Chapter Five
The Lair
Moments Later
Time To Plan
Friday Mid-Morning
Truth be told, no one was shocked that Fate was pulling out all the stops to force them to chase two antiquities instead of one. That sounded like something she’d love to throw at them.
One was nightmarish enough, but two…
That was almost impossible.
They knew this all stemmed from the fact that she was in a panic due to Jolie carrying Rinnon’s child.
She’d try to stop that at all costs.
Now, it was going to be about stopping her before someone got hurt.
Mainly, the unborn child.
Now was the only time the Nephilim could be killed, and that put a target on Jolie’s back.
Yeah, there was no doubt that this was likely to be bloody for all of them.
Until the cards were played out, this was going to be about getting their footing, and that meant one thing.
The boss of Tueur Antiquities had to get his shit together.
So, Flynn took control, since this was his rodeo, and his job. Jacques found the antiquities locations, and he went out and hunted them down.
They had ancient trinkets to shove back into Pandora’s Box before the shit got real.
Real ugly.
For them.
“What are we looking at, and are you sure you want to get involved in this?” Flynn asked Death, knowing the ramifications for him.
This wasn’t about them, but the man he and Jolie loved.
While he walked a thin line between family and duty, they honestly never knew what his choice could be. He’d helped them before, and he’d not helped them.
It was a crapshoot.
Since Jacques saw the tapestry of fate, he knew what the potential outcome was.
It terrified him.
While he couldn’t tell them that, he could step in and try to alter that fate.
At that point in time, he didn’t have a choice in the matter. He had to help his family. This was going to be a hairy one where someone might get hurt.
Death was coming.
And he didn’t mean him.
Jacques was keeping the ramifications of what was coming close to the vest, but the future did have death involved. They might not all make it through this one.
So, he was honest.
“Fate is not even trying to pretend not to be involved in this. She’s up to her eyeballs in it, and I’m going to help as much as I can. Besides, most of this is my fault, and falls at my feet.”
They all looked at him.
Death could be cryptic at times, and this appeared to be one of them.
“How so?” Jolie asked, going to him, and hugging her other mate so he didn’t carry the weight of this on his shoulders.
In this game, none of them were at fault.
They were just playing along, trying to keep their heads above the water and not drown. Fate was making it damn difficult too.
Trying was definitely the word to use on this one.
To help the family around him relax, mainly the vampyres, Jacques tapped his sickle on the ground, and both it, and his book disappeared.
Then, he morphed out of his suit into clothing that was more…calming.
Instead of the all-black suit, he was in a pair of leather pants and flowy shirt that his mate favored.
Yep. Fancy, Flynn whispered into his mind.
Funny. I can tell that you’re checking out my ass, mate. Would that make you a fancy fancier?
Flynn winked at him.
Yeah, he felt better, which was ironic since his mate was about to drop two antiquity locations in their lap, and they might have to split up. He hoped Alexzandre and Kiera were ready. They might be going to one city to find it with Lucian while they hit another one.
It was times like these that Flynn missed a family full of guardians and vampyres.
Speaking of the bite-y devils…
The vamps from their family were hiding in a corner so as not to get too close to Death. It was always a problem and annoyance to Jacques that they couldn’t differentiate between him and Death since they felt the same.
This wasn’t the hill he’d die on today.
Instead, he explained.
“Remember when Fate got to me in the garden, and put her foul mouth on my flesh?”
Oh, did they ever?
That had been rough, and only a couple days ago. That foul piece of ick made him sick, angry, and violent. Flynn barely had the chance to save him from that madness.
It ended fine, but it was never good when Death was tainted and ready to go rogue.
Oh, and then there was when Jolie almost went wife-postal over it.
That was equally as dangerous.
“Yes,” she stated.
The foul skank.
They all heard that last part in their heads.
Jacques explained how this was his fault.
“In that moment, we thought it was to poison me. It wasn’t. That was the distraction. We missed her sneaky sleight of hand. She wanted access to my mind, and got it.”
Oh, boy.
“What was the plan then?” Flynn asked. “Please tell me your mind isn’t filled with things that can kill Rinnon—like Destruction’s location.”
Jacques explained.
“I don’t know where Destruction is. Only Vanth does, thankfully. Unfortunately, we have someone bringing the dead back to life.”
Vanth reassured them.
“It’s still where I left it. We’re good,” she offered.
Well, at least they had that.
“Now, we have a bigger problem,” Jacques admitted. “Someone is raising the dead.”
They all looked at Jolie.
“Hey! I don’t know how I did it. I was just thinking. I didn’t even dance around any chicken bones or anything.”
Kiera snorted.
“Sorry. I pictured it,” she said, from where she stood with her mate.
Yeah, only, Jacques didn’t mean her. He’d been back at his lair digging around, trying to figure out what was going on, and he found out exactly what Fate was up to.
Now, the family needed to know.
So, he began at the beginning.
“During our…mating,” he said, keeping it clean since Flynn’s parents were there, “Rinnon was in my head. He had access to a bunch of spells. Basically, he went looking.”
Uh, sorry. It wasn’t like I was snooping. They were there and I utilized them to keep Jolie safe. Sue me. I was sick of Fate spying on us.
No one blamed him.
It’s fine, Rinnon. We’re a family, and if I can help, I want to. I let Flynn into my mind all of the time. No harm and no foul. Yet.
That didn’t sound good.
Not.
At.
All.
The foul part was the portion that always bit them in the ass.
Jacques continued.
“In those spells, there was one that I use when I bring someone back to life. It’s one I rarely use on humans or monsters. Sometimes, I’ll use it on a bug or one of my minions, but I know better.”
They listened.
“During the mating, Jolie, he used both the blood spell and that one. He gifted you, albeit, temporarily, the gift of necromancing. You only have that gift for a week—max. Then, it’s over. The spell will lose power.”
Jacques wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know about the spell, but she was grateful to learn that she only had to be careful for about a week.
That was a relief.
“As we sat on the couch, relaxing, you were listening to Flynn talk about how he wished his parents were here, and you granted that wish. Don’t think about bringing anyone else back. They don’t come back whole, and they cause one hell of an issue for me.”
Now, they all looked at Flynn’s parents.
Jacques reassured them.
“They don’t have souls, but that’s a problem for tomorrow’s Death, not today’s. We have other problems at hand, and I’ll deal with that after this mess is handled.”
Oh, boy.
No soul?
That was a huge issue.
Well, at least it wasn’t Fate fucking with them. There was that. Flynn was able to relax even more, knowing that Jacques had an answer.
That was one more thing off of his list. Now, he just had to figure out a way to keep them here, and not have them die all over again.
Flynn was curious.
“And how does this relate to the new trinkets we have to find?”
He explained.
“When Fate tricked me in the garden, I was unaware that she had spells that could work on me. She went into my mind, and she found the one where someone can be gifted the ability to necromance. She can’t raise the dead. That’s not a gift in her repertoire.”
Oh, shit.
No one liked the sound of that.
Now it was clear, he wasn’t only talking about Jolie. Someone else had the ability to necromance too. That meant a huge issue.
Jacques continued.
“To make it worse, she used the same spells Rinnon did. Whoever is doing this is blocked from us, like we’re blocked from her. She used a play right from my book, and thus, I feel responsible. I gave her the weapon to use against us.”
Yep.
This was an issue.
A huge one.
“So she used your magick against us?” Jolie asked.
He nodded.
That was why what was coming was so vital, and they couldn’t fail.
“That means we need to find the two antiquities to cut her off from the game. We have to locate the The Vampyre’s Cross, and now, The Necromancer’s Sword too.”
He gave them a second to let that sink in. Then, he gave them the rest.
“Normally, I wouldn’t care about the sword. At some point, your gift is going to dissipate, and in a week, nada. You won’t be able to raise the dead, and we would have time to find the sword, but she also knows that she has a week to find it too.”
Flynn went there. He wasn’t worried about finding the antiquity, but more about the twist that would hit them when they least expected it.
“I feel a ‘but’ coming on,” he admitted. “What aren’t you saying?” he asked.
Oh, there was one.
Jacques shared.
“But whoever wields that sword keeps the gift as in forever and can raise an army against Rinnon. It would be a nonstop onslaught of evil that would bombard you every minute of every day. Do you know how many people have died over time?”
No one spoke.
“One hundred and nine billion people have lived and died, and this sword can bring them back. It’s an endless army.”
Well, shit.
It got worse.
“That number doesn’t account for the supernatural creatures. That’s adding another third of the deceased population to that number. With that sword in her control, we’re screwed.”
Yeah, this twisted plan sounded like something Fate would concoct to make her father miserable, and in tandem, make Flynn, Jolie, and Jacques suffer also.
They’d be trapped in the lair forever. They’d never be able to leave it, and she’d have a gilded cage for them. If they couldn’t leave, they couldn’t put the antiquities back in the box, and if they couldn’t do that, Angelique and Azriel wouldn’t grow to get the jobs.
Fate would never have to step down. She’d be powerful and running roughshod over the world.
Shit.
Jacques explained.
“The magick tied to it is strong. I can give you a general location of where it is, but not pinpoint it. It’s hidden for now, but if Fate gets to it first, with whoever is helping her, they have a distinct advantage.”
And no one wanted that.
NO.
ONE.
Fate already had plenty of advantages. She was driving the fate bus and saw the tapestry before Jacques.
Well, that meant that they were definitely going to have to find it before Fate and her little helper.
“And The Vampyre’s Cross?” Flynn asked since he liked to know all the parts of the game before stumbling along into it.
He was blunt.
“She already has it. It’s safe to say that she has given it to someone, and I’m betting it’s the same person she gifted the magick to. Fate wants an army, and in order to have one, she needs someone to wield both articles.”
“So a human,” Flynn said. “At least that narrows it down,” he said sarcastically.
Yeah, no.
Death shook his head.
Oh, hell.
This was about to get worse.
“So not a human?” Flynn asked.
Rinnon agreed, and shared what he remembered.
The Vampyre’s Cross can be held and used by a human or a vampyre. It was used centuries ago to protect vampyres from other creatures. It allows the carrier to have abilities that other vamps don’t have.
And there was the shit part of it.
Rinnon had always built in a fun little nightmare to each antiquity like a sadist.
And why would you do that, Rinnon? Flynn asked.
I think we all know why, Flynn. Stop judging me. I can see your eyes, and they scream judgy. I had a lady I liked, and she was a vampyre. I made it to give her a gift. She wasn’t letting me under her skirt unless I gave her something special. She did realize the gift was my dick after the fact, but I let her keep the trinket.
And it got worse.
Jolie heard him.
And she didn’t even bother to use their mental pathway. No, she shamed him out loud.
“Did you now, Rinnon? You made a trinket to fuck and run? Was she pretty? Did you have fun? Because neutering the DEMON GOD is about to be my fun.”
Rinnon wasn’t worried.
Why?
He was in a Flynn meat suit, and safe.
Don’t get shrewish, My Love. You sleep with two males, and I don’t judge you. Back then, in some circles, you would have been stoned for being a whore.
She gasped.
They are my HUSBANDS! That’s a completely different thing, Rinnon.
Was it?
Potato…potatoe.
Flynn actually laughed because someone was trying to get murdered, and that was about to be one more problem on his list.
As the family stared, he had to explain.
“Sorry. He’s using my brain again to find shit to get him out of trouble, as usual. Let’s focus,” he said. “Because this is getting trickier by the second,” he admitted, keeping an eye on his parents. They were on the couch, and they were holding the two babies as they napped.
He tried not to let it endear him to them again, but it was so damn difficult.
They’d adjusted to all of this so much better than he did when he found out Jolie was a vampyre, and their children were hers—not his.
“So we know for a fact that Fate will be a bitch and get this vamp to come for us. Where are they located?” he asked, pretty sure Jacques would know.
Only, it happened.
Before Jacques could say anything, Flynn felt that tickle against his brain. It was a closed off connection that allowed him to speak to people in their family. It stayed closed most of the time.
Something had to be up.
He raised his hand and stopped the conversation they’d been having.
Father? Can you hear me? We really need you right now. It’s getting bad here. I’ve been trying to reach you all day. I don’t know if I have much more energy to get to you.
He tensed.
Oh, that voice was very familiar. Immediately, he knew who it was.
Clariel? Honey, are you okay? What is going on, sweetheart?
Her tone told him that wasn’t the case.
Not.
Even.
Close.
We have a problem, Father. Someone is raising the dead here, and the city is under attack at night. My mate and his new partner ran into zombies last night in Saint Louis Cemetery.
Shit.
That was bad on a few levels.
Flynn hated cemeteries.
And Zombies?
That one didn’t need any kind of explanation.
There was going to be no coincidence that Clariel was having this happen in New Orleans, Jolie’s sacred city.
It appeared that Jacques was on the right path because he was pretty sure this was going to be connected.
Damn it.
Hell.
Are you safe? he asked, praying for a miracle on this one.
Clariel reassured him.
We handled them, but Seth’s partner is injured. I think it might be important to know, but one of those graves was a Voodoo priestess. Father, her remains were gone, and Percy doesn’t think we’re going to be able to handle it. We need help! The cleanup alone is a nightmare. We had to compulse a whole police department and some tourists.
Well, this wasn’t a shock.
Fate was taking the game to the home court, and there wouldn’t be an advantage.
If anything, it would be more difficult.
Jolie’s vamps were there, and she was particularly attached to them. Thus, the Vampyre’s cross in the mix.
This was intentional.
No doubt.
Hang in there. We’ll be there soon.
Flynn could feel the relief in her voice.
Oh, thank you, Father. We’ll be ready for you. See you soon.
When he was done, Flynn closed that connection. The whole time, he’d been standing there with his hand up, keeping them from continuing the conversation.
Jacques and Jolie were staring at him.
“What?” she asked when he finally looked at them. For a brief second, she believed he was having a stroke. His eyes had been closed, and he was still.
“Well, Clariel just reached out to me.”
Jolie’s eyes went huge.
“Uh-oh.”
“Yeah, apparently, they have zombies rising from graves in the cemeteries there, and her mate was doing battle against them. Worse, one of the sets of remains was a Voodoo priestess.”
“And there is the second shoe,” Jolie said. “It just dropped.”
Jacques wasn’t shocked.
Why?
Because he’d been planning on telling them they were there. That’s where the dead had been rising and being erased from his book.
Including Marie Laveau.
“I’m aware. That’s where the two antiquities are, Flynn. It’s going to be because we have family there. She’s trying to make us go there. This is going to be a trap and with Marie Laveau…”
“Her bones?” Jolie asked.
He shook his head.
“No, she’s gone from the book. She’s been raised. She’s ‘alive’, and now, someone has control of a Voodoo priestess.”
Holy.
Shit.
This just got even worse.
From where he was sitting, holding Angelique, Flynn’s father spoke up, and honestly, Flynn gave him credit. He’d been quiet for a while, and that was anything but the norm of how the man used to roll.
He learned everything he knew from the man.
“Uh, then should you not go there? If it looks like a trap, and smells like a trap…it’s not a surprise birthday party,” he offered.
Flynn was aware.
But this was his job.
It sucked, but they only had so much time to save the world.
The bottom line was that he couldn’t risk that Fate’s hand-picked puppet found The Necromancer’s Sword before them.
That would be cataclysmic.
“I don’t have a choice. I only have twenty years left to get the rest of the antiquities into Pandora’s Box. If I don’t…Fate wins and the two babies you’re holding will die by her hand. Fate is gunning for her replacement, and her sister.”
Flynn’s mother gasped at that, and her face said it all. Someone wasn’t happy.
“Not my grandbabies. You point me at this Fate. I’ll tell her right off!”
That was true grandma energy right there.
And not a good plan. That bitch couldn’t find out Flynn’s parents had come back or that Jolie had that gift either.
“It’s not that easy,” he admitted. “Calm down and don’t go crazy, Grandma.”
Rinnon whispered into his mind.
I’d like to see Mother of Flynn go head-to-head with that trashy garden dweller any day. We can give her a little umph under the hood and it would be quite the fight. Maybe even a sword.
He stopped that.
RIGHT.
THERE.
No! That’s not happening.
Rinnon sighed.
Before Flynn could say anything else, Jacques spun quickly, and there was a boom.
It scared the shit out of everyone.
As he moved his arms, a steel cage fell from the ceiling that hadn’t been there. It slammed into the floor, making the mountain rumble.
EVERYONE jumped.
From their napping spots on their grandparents, the little ones began crying. They’d been frightened from sleep, and you never woke a sleeping baby.
NEVER.
“Jacques, what the hell?” Flynn asked as Azriel was now out of her grandmother’s lap and crawling up his body, claws and all, to tuck into him to be safe.
Angelique was doing the same to her father.
When Jacques waved his hand, inside the cage a figure appeared. When they saw who he’d trapped, they’d understood immediately.
There was no explanation needed.
“Oh, Mordechai. Did you think you were going to spy and not be found?” Jacques asked, moving toward his father as he tried to comfort his crying daughter.
She’d climbed up under his shirt, and was digging her claws into his chest to hold onto him.
While the man had not betrayed him, he was a part of Fate’s spies. He had a grudge, and he was haunting the lair for the last year.
Oh, and he was so damn hard to catch.
The ghost man stood there, and he flickered in and out of view, trapped in the magical cage.
Jolie couldn’t believe they’d finally caught him. Someone was using some old magick to catch him. Death came prepared.
“I did,” Jacques said, hearing what she said. “Now, to deal with this interloper.”
Mordechai spoke. It was rare to hear his voice, but he went there.
“Set your mother free.”
Jacques laughed.
And laughed.
And laughed.
“No. That is never happening. She betrayed us, and she’s being punished. She will never walk free as long as I’m doing this job.”
Jacques morphed back into his Death garb, and put his hand on the cage. His daughter was calming down, and that was all that mattered.
As for the dead man…
Ghost Mordechai did a jittery dance and screamed in pain as Death used magick. He was also implanting those spells deep within his child. Each time she came in contact with him, he put one in her memory so when she was old enough, twenty-one, she’d be safe.
She’d be his replacement.
From beside Flynn, his mother peeked her head around him.
“Uh, there are ghosts too?”
Flynn nodded.
“Yeah, that’s the specter grandfather. He was an asshole in life, and he’s been a pain in our ass in death. He spies for the enemy. The one who wants to kill your grandbabies.”
That was all she had to hear. She headed toward the wall, grabbed one of Rinnon’s trinkets, a spear, and started poking at the specter man through the cage.
“OUCH!” he said.
Jacques held him in his solid form just for shits and giggles as Barb taught the man a lesson.
Who was he to stop a grandma from taking care of business?
Not him.
Barb wasn’t happy.
“You. Leave. My. Grandbabies. Alone. You. Asshole!” she said, punctuating every word with a poke to the solid form.
“I mean, she’s good at it,” Jolie said, trying not to laugh.
“Mom, can you not poke the dead man with the cursed spear that might set of an apocalypse?” Flynn asked, sighing.
Jacques laughed.
Rinnon did too.
The absurdity…
Her husband took the spear from her, and then gave Mordechai one good jab himself.
“DAD!”
He shrugged.
“Sorry. He’s a dick.”
Well, that was the truest thing ever said about Mordechai.
Now, they had a whole other set of issues. They had a ghost trapped in Rinnon’s lair.
“Your father, your issue,” Flynn said. “I have to deal with pokey and stab-y over here.”
Well, in that case…
Death laid down the law.
“Now, you’re going to stay here until we handle this. This cage will contain you, and since Fate can’t get into Rinnon’s lair, you can’t tell her that we’re onto her. In fact, this is going to be your new home until I can find a way to lock you away in my realm.”
Jolie didn’t like him in their home where the babies were.
“Can’t we send him somewhere? I don’t want him near our children. He’s been helping Fate.”
Jacques was honest.
“We need an antiquity to get rid of him. I can’t take a ghost. He’s already been reaped. He’s stuck here, but I do have a way to keep him from the children or possessing anyone else,” he said, pointing at Flynn’s parents.
“Uh, let’s not possess them. This is already a confusing mess. I don’t need your father inside mine. That’s just weird.”
He agreed.
“No one let him out,” Flynn said warning his family. “We don’t need him tattling on us.”
Death laughed.
Oh, this was a special cage. In fact, his mother was being tortured in a very similar one.
“Only Rinnon, Fate, or I can open that cage,” he admitted. “BUT I’ll make sure he stays put.”
With a wave of his hand, the cage slid across the room and came to rest in a corner.
Then, he asked for backup. This was Rinnon’s home, so he could help him.
“Rinnon? Lock him down so Fate can’t access him, and I mean really lock him down.”
That was all Rinnon had to hear.
The room shifted, and they all watched as the walls swallowed him.
Oh, Mordechai wailed, but it wasn’t long before he was locked into the cave walls and hidden where no one could get to him.
“Well, at least the lair isn’t haunted anymore, right?” Tommy asked. “Now we’re hiding bodies in the wall, but a demon has to do what a demon has to do.”
Flynn’s mother stared at him, and it was clear recognition had dawned. Now that there was a lull in the conversation, she went there.
“Thomas, just out of curiosity, did you get my son into this predicament where he’s sleeping with two people, and now a demon God vessel?” she asked.
Tommy sputtered.
“What?”
“You always were a bad influence. You were into the ladies and drinking.”
Cami looked at him.
“Is that so?”
Oh, Jesus.
Now, his mate was giving him the look. Yeah, Tommy had to shut that down, and fast.
“Uh, your son is a pretty dude who the ladies flocked to all on their own. If anything, that was on him.”
Then, he focused on his partner.
“Are they seriously blaming me? And how the hell can they blame me? If memory serves me right, I told you not to chase the pretty lady who was shacking up with the other dude.”
Flynn laughed.
It wasn’t as if he was wrong. Only, Flynn couldn’t stay away from Jolie if he tried. She was his mate, and they were matched.
So was Jacques.
The vamps in the room were back to being submissive. Cerise and Lucian were tucked into a corner trying to go unnoticed.
Now that Death was in his work attire, they were trying to disappear into the surroundings.
Kiera was sitting not far from her mate, watching all of this go down. He, too, was keeping his distance.
“I don’t think we can blame anyone here for anything,” she said. “Well, anyone but Fate. Somehow, she’s likely involved in this. She always is.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Now that Mordechai was contained, they could go back to doing what they had been doing.
Working.
“So we can confirm New Orleans is the epicenter for all of this?” Flynn asked.
Death nodded.
“I saw the tapestry of fate, and this began a while ago. This wasn’t all Fate’s doing. Death one-point-oh began this, and I’m not quite sure what her plans were. I do know that she saw all of this coming.”
Flynn wasn’t shocked.
The other Death was just as evil, but didn’t hate Rinnon nearly as much.
She’d run them through the ringer, specifically him, to see if he was strong enough to be Rinnon’s vessel, but in the end, she died to bring Rinnon back.
She had been the sacrifice.
Flynn was watching his parents, who now had the babies back, as they tried to calm them down again. It made him think of one thing.
“Can we get my parent’s souls back?” he asked.
If anyone could, it would be Jacques.
Death was the only one here who could pull that off.
He shrugged.
“I didn’t reap them, and I don’t know where their souls are. For all we know, Death tucked them away for god only knows what?” he admitted. “I can look for them, but it will take me time.”
Their resident witch offered up her two cents on this one. Probably because she had a dead witch squatting in her, and she understood better than anyone.
Well, not Flynn and Jolie.
They both died before.
“Dead things should stay dead,” Kiera admitted, “for this reason, and this reason alone. It’s unbalancing the universe. Everything has to be in check.”
Flynn’s mother stared at her.
“I don’t like that. I’m the ‘dead thing’ she’s referring to, and I want to stay.”
Kiera shrugged.
“Facts are facts, Mrs. Brogan. Part of you is missing, and that’s dangerous. At some point, it can, and likely will, go wrong.”
No one argued.
Why?
The witch wasn’t wrong.
Rinnon chimed in since he liked to be part of the conversation. Oh, and the reason they were dealing with most of this mess to begin with.
My daughter was wicked and did nothing without a purpose. The only reason she didn’t kill all of you was she hated her sister more. She would have tucked their souls away for safe keeping to use against Flynn one day. That would be the one thing she could use to ‘motivate’ him to do her bidding if he refused to be my vessel.
Well, no shock there.
She screwed with them plenty over the years. Why would that stop even after her death?
Jolie needed them to focus.
“What do we do about the zombies?” she asked. “That’s not something we can hide for long. We can’t compulse the whole world. I mean, Rinnon is strong, but that’s billions of people.”
I could kill everyone but us in the room. All I need is my memory back. Flynn…do you need to remember your wedding to Jolie?
WHAT?
I’ll take that as a yes.
From where he stood, Jolie’s brother, Alexzandre, was curious.
“Are zombies difficult to kill? I ask because our world is increasingly interesting.”
Death handled that.
“You need to take off their heads. Not a headshot, with a bullet, but completely, literally take off their heads.”
Well, that was good to know.
Thank God they had swords for that. Flynn needed a plan in case this went bad.
Rinnon was curious.
I am the God you’re thanking, right? Not that other dude who stole my story?
This isn’t the time, Rinnon. Can we not?
Oh, well, if you had an imposter, you’d be angry. What if there was a less attractive Flynn running around saying he could do fun pool water tricks and get everyone hookers and free booze on the weekends?
Flynn actually paused.
Did you mean walking on water, not stoning prostitutes, and turning water to wine?
My greatest hits. I love prostitutes.
Oh, shit.
Again, can we not? Jolie will kill you, and I already have a mess on my hands.
At her name, Rinnon quieted down and went back to thinking about other things.
Jolie.
If anything, he was a two-trick pony. Sex and destruction were his main focuses.
“So we’re going back to the scene of the crime again?” Tommy asked. “Why don’t we just live there already?”
Flynn laughed.
“Because this mountain might be suspicious in a place that can’t have a basement and it’s all swamp?”
Tommy acquiesced to that point.
“Duly noted.”
Flynn explained so everyone was on the same page with this one.
“There’s no doubt that this was the location Fate chose. There’s a reason for that. We’ve killed a lot of people and vamps in NOLA. If someone’s raising the dead, we have to hope they don’t bring them back…”
Well, shit.
Flynn had a point.
“The only thing that’s keeping us safe is that we don’t have to worry about a council. Percy is running the family, and he’s on our side. Jolie made sure the societies knew she could come and go at her whim.”
That was a very true statement. She was welcome there, but it was mostly because Flynn had been the one who ended the Tueur, and he was, technically, the king.
Well, the king if vampyres actually had one.
“So you’re going to just drive to New Orleans?” Flynn’s mother asked. “Where are we? Philadelphia? Won’t that take a day?”
He wasn’t surprised they thought they were in Philly.
“Right now, we’re in Paris. Well, outside of it in a mountain lair.”
They stared at him like he was kidding.
“I’m serious. That’s where you are, right now. Technically.”
John shook his head.
“You live in Paris?” his father said. “That’s pretty snooty of you.”
“HEY!” Jolie said, laughing. “I’m literally French,” she said, allowing the accent to come back. “What’s wrong with Paris?”
“Same,” Death said, morphing back to Jacques.
“Uh, my bad,” he admitted.
Flynn took over so they focused.
“Anyway, we don’t drive. We transport,” he said. “Only, that’s inconsequential right now. We have to figure out who is staying and who is going.”
Tommy knew what that meant.
“Well, we did place all of those memories of us being back as cops. We might be able to sashay ourselves right onto a crime scene and handle it. The Big Scary can make them all think we’re running it.”
He had a point.
That meant that Tommy would definitely be going with him.
From deep within Flynn, he heard his squatter.
I don’t like to be called The Big Scary. I’m a teddy bear. Your mother cuddled me. I’m not mean. I am misunderstood.
Flynn pointed out what he was forgetting.
You wanted to smite them. Did you forget that?
Rinnon wasn’t having it.
I was trying to help.
Smiting is not helping, Rinnon, Flynn added. Really, it isn’t. Now, tuck away the feathers and fury. I have to run this. I’m back on duty.
Hhhrmpht.
Flynn rolled his eyes.
Then, he handled it.
“Okay, Tommy is going. Jolie has to go since we can’t leave her here to wish anyone alive. She needs constant babysitting. Plus, if Fate finds out she’s also able to necromance the closer to Rinnon she is, the safest she is.”
She pointed at him.
“HEY!” she said. “It’s not like I brought back Hitler. I brought back your parents! Of all the things this family has done, that was minimal. We’ve seen some shit, Flynn Xavier Brogan!”
She wasn’t wrong.
Technically.
From where he stood, Death explained.
“Like Kiera said, everything has to balance, Mon Amour. So, if you bring back a person, someone dies. It’s random, and I don’t have control of it. Already, I’ve had a bunch of people disappear from my containment area, and a few show up that weren’t on the reaping list. Let’s just say this person, whoever it is, isn’t bringing back the best people. We aren’t looking at choir girls.”
“Boys,” Flynn said. “It’s choir boys.”
Death grinned. He was aware of the word, but he and Flynn had this thing they did, and it reminded him of their prior years together. He couldn’t help himself.
So, he kept doing it.
“Is that so?” he asked, and his fangs were there as he was smiling.
Immediately, the vamps in the room stepped backward and Flynn only winked at his mate.
“As Rinnon said, potato-potatoe.”
Speaking of the pink elephant in the room, if word got out that Flynn’s once human parents were back, Fate would be all over that like it was her new mission.
Flynn couldn’t let that happen.
“And what do we do about Flynn’s parents?” Jolie asked. “We can’t leave them alone. They could be in danger, and they are torturable.”
Flynn’s mother gasped.
“What?”
Jacques shrugged.
“First of all, we shouldn’t let them out into the sunlight,” he said. “They’ll likely get toasty. We only have a few possibilities of what they are. They don’t have souls so…”
“Vamps?” Tommy asked, as they all ignored the fact that the people they were discussing were right there. “Anyone have any garlic?” he asked, busting ass.
It made Jolie laugh because she’d made out with Flynn plenty of times after he’d had garlic when she was a simple vamp, and that wasn’t how you got rid of vamps.
Not even close.
Jacques nodded.
“They will have the characteristics, but I’m not sure if they’ll need to drink blood. I don’t know much about the byproduct from Death one-point-oh’s memories, so I’ll need to research it.”
Oh, holy shit.
This was getting worse for Flynn.
“Yeah, we don’t need that,” Flynn admitted. “Then you’d better cage them because my mother…”
She interrupted.
“First, we’re sitting right here, and second, I’m going with you. I’m not letting my son fight zombies without me there to make sure he’s okay. Besides, he’s skin and bones and should eat so he’s not weak. I have to cook.”
The rest of the family who had been missing from Rinnon’s unveiling all looked at Flynn.
He looked the same, and Flynn could see the confused looks on their faces, so he explained.
“She means Rinnon’s form.”
I mean, she isn’t wrong. I am bones. That’s what I look like. I do appreciate that she noticed me. It’s nice not to be forgotten.
You have issues.
Oh, you think? I’m eight feet tall and shoved into a vessel that’s barely six foot six. You’d think I could have found a bigger container. I’m stuck leaning on your pancreas.
Stop poking it.
You can feel that?
YES!
Honestly, Flynn could be upset, but he was staying calm. It was astounding that Rinnon was fairly calm too through all of this.
Oh, I’m waiting to get to New Orleans. I love Voodoo practitioners. Their spells came from my magick. Maybe someone will worship me again.
This is not about you, Rinnon.
Technically, it is. It was my box, and my antiquities…oh, and my daughter trying to kill all of us.
For what seemed like the thousandth time, Flynn sighed, and no one questioned it. They knew what he was dealing with, and what had him flustered.
RINNON.
From in the alcove, as she tried to stay hidden, Cerise raised her hand.
“I was a cop, so I can help with the case. I don’t mind playing one in New Orleans. It’ll keep my mind off of other things.”
They all knew what that was.
Tobias.
Flynn knew what that meant.
“Well, then, we’re all going. Cami, you get to mind the cave with the children. If you need anyone, call Vanth. She’ll get back and handle it,” he said, pointing to the corner where Mordechai was caged and covered with cave wall.
“Yes, Flynn.”
The two reanimated parents were curious.
“Are we going with you, Son?” Flynn’s father asked.
He knew they didn’t have a choice. If they wandered out, and Fate got wind…
They were dead.
On top of that, the lair was a sacred space, and dangerous. Rinnon had things here that could do some damage. The last thing he needed was that.
Or a sudden blood lust, since they didn’t know what Flynn’s parents had come back as. If intent had anything to do with it, maybe that’s why Jolie brought them back just minus their souls.
Whereas Fate’s servant was bringing them back with ill intentions as zombies.
“Well, we can’t leave you here. There are tchotchkes all over the goddamned place, and who knows what they can do?”
Rinnon knew.
Kill things, mostly or make you copulate like a wild animal.
Jesus. They’re my parents. I don’t need that in my head.
And I don’t need to share your head with Jesus. We’re at a stalemate.
Rinnon, we’re babysitting two soulless humans who could die again. My life is complicated and it’s getting worse. Can you not today?
Rinnon said nothing about complicated things.
Why?
Yeah, Flynn should tell him something he didn’t know. He was stuck on this ride too.
In a small vessel.
And who knew what was coming next?
Not him.
* * * T u e u r A n t i q u i t i e s * * *
Friday Morning
The Harcourte Society
New Orleans
It was a walk down memory lane, and most of the time that they had here, really had been pretty damn good. When they’d had to leave Philadelphia, and head to a safer place, New Orleans welcomed them.
It had been a good home too.
There were days that they missed it, and truth be told, it had been a battle.
They’d fought for their place here.
They did battle against the Tueur, Death one-point-oh, and countless assholes who came for them, and each time, they’d come out on top.
Because they were survivors, and now, they reigned in this town. The societies spoke of them as legends, and it was well deserved.
They’d died a few times here too.
Still, leaving here had been difficult, and while they loved Paris, and that was Jolie and Jacques’s homeland, New Orleans called to them.
It was the people.
The atmosphere.
The dead.
As they popped into the front yard of the estate, it was as regal as it had been when they left there. From the grounds to the stately home tucked into the trees with the Spanish moss draped throughout their boughs…
It called to their souls.
And that was ironic since they had none.
The plantation style porch was inviting, and it brought back memories of kisses stolen, hands held, and the love they’d found in the middle of the storm.
And the calm.
There was calm here too. Those moments were cherished more than anything.
Yeah, it was good to be home.
As soon as they arrived, and their vehicles came to a stop in the circular driveway, the front door opened. In it stood the most intimidating of men.
Percy.
He was an old vampyre, born long ago, and forged in a time where families had to fight tooth and nail for their very survival. He was a guardian because he was big, but beneath that tough exterior was the truth.
He was a gentle soul, and part of Jolie’s family.
He.
Was.
Loved.
When he saw them, he whistled, and the family came out of the house to meet the other part of their circle. Jolie was their benefactor, and she was the reason they lived this lifestyle.
She died for them.
A couple of times.
He was down from the porch, and headed her way. Percy hugged his mistress, swinging her around and giving her a kiss on the forehead.
She laughed in joy the whole time.
There was no doubt that she missed them.
Desperately.
“Jolie, welcome home,” he said, setting her free so Clariel could hug her tightly to her body.
Jolie had been the kind of mistress that all vampyres wished they had. She loved deeply, sacrificed greatly, and never stopped loving these creatures.
They.
Were.
Hers.
“Oh, we’ve missed you too,” she admitted. “I love you all,” she said, smiling bigger than the men in her life had seen in a long time.
Honestly, there was no place like home.
Ever.
She is happy here, Rinnon whispered to Flynn. She doesn’t smile like this at home.
Flynn was honest.
That’s because home is where the heart is, Rinnon, and her heart is here in New Orleans with these underlings. This is her family, and she loves it here.
It was clear he was confused.
But she stays with us in Paris. Why? Why wouldn’t she just ask to stay here?
Because she loves us too, and she makes the sacrifice for us. She would rather be here. She feels safe here, even though she isn’t hidden in a massive lair. This is her domain, and she was queen here.
I don’t understand why she left for me.
Flynn only said one word.
Love.
The men watched as she went demon-to-vampyre, demon-to-human, and hugged them all. She hugged Mina, Clariel, again, and the other people she’d been forced to leave behind to deal with Pandora’s Box.
There was no doubt that in her heart and mind, that one day, she would get to come home, and never leave again.
If that is what you desire, Little One, you know I will make it happen for you. Do you want a castle? I can give you a moat.
There was laughter in Flynn’s mind.
Maybe. Do we have any dragons lying around? she asked, much to Flynn’s horror.
Have you learned nothing? If you ask him something like that, we’re going to have to hunt it down and put it back in the box!
There was her soft melodic laughter.
I like to keep you on your toes, Mr. Brogan. That is my job as your wife.
Rinnon could feel the joy they both had with being here, and that made him sad that he took them from this place. He was going to have to figure something out.
For her.
For him.
Since Jolie was done hugging everyone, it was Flynn’s turn.
Flynn hugged Percy, and then, Clariel ran at him, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his hips to hug him.
At first, his flesh rippled, as Rinnon went on alert, but he calmed down when he heard her speak to Flynn.
“Father!” she said, as he held her. “I missed you so much.”
Flynn cuddled her against him.
“There’s my girl,” he admitted. “I’ve missed you too, Sweetheart. Is that mate treating you right with your new pregnancy?” he asked. “I’ll kick his ass if he’s not.”
She giggled.
“Of course he is, Father.”
That was good.
Clariel had a special place in his heart, and always had. They found her battered, abused, and in pieces. She and her female mate, who died, were like children to him, and he’d die to protect them.
They were family.
“How are you doing?” he asked, staring into her eyes and seeing worry.
“Better, Father, now that you are here. Thank you for coming so quickly,” Clariel said, getting down. “We need your help.”
Yeah, well, when didn’t they when it came to the issues that kept popping up here?
It.
Was.
Chaos.
Honestly, Flynn loved it because this town was special to him.
Because he needed to know the whole story, he let her tell him what she perceived to be the issue.
“Start at the beginning, Honey.”
And she did.
“Seth was out working,” she said, as they all stayed under the shade of the trees, “and I was following him.”
He let her talk.
“The zombies rose, and we had to get out of there. Seth’s partner, Logan, was hurt. He’s inside healing, but that’s not the worst part.”
“What is?” he asked, pretty sure a hurt cop was high up on the problem list.
Since he was human…
Yeah, this was going to be tricky.
She was honest.
“I smelled him when I was at the cemetery, and I’m scared,” Clariel admitted.
He lifted a brow.
“Smelled who?” he asked, confused.
She had no choice but to tell him.
“Mathew, Father. He’s back, and that’s not going to be good.”
That was all it took.
Jolie gasped.
In that moment, Flynn knew that this was definitely going to be a clusterfuck set up by their least favorite deity-wannabe, Fate.
Flynn knew this was going to be a problem for him and Jacques. No, this was going to be a nightmare, and he knew it.
They put down Mathew because he was rabid.
And now, he was back.
That wouldn’t be a coincidence.
“Death! Get your ass here!” he said, wondering why he didn’t warn him.
He was betting this was about to be bloody and dangerous.
Because Flynn knew who was going to have The Vampyre’s Cross, and who was after The Necromancer’s Sword.
Fate was being a bitch.
No shock there.
But now, he and Jacques were going to have to own what happened between Mathew and them on the night they ended him.
And Jolie was likely going to be pissed.
At them.
Terrific.
He loved it when life got harder by the minute. It made everything even spicier.
For him.
* * * T u e u r A n t i q u i t i e s * * *
Somewhere In NOLA
A Hidden Spot
Planning Continues
Let them come.
They were going to rush in to be the heroes, and that was going to be their downfall.
Why?
Well, because Mathew was back, and he was ready for a healthy helping of vengeance.
They would pay for what they did.
He had been family, and they threw him away all because he was sick of listening to their rules.
Deep down, he knew he deserved to be free, and when they killed him…
Well, payback was going to be a bitch.
He had a Voodoo priestess, and he was going to use her to make their lives miserable.
They would regret what they did.
And he would have the last laugh as he stood in their blood.
Finally.