Secrets of the Dead

by Becca Vincenza

  Dragging myself back into bed, I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

  ****

  In the morning, it felt like I’d been hit by a Mack truck. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and sat up, my muscles giving a collective groan. My head pounded with a massive headache; I’d need to see if Ever stocked any medications. Pushing those thoughts aside for the time being, I got up and changed my clothes then stepped out into the living room.

  Acacia sat on the couch, looking at the window where the blinds were still firmly pulled shut.

  “Can you not tolerate the sunlight?” I asked her. From my studies and from what my brothers and father had told me, older vampires could tolerate the sunlight while younger ones could not.

  Acacia didn’t even look at me. Instead, she kept her gaze trained on the blinds. I thought it had been daylight when she arrived, but since coming into Ever’s, I hadn’t been paying much attention to time. I would have to reenter the world of the living to get the information I needed for Rowan. Waiting around until our birthday wouldn’t work for me.

  “That’s none of your business, is it, necromancer?”

  “Suppose not, Acacia.”

  Horace’s warnings, or rather advice, bothered me. Why her? Why trust another vampire when that was exactly who I was going up against? But the answers to my questions wouldn’t be solved here.

  I kept coming back to the same thing—finding answers for Rowan. For the both of us.

  Glancing around Ever’s apartment, I searched for his laptop. Ever hated doing a lot of technological stuff; he only had the laptop because Wilson and Sherman forced it on him to keep track of his business expenses.

  “What are you looking for?” Acacia asked, shifting from sitting on her legs to folding them in front of her. Her hair was still down, softening the sharpness in her face considerably, and her light brown eyes had a longing in them that disappeared the moment she blinked.

  “That wasn’t part of our truce.”

  “Hmm, so true. Carry on, then.” She flipped her hand at me and continued to stare at the window.

  What’s going on in her head?

  Shaking that thought away, I walked around the apartment. It didn’t take me very long to find my brother’s laptop, and I set myself up at his small dining table to begin my research.

  Rowan had a hard time studying when we were growing up. She always wanted to get up and move, had to be doing something. And she’d been more interested in the physical aspect of our magic. I was the opposite, studying for hours, reading, absorbing as much information as I could. It comforted me knowing I would be a step ahead, and to do that, I needed to be smarter than my opponent. Physical labor helped calm my nerves and mind.

  I stretched out my stiff back and legs. Acacia sat on the couch, her arms draped over the back, watching me. I sat up straighter under her scrutiny.

  “I can’t help it I’m curious. What have you been studying nonstop for three hours?” she asked.

  I glanced at the clock on the laptop. It had been three hours, and most of the witches I’d managed to look up would be closing for the day. Standing up, I closed the laptop and headed to the entranceway where I left my shoes, grabbing my keys and wallet from the small end table.

  “Don’t be too late, honey,” Acacia said as she watched me walk out the door.

  “Don’t wait up.”

  Ignoring the warning Horace had given me, I shut the door behind me. My onyx and silver knuckles were in my pocket, and I had a dagger in a holster on my hip. That would be enough.

  A cold blast followed me, but Horace’s presence disappeared. I didn’t have time to wait to see if Acacia would come along with me or to convince her to come. Not with the fleeting time I had.

  The first witch I found was only a couple of miles away. I had the contract tucked in my back pocket. Another witch would be able to sense the magic around it; whether they would recognize the owner of it was another question. It would be worth it if the witch could just get me closer to the family line.

  I climbed into my truck and drove to the witch’s herb shop, pulling into the back parking lot. Sierra’s Herbs sat on a strip connected to other buildings though it was smaller. The greenery crept out of the windows and crawled up the sides of the brick walls.

  A human in front of me walked right past the building without giving it a second glance. What did she see as she went by? The wards were powerful enough that they buzzed under my skin.

  Chimes sounded as I walked through the front door, and I glanced around the small jungle inside of the concrete world surrounding it. The storefront had plants of different kinds, even some that couldn’t possibly be blooming on their own. I carefully maneuvered through them.

  In the middle of the store on the north wall sat a thick wood register counter. The witch behind the desk looked young. Her dyed green hair was cut in a trendy style that made it look messy. She looked up when I entered, her bright green eyes latching onto mine.

  Knowing the charm I could wield, I pulled my lips back into a smile. A slight blush kissed her cheeks as I stepped forward.

  “Hello, are you Sierra?”

  “I am.” She smiled brightly back, confidently straightening her shoulders and meeting my flirting head on.

  “This is a beautiful shop you have. So, you’re a wood nymph?”

  She bit her bottom lip as she shook her head slowly. “Nope, guess again.”

  “With this green thumb,”—I reached over and touched her hand, caressing the thumb slowly and gently—“you must be. You certainly have their beauty.”

  “Nope. And what exactly are you, sweet talker?”

  “Nothing of interest, I can promise you. You’re the interesting one.”

  “I’m a witch.”

  “That makes sense. So you’d be able to help me, then. I was looking for a witch. She would’ve put together this contract.” I handed her the last page, which had all legal jargon.

  Sierra’s eyes flashed with power as she touched the paper.

  “This isn’t my type of magic. Best I can do is send you down to Estella. She might be able to help you.” Sierra kept a hold of the paper, her eyes still shining with power.

  I touched her arm to stop whatever she was doing. Instead, the power sparked up my arm, and her eyes flashed to mine.

  “You’re….”

  “Just a regular old necromancer. Like I told you, nothing exciting.” My tone turned cold as I grabbed the contract back.

  She shook her head and released the paper.

  “So sorry.” She smiled brightly. “Yes, try Estella. She’s just up the road.”

  “Thanks.”

  I left without another word, unease tightening my gut. She felt something when she touched me but what? Sometimes, witches could get echoes of ghosts or the presence of another Mystic. Had she sensed Horace or Acacia? Or had it been something else?

  I wouldn’t drop my guard again. That had been a mistake I’d never repeat.

  I left the herb store in search of Estella’s. I hadn’t run across any business owned by an Estella on any of the Mystic sites I checked, but not everyone registered because they catered to humans as well. The standalone building with Es in neon lights above the door led me to my next witch.

  The bar was much more put together and modern than our bar in Kodiak Falls. Since it was still afternoon, it was deserted except for a couple of people sprinkled throughout who looked like they’d passed out. The bartender nodded at me, and I headed over to him.

  “I’m looking for Estella.”

  “She’s in the back. Wait here.”

  The bartender, probably a shifter of some kind, left and went to the back. He returned a minute later, indicating I should follow him. At the office door, I stepped inside.

  “So you’re the necro causing a ruckus.” Estella glared at me. Her long, gray hair framed her wrinkled face. Damn. Witches lived about as long as necromancers, so she had to be old.

  “Appa
rently I must be.” Had Sierra called to warn her I was coming? I hadn’t been out anywhere besides Sierra’s. I hoped that was all she meant. I didn’t need any more attention on me than I already had.

  “What do you have for me?” Estella asked with a gleam in her eye. I didn’t trust the woman as far as I could throw her.

  I pulled out the back sheet and handed it over. Immediately her blue eyes flared with magic.

  “Hm, I can tell you exactly who made this contract binding, and you don’t want anything to do with them.” Estella handed me the contract back.

  “Who?”

  “No, son, that isn’t how it works out here. You’ll need to owe me for me to give that information.”

  “Anything.” To save Rowan from that fate, I would do anything. I wouldn’t see my sister’s spirit stifled. I’d protect her no matter the consequences.

  Estella narrowed her eyes at me.

  “That’s a big word right there, son. Do you realize what I could ask of you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll give you a name in exchange for a favor. I’ll collect at the time of my choosing.”

  She waited, arching a brow at me.

  “Agreed.”

  “Her name is Sylvia Bavmorda. And a warning to you, boy, don’t go looking for her without some serious backup.”

  “Thank—”

  “Don’t thank me, boy. I may be sending you to your death. Whatever contract you’re trying to get yourself out of, think about it real hard. One hundred years of servitude might not be so bad.”

  Perhaps not, but it wouldn’t be one hundred years for Ro. It’d be forever.

  I left Estella’s and headed back to my truck. The favor that I bound myself to Estella with clung to me until I was miles away from her place.

  The ride back to Ever’s was silent, and I wondered how far I would go for my sister. Though I already knew the answer.

  I’ll go as far as I need to.

  I always have.

  Chapter 10

  My muscles felt weighted down by lead as my watch ticked closer and closer to midnight. After my unproductive meeting with Estella, I tried to follow any other leads I could get on the name she gave me. Most other Mystics wouldn’t talk to me, and the bar I visited was filled with more Guard members than civilians. While normally I wasn’t a prideful male, I found it hard to return to the apartment with barely any more information than I’d started with.

  However, Acacia would obviously know more about this town and the best place to get information. I needed something to incite her to help me. She probably knew this city like the back of her hand, but at the same time, I didn’t think she wanted to leave the apartment.

  The way she watched the window slipped into the forefront of my mind.

  Who or what was she hiding from?

  Uninvited thoughts filled my head. How soft are her silk- like gold strands? Do her brown eyes turn gold when she’s at the height of her passion? Fuck, where did those ideas even come from? I needed her help, not to piss her off. Or fuck her.

  I climbed the last few steps to my brother’s floor. My feet shuffled down the hallway, the heaviness in my limbs making me realize I was overdoing it again. Even just the simple task of keeping ghosts away. Entering that second realm, the Other Side, to speak with Horace had been a mistake as well. It drained the little power I had.

  Using the wall as an anchor, I slid against it to Ever’s apartment. The door was locked, and I had to get on my knees again to pick it. He had to have an extra set of keys. I’d find them as soon as I felt up to it.

  The first lock turned over, and I started to work on the second when the door swung open. The press of cold steel against my Adam’s apple stopped me in my tracks. Glaring upward, I saw an angry blonde vampire staring back.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Unlocking the door.”

  “Why don’t you use a key?”

  “Do you have a key?” I asked. Who was this vampire to my brother if he gave her a key? He hadn’t mentioned any girl in his life.

  “No,” she said, her lips pulled tight.

  “Do you mind?” I gestured to the dagger still pressed against my neck.

  She slowly pulled it away and looked down the hallway as I stood up and stepped inside. Acacia went back to the couch but didn’t sit. She looked anxious as she glanced over at the door again.

  What spooked her?

  “You know whoever’s after you, I doubt they’ll take the time to pick a lock. They’d act swiftly and bust the door down.”

  Acacia’s shoulders dropped a little, and she lowered her dagger to her side. She shook her head before craning her neck back, staring up at the ceiling.

  “Something on your mind?”

  “About as much as on yours.” She jerked her chin to my fists, which were still covered with my onyx and silver knuckles.

  I unclenched my fists and straightened. Acacia watched me closely as I shut the door behind me, making sure to flip over all the locks and pull the silver chain. Some vampires could tolerate touching silver, but if it got into their heart, they would die.

  Another staggering wave of exhaustion hit me. Cringing, I checked my watch.

  Happy birthday, Ro.

  Midnight had struck, and my powers weakened considerably. The first step I took away from the door had me staggering a bit.

  “Are you drunk?” Acacia’s nostrils flared.

  “No.” I made it to the couch without any more problems and sat down, sinking into the cushions as I debated my options.

  It was midnight. In twenty-four hours, Rowan and I were supposed to perform our ritual. It was partly tradition and partly to allow us to filter in the wave of power. The longer Ro and I pushed off the ritual, the unrulier our powers would become. Being Curse Breakers, we could actually be in danger of our powers.

  The longer I sat, the heavier my eyelids became. If I passed out, how long would I be out? It worried me that I didn’t have the answers. But our parents wouldn’t have been able to help us either; it varied for each person. Then I worried Rowan would be in the same position. What will she do about the ritual? Will our parents insist on her completing it even if I’m not there? The contract didn’t account for me disappearing before the ritual.

  I leaned my head back, knowing Rowan would do something stupid. I could feel it in my bones, but I still couldn’t regret my decisions. Maybe whatever idiotic thing she had in mind would give us both a little bit more time. I didn’t think the vampire coven would wait long before forcing the contract on my parents.

  “I need your help.”

  “No,” Acacia said firmly.

  “Did Ever tell you his last name? Do you know anything about necromancers?”

  “I’m a vampire, so of course I know of necro families. Everette Hayes. The Cursed Family. I know all about you. Your line used to be uber powerful, and then the curse was placed on your family. Now you’re just average from what I hear.” Acacia made her voice sound bored, but the tension in her shoulders said otherwise.

  “The seventh son of the seventh generation of seventh sons will be the only one able to break the curse.”

  “Is that so?”

  “My name is Abel Hayes, the seventh son born to Noah and Eloise Hayes. My twin sister is the first girl to be born in our family in centuries.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Will you help me?” I asked.

  Before she could answer, a wave of power tugged at me and stole my remaining energy. Energy I hadn’t used. Rowan.

  Shit.

  Blackness overtook me.

  ****

  “Do necromancers normally go gray when they sleep?” a voice asked me as I stirred into consciousness.

  The first thing I noticed was the kink in my neck. The next was the swell of power inside of me that felt like it was about to explode outward. My chest was like a balloon on the verge of popping; it strained, demanding a release.

  Blinking to reveal the
dark room around me, I saw Acacia glaring down at me, hands on her hips and dressed in that sinful black leather again. Fuck, that was enough to give any man wet dreams.

  But the ghost flickering next to her dampened those thoughts, and I woke up a little faster.

  “Horace?”

  The ghost looked so much like my father it made me question if my father was all right. This was the first time I’d seen him whole aside from the dream. It took an old and powerful ghost to control his image.

  The ghost opened his mouth as if to talk. When nothing came out, he nodded, his brows pinched in frustration. More echoes of ghosts filtered into the room. With the number of stones and plants in my brother’s place, they shouldn’t have been in there. Unless they were so weak they could slip through the cracks. But then how could I see them?

  Horace had proved he was strong enough to withstand the protective wards. Leveling out my powers was more difficult than usual this time around; I was still too weak. While Rowan had never seemed to care about ghosts filtering around us back in our hometown, I’d always been painfully aware of them. I learned to “level down” my sight so I didn’t have to be bombarded with ghosts twenty-four-seven. So I wouldn’t have to live their lives through them.

  Horace remained.

  Acacia looked unaffected as I acknowledged the ghost next to her. Some Mystics didn’t seem to care, but some grew uneasy.

  “How long was I out?” I asked her.

  “Well, it’s almost morning. What happened?”

  “My sister overexerted herself and stole some of my power. She sometimes can’t recognize the line between mine and hers. That, paired with me entering the Other Side the night before, drained me to the point of exhaustion.”

  Acacia straightened, her eyes brightening. “You can enter the Other Side?”

  “I barely did it. Horace, my deceased uncle, told me to trust you. I tried to contact him to get information. He knows something, but I don’t know how to safely enter and exit the Other Side. The Tome I have with me barely touches on it. It was a risk.”

  “But you can enter the Other Side?”

  “It’s a possibility, yes.”