Chapter Seven
T wo weeks later
“Are you sure you’re okay to go back home?” Clement asked.
It was closing time at the library, and Nova had her car filled with her stuff that had collected at Clement’s home over the past ten months. It was surprisingly more than she’d realized.
Nova hugged her friend. “Yes. I don’t think I’d be standing here if it wasn’t for you.”
“Anytime. And you know, you can always move back if you need to.”
“I know,” she whispered. “Thank you so much.”
“Of course. See you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
With a wave, she headed to her car in the parking lot.
For the first time since Mathias’s death, she felt like she could breathe.
It wasn’t a sharp stab into her heart anymore.
The night was cool, and she looked up at the stars twinkling in the dark sky.
She still wasn’t ready to even think about dating, but at least she wasn’t thinking about joining him anymore.
As she reached her car, a dark shadow suddenly popped up, startling her. Nova stumbled away, and a hand shot out to grip her arm.
“Your name isn’t April.”
Fear filled her when she saw the man from the bar. “Marko?”
“Yeah, me,” he snarled. “You lied to me.”
“H—how did you find me?”
“I saw the license plate of the car you left in, and luckily, I have many friends in the police department. Clement Anthony. Through her, it was easy to find out who you were.”
It terrified her to know the lengths he went through to discover her identity.
“Marko, this is wrong. I want you to leave me alone.”
His grip on her wrist tightened. “Why did you lie?”
“Let go of me.”
Suddenly, his other hand shot out and wrapped around her throat. “You fucking lying bitch! Do you know how much money I have? I could’ve given you everything.”
Nova’s eyes bugged out as he started to squeeze. She reached up with her free hand, trying to pry it off her. The steady pressure cut off her air. Panic quickly settled in.
“I could’ve chosen any woman on that dance floor, but I didn’t want anyone else. Why did you lie to me?”
Nova couldn’t answer that even if she wanted to.
Dots danced in her vision. The only thing she could see was his horrible face.
Her mind was blank as terror chased away all other thoughts, but instinct had her bringing her knee up in an effort to save herself.
Instead of hitting his balls, however, it glanced off his thigh.
It still surprised him enough to let go of her throat, and she sucked in a desperate breath of oxygen. Coughing struck her as she wheezed.
“Cunt,” he hissed and backhanded her.
She fell back, stunned as her head bounced forcefully on the concrete parking bumper. Once more, she stared up at the night sky. Only this time, she knew she was dying. Ironic since she’d just been happy to be living.
Her vision blurred, growing dark even as the man above her yelled for her to get up. She couldn’t, and now she never would again. Mathias waited for her, so when the darkness fully embraced her, she happily went.
****
“T his is Dr. Lang.”
“You must help me!” a man cried. His tone held desperation and pain. “She’s my heart. My life.”
“Slow down and explain.”
“She ... she ... died. I need her to come back! Please, help me.”
He might be new at this stuff, but he’d been a doctor first, and as a medical examiner, he’d seen his share of suicides.
“How long has she been dead?”
“Only an hour.”
“Did she die of natural causes? I cannot safely resurrect someone who has died from human diseases.”
“No, she fell.”
“Broken bones?”
“Her skull.”
Mathias wrote that down. Bones needed a deeper layer of incantations. “My fee is one hundred thousand.”
“Dollars?”
“I don’t take foreign currency. Resurrecting someone isn’t like ordering take-out. My time and my own health are valuable. If it’s too much perhaps—”
“No!” the man shouted. “I mean, no. I’ll pay it.”
“Very well. I’ll send you the information on where to pay. Once I get payment, I’ll send you where you can bring her. Eight tonight. Don’t be late.”
He hung up and texted the offshore account where his finances wouldn’t attract notice.
The payment came almost immediately, so he sent his address, hating every thought about what he was about to do.
Unfortunately, without the Brotherhood’s backing, his bank account was almost empty, so he had to take this job. He kept himself busy by getting ready.
A little before eight, there was a frantic knock on his door. As soon as he saw who it was, Mathias’s eyes widened. After all, he knew the man very well.
“What are you doing here, Marko?”
“You’re bringing my girlfriend back to life.”
What. The. Hell? “You called me?”
Marko nodded, acting even more weird and twitchy. A nervousness that put Mathias on edge. He’d said the first number that came to mind, one hundred thousand, but maybe he should’ve doubled it, because there was no way this was above board. Made him wonder about the girlfriend.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” Mathias asked.
The man thumbed toward the door. “Um, in my car.”
Of course. Marko was lucky he wasn’t pulled over. That would’ve been tricky to explain to the police. “Let me get my gurney.”
He pulled the gurney down the ramp and outside. The man popped his trunk, and Mathias immediately spotted the body. This was his girlfriend? Stuffed in the trunk and covered with a sheet? His unease was growing. Something about Marko wasn’t adding up.
Bending, he placed his arm under the shoulders and knees, then gently pulled her out of the cramped space and onto his gurney. Rigor was already starting to set in, so he needed to act quickly. He’d be able to bring her back without any problem, but it was harder once her body went stiff.
“H—how are you going to do it?” Marko asked.
“Carefully,” Mathias replied. “I can’t believe you still bitched about the price. In fact, I should charge you more just for being irritating.”
Marko chuckled. “Probably. So, how long is this gonna take?”
“Why? In a hurry?”
He shrugged. “Just anxious to make this go away.”
Mathias paused. “This? Go away?”
“You know,” he said, waving his hand in a carefree way. “Death.”
“Right,” Mathias muttered as he pushed on the woman’s legs and laid them flat. “Speaking of which, has your other half died?”
“Don’t call him that, but no. He’s lingering. I wanted to put him out of his misery, but I haven’t yet.”
“I’m impressed,” Mathias replied. “I expected you not to keep your word.”
“Yeah, well, believe me, I’m annoyed by it.”
While he’d been waiting for Marko to show up, he’d crafted a quick effigy.
The abyss of souls required a replacement when a necromancer brought someone back to life.
If the body was exchanging a dead or dying soul, an effigy wasn’t needed, but in cases like this woman, when he had to take her soul back, he had to have something in exchange.
He pulled the sheet down. The woman’s head was turned the other way, and her thick dark hair obscured her face.
But that wasn’t what caught his eye. It was the bruises on her throat.
In fact, it was a necklace of bruises, and Mathias would’ve bet the entire hundred grand that Mr. Anxiety here wanted her back to life to avoid a homicide investigation.
“Anything wrong?”
He glanced at Marko, who stood behind him. “Nope,” he replied. “Just positioning her so I can anoint her with a special oil that helps bridge the gap between the physical and spiritual world.”
“Oh. You didn’t use that on me.”
“Because you were a different type of resurrection.”
That was complete bullshit, but whatever.
Maybe I shouldn’t keep my back to him. Mathias felt sorry for the woman, but there was no way he could bring her back to face the asshole again. He straightened her head then moved the hair off her face, and his entire world imploded.
Nova.
No, no, no.
All the oxygen got sucked out of his lungs.
Tears flooded his eyes as his gaze searched her pale face.
Her chest didn’t rise, and nothing made sense.
On his gurney was the love of his life .
.. lifeless. The woman he worked hard to get back to, only to have her brought in by the rich fucking bastard he had granted a second life.
His heart broke against the unbearable pain.
Taking a deep breath, the first thing he had to do was get his emotions under control. Second, was to get rid of the creep. Then he’d focus on rescuing Nova. Mathias schooled his features and turned around.
“You’ll have to come back this time tomorrow.”
“What?” Dickwad demanded. “Why?”
“Well, I don’t know how many other necromancers you’ve dealt with, but for me it takes twenty-four hours.”
“Didn’t take that long with me.”
“Like I said, this is different. All I did with you was switch souls. Pulling one from the abyss takes time. I have to balance my crystals and anoint my candles. You get the idea.”
“Oh,” the man rubbed the back of his neck. “Should I stay?”
“No. I work alone.”
“Uh, I don’t know. Maybe I should—”
“I’ve already made her effigy,” Mathias said quickly. “So, come back tomorrow.”
Mathias could see the man was wavering. It was clear he didn’t want to leave the body, trying to maintain control of the situation. Little did he realize who Nova belonged to.
“How long have you two been dating?” Mathias asked, hoping the conversation would put the man at ease. He either walked away now, or Mathias wouldn’t hesitate to knock the fucker out.
“About a year.”
That God-damn liar! “And what did you say happened to her?”
“W—why do you need to know?”
Mathias shrugged. “I don’t. I was trying to make conversation.”
“Oh, well. I, uh, better go. You said tomorrow, right?”
“Yep. Same time and place.”
“Okay.” He looked at Nova’s supine body. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
Mathias escorted him out, and as soon as the car drove away, he locked the door. Then he hurried back to Nova’s side.
“What did he do to you, baby?” Mathias whispered, then got to work.