Page 13 of Deadly Lineage
I could hear the sneer in Holland’s voice. “Impossible. Priests and priestesses cannot harness the soul. They reanimate theflesh, nothing more. Gaia, what are they teaching humans these days?”
“Pops,” Boone admonished. “I asked you to be nice. Detective O’Hare is one of the good ones. He’s trying to learn. Making humans feel ignorant when asking questions is what makes them stop asking.”
Another moment of silence reigned before Holland unexpectedly conceded the point. “Apologies, Detective. My son, as usual, is annoyingly correct.”
Boone’s grin lit up his face. “It’s okay, Pops. We’re all learning how to get along.”
“Yes… I suppose…” Holland didn’t sound nearly as certain as his son. Boone only laughed.
“Thank you for the information, Warlock Holland. As I said earlier, I appreciate your time.” Being polite rarely hurt, and for a multitude of reasons, I did not want to make an enemy of Warlock Nikodemus Holland.
“You are welcome, Detective. Now, if I may be so bold, my son is very precious to me. I would be most distressed if something were to happen to him while in your care. Do you understand?”
My back stiffened, shoulders thrown back and jaw locked down tight. Oh, I understood the threat all right. It should have scared me more than it did. Fear of Warlock Holland wasn’t the cause of my unease. It was the thought of something happening to Boone—whether under my watch or not.
Before Boone could chastise his father, I answered, “I assure you, my distress would equal yours. You can entrust your son to my care.” It was a strange answer, and I wasn’t at all certain what prompted me to say those words. Regardless, they seemed sufficient.
“That is excellent news, Detective. Excellent news indeed.”
I barely heard Boone’s goodbyes and could hardly remember grabbing my jacket and turning toward the steps and brick path leading to my car. I do remember Boone standing on his porch, hands gripping the railing as I drove away.
Chapter
Five
Erasmus
“He is an interesting human.”
I barely twitched. Aurelia didn’t so much as sneak up on me as she simply popped up. Gone one second and there the next. The first few times I thought I’d die young of heart failure. Thankfully, my body adjusted to surprise remarkably well.
“Very interesting,” I agreed readily as I watched Franklin’s taillights fade.
“It will be entertaining, observing human mating behavior.”
I’d raised my glass of tea to my lips, but thankfully hadn’t drunk yet when Aurelia spouted that nonsense. “Mating behavior?”
“Hmm,” Aurelia hummed before sitting on my swing. Most likely she remained hidden from general view, and if any of my neighbors passed by my house, they’d likely think that I’d conjured a ghost who enjoyed a lazy afternoon swing on my front porch.
I wanted to correct Aurelia but couldn’t find the words. Instead, I asked, “Can djinn tear apart a soul?”
Aurelia didn’t stop swinging, but her eyes went distant with thought. “Why would one wish to do so?”
“I have no idea, and that’s not what I asked. Could it be done?”
“It would depend on one’s restrictions. I hold no such boundaries and doubt other djinn do either. Our restrictions reflect the fears of those who created us. I do not believe a shredded soul was something our witch creators considered.” She shrugged. “If it were, then they would have added it.” Aurelia didn’t seem bothered by the thought.
“So, that means we can’t rule out a possible djinn connection.”
“To the murdered witch?”
“Yeah.” I deflated, leaning against the railing much like Franklin had. “Just trying to make a list of possible suspects. In this case, those aren’t names, but species that could actually tear a soul apart. The list is a little longer than I’d originally thought it might be.” I cringed at the thought. Pops said a warlock could manage it, but they’d need a necromancer to help. That wasn’t as beyond the realm of possibility as one might think. While most warlocks shunned their necromancer sons, not all did. My pops was a good example.
Aurelia kicked her feet and the metal chain holding the swing creaked. I made a mental note to oil it soon.
“I do not see why you are so concerned. The death of a witch is nothing to mourn.” Aurelia’s words were sharper than any metallic blade.
Inhaling, I swallowed my gasp. “All life is precious, Aurelia.”
