The room was spinning, his head ached, and moving got him nowhere. Mike pried one eye open to find himself face down with his hands bound behind his back.
The surface felt smooth and cold, like marble.
What the fuck is going on?
Beyond the white platform, he saw black with flickering flames around the edge. He tried to roll and found himself strapped to the table, or whatever it was.
He reached out with his sense, like Gwen explained, and came back with dark and cold. Shifters tended to be warm and full of energy. Mages hummed with their element. Druids were full of life. Whatever Isa and Toryn were, they were arcane and elemental. All he detected was entirely void of life.
Necromancer. She called Cole a necromancer. Said he could control the dead and undead. Oh, fucking shit.
He remembered playing with the band, Gwen watching him like she was ready to climb his body and fuck him like an animal. Everything was blank after that.
“What did you do with my sister, Michael? Did you kill her and her maker? Is that why we can’t find them?” Cole’s voice was strangely amused.
He tried to raise his head but it felt like a ton of bricks was lodged in his skull.
“What are you talking about?” Mike asked. His voice was rough and slurred. Then he remembered the other night when Amanda showed up, terrified. At least Cole assumed they were dead.
Best to play along.
“Never wanted Amanda dead. Don’t know what the hell you’re talking about in regards to a maker.” He rolled his head to find Cole staring down at him. “Where the fuck am I?”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re not going anywhere.” His head tilted. “Relax, this doesn’t have to hurt.”
Mike jerked at the bindings, but found himself immobilized. A sharp pain spiked through his head with the effort.
Did that fucker drug me? The dart. He fucking did, he realized. I will eat that fucker’s face off.
He pulled on his power but nothing happened, aside from his heart acting like a bass drum in his skull. Trying a second time made his vision gray out, then black washed over him.
* * * *
Cole sneered. Mike was out again. Sighing, he rolled the altar on wheels into his private quarters, where Josephine’s body reclined on the bed.
Once Michael was in place, he reached out to caress Josephine’s pristine cheek. “Not much longer and I’ll have you back, my love.”
For a moment, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. Then rational thought clouded over, spinning away.
True death should never be undone. He couldn’t remember who had told him that.
All he could see was Josephine smiling up at him when they made love. “Always for me. Everything for me,” she used to cry out.
Shaking his head, he snapped out of it, and went back to preparations, setting out the crushed herbs and incense he’d prepared earlier. Everything was ready, but he couldn’t feel Mike’s magic. The drugs had completely suppressed his power. Until it unfurled, Mike was useless.
* * * *
Gwen tapped her finger on the layout, wracking her brain for why the odd-shaped building looked familiar. The image was just beyond the edge of her memory.
“You’re on to something, aren’t you?” Robert asked.
“I know the building, but I can’t quite envision it. Sort of like how wards work around buildings. Fuck, I bet that’s it.”
Robert’s head tilted to the side. “Maybe Amanda knows? That is, if you want to go for a stroll through her head.”
Her brow wrinkled as she looked at him.
“Won’t be a walk in the park,” Preston warned.
“But—” she started.
His hand landed on her shoulder. “That’s code for Robert trusts you. Plus, you know what you’re looking for. All I meant was that it’s fucking weird being in someone else’s head. I know, because I’ve gone there with him before. Plus, Amanda’s head is pretty warped. Something is off in there.”
Her brow arched. “Other than the fact she’s a vampire?”
“That might be part of it,” Robert answered. “I think Cole has distorted some of her thinking. But I’ve never known a necromancer to do that. My only plausible theory is that Josephine taught him tricks he’s adapted for application to the undead. We need answers.”
“I guess it’s worth a shot. Longer Mike is captive, the more I worry about what he’ll have to endure. What if Cole rips what makes Mike a druid completely out?”
“He won’t. He wants to use Mike to raise a horde of undead.” Preston rolled his eyes. “Like he thinks he’s some voodoo king.”
“Amanda won’t be awake until dark.” Gwen rubbed at her temples. “She’s too new to get up early.”
“Dinner then,” Robert offered. “Let’s recharge, and then find out what she knows.”
“I vote Italian,” Preston chimed in as he dug his phone out of his pocket. “But let me warn Dacia I’ll be late.”
“And here I thought you were too much of a bachelor to ever settle down,” Gwen teased.
“Could say the same for you in recent years. Now hush.” He placed a finger over his mouth before his attention went to the phone call.