A loud sneeze blasted from Hood as he entered the living room. He glanced up at me through red-rimmed eyes and sneezed again. Water poured down his cheeks, and snot dripped from his nose.
He looked like someone had hosed him with pepper spray.
“What’s wrong?” I gripped his arm when he swayed. “Hood?”
“Get him outside.” Linus took his other side. “He needs fresh air.”
Thankfully, Hood walked out under his own power. He allowed me to navigate since his puffy eyes were swelling closed. With his sinuses blocked, he was nose-blind too. Depending on me was a huge show of faith for a predator, and I firmed my grip on him, determined to be worthy of his trust.
“The house…” he panted, “…has been…dusted with powdered…bronze.”
“They expected a gwyllgi.” I helped Linus ease Hood down onto the sand. “Don’t move.”
Hood wrapped his palm around my ankle. “Where are you going?”
“To the van.” I rested a hand on his shoulder. “I’m going to get some water out of the fridge so we can flush out your eyes.”
“Stay with him.” Linus cut me a look over Hood’s head. “I’ll fetch the water.”
I mouthed Thank you then knelt beside Hood. With his senses impaired, he was bristling for a fight. As someone he had sworn to protect, that he claimed as pack, he was fighting instincts that must be howling at him to act to keep me safe even though he was the one who had been attacked.
“Do you want me to call Lethe?” I let him keep his grip on my leg. “Do you need a healer?”
“Yes.” He coughed, his breath whistling through his abused lungs. “Both.” His eyes, red-rimmed and puffy, focused on me. “Tell her what happened, but don’t let her get near me until I’m clean.”
Linus returned with a few bottles in hand and passed them to me. “What can I do?”
“Call Lethe.” I cracked open the first lid. “He’s going to need medical attention prior to her arrival.”
“Hopefully,” Linus said, dialing as he walked away, “she’ll take this news better with a full stomach.”
“I’m going to pour this water over your face,” I told Hood. “Hands down. Don’t touch your eyes.”
A growl pumped through his chest, his hand tightening on my ankle, but he held still.
“One bottle down, three more to go.” I watched Linus out of the corner of my eye. “Almost done.”
“We need to sterilize him before he gets around Lethe,” Linus said, rejoining us, “or in the van.”
“I didn’t even think about contamination.” I looked at him. “We’ve been exposed too.”
The van cost too much to risk its functionality. That left us with two options. Neither were great.
“Open your eyes.” I finished with Hood and collected the bottles. “Better?”
“Before it felt like someone had blowtorched my eyeballs.”
“And now?” I prompted him.
“More like someone sandpapered them.”
“Sounds like progress to me.” I passed the empties to Linus, who walked the trash over to the bulky can waiting at the curb for pickup. “Just sit tight, and we’ll figure this out.”
Linus crossed back while pressing buttons on his phone, and I got a bad feeling about his plan of action. Not that I had a better one.
“I called Mother’s driver. The Lyceum is sending someone for Hood. They’ll take him to the Elite barracks on Habersham Street, stick him under a shower, then arrange for a ride to Woolworth House in a different vehicle.” Linus pocketed his phone. “The driver will take Hood to the healer then pick up Lethe and drop her off there.”
“That takes care of them.” I got to my feet and helped Hood to his. “What about us?”
“I made arrangements” was all he said, but he didn’t seem happy about them. That all but guaranteed I wouldn’t be either.
“You searched the house earlier.” I aimed the comment at Linus. “Why didn’t the bronze dust affect Hood when he met us at Woolly?”
“I sent Cletus in to scout,” Linus admitted. “After I tested the door and found it unlocked, I thought it best to leave the house undisturbed. There weren’t enough shadows for a lengthy reconnaissance, since wraiths can’t manifest in daylight, but I did the best I could under the circumstances.”
The force of his meaning struck me, that he was preserving evidence, and I almost wished I had left well enough alone.
This really was a crime scene now, but not for the reason I first imagined. Dusting the house with powdered bronze had been a deliberate act of malice.
“Lethe might have miscarried if she’d breathed in enough of that poison,” Hood said, his voice scratchy.
Thank the goddess for small mercies. Lethe was safe inside Woolly and not mired in the sand with her mate.
“Odette didn’t leave of her own free will.” The confirmation rocked me. “She was taken.”
“You said she was visiting a client.” Linus lifted his head. “Do you have any idea who?”
“Confidentiality agreements tied her hands.” I had no clue who used her, and her clients banked on that anonymity. “All she told me was she made allowances for him that she wouldn’t for anyone else. It made me think they must have become friends over the years. She did say he was one of her first and still one of her best clients.”
“One of her first,” he said, sounding thoughtful. “That might help us narrow the scope of possibilities.”
A sleek car painted the exact shade of wet blood pulled into the driveway, and a man in a suit stepped out wearing the blank expression of someone who did as his employer required without asking questions. He got within several feet of us before Hood caught his scent and started growling.
“It’s your ride,” I murmured, soothing his overprotective instincts. “No worries.”
His grumble implied he wasn’t thrilled to be crammed into a car with a stranger but would cooperate.
“We got this,” I called to the driver. “Can you open the door?”
“Yes, Dame Woolworth.”
With help from Linus, I wedged my shoulder under Hood’s armpit, and we lifted him together.
“Do you want me to ride with you?” A cold sweat broke along my skin. “You don’t have to go alone.”
“I can’t afford to show more weakness,” he panted. “Not after the challenge to Lethe. The pack will have eyes everywhere, and I can’t let them see me like this.”
“We’ll send Cletus with you.” I made it an order. “He’s inconspicuous.”
A weak growl rattled up the back of his throat, but he didn’t press the issue as we stuffed him in.
“Cletus.” I waited for him to join us. “Can you escort Hood on his errands?”
The wraith fluttered overhead, his attention fixed on the bungalow.
“What is it?” I touched the wispy edge of his tattered cloak. “What do you see?”
Unable to voice an answer, he drifted lower, until he stared at me from his empty hood and extended a bony arm toward me. I reached out, and he dropped a white ark shell on my palm.
“Ah, thanks.” I turned it over in my hand. “Linus, any idea what this means?”
The bleached shell could fit on my fingertip, and it was perfect except for a tiny dot near the hinge made when a moon snail drilled a hole through the shell with the sharp teeth on its tonguelike radula.
A frown knitted his brow. “He’s not projecting to me.”
That probably wasn’t a great sign, but there was nothing to be done about it right this second.
Having given me his gift, the wraith took position over the car, ready to do his duty.
The driver gave us a polite nod then pulled away.
Once they were out of sight, I got antsy about this latest kink in Cletus’s wiring.
“Can you pick up on Cletus now?” I searched Linus’s face. “Can you see Hood?”
Black swallowed his eyes as he stared down the single lane. “Yes.”
“It’s been a while.” He tossed the can onto the growing pile in the front passenger floorboard. “You two go on vacation or something?”
“Bermuda.” I smiled brightly. “The triangle is awesome this time of year.”
Tony stroked the few scraggly hairs protruding from his chin. “Where are you headed?”
“Johnson Square.” Linus held the door for me then joined me on the bench seat. “Near the Nathanael Greene Monument.”
I shot him a look, but he wore the mask of Scion Lawson, and there was no prying up the edges for a peek underneath while in mixed company.
We rode in silence, minus the boisterous slurps from the front scent as another energy drink met its untimely death.
Ah, the fragrant scents of pepperoni, unwashed feet, and armpit funk.
I must be feeling nostalgic.
My eyes were certainly watering.
Linus slipped Tony his requisite fifty-dollar bill when the van slowed, and he had a grip on the handle before it came to a full stop. He got out, helped me onto the sidewalk, and we left our former driver before he finished swallowing.
After a few laps around the monument, I got curious about our destination. “Feel like going for a walk?”
“I wanted to make sure he was forced back into traffic. I don’t want him to see where we go next.”
I wanted to see where we went next. “Do you think the Marchands are still bankrolling him?”
“No.” He sounded certain of the fact. “Heloise is the one who struck the bargain. Eloise cut ties with him after he demanded payment for services rendered. She knew we were aware of his betrayal and that he was compromised. He is no longer of any use to her. She squared her sister’s account with him after using the app to book a ride across town, but she told him not to bother contacting her again.”
A coil of Spanish moss hit my shoe, and I scanned the old oaks overhead until I spotted the chittering squirrel responsible. “How do you know all this?”
“I planted a bug the last time we rode in his van.” Linus made no apologies for that fact. “My team has been monitoring him for weeks. The transmissions cut out a few days ago. We had the confirmation we needed, but I prefer to keep tabs on my enemies.”
Setting aside the fact he was playing spymaster, I wondered, “What happened to the original bug?”
“Filth.” He took a handkerchief from his pocket and unfolded the halves to expose a tiny device staining the fabric brownish-red. “He must have tossed a can or container in the back that jarred it loose. Some combination of pizza sauce and energy drink fried its circuits.” He rewrapped it and tucked it into his pocket. “I was more careful with placement this time, and the casing is waterproof.”
“Boys and their toys.” I bumped shoulders with him. “You’re kinda cute when you go all James Bond.”
“I didn’t tell you.” The curtain of his dark-auburn hair swung forward, hiding his expression. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not going to shake a finger at you and call you a liar if you forget to clue me in every now and then. You’re used to working alone, making your own decisions, and acting on them.” Easing my fingers through the silky length, I tucked a few strands behind his ear. “Don’t hold back with me about us, and I’m good.”
The way he palmed his nape and rubbed like he had narrowly avoided stretching his neck over the executioner’s block broke my heart. “It’s hard for me, letting you in.”
“I know.” I took his hand. “It’s not exactly easy for me, either.” I laced our fingers. “We’ll figure it out.”
“I have something to show you.” He searched the street one last time. “Promise you’ll let me explain before the screaming and hitting starts.” He ducked his head. “It’s not a gift, really.”
“Oh, goddess.” Dollar signs flashed in my mind’s eye. Linus might be getting better about showing his affection rather than buying it, but if he was warning me, he must have spent big. “This is going nowhere good.”
“Will you come with me?” His hesitation was priceless. “It’s not far.”
“I might as well.” I bit back a laugh. “I’m curious what’s put that look on your face.”
The last time he looked this particular combination of anxious and excited, he gave me Eileen.
We crossed left onto East Congress Street then took a right on Abercorn Street. On the corner of Abercorn and East Park Avenue sat a two-story house turned business with faded blue clapboard siding that had seen better days. A realtor’s sign stapled to the power pole out front read SOLD in red letters.
The bottom fell out of my stomach. “Tell me you didn’t buy that house.”
“I did.”
“You said it’s not a gift.”
“It’s not.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Technically,” he amended, “it’s not for you.”
“Then technically, who is it for?”
“Me.”
“You bought a house in Savannah?” I frowned at the eyesore. “That house?”
The address promised he had paid at least a half million dollars for the location, but the house itself was in sad condition. Only a significant cash infusion could save it, and love. Lots of love.
The keys jingled when he removed them from his pocket and unlocked the front door.
“The downstairs was originally an art gallery, but it’s been remodeled and reimagined several times over the years.” He glanced back at me. “Upstairs is a fully renovated two-bedroom, one-bath living area.”
“Are you…?” I stepped back, almost into the street. “Are you moving out?”
Our living arrangement had nothing to do with our relationship. Us sharing a roof, or at least a property, was a condition his mother insisted on. There was no reason to feel rejected, but I did. Just a smidgen.
“What?” Fumbling the knob, he dropped the keys. “No. Of course not. Nothing like that.” He crossed to me and set his hands on my shoulders. “I’m doing this all wrong.”
I sucked in a breath, expecting the worst. “Spell it out for me.”
“You’ve been lost lately.”
Cutting ties with the Haints had left me adrift, true, but I had found new purpose in rededicating myself to my studies, to my past, and to my city.
No.
This city.
Savannah wasn’t mine. My home, yes. But mine? One potentate in this relationship was plenty.
“Okay,” I said, “so far I’m following you.”
“You loved being a Haint, and I thought…” His arms fell to his sides. “What would you think of starting your own ghost tour company?”
“Competing with Cricket?” The blood drained from my face. “To quit on her then open my own business feels like a betrayal.”
Linus nodded like I had stuck to his mental script. “What if you didn’t have to compete with Cricket?”
“How do you figure that’s possible? She’s cornered the market in walking tours downtown, and the Cora Ann is a huge success. What’s left that’s not in direct competition with her?”
“What if you specialized in…the truth?” He shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “You tell historically accurate stories from the human perspective. Why not tell a niche clientele what actually happened at a select few locations throughout the city?”
As much as the scope of the project overwhelmed me, I couldn’t deny the flutters in my belly.
“The Society would have a cow.” The reality of presenting the idea for his mother’s approval left me cold. “They would never let me share necromantic history with the masses.”
“Not the masses,” he corrected. “Vampires, necromancers, witches, gwyllgi, wargs, and whoever else is willing to pa
y twenty-five dollars for a two-hour walking tour led by none other than Dame Woolworth herself.”
I didn’t notice I was wiggling in a happy dance until he started laughing under his breath.
“Incoming,” I shouted and flung myself at him. “I cannot believe you did this for me.”
Linus caught me, a hint of his tattered cloak exploding from his back as his eyes shot wide. “Oomph.”
Arms cinched around his neck, I screamed, “Early-warning system activate.”
“It’s too late to activate.” He laughed. “You already launched.”
Raining kisses over his face, I hung on tight, climbing him like kudzu until he wore me like an apron.
“What am I going to call it? Oooh. What about a theme?” I chewed my bottom lip. “Not Southern belle, but a costume. Something to set us apart. Too copycat? Allowable? What do you think?”
Face buried in my neck, he murmured, “I love…your enthusiasm.”
Lips pressed against his throat, I murmured back, “I love…your thoughtfulness.”
“Let’s go shower.”
“Are you serious?” I fluttered my lashes. “Do you think buying me a building is all it takes to get me naked?”
Linus flushed so hot, so fast, he turned purple beneath his freckles. “That’s not why I—”
“You think I don’t know that?” I cupped his face between my palms. “I’m teasing.”
“There’s something I need to confess.” He covered my hands with his. “I…”
The warmth fled his expression, black swallowing his eyes as he zoned out on me.
“Cletus checking in?” I released him and shimmied down his body to my feet, not expecting an answer.
“Hood has showered and changed. All traces of bronze powder have been erased. He’s with the second driver, in a clean vehicle, and they’ve picked up Lethe.”
A buzz in my back pocket caught my attention, and I whipped out my phone. “Crap.”
Linus came back to awareness. “What’s wrong?”
“Lethe shot me a text to remind me since she’s gone, Woolly and Oscar are babysitting Corbin alone.”
That meant no more teasing Linus and no more grand tour. We had to get home.
How to Live an Undead Lie (The Beginner's Guide to Necromancy Book 5) Page 6