Hailey Edwards - [Beginner's Guide to Necromancy 03] - How to Break an Undead Heart

by Edwards

  “I want to believe we can all find at least one person to show our true faces.”

  Curious, he glanced over at me. “Boaz is that person for you?”

  “Sometimes.” I mulled over my answer. “I show him the best of what’s left, but he’s seen the worst too. We’ve known each other forever. It’s impossible to hide your whole self from someone for that long. You can keep corners of your heart secret, but that’s about it.”

  “Hmm.”

  The flashing number slowed as we reached his floor. “What does that mean?”

  “I envy you,” he confessed. “I don’t have that. I have too many secrets to be open with any one person.” He followed me into the hall. “You’re the closest I’ve gotten.”

  “Oh, come on.” I forced a laugh to shatter the quiet moment. “You can’t tell me you and Meiko don’t do the pillow-talk thing. I’ve seen your pillowcases. They’re covered in cat hair.”

  Card in hand, he hesitated. “I’m not sure it makes any difference, but I want you to know that Meiko and I…” A flush rose up his pale throat. “She might appear as a woman when the mood strikes her, but it’s an illusion. Beneath her magic, no matter how real she might otherwise appear, she’s anatomically a cat.”

  Embarrassment flared in my cheeks, because I was mortified to realize it did matter. “I’ll admit I was curious.”

  “I’ve long believed that’s how her favorite game developed,” he admitted. “She was gifted, or cursed, with higher awareness, and she wants to be more. She wants to be human, or something like it.”

  “She got someone hurt tonight,” I reminded him. “There’s no excuse for that behavior.”

  Smile curling his lips, he huffed out a laugh. “I’m open to suggestions.”

  “I’m willing to design wards to keep her out of your apartment,” I said sweetly.

  “Don’t tempt me.” He let me into the apartment. “I must return to Strophalos. A few of the tests we initiated earlier will be ready by now, and Reardon can’t enter his office until I remove the wards.”

  “I can entertain myself,” I assured him. “I brought a book to read. I might go soak for a while and lose myself in a small town where only a postal worker and her dog can unravel the mystery of who is killing the people on her route.”

  His eyes sparkled. “Sounds riveting.”

  “Don’t mock me,” I said primly. “I’m expanding my intellectual horizons.”

  “You’ll have to loan it to me when you finish. Perhaps I’ll pick up some sleuthing tips.”

  The reminder of his job curdled my stomach, but I tamped down the roiling so as not to wound him.

  “I’ll do that.” I did a cursory check of the loft and found it empty. “Can you do me a favor?”

  “Name it.”

  Sucker. “Can you keep Meiko busy for a few hours so I can enjoy some peace and quiet?”

  “I’ll bring her to Strophalos with me.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can set up temporary wards to prevent her from escaping my office. Her magic nullifies mine, so I can’t promise how long it will last.”

  It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what good a familiar that nullified rather than amplified magic was to him, but every second the door stood open was an opportunity for her to snake between his legs and ruin my relaxation time. “Your sacrifice is greatly appreciated.”

  “Cletus will remain in the area, and I’ll check in before I return home in case you need anything.”

  “That sounds perfect.” I cheered up on the spot. “Be thinking about food.” I rubbed my hands together, stomach growling. “I vote you pick up takeout on your way back, and we binge on cartoons until dawn.”

  And pretend today never happened.

  “We can do that.” He ducked his head, but it failed to hide the curve of his cheek. “Enjoy your evening.”

  “You too.” I waved him off then got down to the business of bumming around. The one thing missing from my stash was bubble bath, but shampoo would do in a pinch, and I had no doubt his was top-drawer. “Relaxation, here I come.”

  While the tub filled, I gathered pajamas and toiletries. Stripping out of Meiko’s selections made me feel lighter. It wasn’t, I assured myself, because of what Linus had confessed. With a hiss, I sank into the hot, fragrant water and allowed its warmth to lull me. Aches and pains deep in my muscles, reminders of the accident, had flared up during the scuffle with the guy on campus, and the heat felt delicious.

  I closed my eyes long enough to gather my willpower to not think about what Boaz was doing that was so much more important than calling me, but when I opened them, darkness shrouded the room.

  “Meiko,” I growled. “This isn’t funny. Turn the light back on.”

  Aggravating cat must have given Linus the slip and sneaked back up to the loft to torment me.

  “Meiko?”

  A rattling noise curved my hands around the edges of the tub. Thanks to my keen night vision, I could tell the doorknob rattling wasn’t the one in here, but that meant…

  Someone wanted in the apartment.

  Meiko had a keycard. I’d seen her brandishing it earlier. Otherwise, she couldn’t come and go as she pleased while under residential protection. And if she hadn’t answered the door, that meant she wasn’t here.

  There was no love lost between us. I had no doubt she would swing it wide open if a vampire horde descended upon the Faraday in search of me. Her absence erased any hope the lights might be a trick. The power had either been cut to the apartment or to the entire building. Not good.

  Quick as I dared, I stood and toweled off, yanking on my pajamas and twisting my wet hair into a soggy bun I secured at my nape. I sucked in a deep breath and cracked open the door, exhaling when no one jumped out to grab me.

  On tiptoe, I crept up into the loft where I kept my bags and pulled out the travel kit I used to bring Eileen, ink, brushes, and the modified pen and its parts with me. I shoved them into my purse, swung it over my shoulder, then climbed back down to hide in the maze of clothing racks Meiko had yet to return.

  The rattle escalated to a fist pounding on the door in a steady beat that set my pulse hammering.

  The same wards that kept sound from escaping must not work in reverse since I heard it all so well.

  Whoever—whatever—was coming, I had to get out of here.

  The front door was the only way in or out of this apartment that I had seen, but that couldn’t be all. Linus was too paranoid for that. But first, I yanked on the pair of flats I’d discarded earlier and picked a knee-length jacket to shrug on over my pajamas. There was no time to change. I had to move. At least this would keep me modest if I lucked up and managed to hit the street.

  “Cletus,” I hissed. “Where are you?”

  Viscous darkness whirled on my periphery as he took form on the other side of the window.

  Fiddlesticks.

  I had forgotten he was banned from the building.

  Hand pressed to the glass, I peered down at the sheer drop to the alley below. “How do I get out of here?”

  The wraith indicated the latches and made a flipping motion.

  “I…don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Wood groaned and splintered behind me. “Okay, so maybe I’ll give it a try.”

  Once I wedged open the window, Cletus drifted closer, beckoning me to join him with a curl of his fingers.

  “I can’t fly.” I gulped as the warm breeze whipped stray hairs in my eyes. “You get that, right?”

  A moan sounding suspiciously like a sigh moved through him as he pointed down.

  “Yeah, I don’t want to go down.” I sank my nails into the windowsill. “Down bad.”

  Quicker than I could escape his chilly grasp, Cletus circled his bony fingers around my wrists and yanked me out the window.

  FOURTEEN

  I screamed bloody murder for a solid thirty seconds, even after my knees slammed against a metal grate. An invisible metal grate. Linus must have applied
obfuscation sigils to disguise his fire escape. Even knowing it was there, feeling it under my palms, I had trouble seeing past my panic well enough to bring it into focus.

  Wasting precious time, I took out my pen and drew amplification sigils across my forehead.

  A beat passed as they battered against the illusion and then shredded it to ribbons. I could see the metal landing where I sprawled as well as stairs zigzagging down, down, down. After pushing to my feet, I hit the first step, gripped the rails in both hands, and ran as fast as I dared.

  Cletus drifted in front of me, forcing me to acknowledge him, then pointed up at the window.

  “You’re going to hold them off?”

  The wraith nodded as he began to rise.

  “Be careful.”

  There was no point in calling Linus. The connection he shared with Cletus meant he had been notified the second the wraith grasped the situation. Linus could perceive through their bond, which meant he ought to have an idea of where I was headed. It also gave him an opportunity to catch a glimpse of my would-be attacker.

  Panting hard, I started tasting blood in the back of my throat but didn’t slow. I didn’t dare. I kept up my downward momentum, leaping over stairs, using my death grip to keep me on my feet when I stumbled on impact.

  An eternity later, I jumped from the last platform, hit the pavement hard enough to jar my bones, and rolled my ankle.

  Allowing myself a second to catch my breath, I drew an obfuscation sigil across the back of my left hand to make it difficult for others to see me then scribbled a healing sigil on my ankle while I was at it.

  Just as I straightened, ready to bolt for the busy street ahead, a furious roar belted out the window above me, and a massive body hit the fire escape with enough force to buckle the metal.

  Ankle barking with each step, I ran up the alley. The end was in sight when a hulking shadow crossed my path, tipping its nose skyward.

  Hood.

  A bone-rattling growl reached out to tickle my hindbrain, and it was all I could do not to scream when he rushed me.

  With no weapons and nowhere to hide, I flung myself to the side, smashing my shoulder against the brick wall as he barreled past. Expecting him to slide into a spin and come at me again, I was stunned when he hit the fire escape and started climbing.

  Cletus brushed my cheek with cool fingers, shocking me back to myself, and I sprinted for the sidewalk and the cover of sweet, sweet pedestrians.

  Dialing Tony was out of the question. I didn’t have time to wait for a pickup, and I didn’t want to embroil another human in our world. Figuring the next best thing was a good old yellow taxi, I flagged one down as it passed.

  I was belted in and headed for Strophalos within minutes, leaving the chaos at the Faraday in my wake. The one thing I hadn’t considered was the fact humans can’t see the campus, let alone enter it. And, I remembered after paying my fare, neither could I without a staff member to get me inside the wards.

  Fingers shaking, I dialed Linus and waited for him to answer.

  He didn’t.

  “Cletus.” I ended the call and started dialing again. “Fetch Linus.”

  The wraith rippled in the air, ignoring the order to leave my side as my second call connected.

  “Grier?”

  “Boaz.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “I don’t suppose you have any friends in Atlanta? Or friends at Strophalos?”

  “Yes to both.”

  “Friends who might be persuaded to let me in and hide me for a bit?”

  “What the hell is going on?”

  “Someone tried to break into Linus’s apartment while I was there. I escaped, but I wasn’t thinking, and I came to Strophalos, but I can’t get through the wards without a faculty member.” I was rambling, my tongue tripping over every other word. “I called Linus, but he’s not answering his phone, and I don’t know what to do.”

  “He left you alone?” Boaz growled. “I thought he was smart.”

  “It’s not his fault. I should have been safe at the Faraday.”

  “The Faraday?” A moment of stunned silence followed. “Of course that’s where he lives.”

  “Can you help me or not?”

  “Don’t budge. I’ll use your phone to pinpoint your location. We’ve got a guy on the inside. He’s posing as a janitor. He can let you in and keep you safe. Don’t leave his side until Linus comes for you.”

  “Okay.” I bobbed my head like he could see me. “I can do that.”

  “Talk to me, baby,” he coaxed. “Quiet on your end makes me want to kill things.”

  “You called me baby.”

  “Did I?”

  “Yes.” I kept sweeping the area for signs of my escort. “When a guy calls a girl something as unflattering as Squirt, she notices when he mixes things up.”

  “Ah, but you’ll always be my Squirt.” His rough chuckle had me rolling my eyes. “What are you wearing?”

  “Really?” I laughed and felt better for it. “That’s what you want to know right now?”

  “I have to tell Victor what to look for,” he lied smoothly.

  Glancing down, I fessed up to my wardrobe choices. “Pink pajama shorts with white polka dots, a pink camisole, and a knee-length charcoal pea coat. I’m also wearing what used to be white ballet flats, if that helps.”

  “Grier?” He sounded far too reasonable in that moment. “How would he see your pajamas to ID them?”

  “I never belted the coat.” I didn’t much see the point now. “My taste in sleepwear is on display for everyone to see.” A husky groan rattled in his throat, and I flushed. “I miss you growling at me.”

  “I miss growling at you too.” A soft curse fell from his lips like he hadn’t meant to say that, but he came back at me, all business. “There’s an elderly man wearing a navy uniform walking your way. He’s pulling a trash can on wheels behind him and wearing an Atlanta Braves ball cap. Do you have a visual?”

  “No. Wait.” I bumped into Cletus, who seemed more substantial than ever, trying to get a better view. “Yes. I see him.”

  “I’ll stay on the line until you’re inside the wards.”

  Throat going tight, I admitted, “That’s more than I thought I’d get.”

  “I’m always here for you, you know that.”

  “It hasn’t felt that way lately.” I took a chance and told him the truth. “I need you.”

  His voice broke on my name. “Grier…”

  “Ms. Woolworth?” The janitor—sentinel?—grunted in my direction. His stooped shoulders and the graying hair frizzing from under his cap made him look old, but the way he moved… “Young lady, belt your coat. You can’t walk around campus flashing your goods. It’s not allowed.”

  “Give me a break. The disguise isn’t that good.” Boaz snorted. “He’s nineteen and still wet behind the ears.”

  “That Boaz?” Victor, the sentinel janitor, asked while digging in his pockets.

  “Yes,” I told him, ignoring Boaz. “Would you like to say something to him?”

  “A janitor using a student’s phone would look far more suspicious than one letting a student in who forgot her keycard. Trust me, I do this all day. I can’t remember the last time I touched a bag of trash. I might as well wear track shoes and let them call me the concierge.” He reached through the wards, taking my hand in his. “Stop sidetracking me, whippersnapper.”

  One big step got me through, but Strophalos had been compromised too. There was no safety to be found here. “Thank you.”

  After releasing my hand, Victor tipped his can back on its wheels and started rolling. “This is a hell of a lot more interesting than what I would be doing otherwise.”

  “Poor newb,” Boaz tsked. “He’s tired of babysitting rich geeks. He doesn’t get that’s ninety percent of the job.”

  Pretending the jab at the High Society didn’t hurt, I asked, “Why don’t you tell him?”

  “And ruin all the fun?” I heard a smile in his voice. �
�He’ll become a disillusioned soldier all too soon. Let him enjoy the fantasy. The reality will never measure up to what he’s got cooking in his head. See, he was a voluntary enlistment. He really does want to be out there saving the world one necromancer at a time.”

  “He still yammering?” Victor kept his voice pitched low and added a creaky note to it now that we were on campus. “Goddess knows he loves to hear himself talk.”

  “I was wrong,” Boaz deadpanned. “Tell him the truth. All of it. About the early mornings starching uniforms and shining boots, the hours standing statue-still at assemblies while fighting for your life not to fall asleep and face-plant in front of our charges, the crap pay and constant travel, being at the beck and call of every necromancer with a shred of power and the ability to pick up a phone and dial in an order for their very own sentinel.”

  “Your bitterness is showing,” I teased to snap him out of his anti-High Society rhetoric. “Tuck it back in before your superior officer notices.”

  He didn’t snark back or laugh or give any of the responses I expected, and that made my stomach churn.

  “We need to talk,” he said. “Soon.”

  Full-blown cramps tightened my gut. “This isn’t good news, is it?”

  “You need to get somewhere safe, and I…” He bit off the thought. “We’ll talk soon. I promise.”

  Boaz ended the call before I could thank him or say goodbye, and I was halfway to dry heaves wondering what he meant. We need to talk was code for this isn’t working in relationships, but we had barely gotten started. How could he know this was a bust when we hadn’t gotten to try? Maybe slow and careful wasn’t how the race was won, but if he wasn’t willing to pace himself, then we never had a chance.

  “I thought you were a myth,” Victor murmured, keeping his head forward to make it look a little less like he was shadowing me. “To hear Boaz tell it, you’re the ideal to which all other women should aspire. And yes, he used those words. Must be the wearing-pajamas-in-public thing. I can see how that would appeal.”

  “Yeah.” Not really feeling it, I put away my phone. “That must be it.”

  Picking up on my weird mood, he tucked away the personal questions. “Where are we headed?”