by Andre, Becca
“He found me.”
She took a step closer. “Are you okay?”
“He wants my help with something and he seemed confident that he could convince me. I think he’s going to send Gavin after someone I care about. I called Rowan, but he was in a meeting…with Xander.”
Elysia frowned. “What about James?”
“James can’t be soul ripped.”
“In the mortal plane. He can be in the next.”
“What?”
“James and Gavin faced off in the land of the dead, in their true forms. They have souls there, and Gavin very nearly took James’s.”
“James has a soul,” I whispered.
“Of course. It’s just not bound to the mortal plane.”
“Ha. I told him he had one.”
We stopped at the next landing, and I pulled up James’s number and handed her the phone. “Call James, but don’t tell him about Neil or where we’re going. I don’t want him anywhere near Xander.”
“Xander doesn’t have the power to take him from me. There isn’t a necromancer alive who does.”
This time, her boast didn’t bother me. “Good. But is that true at the moment?”
She gave me a frown, then turned to the phone. “You have a point.”
And she wasn’t entirely correct. There were a couple of dead necromancers who might be stronger. Which reminded me, I had someone else to call. After Elysia’s brief conversation with James, in which she told him about visiting the baby, I called the lab. It took four rings before Ian answered.
“I thought you were going to stand by the phone,” I said.
“It wasn’t as exciting as I anticipated.”
“Are you okay?”
“That seems to be a matter of some debate.”
“True, but I meant physically. I assume Gavin hasn’t visited and ripped out your soul?”
“That would make it difficult to answer the phone.”
“Ian.”
“Has something happened?”
“Neil showed up at the hospital.”
“Elysia?” His tone turned serious.
“She’s fine. Neil didn’t see her. We’re taking a cab to the Elemental Offices.”
“I could take you.”
“I just called. Xander’s there.”
A beat of silence. “Be careful, Addie—and protect my granddaughter.”
“I will.” I ended the call. We descended to the next floor and exited the stairwell, so we could take the elevator the rest of the way. I pressed the down button, not noticing that we were on Dr. Albright’s floor until I saw his name listed on the directory. It seemed a lifetime ago that Neil had approached me here, but it couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes. At least the crowd had dispersed.
“Ian asked about me?” Elysia asked.
“I know it doesn’t mesh with what you know of him, but he cares about you.”
“He doesn’t know me.”
“You’re Family. Didn’t you tell me that was something special in the necromancer world?”
“Yes.”
“Well, he sees you as his.”
The elevator dinged as it arrived, and running footfalls sounded behind me. I looked over my shoulder, expecting to see a flustered intern hurrying to catch the elevator, but instead, I saw Shirley, Dr. Albright’s secretary, run out of the hallway that led to his office. She skidded to a halt and her eyes locked with mine. She was crying.
“Shirley? What’s wrong?”
She hurried over to me. “Oh, Addie.” She took my hands in hers. “It’s Dr. Albright. He, he’s dead.”
I blinked. “What? How?” I had seen him no more than half an hour ago. Dr. Albright had always struck me as young for his years, but he was an elderly man. Maybe he had a heart attack or—
Shirley squeezed my hands, her grip painful. “I, I think he was murdered.”
Wait for it.
I released her and ran for his office, not stopping until I reached his open door. I stopped on the threshold and listened. Inside, there was only silence. I braced myself and walked into the room.
The office looked as it always had. Dr. Albright’s desk took up a good deal of the space near a wall dominated by windows. The bookshelves along the opposite wall were undisturbed, and his wool coat hung on the rack by the door. The only thing out of place was his chair. He always pushed it in when he left the room, but it was currently against the wall behind his desk.
“Addie?” Elysia whispered, stopping behind me.
I gestured for her to wait, then walked forward. I circled the desk, but even expecting it, I still gasped at the sight of Albright sprawled on the floor. He lay on his back, his kind face frozen in what might be terror. His white lab coat was unbuttoned, revealing the powder blue dress shirt he wore underneath. Three narrow inch-long tears marred the front of his shirt. Each tear saturated in his blood.
Elysia stepped up beside me. “Oh no.”
“Is he…” Shirley stood just inside the door, tears still spilling down her cheeks.
Elysia took a step forward and squatted beside him. She pressed her fingers to his throat, and I held my breath. In the distance, the elevator dinged again.
“He’s gone,” Elysia whispered.
Shirley covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Elysia rose to her feet and moved to my side. “Without my magic, I can’t be certain, but the wound…” She gripped my wrist. “Gavin uses his claws to rip out the soul.”
Oh God.
I hurried to where Shirley stood and gripped her shoulders. “Shirley, I need you to go call the PIA.”
She lowered her hands, staring at me through red, mascara-smeared eyes. “You think this is magical.”
I held her gaze. “Yes. If we act quickly, we might be able to catch the one responsible.” Was Neil still sitting in the parking lot, waiting to witness the commotion he had caused?
Shirley gave me a stiff nod, then hurried from the room.
I closed the door behind her and pulled out my phone. Ian answered on the second ring. I didn’t bother with a greeting. “Come to Dr. Albright’s office. Now.”
“Addie?”
“I think Gavin has been here.”
The line went dead, and an instant later, a portal opened a few feet away. I released a breath as Ian stepped out. His eyes met mine, then he turned toward Albright’s desk. He couldn’t see the body from where he stood, but I had no doubt that he could feel it.
Elysia stepped away as Ian moved closer.
He didn’t touch the body, he simply frowned at it.
“He’s so…clean.”
“Clean?” I asked.
“The work of a grim is distinct,” Elysia said, her tone still soft. “There are no echoes of the person he was. The body is clean.”
I frowned remembering Ian once mentioning the echoes of life that remained in a dead body. He had told me that was why zombies moaned when they were animated.
“He’s been soul ripped.” I pressed a hand to my chest. “It was Gavin.”
“Yes,” Ian answered, his eyes meeting mine. “I’m sorry.”
I slumped against the door behind me and covered my face with my hands. Albright was dead because of me. My stomach rolled over, and for a moment, I thought I might be physically sick. I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to shove down the nausea—and the despair.
Cold hands encircled my wrists, and Ian pulled my hands from my face. “Don’t.”
I looked up into his eyes, not certain what he was denying me.
He held my hands in place. “Blame the one responsible.”
I resisted the urge to shake my head, trying to follow his reasoning.
&
nbsp; “Neil killed Albright, not you. You gave an elderly, world-worn man a reason to get out of bed every morning.”
“I—”
Ian released me. “Call Rowan.”
Rowan, yes. I pulled out my phone and made my shaking fingers work long enough to select Rowan’s number. This time, I had his secretary put me through to him.
“Addie?”
I closed my eyes when I heard his voice, the movement forcing a pair of warm tears to roll down each cheek. “I need you,” I whispered.
“What happened?”
“Neil sent Gavin after Dr. Albright.”
“Where are you?”
“Albright’s office.”
“I’m on my way.”
The PIA arrived before Rowan did. The hallway was soon roped off with yellow crime scene tape, and I resorted to pacing in the increasingly more crowded area in front of the elevators. Elysia leaned against the wall a short distance away, while Ian occupied a bench across the open area from her.
The elevator dinged, and I turned toward it in eager anticipation—as I had every time it had dinged in the last twenty minutes. Pavlov’s dog had nothing on me.
A pair of men pushing a gurney stepped off the elevator, and I stopped my pacing to watch them steer it toward the hall to Albright’s office. I blinked back the fresh tears.
“Come sit beside me,” Ian said. He had moved to my side while I had been focused on the gurney. “We can discuss your ideas for the finder’s potion. I saw your notes.”
I smiled, knowing he was trying to distract me. The elevator dinged again, and I looked up. I was moving before I had a chance to register the gray robes and wonder why he had worn them. I threw my arms around Rowan’s waist and pressed my cheek to his chest.
“What took you so long?” I whispered.
“Traffic.” He hugged me tight, one hand brushing over the back of my head. He held me for one blissful moment.
“Come.” Rowan’s hand slid to the small of my back and guided me toward the hall to Dr. Albright’s office. We ducked beneath the tape, then rounded the corner, blocking us from view of the crowd outside the elevator.
Rowan stopped and faced me. “Tell me what happened.”
“Neil. He showed up at the hospital today.”
Rowan went still. “What did he do?” His expression was hidden beneath his hood, but his tone held that scary calm that always gave me chills.
“Nothing. He told me that I’m going to help him, and that I would be inspired to do so soon. I was afraid he would send Gavin after someone I cared about.” I laid a hand over his heart. “You—but I was wrong.”
He placed his hand over mine. “Did he tell you he intended to use Gavin?”
“He didn’t mention Gavin, and neither did I.”
“That seems to be a theme. Xander made no allusions to Gavin today, either. I even asked after Neil.”
“You did? What did he say?”
“He claimed he hasn’t seen him in months.”
“Even if I hadn’t seen him and Neil together yesterday, we know that’s not true. Ian left Neil on Xander’s doorstep last December.”
“I know.” He pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen in my face. “I don’t like it that Neil can show up like this. I wish I could forbid you from coming here without me.”
“But you know better than to forbid me anything.” He was finally learning.
“Actually, I’m far too busy to escort you everywhere, and you’re needed at the hospital.”
“Rowan.”
I caught a soft chuckle from the depths of his hood. He was messing with me.
“So why was Xander at the Offices today?” I asked.
“I asked him to visit on the pretense of meeting David and Sebastien.”
“But—”
“He already knows about the summit. I thought that if I involve him, he would be less likely to try something. Xander wants to be more within the magical community, by introducing him to the other power players as the leader of Old Magic in our part of the world, I might make him an ally against Neil’s machinations.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
“All Xander wants is to be recognized.”
“I doubt that’s all he wants, but it’s not Xander who worries me. It’s Neil. He openly despises his uncle, but he admitted to me that he still needs him. For what? Alexander’s location? Why? Alexander is supposed to be off the charts powerful, but he’s also bat shit crazy.”
“Ian told you this?”
“He didn’t use the term bat shit, but yeah.”
“Still, all the more reason to make nice with Xander and learn what I can.”
“I can’t talk you out of that, can I?”
“You can try.”
The door to Albright’s office opened, and a couple of men stepped out.
“The PIA is here?” Rowan asked, perhaps recognizing the men.
“I had Albright’s secretary call them. He was soul ripped. This is a magical matter.”
“Yes, but do you want to make them a target? Waylon doesn’t even know that the grim exists, let alone that we now have a rogue.”
I frowned. “Isn’t this his job? The PIA is supposed to handle magical crimes.”
“I let them think so, but in all honesty, no. They’re only human.”
“I’m only human.” Neil’s words came back to me and I fell silent, wondering how well he knew me.
“It’s been a long time since I thought of you like that.”
I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not, but didn’t get to voice either opinion before Elysia rounded the corner. She saw us and slowed, then stopped a few yards away.
I realized how close I stood to Rowan, my hand still pressed to his chest and his hand overlaying my own. I took a step back and turned to face her.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she said, “but I thought I would call a cab and head back to your place.”
“The limo’s outside,” Rowan said. “I’ll take you both back when we’re done here.”
“Thank you, Your Grace, but I’d like to go now.” She crossed her arms, hunching her shoulders as if cold.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Has Ian been making overtures of Family fealty?” I smiled, making the question a joke.
A small smile curled her mouth, but faded quickly. “No.” She glanced to the side before returning her gaze to mine. “Hospitals tend to be really…active. And I don’t have a defense against that right now.”
“Active?”
“Haunted,” Rowan said.
Elysia dipped her head. “Yes.”
“I thought you couldn’t see ghosts right now,” I said, recalling our earlier conversation.
“I can still feel and hear them.” She rubbed her crossed arms. “I thought I was going mad until James told me what was happening and chased them away.”
It occurred to me that going mad wasn’t just an expression to her. I stepped forward, intent on taking her hands and promising to get busy on her potion as soon as we returned to the lab, but her eyes suddenly widened as she stared past my shoulder. Another ghost? I turned, not expecting to see anything and gasped.
Two brown-robed men stopped a few feet away. Like Rowan, their hoods hid their features, but I didn’t need to see their faces to recognize Xander Nelson and his son Doug.
Chapter
8
“Deacon.” Rowan walked over to greet them. “I didn’t realize you were coming.”
“It didn’t occur to me until after you left,” Xander said, his face in shadow, but his tone warm. “If there has been a murder, we might be able to help. I believe you found Doug’s assistance useful last December.”
&nbs
p; “Yes, I did.” Rowan gestured toward Albright’s open door. “I have not visited the scene myself, but—”
Xander placed a hand on Rowan’s shoulder. “He was a friend. I understand. Come, we will face it together.”
“Thank you.”
Xander patted his shoulder before removing his hand. “It never gets any easier.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Sincerity colored Rowan’s words.
The two men moved off down the hall, but it wasn’t until they’d walked into Albright’s office that I realized that Doug hadn’t followed. He had stopped beside us.
“Oh joy,” I said. “It’s the lord of the flies.”
Doug pushed back his hood. But his attention wasn’t on me. He was staring at Elysia. She was pretty, but I didn’t think that was what had Doug gazing at her in slack-jawed astonishment.
“She cured you,” he whispered.
Elysia frowned. “No, she hasn’t. I’m wearing contacts. I’m sure you’re pleased.”
“That you’re still stunted? Of course not,” he said, heat entering his tone.
“Do you two know each other?” I asked.
“Yes.” Elysia continued to glare at Doug. “He’s the reason Neil got the opportunity to stunt me.”
“What?” I asked.
“I told you,” Doug kept his voice low, “I didn’t know what Neil was up to.”
“He was involved in your confrontation with Neil?” I asked Elysia, waving a hand at Doug.
“Doug agreed to help me unbind James.”
Oh shit. Doug knew about James. My hand drifted to my ribs and vials hidden there, though there was nothing I could do now.
“Did you tell your father about James?” she asked Doug.
“No.”
“Too embarrassed that you failed to take him from me?”
His frown matched hers. “No.”
“Then why keep silent?”
Doug met her angry gaze. “Because the only way to subvert the soul bond between the two of you is to Make you.”