Page 87 of Deadly Deception
“More what? Djinn?” My heart pounded. “Gaia, I hope not.”
“That’s not where I was going, but I’ll go ahead and second that prayer. I meant pets. Do you think Peaches will give up on the idea? I know the kitten was sort of a pet of convenience, but the idea was strangely…sound? I’m not sure that’s the word I’m looking for.”
“No, trust me, I get it. I have no idea. I should probably call him at some point and ask. I also need to thank King Moony.”
“For what?”
“I believe I might have my acquaintance with him to thank for being allowed to leave the Chicago area without more effort.” I inwardly flinched at the idea. “I did not like the way Queen Millicent looked at me.” I hadn’t liked the look in Sara’s eyes either when she realized what I was capable of.
Franklin made a noise close to a growl. “Neither did I. I can’t tell you how many times I was close to shitting my pants. That one was one of the worst.”
My chest rumbled with my chuckle. “Thanks for throwing Pops’s name out there. I would have gotten around to it if the shit really hit the fan, but you made the leap before me and kept the situation morecongenial.”
“You bet your ass I threw out your father’s name. It wasn’t an idle threat either.”
No, no, it wasn’t.
“And your momma would have been by his side, tossing the charms.”
My laughter this time wasn’t so soft. I cackled and clapped my hands. I could care less if I was disturbing the other passengers. Gaia, just the idea of Momma standing beside Pops hurling activated charm bombs at the Midwestern Vampire Queen was enough to make me laugh. While I hated the idea of her being that close to danger, I got a kick out of the thought of her doing just as Franklin said. Charms wouldn’t be the only things she’d toss. Momma might be a southern gentlewoman, but she could curse like a sailor when the occasion called for it, and nothing called for that type of language like her son being threatened.
My laughter died as exhaustion once more settled in. Yawning wide enough to crack my jaw, I tucked down into the blanket the airline provided. It was settled across Franklin’s right leg. Bless his heart, he let me have the majority of the blanket.
“You think Shane will be okay?” I asked, my eyes half-lidded.
Franklin remained quiet for a long time before he answered “No, I don’t. I think Shane Tompkins will wind up being Sara’s final victim. I’m sorry, that sounds depressing.”
“It does, but sometimes the truth is the truth.”
“Yeah, I just wish…” Franklin muttered something aboutwishesandAurelia. I was only listening with half an ear. Sleep was calling and I could no longer ignore her lulling tune.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Franklin groaned as we came out of the security-laden section of the Mobile airport. One of my suitcase wheels precariously wobbled and kept trying to pull my bag to the right.
“Are you really that surprised?” I asked as dreaded acceptance settled in.
“Yes. No. Hell, I don’t know. How did he get from California to Mobile before us?”
“Magic,” I answered as I opened my arms wide and tumbled into Pops’s outstretched reach.
“Erasmus.” Pops said my name like it was a prayer. “Gaia, I was worried.” He hugged me tight. Even by warlock standards, Pops was huge. He towered over me. Most found him intimidating. I found him comforting.
“Oh, honey, we were both worried.” Momma wrapped her arms around me, making a sandwich of me. While her arms weren’t as strong, they were just as protective. “And you too, Franklin.” Momma released me and threw her affection Franklin’s way. I heard his soft “oof” when Momma squeezed him tight.
“Thank you, Ms. Boone. I appreciate the concern,” Franklin said sweetly.
“Nonsense. You’re important to my son and, therefore, important to me. Right, Nikodemus?”
“Hmm” was Pops’s only answer. I smacked his shoulder, but he barely looked my direction. “Are you well, Franklin?” Pops asked.
“As well as I can be. Thank you,” Franklin answered stiffly. I didn’t think Pops and Franklin would ever be friends, but thank Gaia they weren’t enemies either.
Pops held me at arm’s length as his dark gaze analyzed my body. “You look like you’ve lost weight. Franklin, we need to have a discussion regarding taking proper care of my son.”
“Pops,” I whined. “One, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Two, when the need arises, Franklin is wonderfully attentive.”
“Yes, well, your diminished frame would seem to suggest otherwise.”
I squashed my anger. Pops’s attitude came from a place of fear and love. He’d been scared, and Pops never liked reminders of my necromancer fragility.
