Page 79 of Deadly Lineage
My gut clenched and a gust of air exited my open mouth. “You…what? How?”
“Are you freaking out on me, Franklin?”
“A little, yeah.”
Instead of putting him off, Boone grinned. “It freaked me out too. Still does.” Eyes slipping closed, Boone’s grin fell and he grew serious. “What witches did to create djinn really is horrible. They took living humans—or at least, the two djinn I’ve met were created from humans— hollowed them out, leaving little more than a shell, and packed that shell full of magic. You can get rid of the physical stuff, but the soul is different. I don’t think they fully knew what to do with it but as the saying goes, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and the witches of old found a genius solution. Depraved, but smart. Instead of trying to destroy their souls, they attached them to something physical.”
“Their object of attachment. Christ, that’s why it’s so important?”
Boone gave a miniscule nod. “It is. Witch, warlock, and necromancer history is a bit convoluted, but the important part is that back when djinn were created, necromancers didn’t exist. Witches had no way of knowing that one day, a species would appear that could undo what they did.”
I sat there, completely dumbfounded. Processing Boone’s words took time, putting the pieces together a little longer, but once they started slotting into place, the puzzle took shape quickly. “You can bring their souls back.”
“I can. It’s not like with the dead. Djinn aren’t exactly dead, but the principle’s the same. I can put their souls back into their bodies. It’s funny. Everyone says that only fairies and brownies are magic—that the rest of the speciesmanipulatemagic or bend it to their will, and that humans are the least magical of all. I’d beg to differ. The soul is the most magical of all and it trumps all other forms of magic. I wasn’t sure what would happen with Janus when I—”
“Janus?”
“It’s a long story, but Janus is another djinn I met.” Boone’s lips twisted like he’d tasted something sour. “Sadistic fucker, nothing like Aurelia.”
“I’ll have to take your word for that.”
Boone let loose a quick chuckle before he grew serious again. “I wasn’t certain what would happen when I returned Janus’s soul to his body. I had an idea but didn’t know for sure. It could have gone worse. I thought he might immediately age and turn to dust. That didn’t happen.”
“Whatdidhappen?” I felt like a kid sitting in the movie theater, eagerly waiting for the previews to end so I could get the juicy flick I’d been waiting a lifetime to see.
“He reverted to what he was before his body was twisted with magic. Janus became human again. No magical abilities, no more object of attachment, no more master, no more immortality.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.” Boone finally sat up and stretched his legs out in front of him. Running his fingers through his sweaty hair, he stared across the lawn again. “He could have lived like that. He was still young. That’s not what he chose.”
I swallowed hard. “What did he choose?”
Boone grunted. “The idiot challenged a three-hundred-year-old vamp and his mate with nothing more than a lot of arrogance and a dagger. Suffice to say, he didn’t last long.”
My mild alcoholic buzz deserted me and I was left reeling in a world where a better, stronger, alcoholic buzz would be very welcome.
My brain felt cluttered, but one thought stuck out and I asked, “Does Aurelia know?”
Another bark of laughter answered me. “She was there, saw the whole thing.”
Heart hammering, I glanced around, sure Aurelia was lurking in a corner somewhere.
“She’s not here. Or, at least, I don’t think she’s here.” Boone shrugged as if it weren’t important. I begged to differ.
“You could kill her. Christ, Boone. You’re possibly the only one alive that could do that.” Sure, there were other necromancers, but from what little I understood, Erasmus Boone was maybe not one of a kind, but one of the most talented. Not all necromancers could return a soul to its body. In fact, most couldn’t.
“I know, and so does Aurelia. I’ve offered to return her soul. Not to kill her, but to free her from an endless existence of servitude. So far, she’s declined. I know it sounds weird, but it’s a game of trust. Aurelia trusts that I won’t do that unless she asks, and I trust that she won’t kill me before I get a chance to return her soul.”
My eyes burned from staring. I simply couldn’t stop. “You’re playing a game of chicken with a djinn?”
Boone’s lazy grin grew slowly. “Yeah, I guess you could look at it that way, but I’m not worried.”
That was okay. I could be worried enough for the both of us. God above, how was I supposed to keep Boone safe? How was I going to make sure I didn’t lose the best thing I’d ever found? Suddenly, staying awake tonight didn’t seem like a problem. Right now, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to sleep again.
Chapter
Twenty-Five
