“Hours?”
That placed him here during my baby shower. How could he be in town and not pop in to say hello? I hadn’t seen him in months. The snub had my vision going wobbly, and I bit my bottom lip to keep it from trembling too.
“Aww.” She wiped my cheeks dry with a tissue. “Hormones suck.”
“They really, really do,” I agreed with a sad little hiccup. “I’m over this weepy crap.”
“You don’t have long to go,” she reminded me, stuffing a fresh tissue into my hand. “Focus on the positive.”
After blowing my nose, I reined in my emotions, hating how easily they slipped their leash. “Thanks.”
“Corbin must be here on assignment. He would have been knocking down your door otherwise.”
“Addie didn’t mention Boaz was in town either.”
“You’ve been in a relationship with Boaz. Do you honestly think he tells her everything?”
“No.” The life of an Elite was rife with secrets. “But that doesn’t mean it’s what he wants.”
“You’re still a sucker where he’s concerned.”
“And you’ll hold a grudge until the sun burns out.”
“Now you’re just being rude. I’m not that old.”
Age was a number Lethe had never shared with me. Gwyllgi lived a long time. The ones with more fae blood lived the next best thing to forever, and she was descended from an ancient bloodline in Faerie.
“This is not great news.” I rubbed my arms. “Either she suspected this might happen, or the Elite did.”
Since she hadn’t told Linus, I was betting the Elite had the inside track and had left us out of the loop.
“That’s how I interpret it.” She flagged down Hood, and he trotted over then shifted. “Well?”
“She took a ride with a necromancer.” He breathed heavily. “I lost them once they hit the main road.”
Given this new information, necromancer might mean Boaz, which was good news.
As much as I hated asking, I would rather do it without Linus present. “Blood?”
“Not that I could scent. She got in the car of her own free will, or her captor was gentle with her.”
A ransom was our best hope for resolving this situation without scandal. That would fit with a necromancer handling her with kid gloves until they contacted Linus with how many zeroes it would cost us to get her back.
The alternative, that she got in the car willingly, even with Boaz, was a puzzle piece gummed by a toddler into unrecognizable mush. It made no sense. Why leave without telling Marco? Or her maid? Or Linus?
“This is when I would suggest to Linus that he call his mother and ask her to put us in touch with Boaz.” I had no other means of tracking him when he was deep undercover, and even she had trouble locating Corbin when he was on assignment. “Since that’s not an option, we’re going to have to go at this from another angle.”
Hood wiped the sweat from his brow. “What do you have in mind?”
“Let’s check in with Linus first.” I glanced over my shoulder. “We need more details before I attempt this.”
“All right.” Lethe didn’t sound happy about it. “He still upstairs?”
“Yeah.” I huffed out a breath like I was the one who had been running. “The grand staircase might as well be a StairMaster.”
“You need to get off your feet.” She winced at them. “Your ankles look like they swallowed oranges.”
Hood appeared at my elbow with a chair borrowed from the dining room before I noticed he had left. The extreme ladder-back wasn’t comfortable, but I sighed with relief to get the weight off my feet.
Squirming on the hard seat, I tried to settle, but there was too much of me and too little of it. “Do you think Linus will still love me if I don’t lose the baby weight?”
“You’re the center of his universe, Grier.” Lethe chuckled. “He won’t care if his universe expands.”
“Women underrate how incredibly sexy they are while they’re pregnant,” Hood contributed. “There’s a primal tug in your gut when your mate is carrying your child.” Crimson sparked in his eyes. “That doesn’t go away after the baby is born.”
“Neither do stretch marks,” I grumbled. “Neely told me to call them tiger stripes.”
“Fierce.” Lethe tilted her head. “I can’t use it because cat, but I fully endorse it for you.”
Clipped footsteps drew my attention toward the stairs as Linus took them at an easy lope that spoke of familiarity from a lifetime of doing that exact thing in that exact way. The maid followed at a more sedate pace, and she huddled into her uniform.
“Are you feeling well?” Linus didn’t stop until his shoe tapped the leg of my chair. “I saw you sitting out here and…”
“I’m good.” I rotated my ankles. I assumed. I mean, I felt like I was going through the motions, but I couldn’t see my feet to be certain it was happening. “My nemesis strikes again.”
Linus knelt and took first one ankle and then the other in his cool hands, his fingers tickling over the swollen joints, and his touch was better than an ice pack.
“We need to get you home.” He stared up at me. “Otherwise, I’ll be carrying you straight up to bed.”
“I wouldn’t complain.” I touched his flushed cheek to draw his attention. “Are you done here?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s my turn.” I palmed my knife. “Bring me the maid.”
The order caused an unexpected reaction, in that the maid overheard and zoomed off at a sprint.
“I did not see that coming,” I said to Cletus, who materialized behind me as the others rushed after her.
Cletus, a wraith of few moans, bobbed on unfelt air currents in solidarity.
Four
Linus growled low in his throat, the howling void in his head screaming at him to give chase, and he did. A tide of fear swept through him for Grier, but he refused to let it drown him. Her pregnancy was a test of his resolve to let her continue on as the strong, independent woman she had grown into rather than swaddling her and leaving her safe behind the wards at Woolworth House.
History had proven there was no such thing as safe for them, and his mother’s disappearance reaffirmed that belief.
“I can’t believe you left her alone.” Hood shot him a sideways glance. “I’m proud of you.”
“Don’t be.” A smile tickled the corner of his mouth. “I drew an impervious sigil on her ankle.”
The gwyllgi barked out a laugh then let the transformation have him, emerging on all fours in a splash of crimson magic.
The fastest of them, Lethe snapped her teeth at Josephine’s heels, and the maid wailed in fright.
Only a fool ran from predators. As a vampire, she ought to know better.
One misstep cost Josephine, and the maid went down hard on her stomach with Lethe poised over her, teeth at her nape.
Hood arrived next, his tongue lolling in a doggy grin at his mate that she returned with a tail wag.
Linus slowed to a prowl, and black mist wafted from his skin as his cloak and cowl settled around him.
“Why did you run?” He squatted in front of Josephine. “You must be aware of how that makes you look.”
“I’m a-a-afraid of dogs,” she panted, her fangs slicing into her bottom lip. “Please, get it off me.”
A rumble from the it in question caused the maid’s pleading to taper into a squeak.
Magic splashed across the floor as Hood traded one skin for another.
“You reek of old fear.” He prowled closer. “You’ve been stewing in your panic for hours.”
Meaning the gwyllgi had merely tipped the already precarious balance of her emotional state.
“N-n-no.” She squeezed her eyes shut and produced pinkish tears. “Please.”
“Why wait until Grier called for you?” Linus pressed. “You chose that precise moment to run.”
“I don’t want magic used on me.”
“You’re
animated with necromantic magic,” he said, cold seeping into his voice. “How is this different?”
“She’s not like the rest of you,” Josephine rasped. “She’s…”
“My wife.” Linus gestured to Hood. “Bring her to the Lyceum for formal questioning.”
The vampire and necromancer communities had yet to heal from the wounds inflicted on them by Gaspard Lacroix. His ties to Grier meant she was as often revered for being his granddaughter as she was reviled for it. As dedicated as his mother was to Grier’s success, albeit often for her own reasons, it struck him as odd she would continue employing a maid with such leanings.
“I’ve got this,” Grier huffed from her efforts to catch up to them. “Get her on her knees.”
Josephine thrashed in their hold, careful not to lash out and harm Grier, which he found peculiar despite the fact the maid must know how poorly it would end for her if Grier was harmed. There was more to this than he perceived, but Grier appeared to have an inkling, and he trusted her judgment.
“I prefer to do this with consent,” she told Josephine. “Do I have yours?”
The maid pinched her lips closed and shook her head.
“I prefer it.” Grier palmed her trusty pocketknife. “I don’t require it.”
The blade bit into the meat of her palm, and she used a fingertip to draw two complex sigils on the maid’s forehead.
“This sigil will compel you to answer my questions.” She tapped the first one’s center, and a pulse of gentle magic swept through the room. “This one will give us a visual indicator if you’re telling the truth.”
The maid trembled, but she gave no other outward indication of her nerves.
As usual, Grier started Josephine off easy to get a baseline reading. “Are you a maid in this household?”
“Yes, miss.” The words popped out of her mouth, and her eyes rounded. “I am.”
Green rolled across her irises, and Grier gave a thumbs-up to the room before getting serious.
“Are you employed by the Grande Dame?”
“Yes, miss.”
Green.
“Do you have wings?”
Surprise jerked her gaze to Grier’s face. “No, miss.”
Green.
The easy cadence of Grier’s voice hardened. “Are you afraid of dogs?”
“Yes, miss.”
Red.
“Are you afraid of gwyllgi?”
“Yes, miss.”
Red.
“Have you ever been harmed by a gwyllgi?”
“Yes, miss.”
Red.
“Okay.” Grier massaged her lower back, and Linus fought his instinct to suggest she rest before she continued the interrogation. “You’re lying through your fangs here, Josephine.”
“No, miss.” Her eyes shimmered with unspent tears. “I’m telling the truth.”
Red.
“Do you see my ankles? These are not the ankles of a patient woman. Tell us what you know, or I’ll let my husband bring you in for questioning.”
Despite the circumstances, Linus had to admit, it warmed him to the bone each time Grier referred to him as hers.
Tears slipping free, Josephine shook her head in stark refusal.
“Did you have anything to do with the Grande Dame’s disappearance?”
“No, miss.”
Green.
“Do you know where she’s gone?”
“No, miss.”
Green.
“Does the secret you’re hiding have anything whatsoever to do with the Grande Dame?”
“No, miss.”
Red.
“Lethe will eat you,” Grier warned, massaging her forehead, “and I will let her.”
Josephine’s gaze shot to Linus, pleading with him, but he had no intentions of protecting her when his mother’s life was at stake.
“Tell us what you know,” Linus said, the words crisp in his mouth, “and you will come to no harm.”
Slow footsteps approached, and Marco appeared in the entryway. “She’s covering for me.”
“Covering how? And what?” Grier narrowed her eyes on him. “I cleared you of any wrongdoing.”
“Josephine and I have been involved for the last six months.” He only had eyes for her. “Madam forbade us to see each other after catching us kissing in the yard. It was after hours, and we were on our own time, but Madam doesn’t believe in allowing her employees to become romantically involved because of the potential of upheaval to her household.”
From the landscaping crew, Josephine must have experienced the keenness of gwyllgi noses. No wonder she ran before they got close enough to scent her emotions. Pity she had feared the wrong predator. His wife was infinitely more dangerous.
“That does sound like one of Mother’s policies,” Linus admitted, studying Josephine’s stark relief at Marco’s arrival. “What I don’t understand is why you would rather face justice at the Lyceum than confess your relationship to us.”
“I was hoping to call your bluff,” she said softly. “Madam’s disappearance must remain a secret.”
“Sneaky.” Grier appraised the woman with a keener eye. “I can see why the Grande Dame likes you.”
“Adapt to survive.” Josephine kept her head down. “This position is the best I can hope for, and I would be a fool to throw it away.”
“We’re all fools in love.” Grier swung her head toward Linus, and he struggled not to go to her, scoop her up off her swollen feet, and carry her home. “But we can’t afford to be blind in this matter.” She exhaled through her teeth. “Let’s get comfortable, and then we’re all going to talk. At the end of our conversation, I’ll decide if we’re taking you in for further questioning.”
The vampire’s jaw dropped open in clear shock Grier would risk the controversy.
“I’m the Potentate of Savannah,” Grier reminded her. “Unlike my softhearted husband, who has passing familiarity with you, I won’t flirt with the idea of the Lyceum and exposure. I’ll take you to a secure location, where no one will hear or see what I do to you. We’re not just talking any citizen of Savannah here, or merely your employer.”
“She’s the Grande Dame,” Josephine murmured in understanding.
“She’s my mother-in-law,” Grier corrected her. “She’s family. No one messes with my family.”
Josephine flicked her gaze down to Grier’s rounded belly, a question in her eyes.
“I took an oath to protect this city and everyone in it.” Grier rubbed her stomach. “That doesn’t change because I’m pregnant. If anything, pregnancy has given me teeth.” She bared hers. “This is the city, and the world, I’m bringing my child into, you see. It’s more than a promise to the citizens of Savannah, it’s a promise to my son.”
“A son?” Her eyes watered. “Madam will be thrilled.” Josephine pulled the tattered edges of her pride together. “You can question us in the informal living room, if you like. There’s an armchair in there with an ottoman that will make you more comfortable.”
“Thank you.” Grier reached for Linus, and he was helpless to resist sliding his hand into hers. “That sounds lovely.”
Slowly, Linus guided Grier to the room where he had played as a child. He hadn’t been allowed to do more than sit on the sofa, and the area rug was an antique, so he had spent much of his time curled up reading rather than roughhousing.
A frown tugged at his lips, and he wondered how Grier saw the room through the lens of an adult about to have a son of her own. If she found it as cold and empty as his memories.
“Don’t picture yourself here,” she murmured for his ears alone. “Woolly is your home now.”
Woolworth House was the only home he had ever known. This was simply the house where he grew up, the place where he returned after school. It had never been the haven he found in Woolly.
“Also?” She leaned in as he helped her sit on the promised chair. “Our kid will grow up dirty, messy, and running wild through the woods with
gwyllgi pups.” She kissed his cheek. “This isn’t a future you need to picture for LJ, either.”
“LJ?”
“Linus Junior.” She made it sound obvious. “Linus Andreas Woolworth?” A line bisected her brow. “Or would it be Linus Andreas Lawson Woolworth IV?” She waved a hand. “You’ll have to figure that one out.”
The swell of emotion behind his breastbone gave him chest pains as he sat on the arm of her chair to hide the weakness in his knees.
“We don’t have to follow tradition,” he managed. “You can choose a name of your own.”
“I like your name.” She patted his thigh. “Besides, LJ has potential as a nickname.”
The room contracted as it hit him, this conversation somehow more real than the ultrasound photos.
They were having a baby.
An actual child.
A son.
Linus Andreas Woolworth.
LJ.
“Josephine, sit on the ottoman, please.” Grier drew fresh blood and used it to paint a sigil on Josephine’s forehead. “Let’s start at the top, shall we?” She glanced at Marco. “You’re next. You might as well make yourself comfortable.” She returned her attention to a quivering Josephine. “This is going to take a while.”
Five
Forbidden romance aside, Josephine and Marco had nothing to hide. I was relieved to have two people on the inside who could field calls and visitors until we located the Grande Dame. The promise I gave them in return—not to out their secret love to their boss—was worth their cooperation.
As much as I hated to admit it, the only solid leads we had stumbled across involved Boaz and Corbin.
Corbin, due to the circumstances of his resuscitation, was watched by his superiors among the sentinels as well as the Grande Dame and the Lyceum as a whole. The rarity of a Deathless vampire had much to do with it, and the potential for exploitation of his talents covered the rest.
While Boaz’s duties as an Elite posted in Savannah overlapped somewhat with Corbin’s assignments as a sentinel assigned to the same general area, I wasn’t aware of them being chummy. However, I could see TPTB partnering them in this particular instance.
As paranoid as the Grande Dame was and had every right to be, she responded more favorably to those she knew and trusted. The sentinels were aware of her preferences and tended to allow her to handpick her guards when she required them. I saw no reason why they wouldn’t do the same this time.
How to Rattle an Undead Couple (The Beginner's Guide to Necromancy Book 9) Page 5