Page 94 of Deadly Lineage
“Where is he?” Holland said by way of greeting.
I swallowed but held my ground and answered honestly. “I have no idea.” Anger flushed Holland’s cheeks and I hastened to add, “You can be pissed with me all you like, but I guarantee you nothing you can say or do will match the shit I’ve already told myself. Now, we can either stand here being shitty with each other, or I can tell you what I know, and we can work together to get Boone back.”
I stood there, chest heaving and wondering if I’d just signed my own death warrant. I thought the idea crossed Holland’s mind but, in the end, he stood down and said, “I assume you have transportation.”
“You assume correctly. Do we need to stop to get your bags?”
“I only brought the carry-on,” he answered, matching my stride. “You are obviously aware Erasmus activated his communication charm.”
I didn’t bother answering and instead said, “He’s been missing for approximately six hours. The charm just activated about thirty minutes ago.”
“Six hours? Curious. Why wait so long?”
With a deep inhale, I launched into what I knew of Boone’s timeline, finishing with the sleeping dust I’d found and speculating that could be the answer to Boone’s delayed SOS. Holland’s fingers clenched, their blackened tips stark against his otherwise pallid skin.
“This McCallister will pay,” Holland said, slamming the passenger door before he reached under his seat and adjusted the seat as far back as it could go.
I sincerely hoped so and said as much. I also tempered it with my concern. “We don’t know what McCallister is capable of.”
Holland scoffed. “He is a necromancer. His abilities are nothing compared to mine. When I reach Erasmus’s home, I will be able to scry his whereabouts. It will be a simple matter of finding him, infiltrating the hole this McCallister has crawled into, and killing him. If he has injured my son, then his death will be most unpleasant.”
“Erasmus doesn’t want that,” a feminine, yet flat voice said.
My hands jerked, taking the car with me and earning half a dozen honks on the interstate. God only knew how we didn’t wind up in an accident.
“Christ, Aurelia.” My heart fluttered and my adrenaline spiked. “We need to work on your timing, and your understanding that it is averybad idea to simply show up out of fucking nowhere when a human is driving.”
“Aurelia? Djinn.” That last word came out a garbled mess as Holland twisted in his seat and stared into the back of my SUV.
“Warlock,” Aurelia answered in kind. She didn’t sound the least bit flustered or intimidated.
I glanced into the review mirror, eyes connecting with Aurelia’s. “You’ve seen Boone?” I asked hopefully.
“He does not wish you to come,” she said, turning her attention to Holland. “I agreed to pass along that message and that is all.”
I was afraid she was about to leave and begged, “Is there anything else? Why doesn’t he want his father to come for him?” Boone had said that Aurelia could be cryptic and didn’t often see the necessity of descriptive conversations.
“You will tell us what we need to know,” Holland demanded angrily.
Aurelia’s lips pulled back, showing glimmering white teeth. “I am not required to tell you anything, warlock. My choices are my own.” Pride shimmered through those final words.
“Then your master is foolish,” Holland argued. I wasn’t completely certain I disagreed, but now certainly wasn’t the time.
While Boone had more experience with Aurelia, I’d paid attention to their interactions as well as my own. The situation needed an ice-cold bucket of water thrown on it. “Thank you for agreeing to pass along Boone’s message, Aurelia,” I said, ignoring Holland’s disapproving growl. “Is there anything else you would be willing to share?”
I prayed that Holland would keep his arrogant mouth shut, and for once, he did. Aurelia contemplated my question quietly and came to a decision. “The necromancer is bait. His captor desires the warlock.” Aurelia pointed at Holland. “I am uncertain how, but this individual is capable ofinterestingthings. I have not encountered his like before and his abilities concern both me and Erasmus.”
That might have been the longest sentence I’d ever heard Aurelia speak. I shot a harried glance Holland’s direction. “McCallister wants Boone’s father?”
“That is what I said.”
My brow furrowed and I asked, “Why?”
“I am not fully certain.”
Holland’s growl was deeper and increasingly vicious.
“Thank you, Aurelia. You’ve been very helpful. I don’t suppose you know where Boone is?” Holland said he could scry for Boone’s location, but if we could save a step or two, then I was all for it. I wanted Boone back, and I wanted him back now.
