Page 76 of Shadow Bound

“I’ve been seeing Alexandre,” she rushes out. “He started appearing to me in Colorado when Remi and I found Ransom and you in a somewhat compromising position. He didn’t say anything at first, just stood around observing. A couple of times he made some less than nice comments about Ransom and you being…together.” We’re not together, but that doesn’t seem like an important point right now. “He’s been lurking around every day since Colorado, but this morning, he said, ‘tell Izzy I’m sorry’ and then he vanished.”

This is a lot for me to wrap my head around. “Where did he go? Did he move on?”

Winslow shakes her head. “No, that’s the problem. I’ve seen many spirits move on. This wasn’t like that, it’s like his spirit was snatched away. His face was horrified as it happened. Something is wrong. I don’t know if they did something to his body, maybe they just cremated him or something…”

“That doesn’t make any sense, them cremating his body wouldn’t do that…” I trail off, a horrifying thought filling my head. The horror must reflect on my face because both Winslow and Ranger ask me what’s wrong.

The words struggle to come out when I finally speak. “It’s my turn to be honest with you,” I tell the witch below me. Hopping off the tree, I land softly in front of her. “I know who your birth father is. His name is Kaius, and he’s the last full-blooded necromancer in the world. He’s also one of Sterling’s most trusted allies, mainly because Kaius resurrected Sterling decades ago.”

Winslow’s jaw about hits the dirt and Ranger turns stiff next to her. “My father?”

“Don’t get excited, Winnie, all the humanity in Kaius has been burned away after centuries of using the dark magic necromancers possess.” Dark magic and resurrection run on soul energy. Each spell he did and each person he brought back, burned away his soul until he turned into a soulless, nonfeeling being. A true psychopath if you will.

“Centuries? How is that possible, I thought necromancers aged like humans?” Ranger asks.

“They do, unless they figure out how to steal souls from others. If they do that, they can live forever. They can also implant stolen souls into others, also granting them a twisted sense of immortality.” I struggle with whether or not I should divulge more information but decide I should. I’m tired of keeping the Weylyns in the dark. “He’s been doing that for Sterling for decades.”

Sterling has died more times than I can count, but he always has Kaius there to bring him back when his self-inflicted experiments go wrong. Kaius is constantly stealing souls for Sterling.

Winslow is silent for a minute as she tries to swallow the information I’d just dumped on her. Finally, she cocks her head at me. “What does this have to do with Alexandre?”

My throat is tight as I say the words. “I think they’re bringing Alex back.”

“Back?”

“Back from the dead,” I clarify.

Ranger curses under his breath. He got lucky that he died right in front of a necromancer and was only dead for a couple of minutes. Because of this, he doesn’t suffer from any of the horrible side effects. People resurrected after a long time, don’t come back the same. Their souls are broken and damaged, and the energy that keeps them alive isn’t theirs anymore. It’s foreign and stolen. Their body, while theirs, no longer feels like theirs.

For many, they found peace in the afterlife, and then they’re abruptly brought back. The transition is never easy. The good part of their personalities is often burned away in the process and they come back wicked and vile.

If they’re bringing Alexandre back after he’s been on ice for over a year, the monster he was when he died will only be multiplied.

“Come on, we need to go tell everyone else,” he urges, gesturing to the house that looms behind us.

Ranger and I both take a step in that direction, but Winslow’s hand suddenly snaps out and holds my forearm with a shockingly strong grip.

“Winslow?” I question softly.

Her eyes are huge when she drags her gaze to meet mine, she’s also as white as a…ghost? A look of pure horror sits on her elfin like face. “I think I know what he’s getting.”

“Who, baby?” Ranger presses, his big hands gently hold her shoulders from behind.

“Noah,” she stammers. “I think I know what he’s getting in return for going to war with us. What’s the one thing he wants right now, but can’t have? What can a necromancer offer him?”

My blood runs cold as my brain starts to put together the pieces she’s giving me. “Oh no.” It’s my turn to shake my head in disbelief. “You don’t think…” I can’t say it.

“They’re going to resurrect Addison.”

“That’s not possible!” Ranger frowns. “She’s been buried in a pine box for almost ten months. Her body wouldn’t even be recognizable. What exactly would they be bringing her back in? Her body looks like an extra from a zombie horror movie right now.”

Ranger and Winslow begin to bicker about this, I wait for a chance to interact, but they’re equally matched when it comes to their stubbornness. Having enough of it, I place myself between them and shove them apart.

Looking at the man who looks so much like the man I’m falling for, I explain, “You’re right, Addison’s body right now is probably something from a horror movie. It won’t be for much longer though, not only does stealing souls make Kaius basically immortal, but it makes him incredibly powerful. The power from the souls will fuel his magic and he’ll be able to make Addison and Alex look almost like they did when they were alive.” Almost. Their eyes will be that milky blue dead color and their skin tone will never be the same. They’ll be grayish, and well… dead looking.

“We don’t even know if Winslow is right,” Ranger reminds me. “We could be wrong.”

“There’s one foolproof way to find out,” I say. “Where is Addison buried?”

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