Page 46 of Deadly Deception
I grinned like a joyous kid. “Good to know.”
“Now, since you haven’t vomited within recent memory…” Franklin’s eyebrows waggled suggestively before he leaned down again, capturing my lips and snaking his hands under my shirt. I arched off the bed, loving the feel of his thick fingers dancing across my skin. Wrapping my leg around Franklin’s thigh, I pulled him closer, rubbing our hardening cocks together.
Ringing sounded in the distance and I vaguely recognized Pops’s ringtone. I let it go to voicemail. I’d probably pay for that later. Right now, all I could think about was how quickly I could get out of my pants. If Franklin’s frantic movements were any indication, that’s all that was on his mind also. It was good being in sync with your significant other.
Lying in bed, completely, blissfully, fucked out was heavenly. The hum of the shower sounded in the background. Franklin would most likely take another one in the morning. The man loved being clean. Tonight, I’d settled on a quick wipe down with a warm, wet washcloth. I was too sleepy to contemplate hopping in a shower. I was clean enough I wouldn’t stick to the sheets or Franklin, and I was definitely planning on covering Franklin’s body like a human blanket when he crawled into bed.
I yawned, and my eyes slipped closed. Pops’s ringtone pulled me from my blissful mental wanderings. With a groan, I rummaged through the covers, looking for my wayward phone. I found it under Franklin’s pillow. I managed to answer right before the call went to voicemail.
“Hey, Pops,” I answered on a yawn, making my words garbled.
“Erasmus? Is that you?”
“Sorry, it’s me. I’m just…tired.” That wasn’t a lie, but I wasn’t about to tell my popswhyI was so tired. You did not discuss sexy times with your parents.
“I’m sorry for bothering you. I was mostly calling to check in on you. I’ve been worried.” Pops sounded genuinely worried.
“No, it’s okay.” My grin was automatic. Franklin was right. Being loved could sometimes be a burden, but it was 100 percent worth it. No contest. “I don’t like that I made you worry, but I like that you care.”
Pops grumbled something. Warlock Nikodemus Holland didn’t do sappy. I could easily envision his twisted lips and narrowed eyes, his gaze tracking anywhere but directly at me. Wanting to ease Pops’s discomfort, I said, “Besides, I wanted to talk to you anyway.”
“Oh? What about?” Pops was instantly curious. “Do you need refills on any of your charms?”
“No, not yet.” If things kept going the way they were, I’d need more pain charms and possibly more protective ones. That also reminded me that I hadn’t set the alarm charm. Reluctantly, I pushed the sheets aside and scanned the floor for my jacket. Rummaging around in a pocket, I found the charm I was looking for. “Just a heads-up, in case you’ve rigged this charm to alert you too, I’m getting ready to activate the alarm charm. Franklin and I are in for the night.”
“I will only be notified if that charm is tripped by unwanted visitors,” Pops noted. I was glad he couldn’t see me roll my eyes. I had no idea what he expected to do all the way on the West Coast when I was in the Midwest.
“Lovely,” I deadpanned.
“It is, isn’t it?” There was a lot of satisfaction in Pops’s tone.
I sighed, knowing this argument really wasn’t worth the effort. Like all of Pops’s other charms, this one was easilyactivated. Crawling back under the covers, I said, “I want to try and find other necromancers.”
The silence was near deafening. Pops’s single question of “why?” was all the answer he finally offered.
Finding the words wasn’t nearly the struggle I’d thought it would be. “Because they weren’t as fortunate as me.”
Pops’s released a deep breath. “Erasmus, that’s because—”
“I know what you’re going to say. I’ve heard it before and that’s not the argument I want to get involved in right now. I don’t care about their warlock fathers, and I only care about their human mothers as a possible way to find them.” All my earlier blissful ease was gone, replaced by a growing sickness forming in my gut. My voice was barely audible when I finally said, “You didn’t see him, Pops.”
“Who?”
“Navarre, the necromancer Franklin and I were called to help. But I could only clear him of murder charges. Navarre needs so much more than that. And you and I both know he’s not the only one. Necromancers have been left floundering for too long. They live on the fringes of society, trying to make it off the scraps they’re thrown. It needs to stop. I want to make it stop.”
Pops was so silent I was afraid the call had been dropped. I sat there, patiently waiting for him to process my words. Pops didn’t let me down. I didn’t know if he was capable of doing anything less. “It won’t be easy. In fact, this task might be impossible. While you may be able to locate them, I do not know how you plan to help.”
“Truthfully, I’m not sure either. I’m going to start with Navarre and go from there—one necromancer at a time.” I relayed my discussion with Frost and my hopes that the Magical Usage Council would get involved.
Pops listened attentively. When I was done laying everything out, Pops simply said, “I do not know if this plan will bear thefruit you desire, but as always, I will do what I can to assist. I will need to speak with the Warlock Council to get permission to obtain the names of necromancer mothers. I was able to bypass this step before because the search parameters were far narrower and a young warlock was a victim. I have influence, but I may not have enough.”
“Do you think Vander would help?” Vander Kines was a pretty exceptional warlock living on the East Coast. He’d found his one and only in a pixie named Parsnip. Vander was younger than Pops and probably didn’t have as much warlock clout, but he made up for it by havinginterestingfriends.
Pops scoffed. “I doubt that will be necessary, but I will bear it in mind and utilize his name as a last resort.” If Pops had an Achilles’ heel, it was his pride. Arrogance made the list too.
“Thanks, Pops.”
“Of course.”
