Page 44 of Deadly Deception
“We?” I asked.
Boone chewed on his bottom lip. “I didn’t mean to drag you into this mess. By ‘we’ I mean other necromancers and myself. Maybe I could even get Pops involved.”
“I fully expect to be a part of thatwegroup. I’m not sure what help I can be, but you’ve got me. I told you before, Erasmus, you’re stuck with me. I’m not going anywhere.”
Boone sucked in a halting breath, and when I glanced his direction, his green eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
“I think we should talk with your pops. It might be a good way to start tracking necromancers down.” My gut clenched at the idea of interacting with Boone’s pops. Warlock Holland found it amusing to fuck around and intimidate me. His antics worked. The trick was not letting on just how much the warlock got under my skin.
“Warlocks don’t keep track of their necromancer sons,” Boone protested.
“No, but they keep track of the mothers that birth them. It’s a starting point. Maybe that’s how I can help. I’ll ask Captain Cicely when we get back home. I don’t think she’ll mind me using police resources. You’re right, there needs to be an accounting of necromancers for everyone’s benefit.” Memories of Dr. McCallister flooded my mind. Before we’d known who we were looking for, all Boone and I knew was that a necromancer was most likely behind the shredded souls we kept encountering. However, even Boone didn’t know if there were other necromancers nearby, let alone what their abilities were. We wasted a lot of time and resources diving down that rabbit hole.
“You’re right,” Boone agreed. “Gaia, I hadn’t considered that.” Blowing out a deep breath, he said “A lot of necromancers won’t want to be found, let alone registered. I don’t want to make this something they’re afraid of and I don’t know how to do that. I understand their fear. The ones that can cope with their abilities are most likely just trying to fly under the radar and live a peaceful life far away from those that detest them. Pulling them out of the darkness and placing them under a spotlight won’t be welcome. I don’t want them to feel like they’re being hunted or catalogued for nefarious reasons.”
We were nearing an exit with several food options. “See anything that sounds good?”
Boone read the advertisements and said, “I think I could go for something sit-down. I’m tired of fast food and pizza.”
“Steak, seafood, or pasta?”
Boone gave it some consideration before answering, “I’d go for some pasta.”
“Italian it is.” I pulled off onto the exit and steered the SUV toward a chain Italian restaurant. “This okay?” I asked as I pulled into the parking lot.
“Perfect,” Boone answered easily.
Putting the SUV in park, I kept the engine and heat turned on. Slipping out of my seatbelt, I turned my attention to Boone. He mimicked my actions, eyebrows raised in curiosity. While trying to decide on a restaurant, I’d been considering my words carefully. “I hate to ask this, but do necromancers have cause to be worried? What I mean to say is, will placing them on a registry of some kind place them in danger?”
Boone’s curiosity quickly turned into hesitation. “I don’t know. I’m sort of an out and proud necromancer, but I’ve also got good backup. You could argue that if I kept my abilities to myself, I could probably pass as human, at least to most. But I wasn’t raised that way. Momma and Pops never wanted me hide who I was or what I could do. They said that would be a lie that would ultimately hurt me more than help me. I won’t lie, there were times in my life where I wanted nothing more than to hide behind a human persona.”
“And now?”
Boone’s smile was soft. “I’m proud of who I am, of what I can do. I like to think I help more than hurt. I give the living closure, and sometimes I can give the wrongfully dead peace. Like Superman, I’m a big believer in justice.”
I chuckled. “Superman doesn’t have anything on you.”
“Yeah? He does have an awesome red cape, and he can fly. Let’s not forget that x-ray vision thing he has going for him.”
I opened the door and slid out into the cold. “Maybe, but I’ve never seen Superman bring a soul back from the beyond. As far as I’m concerned, he’s a dud.”
Boone followed suit and came around the front of the SUV, joining me as we walked into toward the restaurant. “And you are way better looking than Lois Lane.”
I threw my head back and laughed. It felt like forever since I’d laughed this hard. “Now that’s a stretch, but as long as you think so, that’s all that matters.”
“Damn right, O’Hare.” Boone went up on his tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek. When I gave him a questioning look, Boone just grinned and said, “I’ll never get tired of being able to do that.”
And I’d never get tired of feeling his lips against my skin. Damn, I was a lucky man.
Chapter
Fifteen
Erasmus
Dinner was delicious, filling, and best of all, without incident. The trip back to the hotel was short and Franklin decided it would be best to check out and head somewhere different. If we were being monitored, it was most likely a futile effort. We did it anyway. Our next hotel was similar to the first. This time of year, and during the middle of the week, most surrounding hotels had plenty of vacancies. Give it a month and that would most likely change. Harvest Day was still the most popular travel time in the US.
I’d just settled my bag on the bed when my phone rang. Digging it out of my coat pocket, I checked the caller ID. I didn’t recognize the number but given my profession, that wasn’t anything new. I considered letting it go to voicemail but thankfully answered. “This is Erasmus Boone.”
