I had absolutely no idea about Hikaru. When I’d asked Phlox, he’d simply shrugged and said Hikaru would show when needed.That was some sketchy shit, but I didn’t have the time or energy to waste on figuring it out.
“It would be an attractive location if not for the circumstances,” Leon calmly said. “It appears to be prime real estate, if not a little rundown.”
Leon wasn’t wrong. The house was at least three stories with a large, open veranda. It appeared grand from far away. Closer inspection revealed chipping paint and rotting wood. Lights flooded the porch and lit up rooms inside. While the lighting wasn’t bright, it was enough to cast innumerable shadows. Every darkened corner was suspect.
“I’ll stick with Dusk,” Phlox announced as he flew beside his mate. “At least it’s temperature-controlled.” Phlox waved a hand in front of his face before tugging on his shirt, lifting it away from his skin. “This humidity is killing me, and it’s not even summer yet. I have no idea how you stand this, Erasmus.”
“You get used to it,” I absently responded. My eyes were glued to the porch and the creaking door that seemed to open of its own accord.
“That appears to be our invitation,” Leon said.
“I’ve had worse invitations,” Phlox muttered. “Although not by much.” Flying forward, Phlox waved us on. “Come on. Let’s get this shit show on the road. The sooner we start, the sooner we end this.”
Leon chuckled, low and deep. “My beloved is feisty.”
“And confident.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. I wished I could borrow a bit of Phlox’s surety. As it was, I was petrified. Not for myself, but for everyone else. I was oddly calm about my own mortality. I’d ruminated on it the entire drive. I was good. I’d lived my life to the best of my abilities. I’d used what Gaia had blessed (or cursed, depending on your viewpoint) me with. I’d tried to leave the world a little better than I’d found it. I’d helpedcatch killers, and I’d given the grieving solace. I’d found a man who loved me and who I gave love to in return.
No, I wasn’t worried about me. I was square with my mortal life. Momma and Pops would be devastated if I died. Franklin would be too. It was those we left behind that suffered the most when we passed on.
I knew all that, and yet what struck the deepest, darkest fear in my heart was me having to live without them. That was the burning pit of my anxiety. It was what made my legs quiver and my heart race as I followed Phlox and Leon up the weedy path leading to a porch I wasn’t entirely certain could hold our combined weight. It was the engine that made me place one foot in front of the other even though I knew I should run the opposite direction. And yet, I was so damn tired of feeling afraid. The waiting was exhausting—something I would bet Tenzen was well aware of.
Phlox was right. It was time to get this shit show started and end the torment that consumed my life.
Franklin’s wedding band felt heavy in my pocket. It danced alongside several of Pops’s charms and yet it sang with its own resonance. Pops insisted I bring it with me, that I place it on Franklin’s finger the first chance I got. He’d also insisted I put mine on. It had felt wrong. Franklin should be the one slipping it on my finger. It was just another tradition Tenzen’s meddling had interfered with.
My steps were light on the crumbling wooden slats holding the porch together. Phlox flew, and Leon’s footsteps were even lighter than mine.
We’d barely crossed the threshold when the door closed behind us. “Welcome,” a deep voice uttered. “Follow us.”
I barely held in a gasp when the shadows coalesced into a solid, darker figure.
None of us said a word. We did as told and followed the darkness through a hall, a beautifully ornate stairway and banister to our left as we continued deeper into the house and into what I suspected had once been a beautiful parlor. The ornate wallpaper had faded flowers and birds adorning its surface, several corners peeling away from the wall. Old chairs—some covered in fabric and others bare—were scattered around the room. An impressive fireplace took up the far wall, an unneeded fire smoldering within.
Tenzen stood in front of that fire. Unlike me, his shoulders were square, his tall frame impressive as he leaned against the brickwork. Cane in hand, Tenzen’s gloved fingers gripped the top, one hand covering the other. Those round, dark glasses remained, hiding his eyes.
“Necromancer Boone. So good of you to come.” The room already smelled of smoke. I wasn’t certain, but I thought I saw small whisps of smoke ease into the room as Tenzen spoke.
“Not much of a choice.” I wasn’t saying anything that wasn’t already obvious. “I want to see Momma and Franklin.”
“Of course you do.” Tenzen lowered his head, gently shaking it back and forth. “We all want things, Necromancer Boone. This is an exchange of a sort.”
“Bullshit.” Phlox flew high, arms crossed and chin jutted out. “This is a hostage negotiation. Don’t make it sound like some pleasant business deal.”
Tenzen’s lips thinned, his features hardening. “Agent Frost. You would do well to know your place. I suffer your presence as a consideration to Necromancer Boone. Make no mistake, you are very expendable.”
Leon hissed, his bones cracking and reshaping as his vampiric side took over. Deadly talons extended from his nails, and his body grew in size, fangs fully descended and eyes bloodyred. “You will not threaten my beloved.” Those words were barely discernible as they clawed their way past Leon’s fangs.
My heart pounded. We’d tried discussing some form of a plan while driving here. Discussing made it sound like we’d had a productive conversation. That hadn’t been the case. Phlox had mostly argued with Leon. I’d thought Leon the voice of reason, but when it came to Phlox’s safety, Leon’s cool, calculated control flew out the window.
The shadows moved, darting toward Leon. I didn’t think. I moved. I placed myself in front of the scary-ass vampire and threw my hands wide. “You’ll have to go through me to get to them. Is that what you want?”
The shadows stopped, hovering a few feet away. Not nearly far enough to improve my sense of calm. Tenzen’s lips twitched as if he were amused. Turns out, he was. “I find it humorous that you believe I can’t harm them and protect you at the same time.”
“That might be true, but I think it’ll be more effort than you want to exert. If they’re as little threat as you claim, then it doesn’t hurt to leave them be. Or is that not the case? Can Leon or Phlox hurt you? Is that why you want to eliminate them?” I was playing a dangerous game—appealing to Tenzen’s arrogance.
“They are nothing.” It wasn’t Tenzen that answered, but the shadow who’d let us inside.
Tenzen’s lips pulled back into a sneer. “Shadow is correct. They are nothing to me.” The shadows pulled back, once more coalescing into that singular form. The black mass hovered near Tenzen but didn’t seem directly connected to him.
