Page 7 of Deadly Deception (Necromancer Tales #2)

Chapter

Seven

Erasmus

“I’m sorry about Sheriff Henson,” Franklin said as I hunkered down into the passenger’s seat. I was grateful the rental had heated seats and had already set my side on high. I noticed Franklin hadn’t even turned his on.

“Not your fault,” I answered easily.

“I know, but still.” Franklin inhaled deeply as he merged with the traffic on the interstate.

“Forget about Henson. I know that’s what I plan to do, at least for the rest of the night.” I’d had years to perfect that special ability. For me, it had become a survival instinct. I’d learned a long time ago not to care what most thought. It wasn’t like I could change who or what I was. No matter how much someone hated necromancers, I couldn’t change my DNA to suit their particular preferences. When I was younger, I’d wished desperately I could change—just slip out of my skin and into someone else’s. I’d often wished I were born a warlock, and sometimes even human. But I was who I was, and I’d had to make peace with that. Part of that process was figuring out whose opinion truly mattered. Surprisingly, that list turned out to be very small. The man sitting next to me had made it onto that short list, and I knew where I stood with Franklin. I was good with my lot in life.

What I couldn’t as easily do was forget about Navarre sitting in a lonely jail cell. Only, he wasn’t so lonely. Navarre had a cadre of spirits haunting his existence. His life would be so much better if he truly were alone .

“You’re right,” Franklin agreed, unaware of my inner thoughts regarding Navarre. He leaned his head against the headrest and, with one hand on the wheel, used the other to rub his shoulder and neck. Now that I was paying attention, it was easy to see that I wasn’t the only knackered one.

“Are you okay to drive?” I asked.

“I’ll be fine. I’m just a little stiff after folding my body into that tiny airplane seat.”

I grinned at the memory, a small chuckle slipping free. That chuckle faded quickly as Franklin pulled off at an exit and headed for a big box store. With a sigh, I asked “Are you sure we need to buy me a coat?”

Franklin parked the SUV, turned off the engine, and then gave me his full attention. “I know you said to forget about Sheriff Henson, but you and I both know what searching for the missing body is going to entail tomorrow.”

It was my turn to lean against the headrest. “Yeah. A lot of walking.”

“Most likely in not-so-savory neighborhoods. We’ll both be exposed to the elements. I’ve been gone from the Chicago area long enough that this weather feels chilly to me. I can’t imagine what it feels like to your Southern blood.”

I chuckled. “Fucking cold is what it feels like.”

“That’s what I thought.” Franklin opened his door and said “Come on. The sooner we start, the sooner we’re done.”

“And then we can grab some food and find a hotel?” I asked hopefully.

“Sounds like an acceptable schedule,” Franklin replied while slinging his arm over my shoulder and pulling me close, sharing his heat.

I grabbed another piece of cheese pizza, taking a bite out of the tip. Franklin was halfway through his third piece of meat lover’s. We’d gone half and half. I typically ate just as much as Franklin, despite my smaller size—especially if I’d recently used my necromancer abilities.

“This is good,” I said for the fourth, maybe fifth time. The words came out garbled as I continued chewing while singing the pizza’s praises.

“It is. I’ve missed Chicago-style pizza.”

I could easily understand why. Deep dish pizza held appeal. I finished off my latest piece and eyed the remainder. “I could probably polish that off, but I don’t think I’d be able to move after.”

“I can roll you around,” Franklin offered gamely.

I frowned while contemplating the image of Franklin rolling me across the bed and around on the floor. It was a decidedly unsexy image. “I think I’ll take a pass on that very kind and understanding offer.”

Leaning against the bed frame, I settled my palm on my full belly. It was only a little after eight p.m. and I doubted I’d stay awake until nine. With a wide yawn, I allowed my eyes to slip closed and gave a contented sigh.

“You want to take a shower before you pass out?” Franklin asked.

I frowned. I’d rest easier and wake up happier if I took a shower, but the thought of getting up right now was horrid. “I’m happy where I am.”

“Not what I asked.” Franklin sounded distinctly amused. “I can always help you get undressed. I can even get in and make sure you wash every—Jesus!”

My eyes instantly snapped open as I sat forward. My fingers flew to the side table and the charms I’d dumped on the surface. Heart racing, I pulled my hand back, tangling my fingers in my hair as I released a tension-filled breath. “Aurelia. We really need to revisit that bell concept.”

“I am not wearing a bell for your pleasure,” Aurelia stated flatly, making me feel all kinds of icky.

“Who said anything about pleasure?” Franklin asked, showing we were on the same ick-factor page. “It’s just so I don’t have a heart attack.”

Aurelia ignored him in favor of looking around our hotel room. It was nice, but not ostentatious. Pops would have thought it functional but woefully lacking. I wasn’t Pops and thought the double queen-sized beds with their plush white linens and thick comforters were more than adequate. Plus, there was a free continental breakfast included. Call me content.

“Why are you here?” Aurelia asked after she’d scanned the small room.

I wanted to ask why are you here? but didn’t. I’d learned that was often a futile road to traverse. Instead, I gave Aurelia the quick and dirty rundown. As I spoke, I noticed something different in Aurelia’s attire and asked, “Are you wearing a backpack?” And if she was, why?

Aurelia’s typically blank facial facade pinched in what I thought might be agitation but wasn’t certain. When she didn’t answer immediately, Franklin leaned to the side so he could peer at Aurelia’s back. Franklin’s eyes widened before narrowing in confusion. “Is there a dome on the back?” He sat back up and looked at me while asking, “Why would a backpack have a clear dome, like a bubble?”

As if it had been waiting on the proper cue, a plaintive mew followed by the sound of scratching echoed from behind Aurelia.

“What the…?” Fatigue forgotten, I slid from the bed and walked around Aurelia. She didn’t try and stop me, nor did she turn to hide whatever she had tucked away back there.

I stood, staring perplexedly at the small furball furiously pawing at the clear plastic covering curved outward like a dome. My lips parted and I think I tried speaking at least twice before I finally managed an accusatory, “Is that a kitten?” It was an absurd question, not because I was wrong, but because the little ball of black and white fluff was definitely a kitten. “Why do you have a kitten…? In a backpack…?” There were more questions that needed to be verbalized, and yet I couldn’t get past those first two.

Slipping the backpack from her shoulders, Aurelia set it on the bed, unzipped the top, and pulled the kitten out roughly, dumping it on the bed unceremoniously. The kitten immediately darted toward the pizza remains, clamped onto a piece of crust, and hauled its booty off the bed, across the floor, and under a nearby chair. The sounds it made while chowing down were desperately obscene. I had no doubt that trying to take the crust from the kitten would result in the loss of a finger or two.

Ignoring the kitten, Aurelia finally answered, “Peaches thought keeping a pet would be good for me.” Aurelia huffed. “I do not understand why it had to be that creature. Cats are woefully short lived and fragile. I would have preferred a scuttlebutt.”

“A what?” Franklin asked. “What the hell’s a scuttlebutt?”

I wouldn’t have known what it was either if I hadn’t met Wendall’s pet scuttlebutt, Trinket. “They’re of Fairy. I met one last year. Her name’s Trinket and from what I understand, she was a gift from Hellfire Rayburn to Wendall.”

“Who?” Franklin asked, still obviously confused.

“Wendall Galen. Long story short, he was human, then a zombie, although an odd one, and now he’s a human/fairy hybrid. He’s also bonded to the fairy queen’s muscle, Hellfire Rayburn. As for what a scuttlebutt is…” I gave in involuntary shudder as I remembered Trinket’s maw of double rowed, shark-like teeth. I’d seen what she could do with those teeth, along with what her prehensile tail could pull off. Trinket might be small, but she could be vicious when the occasion called for it.

Swallowing hard, I said, “Let’s just say that if you run into a scuttlebutt, I’d recommend keeping your hands and arms inside the car at all times.” And Aurelia wanted one? My head swam and my stomach felt queasy with the thought. As if Aurelia wasn’t already dangerous enough.

I stared at the kitten, which was eating manically, and said, “I think a cat is a good choice.” I wasn’t so certain it would wind up being as fortunate for the cat. The poor thing acted like it was starved. “When was the last time you fed it?”

Aurelia waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Time is meaningless to me.”

Yeah, maybe to her, but I didn’t think the kitten felt the same.

“I, uh… I think maybe you need to start paying more attention to time.” I nodded in the direction of the cat. “For the kitten’s sake. It needs to eat and drink on a regular basis.” It would also need to eliminate too. I didn’t smell anything foul coming from the backpack, which was fortuitous.

Aurelia stared at the kitten, her head slightly cocked to the side. “Peaches recommended some type of timing device. Something that would alert me when the creature needs tending.”

Franklin and I shared a disbelieving glance, his eyes reflecting my own concern. “Did Peaches say why he thought the kitten was a good idea?”

“Peaches believes it will help anchor me to the here and now. He also believes it will instill a sense of empathy within me.” Aurelia huffed.

“I assume you told Peaches what you thought of that idea.”

“Of course. It is beyond ridiculous,” Aurelia stated. And yet, here she was, carrying around said kitten in a backpack. She could have easily said no, walked away, or blinked out and left the kitten behind. Instead, it was with her.

Wait a minute. It was with her.

“I thought you couldn’t transport anyone else. That’s what you told me when I was McCallister’s prisoner.” Frustrated anger beat against my skull. It was beyond stupid, getting angry with Aurelia, and yet I couldn’t stop the emotion. Franklin’s cautious “Erasmus” should have tempered me. It didn’t.

Aurelia seemed immune to my ire and simply answered, “Peaches was displeased when I related the story to him. My master spoke with Warlock Vander Kines and together with that witch”—as always, Aurelia said the word, witch , with as much derision as she could muster—“they removed that particular restriction. I can now transport other living creatures. Thus, the kitten.”

“Oh.” Just like that, all my anger faded, taking most of my energy burst with it.

“Does it have a name?” Franklin asked. When Aurelia gave him a questioning look, he inclined his head toward the kitten and asked again, “The cat—does it have a name?”

Aurelia appeared truly perplexed. “Does it require a name?”

I smacked my palm on my forehead. “Most name their pets.” Actually, everyone named them, even if they called them Cat or Dog.

Aurelia didn’t answer, she simply stared at the kitten as it consumed the last of the crust. I doubted pizza crust was all that nutritious, but at least it was better than nothing, which I was guessing the poor thing was currently subsisting on.

“Where did they find it?”

I didn’t realize I’d asked that question out loud until Aurelia answered, “It was chasing the sprites. I believe it was trying to catch one to eat. This upset Peaches.”

It had probably upset the sprites also. “So he gave it to you to care for.”

“Apparently,” Aurelia answered flatly before turning her back on the kitten, done with the conversation. “You have found another necromancer then,” Aurelia said. “And this one is not like you?”

I swallowed hard, wondering about Aurelia’s intentions. As far as any of us knew, I was the only necromancer alive that could pull Aurelia’s human soul from her object of attachment, put it back into her body, and in the process, undo all the magical manipulation her witch creator had done. We knew from experience with the djinn, Janus, that it would make her mortal and thus able to be killed. It was a heavy burden, knowing I was the only known instrument of destruction where djinn were concerned. So far, Aurelia had allowed me to live. The best I could figure was that I fascinated her. I wasn’t sure what her response would be if there were another necromancer like myself. Would she be as magnanimous with him, or would she eliminate the threat?

With a firm shake of my head, I answered, “He’s not like me. He’s…” I looked to Franklin for verbal aid.

“He’s not fully sane,” Franklin offered. “Actually, I’m not sure that’s correct. He might be very sane if we could get the spirits away from him.”

I agreed wholeheartedly. “He needs a medium.” With a heavy sigh, I sat down on the edge of the bed. My shoulders slumped and I bent forward. “But I think a talented medium might be harder to find than a necromancer.” I had no idea how to go about finding the real deal. “The Magical Usage Council might be able to point us in the right direction, but I’m not sure how helpful they’ll be since we’d need one for a necromancer.” I hated saying those words. I hated more that they were true. It wasn’t just humans that disliked necromancers.

“Then this Magical Usage Council is foolish,” Aurelia answered confidently. “Phlox seems to have a differing opinion, although he is part of this so-called council.”

Phlox… Phlox… I knew that name and then it hit me. “Agent Frost.” Franklin perked up.

“That’s the pixie-slash-shifter Captain Cicely told me about,” Franklin said.

“Yup. Why didn’t I think of that before? I’m not sure if he can help or not, but at least he’s someone I know and I think he’d be willing to at least talk with me.” He’d been an integral part of bringing down the werewolf alpha, Arie Belview. We’d sort of gone to battle together, and I hoped that might give me an in, so to speak.

“I have no idea what the pixie will do,” Aurelia stated unhelpfully before looking at the kitten and ordering, “Creature, come here.”

The kitten didn’t so much as glance Aurelia’s direction. Aurelia wasn’t deterred in the slightest. “It is an obstinate thing.” Ignoring the sudden hissing and spatting, along with the arched spine and bottle-brush tail, Aurelia reached under the chair and pulled the kitten out. Small but sharp teeth clamped onto Aurelia’s finger. Aurelia didn’t so much as flinch and the kitten’s teeth didn’t make a dent. Far from upset, Aurelia actually smiled. “At least it has tenacity.” And with that, Aurelia, the kitten, and the odd backpack vanished from the room.

Quiet filled our small space, the sound of the heater kicking back on our only background noise. Finally, Franklin asked, “What the hell just happened?”

Still sitting on the end of the bed, I shook my head. “I have no idea. Most likely, that’s what that poor kitten is wondering too.”

“Should we hold an intervention?” Franklin asked cautiously. “I can’t decide if this borders on animal cruelty or not.”

I considered Franklin’s words and weighed them against my own concerns. Finally, I answered, “Knowing Peaches, he won’t let anything tragic happen. He’s too soft-hearted for that. Besides, oddly enough, I think Peaches might be on to something.” Time would tell, but I could actually understand the method behind this seeming madness. It wasn’t an option I would have considered. It would either turn out to be genius or catastrophic.

I rubbed my temples and asked, “Can your brain hurt? I’m not talking about headaches. I’ve had plenty of those. I’m talking about the entire brain, because I believe today has just about done mine in.”

Franklin’s deep chuckle resonated through the room. Rising from the bed he’d been sitting on, Franklin cleared the remaining pizza and boxes from the room. I was still in the same slumped position when he returned. Standing in front of me, Franklin’s thick fingers wrapped around my biceps, and he gently tugged me into a standing position.

“You’ll feel better after a shower. We both need to get the airport gunk off us.”

“And the sheriff’s office germs,” I whined as Franklin frog-marched me toward the bathroom.

“That too,” he agreed easily.

True to his earlier words, Franklin turned on the water, made sure it was a steamy temperature, stripped us both down, and helped me into the shower, joining me soon after.

“Hmm…this does feel good,” I mumbled as Franklin’s hands swept up and down my body, spreading soap and igniting fires I was too tired to make good on.

Franklin’s quiet, steady presence soothed me almost as much as his magic fingers massaging shampoo and then conditioner into my hair. The tender care he took was a physical reminder of his affection.

We rinsed off, both of us sporting erections. It was hard for my lower brain not to get aroused when Franklin was around, especially a wet and naked Franklin O’Hare.

Franklin pulled the covers back, and I scooted my naked ass across the sheets. When he looked to the other bed, I grabbed Franklin’s wrist and said, “I don’t mind cuddling.” The queen-size bed would be tight, but what I’d said was true. Anytime I could wrap my body around Franklin’s was a good day. Thankfully, he’d never made me believe he felt differently.

“A single with a king-sized bed would have been nice,” Franklin answered as he climbed into bed next to me. “Too bad all those rooms were already taken.”

“Oh, I don’t know. This is cozy.” I draped my leg over Franklin. A hiss escaped his lips as my knee bumped into his thickened cock. My fingers tangled in Franklin’s chest hair as I worked them farther south. “You want me to take care of that for you?” I might not be up for intense calisthenics, but I figured I could easily manage a hand job.

“What man would turn down an offer like that?” Franklin asked, his voice a little breathless.

I chuckled and answered, “Not many,” before wrapping my fingers around Franklin’s velvety, hard length. It didn’t take much to send him careening over the edge, and Franklin’s ensuing soft snores guiding me to satisfied, peaceful slumber.