Sound's Familiar
Page 22
Ian was so bad at faking an innocent guise that Carol couldn’t help but laugh again. She really liked Ian. The man had a great sense of humor and seemed to fit in with them seamlessly.
“What?” Ian climbed into the back seat, winking at Carol with a conspiratorial expression.
“Nothing.” Carol got into the passenger seat, and they were off on the now-familiar route. “Lunch after this?” She was beginning to get hungry.
“God, yes,” Ian moaned. “I call Mexican.”
“That’s two votes.” Jonah beamed. “Not far away, there’s this fabulous little Mexican food place that has the best burritos. Instead of ground beef, they use roast beef. It’s incredible.”
“Mm.” Carol’s mouth began to water. “Three votes for burritos.”
She stared out the window as they drove, thinking about the case. “I keep thinking that there’s something wrong with this case.”
“Me too. Something’s off.” Jonah pulled into the parking lot closest to the baseball field. “It’s too close to home.”
“Huh?” Ian followed as they climbed out of the car.
Carol sniffed, trying to catch any scents as they walked toward the field. “Why here? Why would a professor kill students here, on his home ground?”
“Because he’s a cocky fucker who thinks he’ll get away with it?” Ian pointed to first base. “Think about how quickly he’s doing this. We’ve had two victims in less than two weeks. That’s pretty quick for a blood mage, isn’t it?”
“Not if he’s working with a wither or a god,” Jonah replied, his tone absent as he glanced around. “There. The remnants of the broken camera haven’t been removed from the pole yet.”
“Right above home plate. That must be the one the wither showed up on.” Carol shivered at the memory of the cold presence of the wither.
“Don’t think about it too much, or you might catch its attention.”
“Wait, what?” Ian glanced between the two of them. “You mean that extradimensional asshole can find us just because we think about him?” He appeared absolutely horrified.
“It’s more likely to be attracted to Carol or me, not you, but still I’d avoid it if I could. All human beings have either anima or animus in them to differing degrees.” Jonah stared at the broken remains of the camera. “Carol, can you smell anything?”
She shifted, scenting the air. Something strange tickled her senses, sending her toward the tall pole the camera had been attached to. Around the base was a familiar scent, but other scents were also there, all of them recent. She shifted back, scowling. “Chief Rivers and some others I don’t recognize, but he told Ian that he’d been here, so I doubt that counts.”
“You have the scents of the unknowns, so that means we can eventually find them.” Jonah stroked her cheek. “Good job.”
Her cheeks heated at the praise. “You pat me on the head and call me a good girl, and I’ll pee on your shoes.”
“Pfft.” Ian turned his back to them.
“Aw, you’re so cute.” Jonah tugged on one of her curls. “I want you to check around. Follow those scents to wherever they lead, then get back to me.”
“They probably belong to the cleanup crew.” Carol sighed. This was going to be so damn boring.
“Probably, but it’s better to check and find nothing than not go and miss something important that could break the case open. Ian, go with her. I’m going to Rivers’s office to ask if I can get a copy of the video.” Jonah strode off, not waiting for a response.
“Think he was upset about your threat?” Ian was watching Jonah stride away.
“Nah. That’s a pretty light threat as they go. Pooping in his shoes? That’s serious.” Carol turned back to the pole and took a deep whiff. “Okay. I’ve got the scents. Let’s go for a stroll, Detective.”
“Gotcha.”
Ian followed behind as Carol as she followed the first of the three scents. It led to the administration building. Carol went into the building, ready to follow the scent down a corridor they hadn’t been down before. Others moved past them, either ignoring them or nodding brief greetings as they went about their way. The badges around their necks were worth cursory glances at best and were probably the reason some secretary hadn’t come out to shoo them away.
“Wait. Let me go first.” Ian stepped in front of her, leading the way.
“I’m a wolf, Ian. I can protect myself pretty well.” She let him lead though. Something about the scents in this corridor were making her hackles rise. “Listen, whatever we find down there, I want you to listen to me, okay? Something’s really off.”
Ian gulped. “Should we call Jonah?”
She frowned, sniffing the air once more. “I don’t think so. Not yet, anyway.”
He took a deep breath and began walking forward. “First whiff of a you-know-what and I’m dialing.”
“Agreed.” Carol followed closely behind Ian, her eyes practically closed as she tracked the disturbing scent signature with her other senses. “We’re getting close.”
“We’re just outside custodial.” Ian opened the door.
Carol shivered. “It’s much stronger here.” Going on instinct, she pushed Ian behind her. “I lead now.”
“Any idea what it is you’re sensing?”
“Nope, other than it’s giving me the heebies.”
“Right.” Ian whipped out his phone. “Calling Jonah now.”
A hum began to build within her head, drowning out almost everything else. High pitched, the sound vibrated down her spine, causing her to shudder. “Where are you?” She followed the sound, barely aware that Ian was close behind her.
The hum became a whistle as she walked down the hallway. Doors on either side of her held no interest as the sound remained ahead of her. The scents from the crime scene were stronger as well, assaulting her nose with the stench of death and decay.
By the time she reached the end of the hallway, the whistle had become so loud that she had to cover her ears. Higher pitched than that of a tea kettle, the whistle had become a shriek she couldn’t escape from. She crouched down, panting, trying to overcome the pain in her head so she could go on. She couldn’t let Jonah down. She couldn’t leave Ian unprotected.
She had to find the source and end it before it affected them too.
A cool hand landed on her forehead. Whispered words entered her mind, the language familiar yet mysterious. Golden light infused her, forcing the shriek back down to a tolerable whistle.
Carol opened her eyes, surprised that she’d closed them in the first place. “Jonah?”
He smiled at her gently. “I’m here.” He glanced behind him, toward the door she’d stopped in front of. “Is it here?”
She nodded. “It hurts, Jonah.”
“Shh.” He caressed her cheek, brushing her hair back. “Wait here with Ian. I’ll deal with this.”
Fuck. That. She stood, almost knocking him on his ass. “I don’t think so.”
“Yeah, me neither.” Ian pushed past her to give Jonah a hand up. “I’m your partner. I’ve gotta face this shit sooner or later. Besides, I’d rather be at your back than out here alone.”
Jonah grunted, clearly annoyed. “Fine. But stay behind me.”
She could live with that, for now. But if anything came out of that room to bite him, she was going to rip it to shreds.
She was the only one allowed to lay a paw on Jonah Sound.
Chapter 32
He hadn’t even had a chance to get to Rivers’s office when Ian’s call had come in. “Get here now. Carol’s hackles are rising.”
He’d practically run, following the pull of her anima until he’d found them. His animus was vibrating in a disturbing way, making him shudder. This definitely wasn’t right. Worse, the closer he got, the louder a strange humming sound became. Only it wasn’t his ears picking it up. His human range couldn’t detect it, but where was it coming from? And why was his animus vibrating along with it? “What’s up?”
Jonah stared at the door in front of him. Nothing marked what was behind it. No plaque, no number, no exit sign. Nothing. It was a blank door at the end of the custodial hallway.
So where did it go?
Jonah opened it cautiously, his senses humming along with Carol’s. The sound was in her mind, unheard by those without the spark of active magic. He winced at the increasing decibel level. He’d managed to tone it down before, but he couldn’t force it away from her. Instead, he’d taken half of it himself, allowing him to perceive what she did. As her sorcerer, it was something only he could do.
“Any idea what’s in there?” Ian had a flashlight in one hand and his service pistol in the other.
“None. Just stay close, and don’t shoot any professors.” Jonah stepped into the room, fully expecting to be attacked the moment he did so.
The room was dark, filled with metal shelves, dusty boxes, and cleaning supplies. Larger than he’d first thought, it appeared to be some sort of storage room. He felt along the wall to his right for a light switch, flipping it when he did.
The light was dim, barely illuminating the room. He squinted at the light fixtures, checking if they were lit or not.
They were, but something else in the room was keeping it from reaching the floor. Jonah moved farther into the room, his animus thrumming along his skin in response to whatever was in this room with them.
“It’s getting louder again.” Carol’s voice was strained. He peered back at her, noting how her freckles were even more prominent against her pale skin.
“Can you tell which direction it’s coming from?” Because he couldn’t. It was too pervasive.
“No, but the scents...” She lifted her face and closed her eyes, sniffing at the air. “I think it’s that way.”
Ian shone his light in the direction she pointed. “There are just more shelves.”
“Let’s check it out.” Jonah began navigating through the shelves, following Carol’s directions. The farther they went, the deeper the twilight became. The whistling sound became closer to a shriek once more. If Carol had come in here without the spell that had allowed him to share her pain, the decibel level might have killed her.
Following the source of the sound, he navigated around the metal shelves, trying to use both his magical and human senses to detect the source. Ian was beginning to wince, showing that the sound was even beginning to affect non-magical beings.
Jonah had no idea how anyone could be in this room without being affected by the sound, even non-sorcerers. It was spine-chilling the closer he got to it. Goose bumps erupted all over his arms, his animus rising in protest to the vibrations emanating throughout the room. There was a shadow creeping into the spaces around him, tendrils of dark and gray that frightened him more than anything he’d ever encountered.
“Jonah?” Carol clutched at his sleeve, her fingers digging into his arm. Her anima was entwining closer to his, almost hiding beneath his own. If she’d been in wolf form, she would have been crouched, her tail tucked between her legs and her teeth bared. She’d also have tried to push him behind her. Not that he’d have allowed that. “We’re close.”
He glanced at her. Carol’s nose was wrinkled as if she smelled something foul. “What are you sensing?”
“Death. Decay.” She lifted her face, her expression one of utter disgust. “It smells like rot.”
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. He’d understood that this was possible, but he’d never before met anyone who had to deal with it. “Breach.”
Carol blanched just as Ian gasped. “You mean...”
“Terra Noctem is coming through somehow.” He glanced around. “A pinhole in the Veil between our world and theirs would make this sound.”
“Like if we were in space and someone put a pin-sized hole in our ship.” Ian moved ahead of them. “Even I can feel the pressure difference, and it’s freaking me out.”
“Carol.”
She sat immediately, closing her eyes. Her essence began to wrap around him in a less frightened way, shoring up his power. He’d need every ounce she could give him before they were done.
“Ian, guard the door. Don’t let anyone in.”
“What about out?” Ian put his hand on his service weapon.
Jonah grimaced. “If anything gets out of that hole, we’ll have a lot more to worry about than you guarding the door.”
“Shit.” Ian loped off, presumably to take up position in front of the door.
Jonah opened his senses, following the trail to where the pinhole was. Dear Lady, it was horrifying. The shadows moved in sinuous ways, tentacles of gray slithering through the air, reaching for Jonah. He batted them away, his hands glowing as he contemplated the hole in reality he’d found.
This was going to be tricky. “Carol!”
Soon enough, she was standing beside him. She took his hand instinctively. He had to wonder if she understood how much closer this would make their bond. He’d need to be as tightly tied to her as possible, and vice versa, for this to work, or one of them could get sucked through the hole. He could barely keep the tendrils off of him as it was.
A terrible thought occurred to him. Had anyone gone missing? The hole was so small that anyone going through would die a horrible death.
No, not possible. Terra Noctem was coming through, not sucking in Terra Mundus. If anything, the room would repel the living, much like it had Ian. The man couldn’t get away fast enough, and he knew what was happening. If they didn’t, or couldn’t sense the magic flowing through that hole, they’d get the sensation that for some reason they shouldn’t be there. The hair on the nape of their neck would stand up, goose bumps would run up and down their arms, and an inexplicable chill would cause them to leave so quickly that they’d run for the exit before they even realized their feet had moved.
He took a deep breath, studying the hole. Some things required caution. This...this would require brute force. If that hole stretched even a millimeter wider, it would take several sorcerers to close it.
He raised the hand held tightly in Carol’s. Their magic hummed through him, singing the song of life itself. He spoke, a language even he didn’t fully comprehend as the magic flowed, guiding him in healing the wound in the Veil.
That was part of learning to control his magic. He had to learn when to let go, to let it guide him in the task at hand and when it needed to be guided. This time, he had to allow it to be what it needed, guiding and shaping it in the right direction. Instinctually, he raised his free hand, pulling from Carol’s magic as well as his own to create a healing patch that would slowly dissipate over time.
It took everything he had to remain upright as the hole attempted to pull his magic through rather than allowing the patch. Damn, it was worse than he’d originally thought. If he fell now, Ian would have to come back with a fucking posse of sorcerers.
He couldn’t allow himself to fall. Not while he was linked so closely to Carol that he could make out her wolf whimpering in fear. He’d drag her into the void with him no matter how strongly he struggled against it.
Their anima and animus blended even more closely together as he forced the anima to flow. Amber light swirled around his outstretched hand. The battle cry of a wolf echoed in his ears, almost drowning out the high-pitched whistle. He could scent the dust in the room, the decay and death coming from the hole, and almost gagged. For just a second, he understood what it was to run on four legs instead of two.
What the fuck was going on?
Jonah did his best to ignore the sensations bombarding him and concentrated on the patch. An ankh appeared in the swirling amber as he imposed his will on their combined magic, forcing it toward the pinhole.
The flow slowed as the patch settled, closing the hole. Amber magic smoothed over t
he tiny, jagged edges, blending into the world of Mundus. He would have to ask the dean to keep an eye on the patch. The fact that it was an ankh that appeared confirmed who’d created the breach.
Their murderer’s ritual was ripping through the Veil. Whether intentional or not, the stakes had gone way higher than Jonah had anticipated when he’d first come on the case.
Letting the magic go, Jonah hit the ground, passing out before he could even take a breath.
Chapter 33
Carol groaned, her head hurting so badly she was afraid to open her eyes. Nausea roiled through her, making her reluctant to move. She couldn’t remember what she’d done to cause herself to suffer like this, but whatever it was she was never, ever doing it again.
Ever.
“Carol? You awake?” The quiet, concerned voice sounded familiar, but Carol couldn’t quite place it. “I swear, if you killed her, Jonah, I’m going to hurt you.”
“I didn’t, Mom, I swear.” A warm, masculine hand gripped hers. Magic flowed over her, driving some of the pain into the background. His scent wrapped around her, calming both her and her wolf.
Her mate was there, taking away her agony. She opened her eyes, smiling softly, even that much movement making her wince. “Hi.” Beyond Jonah, she caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar dresser, a doorway, and Jonah’s mother, Tanya.
“Hey, pretty lady.” With his free hand, he pushed her curls off her forehead. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a giant decided I’d make an excellent hacky sack.” Even her hair hurt. “What the hell happened?”
Jonah winced. “I, uh, closed the hole in the Veil.”
“And almost killed you both in the process.” Jonah’s mother stepped into view, scowling fiercely at her son. “You should have called for help.”
“I thought I could handle it before it got to the point of needing multiple sorcerers.” Jonah’s voice was as quiet as his mother’s, but the contrition was clear as day. “I’m sorry, my little wolf. I pulled too much mana from you.”
“And yourself. If not for Ian you’d both still be in that room, unconscious.” Tanya’s scowl wobbled. “We had to call Lessa and Rose and pool our magic to save you.”