Page 87 of Nearly Dead

I can see Anthony isn’t going to stop asking questions until I tell him.I take a deep breath and tell him everything about Conrad’s final moments, the release of the trapped spirits, and Leviathan’s apparent destruction.

“There’s something else.”I hesitate before mentioning my new ability.“When I was trapped, I moved things.Without touching them.”

Anthony gives a small smile, but I sense his surprise.“Telekinesis?”

“I don’t know what to call it.It just happened.Like the power that freed Conrad somehow stayed inside me.”

He’s quiet for a moment, processing.“I mean, maybe the spirits Leviathan had imprisoned transferred their residual power to you when you freed them.”

“Really?How is it even possible?I’ve never been able to harness my own magic.”

“In the supernatural world, many things are possible that shouldn’t be.You’re a Devine.Our blood was made to carry magic.”He reaches out to tousle my hair and I swat him away.“About damn time, if you think about it.We always knew mortals were slow on the uptake but talk about a late bloomer.”

“You know, this is the first time I’ve ridden in a car with you driving.This feels more dangerous than fighting zombies.”

“What are you implying?”He smirks.

“I think it’s pretty obvious you’re a pampered golden boy.”I keep a straight face.“Or was it pretty little mama’s boy?”

“You’re an asshole,” Anthony laughs.

I chuckle.“Guess that runs in our Devine blood as well.”

“In all seriousness though, Tam-tam, when we were kids and I promised we’d find a way to make you immortal, I didn’t mean for you to doallthe ways.No need to show everyone up to become a vampire-werewolf-magic.One would have sufficed.”

I know it’s his way of saying he’s glad I’m alive.

“I love you, too, brother,” I answer.

As we approach the estate gates, our teasing fades and we both sit straighter in our seats.Something feels off.The spells along the borders are dimmer than usual.It’s a bad sign in a house as security conscious as the Devine estate.

“Does this feel right to you?”I ask.

Anthony’s grip tightens on the steering wheel.“No.I sense it too.”

We cautiously pass through the gates.The house is eerily quiet.Zombies still lay on the lawn from earlier in the night.The broken front door is ajar.There are no lights in the windows.Even the fountain in the circular drive is silent.

“Did the electricity go out?”I frown.“Is that even possible?”

Anthony parks and Costin appears at my window before I can open the door.My leg and chest have already begun to heal.The vampire blood in my veins works its magic, but I’m still unsteady.He helps me from the car.

“Did something else happen after we left?”I ask Costin.

“I checked most of the house.I didn’t find anyone inside,” he answers.“No bodies beyond our little friends out here where we left them.”

“Did Astrid sound worried when you talked to her?”I ask Anthony.

“She sounded like Astrid,” he says.“Pissed at Leviathan and Mortimer about the corpses on the lawn and the broken artwork.She was getting it cleaned up.I don’t think she’d ever leave the house like this.Not willingly.”

“Do you think Mortimer came back?”I suggest.

“No,” Costin says, his voice tight.“This was Elizabeth.”

My blood runs cold.“How do you know?”

“Her scent is everywhere.And this—” He holds up a ruby pendant.“She left it deliberately.She wants us to know it was her.”

“Your sister?”Anthony frowns.“Why would Astrid go with her?”

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