Secrets of the Dead

by Becca Vincenza

  “Lots of questions, Ro-ro.”

  “Well you better have a lot of answers. You’ve been missing for some time now.”

  “And I hear you had your own adventures too, twin,” I said, very aware that Willow stood behind me in the doorway. She wanted to see for herself that Rowan was all right. Willow’s loyalty to Ro meant the world to me.

  An idea had already started to form on the way here, but knowing how much Willow and even Cornelius seemed to care about Ro meant it was the right choice.

  Willow moved around me, and the two girls greeted each other. I stepped farther into the house and looked over at my father. A face so like my estranged uncle’s encouraged my desire to find his killer. And the girl necromancer who’d visited me at the Menard family’s house. I would find her. But before I did, I needed more information that only my father could give me.

  My brothers reacted at the term Curse Breaker coming out of Willow’s mouth. She certainly talked and not very often in a linear fashion. I’d been able to decipher that she’d been the one who found my location because of her own unique set of skills—a will-o’-the-wisp, very rare and unique indeed.

  “Relax, she’s a friend,” Rowan said, rolling her eyes. My chest swelled with pride hearing her call the little wisp her friend. Ro didn’t have a ton outside of Indigo and me. For her, it’d been harder to make friends.

  I felt even more confident with my forming plan after that.

  “And quite a surprise. She and Indigo came busting in, all battle cries and with a giant-ass gargoyle. I didn’t know you ran with such a variety of friends, Ro. Either way, I’m grateful.” I was stretching the truth, of course. If I had my way, Rowan would never discover what happened to me in that room. And I needed her to put some trust back into Indigo.

  Rowan took a few steps away with Willow, and they said their goodbyes. My parents took the chance to come over to me and hug me. My mom held me so tight I didn’t think she would ever let me go.

  I finally convinced them to move over to the table. I had a feeling Rowan had her own tale to tell, and I would have to summarize my disappearance as well.

  My gaze went to Ever, and I wondered if he’d returned to his apartment. Had he seen the evidence of both me and Acacia staying there? Had she gone back and cleaned up after her little betrayal?

  Rowan finished with Willow and headed over to the table. I scooted over on my seat, letting her sit next to me, then wrapped my arm around her shoulders only to hear the crinkle of tape and gauze. I tried to pull away, but she held my arm in place.

  “So, someone talk,” Sherman said in his usual commanding tone.

  “I can start, I guess.”

  I asked if everyone had been aware of the ghost incident before our birthday. Everyone nodded.

  “Well, I went searching for a way to get rid of the ghost without getting help from any of you because we wanted to take care of it ourselves,” I offered, already covering for Rowan.

  She shifted on the seat and cleared her throat. “I wanted to take care of it without getting you all involved.”

  Even though I was proud of my twin for trying to take the heat, for once I needed her to be her irresponsible self. My parents’ attention needed to be focused on me, scolding me.

  I gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. “Yes, but I went along with it.”

  From there I explained how I found out about the contract between my parents and the vampires. How I’d gone to Seattle looking for a way out of the contract, figuring that would also stop the ritual from happening so Rowan would be safe from the terms. I opted out of telling them my contact had been a vampire, instead saying it was just someone who had vampire contacts. When Ever glared in my direction, I knew he’d been home in the time I’d been held captive.

  Rowan being taken by a vampire clan worried me. Had they allied with another family? Our family and the Quintanos, or just the Quintanos? I never did verify that it was the Menards who’d taken me though I knew their family had an Edward.

  After I finished, Rowan started to share her story.

  “I left with Indigo after we were attacked here in Kodiak Falls while we were looking for Abel. We went to Seattle and searched for him there. We ran into our share of trouble, but we always got ourselves out of it, until I went out to get some warding crystals and ran into Willow. There, I had a run-in with some vampires. They wanted me to bond, but I managed to hold them off until Indigo got me out.” She explained a little more in detail the stuff Indigo had already told me, but I could tell she was actively avoiding certain parts of the story, and I wanted to know what she’d opted to leave out and why. Later, when we could speak alone, I would ask her.

  Our family asked us question after question, grilling us until I demanded they stop, telling them Ro and I had been through a lot and were exhausted from travel. We left and headed toward my room. I hadn’t lied about being exhausted; I hadn’t stopped moving since Indigo and his crew rescued me. Getting back here and making sure Ro was safe had been my top priority, and as she sat down on the edge of my bed, I knew she was. She hadn’t once mentioned completing the bond, and I didn’t think it was one of the secrets she was keeping from our parents.

  “What parts did you leave out?” she asked.

  I hid my smile. My twin wouldn’t let me get away with hiding my secrets, especially when I would demand she tell me hers. But there was a lot of mystery still shrouding the information I’d learned.

  “The extent of my powers. The fact that I did some pretty insane things. What about you, sis?” I needed to keep it light. If she thought I was haunted by my time away, she’d want to know more. For now, it was best if she knew as little as possible.

  “Same. I can control vampires. I even had a hold over a vampire Master for a moment or two. And some other stuff.”

  I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair. She can control vampires? Does that mean I’ll be able to as well? Our powers had always been equally as strong but not necessarily in the same fields. She had impeccable control over her Death Lines while I was able to communicate with the dead and get information from just a touch. It would make sense that she could control a Master, in my opinion, since I had entered the Other Side without a second thought.

  “You’re exhausted. I should let you sleep.” Rowan started to crawl away, clearly misunderstanding my being lost in thought for fatigue. It wasn’t too far off.

  “Wait, Ro.”

  She looked so weighed down by her thoughts. A darkness hovered around her that had never been there before.

  “I’ll find a way out of the contract. You don’t have to worry about a thing.” Because I would. Acacia and I had made a deal, and even though she’d screwed me over, we were still bound. And while the bond had given Acacia the upper hand, Rowan had given me a trump card.

  “Thanks, big twin.”

  “Anything for you, little twin.”

  I meant it. I would do literally anything for my twin even if that meant finding and working with Acacia.

  But she’ll regret selling me out.

  Chapter 22

  Rowan left my room and headed down the hallway to her own. Only after I heard the door shut did I get up to finish my business. I had a plan to put into motion and information I still needed to collect. There were too many missing holes to my uncle’s disappearance. My father never spoke of Horace, but it was time he opened up.

  I walked over to my door and waited one more minute to see if Rowan would emerge. Knowing my twin, she wouldn’t be able to stay in the house for long. Not with the contract hanging over her head. She didn’t come out, so I headed back down to the living room.

  Since I’d lost my original burner phone, I grabbed a new one at the airport. Indigo had taken the number and made sure to plug his number in. Pulling it out of my back pocket, I stepped outside and dialed. Indigo answered after the first ring.

  “What’s up, Abel?”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m at the
end of the driveway.”

  “Be there in a minute.” I hung up and glanced in the direction of Rowan’s window. She might never forgive me for what I was about to do, but it was worth it. Rowan needed to be away from this place; she needed to be with someone I trusted with her life. No one would do a better job than Indigo. Werewolves protected fiercely, especially when it was someone they cared about deeply.

  At the end of the driveway, Indigo sat in the rental Jeep.

  “Where did you drop off Cornelius and Willow?” I asked when he rolled the window down.

  “They’re staying with my dad and Ira. Cornelius isn’t too happy about it, but it puts my dad a little more at ease. You know how much he hates strangers in his town.”

  “I know.”

  Indigo turned off the car, and we sat in silence for a little longer.

  “You still love her, right?” I asked, unable to look at my best friend. It was a hard pill to swallow when we were younger, but I’d grown used to the idea.

  “With all my heart.”

  “And your wolf?”

  “Him too,” Indigo confirmed what I already knew to be true. How my sister was so blind to it, I didn’t understand, but I also didn’t want her to realize it quite yet. She reacted, and she often didn’t think before she did. And I had a feeling she would flee if she knew.

  “Good. Keep it a secret a while longer, will you?”

  Indigo gripped the steering wheel so hard it creaked under the pressure.

  “You realize it kills me every time I’ve bitten my tongue. Every time she asked me to be straight with her, and I held back because you asked me to. I have my wolf under control. I’m ready to tell her.”

  “But she isn’t ready. And you need to keep her safe.”

  Indigo glared over at me, his eyes sparking with his wolf and his canines dropping down dangerously.

  “She’s mine.”

  “I don’t doubt that you’ll protect her, but you know Ro. She’ll run, and I need her to be somewhere safe. I fucked up big-time, Indigo.”

  “What happened?”

  Rubbing the tense muscles in my neck, I tried to think of the best way to explain to him what I’d done. Werewolves and vampires didn’t get along. They had truces, but it was even more tentative than the relationship between necromancers and vamps. How much did I want to tell him? In the end, I knew he’d try to keep things from Rowan, but he didn’t feel comfortable lying to her.

  I, on the other hand, understood that sometimes lying to her was the only option.

  “While I was in Seattle, my powers completely emerged, and I was able to reconnect with an old family member. He helped me, but my business isn’t complete and has actually become significantly more complicated.”

  “Abel—”

  “Look, did she tell you everything that is going on?”

  “I know about the vampires. Maybe not the whole story, but I know there’s one hanging around saying Rowan belongs with him. I’ll tear out his throat before I let him near her.”

  “Indigo, promise me you’ll keep her safe.”

  “My brother, I need you to remember that Rowan’s a big girl. She can and will take care of herself. You don’t always have to do it for her.”

  “I have a feeling about all this. Something isn’t right. I love my twin, but she doesn’t think before she acts, and it’ll get her into trouble she won’t be able to get out of.”

  “You know I’ll do anything for her.”

  “Then take her away from here.”

  Indigo and I sat in silence a little longer. He used to do the same with Rowan. I did as well, waiting in silence until she broke and told the rest of the story. If I told Indigo what happened between Acacia and me, he’d feel responsible and would want to try to help me. I needed his attention on Ro.

  Eventually we parted ways, and I sensed Rowan nearby. It wouldn’t surprise me if Indigo went to find her.

  My next stop would be the house. My father had some explaining to do, and I needed those answers to start on the search for the necromancer who had Horace bound to her. But more importantly, I needed to find out if my father knew how his brother died.

  ****

  My father’s office was a sacred place when we were younger; we didn’t enter unless we were in extreme trouble—which with Rowan’s antics had happened often. Indigo had always been right along with us. He would always stand right by Ro.

  I stepped up to my father’s office but didn’t lift my hand to knock. Instead, I wrapped my hand around the knob and let myself in.

  My father stood behind his desk, looking over documents. I wondered what was hidden on those pages. My father’s gaze was as hard as the day he found out Rowan had talked me into “borrowing” our parents’ car for an impromptu trip to a nearby Mystic town. But it didn’t make me wither or cower anymore.

  “You left to break the contract. Do you know how dangerous that was?”

  Dangerous for me or dangerous for Ro? His scolding always rounded back to her, but my father had high expectations for his sons. Ro would always be his baby.

  I didn’t blame her for it. I understood. Rowan was their only daughter, the reason our family’s curse broke. She would always hold a special place in everyone’s hearts.

  “I’m doing what’s best for her. You know what living with them would do to her. But I’m not here about that because I will find a way out of the contract. I’m here about your twin.”

  My father’s face paled, resembling his ghostly twin’s every time I saw him. He took a step backward as if I’d sucker-punched him. My father had always been an immovable force. Nothing could shake him. Seeing him like this now solidified my plans.

  “How do you—”

  “Horace led me to the contract. He was haunting me until I met up with him in the graveyard and forced him out.”

  My father never talked about his second deceased brother though he often spoke fondly of his oldest brother who’d died.

  The idea of losing Rowan was unfathomable. She was my twin, someone who’d walked every moment of my life with me. Who’d been there for everything. I couldn’t imagine life without her, but if I ever lost her, I wouldn’t be able to speak about her either.

  My father wiped his hand over his mouth and sat down. The look in his eyes darkened, and it was like he couldn’t support himself, his head hanging and his shoulders slumped.

  “I always hoped I was wrong, that he’d just disappeared. He and I did a lot of the same work, but he always toed the line with the vampires, always seeking out more dangerous missions. But he never came to me when he passed. I just assumed.”

  “He couldn’t. Another necromancer has him bound. He could barely contact me before my powers emerged, but they’re leaning more toward the spirit world like Art’s. I haven’t gotten the complete story yet, but I’ll find his killer. Can you tell me anything about the last case he was working on?”

  I had a feeling this was all connected. My instincts always led me back to the beginning, the moment I started researching and Horace showing up. It hadn’t been a coincidence. Everything happened for a reason.

  “He’d been looking into vampires running a slave trade with necromancers. Horace was convinced they were buying necromancer children and reselling them to other covens. I can give you his case files, but I looked into it myself. I even asked the authorities to look into it, but no one could find anything. It’s a cold case, son.”

  My father didn’t know I had my own source. Perhaps Acacia would have a little more information. And I’d left out the fact that I could enter the Other Side without any assistance. The less he knew, the better. I couldn’t trust my parents at this point.

  “Abel, the contract between our family and the Coven… leave it be.” Dark circles had formed under my father’s eyes. He looked ages older since I’d last seen him.

  “I’m not letting Rowan or Horace go. Not without a fight.”

  “You don’t understand the consequences.”
/>
  “Then tell me.”

  He looked away, either unable or refusing to answer me. I had suspected as much. It would do well for the contract to state that neither party could disclose the information inside of it. I also didn’t doubt that my father would try to find a way to keep Rowan and me here until the vampires arrived. Again, all part of the contract.

  I turned away from him, not disappointed because, in the end, he’d done what he thought was best for his family in a time of their lives when they’d been desperate. I couldn’t begin to understand the weight of his decisions, but I felt the heavy burden of my own. The sins of the father may not define the sons, but they often crippled them.

  “Son.”

  I paused, refusing to turn back around.

  “I’ll give you as much time as I can spare, but it won’t be much.” He paused, and his chair scraped against the hardwood. “One last thing. If you see Horace again, please tell him I’m so sorry.”

  My father’s voice broke at the end, and I stepped out of the room, allowing him to be alone to properly mourn his twin’s death. It was a pain I hoped to never have to endure.

  In the hallway, Everette leaned against the other wall, dressed in his classic dark clothes with a heavy chain on his pants. His dark hair hung in his face.

  “So, little brother.” He flashed a dangerous smile at me. Fuck. Ever moved quickly and wrapped his arm around my neck and forced my head down. He walked us forward and continued to speak. “Your story seemed to be missing the part where you broke into my apartment, stayed in my apartment, and might have met a friend at my apartment.”

  “Say apartment again,” I mumbled, annoyed with my brother’s antics.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Abel?”

  “Exactly what I said, trying to find a way out of the contract for Rowan.”

  “For some reason, I just don’t believe you.” Ever pressed his knuckles to my head and twisted, giving me a noogie. “This continues until you tell me the truth.”

  “Fuck off, asshole. I was just tortured for at least a week.”

  “Oh, like we all haven’t gone through a bit of torture in our long-ass lives. Get over yourself.” Ever sounded pissed off. I had a feeling he knew exactly what went down in his apartment.