Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
Erasmus
Oh, this was the very definition of clusterfuck.
I grabbed Franklin’s right arm with both my hands, tugging it down. The man might as well have been made of stone for all the good it did me. Gaia help me, Franklin had a gun pointed on Aurelia.
“Lower your weapon. She’s…” I started to say harmless , but that was so far from the truth it might as well live on the other side of the universe. Instead, I said, “She’s not here to hurt me,” and silently prayed that still held true.
“Indeed.” Thankfully, Aurelia sounded more amused than offended. “Firing your weapon might be an interesting diversion, human.” At least she didn’t say Franklin’s species with the disgust many did.
“I need an explanation, Boone,” Franklin said, his voice laced with steel. “This…whatever she is…is contaminating a police crime scene.”
I rolled my eyes. “Aurelia’s not contaminating anything. I don’t think,” I added when I decided I wasn’t totally certain.
“ Aurelia ?” Franklin’s gun wavered for the first time. “As in…?”
“Yes, that Aurelia. I think you know your gun won’t do jack shit, so you might as well lower it before the pretty, powerful djinn decides to make it more of an issue.”
Franklin’s arm lowered, and he swallowed hard enough to make his Adam’s apple bob. He still didn’t move from in front of me.
“I meant no offense, Aurelia. I was simply concerned about Boone.”
“Understandable. I have noted over the centuries that most mortal creatures are protective of their mates.”
I choked on my own spit while Franklin’s mouth fell open, catching on words that wouldn’t come out.
Aurelia’s attention focused on me, and she said, “You need to go home.”
I started to ask why when my pocket rumbled with Pops’s ringtone. I started to ignore it and let Pops go to voicemail, but Aurelia said, “Your father is calling. He also knows something is wrong.”
“Answer the phone,” Franklin ordered, and I nearly fumbled my phone while trying to get it out of my pocket.
“Pops,” I said when I’d finally tugged it free and hit the accept button. I didn’t get much further.
“Are you safe?” Pops asked immediately, voice panicked.
I looked around the room, my gaze catching Franklin’s worried stare and Aurelia’s slightly disinterested one. “I’m safe,” I answered, which seemed odd considering there was a dead body nearby. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. The wards on your house went off. Not just once. Someone is repeatedly trying to breach security. You need to contact your detective and have him come to the house immediately.”
“I’m with Franklin now,” I answered. “I’m not at home.”
Pops’s tone immediately eased. “That is good to hear. I’m checking available flights right now. I’ll be there as soon as possible. I—”
“Don’t do that. Not yet. Let me see what’s going on first.” I shot Aurelia a glance and said, “Aurelia’s here too. She came to warn me. Maybe. At the very least she came to let me know something is going on.”
Pops remained silent for a few moments before he said, “Djinn cannot be trusted, Erasmus. She is not a pet.”
I recoiled. “Of course not. I’ve never thought of Aurelia that way.”
“I misspoke. I did not mean to imply that you viewed her as a lesser creature. All I mean is that Aurelia is not as tame as she appears. How do you know it is not her that tried to get into your home?”
“Because she’s been in my home a dozen times before and never tripped the wards,” I answered.
It wasn’t the exact answer Pops wanted. “The djinn has been in your home?”
“Yeah, Pops. She’s been inside it, outside it, all around it…. What I’m getting at is that the wards have never seen her as a threat before, or even reacted to her. Before you say it, you’re right, she might be able to get around them, but if she’s done that in the past, then there’s no reason they’d be reacting to her now. Whatever’s going on, Aurelia’s not the cause.”
“Perhaps not, but—”
“I need to go, Pops. Whoever’s doing this shit is about to be very sorry.” I hit the end button and valiantly (stupidly) ignored the follow-up call.
“I need to get home,” I said before heading for the door. I dodged the hole in the floor easily and trotted to the stairway. Detective Harrison was still at the end of the hall with Dr. McCallister.
“Boone, wait!” Franklin called after me. I didn’t wait. I headed down the stairs. I could hear Franklin yell something to the other detective and thought I caught the word “leaving” in there somewhere. I didn’t want to wait.
My hand was on my car door when Franklin’s giant palm landed on my skin. He sounded faintly out of breath when he said, “Will you just wait a fucking minute?”
I stood there, tapping my sneaker. The puddle I was standing in splashed water up my legs, but I didn’t care. “I need to get home,” I argued.
“And I need you to stay safe,” Franklin argued back. “We don’t know who or what is trying to get into your house, but I’ll bet it’s safe to say that if your father’s wards are unhappy about it, then whoever it is isn’t there to drop off a gift basket.”
“Your detective is correct. I did not see evidence of one of these gift baskets,” Aurelia agreed. I wasn’t sure if she’d gone down the stairs or simply blinked out of existence on the second floor and popped back up outside. When Franklin’s attention turned her way, I realized she still wasn’t making an effort to conceal herself.
Franklin tried to formulate words a couple of times before he finally managed a question. “Could you tell what they were doing?”
Aurelia didn’t show the slightest hint of distress. “They were trying to enter without permission.”
“B&E,” Franklin mumbled before releasing my wrist and running his fingers over his close-cropped hair. “I doubt it’s as simple as that.”
“Could you tell their species?” I asked, while wondering just how much longer Aurelia would decide to be helpful.
“Human,” she easily answered. “Others may be there by now. They were not pleased when I left.”
My heart dropped and a wave of nausea swept through my body. “What did you do?” Those words were barely a hushed whisper.
“I did nothing.” Aurelia coolly answered. “They were displeased by their lack of progress.”
My body deflated and I leaned heavily on my car. “Thank Gaia.”
“Ride with me,” Franklin said. He didn’t give me much choice as he grabbed my bicep and hauled me toward his car. “We can come back later for your car.”
“I can drive,” I said with a huff.
“I know, but right now I don’t find you particularly trustworthy. Knowing my luck, you’ll pull up to the curb, jump out of your car, and get a bullet between the eyes. Whoever this is, they want something, and I’ll bet that something is you. I’ll be damned if I serve you up to these assholes on a silver platter. We’re going to be smart about this and if we can’t be smart, then at the very least, we can be careful.”
I followed him, my pace quick as I tried keeping up with Franklin’s longer legs.
“Aurelia, can I ask you to do a little recon for me?” Franklin asked as he opened the passenger side door and guided me inside.
Not shocking at all, Aurelia was gone. Franklin’s head twisted around and he asked, “Can you see her anywhere?”
“Nope. She’s gone.”
“Damn.”
“That’s a djinn for you—or at least that’s Aurelia for you.”
Franklin climbed into the driver’s seat and my phone buzzed with Pops’s ringtone again.
“If you really don’t want him on a flight out here, then you better get that.” Franklin started the car and pulled out, headed for my home. Deciding he was correct, I answered and gave Pops the rundown before he could start talking. I was almost done going over Franklin’s loose plan—although I wasn’t even certain it qualified as a plan—when a thought struck me. “Momma, is she—”
“Her wards are secure and untouched. I called her when you hung up on me.” Pops’s tone was filled with a rebuke I was sure I’d pay for later. “She is currently fine and staying with friends until we figure out what’s going on.”
“And Mrs. Hart?”
“Who?”
“My neighbor, Mrs. Hart, and her dog Miss Pattycakes.”
Pops’s sigh was long and deep. “I have no idea what is happening at this human’s home.”
I made a mental note to ask Pops to ward Mrs. Hart’s house in the future. It had been an oversight on my part. Pops would likely complain, but he’d do it if I asked.
“There is a flight that leaves in less than an hour. They will hold it for me if I ask.”
There were a few perks to being the most powerful warlock on the West Coast. “Let us figure out what’s going on first. Detective O’Hare is with me and I’ve got it on good authority that he doesn’t plan on letting me charge into the fire without knowing what’s going on first.” Franklin glanced at me before his eyes focused back on the road.
“That is somewhat reassuring. However, I would feel better if you had more substantial backup.”
Substantial was code for magical.
“I promise I won’t do anything too stupid. Franklin won’t let me.”
“Your humorous attempts are wasted on me. You do realize this, correct?”
“I know, Pops.” That didn’t mean I planned on stopping anytime soon.
“We’re almost there,” Franklin said. I’d been concentrating on my conversation and hadn’t realized how close we were.
“I’ve gotta go. I’ll call when I know more.”
“Erasmus, you will be careful.” Pops couldn’t instill his will into his words like I did, at least not when it came to controlling others. But I still felt its weight.
“I’ll do my best. Love you, Pops.”
“I love you too,” he answered before ending the call.
Franklin’s car came to a gravel-crunching stop about a block away from my home. Outward appearances didn’t indicate that anything was amiss.
“They are leaving.”
Franklin jumped while I simply twisted. I wasn’t as reactive to Aurelia’s comings and goings as I once had been.
Sitting in the middle of the rear seat, Aurelia pushed her arm between Franklin and me, pointing to a spot down the road. “They are in that vehicle. If you wish to catch them, I suggest you hurry.”
“Shit,” Franklin swore before throwing the car into drive and quickly blasting through the residential speed limit.
“Careful, there are kids in this neighborhood.” They rode their bikes and bounced basketballs down streets and sidewalks.
“I know.” Those two words barely gritted past Franklins teeth. “I don’t think our prey will take that into consideration.”
I figured Franklin was correct considering their increased speed. Thankfully, the car we were chasing quickly exited my quaint neighborhood. I figured they’d head for the highway, but that’s not the direction they chose.
“Where in the hell are they going?” I asked, voice increasing as I grabbed the “oh shit handle” when Franklin took a turn faster than was healthy.
“Country,” Franklin grunted.
He was right. Homes grew sparser and fields stretched out to our right and left. Franklin hit a dip in the road too fast and the car jumped. My seatbelt grew taut and laughter filled the rear seat. Despite our speed and questionable roads, I managed to turn my head enough to see an amazing sight.
Aurelia was still in the back of the car, fingers clinging to the front seats. A wild, nearly maniacal grin stretched her lips, but it was her eyes that were the true stars. They sparkled and glowed with what could only be described as pure, unmitigated joy. I’d never seen that level of emotion from her before. It lit her up from the inside and made her glow.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, I found myself grinning in turn. Franklin glanced in his review mirror a couple of times. If the uncertain scowl marring his face was anything to go by, he found Aurelia’s glee more disturbing than humorous.
We hit another dip in the road that rocked the car, bottoming it out.
“If I’d known we were going to be in a chase like this, I would have grabbed a SUV or a Jeep.” Franklin grimaced. “Their vehicle is a lot more suited for this terrain.”
“Probably why they chose this path,” I agreed. “Aurelia, I don’t suppose you could pop on over and mess with their vehicle?”
Aurelia’s answer danced with laughter. “Why would I wish to do so when this is so much fun?”
I twisted enough that I could give her an incredulous stare. “It won’t be that much fun when we crash into a fence post.”
“Perhaps not for you. Such an event would not harm me,” Aurelia answered with a smile I found unnerving.
Franklin and I shared a look before his eyes transferred back to the road. I wasn’t sure which one of us caught the gleam of metal first. I thought we both screamed, “Gun!” at the same time.
Ducking was pure instinct. As the driver, Franklin didn’t have the same luxury. He scrunched lower, but that was about all he could do while still seeing the road. Several shots were fired. I could hear most of them hit metal. One shattered the front windshield. I wasn’t sure where it hit, only that glass littered the interior.
Another round of gunfire rang out, and Franklin let lose a litany of curse words. The car weaved and slid as he lost control until finally diving into a nearby ditch. The airbags deployed and for a moment, time stood still. My head felt fuzzy and ringing filled my ears. Everything ached and yet nothing felt seriously damaged.
“B-Boone? Erasmus?” Franklin’s voice sounded increasingly frantic.
“I’m okay. I think,” I managed.
“They are turning around.” Aurelia’s voice was too close and when I searched for it, I found her outside the car with her head peeking through the blown-out front window.
Franklin groaned and I could hear him pushing and yanking at the deflated airbag and his seatbelt. “Gotta get to my gun,” he murmured.
We were about to be in a shootout, and I had no illusions as to who had better weaponry and numbers. I didn’t care how good of a shot Franklin was. If his brain felt as rattled as mine, his aim wasn’t going to be great. We needed a better option and thankfully, I had one.
Wiggling, I managed to get my right hand free enough to dig into one of the many pockets of my cargo shorts. My fingers grazed against a keyring filled with charms until I found the one I was looking for.
Pressing my finger into the charm, I ruptured its inner contents, mixing the chemicals needed to activate it. Within a matter of seconds, false police sirens filled the air. Flashing red and blue lights lit up the distance, the lights flickering brighter as the seconds passed. It looked like the whole of the Mississippi State Police were on our tail and closing in fast.
I silently prayed this would work—and thank Gaia, it did.
“A well-played ruse, necromancer,” Aurelia praised. “They have turned around and are making haste in the opposite direction.”
Franklin leaned back, his chest heaving. “When did you call in reinforcements?”
“I didn’t,” I answered. “We can thank Pops later.”
“A charm?”
“A good old-fashioned obfuscation one.” Now that I was calmer and able to breathe, I managed to get out of my seatbelt and pushed the remnants of my airbag away. “You okay?” Now that I was turned and could get a better look, Franklin had a large gash on the right side of his forehead. Blood dribbled down his temple and across his eye. The smear told me he’d already wiped at it a few times.
“Nothing major,” Franklin answered. “At least, not that I’m currently aware of.”
The flashing lights closed in on us, surrounding the area and making it look like our car was surrounded by the boys in blue.
Franklin winced. “That’s handy and I’m not complaining, but it’s pretty fucking loud.”
I chuckled. “It is that. Sorry, but once it’s activated, I can’t turn it off. Pops probably could, but since he’s not here, we’ll just have to put up with it until the charm runs out of steam.”
“And that will be when?”
I shrugged. “Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.”
“Lovely,” Franklin lamented before leaning his head back and releasing a heavy sigh. “Might be a good idea to call in the real thing.”
“I’ll leave that to you,” I said. Turning slightly, I was surprised to see that Aurelia was still present. She leaned her hip on the car, her back to me.
“Thanks for the heads up, Aurelia.” I wasn’t sure I was coherent enough earlier to realize the guys we were chasing had turned around and were coming back for us. “If you hadn’t—”
Metal pinged against the hood of the car, little bits of lead rolling until they settled into a particular groove and stopped.
“It is my understanding these can be important to the human judicial system.”
Recognition hit me. “You collected the bullets?” I thought I’d heard more shots than the four now lying on the car hood. My memory could be wrong. Thinking straight wasn’t always possible when you were being shot at.
Aurelia turned enough for me to see one Caribbean-blue eye, her eyebrow slightly hitched. “Catching them was not difficult.”
Wait. What? “Catching them?”
She gave me a pointed look. “Peaches wished me to do as I will. It seems my will wishes for you and your mate to remain alive a little longer.”
Between one astounded blink and the next, Aurelia was gone. The bullets remained.
“Did she just save our lives?” Franklin asked, his disbelief mirroring mine.
“Possibly?” My gaze trained on those bullets, shimmering in the sun, their metal devoid of blood. Pops was right—djinn weren’t kind and fluffy. But they also weren’t the monsters they were portrayed as either. At least Aurelia wasn’t. Then again, what road would Aurelia’s will lead her down the next time?