Page 25 of Necromancers Don't Raise

Oh, the art drama. “What art did he not sell you? It’s just art. Find something else to want.”

He laughed, a kind of satire of laughter and then leaned close enough that I thought for a second he was going to kiss me. No, of course he wouldn’t do that, not anymore. “Mercury commissioned a statue from the same artist that did the one set up behind her parents.”

Oh, he meant the garden house statue that they’d dragged here for my memorial. “He likes art. He commissioned a statue. You can’t deny the artist the chance to have more than one customer.”

His eyes burned as he spat, “It’s made of blue diamond, and is using my fiancé's face and body as reference. The artist should be sued.”

I stared at him. “He commissioned a statue in blue diamond? Why?”

He shook his head slightly. “He’s here because he was obsessed with her. I just hope she never met him face to face.”

Mercury commissioned a statue of Cassandra Clarence in blue diamond? That was beyond telling. “You really think Mercury was obsessed with your fiancé?” It wasn’t strange that any man was obsessed with her, or me in the past tense, but Mercury? How depressing. One thing was certain, if he liked her, there wasn’t any chance that I was his type anymore. Not that there ever had been.

“Why else would he commission such a thing?”

I sighed and patted his arm. It was so weird to be the invisible ugly girl who wasn’t pretty enough to tempt anybody, but was easy to talk to. “I’ll talk to him about it. Maybe he’ll actually listen to me. It isn’t likely, you know, if she’s his type, I certainly wouldn’t be, but stranger things have happened. So, now that I’ve agreed, what were you doing at the hotel at ten-thirty?”

He narrowed those pretty blue eyes, then sighed. “I suppose that was the deal. I didn’t expect Mercury’s companion to be reasonable. That morning, I was meeting with some members from the show,The Detective Warlock,and ran into Cassandra in the lobby. I didn’t expect to see her there, but I thought it was good for her to get away. She worked too hard. Now I wish she’d kept working and never ditched her bodyguards.”

I patted his arm again. “I’m sorry. Why were you meeting with the cast of the show? Can you give me specific names?”

He pursed his perfect lips as he studied me. “Why are you asking these questions? Why would Mercury’s companion be interested in Cassandra Clarence’s death?”

“Does it matter? We had an agreement.”

“And you’ll actually try to persuade Mercury?” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, unconsciously mussing it. He looked even better with it slightly ruffled. “I’m one of the show’s producers. That means I partially fund it. I had a meeting with Winston, but several of the crew were there. The meeting didn’t go as planned because I saw Cassandra in the lobby, and several of the cast members were her fans, so we made a plan to meet later. Winston invited her for a private meeting, and I tried not to resent it.”

“What about Callie and Bree?”

“She called up to their room, and they met us in the meeting room.”

“You didn’t notify her parents about where she was?”

His jaw clenched. “No. She’s a grown woman. I always thought her mother was too controlling, but…” He studied me suspiciously. “Are you trying to get a story out of me? You don’t look like a reporter, just a sketchy bouncer at the local werewolf club where you keep in the riffraff. Maybe next time you attend a funeral, dress in something resembling a dress.” He glanced down at my long-sleeved black shirt and the armored vest underneath it. His look was so absolutely unappreciative. Every time a handsome, eligible man looked at me, it was filled with glowing approval and desire. In spite of everything, that’s what I expected. Having Philip look at me like that, the slightest curl to his lip as he took in my lack of charms went to my head.

I asked, “Where were you at the time of the fire?”

He scowled at me. “Are you trying to accuse me of somehow starting the fire? You’re absurd. You must be playing detective, but the fire was a devastating tragedy that no one could have stopped.”

“I was actually referring to the fact that somebody cut off all her fingers, but you’re right, I’m absurd.”

His eyes widened as he stared at me, and I kept my fists tightly clenched. “Who are you?” he finally said. “How would you know anything about her death?”

“I was at the scene. I saw her body. I don’t know why the Clarences aren’t doing a thorough investigation of the fire and their deaths. I wonder if they have something to hide, like you.”

He gave me a solid glare. “Now we’re all in on her murder? I’m sure you don’t understand, being the sort of woman who has never had a man’s fervent adoration, but I would never do anything to harm my fiancé. She is…Was,” he corrected with another slight twitch of his eye. “Perfection. I worshipped Cassandra Clarence. Everyone did. I see that you lack understanding.” He gave me one more look-over, this time showing a lot more of his contempt and disgust, before he turned and walked away to accept someone else’s condolences with a smile tinged with grief.

I was almost sure that he didn’t have anything to do with the killer. Good. Excellent, but at the same time, that last glance had cut me to the bone, spilling out all the festering emotions that I’d been trying to keep buried so I didn’t throw myself off a building. Mercury would hate putting me back together again afterwards.

“If you’re finished interrogating guests…” Mercury murmured low, standing behind my left shoulder.

I dropped my plate on the table and turned, coming up against him. He was warm, solid, and he didn’t flinch away from me. He could handle close contact with the most revolting creatures imaginable. I stood on my tiptoes in my borrowed combat boots, slid my hands around his neck, and pressed my lips to his.

I’d clearly lost my mind. One didn’t kiss sorcerers, particularly at funerals, particularly at your own funeral, but everything was madness, in my head, and outside, in this worldwhere my voice, my laughter, kept running in the background, a voice I didn’t have, narrating a life I’d never live.

And my fiancé had looked at me like that. I needed to feel wanted. It wasn’t a logical thing to throw yourself at someone who disliked alive people when you couldn’t bear rejection, but I did, and after a beat of his lips and body freezing in shock at the close contact, he placed his hands around my back and kissed me like…

Fire and flood. Thunder and rage. Hunger mixed with this aching compassion that had me melting against him as all the tension left my body in a rush of relief.

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