Page 3 of Deadly Deception (Necromancer Tales #2)

Chapter

Three

Erasmus

“It’ll be cold there,” Momma said as she watched me pack. “Do you even have the appropriate clothes?” She was fussing, just as I knew she would.

“I’ll layer,” I answered while throwing in another long-sleeved shirt. “It’s only late October, not January.” And thank Gaia for that small mercy.

“Still, it’ll be colder than here.” Momma ran her manicured nails along the side of my suitcase. She’d told me earlier the color this time was called passion pink. It matched Momma’s dark pink blazer. She had black slacks on today and matching black pumps. Momma had just come from a house showing. Lydia Boone had not passed her neatly coiffed fashion sense on to her son.

“This is southern Mississippi, Momma. Most of the United States is colder than here.” That wasn’t completely true. The Southwest and Florida had us beat a lot of the time, Florida gamely competing in the humidity category too.

“Pfft, I know that. I just…” She’d wanted to say worry . The unspoken word was more than implied, and I stopped packing long enough to wrap her in my arms and squeeze the life out of her.

“Franklin will be with me, Momma. You know he’ll keep me safe. Besides, it’s not like I go around with a t-shirt that says ‘I’m a necromancer’ on the front.” Physically, necromancers looked human. A lot of other species could tell us apart, but humans hadn’t been gifted with that specialty. When you came right down to it, humans hadn’t been gifted in a lot of departments. They’d won the jackpot in creativity. Pops was convinced that was the only reason the human race was still alive. They had a creative knack for making instruments of self-preservation. Of course, they also made weapons of mass destruction. Humans were nothing if not a contradiction.

“I wouldn’t put it past you.” Momma swatted my arm before walking around me and sitting on my bed. Hair down, Momma pushed a long auburn strand behind her ear. Each year brought a little more gray to those strands. But no matter the color, Momma was a beautiful woman both inside and out.

Chuckling, I threw in another pair of worn-out jeans. “It’s tempting some days.”

We were quiet as I continued packing and Momma’s gaze traveled around my bedroom. “What about your clients? This close to Halloween, you’ve got to be busy.”

“I’ve rescheduled this week’s clients. There were only a couple, and they didn’t choose the date based on the time of year. As long as I’m back by the week before Halloween, it should be fine.” I just hoped that whatever was going on could be cleared up in that time frame. Franklin’s old boss hadn’t given him many details to go on. Scratch that, he hadn’t given Franklin any details.

“And Franklin’s captain is okay with him taking sudden time off?” Momma asked.

I shrugged. “Captain Cicely probably wasn’t all that happy, but I also think she understands. Franklin’s doing this as a favor to his mentor, and knowing Captain Cicely, she admires the loyalty.” Franklin would do the same for her if the situation were reversed. “He’s asked for the next seven days off, just like me. Franklin says he’s due a lot of vacation time, so I don’t think the department can debate it.” The timing was the only sticking point.

Momma nodded as she stared at her clasped hands. Between folding and packing I kept shooting her furtive glances she couldn’t see. Puzzled, I finally stopped and rounded the bed to sit beside her. “What’s wrong? It’s not like I haven’t traveled before.”

“No, I know. But all those other times you were headed to California to see your father.” A soft smile slipped across Momma’s face. “I never had to worry about your safety while you were with Nikodemus. I think we both know he’d tear the world apart to keep you safe.” Momma’s fingers slid through my hair, reminding me of her comforting touch when I’d been a child. Maybe it was just as comforting to her as to me. “I know Franklin will be with you, but…”

“He’s not a warlock,” I finished, and Momma nodded. “We’ll be okay. We’re heading to Franklin’s old stomping grounds. He knows the lay of the land.”

“Do you think you’ll get a chance to meet any of his family?”

It was my turn to squirm, nerves making my stomach flutter. “Franklin says he’d like that.”

Momma’s fingers stilled before starting again. “And that makes you nervous?”

I shrugged, focusing my gaze in the distance. “I’ve never had to meet…” I rolled my hand in the air and muttered, “It’s not like there’s been anyone serious before, and I’m not sure how they’ll react to what I am.”

“You mean the most amazing individual that ever lived?” Momma teased, but only half-heartedly. I knew she believed every word and couldn’t understand why the world at large didn’t agree.

“Momma, it’s not that—”

“Is Franklin concerned?”

I shook my head. “No. He says it will be fine.”

“But you don’t believe him?”

“History proves otherwise.” Not regarding Franklin’s family in particular—I had no idea what their prejudices might be. It was nice to think that any family that had produced an open-minded man like Franklin would be full of similar family members, but that simply wasn’t true. Families were often complicated entities. Just because you shared genetics didn’t mean you shared ideals.

“Hmm… I’d belittle your experiences by claiming you’re wrong. Still, some people surprise you. Look at the Harts.”

The tension in my chest eased thinking about my neighbor Mrs. Calista Hart and her dog, Miss Pattycakes. Mrs. Hart’s husband had still been alive when I’d moved into my house, and they’d both let me know that, unlike my other neighbors, they were perfectly fine with having a gay necromancer living next door. I rode in the ambulance with Mrs. Hart the day her husband was driven to the emergency room. He died that day, and the world grew a little dimmer with his loss.

Thinking of Mrs. Hart, I asked, “Will you stop by and check on her while I’m gone?”

“Of course,” Momma agreed easily. “I’ll do a sweep of the house too. I know your father’s warded the area and you’ve got the human security cameras now too, but there’s nothing like a pair of human eyes.”

No there wasn’t. I just hoped no one spray-painted graffiti on the sidewalk in front of my house again. Momma didn’t know about that incident, and I had no intention of telling her. Those damning words would break her heart. I still wasn’t sure if it had been one of my neighbors or one of the members of Bart Livingston’s goon squad. If Bart had been behind it, then problem solved. The man was dead, his soul shredded to the point of no return compliments of a serial killer.

“Speaking of charms, I’m assuming you’re taking several with you.”

“You assume correctly. I’ll put the more questionable ones in the suitcase. As long as it’s stowed in the hull, airport security won’t mind.” Airports now had magic detectors as well as metal detectors. It wasn’t foolproof, but it helped cut down on some earlier terrorist disasters. Honestly, I thought retribution by fairy law curbed a lot of that type of destructive appetite. It was difficult hiding from fairies, and they didn’t believe in leniency. Fairy law was very black and white. Gray wasn’t a color they recognized easily. “Pops was annoyed I didn’t give him more notice before traveling. He said he would have sent me something else.” What that might be, I had no idea. I was fairly certain I had at least one of everything that Pops made.

Momma laughed. “I don’t know why you sound surprised.”

Neither did I.

“You can bet he’ll call you even more often over the next few days. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll answer the phone.”

Momma wasn’t wrong. “I’ll do my best.” I wanted to whine and complain about how often Pops found it necessary to check up on me, but I didn’t. It wasn’t fair to Pops. He’d almost lost me. In my warlock father’s eyes, I was far too fragile, my life span already too short. Hastening my end didn’t sit well with him.

Checking the time, Momma sighed dramatically. “I’d best get out of your way. You’ve got more packing to do, and Franklin should be here soon to pick you up.”

We rose at the same time, and I wrapped my arms around Momma’s shoulders, hugging her tight. Momma hugged me back just as fierce. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”

“I’m holding you to that.” When Momma pulled away, her eyes shimmered but didn’t leak. “Tell Franklin to drive safe. He can’t control the plane, but he can control the car on the way to Mobile.” The Mobile, Alabama airport had a direct flight to Chicago, so we were flying out of there.

“I’ll pass the word along.”

I walked Momma to the front door, and before she left, she turned and asked, “Does Aurelia know you’ll be gone?”

“Not that I know of. I haven’t seen her since yesterday.”

Momma’s eyebrows pulled into a deep V of concern. “Will she know where to find you?”

I shrugged. “Seems that way. She pops up when I’m out and about and haven’t told her where I’ll be on those occasions.” I didn’t mention that Aurelia found me when Dr. McCallister held me in that horrid basement. “Aurelia has a knack for knowing where I am.” That wasn’t the most comforting thought.

Momma didn’t see it that way. If anything, Momma was fond of Aurelia. She had a soft spot for my stalker-djinn and was determined to treat Aurelia just like any other mortal creature.

Leaning in, Momma brushed a kiss along my cheek, a soft, “Take care. I love you,” falling from her lips as she walked out the door.

S ome hated flying. I was mostly indifferent. The flying part was okay, but the rigamarole leading up to boarding and takeoff were the irritating parts. Franklin’s grumbling told me he agreed.

“These seats are too small,” Franklin groused as he shifted. I’d given him the aisle seat in consideration of his taller and broader frame. Franklin’s legs did look scrunched.

“When we take off, you can stretch your legs into the aisle,” I offered. Franklin grunted but didn’t say much else.

The plane was still boarding. The vast majority of travelers were human. All the major airlines had to provide accommodations for other species. Brownies and fairies didn’t need airplanes to travel across country like the rest of us. With the exception of trolls and ogres, the airlines hadn’t needed to adapt much. Airplanes had much wider seats and more room between rows in troll- and ogre-designated areas. If they didn’t have a troll or ogre passenger to fill them, some lucky person got a hell of a lot more space to stretch out.

I helped Franklin fish out his seatbelt before I did the same. With that done, we were in a holding pattern while waiting for everyone else to board. Franklin’s fingers danced across the armrest. He’d been distracted and distant on the drive to Mobile. I’d tried letting sleeping dogs lie, but Franklin’s quiet contemplation amped up my own anxiety.

“So,” I started, “I don’t suppose Shane Tompkins filled in any gaps while we were apart.”

Franklin’s lips pursed and he gave a shake of his head. “No. He’s being incredibly stubborn. I’m not sure what’s going on and why he’s not comfortable talking about it over the phone. It’s frustrating.”

“Is that where your mind is?” I tapped Franklin’s temple for emphasis. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

“I’m sorry,” Franklin apologized, contrite.

“Nothing to be sorry about. I wasn’t sure if you were nervous about flying or about going back to Chicago, or, well… There are a lot of possibilities.” Deep down, I was afraid what was really bothering Franklin was introducing me to his family. He’d told me not to worry, but was that only for my benefit?

Franklin’s hand found mine and our fingers intertwined. Bringing our combined hands to his lips, Franklin kissed my knuckles. “Again, I’m sorry. I’ve been lost in my head. When I get like that, I—”

“Lose focus on anything and everything around you. I know. It’s one of your more charming traits.” I grinned up at Franklin and was rewarded with a light chuckle.

“I’m glad you think so. I doubt others would agree, but your opinion is the only one I care about.”

I swear my heart skipped a beat, and I wondered if I’d ever get used to hearing Franklin say things like that. I wasn’t even certain I wanted to get used to it. Trying to cover my flushed cheeks and stammering heart, I said “I’m sure I’ve got a few quirks that take some getting used to also.”

“No doubt, but that’s half the fun.”

Seriously, this man… We needed to change the topic before my stiffening dick made the plane trip terribly uncomfortable. Clearing my throat, I asked, “What do you think it’s about?”

“Captain Tompkins’s request for us to come to Chicago?”

“Yeah.”

“Considering he wants you there, I’m guessing they’ve got a deceased victim in need of an interview. Then again, Captain Tompkins is retired and the one thing he did say was that he was afraid an innocent is about to go down for something they didn’t do.”

I nodded while my brain ran through the other bit of information we had—the individual’s name. It was something I hadn’t been able to let go of. “We’ve got something else. Navarre.”

Franklin blew out a breath. “You caught that bit?”

“I caught a lot of it toward the end.” I hadn’t been eavesdropping intentionally. I hadn’t even activated one of Pops’s sound amplification charms. I’d simply been close enough to hear the name.

“Warlock?” Franklin asked.

It certainly sounded like it could be. You could tell some species by their names. Some had a single name, others two, some three, and others more. There was also a feel to a name, and warlocks certainly had a knack for naming their kids.

“There’s another possibility,” I said. “Necromancer.”

Franklin’s eyes narrowed, and he gave a single nod. “I considered that too.”

I swallowed hard. “Necromancer might make more sense, although I suppose it could be neither and simply a human getting creative naming their child.” That certainly wasn’t unheard of. Humans often picked names that harkened to an elevated being—someone they held in esteem and wished for their child to emulate. Some species believed names held power, so maybe humans weren’t so far off.

The lights on the plane dimmed and we began taxiing. The flight attendants stood in the aisle, ready to give their safety spiel. Franklin and I listened with half an ear. Hopefully, in a few hours, we’d have some answers. And along with that hope was the fragile one where Franklin’s family didn’t look at me with horror when the realized their son was dating a necromancer.