“Izabela.”
“The witch? Why?”
As succinctly as possible, he told her what Izabela had said.
Rosa stared at him, wide-eyed with disbelief, and then shook her head. “That’s impossible.”
“I always thought so.”
“Poor Rhinehart. Do you think he knows?”
Kincaid shrugged. “How could he not? I mean, if you had an evil spirit inside you, I’m pretty sure you’d feel it.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Hell, I don’t know. Killing Rhinehart seems like the only solution.”
Rosa’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t? I mean, you can’t. Paul hasn’t done anything except try to help. And what if you kill Rhinehart and it doesn’t kill Luca?”
“I have no idea. I’ve never heard of anything like this. I mean, disembodied evil spirits are one thing, but Luca was human. At least I thought he was.” Kincaid shook his head. “I’m hoping Izabela or Saintcrow can come up with an answer.”
“You’ll have to find him first.”
Kincaid grunted softly. Luca had been seeking vengeance against him for almost a hundred years. He doubted the necromancer would give up now.
Who would have thought there were scarier things in the world than vampires and necromancers? How many other supernatural creatures lurked in the shadows? Maybe werewolves and zombies weren’t just fictional monsters but living, breathing creatures hiding in the shadows.
Rosa shivered as she snuggled closer to Jake, wondering if she would ever feel truly safe again.
Unable to rest, Kincaid prowled the streets of Morgan Creek after Rosa retired for the night. How dangerous was Luca if he was inhabiting Rhinehart’s body? Did the necromancer still possess his own powerful magic? Was he fully in control of Rhinehart? Would Luca’s power over the hunter increase day by day? Or weaken? Was there a way to destroy Luca without destroying Rhinehart? Would killing Rhinehart also kill the witch? Or would he just jump into the nearest host?
So many questions, he thought bleakly. Who the hell had the answers?
There was only one thing he knew for sure. If Rhinehart so much as threatened Rosa, he was a dead man.
A thought took him to Izabela’s house.
She answered the door before he knocked. “I have been expecting you, Jake Kincaid. Do you mean me any harm?”
“Never.” She asked the same question every time he came to call. He followed her into the house, sat in the chair she indicated.
“What can I do for you?”
Kincaid shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Have you come for a sleeping potion?”
“Hell, no.”
“I am very good at what I do,” she said. “But you must know it will take more than an hour or two to solve this problem.”
“I know. But lives hang in the balance.”
“Have you been in touch with Rhinehart since this happened?”
“No.”
“In order to understand what we’re dealing with, either you or Saintcrow need to contact him. It is the only way to determine the extent of Luca’s power.”