I considered Franklin’s question before shaking my head. “No. Not at first. I want to speak with her alone, see if I can get a feel for what she’s thinking. I don’t want Aurelia to feel pressured. I don’t think she’ll respond well to that.”
“No, probably not. If there is one thing we know for certain where Aurelia is concerned, it is that she values choice.”
“I think that’s the only thing we know for certain.”
“I won’t argue that point.” Franklin kissed my temple again before standing. I held up the silencing charm and showed him I was disengaging it. “I need to get to the precinct. I doubt Dr. Stowe’s had a lot of time to start her autopsies, but I’d like to check in and see what we do know.” Franklin grabbed his suit jacket, stuffing his arms through and settling it on his wide shoulders. “You want me to ask her to hold off on the autopsies until you’ve had time to bring their souls back?” Franklin knew I typically liked bringing a soul back before their body was cut up and splayed open. Sometimes the soul didn’t respond well when they reentered achangedbody.
“No. Given that the remains are pretty much skeletal, I don’t think it will make much difference.”
“I didn’t think so but wanted to ask to be certain. Call me later if you need me.”
“Will do.” I walked Franklin to the door, closing it behind him and leaning heavily against the surface. Head tilted back, I smacked my cranium on the door a few times, wishing it would knock some new, profound idea into it. Unfortunately, all I gotwas a reminder of why banging one’s head against a hard surface wasn’t the best idea.
Phone still in hand, I made my way back to my couch, allowing my body to fall onto the surface. Thankfully, my cushions were squishy and soft. I checked my messages. Sheriff Andrews hadn’t contacted me yet. That meant she was struggling to get around the cease-and-desist order. Opal Veronal’s husband, Jackson, must still be throwing up roadblocks.
I took some time sifting through my business e-mails, moving a couple to a file I’d look into later. My necromancer plate was typically full. It had gotten more so since the media coverage of the shredded soul case. I didn’t take on every case. In fact, I probably turned down more than I accepted. That wasn’t me being picky so much as it was the nature of the cases. Maybe it wasn’t politically correct to say, but a lot of people who reached out were whack jobs.
In an effort to put off the inevitable as long as possible, I called to check in with Momma. She was on her way to a house showing and couldn’t talk long, but it was still good to hear her voice and have anormalconversation that didn’t include serial killers, shadow borne, or ticking time bomb djinn.
When that call inevitably ended, I decided to pull on my big boy shorts and bite the proverbial bullet. Peaches had tried getting Aurelia a phone. She’d looked at it, carried it around for a day or two, and then convenientlylost it. He’d gotten her a replacement, and it was a rapid repeat. A third phone had lain unused on Peaches’s kitchen table—battery drained and little more than a paperweight. From what I understood, King Moony had opted not to purchase another.
Aurelia liked to pop in and out of my life when the mood struck her. She’d agreed to keep a charm on her that would alerther if I wanted to speak with her. I had no idea if she really wore it or not. I guess I was about to find out.
Pulling out the charm that was connected to Aurelia’s, I activated it and waited. I had no expectations. Would Aurelia show? And if so, would she do so now or when the mood struck her? Would she be annoyed she’d been summoned or would she—
“Is it supposed to do this?” Aurelia asked, staring down at the glowing charm clasped between her fingers. The deep red color was very different compared to its naturally quiescent cream. She held it up, allowing the light to pour through the crimson. “It changed color and became warm against my skin.”
Quickly activating Pops’s silencing charm, I answered, “Yup, that’s exactly what it’s supposed to do.”
Losing interest, Aurelia pocketed the charm. “That would indicate you wish to speak with me.” Her Caribbean blue gaze scanned my living room. “I see no hint of danger.” Aurelia sounded distinctly disappointed.
“No, nothing life-threatening.”
“Unfortunate,” Aurelia lamented. “Why would you desire my presence if there is nothing interesting happening?” Aurelia had a unique perspective when it came to the wordinteresting.
Clearing my throat, I indicated my hand toward the coffee table. Experience told me Aurelia would rather sit there than on the couch beside me or in one of the nearby chairs. “Do you have time to sit and talk with me for a while?”
Aurelia’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “You wish to simply talk?”
“Talk with a purpose,” I clarified. “I would like to discuss a worrying situation with you and to see if you know anything that might be helpful.” Aurelia had been alive for millennia. However, she hadn’t been awake and present for much of that time. From what I understood, the vast majority of timeAurelia had been a djinn was spent resting inside her object of attachment. That object just so happened to hold Aurelia’s soul. Quite the nifty little trick.
Aurelia’s interest appeared slightly piqued. Aurelia often said she was bored. I was counting on that boredom to get her to at least listen.
“I will stay.” Aurelia sat on the coffee table, elbows planted on her knees and leaning forward. A straight man would have found the position titillating.
I nodded and swallowed down my unease. “Full disclosure, I’ve activated one of Pops’s silencing charms. You are currently inside the bubble with me.”
“I am aware,” Aurelia answered, surprising me. “Not regarding what the charm did exactly. Only that you have one activated, and there is an area that it reaches which I am currently inside of.”
“And that didn’t worry you?”
“Why would it?” Aurelia sounded genuinely curious. It was a reminder that there was no force on earth, except for me, that could truly harm Aurelia. At least none that we knew of.
“Okay, that’s…” Frightening? Disturbing? Scary as fuck? I wasn’t sure what to choose. Pushing those thoughts aside, I straightened and got down to business. “What do you know about shadow borne?” When Aurelia remained silent, I amended, “I would appreciate it if you would share what you know. As always, it is your choice.”
Aurelia was silently contemplative. I was used to her silences. Sometimes it meant she wouldn’t answer, and sometimes it simply meant she was considering the question. “That is a name I have not heard in some time.”
My heart skipped a beat before ramping up. “But you’ve heard of them?” At least that was something.
