Page 29 of Midnight Auto Parts

“—but then I woke up alive.” I chuckled as they scratched their heads. “Turns out one of my parents was a god. Who knew? Now I’m like this.” I spread my arms. “Stuck somewhere in between.”

That part could use a polish before I trotted it out in front of Josie and Matty, but practice made perfect.

“She’s a demigoddess,” Kierce told them, and their jaws threatened to unhinge.

“She’s like you.” Black clouded Bannon’s eyes as he glared at Kierce. “This your doin’?”

Um. Yeah. That bit should also be worked over before my siblings attacked Kierce in a rabid frenzy.

“No,” I rushed to reassure them. “Another god did it.”

“Why’re all them gods in Savannah?” Tommy looked to the others. “Why’d they hurt Frankie?”

Yet another point I wish I could tick off my fingers, but it was a mystery. “I wish I knew.”

Had there always been this much divine activity in the city, I would have heard about it from the spirits. I had an awfully persistent voice in my head warning me their interest in Savannah and its surrounding areas was a recent development, and that it was somehow my fault for attracting their attention.

“We’ll keep an eye out.” Johnny made it a promise. “No charge.”

“What he said.” Bannon jerked his head in a nod. “Any gods around ’ere will ’ave to go through us.”

“We’ll help.” Tommy tugged on my hand. “It’ll be okay, Frankie.”

Warm tears rolled down my cheeks. “Thanks, boys.”

A blink later, they were gone, off to peddle gossip and investigate. Too bad they couldn’t transport items like a ghostyUSPS. I could have sent the vial for Vi off with them instead of paying for overnight delivery.

“Well.” I wiped my face dry. “That was exciting.”

“Too exciting.” Kierce fingered a hole in my jeans. “I shouldn’t have taunted you.”

“I like when you play with me.” I examined the skin beneath the tear. “Unless that sounds weird?”

“You enjoy teasing.” He sat beside me. “I enjoy it too.”

“Teasing or being teased?” I couldn’t find so much as a speck of blood. “And where is my road rash?”

After a brief consideration, he decided, “Both.” He pulled my hand away from my knee. “How do you feel?”

“Good. I’m not hurt. I should be, but I’m…” I put two and two together then. “The lust dirt.”

“Yes.” Amusement curled his lips. “The lust dirt.”

“You’re saying the energy we consumed healed me before I drew blood.” I wiggled my finger in the hole again. “That’s crazy.” A flash of how ruined he had been the night Ankou attacked him left my throat dry as dust and desperate to avoid a repeat. “Ankou hurt you so badly you couldn’t heal here, even so close to the cemetery. How did he cage you anyway?”

“He’s an osteokinetic.” He tapped the tip of my shoe. “For that reason, his god gifted him with one of his toe bones. Ankou can shape bone like putty, but divine bones are rare. They can injure or even kill gods if their wounds are severe enough.”

“He tried to kill you.” I placed a hand over his chest, where the worst of the damage had been. “What an asshole.” I couldn’t shake the certainty the cage aspect had been a taunt. “Why aren’t you madder about that?”

“Ankou knows what he’s doing. He incapacitated me and insured I wouldn’t be there to guide or protect you. He would have come for you, if Dis Pater hadn’t intervened, to guarantee your death before my return.”

“Well, he got what he wanted,” I said flatly. “Too bad we still don’t know why he wanted it.”

An incoming text drew my attention to my pocket, and I pulled out my cell.

As if talk of Ankou and his freaky bone manipulation skills had summoned bad news, Carter supplied it.

>>We found bones.

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