“Go home, Detective,” Dr. Stowe ordered. When I made to protest, she held up a hand. “You’re no good to anyone the way you are right now. Get cleaned up and get some rest. Take Necromancer Boone with you. A nap leaning against the trunk of a tree does not a restful sleep make.”
Tilting my head back, I stared up at the lightening sky. “You should take your own advice.”
“Oh, believe me, I plan on doing just that once I get this one out of the ground and loaded into the van.”
I couldn’t find the energy to argue. I also couldn’t find the energy to climb up and out of this hole.
“Need a hand?” Johns’s head peeked over the edge, an arm extended. Freshly washed and in clean clothes, the man looked better than the last time I’d seen him.
“I’d appreciate it.” I clasped Johns’s wrist and he hauled me up and out. It wasn’t exactly graceful, but it worked, and at the end, I was topside.
“You headed out?” Johns asked.
I nodded and hooked a thumb in our ME’s direction. “Doctor’s orders.”
“That’s a good doc.” Johns slapped me on the shoulder, pushing me Boone’s direction. “I grabbed a shower, some food, and a couple of hours of sleep. You and Boone need to do the same. I’ll catch up with you later.”
Having been given my marching orders, I strode toward my sleeping fiancé. Boone’s head was tilted at an odd angle, his back leaning against the trunk of a half-dead tree. I winced while staring at the crick in his neck. Good thing Boone never left home without one of his pops’s pain charms. I had a sneaking suspicion he was going to need it.
Chapter
Five
Erasmus
“I think it’s time to speak with the djinn.”
I blinked, staring straight ahead. Had I really heard Pops correctly? “Are you serious right now?”
“Unfortunately.” Pops’s voice was gruff. Given the time difference between Mississippi and California, it was possible I’d woken him. Warlocks didn’t always keep regular hours and Pops was no different. Calling typically brought with it the possibility of waking him. Pops’s sigh was deep and heavy. “I feel we have exhausted all other possibilities. Agent Frost has been able to find very little regarding shadow borne. And as much as I hate to admit it, neither have I.” Pops’s low grumble let me know just how difficult that admission was.
“I know, but asking Aurelia to help is…” I wasn’t exactly certain what it was.Desperatecame to mind and certainly fit. One could also call itinsane,foolhardy,stupid… Honestly, the list was lengthy and not complimentary in the least.
“Trust me, I am well aware, and you know I would not recommend this option if I believed there was another plausible route. Your djinn has proven…useful in the past.”
Aurelia certainly wasn’tmydjinn. I didn’t hold her object of attachment nor did I want to. Peaches had that unfortunatehonor. I glanced over at Franklin. He was at the kitchen table, drinking his coffee and eating his last piece of toast. One eyebrow raised, he questioningly stared at me. I’d erected a silencing barrier around myself, so he had no idea what Pops and I were discussing. The silencing barrier wasn’t to keep Franklin’s ears out of the conversation. It was a precaution—one none of us knew worked or not—to keep Tenzen Huxley from listening in.
Mulling over Pops’s words, I finally said, “Peaches gave me his blessing already.” We’d discussed the possibility a few weeks ago. Peaches had been concerned, mostly for Aurelia’s safety. His beloved, the Southeastern Vampire King, Lucroy Moony’s concerns had lain elsewhere. Peaches was very adamant that he would notwishAurelia to do anything she didn’t want to do. It would be her decision and her decision alone. I had no problem with that.
“You will keep me informed and wear your tracking charm at all times.” It wasn’t a request.
I fingered the charm around my neck. “I never take it off.”
Pops sighed again. “I only wish… Well, I suppose we both know how dangerous wishes can be. Take care, Erasmus. I love you.”
“I love you too, Pops.” The call ended, leaving me staring at a black phone screen. Franklin’s weight settled next to me as he pulled me into his arms. My eyes slipped closed when I felt the gentle pressure of his lips against my temple.
“What did Warlock Holland have to say?”
Inhaling, I inflated my lungs before filling Franklin in on our conversation. Franklin’s fingers carded through my hair, briefly stilling when I mentioned bringing Aurelia into the game.
“You think this is nuts, don’t you?” I said.
Franklin was quiet long enough I thought he might not answer. Finally, he said, “I think it’s all we’ve got.”
I chewed on my bottom lip. “Yeah. That’s what I was afraid of.”
“Are you going to ask Agent Frost to be present when you speak with Aurelia?”
