Blood Is Thicker A Montague & Strong Detective Novel (Montague & Strong Case Files Book 3)

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  That’s when the smell hit me. The aroma of sausage, eggs, and coffee wafted out of the office, filled my lungs and nestled, reminding me I had skipped breakfast.

  “Whoever it is decided to make us breakfast before attacking,” I whispered, trying to keep from drooling. “I say we sit down, have a meal, before we engage in the violence.”

  “This is serious, Simon,” Monty said, increasing the size of the orb from a grapefruit to a basketball of destruction. “Weaving magic at this level requires an immense amount of skill and energy. If the runic defenses have been circumvented without detonation it means we are facing a major threat.”

  “Well, that major threat is killing me with this smell and I skipped breakfast, so throw your basketball of pain and let’s get this over with,” I said over the rumbling in my stomach.

  “It’s not a basketball of pain, it’s called a runic magical disruptor and should allow us to—never mind,” Monty said when he saw my expression.

  “I don’t need the magicscience.” I pointed at the door. “I need breakfast.”

  Monty released the orb of energy and it raced inside the office. A few seconds later, a blue flash nearly blinded me as the orb bounced back into the hallway where we stood, and detonated. Monty threw up a shield and deflected the wave of energy away from us.

  “If you’re done playing with your magical balls, Tristan, I’d suggest coming in and having breakfast,” a voice with Monty’s accent called out from inside. “Nice rune work, by the way.”

  “Someone you know?” I said, looking at Monty’s surprised expression. I was still blinking the spots out of my eyes.

  “Impossible,” whispered Monty as he entered the office.

  I stepped in slowly, cutting the corner and saw a naked man sitting in our dining area, having breakfast. His upper body was a mosaic of scars. As I looked closer, I realized that the scars were really runes etched into his skin. Two lines of text surrounded by more runes were tattooed on each of his forearms. My Latin was rusty but I still remembered enough to decipher his ink. One read dum spiro spero, while I breathe, I hope. On the other it read deponite omnes spes, abandon all hope.

  Perched behind him had to be the largest raven in existence. It sat on a long thick gnarled branch that leaned against a wall, with its eyes closed. I had seen that branch somewhere but couldn’t place it. I holstered Grim Whisper and placed the sword case on the table.

  “Who are you?” I racked my brain, trying to place his face. “I’ve seen you before. How long did it take to get the rune work done?”

  He narrowed his eyes at me.

  “You have, have you?” Naked Man answered around a forkful of food. “That’s quite impressive, since my veil is one of the best.” He waved a hand and I recognized him instantly. It was the homeless man from the street. The one who was sleeping on the sidewalk when we fought Ian. “And you can see my runes?”

  “You?” I nodded in recognition. “What are you doing here? Who are you?”

  “Tristan hasn’t mentioned me?” the man said and looked at Monty with a huge grin on his face. “I’m offended, nephew. Cut to the quick, even.”

  “You’re sitting in our home, bloody naked, and you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned you?” Monty said and stormed off. “Wait right there.”

  “Nephew?” I asked, confused. “You’re his uncle?”

  The old man nodded at me with a wicked smile. He motioned for me to sit down and eat. The table was covered with a wonderful spread of food. Some of the food I recognized, other plates were a mystery. I grabbed a plate and filled it with everything. My phone vibrated a few seconds later. It was Roxanne.

  “Simon, I’m so sorry,” she said, crying as she spoke. “He’s gone. Peaches is gone.”

  My heart stopped and my stomach clenched at her words. I took a deep breath and then another. “Explain it to me slowly, Roxanne,” I said calmly. “What happened exactly?”

  “He was recovering and had regained consciousness,” she started as the words tumbled out. “We had him strapped down to administer another dose of antitoxin when he just—he just vanished.”

  I smiled and my heart started beating again. I let out the breath I had been holding. “I’m the one that should be sorry, Roxanne,” I said. “He has a tendency to do that.”

  “He what?” Roxanne recovered with an edge in her voice. “And you didn’t think mentioning a disappearing hellhound was relevant? I thought we killed him, Simon.”

  “He’s pretty indestructible,” I said when I heard the familiar growl. “I think I just found him.”

  “Thank goodness,” Roxanne said and let out a long breath. “I swear, between you and Tristan…Please bring in your dog when you can. I still need to run some tests and make sure the neurotoxin is out of his system. Oh and please express my thanks to Tristan for the new MRI scanner.”

  I turned to see Peaches stalking Monty’s uncle. He was in ‘pounce and shred’ mode and this looked like it was going to be ugly. The raven sitting on the branch opened its eyes and they flared a bright green. It spread its wings, which covered most of the wall with its wingspan. Monty’s uncle was focused on the slowly approaching dog of destruction. He gestured slowly as he turned his body to face Peaches.

  “I will,” I said quickly. “Have to go.”

  Monty’s uncle raised a hand, still focused on Peaches. A large sausage materialized in his palm. He offered the sausage to Peaches slowly. The raven pulled its wings tight but kept its glowing eyes on Peaches.

  Peaches closed in on the outstretched hand and removed the sausage, as I looked on, stunned. He brought the sausage next to me and proceeded to devour it.

  “It’s good to see the security of our home is such a priority to you.” I looked down at him as he chomped on the sausage in delight.

 

  “You almost gave Roxanne a heart attack,” I said, crouching down and rubbing his neck. “She thought you were dead when you vanished on her.”

 

  “How did you find me?” I asked, curious.

 

  I looked up and caught Monty’s uncle staring at us.

  “You’re bonded to one of Cerberus’ pups?” he said, the surprise clear in his voice. “I’ve only seen that twice before in my lifetime. Hades must hold you in high regard. What’s his name?”

  “Peaches,” I said, expecting some comment.

  Monty’s uncle slapped the table as he burst out in laughter. “That Hades has a twisted sense of humor—Peaches! Ha!” he managed once he caught his breath. He narrowed his eyes and examined Peaches. “That name is perfect for your pup.”

  “I think Hades just didn’t know what to do with him and wanted to torture me,” I said, standing and extending my hand. “I’m Simon, and you are?”

  “I’m the uncle no one mentions,” he said with a sly grin. “The name is Dexter, but everyone calls me Dex. Tristan really hasn’t mentioned me?”

  “No, not really,” I said, shaking my head. “I just recently heard about William. Until now I thought Monty was an only child.”

  Dex’s face darkened at the mention of William. “He may as well be one, with him for a brother,” Dex muttered with a shake of his head. “That one is black inside. No matter what we tried, he went dark.”

  Monty came back into the dining area with a neat pile of black clothes in his arms. “These should fit,” Monty said tersely. “Please get dressed and make yourself presentable.”

  Dex finished eating, took the clothes, and headed out of dining area with a whistle. “I’ll be right back, please enjoy the breakfast,” Dex said, shaking his ass and dancing what could only be described as a sloppy jig.

  “I really didn’t need that visual,” I said, looking away. “Why is he here?”

  “No one determine
s where my uncle goes or when,” Monty answered with a sigh. “My family has officially disowned him. The Sanctuary elders gave up on him long ago, mostly because he’s stronger than most of them.”

  “Really? But he looks so, I don’t know—” I started.

  “Deranged is the word you’re looking for,” Monty said, pouring himself some tea. “May as well eat. He is a fantastic cook.”

  Dexter returned dressed in a slate gray suit over a crisp white shirt. A deep indigo tie accented the ensemble. I saw the resemblance immediately. Where Monty was tall and thin, Dex was a little shorter and rounded out. His salt-and-pepper hair was long like Monty’s, but the face gave it away. Dex was an older Monty with laugh lines. Something I was sure Monty would never suffer from.

  Monty shook his head. “Uncle Dex, the clothes I gave you were black,” Monty said with a sigh. “Why did you change them?”

  Dex held up two fingers as he walked over to where Peaches was still wrestling with the sausage. “Two things: I’m not headed to a bloody funeral, and everyone needs a little color in their life—that isn’t black,” Dex said, rubbing the back of Peaches’ neck and surprisingly kept his hand attached to the rest of his body. He gave me a quick glance. “How long since you’ve bonded to the pup?”

  “Not long, a few months,” I said, still in shock that Peaches let him manhandle him while he ate. “May I ask you a question, Dex?”

  “Of course. Any friend of Tristan’s has a friend in me.” Dex nodded and glanced at Monty with a smile. “You want to know what we called Tristan as a boy?”

  “You mentioned you’ve seen two others bonded to dogs like Peaches,” I said, shaking my head even though the temptation was strong. “Have you ever seen that bond broken?”

  Dex became serious as he glanced off into the distance. “Together you and this pup will be a force of nature,” Dex murmured. “These dogs only bond once in their lives. If that bond is broken in any way, it’s best they are put down before they turn.”

  “Turn?” I asked, suddenly concerned. “Into what?”

  “This isn’t a real dog, young man, even if it loosely resembles one.” Dex fixed his dark eyes on me and stood. “This is the offspring of a monster. Only your bond keeps that part of him in check. You break that bond and you’ll have unleashed a creature that’s nearly impossible to kill and capable of wonderful amounts of destruction. That would be a bad idea. Now, which room is mine?”

  “Excuse me?” Monty asked, flustered, and nearly spilling his tea. “You’re staying? I thought you were passing through? Aren’t you just visiting?”

  Dex gave Monty a look and smiled. “Do you know why he doesn’t mention me?” Dex grabbed a large duffel bag from under the table. “It’s because his side of the family is a bit stiff and frowns upon my lifestyle.”

  “Your lifestyle usually puts everyone around you in mortal danger, Uncle Dex,” Monty responded with shake of his head. “The last time I saw you, you were summoning a demon from the lower depths because you wanted to test a spell that would make hell freeze over.”

  “Oh, that.” Dex absentmindedly waved Monty’s words away. “Didn’t work. Too damn hot, but the succubae—oof. I couldn’t walk straight for a week. Then Mo gave me that infernal raven. Said I needed protection.”

  “Mo?” I looked at Monty, who shook his head at me. “Who’s Mo?”

  “Morrigan, Goddess of War, Chooser of the Slain and all-around pain in my arse,” Dex answered with a scowl as he looked over his shoulder at the raven perched on the branch. The raven squawked in response. “It’s complicated. Gave me Herk for ‘protection.’ She says protect, I say spy.”

  Monty cleared his throat.

  “The summoning wouldn’t have been an issue if you didn’t perform it in the middle of Saint Peter’s Square,” Monty said, exasperated. “You nearly caused an international incident.”

  I nearly spit out my coffee. “In the Vatican?” I asked, suppressing laughter. “Did you meet the Pope?”

  “Don’t encourage him.” Monty crossed his arms. “He nearly started another Holy War.”

  “It was the ideal location,” Dex shot back with a grin. “Strong belief is a perfect catalyst for that kind of spell. Did you forget everything I taught you?”

  “We do have the extra bedroom,” I volunteered, and Monty shot daggers at me with a look. “He could use that.”

  “Perfect!” Dex slung the bag over his shoulder. “No need to escort, I know my way around. I’ve been in your lovely home a few hours now. Come, Herkrekkr.”

  “Did Father send you?” Monty asked, suddenly serious. “Is that why you’re here?”

  “Now, why would he do that?” Dex asked, turning to face Monty. “It’s not like you cast a forbidden spell in a city—twice. Those acts would never cause the Elders of your sect, of which your Father is a ranking member, to send the magical police to collect a reckless mage who endangered the lives of an entire city. No—they would just ignore something like that. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “There were extenuating circumstances,” Monty muttered, looking away. “It was a matter of life and death.”

  “Of course it was,” Dex said, nodding. “Speaking of death…The sudden demise of the Arbiter tasked with bringing you back to said Elders will only fill them with goodwill toward you and your friend here. This is why they’ll unleash a team of magistrates shortly.”

  “That’s an overreaction on their part.” Monty drank some more tea and narrowed his eyes at the raven. “No one was harmed and the city is intact.”

  “Just like the Foundry.” Dex nodded. “You’re fortunate the Fleur de Lis didn’t send one of their own for the destruction of their fancy property.”

  “That wasn’t us,” I said around a mouthful of food. “Julien had a nasty guest.”

  “That sect was always a bit sensitive.” Dex dropped the bag and poured himself some coffee as I stared in surprise. “Their Arch Mage looked like his underwear was squeezing his bollocks,” Dex said with a grin.

  He made a squeezing motion with his hand, stuck out his tongue, and crossed his eyes. I nearly choked on my food at his expression. Monty gave me a look and then stared at Dex.

  “You destroyed the concrete slab,” Monty said, pointing at Dex. “I knew it was too precise to be Julien.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Tristan,” Dex said, shrugging. “But being crushed by a concrete slab is the least of your worries.”

  “How soon?” Monty asked, his voice tight. “How soon before they arrive?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Dex said, sipping his coffee. “You two can’t face them. Not even with the pup and a few decades to prepare. Word has it they’re giving this over to the Ghosts.”

  “Bloody hell,” Monty said and ran a hand through his hair. “The Elders would never go this far—not for a void vortex. Something is wrong.”

  “Who are the Ghosts?” I asked. “They sound unpleasant.”

  “That’s one way to describe them,” Dex answered. “Ghosts are magistrates trained to be instruments of death—lethal and extremely unpleasant. Can’t wait to meet them.”

  “Uncle Dex, no,” Monty said, shaking his head. “You can’t do this. It will only make things worse.”

  Dex laughed. “Tristan, you are buried so deep, the only thing you see when you look up is more dirt,” Dex said and grew serious. “You are a Montague and we’ll not be hunted down like some wild dog over a rule established centuries ago. Not while I still breathe. I do agree with you on one point—something is wrong at the Sanctuary.”

  “This is a disaster.” Monty pinched the bridge of his nose and stood. “This is the equivalent of putting out a fire with gasoline. What was Father thinking?”

  “Probably how to keep you alive without going against all of the Elders,” I said, digging in to more food.

  “If it’s any solace, Mo suggested I visit you as well.”

  “Did she say why?” Monty asked. “Or was she her usual f
orthcoming self?”

  Dex shook his head with the hint of a smile. “She only said it was important I was near you, didn’t say why,” Dex answered. “But you know her, never big on explanations.”

  “Sounds like a good idea he’s here.” I finished the rest of my coffee. “We could use the help, especially if the Golden Circle wants you erased.”

  The raven took flight and perched on Dex’s shoulder as he grabbed the large branch. “I’m only staying a short while.” Dex picked up and adjusted the bag on his back. “Until we sort out this mess you’ve gotten yourself in. It’s like you said—I’m just passing through. Oh, and please knock before visiting, I’ll be making alterations to my living quarters—wouldn’t want either of you shipped off somewhere.”

  Dex headed down the hallway and disappeared around a corner with a wave.

  I looked at Monty, confused. “Alterations?”

  “It’s better you don’t ask,” Monty said, heading to the kitchen. “We need to go see Erik.”

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  WE HEADED DOWNSTAIRS and Andrei nearly lost it when he saw Peaches. I smiled and Monty shook his head, walking ahead of us.

  “Why don’t you go over and say hello, boy?” I said loudly enough for Andrei to hear. “Andrei missed you.”

 

  “No, don’t bite him, just growl when you walk next to him,” I whispered as we approached the exit. “He’ll love that.”

  Peaches started a rumble low in his chest. It hit jackhammer level when we got to the door. He bared his fangs in some semblance of a smile. Except that dogs, lacking lips, don’t have the capacity to smile. It appeared that Peaches was going to snack on Andrei, who stumbled back a few feet.

  “Bozhe moi!” Andrei said and made sure the door was between him and Peaches. “My God, keep dog away, Stronk.”

  Peaches just kept walking out to the car and waited. I opened the back door to the Goat and let him jump in. The car rocked from side to side as he settled into the backseat and sprawled. I placed the sword case on the floor next to him and turned to give Andrei a wave before getting behind the wheel and pulling away.