Chapter 6
December
It had been three weeks, and Franklin was growing more and more worried. There were Christmas lights all over the bar, but he couldn't enjoy them. He spent as much time as he could in his office to avoid ruining everyone's Christmas cheer.
Could as soon as I can mean three weeks? What if something had happened to Axar? What if he were sick or injured and couldn't get out?
"Go! The open door to your left." The urgency in Elvin's voice as it traveled the corridor had Franklin leap from his seat behind the desk and walk toward the door.
In the corridor, Axar came walking toward him. His jeans were ripped on one knee, and today's sweater had Santa reaching for an elf, and over the image, there was the text: When I think about you, I touch my elf. Franklin shook his head but couldn't help but smile.
Then he smelled blood, and all humor left him.
Before he knew what he was doing, he was hurrying toward Axar.
"What happened?" He ran his hands over his upper arms up to his shoulder, only to gently grab his chin and tilt his head, so he could get a proper look at his face.
Axar more or less melted against him, and heat shot through Franklin.
"Franklin." Axar's tone was pleading.
There was a red mark on his cheek, but it wasn't what caused the scent of blood.
"Where are you bleeding?" Franklin did nothing to conceal the growl in his voice, but maybe he should have. Axar tore free of his grip and stumbled backward.
"I didn't do anything." The scent of fear was thick, and Franklin forced down a calming breath.
"I believe you, but, sweetie, you're bleeding."
Axar's eyes grew impossibly wide. "What?"
Franklin tapped his nose. "I have a very good sense of smell, and you're bleeding."
"It's nothing. A scratch. I've already put a band-aid on it."
Franklin fought a war with himself. He wanted to rip every piece of clothing off Axar and inspect his body, but as he took in his defensive stance, he didn't think touching him right now was a good idea.
"Okay, I'll drop it, but only if you promise me you'll tell me if the small scratch continues to bleed." He was aware of his eyes shifting, but he couldn't help it. The thought of Axar bleeding had him ready to tear down the world.
Axar gave one small nod.
"I'll be able to tell if you're lying, so don't try with me." He might not be able to tell if he was lying, but he'd be able to tell if he continued to bleed.
Axar paled and gave him another minuscule nod. As the scent of fear intensified, Franklin forced himself to shake loose his muscles and appear calm.
"Good. Come on." He gestured at the office. "Are you hungry? Thirsty? How did you get here this time?" He wasn't sweaty or out of breath.
"Hitchhiked."
Cold filled Franklin's core. Fuck. Hitchhiking wasn't safe. Franklin wasn't sure Axar could fight off an attacker. "Did the driver hurt you?" Was it why he was bleeding? Red overtook his vision. How would he hunt down someone who was only passing through?
"No, it...eh...happened before."
Franklin watched him, but Axar wasn't meeting his eyes.
Silence stretched, and the more Axar squirmed, the more Franklin searched for something to say. "Hungry?"
Axar looked at him, surprise written all over his face. "Eh...no, I'm okay." He grimaced. "This is the room."
The room? Franklin looked around. "What about it?"
"It used to have a table in the middle."
Franklin nodded.
"The last thing Neoma remembers is being in this room."
"They used to play cards in here."
Axar looked to his left, a wince taking over his face. "There was a table in the corner with some glasses and bottles. Neoma served them, and someone wanted to put her in the pot."
"Put her in the pot, as in...be able to win her?" Nausea rolled over him.
Axar nodded, then jerked back as if attacked by something invisible.
Without thinking, Franklin stepped between him and where he believed the attacker would be and let out a low growl.
He couldn't see anyone, couldn't smell anyone, but Axar acted as if something was there.
Imaginary or not, they weren't allowed to attack him.
When he looked at Axar over his shoulder, his mouth had fallen open.
"What?" There was still too much growl in his voice.
"Nothing. You--" He shook his head.
"I what?"
"Protected me."
Franklin didn't reply. He wasn't sure he'd protected him. How could he when he didn't see anything threatening?
"She's agitated. She didn't mean to hurt me, but they often get confused when they're in a location of past trauma."
In a location of past trauma? Franklin had no idea what it meant. Did she die here? In this room?
"What does she need?" Was it the right thing to ask? He didn't have a clue.
Every muscle in Axar's body stiffened. "I have to go. They're here. I can't let Axton touch me."
"Who is he?" Franklin could fight him.
"My brother."
"Axton and Axar?" Did their mother want to confuse their names?
"And Addox."
"Your other brother?" The two who came with his mother to get him every time.
"Yeah, but he's...kind."
Kind?
Axar was moving toward the door. "I have to go. I can't be in the same room as them." The fear was more intense than Franklin had ever seen before.
"Let's go." He grabbed his car keys from the desk. Then he raised his voice. "Elvin!"
No reply came, but he was pretty sure Elvin could hear him.
"I'll be out for a few minutes. If you could keep them there with you, it would be great."
Then he ushered Axar toward the back door.
Franklin looked around the small parking lot. There was no one there. "Let's go."
"She can control me if she's close enough." Axar was huddling by the wall, not looking ready to step away from the building.
Fucking psychics. "Come on." He held his hand out, but Axar didn't take it as he'd hoped. He did step closer, though.
"See the red Ford." Franklin gestured at his car parked at the end of the row.
"Yes."
"Run to the passenger seat." Franklin kept his gaze on the mouth of the alley. He trusted Elvin to stop them before they could reach the back door, but he couldn't stop them from exiting the bar and rounding the building.
When he reached the car, Axar was already inside. Good. He climbed in and locked the doors. "Can she control you through car walls?"
Axar bit his lower lip. "I think so. I only need to hear her voice, though it doesn't work through phones or recordings. She has to be there in person."
Small favors.
Franklin got them moving, turned out of the alley, and onto the road leading out of town without seeing any of Axar's family members. "Where's your dad?"
Axar shook his head. "Never met him. Or maybe I have, but I have no memory of him. I'm the youngest."
"But he's alive?"
Axar shrugged. "I don't know."
Silence fell as Franklin focused on getting them out of town and toward his house. "But you'd know if he was a ghost. He'd come to see you?"
"No, I only see shifter ghosts." He huffed. Franklin didn't understand the huff.
"You see shifter ghosts? Does it mean humans don't leave ghosts behind?" He wasn't sure he believed in ghosts.
Axar grimaced. "I don't know. I've only ever been able to see shifter ghosts. Mother hates it, which is why--" He snapped his mouth shut.
"Which is why what?"
A head shake.
Part of Franklin wanted to push, but he let it go. For now.
When the house came into view, some tension left him. He had no neighbors close enough to see, and the forest was thick behind the building.
"I want you to stay here tonight."
"For one night?"
For forever, if Franklin had any say, but he suspected Axar would freak if he said it out loud. "I have to get back to the bar, but you should be safe here. Don't open the door to anyone, and you'll be fine."
He parked and got out of the car. Axar followed, but he looked uncertain.
"I have a guest room. It's yours for as long as you want it, okay?"
Axar looked to the side of him and nodded--Franklin didn't think it was in response to his statement.
"What's she saying?"
"She wants to go back to the bar."
Franklin frowned. "Can she go with me?"
Axar shook his head. "No, once they see me, they're bound to me. It's why I have to go where they tell me to go. Otherwise, they'd be able to explore on their own."
"They're bound to you?" Franklin didn't like it. He was the only one who should be bound to Axar.
"They've described it that I'm like a light they see.
They're in the dark, but they can see a light in the distance.
They travel toward it, and once they reach me, they can see what's around me.
They can see more than I do. Like earlier.
We were in the murder room, but she saw them coming.
But she can't leave me. Or she can, but then she's drifting in complete darkness. "
Franklin nodded. Murder room? Did he mean the office, the former card room?
He did, right? Franklin needed to talk this through with Elvin.
"Okay. We can check out the bar when they aren't there.
" Though, if there had been a body hidden there, they'd have smelled it already.
Or maybe not now. She must've been dead for decades, if she died when she disappeared.
Someone would've smelled it at some point, so he didn't think they'd find a body at the bar.
He unlocked the front door and gestured for Axar to enter.
Franklin liked his house. It was cozy, rustic, and he'd done a lot of the repairs himself, but Axar's house had been minimalistic. Maybe he didn't like a house like this.
When he glanced at him to see if he could read his expression, he was in a wordless conversation with his ghost. There were nods, head shakes, and some hand gestures. Franklin watched with a frown. "Why don't you talk to her with words?"