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“Rule number one. We need to stop calling that thing Mother,” I said before sipping the dregs of my tea.
We’d been in the study for a while reminiscing about our childhood. Neither of us wanted to say how amazingly screwed up our lives appeared to be now.
“Agreed. What shall we call it? The Not-Mother?”
“No. Too many words.” I tapped my lips. “Damn. I’ve got nothing. Not-Mother it is. What does it gain by pretending to be our mother?”
“And how could that thing be under my nose?” Edwin tapped his spoon against the table. “I must be losing my touch.”
Conscience pricked at me. We were assuming that she was here all along. But with time stream travel, the rules had changed.
“About that. What if I told you that I’m not from this time?”
The spoon stopped tapping. Silence lingered between us. Edwin studied my face, taking my measure.
“I’d be inclined to believe you. For starters, you told me you had a child. I’d assumed you meant you’d made one.”
“Well, I did. With my husband, Ian, when we fled to Mars.” The look on his face. I wished I had a camera. Priceless.
Edwin’s mouth crinkled like he’d swallowed a toad. “Did you say Ian? As in the Rogue?”
“Oh my God! Is that what you took away from that sentence?”
“Don’t make that face. It makes you look old.” Edwin laughed. “You’ve spun a wonderful tale.”
“I’m serious.” I touched my right wrist and willed the cuff to expose itself. Then I commanded it to display photos of my daughter, the planet, everything I could to convince him I was telling the truth.
After a good while, he finally looked at me again. “And Jonathan?”
I shook my head. “He—”
There was a knock. A maid entered the study and squeaked in surprise. “My lord, I didn’t know you had company. I’ll come back.”
“Stay.” Edwin’s eyes darted from me to the door. The pallor of his skin had grown grayish. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t related to my story. “My lady was about to return to her room.”
“Sure.” I stood and headed to the door.
Edwin tracked the maid with a feral gaze. The kind that said lunch was served. I’d never stuck around long enough to witness a revenant feed before.
I knew they attacked vampires under the mistaken belief that our blood could give them an incredible high. But I’d never determined how they fed from each other, let alone humans.
Feeding, like sex, was done behind closed doors and wasn’t discussed in polite company. Even in the twenty-first century.
What can I say? We are a product of the times in which we were born. Maybe by the twenty-fifth century a new generation of undead will be parading their private acts in ways that would make our heads spin.
I closed the door behind me, ready to proceed to my room. But curiosity got the better of me. I might not be able to see, but I could listen. With my keen hearing, I didn’t even have to press my ear to the door. I could stand nearby and pretend to gaze out the window.
And I didn’t have to wait long before I heard, “Oh, my Lord that feels so good.”
The maid’s moans of ecstasy and chirps of delight were followed by a low, breathy sigh. Whatever Edwin was doing, at least he made sure she enjoyed it.
“Look at me, Mary,” Edwin said. Compulsion laced from his voice strong enough that I could detect it even in the hallway. Its touch delivered a jolt of energy into my body like I’d drunk a coffee spiked with blood.
Interesting.
“Are you done spying on me, Sister?” Edwin stood beside me. I hadn’t seen him approach or heard the door open.
“Sampling the staff, are we?” Damn. I hadn’t meant to get caught. “No fair. You came through the wall didn’t you?”
“She won’t miss what I took.” He pointedly ignored my other question.
“What did you take?” Since he brought it up I might as well learn more.
“Good God. You really don’t know anything about the undead races, do you?” He cupped my elbow, steered me into the East Wing, and then into his bedchamber. He shut the door then left me standing there while he exited through another doorway.
I poked around his room because I’m nosy and because I wanted to know how my darling baby brother lived. His bedchamber contained a modest-sized bed with an elaborately carved headboard that had been fashionable in another age.
The walls, papered with maroon-and-gray patterns, were festooned with gilt-framed artwork. Tall furniture complemented the high ceilings. A fire was crackling in the ornate marble fireplace, lending some heat to the space.
Overall, the room seemed fit for an Earl and entirely unsuited to Edwin’s personality. It seemed like he went through the expected motions but didn’t really live there. His private study spoke more about him than this relic of a bedchamber.
“You never answered me before. What do you take when you feed from humans?”
Edwin shook his head. “Your mind dances like a bee bouncing from flower to flower.”
“Save the poetic language for Mary. Just answer the question. Please.”
“Why breaths, of course,” he said, with a “like, duh” tone.
A disturbing image of Edwin performing mouth to mouth on the maid burst into my mind. Ick.
“That makes no sense.” So, sue me. I wanted details.
“It’s the spirit essence of the human. With each breath they inhale, we feed from their energy.”
“And giving the maid an orgasm helps with that.” Call me skeptical but that sounded a bit like mansplaining to me.
“Well, yes,” he sputtered. “And it only seems fair that I provide her something in return. We don’t have actual relations.”
Right, because that made it better. My brother, the orgasm king.
He stopped and glared at me before opening the bedroom door, waiting for me to exit the room.
“Do not judge what you do not understand. I could point out that vampires suck blood from the veins of their victims. It’s only my discerning manners that prevent me from commenting on the vulgarity.”
“And yet, you just did. Listen, I wasn’t judging. And for the record, we avoid feeding off humans. They’re a last-ditch meal.” No mind-bending orgasms required. But I didn’t say that out loud. “Thank you for indulging my curiosity.”
“And thank you for trusting me with the truth. With the future.” He rubbed the base of his neck. “First the moon. It’s amazing to think that we’ll get to Mars someday.”
“Oh, right. Well, I’m not here on vacation. The colony is under threat.”
“In the future.”
“Yes.”
“That means no one is on Mars yet. At least not from Earth. And you’re looking for the fabled Lost Ship.”
“Correct. Where are you going with this?”
“Come on. I have something to show you.” He stopped, taking in my appearance. “That won’t do. You look a fright. We need something more sophisticated.”
By sophisticated, Edwin meant drab office wear. And in 1969 that meant a navy jumper dress that ended above my knees paired with a white blouse and collar flaps sharp enough to hurt someone. Despite my protests, Edwin insisted that I tie a paisley silk scarf around my neck along with several strands of gold chains.
“I never dressed like this in 1969,” I protested.
“Well, we can’t have you wearing a thong and pasties to a construction site, now can we?” Edwin held open the car door for me. He decided to take out a cream-colored two-seated Austin-Healey. “This should get us there and back in record time.”
Edwin revved the engine and launched us down the driveway in a display of speed that might have impressed me if I hadn’t traveled to Mars on a spaceship.
When we cleared the estate’s boundaries, he spoke. “The talk about dig sites made me think. I have several road projects in the works. One in particular could be interesting.”
“Oh, do tell,” I said, tying the scarf around my hair before I turned into a frizzball.
“The engineers stumbled upon an archaeological site two days ago.” He shifted into a higher gear while skirting around a narrow corner. “An unwelcome nuisance, but we stopped work on it and called in our own archaeologist for an assessment.”
“You have an archeologist on retainer? I’d think in your line of work, you’d keep gravediggers on staff instead.”
Edwin, not amused, peered at me over his sunglasses. “We dig up more relics than you’d think. Old stuff fetches a pretty price on the undead market.”
“Nostalgia? Uncle Bjorn misses his old Viking ship?” I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation with my little brother.
“You mock, but you’d be surprised about the favors it earns me. Nostalgia pays well. And what the humans don’t know can’t come back to hurt us later.”
I couldn’t fault the logic. The mortals wouldn’t miss what they didn’t know about. “What’s so interesting about this site?”
Edwin gave me a knowing smile and floored the engine again. “Have you wondered why you’re in 1969?”
“Because of Aunt Cass?” And that Tarot card.
Edwin shook his head. “Forget her. Look, the point is, we’re going to blow the site to kingdom come later today. If the Lost Ship there—”
“Then it’s toast.” Not the news I wanted to hear. “Hey, but that means you can stop it, right?”
“Why would I want to do that?” He glanced over at me like I was nuts. “The Not-Mother has to think the ship is gone. Otherwise, she’ll keep coming after us.”
“That’s if the ship is there.” I hated to be Debbie Downer but there was no proof that ship ever existed or that it was in the UK. I could be wasting my time. And that was coin I couldn’t afford to spend.
Edwin slowed the car, then sharply turned down a dirt road. We drove for another mile before he stopped. “This is as far as we go. The road is too rough after this point.”
“You could have mentioned that before you insisted I wear sling-backs.” I’d like to see him walk on rocks in heels. We neared the construction zone, passing through windblown dirt, narrowly avoiding gigantic dump trucks laden with rocky debris.
“I thought you said the site was closed for the archeological study,” I said over the noise.
“It should be.” Edwin flagged a man in a hard hat. “Let me see what is happening.”
He left me outside the foreman’s trailer. Like I planned on standing around waiting on him to come back. We all knew me better than that. As soon as he disappeared from view, I hoofed it past the trailer and out toward the large pit where men and equipment were congregated.
Unlike the dump trucks, the backhoes and other digging machines were silent. Workers were perched against wheels and other immobile surfaces drinking beverages and gossiping. Or complaining about the delay. I couldn’t blame them. They weren’t paid to stand around.
“Excuse me, madam. Only authorized personnel are allowed on the jobsite.”
I would recognize that pompous tone anywhere and in any time period. Too bad I couldn’t call him out on it.
This was going to be amusing.
I turned around. “And why would you assume that I’m not authorized? I’m Lady d’Aumont, the Earl of Pembridge’s sister. And who may I tell him is harassing his beloved sister?”
“I am Prior. At your service.” He inclined his head in a curt bow. More than was warranted by my pedigree. I’m sure it had more to do with Edwin’s kingpin status. “Please pardon my ignorance.”
I gave him the once over. Clad in unnecessary spectacles, Prior appeared every inch the bureaucrat down to the dowdy tweed jacket and plaid bow tie.
“I suppose you can’t help your ignorance.” I stared down my nose at him because why not have a bit of fun? On Mars, Prior treated me like I was the dumb pupil at the back of the class blowing spitballs.
“The Earl tells me that there is something of consequence buried in the ground.”
“I can’t comment on the ongoing investigation,” he said in the universal tone of self-important officials. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “If you’ll excuse me.”
“No, I will not.” I leaned toward him, invading his personal space. “I know who you work for. I have Queen V’s personal number so unless you’d like me to contact her, you’ll direct me to the archaeologist.”
“I don’t believe you,” he said.
I had to give him credit for showing some backbone. But it wasn’t going to help him. I slid my sleeve off my wrist and displayed the cuff.
His eyes widened, recognizing it.
“I’m from Mars in the future. And if you want to live long enough to see it happen, you will help me now.”
Prior gaped, mouth flapping like fish. He stiffened his spine, then walked toward the giant hole. “Follow me, please.”
We circumnavigated the highway site, tracking the perimeter, finally stopping at a makeshift tent. The tent, large enough to hold a circus act, obscured the whatever that had been dug up.
“We don’t want any prying eyes or looters,” he said, nodding to the burly guards. “I am sure we can count on your continued discretion.”
“Of course.” I entered, taking in the surroundings. A team, wearing white protective gear, was clambering around a chunk of sleek metal protruding from the ground.
Prior pointed to a figure kneeling in the dirt, brushing the same spot furiously. “She’s right there. Now if you will excuse me, I do have business to attend for the Earl.”
“Thank you.” I studied the woman, hoping against hope she was who I thought she was.
“Lady d’Aumont?” Prior said. “So, we did it?”
I turned back to him. The eager excitement was touching.
“Yes. But that’s all I will say. Because, we don’t want any time-altering paradoxes. This is top secret. No one, not even the Queen, can know.”
“I fully understand.” He bowed, this time more deeply, then walked away with a contented smile.
I approached the archaeologist, careful not to fall into the circle she’d cleared. “Hello? Can I have a word?”
She stopped and stared at me. The white hood shielded her hair and most of her face. Large safety glasses covered her eyes. I’m guessing it was to protect the site from contamination.
“Only for a moment.” When she stood, she ushered me away, then removed the hood and glasses. Frizzy blond coils popped free on individual springs. “How can I help you?”
“Joan?” I wanted to clap my hand over my mouth. Pretending not to know people from my future was tiresome.
“Dr. Orleans. I don’t recall meeting you.”
“It says so on your name badge.” Which they were all wearing, thank goodness. Otherwise, I’d have to concoct some story that I didn’t have time to make up. “I’m the Earl’s sister. I’m also here on Queen V’s behalf. Can you tell me what you’ve found?”
She frowned. Power floated between us as if she were tasting me. Ian had told me she had the gift to sense the righteous truth. “Only half of what you say is true.”
I showed her the cuff. “You know what this is. I don’t have a lot of time to argue. Is this the Lost Ship or not?”
“It’s too soon to come to that conclusion. We only found it today. But if pressed, I would say this is not from Earth.” Joan studied my face, memorizing me. “The metal is resilient to damage. The workers found it because the excavator’s shovel broke on impact.”
“How long before it’s freed?” I needed to gain access. “Will it be today?”
Joan’s gaze darted between me and the ship. “Given the metal’s strength, the engineers have decided to blast around it.”
“What?” That sounded risky to me. “Is that wise?”
“I’m afraid they don’t have a choice,” Edwin said from behind me. “We have to protect its discovery. I see you follow directions about as well I as I do.”
“Can I get a closer look?”
Joan opened her mouth but snapped it shut after a terse look from Edwin.
He said, “We have to make it quick. Joan will show you where to stand. I wouldn’t want you to step on one of the explosive charges.”
I followed Joan, with Edwin trailing behind us at attention. I’m sure the Not-Mother was out there somewhere waiting to pounce.
Joan stopped and pointed. “Here’s a safe spot. I’d prefer that you not touch—”
I pressed my palm against the ship’s side. “We don’t have time to be worried about space cooties.”
An electric force shot up my arm, catching me off guard. I stumbled backward feeling like I’d been given a shot of super vitamins. Or had drunk about a hundred cups of black coffee.
“What happened?” Edwin said.
“I’m not sure.”
Gunshots popped.
Joan and Edwin exchanged a signal. She took off, marshaling her dig team.
“Come on. We have to go.” Edwin grabbed me by the hand.
We ran toward the tent’s exit. White mist rose from the outside, seeping through the seams and under the flaps.
“This way!” He dragged me toward the crater.
“What are you doing? I’m pretty sure they can catch us in this crater too.” The heels of my shoes snagged in the gravel, slowing me down.
“We’re setting the charges.” Edwin stopped at the ship’s base, where Joan had been moments earlier. He pulled a gizmo from his pocket and barked an order. “Here. See this switch? Click it to the right, then find the next one and do the same thing. Hurry, we don’t have much time.”
I followed the wires, clicking switches. I wondered if they planned to destroy it.
Edwin came up behind me, hitching me by the elbow and pulling. “No more time. Run!”
Blobs of mist dotted the crater’s rim.
“Where? We’re surrounded by revenants!”
Slowly, the blobs rose into man-sized shapes. We were trapped.
I wrapped my arm around Edwin’s waist then placed my free hand on the ship’s hull.
Energy zinged up my arm, settling in the cuff.
Whatever. I’d think about that later.
“Hang on!” I launched upward, heading for the tent’s peak. The revenants below caught wind of my plan. White tendrils unfurled, reaching to intercept us.
“Wait!” Edwin extended his arm. Razor sharp claws tipped his fingers. With broad slashes, he sliced through the thick canvas.
Not waiting, I pushed us through and away from the tent. Construction workers were fleeing across the open fields. Revenants were fighting hand to hand. I couldn’t see Joan or the archaeological team. I hoped they’d escaped to safety.
Edwin weighed a ton. My arms ached from holding him. I’d never carried another person. I figured it would be easy given my vampire strength. I hadn’t factored in the Earth’s gravity, the wind shear, or the strain of rising so quickly.
He reached into his pocket, unbalancing us. “Easy. Don’t drop me.”
“Then don’t move around like that.” The tent seemed far enough away. The tendrils seemed to have limits.
“Hang on. I’m going to detonate it.” Edwin held up a trigger box. “Let’s hope it works from up here.”
“Wait! I’m not—”
He pushed the button. I gripped him as hard as I could.
The concussive force slammed into us, hurling us higher. Debris and sharp pebbles abraded the bare skin on my legs and feet with piercing force. A second later, we dropped. The motion set us off balance. The ground raced toward us.
“What are you doing?” Edwin shouted in my ear.
“Crap! I can’t hold on anymore.” We dipped downward, clipping the treetops. I really, really didn’t want to fall into the canopy. Not only would it hurt on the way down, we weren’t far enough away yet.
“Can I help?” Edwin shifted his position making matters worse.
“Not unless you can lose weight.” My hands cramped and my arms quaked. Stinging pain scorched my legs like I’d shaved with a cheese grater.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier? QED.” Edwin went from weighing a ton to nothing at all. The change in mass flung us straight upward.
“Son of a bitch!” I fought to regain control.
“Oh, sis. I like the sailor’s mouth.” Edwin laughed. The shit.
“I could kill you. You let me carry your full weight when you could have been a feather.”
“Like I said, you could have asked.”
“I didn’t know it was an option.” I set us down behind a shed in a quiet neighborhood. My arms felt ready to detach. “Let’s not do that again.”
“Agreed.” He leaned against the shed, then peered around the corner.
“The blast. Do you think it destroyed the ship?”
“I don’t know.” He seemed unconcerned by the idea. It terrified me.
“And those revenants. Could they have survived?” I slid my shoes off, shaking out pebbles and sand.
Edwin looked at me funny. Like I’d asked him the world’s strangest question. “Doubtful. I hope the blast keeps them from re-forming. That means fewer enemies to fight later.”
“Won’t this make it easier for the Not-Mother to steal the ship?”
“And do what with it? She can’t move it by herself. I don’t care how much power she has. My men are in the area. They will move it.”
Provided they survived her. But I kept the comment to myself. The setting sun sliced into my retinas.
“We need to get back to Belmont.”
“Agreed.” He motioned for me to follow him around the shed and into the garden. “Your husbands will arrive soon.”
“I’m glad you think my life is so amusing,” I said, hobbling on my shredded bare feet.
“Shush,” he said, leading us forward.
A high fence hid us from the neighbors. I hoped no one was home. After we made it to the front yard, Edwin spied a parked car.
“No,” I said. “You can’t!”
“What’s wrong? Not up for some grand theft?” He marched toward the car and tested the door. It opened. “See it’s unlocked. Now get in like you mean it.”
I followed Edwin’s direction, watching with horrified fascination as he hot-wired the car in under ten seconds using his power and good old-fashioned thievery.
“I never knew you had so many talents.”
“Don’t make that face at me. I’ll make sure the car is returned along with something for their inconvenience. Unless, you want to fly us back? No? I didn’t think so.” He put the car in drive and we were on our way.
I couldn’t have flown us the distance even if I’d wanted to.
One, it was too light out. People would notice us. I don’t care how unobservant the general population was, someone was bound to see us. Heaven forbid, they photographed or filmed us.
Two, I was bone tired.
Three, the cuff rested against my wrist like a lead weight. I noticed it after I’d touched the ship a second time.
Fatigue overcame me. I put my head against the window to catch my wind again.
The next thing I knew, Edwin was poking me. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We’re here.”
“Fine. I hope you have some Bline in your fridge,” I said, then opened the car door.
“You say the oddest things.” Edwin looked past me.
We weren’t the only car in the driveway. It seemed we’d arrived at the same time as Ian, Jonathan, and Jay. Their car jerked to a halt, gears grinding before the engine sputtered and stalled. Jonathan never could drive for shit.
Jay exited first then slow clapped down the driveway. “Bravo, Cherry. That was quite a performance.”
“What do you mean?” I said, confused.
“I’m sure the entire valley was entertained.” Jonathan shut the car door and glared at me. “When did you learn to fly?”
Shit. They saw that. Fantastic.
It made sense. They would’ve had to take the same road we did to get to Belmont.
“Did you not see the gigantic explosion? We’re fine, by the way. Thanks for asking.” I inched my way to the front door.
The cuts on my legs were not healing as fast as I’d like. The cuff continued to drag me down. Maybe I’d wrenched my arm harder than I thought.
“Do not ignore me.” Warning edged Jonathan’s voice.
I didn’t give a crap.
“That’s for me to know and for you to never find out,” I said.
Ian exited the car, looking a tad green around the edges. Yeah, Jonathan’s driving often had that effect on his passengers.
“That’s on me. How do you think we arrived at your club so fast, mate? Does your Family really not know how to fly?” Ian said.
“Yes. And I prefer to keep it that way.” Taking in my disheveled state, he guided me inside. “We can discuss this later.”
“By ‘discuss,’ do you mean erasing my memories?” I kept my voice low but I know he could hear me.
He ground us to a stop and spun me to face him. “For fuck’s sake, Cherry! We don’t have time for this. She’ll find you and everything I’ve worked for will be for nothing.”
“Then you better start explaining. Because the monster wearing my mother’s face already found me.” I limped into the study and slammed the door.
* * *
INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING me, Jonathan walked away. The SOB. I refused to chase after him. I stamped my sore foot, then howled in pain. Stupid me. I lay down on the sofa, cradling my wrist.
What was I doing? I’d been warned about getting caught up in events. It didn’t matter if Jonathan and I hashed out our issues. I needed to focus.
After a polite knock, the door opened. Ian stepped inside holding a cardboard box filled with books.
“Did you draw the short straw?” I asked.
Jay snickered, outside the study. I’m sure Jay had been told to “talk some sense into me” and he’d fobbed it off on an unsuspecting Ian.
Ian set the box down on a short table and began unloading. To my relief, he set the heavy tome down too. They must have found it after I was kidnapped. The table protested under the weight with a low creak, but otherwise the spindly legs held.
Task complete, he said, “You have a talent for infuriating the men around you.”
“Why, thank you. It’s a life goal.”
“I didn’t mean it as a compliment,” he said. “You are a most perplexing female.”
“Well, whether you realize it or not it, it was complimentary. I wasn’t put on this earth to make the men around me comfortable.”
Ian raked his fingers through his hair, leaving it sexily mussed. If I tried that, I’d look like a poodle caught in a windstorm. My reflection in the nearest mirror confirmed it. Yikes.
“Spoken like a true warrior priestess. My mother would have liked you,” he said, studying the books.
Warm happiness spread over me. Even though I was dealing with Ian, who was not My Ian, it was nice to hear. He must have sensed my satisfaction, because he rewarded me with a grin.
“So, have you had a chance to read any of them?” I asked.
We had work to do and not a lot of time if Jonathan were to be believed. I wasn’t sure being at Belmont was the best idea. If I were Not-Mother, Belmont would be the first place I’d look.
“Yes. You may have heard. We had a long drive here.” Ian rolled up his sleeves. I looked longingly at the lovely corded muscle running up his forearms. The corners of his mouth lifted in an amused smile. “Pay attention.”
Oh, I was. Just not at what he wanted me to. With a head shake, I drove the lust away. “And?”
“And the books don’t seem to have anything to do with each other.”
A fact I’d already observed. “Is there some secret code or message in them?”
I lifted a slim volume titled, The History of the Paper Clip. I flipped through the yellowed pages. “Wow, this is riveting.”
Said no one, ever.
“They seem to be about inane subjects.” Ian sat crossed legged in front of the table. “Take this one for example, Jackalope Hunting Survival Guide. Who ever heard of such a creature?”
“It’s a bit of a legend in the American West. It’s kind of funny.” My smile fell flat when I realized Ian didn’t find it humorous. “Right. Not relevant to this problem.”
“Whatever this problem is,” Ian grumbled.
I would have loved to join him on the floor. But nothing short of another explosion would move me off the couch.
“Do you trust your brother?” Ian asked.
“Yes.” I was never in doubt.
“He is one of them. And you don’t know what’s happened to him in the intervening years.”
“Edwin would never betray me. In fact, he rescued me.” I stopped short of saying from the Not-Mother. Names had power and maybe she’d appear if I said it enough times. A regular, freakin’ Bloody Mary.
Ian opened his mouth, about to say more, but returned his attention to the books. “Jay thought maybe the titles meant something. He tried anagrams, code breaking. Nothing worked.”
I studied the bindings. Something about them grabbed my attention. I’d nearly had it before in the library, but I forgot due to other events. Like learning my mother—or the thing that looked like my mother—was evil. Not the words, not the numbers.
“Open them all to the title page.” The answer was right there. I’m surprised it took us so long.
“Ah, luv. You’re a bloody genius,” he said.
My toes curled to hear him call me luv. My Ian said it often. He knew I liked it. Hearing it from this Ian was also special.
And another reason to stay focused. I needed to maintain distance. We’d already interacted in ways we never had in the past. Who knew if I’d altered the future beyond recognition?
“Don’t fret.” He must have sensed my turmoil. “Deal with the things you can control.”
What else was I supposed to do? He was correct in that annoying, yet helpful way of his.
“Right. I know. So, these books. They do have one thing in common.”
“The publisher is Founders Press,” he said.
The library door banged open. Edwin, Jay, and Jonathan strode in.
A fact struck me. The four men who meant the most to me were assembled in the same room. An event that had never happened before. Nor would it in the future because Jonathan would be dead. And Edwin, well, his fate remained unknown.
I cleared my throat. “The publisher is the same for each book.”
“And?” Jonathan said, unimpressed.
“Of course.” Jay tapped each title page one after the other. “There is one difference. The symbol under each title. Do you see it, Cherry?”
I wiggled to the end of the sofa, moving closer. “I do.”
He brushed against Enkil’s cuff. “They’re—”
The metal sizzled and sparked. I yanked my arm away. What the hell?
Jay robotically walked to the desk and tore open the top drawer, rooting around until he found what he wanted.
A black marker.
Uncapping it, he went to the nearest wall and started drawing.
“Um, Jay?” I lifted off the couch, my right arm hanging heavy by my side. “Put the marker down.”
Edwin motioned for me to let him be, throwing me a concerned look when he noticed my arm. I shook my head, more concerned with Jay’s sudden rash behavior. Who cared about the wallpaper? It was gross anyway.
“Is this normal for him?” Ian asked as Jay reproduced life-sized versions of the symbols in each book.
Sweat poured from Jay’s temples. His hands shook with frustration the faster he drew. He muttered a stream of nonsensical babble to himself, eyes bulging.
“If by normal, you mean, he’s acting like Gollum, then no,” I answered.
“You can smell her insanity from here.” Edwin moved closer to Jay, hand outstretched. “But I don’t think we should stop him. Not yet. Look.”
Jonathan circled around the room, finding a better view. “Fascinating.”
“No, not really, Mr. Spock.” I wanted to yell at Jonathan for his lack of concern. “What if whatever has a hold of him, kills him?”
“I’ll stop it before it comes to that.” Jonathan’s clinical response stopped me cold. “Those symbols look like runes. Could this be a spell?”
“Or a code?” Edwin ventured.
“No. They’re words.” I turned my back. It was too hard to watch my friend acting like a strung-out junkie. I focused on the books’ title pages. Barely visible, faint brownish stains. Like drops of . . .
“Blood,” I said aloud though no seemed to hear me. I bit into my wrist and distributed drops over each title page.
Jay stopped mumbling and drew at a more frantic pace.
Jonathan’s head whipped around. “What are you doing?”
Edwin joined me. “It won’t be enough.”
He slashed his own vein with an elongated nail then followed me around the table, adding his pale blood to mine. With each drop, the pages hissed. Pinkish vapor rose like the smoke from an extinguished candle.
“Now what?” Ian handed me a cloth to bind my wound. His nostrils were flared and his eyes glimmered from my blood’s scent, but he kept himself under control.
“It all makes sense now. Don’t you see it?” Jay, whose sanity had completely jumped ship, raced toward the table.
“See what, mate?” Ian said.
“You’ll see. You’ll see!” He danced around the table, knocking us away with wild elbows and crazed purpose. He pointed. “Fire. Vampire blood. Spirit. Revenant essence. Earth . . . Earth . . .”
He pointed at the wall. Symbol after symbol appeared. He reached the final one and pouted. “No, this won’t do. This won’t do at all. We need flesh. All three elements must be present.”
Great. The one time we needed a zombie, and there were none to be had.
The doorbell rang, startling me.
Jonathan and Ian exchanged a look. Edwin left the room.
Edwin reappeared with a young man in his wake. “He says he knows you.”
I was about to ask who Edwin meant, when the answer arrived in the most obvious package.
“Louis!” I wormed off the couch and gave him a giant hug. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard you needed a zombie. Here I am,” my erstwhile assistant said, with his usual plucky charm. “I’m here to offer my flesh.”
All righty then.