The mage had a habit of blaming anyone but a mage for any crime. That was why Tarek was removed from the enforcers decades ago. Though he wasn’t the one who framed Monique, he certainly had attempted to prove it was her killing people.
Arms slipped around his waist, and Monique’s face pressed to his shoulder. Erik hugged her arms and silently wished she had stayed in the hall. As the cries turned to agonized wails, Monique quietly cried against his shoulder.
The mages left without giving away who put them up to such a grisly act. They had sufficient proof this was no ritual, and was done by the very mage who attempted to accuse a necromancer.
As the bodies convulsed, nearing their deaths, Preston snarled, “End it. We’ve seen enough.”
Consuela’s eyes glowed red. She shook her head, enforcing more magic into the spell.
Erik spread his hands, weaving his own magic to send the ghosts to the afterlife, binding them on the other side of the veil.
“Thank you,” the woman whispered before her husband’s ghostly hand took hers. They were pulled away into another plane where the dead found their rest.
“Is that enough proof Erik didn’t do it?” Monique asked tearfully, still clinging to his back.
Robert nodded. “Yes. Though we’ll have to show the Council our findings. Can he stay with you? Out of sight, until we have his name cleared?”
“Of course,” Monique promised, glancing at Consuela, whose mouth pursed slightly.
“I have another proposition. Perhaps he should come to New Orleans, away from where they would expect him. At least until the Council realizes their own committed the crime with the intent to dissolve the DSF.”
“No, thank you,” Erik answered. “I’d prefer to stay with Monique, in Edenton.”
Preston looked like he wanted to say something, but kept his mouth shut.
Consuela’s pale eyes narrowed dangerously. “Monique is welcome as well.”
Erik turned to Consuela. “I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in talking shop. Your methods greatly vary from my own.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t learn from each other. And letting the spirits relive their pain helped them accept their death more easily. Then we could have questioned the pair.”
Erik shook his head. “That may work when their deaths aren’t so horrifying. However, neither were in the frame of mind to answer questions. The woman was talking to me before you forced them back into their night of hell. Haven’t they already been through enough?”
She huffed. “Doesn’t matter now. We have solid evidence mages committed the crime. They can watch it with their fancy spell.”
“We still need you,” Robert told Consuela. “Let me take you back to your home so you can change, then we’ll make a trip to the Council.”
“If that is your wish,” she answered.
Without another word, Robert touched Consuela and disappeared. He came back, tipping his head. “What is it, Erik?”
“I don’t trust her. There was no need to bring the sprits back. She’s not simply a medium or necromancer. She’s also a Crimson Witch.”
“What do you mean?” Monique asked.
“That she’s a living vampire,” Preston answered. “No fangs. The blood, even the essence of death enhances her power. That, coupled with her ability with the dead and her willingness to cross lines Erik avoids, I’d say we can’t trust her within the Council.”
Monique stepped around Erik. Tears streaked down her face. She glared at Preston. “Because she’s different?”
He shook his head, one corner of his mouth pulling up. “Not at all. Downstairs she absorbed blood through her pores without worrying about who saw. She seemed to enjoy the tortured screams of the dead. Don’t tell me you didn’t hear them. Erik is right. He was getting answers from the victim until Consuela reanimated the bodies so we could watch it all happen. And in a way it confirmed our suspicions, but Erik would have done it without those ghosts suffering a second time.”
Monique opened her mouth, then closed it. She turned to Erik. “Is that true?”
He shrugged. “Yeah. She didn’t need to go that far. That doesn’t make her wrong, but we should proceed with caution.”
“Erik, what do you think? With her questionable tactics, do you believe she’ll help clear you?” Robert asked, concern etching his brow.
Erik shrugged. “Yeah, I’m certain she means well. Though I can’t say what her true goal is. I’ve heard she wants to be a part of the Silver Council, though not as a DSF enforcer. But she does want to help.”
“Why didn’t you say anything when I suggested her?” Monique asked.
“I’d never met her until today. Rumors are just that.” He sighed. “From what I’ve heard, her methods don’t mesh with mine. But you weren’t wrong to go to her. And just because she feeds off blood doesn’t mean she’s out there killing people. Look at Victoria and all of the vampires currently in Edenton.”
Monique glanced at Preston. “If you could replay the scene, why did you want another person who could corroborate the findings?”
“Because I can’t always replay a scene if it involves certain magics. We wanted Erik and someone else here before we tried. Both Robert and I suspected Tarek had been a part of hiring biased mages to ensure Erik was found guilty. And if he was the one to set Erik up, we needed all the proof we could find before prosecution.”
Monique nodded. “Can we go home now?”
“Of course,” Robert said, touching each of their shoulders. Preston grabbed Robert’s arm, and they were back at Monique’s.
“I’m glad you refused, but why didn’t you want to go to New Orleans?” Robert asked.
“If I can avoid that city, or other similar places, I do. The dead talk, and they are loud there. So many things empower the spirits, and New Orleans is a hot spot. I can’t always tune them out like I can here.”
“Interesting, so sending you there for a case would be unwise?”
“I’ve been to cases out there. It’s not my preference, but you know I’ll do what is required of me.”
“Without fail and without complaint, which is why I want you cleared so you can go back to cases.”
“Yeah, I figured I would be suspended for now.”
“Not long if I have my way. It could be worse. Tarek could demand you were brought in. He’s already tried that, and we managed to keep you out of a cell. Though staying here is better than your home.”
“Or maybe a cabin out in the woods,” Erik offered. Maybe then Monique would stop whatever game she was playing with him.
“I’ll come with you,” she offered.
He snorted. “That may leave you in the same deep shit I’m possibly in.”
“I’m not letting you go down for this. You weren’t there. You were with me. Where you belong.”
Erik pinched the bridge of his nose and paced away.
“Here is better,” Preston stated. “This way I don’t have to track your ass down if you decide to investigate on your own.”
“I’m not doing anything without authorization. I’m not going to be the reason DSF falls apart.”
“We’ll present the case and let you know what’s going on. Keep your phone on you,” Robert stated, grabbing Preston and taking him away.
Erik slumped onto the couch and dropped his head into his hands.
* * * *
Monique studied Erik a long time. Maybe she had waited too long.
Sighing, she sat on the coffee table in front of him. She took his wrists and gently pulled until his onyx eyes latched onto hers.
“Talk to me, Erik. What is it?”
“How well do you know Consuela?”
“Not as well as I thought. I knew she was capable of contacting the dead. She was the first one to channel my mother.” Monique lifted a shoulder. “She’s always been a good customer, and I knew she wants the Silver Council to accept all Others. She was alwa
ys curious about you. I thought she was the better choice of the two I could have asked for help.”
A funny smile appeared on his lips. “You realize she’s two centuries old, right? She looks like a young woman, but she has more secrets than most. I never trust rumors, but after seeing her in action, I no longer doubt she’s at least capable of everything I’ve heard.”
Monique dropped her gaze. “Clearly, I didn’t understand. I’ve always wanted to see the best in people until they prove me wrong.”
“Except for me.” Sighing, he stood and paced away. “Why this game, why now?”
“It’s not a damned game.”
“I don’t get it. Why wait until I’m ready to walk away to give me a chance?”
She tipped her head, moving closer. “I held onto my misconceptions for decades. I’m sorry.”
“And if it’s not enough, Monique? I’ve always loved you, even when you walked away from me.”
“I thought I was doing the right thing. You were so proud to be an enforcer, and I was only going to be in your way. And then I saw you that night and I made a horrible mistake.” Monique stepped into his path. “I was wrong. How do I fix us?”
“Don’t know that you can. I was this fucking close to walking away.” He held his thumb and finger up, showing no space between. “As soon as I got rid of whoever was at the door, I was going to go home and forget about you and all the decades I’ve wasted.”
He turned back and found her right there. Tears stung her eyes. “You’ve waited this long. I’m finally ready. Give me a couple days. Let me show you.”
“Don’t have a choice, do I?”
A sneer pulled at her lips. Her imagination ran rampant. Images of the voodoo priestess’s legs wrapped around Erik’s waist flashed through her head. “Call Robert, have him take you to Consuela. I’m sure she’d appreciate that.”
“Fuck that. I want nothing to do with her. Look, we have a long history of you expecting the worst of me. What makes this any different? You just accused me of wanting to go to that crazy bitch. I’m not sure why you trust her, but I sure as hell don’t.”
“Then why don’t you want to stay here now that I’m ready to make things right?” She wiped at her face angrily. Not at him, at herself. Too much wasted time because she couldn’t find the strength to admit she was wrong. “Please, Erik. A few days.”
His eyes slid closed.
“Do you love me still?” she whispered, desperate to hear it once more.
“You know I do, but I’ve fought so long I don’t trust the sudden change.”
She stepped closer, wrapping her hands around his head. “I love you, Erik. I’m done trying to push you away. I never could push you farther than arm’s length. Don’t you wonder why?”
“You shut me down every damned time I made some progress.” He covered her hands with his. “Sooner or later you’ll shut down again and push me away once more. You always do.”
“Damn it, Erik. What do I have to do?”
“I don’t know, Monique. That’s the problem. I gave up.”
“Not yet. I’m ready to fight for us.”
He pulled away, walking to the opposite end of the room. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m done fighting when I know how it’s going to end.”
Her heart threatened to shatter. “Not this time. I meant to fix this last night. I drank too much, trying to build up the courage. Then the set-up, and of course you don’t believe me. My timing is shit, always has been.”
“How do I trust you, Monique? How many times have you let me in, only to shove me away? Why do you care now?”
“I always have. No matter how badly I wanted to forget about you and all the hurt. But I finally figured it out. You were never wrong. You did what you believed in, and I was so scared to lose you I shut you down. Then I assumed the worst just so I could cut you out of my life. When I saw you again after all those years, it was all I could do to keep from running to you. I know now I should have.”
He rubbed at his face, pacing away. “Doesn’t matter. Nothing I’ve done has made you understand why I chose the Council. Why I still stand by your side when you need help. Or why my heart is lying on the floor in a million fucking pieces because nothing gets through to you.”
“It has.” Monique closed the distance, taking his hands, but he jerked them away. She gulped when he didn’t say anything. “Do you want someone else?”
He shook his head, blinking once. “That’s the damned problem. I never could let you go. Ever since you came back here, I haven’t tried with anyone else.”
“You were with women.”
He sighed. “Yeah. I slept with a few. Women who didn’t want relationships. But you were dating the whole time. Actually trying to have a relationship. Look at that fucking prick we were pretending for.”
She dropped her head to his chest. He was right. She fought to let him go, and he held on. His loyalty and love tore her up. She couldn’t make things work with anyone else because she was so hung up on him.
Monique met his gaze. “We can start over. Stop with the bullshit. It didn’t work with anyone else because you were always there, making me feel things I wanted to forget. No one makes me feel the way you do, and it drives me crazy.”
“We’re different people, Monique. You’re always going to hate the Silver Council, and I’m always going to want to help them change. I finally get it. We can’t work.”
She pulled in a breath and let it out. “Hear me out.”
Nodding he looked away.
“You say you figured things out. Well, I have too. The Silver Council isn’t the problem. Never was. Fear, that’s what held me back. I thought I was losing myself with you. You twisted my head around all those years ago. You saw what I couldn’t, but I started to believe you were right and it tore me up because of what a handful of mages did. And it didn’t help that even though I couldn’t hear my mother, her emotions bled into my own while she followed me. All the doubt, fear, and hatred for the Council poisoned me.”
He snorted, trying to pull away, but she held tighter.
“Today was proof of that. I watched the magister of the Silver Council and his lieutenant go to a woman I was positive they would laugh at. They took what she said seriously, actually worked with her. And sure, they may only use her for what they need, but the point is they are using her testimony. I was wrong about her. They aren’t trying to lock her up, they are going to let her go back to her life because they want casters to work together. Robert is the one who could change the whole Council. You need to be there, helping him shape what it becomes. You can’t affect change if you aren’t a part of it.”
“So what? You let go of your anger. What does that have to do with me?”
“Means I’m done pushing you away. Means I’ll fight for you.”
“Doesn’t mean we can work.” He pushed his fingers through his hair.
Tears streamed down her face. “Don’t give up on me, Erik. I’m not letting you go. I can’t lose you now. You’ve always been the one holding me up.”
He turned to her and captured her face in his hands, drying her tears. “What if it’s too late?” he whispered.
“Let me try, Erik. If there’s no one else, let me show you.”
His eyes closed as he nodded.
She wound her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest.
He enveloped her in his arms, but there was still a vast chasm between them. One she needed to close, if she could figure out how.
Chapter 20
The posh office was interesting. Clean surfaces, no drawers. No computer. Just stylish furniture with no data. The Silver Council did not trust her.
Consuela sat back in the seat, folding her hands over her crossed legs, waiting patiently for Robert and Preston to come back to the room they left her in. She was in an identical white suit to earlier, her hair twisted into a French twist.
Perhaps she�
�d been out of the Silver Council’s eye too long. She’d recklessly fed off the blood that splashed onto her feet and ankles, absorbing it directly into her skin. And her show of power, pulling the spirits into the bodies, was really a ploy for attention. It had been a long time since she wasn’t the trusted Deathcaller.
The fact they so easily trusted Erik to get the information irked her. Every Council member she’d ever dealt with ignored her the best they could. And granted, neither Preston, nor Robert had, but they weren’t comfortable with her. So she made sure they paid attention.
Every rumor about Erik Mortale suggested he was talented, but he refused to delve into his true talents. Did he even realize what potential lay in the cloud of power he held within his shields? He could awaken a whole county worth of corpses to do his bidding if he chose, without much more than a little blood to aid his endeavors. He could wield an army of vampires loyal to him, if he were so inclined. Seemed his ability was endless. And he denied it.
Her power only compared to his through her lineage. A few Crimson Witches remained. The stories had died down since one very famous one had been tried and punished centuries before.
Though true Deathcallers were just as rare. Erik had so much natural ability. She wanted a friend who shared some of her abilities. Their magic was dying. Fewer and fewer true Deathcallers were born.
She was tempted to move to Edenton. New Orleans had become mundane since Katrina. Most of the truly interesting creatures and beings had fled with the floods.
Maybe she could learn something from Erik and encourage him to explore his potential. Not all of what they could do was bad. In fact, it could be very helpful, as he proved in that poor family’s home.
Robert McCallister finally reentered the room and took a seat at his desk. He could easily be a model in any fashion magazine with his tailored suits, styled hair, and classic good looks. And yet, she sensed wisdom in his stance.
Preston Emrys, on the other hand, was far more interesting. He noticed things Robert didn’t appear to. Or perhaps he wasn’t as stoic about keeping thoughts hidden.
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