Art of Death, page 7
part #1 of Curse Breakers Series
“Whose truck is this?”
“Mine.”
“What did you do at college, work as a stripper?”
“Such clever wit, Ro.”
I rolled my eyes and immediately regretted it, my head pounding with a ferocity that nearly knocked me out. Closing my eyes, I willed away the nausea that bubbled in my throat. My headache had evolved to a migraine.
“Go before he gets in, please,” I said as I cracked one eye open to see my ghost friend trying to find a way into the truck. When we were younger and unable to find ways to rid ourselves of ghosts, our parents would drive us around until we fell asleep.
“Rest now, Rowan. I’ll watch over you tonight.”
I succumbed to sleep as the quiet lull of the road moved underneath me, pulling me further and further under.
****
“Fuck off, Ira. Just get me an extra-large coffee from Bam’s and a breakfast sandwich. I know what I’m doing, and I don’t fucking care. If it’s for her, it’s worth it.”
My hands had been tucked under my cheek and my mind jumbled. Ira’s annoyed voice came from the other end of the phone, but I couldn’t make out his words. The floor still rocked and rolled, or maybe I did? Slitting my eyelids open, I tried to make sense of my surroundings. Sunlight beamed through the darkened windows, and I frowned as the world zoomed past us.
“Either you spiked something of mine, or we’re on the highway to hell,” I said as I flipped my hair out of my face. I sat up on the back bench seat of the truck. Indigo's gaze met mine in the rearview mirror.
“Do you still hate coffee, you heathen?”
I snorted at the old joke. “Unless it's fully disguised as something else.”
The laugh lines around his eyes crinkled, and something foreign settled inside of me. This warmth that had been missing and felt subtly like a betrayal. Betrayal of myself and my anger.
I steeled myself against him and his charms. “Why is it morning?”
“You needed sleep.”
There was a quiet pause, a silent thank-you that was implied but never spoken.
“Did you drive through the night?”
Indigo didn’t drop his gaze from mine, and I squirmed, my fight or flight instincts telling me to look away. Sometime during the five years he had been missing from my life, he grew into an Alpha.
Well, fuck.
“You’re an idiot. You needed your sleep more than I did,” I snarled. I looked away out of instinct, and that annoyed me. Ira’s gaze I could hold, Ibrahim’s I could not. It bothered me that I couldn’t hold Indigo’s. He had been the runt, the smallest of the pack.
“Bullshit. Ira was going to meet me in Bam’s parking lot. I was hoping you’d sleep longer, but since you’re up, do you want breakfast?”
“Yeah, sounds like a plan.”
Indigo turned the truck around, and when I glanced out the window, all I saw were trees. I had no idea where we were, and I wondered how many times he’d taken a trip around town before venturing further. I crawled over the armrest between our seats and sat next to him. Indigo just turned his head back to the road once I settled.
“Where are we?”
“I drove out of town a couple of hours back. Bam came out of the diner looking pissed after my tenth time around.”
“Indigo, you didn’t have to do this. You should’ve taken me back to the apartment complex.”
“I’m not going to argue with you about this. I can go a night without sleep. You clearly haven’t been sleeping yourself,” Indigo said.
Instead of answering him, I reached over and turned the radio up. Eventually, the quiet tension between us eased, and a silent comfortableness settled over the truck. Once upon a time, we had this sort of calm between us. It had been different than the one I shared with Abel, but I had savored it all the same.
Bam’s Diner came into view, and standing out front was my ghost, looking more than peeved off. Unwittingly I squirmed in my seat. Anger pulsed off him in artic waves that I felt through my magic. There would be no more denying him today. I couldn’t risk pissing him off like Indigo inadvertently did with his stunt. I needed to find Abel too.
I pulled out my phone and scowled at the black screen. “Do you have a car charger?”
“Not yet.”
“How new is your truck?” I asked, not recalling him saying anything about it the day before. Or any other time I’d seen him.
“I got it before I came back.”
“Hm.”
“What are you thinking, Rowan?”
“That with a fancy truck like this, you hadn’t planned on staying very long.”
“Are you inquiring about my plans for the future?” Indigo asked, sounding intrigued.
“Nope.”
“My past, then?”
“Ha, gods no.”
“What are you afraid of finding out, Rowan?”
Why did the way he said my name send shivers down my spine? Why did I have the urge to suddenly know he hadn’t just abandoned me for a better life out there? He came back. Shouldn’t that be all that mattered? Still, I couldn’t rid myself of the anger I felt at seeing him sitting across from me at Bam’s, all smug.
Maybe coming back to the scene of the crime hadn’t been the best plan. As soon as he pulled into the parking lot, the ghost flashed next to my window and glared inside.
I opened my door and a blast of cold swept over me, goose bumps pimpling over my skin. It felt like a bone-cold chill that couldn’t be warded off by a warm cup of anything.
“Today, I promise,” I told the ghost.
“You promised me that yesterday.”
“Then, we’ll go now.”
“You’re damn straight we will.” Something changed in the ghost’s tone. When we first met, he had been almost jovial, carefree. Now his voice was as cold as the chill he swept through the truck. Even Indigo, who ran hotter than most, looked a little chilled.
“Let’s go. What’s the last thing you remember?” I asked as I climbed out of the truck.
Indigo growled and lunged to grab my arm. “You can’t go with him, Ro. I can feel his energy.”
My brows pinched together as my confusion grew. How the hell did he know the ghost’s temperament changed? Maybe over the years he’d spent with us, he’d picked up a thing or two. In the end though, this was my world, and I knew how to handle ghosts best.
“I’m going.” I slammed the door shut behind me then turned to the ghost. “Now tell me.”
“The bar where I met you. Somewhere out that way. I know that much, but then it gets fuzzy.” The ghost started to mumble to himself as he tried to figure out where he had left his body.
Resigned to this being my first mission of the day, I walked in that direction, raising my brows questioningly when Indigo started to follow us. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it might be better having Indigo come along. Normally necromancers felt the presence of a dead body—death and our powers went hand in hand—but with my powers dampened, I didn’t know if I would be able to feel his presence.
“You’re not going out there by yourself. I won’t let you,” Indigo ordered.
“Well then, buckle up, big boy. You get to see your first dead body.”
Something crossed over his features so quickly that I almost missed it. And even then, I wondered if I’d misread it. Because in his expression, all I saw was regret.
Chapter 9
“You should’ve changed.” Indigo scowled.
“It’s this way, I know it. I know it!” the ghost said. He had become more manic the closer we got to his body. Of course, we’d been getting close for the last couple of hours, according to him. Indigo’s phone died, and he’d been pressing to go back toward town.
The cold bit at my skin, my stomach clenched with hunger, and my limbs felt like they were weighed down by lead. But I refused to give up. We had come this far, and the further the ghost sank into madness, the more dangerous he would become.
“Indigo, stop playing mom. I need you to use that nose of yours to track our friend’s body.”
“I told you already. I don’t smell anything rotting out here. Not even leftover kills from the bears.”
“It’s close. So close,” the ghost said. He flickered for a moment before appearing right before me. I leaned back, glaring at his spontaneous and odd behavior. “This way.”
Taking a step backward, I allowed the ghost to lead the way. Indigo didn’t look convinced at all that there were any bodies out there. And since my powers had short-circuited, I couldn’t sense anything. But who knew how long the ghost’s body had been out there. Maybe he had turned into bones already.
“Rowan.”
Ignoring Indigo, I stepped forward, following the ghost. This needed to end. I needed to get back to civilization to charge my phone and see if Abel had contacted me. And I needed the ghost to leave me in peace.
“This way, little necromancer.” The ghost sounded downright gleeful.
Annoyed with the nickname he tacked on, I opened my mouth to correct him.
A hand slammed down over my mouth, blocking my airway. Eyes wide, I craned my neck to see my captor.
“Shh, something’s not right.” Indigo’s eyes lit up as his beast crept to the surface.
A shiver went down my spine. Five years ago, Indigo had control over his beast. Did he still?
I mumbled against his hand.
“What?” He pulled his hand away, his brows lowering as some of the tension left him.
“I said, what’s out there?”
“I heard something.”
I stepped out of the safety of his arms. Or rather the illusion of safety. Indigo had always been overly cautious when we were kids. He had probably just heard a larger animal scurrying around.
“You’ve been living in the city too long, Were.”
He growled quietly.
“Up here, necromancer. We’re so close. I know we are!” the ghost chimed in.
At his encouragement, I continued forward. If he was right, that meant I could get home faster and find Abel. He wouldn’t have to worry about trying to get rid of the ghost, and we could return to our normal lives.
“Rowan!” Indigo called after me. The ghost stood waiting between two trees, and I ran to catch up. I heard Indigo’s footfalls behind me and breathed a little easier. I hadn’t relished the idea of being out there without my Kodachi blades, but the ghost wouldn’t wait, and I’d risk exposing him to my family if I had gone back for them.
It happened too fast. One second I had been running, and in the next, the wind had been knocked out of my lungs. The world twirled, twisted, and flipped. Gasping for breath like a fish out of water, I blinked away tears. Fuck, my chest hurt. It felt like I’d run straight into a thick branch.
Rolling, I tried to get a sense of up and down, the ringing in my ears making it impossible to hear the sounds around me. A weight draped over my back and I threw out my arms. Scrambling on the ground, I tried to heave myself up, but a strong grip wrapped around my ankle. The person yanked hard, unbalancing me, and I dropped, my chin hitting the ground and making me bite my tongue hard enough to draw blood.
I clawed at the dirt, trying to find purchase, but it slipped through my fingers. Glancing upward through the veil of my hair, I watched as Indigo fought off two other men. One slowly shifted into a bear in front of my eyes, and my gut clenched. Could Indigo even fight off a bear? The bear’s claws grew, and he swiped. Indigo’s back arched forward, and he roared with pain. I cringed for him and hoped the sound would carry to his pack mates.
Using my distraction to his advantage, my captor flipped me over to face him. His mistake. I swung my arm, closing my fist the way my brothers taught me, and aimed for the soft cartilage of his nose. My captor didn’t have enough time to block, but he did turn his face, so instead of hitting a critical part of his nose, I got his much stronger cheekbones. I gritted my teeth, pain rocketing through my knuckles.
“Hardhead,” I said.
Instead of responding, he smiled and gripped my wrist tightly. It felt like bone grinding against bone, and I bit back my scream of pain. Desperate and unable to control my initial panic, I twisted and turned underneath him. Kicking my legs, I tried to gain some leverage.
Bucking my hips, I finally dislodged the man, but he didn’t release his hold. I curled my arm up, bringing his with mine. After growing up with so many brothers and Indigo around, I learned to fight fast and dirty. Biting, hair pulling, and—though only in absolute emergencies—a swift kick to the nuts got you out of most situations.
With my captor’s arm within reach, I lunged forward, clamping my teeth around it. He roared in pain and punched my head, trying to dislodge me. Only when I felt his hand loosen around me did I release him and scramble backward. Jumping to my feet, I took a couple of steps farther away from him.
The urge to look over my shoulder burned inside of me, but I forced my focus to remain on the man in front of me. Even though I wanted to help Indigo, I wouldn’t be a match against a bear shifter, even with my Kodachi blades.
“Come here, little girl. You come quietly, and I’ll make sure they don’t tear your friend apart.”
I had to resist looking behind me again. “And who the hell are you?”
“Your worst nightmare.” Slowly he crept forward, and I wondered what type of Mystic he was. I worried that he was a vampire, but my bite wouldn’t have invoked that kind of reaction. If he were a shifter, he would’ve shifted by now.
“Little necromancer.” My ghost friend reappeared at my side.
“Mind giving me some distraction?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the man in front of me.
“Thank you, Terry. Your services are no longer required,” the man said to Ghost.
“Stop toying with the girl, Adam. Just grab her and go. That one isn’t a shifter. That’s all I know.”
“You’re a necromancer,” I said in a stupor. As the gears in my head turned over, understanding dawned on me. That and absolute terror.
I switched my attention to the ghost. Terry knew about me. Had been spying on me. And suddenly Abel goes quiet? Something so unlike him? No. I didn’t believe it.
“Where is my brother?”
Terry flinched backward as if my words had stabbed at him. Pained him somehow.
Unrestrained power I hadn’t ever felt before swelled inside of me. It flooded my veins, coated across my bones, and infused in my muscles. Bodies buried miles away suddenly felt tangible, and animal carcasses tickled at the back of my head. Even further out, something touched my subconscious, something foreign and new.
I wanted to shred Terry to pieces. I didn’t want him to find his peace or even his hell. I wanted him stuck in limbo, forever quiet and lost. If he’d hurt Abel in any way, I would do anything to get my revenge.
Adam, the other necromancer, stepped forward, and my gaze went to him. With those leftover animal carcasses tugging at my mind, I whispered a call under my breath, willing them to charge forward. The grass rustled as bony feet trampled across the forest ground.
Shh-ssh came the sound of half-eaten critters dragging their bodies across the earth. Death Lines, my magic that connected me to the dead bodies, shot out from every direction, clinging to the animals I called forth. A tug on my lines had been my warning as the other necromancer tried to take my thrall away.
“So, it’s true. You are a Curse Breaker. But your power isn’t fully realized yet, young necromancer.” Adam smiled as he released his power. Energy strings of dark gray escaped and latched onto the animals I had been controlling only moments before. They stopped their fast descent to Adam and turned their attention to me.
The power he had was like that of my older brothers. His Death Lines were more controlled, solid and stronger than mine. He had come into his full strength and obviously had been trained. The problem was that I couldn’t snatch the power back; it slipped through my fingers, and my power slowly leached out.
“When’s your birthday, Curse Breaker?”
I gritted my teeth, trying to take back the power he had stolen. The grunting and flesh-hitting-flesh sound behind went quiet. And who exactly was breathing behind me like they’d run a marathon?
Cautiously I peeked over my shoulder. Indigo staggered forward in the middle of a shift. His body had enlarged, and hair was sprouting over his body.
“Better run. He’ll eat you up,” I taunted.
“He won’t attack me if I have you.” Adam lunged forward and wrapped his arm around my neck, pulling me against his body.
Facing Indigo, I watched as he breathed in deep, taking in the scents around us. His head snapped up, and bright blue eyes met mine. His snout elongated, his canines dripping with blood mingled with saliva. The rest of his body grew twice its normal size; his werewolf form had never been this large before. He rivaled the size of his father, and as course fur filled out, he looked even bigger.
“You better let me go. You won’t be able to reason with him,” I warned.
“He’ll kill me the moment I let you go.”
“And he definitely won’t let you go with me,” I countered.
“Tell me, Curse Breaker, will he lose himself to bloodlust, or will he try to protect you?” Adam asked. He flipped out a butterfly knife and pressed the tip under my ribs.
Against my better judgment, I backed up until I was flush against Adam. Indigo growled loudly, his gaze locked on the knife.
“Release me, and you might get out of this alive,” I said, trying my best to remain calm.
“A little nick won’t kill you. Don’t worry, Curse Breaker. We’ll be back for you.”
Adam sliced the blade against my side and I sucked in a breath, trying to hold back my pain. He shoved me forward, causing me to stumble. Adam’s footsteps rushed away from us as I wrapped my hand around the wound he’d inflicted. Blood seeped through my fingers.
