by Becca Andre
Doug didn’t look away. “I have to try. James is right. We can’t leave her in the dark.” His voice dropped to a whisper at the end.
Ian rubbed a hand over his face, but instead of answering Doug, he turned to James. “Your call.”
“Why is it my call?” James asked. Doug was the one risking his life, and Ian had never given James any say with regard to what was best for Elysia.
“Because, there’s another possible outcome if this doesn’t work: you become Doug’s.”
James frowned. Now there was an uncomfortable thought.
“That’s not my intent,” Doug said.
“I know.” James gazed down at Elysia, remembering her terror. “Do it.”
Doug gave him a single nod and once more closed his eyes.
James gripped the bed rail, glancing from Doug to Elysia and back again. What would it feel like if Doug took the bond? He remembered when Elysia initially bound him. She had literally implanted a bit of her own soul within him, linking him to her at the deepest level. He did not want to have that with Doug.
He opened his mouth to ask Doug if it was working when he felt something change. Before he could analyze the sensation, Elysia flooded his senses. Her scent, the taste of her blood, and her raw fear.
James! Elysia’s mental voice shouted in his mind.
“I’m here!” James reached for her.
Her first movement in a week, she threw back her head and screamed.
Chapter 3
The monitor alarms were going off again, but James barely heard them. He sprang up on Elysia’s bed and straddling her body, gripped her shoulders to try to hold her in place as she began to thrash. She arched her back, her hands fisting the sheets as she screamed again.
“Elysia,” Doug said. “I know you can feel the morgue from here. Use it.”
Suddenly James understood. She had been in a coma for a week, unable to release the tension on her soul, as all necromancers must. And for a powerful necromancer like her, the pain would be extreme.
“She doesn’t need a corpse,” James growled. “She has one.” He leaned in closer. “Elysia Grace Mallory, make me yours.”
Her back came off the bed with another scream, but this time, her soul slammed into him. And it just kept coming. So much life. Now it was James’s back that arched, and he cried out, though it wasn’t in pain. His senses were overloaded with her. But at the same time she fed him life, she reached through him, beyond him, following the link between them to his soul, where it resided beyond the mortal plane. Then she pulled him to her.
James snarled. His skin tingled like he was about to change—no, as if he was about to be ripped open. Ebony claws burst from his fingertips, but these were not the short black claws that took the place of his fingernails when he called the hound close. These were the claws that belonged to his true form. The mesh of hellhound and human that could only exist in the land of the dead, where the two were one.
Dark fur sprang from his forearms, and his jaw erupted in pain as it felt like his skin suddenly couldn’t contain it. James threw back his head and something between a scream and a howl erupted from his throat.
“Elysia, stop!” Doug shouted. “You’re hurting him. You’re hurting James. Let him go!”
For an instant, James thought she didn’t hear; then she was gone. Completely. The pain and the total absence of her presence sucked the strength from his joints, and he collapsed, squeezed between her and the bed rail.
The monitors continued to blare, then one abruptly cut out.
Alarmed, James pushed himself up on one elbow. “Elysia?”
She gasped, then blinked a few times as if trying to focus on his face. “James,” she whispered.
Relief flooded his body at the sound of her voice. “Yes.” He held her gaze with his own. Her irises were completely white, though she wasn’t using her magic.
James was vaguely aware of a nurse as she moved from monitor to monitor, shutting off the alarms.
“You found me,” Elysia whispered, her eyes holding his.
“Always.”
A smile touched her pale lips, and then her eyes slid closed.
“Doug?” James asked.
Doug was studying the nearest monitor, but he was smiling. “She’s back.”
James looked down at Elysia where she lay beside him. “Good.” More medical personnel were pouring into the room, but James let Doug handle them. He could no longer fight the exhaustion, and slipped into sleep, Elysia still pressed against him.
James became aware of voices and sunlight at the same time. The now familiar scent of the hospital oriented him. Had he fallen asleep in the chair in Elysia’s room?
He blinked his eyes into focus and found Addie standing over him.
She grinned. “You know, when people tell you to find a room, this isn’t what they mean.”
“Funny,” Elysia answered, her voice soft and rough.
James pushed himself up on one elbow and found that he still lay in the narrow hospital bed with Elysia pressed close against him. She had wrapped one arm around his waist, her hand beneath the hem of his T-shirt and her warm palm against his back. But that wasn’t the only invasion of his personal space. She had also fed him her soul. Perhaps not as much as the night before, but still enough that James was powerfully aware of her—and the fact that they weren’t alone.
“Ely,” he whispered, leaning closer. “You’re going to cause me to embarrass myself.”
“I’ve got coma breath anyway.”
He laughed despite the discomfort. She really was back. “I meant your soul,” he whispered. “You’re sharing.”
She blinked. “Oh, sorry.” She withdrew, then rolled away from him. Was she hurting?
He gripped her shoulder. “I’ll deal with it. Go ahead, use me.”
“No,” she whispered. “It only makes it worse. I just need to adjust.”
Her admission was a stark reminder to the true nature of their relationship—or the lack thereof. What was he thinking? He sat up and scooted away from her.
The bedrail behind James clanked and lowered. He looked over his shoulder and found Rowan responsible.
He climbed from the bed and with a glance at Elysia, walked out into the hall. Ian had advised him repeatedly to stay away from her and not let her use her magic on him. Should he leave entirely to remove the temptation?
“James?” Rowan had followed him into the hall. “What’s wrong?”
“She was sharing her soul with me.” He glanced toward the door to her room. “She’s not supposed to use her magic on me. Ian says she should only animate the long dead. Bodies with little humanity left.”
“You’re not exactly human.”
James ignored that. “She’ll need to go home soon, to her grandmother’s. There’s a cemetery there.”
Rowan sighed. “Ian may not be right.”
James gritted his teeth. He didn’t need this right now. “I’d rather err on the side of caution.”
“You’re growling.”
James took a breath and released it. Rowan was just trying to help. “Sorry.” He turned and paced away, then returned to Rowan, unable to stand still.
“Perhaps you should head back to the manor and meditate.” Rowan had been helping James master his emotions the same way Rowan worked to master his own. Meditation and workouts did help James with things like anxiety and anger. But this was different.
“Won’t work.” James paced past him. “I need to change and go for a run.”
Rowan clasped his arm on the next pass. “Giving in to the animal won’t help you control it.”
James smiled, aware that his teeth weren’t exactly human. “It’s not the animal side of my nature that’s the problem right now.”
Rowan glanced toward the door to Elysia’s room and his
brows lifted.
“Yes,” James said, lowering his voice. “Her soul, her scent, her blood—it’s an aphrodisiac to me. And I’m a poison to her.”
Rowan released him. “Go on. Addie and I will stay with her until her grandmother gets here.”
James raked his hands through his hair. “Doug said she could feel the morgue from here. Remind her if it gets to be too much.”
“Those aren’t long-dead corpses.”
“They’re safer for her than I am.” James turned and hurried away.
James had left Rowan with the intent of leaving the hospital, but found himself walking the now familiar corridors instead. It was no surprise that he ended up at the observation window outside the NICU. He had spent a lot of time here.
The baby Elysia longed to adopt lay sleeping in his incubator. It was so nice to see him free of the respirator and assorted tubes and wires that had been the norm since his premature birth two months ago. Then, he had weighed just under two pounds, and every day was a fight for survival. Now, at just shy of four pounds, his skin was a healthy pink, he was breathing on his own, and eating like he meant it. Provided his oxygen levels remained stable, he would get to go home soon. The question was: where was home?
“I thought I might find you here,” Addie said from beside him. Preoccupied with his own thoughts, he hadn’t noticed her arrival.
“How’s Elysia?” he asked.
“Grams and Livie just arrived—with Doug. They’re working on getting her released.”
“Good.”
Addie took his hand. “You okay?”
He knew what she was asking, but he skirted the question. “She’s awake. Now she can get better.”
Addie gave his hand a squeeze. “Drive me back to the lab, and we can get started on that right now.”
“What about Rowan?”
She pulled out her phone. “I’ll let him know where I went.”
“You need to move past this thing with Doug.” Since Addie’s involvement in Doug’s father’s death, she had been avoiding him.
“It’s too soon. He needs more time.”
“More time to let bad feelings fester? Beyond that, I know how this sort of thing bothers you.”
She frowned, but didn’t comment as she sent Rowan a text. “Okay. Let’s get back to the lab. I’ve been considering another approach.” She turned and walked toward the elevators.
He knew she was trying to entice him, but that didn’t stop him from being intrigued. They could discuss her problem with Doug later.
“What do you have in mind?” He fell in beside her as she launched into an in-depth description of her latest plans. He couldn’t help but smile as she spared him none of the technical details. If only he could take a college class in alchemy. But he needed to learn the basics before he could master the craft. After all, Addie had been a chemist before the magic returned.
She was still discussing her ideas when they reached his car in the parking garage.
He pulled out his keys and stopped beside his black Charger. He was about to unlock the doors when the hairs on the back of his neck rose.
“Get down,” he said, calling the hound.
“What is it?” Addie didn’t heed him—no surprise.
He gripped her shoulder and pushed her down into a squat beside him as he scanned the garage, looking for souls.
“What is it?” she repeated in a low voice, glancing around them.
“We’re being watched.”
“I don’t see anyone.”
He didn’t, either—not with his normal vision or the hound’s. Goosebumps rose along his forearms. Had his brothers followed him from the murder scene? And a more disturbing thought: had they marked the kill so obviously their own in hopes that he would be called to help investigate it?
“James?” Addie gripped his wrist.
“I think George and Henry are here.” He surveyed the open areas beyond the confines of the parking garage. They were on the second story, his car parked on the edge. It would be visible from the parking lot below. If someone was watching, they would know when he left and that he would be exiting the garage shortly. A perfect opportunity to follow him. Of course, it may not be their intent to just trail him from the garage.
“Come on. Hurry.” He rose to his feet and moved quickly away from his car, heading for the hospital entrance. His brothers weren’t close enough for a crossbow shot, but a scoped rifle was another story.
Addie’s rapid footfalls followed him into the hospital. “Okay, slow down. Tell me what’s going on.”
He forced himself to slow his pace until she was at his side. “Sorry.” He continued to scan the area around them, glancing down to hide his glowing eyes when they passed other people. “Did Rowan tell you about the murder at that gas station yesterday?”
“Yes, though I confess I didn’t catch all the details. He called while I was in the middle of a titration.”
James was surprised she even remembered the phone call. “It was them. I’m wondering if they followed me back.”
“Did they seize an opportunity when you showed up to investigate the scene? Or had the murder been staged for that reason?”
James glanced over at her, surprised and yet not surprised that she had come to the same conclusion. “I don’t know. But if they’ve been watching me, they might know about Elysia.”
“I would reassure you that they wouldn’t try anything stupid in such a public place,” Addie lifted her arms, indicating the hospital around them. “But they once forced me out of here at gun point.”
James grunted and made an effort not to increase his pace.
“This stalking thing is a bit advanced for them,” Addie said.
“They are Hunters. Stalking is part of their skill set.”
“I guess.”
Addie gave up questioning him as they hurried through the halls to Elysia’s room. Rowan and Doug stood outside her door, discussing something, but fell silent when James and Addie joined them.
“Addie?” Rowan looked surprised to see her. “I thought you two were heading back to the lab.”
“We were.” She didn’t elaborate on why they had returned.
James glanced at Elysia’s closed door. “What’s going on?”
“Livie and Judith are helping her dress.” Doug always called Grams by her given name. “Elysia has been released.”
“Are they taking her home?”
“Ian and I discussed it. We felt a trip through the land of the dead might be a little much with Elysia fresh out of the coma. I am lending Judith my car, and Livie will get me where I need to go.”
James didn’t like the sound of them driving alone. A car could be followed. “Let me drive them,” he said to Doug. “That is, if you don’t mind me driving your car. It’s roomier than my Charger.” James was now on the lookout for his brothers, even though he’d clearly been too focused on Elysia after leaving the murder scene to have detected them following him to the hospital. But by taking Doug’s Mercedes, he might be able to give them the slip. Regardless, he would be on the lookout.
The door opened before Doug could respond, and Livie stepped out. “Hey, James. Addie.” She gave them a smile before turning to Doug. “You ready?”
“James is going to drive Judith and Elysia home.”
“Okay. Grams will be bummed not to get to drive a Mercedes.”
“Maybe she can get behind the wheel and do donuts in the parking lot once they get there.”
Livie laughed. “There’s an image.” She grinned at James before turning back to Doug. “Then I guess it’s just you and me. Where can I take you?”
“The big house, if you don’t mind. I’ve got the carpenters in today. Here’s hoping they’ve actually made some progress.” A fire had damaged Doug’s family home, and he was struggling to g
et the repairs done before this big necromancer gathering he had planned. The one that would officially name him Deacon.
“Seriously,” Rowan said. “Let me send Donovan over. He’ll have it knocked out in plenty of time.”
“Let New Magic repair the ancestral home of the city’s most influential necromancer family?” Doug grinned. “If these guys don’t get something done soon, I might take you up on that. Goodness knows that hiring New Magic would be frowned upon less than having the old mansion in less than pristine condition.”
James glanced at Addie. She was no doubt dying to make a comment, but she maintained her silence.
“Just let me know,” Rowan said, smiling in turn.
Doug agreed, and after an exchange of farewells, Livie opened a portal and they were gone.
Rowan turned to James and Addie, his good humor evaporating. “Now tell me what’s going on.”
“James thinks his brothers are here,” Addie said.
Rowan’s eyes narrowed as they shifted to James. “Why?”
“I… felt like I was being watched.” That sounded lame. “In the parking garage.”
Rowan continued to study him. “And you thought it was them because…”
“Instinct.”
Rowan glanced at Addie and she shrugged. “Did you catch their scent?” Rowan asked him. “Or get a glimpse of their souls?”
James sighed. “No.”
“I know you have abilities I can’t even begin to imagine, but you will allow that you’ve had a very stressful night.”
“Week,” Addie added. “Stress can make you paranoid.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but this is real,” James said, holding in his frustration. “I know when I’m being Hunted.”
“Is that why you’re driving Elysia home?” Rowan asked. “Do you think they know about her?”
“All I know is that they’re watching my car. If they know about her, they probably expect me to use my car to drive her home. My guess is that they’re waiting to get me in the open to put a quarrel through me.”
“I’ll call Waylon to—”
“No. I can handle this. You’ll just get an agent killed.”
