How to Wake an Undead City

by Edwards, Hailey

  A chime rang out from Linus’s phone, and he checked his messages.

  “Bishop confirmed the note matches the signature.” A frown cut his mouth as he read. “However, Anca crosschecked those against historical data she compiled while performing the initial search you requested. Neither sample matches letters of record on file for Severine Marchand.”

  Foolish hope kindled in my heart. “Does that mean she didn’t write the note?”

  Confirmation she didn’t hate me wasn’t the same as her loving me, or liking me, but it was something.

  “He’ll touch base when he can confirm an ID.” He put away his phone. “Perhaps I was too hasty in urging you to burn her note. It might have come in handy.”

  “Do you think the new Dame Marchand might have taken steps her mother wouldn’t to punish me?”

  “I’m not sure.” Linus rubbed his jaw. “From what we’ve heard, she appears to be the quiet sort. Her lack of ambition is evident in the fact Severine kept her granddaughters, and not her daughter, close. Heloise was driven to impress her grandmother, and Eloise has proven she was paying attention to all the lessons her grandmother taught them, but there’s no evidence their mother has shown any initiative.”

  “Assuming the new Dame Marchand is as delicate as we’ve been led to believe, I would put money on the note being Eloise’s doing.” I fisted my hands on my hips. “But how did she talk her mother into handing over the collection? It’s a Marchand family heirloom, and our bloodline is a closely guarded secret, or it was.” I dropped my arms. “Severine’s heart must be turning in its box.”

  “The new Dame Marchand might not be aware of what her daughter has done.” Linus picked up his phone. “With Severine and Heloise gone, Eloise may be assuming that role as her mother is assuming the title. I’ll tell Bishop to check Eloise’s handwriting against the note and the signature.”

  “Family drama makes me tired.” I sank into the chair behind the desk. “I never thought I would say this, but I was better off before I learned Dad’s name, and I was definitely better off before I met Mom’s side of the family.”

  “This was bound to happen.” Linus crossed to me. “Severine kept an eye on you all these years, and her granddaughters did too. They would have reached out at some point. The same is true for Lacroix. You didn’t bring this on yourself. They were always waiting in the wings, hoping for an opening to walk through.”

  “Grier.”

  “Did you hear that?” I spun in the chair toward the window. “It sounded like…”

  A furious zing rippled through the wards, and yep. Woolly expelled Boaz with enough force to send him flying.

  “Crap.” I leapt to my feet and ran, skidding onto the porch just as he tried to bull his way in a second time. “Woolly, no.” I took the stairs two at a time and demanded of him, “What’s gotten into you?”

  “Lacroix made his move.” Anguish cut lines into his cheeks. “All the sentinels we thought he killed…” He rubbed his hands over his face, leaving crimson streaks behind. “He compelled them, Grier. He held them prisoner until he rounded up a dozen or so then gave them orders to return to their units and open fire.”

  “Goddess,” I whispered and went to him. “How bad is it?”

  “We lost thirty-two men and women.” His shoulders hunched. “Becky…” He wet his lips. “Lacroix discovered she was a sentinel and compelled her to take down Commander Roark. That was his special assignment for her. I was in a meeting with him and a few others when she walked in, drew her weapon, and…”

  “I’m sorry.” I eased forward, about to yank him into the hug he needed, when a commotion near the property line I shared with the Pritchards distracted me. “Who is…?”

  Blonde hair flying loose around her shoulders, eyes bright with panic, Adelaide ran across the yard and threw her arms around Boaz.

  “You didn’t call.” Her grip on him tightened until he returned the embrace. “You jackass. You knew I would hear about the massacre from the sentinels you posted outside the house, and you didn’t call.”

  “I didn’t think.” He bowed to the need for comfort and buried his face in her neck. “Becky’s gone.” The blood on his hands streaked the ends of Adelaide’s hair when he clenched his fists in the pale length. “I was on duty, and I couldn’t… It all happened so fast. I had to…” His shoulders juddered. “I killed her, Addie.”

  Grateful when Linus came to stand with me, I folded myself against his chest as Amelie skidded onto the scene.

  Bad enough that Boaz had to watch his partner fall, but to be the one who pulled the trigger…

  Adelaide eased him onto Woolly’s lowest step, and Amelie settled in beside him, leaning against him.

  I doubt any of them were thinking what a colossally bad idea it was to risk Woolly’s wrath. Lucky for them, the old girl had a good heart, and she had loved Boaz for a long time. She might be mad at him, she might never get over his betrayal, but she would always have a soft spot for the boy he had been.

  As much as I hated to interrupt them, I had no other choice. “Did the commander make it?”

  Head in his hands, Boaz stared at the blood flecking his boots while Adelaide and Amelie hovered over him.

  “No.” He raised his chin, and I could tell the effort cost him. “I couldn’t process what was happening. We hadn’t heard the other reports of sentinels turning on their own yet. We had no reason to distrust her.” His gaze slid back to the ground. “She walked right in and killed him, and I…”

  “Shhh.” Adelaide raked her fingers through the longer hair on top of his head. “You don’t have to talk about it. You’re okay. That’s the important thing.”

  “Yeah.” A hard laugh punched out of him. “I wouldn’t want to miss the wedding.”

  “Boaz,” Amelie snapped, climbing to her feet. “That was uncalled for.”

  “It’s fine.” The concern wetting Adelaide’s lashes and streaking her cheeks dried as if the tears had never fallen. “I should go.”

  When he didn’t call her back, I went after her since Amelie couldn’t. “He shouldn’t have said that.”

  “Hey.” She slowed, allowing me to fall into step with her. “That’s my line.”

  The smile creeped up on me, reminding me why I liked her. “How are you holding up?”

  “We have food, water, and gas for the generator.” She laced her fingers at her navel. “It’s a big ask, I know, but can you talk to him? He’ll accept comfort from you better than he does from me.”

  “I’m not going to pat his head or rub his belly, but I’ll kick him in the ass to get him moving in the right direction.” I met her stare head-on. “That’s the best I can do.”

  “Thanks.” She made a vague gesture toward the Pritchard house. “I should be getting back.”

  As I watched her go, I resisted the urge to grab her by the shoulders and shake sense into her.

  Marrying Boaz was one thing. Both their families would benefit from the union. I could see that in hindsight, even accept it. But she had rushed over wearing her heart on her sleeve, and he dusted it off like lint.

  As usual.

  “You can’t fix this.” Linus came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, propping his chin on top of my head. “They have to figure it out on their own.”

  “I can’t help it.” I leaned back against him. “I like Adelaide. I want better for her than she’s getting.”

  “She chose him,” he reminded me. “There’s no going back, for either of them.”

  “I’m warning Cletus. He can get word to Clem for us.”

  The wraith materialized in seconds and spread his hands in a show of them being empty.

  No news, in this case, was good news.

  “Lacroix made his play,” I told Cletus. “Don’t let Corbin out of your sight for a blink, okay?”

  Cletus bobbed his head then disappeared back to stand guard over my progeny.

  Heaving a sigh, I forced myself to step out of Linus’s
comforting embrace. “Do you have a tattoo gun here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you give the remaining sentinels the same tattoo you gave me? It holds against Lacroix’s compulsions. I’ve tested it time and time again.” I faced him. “We can’t turn a blind eye when we can help protect the sentinels who are putting their lives on the line for the rest of us.”

  “I can bring in help, other artists, and more equipment.” Wisps of black flickered in his eyes. “The problem is the ink.”

  The blend contained Volkov’s blood to boost the wearer’s immunity from Last Seeds.

  There had once been an arrangement between the two of them that resulted in Linus having the blood, and test subject, he required to experiment on himself until hitting the perfect ratio for use in his design.

  For the sentinels’ sake, I hoped we could stretch what remained of his supply thin enough to cover everyone. “How much do you have left?”

  “Not enough.” He shook his head. “Not nearly enough.”

  I swallowed hard. “Then I guess we go get more.”

  Seven

  “No.”

  That was Linus’s entire argument against me going with him to see Volkov. Hard to counter when his succinct reply left me no wiggle room, but that had never stopped me. This needed doing, and I wasn’t letting him go alone.

  Bold as brass, I hurled my suspicion. “He’s in the city.”

  The cool assessment in his eyes skated dangerously close to a mask. “You’re fishing.”

  Fiddlesticks. He knew me too well, which meant he ought to know I wasn’t giving up or giving in.

  “You visited him several times,” I reminded him, “but you couldn’t have gone far. You were always home to fix me breakfast, and most mornings I saw you before I went to bed.”

  “Volkov is dangerous.”

  “Weird.” I arranged my features into oblivious puzzlement. “I didn’t get that vibe from him. I’m sure he didn’t mean to kidnap me, hold me prisoner, or force me to marry him. It was all a big misunderstanding.”

  Linus pinched the bridge of his nose. “He’s been asking for you.”

  A cold lump formed in my gut. “That’s good then. He gets what he wants, and we get what we need.”

  Black filled his eyes from edge to edge when he dropped his hand, and eternity stared back at me.

  “I can’t promise to honor your decisions then break my word when it’s tested.” Mist rose from his skin, and I was glad. It meant he wasn’t hiding his quirks, any of them, from me. “I’ll make the visitation arrangements.”

  Uncertain how victorious I felt, considering winning meant spending quality time with Volkov, I found myself in need of a distraction. “How can I help?”

  “Call the Mad Tatter.” He prowled the room, the promise of violence simmering beneath his skin. “Ask Mary Alice to send six of her best.”

  We couldn’t very well invite humans into the city at the moment, let alone allow them to work on the sentinels and the Elite without raising questions. There was also the small concern they might go back out into the world and replicate the design without understanding what it meant. He knew that but…

  Phone in hand, I searched for her number. “I shouldn’t specify necromancer or…?”

  “She’ll know who I mean,” he reassured me, giving away nothing.

  With no one to blame but myself for pulling the assignment I was about to take on, I dialed up the Tatter and asked to speak to the boss.

  “You destroyed my guest suite,” Mary Alice said in place of hello.

  “See, there were these vampire assassins,” I began. “And then—”

  “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

  Information broker. Right. “Linus told me to call you.”

  That cut her off mid-rant. “He did?”

  “He said tell you to send six of your best to Savannah.”

  “Six? Six? That’s half my stable. I can’t short my clients.”

  “All right.” I cast around for Linus, but he was already gone, making his own calls. “I understand.”

  “It will take a few hours.”

  Thinking I must have misheard, I pressed the phone tighter to my ear. “What?”

  “You heard me. Give them six hours. They’ll be there.” She huffed. “Tell him he owes me a mural in the guest suite once repairs are complete. I’m talking full color, full wall, full everything.”

  Giddy with success, I closed the deal. “I’ll let him know.”

  “And you will be receiving the bill.”

  The eye twitch developing on my right side made me glad she couldn’t see me. “I’m happy to pay it.”

  “Take care of my people, Grier.” A cold edge cut through her voice, slicing through the crotchety-grandma routine. “You won’t like what happens if you don’t.”

  The call ended, and I stood there absorbing the threat from a woman I now had much less trouble imagining as a ruthless maven of Atlanta’s underground.

  Woolly rustled a nearby curtain with the patience of someone tapping their foot.

  “Linus trusts her.” I pocketed my phone. “She can’t be all bad.”

  The curtains parted until they framed Boaz, who hadn’t moved from his spot or lifted his head from his hands since he ran off Adelaide. And Amelie, who didn’t appear to be making any headway soothing him.

  “Point taken.” I jerked them closed again. “We can’t always trust our judgment where our hearts are concerned.” I strained my ears, but I was alone. “Where is everyone?”

  The temperature in the room lowered as her presence retracted to take a look around but shot back to me in a snap.

  The jumble of images dumped in my head left me scrambling. “Oh no. Oscar.”

  Between checking in, Boaz delivering his brutal news, and Linus and I planning next steps, I had totally forgotten him. For hours. Only the request for a headcount had turned up his absence.

  “You want me to have fifty billion kids when I can barely keep track of a single ghost boy?”

  The old house huffed air through the floor registers in a sigh that told me I was wasting my breath. Apparently, she felt that nine months was plenty of time for me to mature into a mother-type person.

  “Cover for me.” I shot out the back door and jogged for the woods, where two familiar gwyllgi, both romping on four legs, met me. “Don’t mind me. I’m just winning the mother-of-the-year award for shooing Oscar off to play hide-and-seek then forgetting I was supposed to do the seeking.”

  Hood whined in sympathy, but Lethe chuffed with amusement.

  “Laugh while you can, Mom.” I breezed past them. “Your day is coming.”

  Thank the goddess, my adoptive son was super low-maintenance. Being dead meant he didn’t eat, sleep, or drink. As long as I kept him entertained so he didn’t relapse into poltergeistism out of boredom, I was set. Except when, like now, I totally and completely failed at ghost motherhood.

  With any luck, I would cut my teeth on Lethe’s and Hood’s brood—or they would cut their teeth on me—before I was expected to figure out how to rear my own offspring.

  Woolly.

  Enough with the kid thoughts already.

  Irked, I shot her a mental picture of my own—me lounging on an operating table, waiting for a tubal.

  For a second, I wondered if houses could faint. Her presence retreated from my head, and I took full advantage of the quiet to focus on locating Oscar.

  Once I got far enough into the woods, I chose a tree to hide behind then gave Woolly the signal to send Oscar back out. I waited until he zoomed past, clearly hunting me, before I tapped his shoulder.

  “Tag.” I spun and ran, calling over my shoulder. “You’re it.”

  “We were playing hide-and-seek,” he protested. “You didn’t find me.”

  “I know.” I slowed. “I suck.”

  “You mean sucker. You fell for it. Woolly told me guilt trips work every time.” Laughing, he tapped my shoulder. “No
w you’re it.”

  “Hey.” I snatched him out of the air. “Woolly better not be giving you pointers.”

  “No.” He wriggled in my grip, but it was too late, and he knew it. “Please.”

  “Show no mercy.” Familiar with his ticklish spots, I homed in on them until he was gasping and laughing, black tears painting his cheeks. “That’s rule number one.”

  Only when I was certain he was worn out did I sling him onto my hip for the trip home.

  Exhausted, he leaned his cheek on my shoulder. “That was fun.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” I kissed the top of his head. “And I’m sorry I forgot to come get you.”

  Chubby fingers twining in my hair, he nestled closer. “Why did you?”

  Oscar’s tendency to wink out when he got tired meant he had a poor grasp on the passage of time. He might not realize how long I stood him up, or even been present from the time I should have started counting until he showed up looking for me at Woolly, but that only made it worse, not better. I was supposed to be his keeper, not the other way around.

  “Boaz came by with some bad news. One of his friends died, and he’s upset about it. We all are. She was a sentinel, and she helped a lot of people. She even helped me out once.”

  “I’m sorry she’s dead.” He grew quiet. “Will she become a ghost? Like me?”

  “No.” Her family would be performing the culmination soon, if they hadn’t already. “She won’t be a ghost.”

  “Oh.” His voice grew small. “That’s good.”

  Drawing back to look at him, I wondered, “Why?”

  “I didn’t like being a ghost. Nobody could see me or talk to me. It made me so mad, I hurt people. I was lonely and sad all the time, and I just wanted to go home.”

  Only his use of the past tense kept me from cringing. “Are you happy now?”

  “Yep.” He planted a smacking kiss on my cheek. “You’re not my real mom. She was older.” His cool fingers traced where faint crow’s-feet had started gathering beside my eyes. “You’re still kind of a kid. I like that. It means you remember all the best games.”

  “You’re family, Oscar. You’re welcome at Woolworth House for as long as she’s standing.”