Chapter 32
Chapter
Thirty-Two
Erasmus
Echoes of battle sounded around me as I watched Franklin struggle for every precious gasp of air.
My eyes remained fixed on our intertwined fingers.
I should have agreed to marry Franklin sooner.
I’d wanted to wait until this mess with Tenzen Huxley was done and over with.
I thought a wedding ceremony would put a target on our backs.
But the target had already been there, Tenzen’s plans already in motion.
I should have hauled Franklin’s ass to the nearest justice of the peace and sworn to be his for eternity.
But I hadn’t done any of that. I’d asked him to wait. I’d asked him to be patient, and in Franklin’s generous way, he’d done exactly as I’d asked. Staring down at our matching rings, I could only wish that he’d pushed a little harder. But then, Franklin wouldn’t be the man I loved if he had.
Aurelia’s piercing scream pulled me from my macabre vigil.
Her eyes were wide and glowed so brightly I could barely look at them.
Following her line of sight revealed an unconscious scuttlebutt lying against a far wall.
Momma was huddled next to Fuzzy Britches.
Momma appeared battered, and she had a line of blood running from her temple, but she was still upright, breathing, and fighting.
Momma and Fuzzy weren’t alone. For every shadowy tendril sent their way, a fox tail battled them back.
At some point Hikaru had shown up, and if that were the case, then…
I whipped my head around, finding Pops. Blackened fingers dancing through the air, Pops’s lips were in constant motion, spell after woven spell fired at our common enemy.
Leon and Phlox were right there beside him.
It was three on one, and yet Tenzen was successfully batting away each and every attack.
Aurelia was on the other side of the room, rage pouring from her in waves. Helios was in front of her, their battle momentarily halted by Aurelia’s fury. My eyes rounded, and my mouth slipped open as something built inside Aurelia.
Helios saw it too and stepped back, feet braced wide and arms arching to protect his head. Head thrown back, Aurelia’s wail pierced my ears, the following blast of magic rushed through the room, flattening furniture, tearing down walls, and extinguishing the smoldering fire.
Throwing my body over Franklin, I fought like crazy to protect what was left of his life.
The sound of Aurelia’s blast made my ears ring and momentarily blocked out all other sound.
Inanimate and having no intentional ill will, the falling structure made it through Pops’s ward.
Dust and debris covered my body, and something ached between my shoulders.
Shaking my head, the soundless bubble I was in suddenly popped, and a roar of noise crashed into my ears.
Wincing from the auditory pain, I checked Franklin over. There were no new wounds, but the sucking hole in his chest was still there, draining the life from him. Franklin’s skin was clammy and worse than pale. His eyes were closed with no hope of opening again.
Aurelia remained standing, her lips barely parted as she drew in deep lungfuls of air. Helios appeared no worse for wear. Pops had gone down on one knee. He’d evidently had time to throw up a charm that protected him and Phlox. Leon hadn’t been so fortunate, but he was still living his second life.
Tenzen’s claws were embedded in the crumbling brickwork of the fireplace.
Fury twisted his features. I would have said Tenzen looked like something from my worst nightmare, but that was before I’d been forced to watch the life drain from Franklin’s face.
Nothing—absolutely nothing—could compare to that horror.
Tenzen’s lips pulled back, and his voice was full of malice when he ordered, “Helios, I wish for you to kill everyone in this room except me and Shadow.”
My fingers flexed, squeezing Franklin’s to the point of pain. I sat there, holding my breath, waiting for death. It would take Helios longer to get around the wards Pops wove in our wedding rings, but he’d eventually find a way.
I expected Helios to ask for more specifics, to try and drag out the inevitable. What I didn’t expect was for him to cross his arms, lean against the nearest wall, and look for all the world to be impossibly bored.
Crimson flooded Tenzen’s skin, flushing his neck and cheeks. “Helios. You will do as I wish!”
“I don’t believe I will,” Helios answered while casually examining his fingernails. “You see, I was created to do as my master wishes and currently, that is not you.” A wicked grin raised Helios’s lips, that humor far from meeting his deadly eyes.
Tenzen stood there, momentarily dumbstruck. Realization hit him and he quickly stared at his hands—his empty hands. “W-what? Where is—”
I’d recognize Pops’s deep chuckle anywhere.
Some thought Pops rarely laughed. I knew better.
What I also knew was that the deepness of his laughter indicated different emotions.
This level told me Pops was satisfied. Very satisfied indeed.
And when I saw what he was holding in his hand, I understood why.
Helios’s object of attachment, his inkpot, sat in the palm of Pops’s hand.
Phlox sat on Pops’s shoulder, his Pallas’s cat tail flicking while his head was held high. His pixie wings fluttered, scattering dust down Pops’s back.
“Shadow. Come to me.” Gone was the haughty cadence from before.
Wariness sat in its place as Tenzen slid along the fireplace, inching his way along the wall.
The shadows in the room quickly slid across the floor, coalescing into a singular, dark figure.
It didn’t exactly meld with Tenzen, but it was close enough to be mistaken for an average, run-of-the mill shadow.
Pops stared at the inkpot. The power he could wield with it would be tempting, but I knew Pops. He was too wise to allow himself to get sucked into the lie.
“Turns out it is very handy having a shifter with pixie wings around.” Pops reached up, pressing his fingers into Phlox’s plush fur and scratching along his neck.
Phlox leaned into the touch, and for once, Leon didn’t get upset with the affection.
“He’s quick and can capture lost items before it’s supposed owner even realizes the item has been lost. You’d make an excellent thief. ”
Phlox hissed but rubbed against the side of Pops’s head before he flew off, settling in Leon’s waiting arms.
Hand gripping the inkpot, Pops’s shoulders tightened as he drew up to his full height.
“Tenzen Huxley, you’ve haunted my son for long enough.
You’ve proven that shadow borne no longer have a place in this world.
Willingly or not, it’s time to put you to sleep.
Helios, I wish for you to help Aurelia put Tenzen Huxley to bed.
Bury him deep within the earth. Leave no opening for even the barest hint of light to find him.
Make certain his tomb is impenetrable. Make shadow borne little more than myth and legend. ”
This time, Helios didn’t ask for clarification. He rounded, going to Aurelia’s side. “Shall we open the earth?”
“Not here,” Aurelia calmly answered. “I do not wish the structure to fully fall.” She meaningfully glanced around the room, her eyes landing on the scuttlebutt still cradled within Momma’s arms.
“We cannot transport him. It is one of our restrictions.”
A pleased smile lit up Aurelia’s face. “It is no longer one of mine.”
Franklin took a barely felt breath. It wouldn’t be long now.
I had to clear my throat twice before speech became possible.
“Aurelia.” Her gaze immediately found mine.
Something shifted in her eyes when she saw Franklin on the ground, his life nearly gone.
“Please hurry back.” It took every ounce of patience I had to phrase my next words.
“If you’re willing, I’ll need your help soon. ”
Aurelia’s eyes narrowed before she offered the barest nod.
Tenzen’s low, feral growl filled the air and drew our attention back to him. Tenzen braced against the wall at his back, crouched low and ready to defend himself. He never had a chance. Between one breath and the next, Aurelia’s arms were around him and they were gone. Helios quickly followed.
The room quieted. All the monsters were gone, leaving us with the greatest fear of all—Death.
Franklin’s fingers were now ice cold, each stuttered rise and fall of his chest a battle he couldn’t win. Momma’s fingers found their way to my shoulder. “Erasmus, I’m… He’ll be fine,” Momma insisted. “We’ll get him help. It’s not too—”
“He’ll be dead soon,” I said, voice empty but steady.
Momma sucked in a harsh breath. Pops went to his knees on the other side of Franklin’s body. He was still clutching the inkpot tight. “I’m so sorry, son. Warlocks can’t perform healing magic. If I could, I’d… I can do something for the pain, but I’m afraid that’s all.”
My free hand brushed through Franklin’s hair, pushing it away from his pallid face. Franklin’s blue-tinged lips were slightly parted, barely whispered air slipping through at far too sedate a pace.
“It’s okay, Pops. It’ll be fine.”
Pops reached over Franklin’s body, gripping my wrist tight. “Erasmus, you’ll need to let him go. He won’t—”
“I’m not letting him go.” My voice was steady, my thoughts calm.
“Honey.” Momma sounded concerned. “Nikodemus is right. You’ll—”
“Franklin isn’t going anywhere,” I insisted.
Before Momma or Pops could argue, Franklin’s chest stuttered before he let loose a final exhale. Still gripping his hand tight, I used my other hand to feel for Franklin’s pulse. It was sluggish, nearly to the point of death.
“I could turn him,” Leon offered. “Franklin can be given a second life. If that is your choice, it must be now. His heart has almost beat its last.”