Page 14 of Jacinth

An individual sat in the center of the room, his face curiously obscured. This small detail informed me the Fates were helping me whilst not messing with their precious pattern. It was always an interesting balance. They would weave the base, and free will would color the palette.

For example: they could, say, show me my mate and her death, and my brother’s free will could keep me from getting to her in time to save her life. Not that I was bitter.

Orion’s escort seated himself to the right of the Prime Elder. The man looked to have been formed around the time of the mountains, and his gravel voice added to this idea as he demanded Orion state his name and business.

“I am Orion, necromancer apprentice of the first degree. Assessed level of power nine and twelve.”

The elder’s eyebrow twitched. I didn’t know what Orion was declaring, but he sounded a lot less self-important than he did when talking to Niko or myself. Did we have formal education? No. But the powers within each of us were as significant as those Orion held. I could categorically say there were none in history stronger than us three. I had looked.

I tuned back into my brother’s speech as he turned toward the obscured one. “Night before last, I paid witness to a criminal theft of the power of necromancy and, in interceding, became a victim to such crime myself.”

“And will you name the accused?”

Orion’s eyes darted to the door, a muscle ticking in his jaw before he took a deep breath and bowed to the elders. “It was Alisdair, necromancer apprentice of the third degree. Assessed level of power—”

“Thank you, Orion, that is sufficient.”

Orion sagged. His shoulders rolled in as he kept his eyes away from the faceless man. I wondered how much time had passed between this event and present.

It happened in an instant.

The accused stood from his seat, and opening his arms wide, shouted a command. I stumbled forward with my brother, as though I could help, as though—

The blast of a car horn shocked me backward onto my ass in the gutter of an unfamiliar street. I waved an apology as I climbed to my feet and realized I was completely lost.

CHAPTER 12

Niko

I didn’t even knowher goddamn name. The thought irked me as I left Orion to his own company. Screw him with his ‘parlor tricks’. If I had a mate, and I was pretty damn sure I did, I wasn’t questioning my luck or looking for an out.

I was all in.

Without the amulet, at least the options for where to find her were limited. I just had to walk through a cemetery.

Full of ghosts.

Who would know I could see, touch, feel—pick a sense, any sense.

Shit.

One minor consolation on my return trip, my hangover seemed to have disappeared in all the drama. The lingering tremors in my hands and whispering thoughts of drinking away my anger at Orion were a concern, but a very distant second on my priority list behind finding and figuring out a way to keep my mate.

The discordant song I had been trying to ignore once again broke through my concentration.

“Harley! Seriously, tell me where your bones are so I can leave you in the cemetery where you belong!”

The advertisement ditty—was that an old detergent ad she had been singing all this time?—didn’t miss a beat until completed. Only then did my unwanted attachment deign to acknowledge me.

“Y’know, you could be a liiiiiiittle nicer to me.”

I shrugged, unrepentant, as I looked both ways before crossing a quiet street. Harley skipped beside me as I finally reached the long fence that led to the entry gate.

“I could be good for you.”

“We’ve been through this. I do not want you. Sexually or otherwise. Have you already forgotten we’re going to find my mate?”

“Hmmmm, yes, and I’m really glad you are going to get her first.” Her tone of voice was off, but this close to where I needed to be, I let it pass.

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