Helios scoffed. “It is an idiotic thing. My witch creator was fascinated with the written word. She—”
“Helios. A powerful name for a powerful creature.” Tenzen sounded even more enamored with Helios than Aurelia. His praise didn’t elicit the same fond reaction.
Helios’s body stilled and his oceanic eyes glowed from within. Lips thinned, he turned to the one controlling his object of attachment. The hate-filled glare he sent Tenzen’s way made me shiver.
“I do not believe Helios is pleased,” Leon all but whispered. Phlox hissed his agreement.
“Tenzen doesn’t seem fazed.” If anything, Tenzen appeared smug. His grip on the inkpot tightened to the point I was afraid it might break. Objects of attachment were damn near indestructible. I didn’t know if that theory held true in a shadow borne’s hands.
Helios’s lips pulled into a grimace. “Master.”
“Correct.”
Helios’s gaze tracked up and down Tenzen before he turned his attention back to Aurelia. “I had not realized a shadow borne was still active.”
“It is unfortunate but true,” Aurelia answered. “Although he will not be so for long.”
Helios’s eyes widened, and his hardened features relaxed ever so slightly. “Oh? Do tell.”
Aurelia squared her shoulders. “He has taken something I value.”
That seemed to take Helios by surprise. “Somethingyouvalue? Not your master?”
Aurelia’s head tilted up, and pride tinged her words. “I have been given the option of choice. What I value is now up to me.”
Helios’s confusion saddened me. Now that he was out of his object, I could feel his soul a little more clearly. It reminded me of Aurelia. There was light there. Helios’s soul felt nothing like Janus’s had.
Head jerking my direction, Helios’s deep blue eyes looked right through me, expression an indecipherable mask. “What is he? He’s doing something. I can feel him. It is uncomfortable.”
I immediately pulled my necromancer abilities back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was uncomfortable.” I turned concerned eyes on Aurelia. “You never told me it was unpleasant.”
Aurelia merely shrugged. “You did not do it intentionally.”
Her words surprised me. We’d come a long way since first meeting. The question was, had we come far enough?
“He’s a necromancer,” Tenzen answered before Aurelia or I had a chance. “You should pay attention to that uncomfortable feeling.” Tenzen sounded so damn pleased. He also sounded arrogant.
“Oh?” Helios turned those stunning blue eyes back on me. “Is this your master, Aurelia?” he asked while looking straight at me.
“No. My master is not currently present.”
“I see. They have sent you on a mission.”
“My mission is my own,” Aurelia responded. When Helios gave her another puzzled look, she explained, “This master seems different than the others.”
Helios scoffed. “They are all the same.”
“As I once thought.” Aurelia didn’t look at me, but the scuttlebutt cradled within my arms. I’d been scared shitless when she asked me to hold onto Fuzzy Britches for her. I had no idea if the scuttlebutt would like me or not. If my brain wasn’t so scattered, I would have remembered that while wearing Pops’s warding ring, if the scuttlebutt had meant me harm, she wouldn’t have been able to get near me.
As it was, Fuzzy Britches seemed content lying in my arms. She was heavier than I thought she’d be, and I’d quickly realized she wasn’t as relaxed as I’d originally thought. Fuzzy Britches was very alert. Her tail was wrapped around my forearm but not tightly enough to cause discomfort.
“My current master is not one who desired to be so. He is a nature pixie, and his last wish was for me to do as I willed.” Aurelia’s Caribbean blue eyes flared as she turned her attention from Fuzzy Britches to Tenzen. “What Iwillis to remove Lydia Boone from this shadow borne’s reach.”
Tenzen’s laugh billowed smoke. “And what I wish is for Lydia Boone to stay exactly where she is. Helios, I wish for you to keep Aurelia from freeing my captives.”
Helios’s expression blanked, making me realize how expressive Aurelia had become. “And what captives would those be? You must be more specific.”
“The humans.”
