Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
Erasmus
I lay in bed, stretching my body like a cat. Gaia, I felt well used but never abused. That was Franklin’s way. He left my body aching in all the right places, a gentle hum soothing those aches and making them blissful. Those aches wouldn’t last long, at least, not today. I had one more healing potion to take. Franklin had been very careful of my back and neck as we’d made love last night. Our careful calisthenics hadn’t injured me further.
Arching, I shifted the sheets around. The comforter and blanket were twisted and piled on top of me. Franklin always made sure I was well covered when he left in the morning. He knew how easily I got cold after his warmth left the bed. He always tucked me in after leaving my side. I vaguely remembered the kiss he’d planted on me before he walked out the door. I excelled at quickly falling back asleep.
Cuddled up and warm, I loathed the idea of leaving my sheltered space, but there were things to do. I wanted to start working on the list of names the Warlock Council had reluctantly sent. I also needed to contact Janet Meeker and attempt to set up a new time to return her granddaddy’s soul. I’d need to check with Franklin also as he was dead set on going with me this time. I wanted to argue, but I understood. If the situation had been reversed, I would have demanded the same.
Plus, on a selfish note, I wanted Franklin in the car with me. Not that I wanted to place him in danger, but I loved being with him and was hard-pressed to deny the opportunity.
As we’d lay in bed last night, Franklin had brought up an interesting possibility, or maybe idea. He’d asked if I wanted to invite Leander Dun over to help celebrate Solstice Day. Or, at the very least, if there was some traditional gift we could either take or send him. It was such a generous idea. One that I should have considered and hadn’t. It was also something I wasn’t surprised Franklin had thought of.
With so many options on the table, I lay there in my warm cocoon, reluctant to start on any of them. In some ways, I began with the most difficult. I called Leander. At least this way I could remain in bed just a little longer.
Leander answered with a hesitant “what do you want?” Those words were more cautious than angry.
“Good morning to you too,” I quipped, keeping my voice light. “Do you always answer the phone so graciously?”
Leander grunted. “I don’t know. Beyond deliveries, you’re the only one that’s called me.”
Leander’s words brought me up short and swallowed the flippant comment on my lips. Swallowing hard, I said, “Well then, I’ll just have to call more often so we can work on your phone etiquette.” I could threaten him with Momma. That woman would straighten Leander out lickety-split.
“As if I need that,” Leander huffed. “Besides, my greeting was fine and to the point. It was a question you’ve yet to answer.”
Swallowing my sigh, I tried to remember that Leander most likely hadn’t known a lot of kindness in his life. There were legitimate reasons he was so guarded and on edge. Keeping that in mind, I asked, “Do you have any Solstice plans?”
Silence was my answer, and I questioned, “Leander, are you still there?”
“Still here and confused as hell. Why would you be interested in that?”
I silently asked Gaia for patience. “Because if you don’t have any plans, Franklin and I wanted to know if you’d like to join us for dinner and celebration.” We didn’t have any direct, set plans. Momma and I typically celebrated together. We had a nice dinner on Solstice Day and Momma joined me in giving thanks to Gaia. A few days later we gathered again for Christmas and exchanged presents. Pops flew in for Solstice Day when he could and once, Momma and I had gone to California.
“Why would you want me there?” Leander asked, suspicion and disbelief warring for place of pride in those few words.
I considered my words carefully. “Solstice should be spent with friends and family. It is a time to thank Gaia for what she’s brought into our lives, and I, for one, am very thankful she guided us to you. Necromancers are a woefully small group and those of us who can hold a conversation are even smaller in number. I guess the short of it is, I’m grateful for you.”
Another, even longer silence followed. This time, I waited it out. When Leander finally spoke again, his voice sounded thick with emotion. “That’s… It’s a nice offer, but I like spending Solstice with my dogs. They’re what I’m most thankful for. It seems wrong to spend the day away from them.”
Leander sounded sincere, and I could easily understand his reasoning. “Okay. I understand. Just know that you are welcome anytime.” As soon as I said them, I realized I meant those words.
“Th-thanks. I think. I’m not really sure.” Another pause. “You confuse me.”
I choked on a burst of laughter. “That’s okay. I confuse a lot of people.”
“I don’t doubt that.” Leander’s tone was lighter.
“Do you mind if Franklin and I drop something off in celebration of Solstice Day? I promise we’ll call first.”
Leander grunted. “If that’s what you wanna do. Just don’t expect anything in return.”
I grinned. “Of course not.”
I thought I caught a wheeze of laughter but couldn’t be certain. Our conversation didn’t last long after that and I soon found myself staring at my darkened phone screen. Deciding I could hang out in bed just a little bit longer, I checked my upcoming schedule and then texted Janet Meeker with a couple of options. I’d need to check with Franklin also, but I figured I could at least get the ball rolling.
That done, I stretched one more time before forcing myself out of bed. The wooden floor was chilly as I made my way to the attached bathroom. If I ever remodeled, I’d make heated floors in the bathroom a priority. As it was, the tile was even chillier and I quickly hopped onto a nearby rug.
After relieving myself, I decided a shower was necessary. Catching my reflection in the mirror solidified that thought. Gaia, I looked thoroughly debauched. My fingers danced along one of three bruises littering my neck and collarbone. I almost wished I didn’t need to take the second healing potion today. Franklin’s love bites would be long gone by the time evening came around. I didn’t mind wearing them. If anything, they were a point of pride. Or maybe affection. They were proof, a reminder of just how much Franklin enjoyed touching me.
My cheeks warmed as blood flushed them bright red. Memories of the previous night assaulted my mind and made my well-used dick perk. Staring down at the interested appendage, I pointed and uselessly said, “Down boy.” Thoughts of Franklin turned my libido back about ten years. I was little more than a horny teenage boy whose dick stood up and took notice of the slightest breeze.
With a heavy sigh, I dragged my worn-out body and all too eager dick into the shower. Had I been stronger willed, I would have turned the water colder. As it was, I didn’t even try and kept the shower steamy in more ways than one.
T he list in front of me was…daunting. Far more so than I’d imagined. It was little more than a printout of human women’s names and nothing more. There were no dates attached. No addresses or even a mention of the state they were from. No warlock names were connected to the women, and of course, there were no necromancer children written down. The women would have at least carried the child to term. It was unknown if a child would be born warlock or necromancer until that child breathed their first breath. There was a way to tell prior to birth. However, human women had demanded this test not be done and for good reason. Too many warlock fathers had abandoned their responsibilities even sooner, leaving human women, heavily pregnant, to fend for themselves before the child was even born.
My lips twisted into something sour as I considered this. Maybe Franklin had a point. Warlocks had more to answer for than I’d previously thought. The truly damning thing was that the only reason warlocks had agreed to this condition was because it had been written into Fairy Law.
Elbows planted on my knees, I rested my forehead in my hands. The list seemed impossibly long and it was supposedly an abbreviated one, only going back the last thirty years. Call me crazy, but I didn’t trust the Warlock Council to abide by those terms. For all I knew, the list contained names from more than a hundred years ago. And the cherry on this overwhelming sundae was that this was only a list of names for necromancer mothers in the United States and Canada.
Flopping back into the comfort of my couch, I stared at the ceiling, blinking my tired eyes. I’d already swallowed the contents of the second healing potion. Compared to yesterday, I physically felt 100 percent better. Too bad Loretta’s potion couldn’t fix my mental angst too.
I’d started another fire and found myself switching my gaze to the dancing flames. I’d turned on the lights adorning my fir tree and marveled at the way they brightened the corner of my living room. Shadows played along the wall, dancing in time with the flame. Those shadows were just as magical as the light that produced them. They swirled and flickered and… My eyes narrowed, fixing on something that simply didn’t look right. My fingers fisted as I continued staring. Between the fireplace and the lit tree, there was…something. It was a shadow, slightly darker than the surrounding ones. What was strange was its movement, or maybe lack of movement. It was almost like the shadows cast by the fire flickered over it.
I started to sit up, determined to figure out what was going on. It surely had to be a trick of the light, or maybe my tired brain. I began rising from the couch but before I could fully stand, the odd shadow was gone, as if it had never been there in the first place.
Remaining in my odd, half-crouched position, my gaze stayed steady, my eyes barely blinking, but whatever it was, was gone. I sat back down and scrubbed my hands over my eyes. “Great, now I’m seeing stupid shit,” I grumbled while shaking the oddity from my brain and focusing back on the daunting list. A shiver raced up my back and I found my eyes repeatedly tracking back to the corner and where the darker shadow had been. No matter how hard I focused, I couldn’t see it now.
“Get a grip, Erasmus.” I used to talk to myself more when I was kid. I hadn’t necessarily stopped, but most of the time, my mental musings stayed inside my head. Sometimes, the words simply slipped out.
The list of names swam in front of my unblinking eyes. Going through the names one by one would take a long, long time. Too long. There was also only so much information I could find searching on my own. The bottom line was I needed help.
With a heavy groan, I picked up my phone and shot Franklin a text asking if he had time to talk. My phone rang less than a minute later.
“That was fast,” I said by way of greeting while easing back into the comfort of my couch. Feet propped on my coffee table, I snuggled in.
“Just doing some paperwork,” Franklin answered. His tone noticeably softened when he addressed me.
“I’m sorry. I know that’s not your favorite part of the job.” Franklin’s version of paperwork was actually computer work. He’d told me the forms were the same, just on the computer now instead of on printed paper. Franklin didn’t know which was worse and thought they both took about the same amount of time.
“An evil necessity,” Franklin agreed. “How are you feeling this morning?”
I grinned and wiggled my ass. In a way, Loretta’s healing potion worked a little too well. “Not as sore as I’d like to feel. I like carrying the reminder of where you’ve been.”
Franklin’s deep chuckle filtered across cyberspace and into my ear making me shiver for all the right reasons. “And I enjoy leaving those reminders.”
My cheeks heated as memories of the previous night assaulted my brain. Franklin and I didn’t have sexy times every night. Many nights, we just cuddled in bed. Being wrapped in his strength and warmth was just as intimate as sex. At least to me. I’d learned Franklin felt the same. It was simply another way we fit together so amazingly well.
I rubbed the already healed bruises on my neck and collarbone, wishing I could still feel their sting.
“While I’m enjoying this conversation a little too much, we should probably change the topic before I have to excuse myself to the restroom. I’m afraid that trip will be rather embarrassing considering what’s going on south of my waistline.”
My grin turned into a goofy smile. “Yeah. I hear what you’re saying. Don’t worry, I’ve got a topic that will make your nether regions appear respectable again.”
Franklin sighed long and deep. “Hit me with it.”
“It’s nothing bad, or at least nothing new. I opened up the file with the list of necromancer mother names and it’s lengthy.”
“Why do I get the feeling you’re downplaying the number of names on that list?”
“Because you’re an excellent detective,” I teased.
Franklin huffed an abbreviated laugh. “I see we’re to the buttering up part of the conversation.”
My mirth softened. “I think I’m gonna need a little help on this one. Unsurprisingly, there’s nothing else. Just names. I suppose I should be grateful there are last names listed also. Although, that’s hardly for my benefit.” I considered that thought and amended. “I should probably be grateful they didn’t remove the last names before the list was sent to me.” I didn’t know if the women’s addresses were recorded but had a feeling they were. The more information a warlock had on a defective human mother, the better.
“You want me to see if Becks has time to whittle the list down?”
“Do you think Captain Cicely will mind? It’s not exactly police business and I’m sure Officer Becks has a lot more important work on her cyber-plate.”
“I think the captain will be more than happy to help. I can’t promise it will take priority, but I’m certain Captain Cicely will okay the time and resources when available. Besides, this is just the kind of thing that Becks loves. I guarantee you she’ll be over the moon with the challenge.”
Franklin’s surety eased a lot of my concerns. “As long as you don’t think either of them will mind. I don’t want to take advantage of their generosity. Captain Cicely doesn’t owe me anything.”
“Debatable, but I know no amount of arguing will convince you otherwise. The captain’s in a meeting this morning. I’ll double-check with her when she returns and get back to you. In the meantime, why don’t you go ahead and forward the list of names to me? That way I’m ready to go when Captain Cicely gives the okay.”
Leaning forward, I tapped a few keys on my laptop. “Just sent it.”
“Let me make sure I got it. Yup, it’s there.”
I inhaled, feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. This problem shared was more than halved. “Thanks, Franklin.”
“No thanks needed. As soon as I’ve got the okay from the captain, I’ll get with Becks and see what the best method is to attack this list. We’ll figure out how to make it more manageable without wasting a lot of time none of us have.”
My goofy grin turned soft and the words “I love you” slipped free.
There was a pause, and I thought I heard Franklin take a deep inhale before he said, “I love you too. We’ll get this sorted. We’ll find the other necromancers and figure out a way to get them the help they need.”
My eyes slipped closed as we ended our conversation. Dropping the phone to the couch cushion beside me, I found my mind drifting as the warmth of the fire enveloped me. The next thing I knew, it was early afternoon and the fire had dwindled to little more than smoldering coals.