull. As the threads appeared, I pulsed my magic through it. The shock registered on the mage’s face a split second before I unleashed all my strength into banishing him. Once out of the building, he wouldn’t be allowed to return unless I summoned him, even if he was strong enough to get through my wards.

  I staggered back a step, falling more securely into Indigo’s waiting arms. The ghost roared with rage as he was forced out by my magic. A smile blossomed over my lips as he disappeared from the building.

  “Well done.” Indigo leaned down, his lips brushing over the shell of my ear. I didn’t want to acknowledge the unsettling warmth that spread through my body.

  “Yes, well done. But Rowan, in my office now,” Nix demanded. I stepped away from Indigo and watched as Nix left the doorway. Cornelius’s lips pressed tightly together.

  “The ghost messed up Willow’s puzzles?”

  “Yeah,” I answered absently, the warmth fleeting for something much colder.

  “Fuck,” Cornelius said.

  I agreed wholeheartedly.

  Chapter 12

  Nix’s office was located on the ground floor through a maze of hallways and confusion. If Indigo hadn’t walked down with me, there was a good chance I wouldn’t have found it on my own. Cornelius refused to leave my apartment, stating he would inform me if the ghost somehow managed to return.

  “I fucked up big time. Why does going to see Nix feel worse than facing my father?” I whispered, anxiously cracking my knuckles and fidgeting. Indigo reached down and lightly touched my hand before I could crack another finger.

  “It’s scarier because he’s not family, but don’t worry. Nix won’t kick you out on your ass. I won’t let him. Just be honest with him. But I gotta ask...” He added, his tone lighter, “what exactly was your plan?” Indigo stopped me by lightly brushing his fingers over my wrist.

  Peeking through my lashes, I glanced up at him. Sometimes it still hit me hard, the change from the boy I knew to the man standing in front of me. Sometimes, before I got a good look, old feelings resurfaced and twisted my gut.

  “I needed answers.”

  “To what, exactly?”

  “To everything that’s going on. Why are Curse Breakers being targeted? Is Abel in danger because of it? You guys keep shutting me out, but I can take on more responsibility. I’m not the same reckless teenager that dragged you and Abel along to do stupid things. I want to help.”

  “There’s a time and place, Rowan. We have protocol and procedures we must follow,” Indigo said.

  I didn’t think he even realized he was doing it, but he hadn’t released his hold on me. As he continued to brush his thumb against my wrist, my anxiety began to ebb.

  “You know how to handle werewolves, Rowan. You’ve been doing it your whole life. Don’t forget that.”

  “Rowan,” Nix called through the closed door of his office.

  I took a step backwards and looked at the door, knowing he must have heard our entire conversation. My face burned with embarrassment. I knew better than to have sensitive talks near a werewolf. Breathing in, I braced myself as I stepped into his office and shut the door behind me.

  “That was an incredibly foolish thing you did.”

  “Yeah, I forgot you were a werewolf. Otherwise, I would have had my little conversation farther away from your office.”

  Nix leveled his gaze on me. He didn’t appreciate my humor. I dipped my head, chastened. Most werewolves reacted better if you submitted both vocally and physically.

  “What was your plan, exactly?” Nix asked, echoing Indigo’s earlier question.

  He sat at his massive desk, looking official. Although as big as it was, it still didn’t dwarf the werewolf sitting behind it. He had the same commanding air as Ibrahim, his brother and Indigo’s father, but Nix’s wasn’t as abrasive. His office was decorated sparsely, holding only a desk, one file cabinet, and two chairs posit
ioned in front of the desk. I opted not to sit in case I needed a quick getaway.

  “I wasn’t able to get the evidence I needed from the first ghost we encountered. I thought that by contacting him again in a controlled environment, I could get different information.”

  “And you decided the appropriate ‘controlled environment’ was to summon him here in our home?”

  Hearing Nix say it out loud made it sound infinitely worse than it was. But hearing him call the apartment building home hit me the wrong way. From my perspective, I was homeless. While I shared the apartment with Willow, it was merely a temporary place to stay.

  My childhood home had become a warzone where I was sold to a vampire coven as a trophy wife, which was not a fate I planned to follow through. At least that was my hope, but then Abel left before I could offer to go with him to search for a way out of the contract. Being the protective twin he was, he wouldn’t have allowed me to go anyway. With Balthazar’s renewed interest, it meant I had to stay around to appease him and keep his coven away from my family. I would never turn my back on my family, but once everything settled down and got resolved, what home did I have to go back to?

  “I did what I thought was best,” I said.

  “Let me ask you this, Rowan,” Nix began, a speculative glint in his eye. “Since I’m not very acquainted with necromancers and their craft, is it possible for a ghost to be tied to another necromancer? And if so, would they have the power to not only extract any information they wanted from said ghost but also be able to trace them?”

  I think I got hoodwinked. Swallowing hard, I nodded.

  “Right. So, when you summoned a ghost here, did you happen to use any sort of protection against your ghost being traced?”

  With a shake of my head, Nix nodded.

  “Isn’t this exactly how you and my nephew came under attack when he returned to Kodiak Falls?”

  “Yes, sir. But...”

  He cut me off with a sharp slash of his hand. “No. Rowan, you are living under my roof, working with my people as a consultant. This is being done on a temporary basis as a request from not only an employee but from a family member. Indigo went out on a ledge for you. Now, while I believe you could be a beneficial part of this team, you are only proving you cannot be trusted. You’re on very thin ice here, Rowan. Anyone else, I would have fired and kicked out immediately.”

  Sweating bullets didn’t seem like a far-off statement to describe how I felt standing in front of Nix. The control he held over his wolf seemed unreal to me. Even as angry as his words were, he kept himself in check. Most of the wolves I dealt with would have at least let out a growl or two, or at the very least, their wolf would shine through their eyes. Yet, Nix remained completely in control.

  “I will give you one more chance but with stricter rules than before. If one more mistake endangers my pack, I’ll have you removed. My brother may not agree with my choices in life, but I consider the welfare of those I protect over my own wishes. I don’t think I need to state the importance of that to you.”

  “No, sir,” I replied.

  He didn’t need to state the reasons for his decision. I’d seen Ibrahim do far worse to those he deemed betrayers of the pack. Once, he even kicked out an entire family just because he suspected them of leaking information to another family. While the werewolf pack didn’t own my hometown, we respected them and their decisions since they were a force to be reckoned with, and they offered their protection.

  “Now that you understand the severity of what you’ve brought upon us, please tell me exactly what this ghost divulged to you.” Nix indicated to one of the chairs in front of him, his manner calm and unruffled. It was unnerving how easily he was able to change his tactics. Most wolves I knew were highly emotional, and it took them a while to calm down. Nix was an enigma for which I wasn’t prepared.

  I pulled out the chair and told him what happened from the time the mage was summoned to when Nix arrived. One didn’t lie to werewolves, so I made sure to tell him everything I thought he would consider to be useful. When I finished, he sat back in his chair with a thoughtful expression on his face.

  “If it was, in fact, the mage’s wife, this would change the profile of our killer. His death may not be so different from the humans’ most common reason of murder—that of a crime of passion.” Leaning forward, he asked, “Tell me again what happened when you encountered the second ghost.”

  After reviewing how the other necromancer came in and stole her away from me, excluding the parts about my brother, as well as the conversation I had with my brother, I explained how the ghost was dazed after learning of her untimely demise. Truthfully, she wasn’t much help.

  Threading his fingers, he leaned forward. “Do you have a way to keep another necromancer from tracing a ghost with which they have a tie?”

  “I might be able to do it.” If I could get ahold of Abel, I thought to myself. He probably already knew how, and I could learn quickly through him. Of course, I would want to do that away from here, especially after what Nix said.

  “Allow me to think on this. We may need more information from her. We are still working on discovering her identity, but if they were married, I’m not willing to throw out the idea of it being a crime of passion. Mystics are smart and thorough with their murders. It wouldn’t be outrageous to think they would hire a necromancer to dispose of the ghost. You are dismissed for now. I’ll let you know where we go from here.”

  I stood and left his office without another word. For once, I feared anything I said would only get me in more trouble. Even so, Nix was very diplomatic, even if it felt like he was moments from throwing me out. My heart pounded against my chest so hard, I felt it in my throat. Reality was a cruel mistress that hit me hard. If he decided I was a liability, there went my only protection. Balthazar seemed okay with taking it slowly for now, but what happened when he was tired of waiting? He held more cards than I was comfortable with.

  I closed the door behind me and released the breath I’d been holding. Indigo pushed away from the wall he had been leaning against and reached out to brush his fingers against mine. The touch didn’t bother me; in fact, I needed it more now than ever. Even the briefest touch calmed my racing heart, even though I knew it was stupid to take such pleasure in him giving me the briefest moment of relief.

  “You have nothing to fear, Rowan. I’ll do anything to protect you.”

  I let out a half-hearted laugh. Now wasn’t the time for the old grudges that still seeped into my mind. Betrayal was almost impossible to shake off, and my trust in someone I’d never questioned before was destroyed. Yet with every sweet thing he said to me, and each time he swooped in as my hero, my heart weakened. My knee-jerk reaction was to tell him off again and push him away, but that just left me in perilous waters with no life-raft.

  I pressed my forehead against his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist. Indigo growled contentedly and wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t talk right now,” I said, soaking in the safety I always felt in his arms. It was the same warmth that filled me since the moment I realized I’d fallen in love with my best friend.

  First love never faded, right?

  ****

  Indigo walked me back to my apartment where I saw the puzzles had already been put back the way they were. It was strange knowing that Cornelius was the one who fixed them up, or at least I assumed it was him. Willow had been withdrawn since we found the two bodies, and I wondered if it brought up bad memories. She kept to herself and refused to talk about her past.

  I stepped over to her door and knocked. She didn’t answer. “Hey, sorry about the commotion earlier,” I said through the door. “I promise the next time I decide to summon a vengeful ghost, I’ll do it far away from the puzzles.”

  Still no answer.

  I looked back over at the puzzles, realizing it had been a while since she’d come out of her room to work on
them.

  “Willow, I’m worried, so I’m going to open the door. If you’re naked or doing God knows what, please tell me now. I’m not ready to take our friendship to that level.” I inched the door open a crack and listened for movement, but when she still didn’t answer, I swung the door open.

  Inside, I saw that she’d swapped out the old curtains with light, flowing fabrics. Her fluffy pink comforter looked untouched. Stepping further into her room, I expanded my senses. When nothing called to me, I released the breath I’d been holding. At least my roommate and friend wasn’t dead. That was the upside to my powers. I would never have that shocking moment of stumbling upon a dead body.

  “Willow?” I called again, even though I knew she wasn’t in the room. I bit my lip and debated my options. After just getting my ass handed to me in the mother of all lectures that could only be matched by my father’s when he caught me sneaking some of his liquor, I needed to establish the best course of action.

  Nix encouraged me to get out of the apartment and practice my magic. I could use that as an excuse to go search for Willow, though I didn’t have a clue where to start. Too bad I didn’t have a werewolf or another Mystic nearby who could use their enhanced senses to track her. Rolling my eyes, I worried what her fate would be if Nix found out she had disappeared. And for how long, I didn’t know.

  Where would she have gone?

  Uncertain if I should, I went deeper into her room in the hopes of finding a clue I could use to help me decide where to start looking. Even if she was the reason I was captured, tortured, and almost turned into a slave, she was also the reason we were both free now. Willow was a victim as much as me.

  From what I understood, she was a slave to the vampire coven for years before I came along. And since most Mystics lived extended lifespans, it may have been decades. As I rounded her bed, I stepped on a matchbox. Lifting my foot, I inspected the front flap, surprised to see the cover was glamoured. Peering closer, I saw the name of a Mystic nightclub.