Bury Their Bones (Wicked Fortunes Book 2)

by AJ Merlin

  Which meant that I had sustained a lot of injuries too quickly, if my healing was already starting to stall.

  I probably wouldn’t handle another fall like that very well.

  When I could at last stand without falling over, I tipped my head back to look above me.

  The monster was still on the catwalk, surprisingly fast for how ungainly it appeared. It dodged and wove around Yuna, who chased after it with her sword flashing.

  “It’s so fast…” I breathed, knowing that no one was listening.

  A very familiar giggle found my ears, and my gaze landed on the necromancer again.

  He still seemed to be trying to stifle himself, but I could hear the snickering sounds he made.

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.

  “Everybody…” he licked his lips like they’d suddenly gone dry, and shuddered. “Everybody needs a Renfield.”

  A what?

  What in the Goddess’s name was a Renfield? And what in the world did that have to do with any of this.

  “Would you like to hear a riddle?” He twisted his hands together and took a step towards me.

  “No.” I took a step back. The last riddle he’d asked me had resulted in that thing. I didn’t particularly want to hear another.

  That didn’t please him. He held up his shaking hands, one finger going to his lips again. I didn’t say anything, but only because I didn’t know what to say.

  “If you have me,” he began deliberately, taking a step closer to me. “You want to share me.” He took another step forward, and I mirrored it by taking a step back.

  “If you share me.” He leaned forward, catching my eyes with his intense stare. Almost like he was trying to tell me something with his body language.

  Unfortunately, I didn’t speak crazy-necromancer.

  “Then you haven’t got me.” He straightened and wrung his hands together again. “What am I?”

  One of the catwalks above us came undone from one of its chains. I watched it swing precariously through the air.

  Then it dropped.

  While it was nowhere near us, I winced at the impact, and a bolt of fear went through me. Was Yuna all right?

  A figure leaped from the monster’s back. It was her, and she looked completely fine.

  Thank the Goddess.

  “You aren’t listening to me,” the necromancer snapped. “If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven’t got me. What am I?” His words got louder until finally he was shouting.

  “I don’t know! I don’t do riddles!” Nor could I really focus on this one, when I needed to get back to Yuna.

  “No, no!” The man dragged his fingers through his hair. “Stop-you aren’t listening to me. I said–“

  “A secret.” A cold voice cut him off, and I looked past him to the swirling white tails. “You’re a secret.”

  The necromancer’s shoulders fell again. “Very, very good,” he praised. “Oh, that’s so good. I’m a secret.” He turned just enough to keep us both in his view. “But of course you’d know that. It’s an easy one for you.” He stared at Merric as he said it.

  “Is that your secret?” Merric glanced upward towards the creature skittering across the walls. “I bet the council would love to know what you made that thing out of.”

  “Don’t be so predictable. And I wasn’t really asking you. Find yourself something to play with.”

  Merric’s brows rose. “I’m not a child to play with toys,” he informed the man. “But if you think…” He trailed off, and I saw it.

  A thin, whip-like tail wound up his ankle, all the way to his thigh.

  Our eyes met. My mouth opened, but I didn’t have time for the warning.

  The tail tightened and yanked him back into the darkness.

  “Merric!” I screamed, trying to run past the necromancer to get to him.

  The man reached out, quick as a snake, and gripped my arm.

  “Stay-where-you-are–“ he hissed, eyes wide and glassy.

  Sweat dripped from his forehead. “Why don’t you understand? Don’t you want to understand?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” I ripped my arm free of him, my teeth elongating into fangs. “I don’t want to understand why you killed those people! I don’t want to understand why you made these things!” I stumbled back a step, then another, and my claw-tipped fingers curled.

  “Yes, you will,” the necromancer said. “I’ll make you understand.” His gaze switched to something over my shoulder and the hair at the back of my neck stood up.

  Thankfully, I was faster than the tail that tried to grab me the same way it had Merric. But I wasn’t quicker than the blow from the monster’s hand. The surprising force of it sent me reeling, and I fell back into a pile of junk, out of sight of the necromancer.

  He sighed, and the creature climbed the machine nearest me. It looked very similar to the one that Yuna fended off on the catwalks, but larger.

  And two-headed.

  It snarled down at me, but the sound ended in a choked scream as something hit it from behind, distracting it.

  The monster whirled, and disappeared.

  I didn’t waste any time. Stripping out of my clothes, I was already shifting by the time I was on my feet. All of my remaining aches faded, though that wasn’t much of a relief.

  I really needed to be careful.

  Somehow I’d forgotten about the jawbone necklace, but when I pawed at my throat in confusion, I found that the chain had grown with my shift, and the talisman sat nestled in my fur.

  Part of me was glad. That meant I couldn’t lose it.

  The other part of me wanted to chuck it into a corner and forget about it, after what had happened with the wolves.

  I scrambled over the machinery, hauling myself up onto it with claws made for grappling, more like a tiger’s than a real wolf’s.

  Merric had pulled the creature off of me, and now two of them crept around him, their tails lashing.

  “You just can’t seem to look.” The necromancer was up on the machinery as well. He crouched down beside me.

  But he wasn’t touching me. He was looking at the fox.

  “Maybe there are just too many obstacles in the way.”

  The two monsters converged on Merric, giving him no quarter as they fought to pin him down, their teeth snapping at his throat.

  I was running before I could think. I leaped across the machinery, claws digging into the metal as I lunged from the last one and onto the two-headed thing that had Merric on the ground.

  It came away with a growl, my fangs in its throat.

  The other was thrown off as well, blackness engulfing its features. It struggled with the veiny, dark substance that twined around it, shrieking and crying out in a voice like a child’s that sent a chill of fear down my spine.

  But I couldn’t focus on it anymore.

  The two-headed abomination shook me off, lowering itself into a crouch as I landed and did the same.

  I snarled a challenge, teeth bared, and it repeated the gesture with a voice not made for the noise. Its growl was like rusty gears scraping against one another, and its knife-like claws dug harshly into the concrete below us.

  Merric got to his feet, blood running sluggishly down one arm. He glanced my way, indecision plain on his face.

  “You should get out of here, George,” Merric said flatly, circling the monster that did the same to him. “There’s no shame in running.”

  I stared at him incredulously.

  He stared right back.

  Until his abomination lunged. He dodged its claws, catching the thing with claws of his own and plunging his fingers into its chest.

  It screamed, writhing as black veins of power spread from where Merric’s hand impaled it. The magic spread faster and faster, twining around its limbs and constricting it into a painfully unnatural position.

  Bones snapped, loud to my sensitive ears, an
d the two heads of the one in front of me turned to look at its compatriot.

  At last, Merric dropped it, withdrawing his hand from the thing’s chest.

  He turned to look at me, then at the necromancer behind me. “You should’ve used something sturdier,” he said, in a voice as cold as ice. “You should’ve-“ he broke off.

  The thing behind him twitched.

  He turned too slowly to catch it before it lunged, tackling him and sinking its claws into his chest.

  “You should’ve remembered that it’s not just my magic fueling these,” the necromancer taunted, wagging a finger at Merric as he fought to get free.

  I was there as quickly as my paws would take me, hooking my claws into the creature and sinking my fangs into its neck until they met bone.

  The thing’s head spun all the way around, stitched eyelids very close to my own eyes as it opened its mouth and screamed.

  Its longest arms found mine, talons sinking into my sides and forcing a cry of pain past my teeth.

  Merric rolled away, surging to his feet and surging past me to once again catch the unattached creature, though we’d traded dance partners.

  The wound in this one’s chest wept black blood, and I knocked it backward, pulling myself free and shuddering at the sharp, burning pain in my ribs.

  As if it didn’t feel any pain at all, the creature wasted no time in meeting my fangs again, and again. Each time it left wounds of its own, until my sides were covered in my own blood that spattered the floor whenever I backed off.

  The pain was constant now, and I’d ‘killed’ this thing at least three times.

  Not that it seemed to know that.

  “Why do you seem to enjoy this?” The necromancer paced along the nearest machine, dragging his hands over his head. “What about this is enjoyable, George?”

  I was sure I’d never told this man my name.

  “It’s like I have to tell you everything. When is a door not a door? When it’s ajar. Wasn’t that obvious?” His voice rose, his rant becoming more animated. “I’m a secret. Your fox guessed it, but you haven’t. You still haven’t. Oh, George, you’re killing me here. Don’t you see? While you play with my pets, you’re killing me. But I’m already dead. You’re just driving in the pin.”

  I tried to focus on his words, for all the good it did me, as the creature sliced and slashed. He was beginning to drive me insane with his ramblings, like I’d missed something obvious and I was doing this to myself.

  I was sure if I had the choice, I would not choose to be in this much pain.

  Merric was starting to tire. I could see it in the way his movements were getting jerky and how his eyes looked stark against his ever pale face.

  I hadn’t seen Yuna in minutes. She was somewhere, hopefully coming up with something better than this, and I hadn’t heard her creature in just as long.

  My own abomination lunged, surprising me into taking a step back and right into a pool of my own slick blood.

  Eyes wide, I scrambled not to do the unthinkable. I couldn’t fall. Not here. If I fell, that thing would be on me in an instant, and I’d be a headless hybrid.

  I didn’t go down, but I couldn’t catch my balance, tired as I was.

  The monster saw its chance and lunged.

  Merric threw a ball of foxfire, opening himself up to the monster that was upon him and slashing, claws going deep into his chest.

  I gave him all of my attention, a howl leaving my throat as something constricted around my heart.

  Oh Goddess, please-

  Whatever the end of that thought was, it was cut off when the necromancer’s pet slammed into me. It knocked me to the ground, slicing at me with claws that dug deep marks wherever they found purchase.

  I snapped my jaws at it, closing around bone and flesh and biting down in my own attempt at fighting back, until one of its too-long hands wrapped around my lower jaw and pressed.

  Hard.

  I’d never screamed in wolf form before. I did now, the pain and pressure indescribable as the bones of my lower jaw began to crack between this thing’s fingers as easily as if I was a fucking peanut shell.

  If it crushed my jaw, I was sure I would never heal.

  I screamed again, losing the grip on my shift but not able to shake the thing’s hand, its fingers now digging into the hinges of my human jaw. Tears streamed down my face, and clawless fingers found the monster’s wrist and squeezed in an attempt for it to let me go.

  Suddenly it released me. The monster was swept backward, crying out in surprise and releasing my face.

  I fell forward onto my hands, arms shaking as I held myself up. Tears fell from my eyes just as blood dribbled from my lips, both of them darkening the concrete below.

  Merric.

  I couldn’t get up. There was no way my legs would support me, but that didn’t stop me from dragging myself over to where the kitsune lay facedown on the floor.

  Unsure if I could move my mouth enough to speak, I rolled him over onto his back, terrified of what I might find.

  His eyes opened, blood at his own lips.

  “Oh, George,” he sighed, reaching one hand up. “Come on, don’t cry for a fox. Especially not this fox.” He touched my face, but I winced at the pain of even the brush of his fingers.

  Merric sat up, thankfully able to do it on his own as I wasn’t sure what assistance I could really give. He looked past me, eyes flicking from one place to the next.

  “Either the troublesome trio are psychic, or Yuna is smarter than the both of us put together,” he remarked. “Too bad none of us thought to bring fire, huh? But now that Indra’s here–“

  He broke off as I sagged against his shoulder, my vision blurring again.

  “Hey, come on now, George. Don’t you dare pass out. You’re going to sit up and watch these fuckers burn, do you understand?” He pressed a hand to my shoulder, his words blurring together to my ears.

  “Stay awake. Do you hear me? You need to stay awake.”

  My last thought was an unspoken apology for not being able to stay awake before a surge of blackness overtook me.

  Chapter 22

  The smell of laundry soap drifted into my nose, gently reminding me that I knew this scent and I knew who washed their things with it.

  Gentle, like light lavender. I preferred it, too, because of my sensitive nose that streamed when my face was pressed to linens washed with strongly scented cleaner.

  It was only a few weeks ago that Indra and I had discovered we used the same laundry detergent.

  My eyes opened, hunting for the source of a soft whooshing sound somewhere over my head.

  A fan. The noise came from a ceiling fan above me that spun lazily to circulate the heavy New Orleans air.

  I’d seen this fan before, just as I’d smelled this soap before.

  Unless I was very much mistaken, I was in the guest bedroom of the troublesome trio’s residence.

  My jaw ached, and when I lifted a trembling hand to touch it, the skin felt warm, like it wasn’t truly healed.

  The pain was a sure sign that it wasn’t, but it was a far cry better than how I’d felt in the warehouse.

  My heart pounded, speeding up of its own accord before my brain could race right along with it.

  What had happened?

  Was the man-the necromancer-dead?

  Were Merric and Yuna all right?

  There was a mirror in this room, I knew from experience, and I turned my head to the side to check it, just in case Merric was there, as he sometimes was.

  It was empty, save for the shocking sight of me.

  My jaw was bruised dark purple and red, the mottled colors extending from my neck to spread over my cheeks. If that wasn’t shocking enough, one of my eyes was a deep purplish-red.

  If the other had been the same, I’d look a little bit like Merric in that regard.

  I touched my face again, noticing the bruising on my wrist when I did.

  My body ached somewhat
, but the pain was bearable. I moved my hands, flexing all ten of my fingers, and then moved my legs, knees coming up so my feet could rest flat on the bed.

  While my extremities seemed fine and, most importantly, still attached, my ribs protested heavily to any move I made. Sitting up felt like I was getting punched in the gut, and I doubled over to wrap my arms around my body, eyes pressed tightly shut.

  Where was my phone? I definitely wasn’t getting up anytime soon, but I could at least text my friends to see where they were and if everyone was all right.

  My phone was nowhere to be found. Hopefully, someone had retrieved my stuff and it wasn’t still at that warehouse.

  “Great,” I breathed, unsure if I could do more than whisper. The movement of my mouth caused the pain in my jaw to flare up, and every breath hurt my ribs.

  Merric’s injured form flashed through my head, and I scooted to the edge of the bed, teeth set against the pain of movement.

  I had to make sure he was okay.

  Someone had been nice enough to give me a long-sleeved t-shirt that covered me to mid-thigh, and that was going to have to be good enough. While I figured it was Cian, as the vampire was closest to me in size, it had been washed recently enough that I couldn’t scent anyone else on it.

  Levering myself to my feet, I nearly fell. My head swam, and I curled my toes into the soft carpet under me to ground myself.

  I swallowed back the saliva flooding my mouth, fighting the nausea that twisted around my insides as the pain in my body doubled.

  Oh yeah. This had been an awful idea.

  Placing one foot in front of the other, I fixed my eyes on the door across the room. It shouldn’t have been a long trip, but the distance yawned in front of me like I was trying to cross an abyss.

  After what felt like ages, I reached the other side of the softly lit room, falling against the door instead of walking through it. I could lie back down later. After I knew everyone was fine.

  My fingers found the doorknob while I rested my head against the wood, eyes closed, and I twisted until I could push it open.

  Success. Even if it was a small success, it was an achievement.

  My eyes opened…and landed firmly on Cian.

  The blonde vampire looked puzzled, standing in the hallway in a long sleeve shirt and jeans with his hands shoved into his pockets.