Page 56 of Deadly Lineage
“She retired the year I entered seventh grade. I think I broke her.”
Momma’s chuckle thickened into something gleeful, washing away the earlier gloom. “I doubt it, but who can say. I still think you gave it your best. Math has simply never been a strongsuit. No one can be good at everything, Erasmus. That simply wouldn’t be fair.”
Dear Gaia, I loved the woman sitting beside me.
Leaning into the softness of the couch, Momma and I sat silently. The air-conditioning kicked on and off and still we sat, simply enjoying each other’s company. Momma’s death grip finally eased, allowing blood to circulate through my fingers again. Darkness swam around my home, the soft lighting inside pushing away its empty call.
For a moment, I thought Momma might have fallen asleep. I knew my eyelids were heavy. The stress of the day, combined with bringing Linus Remington’s soul back, weighed on me. Sleep was a heady drug I was ready to embrace.
Momma erased that sleepy ease when she asked, “Does your father know about your detective?”
I almost swallowed my tongue. “Know what?” I hedged.
Momma smacked my arm. “Youknow what. Don’t play coy. I’m only asking because you know how he is and…” Momma sighed. “I think Nikodemus always hoped you’d find a longer-lived mate, someone you could bond to that might share their lifespan.”
I swear my heart stuttered. “Pops wants me to tie myself to…” My mind spun with the possibilities. “He seriously thought I’d fall in love with and become someone else’s true mate?”
Different species called it different things. Warlocks and witches called it their one and only. Vampires termed them beloveds. Weres often referred to their destined matches as mates. Pixies occasionally bonded with a living individual. Every species was different. Humans didn’t create eternal, unbreakable bonds—at least not with each other. There were occasional tales of them creating that kind of bond with someone from another species, but it wasn’t that common.
If a human did find such a match, their lifespans took on that of the longer-lived species. And not just humans—all species seemed to operate that way.
“Can you truly blame him?” Momma asked, her voice soft. “He loves you and wants to keep you with him as long as possible. It would have been a solution.”
Any ease I’d found vanished under the boulder-sized weight crushing my chest. “I think it’s a little early to declare Franklin my forever mate. Tonight was the first time we even kissed, let alone anything else.” I liked Franklin. I liked him a lot. However, that didn’t automatically equate to forever.
“I see,” Momma said with a knowing cadence. “I understand your point. What I also understand is that you don’t do things by halves. I meant what I said earlier. You give everything one hundred percent, and if you believe Detective O’Hare is worth kissing, then I suspect you believe he’s worth a whole lot more. I’m not saying you need to tell your father right away, just… If it does turn into something serious, keep him in the loop.”
I fought the urge to rub my hand over my chest. The ache there was a palpable thing, and I didn’t think it was going anywhere soon.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Momma.” I’d not only keep it in mind—I’d obsesses over it until my temples pounded and my heart hurt.
Chapter
Eighteen
Franklin
“This is a shit show. Pure and simple.” Detective Harrison threw a file down on my desk. A couple of sheets of paper poked out but didn’t go sliding across the surface. “I was happy just sitting on the sidelines and offering up advice on your shredded soul cases. I had absolutely zero desire to see one firsthand.” Pulling up a nearby chair, Harrison practically fell onto its hard surface. She was small enough that the chair appeared to swallow her.
I plucked the folder, tugging it closer. “Information on Linus Remington, I assume?”
Harrison nodded, her face pinched and lips drawn into a thin line. “What little there is. I’ve got more information, but not much. First off, he’s a panther shifter originally from Florida. Parents are deceased. No siblings. Moved to Mississippi seven months ago and has moved around doing odd jobs and construction. Panthers aren’t known to form packs like some of the other shifters. They’re loners by nature.”
I’m not sure why I was disappointed. Harrison hadn’t told me anything I didn’t expect, except maybe what type of shifterRemington was. I’d figured some type of mammalian predator, but hadn’t been able to figure out anything more than that.
“Have you been able to contact anyone regarding the shape we found him in?”
Harrison held up a hand and rocked it back and forth. “Sort of. I spoke with the captain and she contacted the Magical Usage Council for me. They gave her a name of a panther shifter I could contact. I just got off the phone with her.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Anything helpful?”
“Not really. She confirmed what we all thought—dying and remaining in a partially shifted form shouldn’t be possible.” Harrison swallowed visibly. “I hate to say this, but it looks like Boone’s theory might hold more water than I’d like.”
I nodded, thinking the same thing. It was a hell of a situation to contemplate. The horror of it made my stomach churn. It took me a couple of deep breaths before I was able to say, “I’m not exactly sure how that helps us.”
“Neither am I. Like I said, this is a shit show. I’d like to exit the theater if possible.”
“Not a chance, Harrison. You’re stuck with me until the show’s over.”
