Wallie grunted. “I only have one parent.”
I sighed. “I kind of have to go, Wal. I’m the necromancer.”
Not that I wanted to. I definitely didn’t want to. But Carmen had to be stopped. And I had powers. They might need me. Hopefully, Drew and Sam would be able to handle it on their own, but if not, Owen and I would be there.
Wallie settled down with Sammy on the couch. Alfred hovered by the stairs and I could tell he was concerned. There was nothing I could do to ease his mind.
“See you soon,” I said brightly.
At the last second, Wallie ran over, right before I shut the door. He pulled me into a big hug. “Love you, Mom. Be careful.”
I looked my boy deep in his eyes. “I will. I promise.”
Chapter Eighteen
The quiet morgue wasn’t any less creepy now that it was dark. It was a lot creepier. I shivered as we crept down the cinderblock-lined hallway and through the glass sliding doors of the morgue.
Drew was already inside. I stopped briefly to admire how handsome he looked in his uniform. You had to appreciate the tight pants and shirt that practically hugged his lean muscles. He suddenly lifted his gaze in my direction, and I jolted into motion while averting my eyes elsewhere. I was totally busted for checking him out.
Now that I knew he wasn’t out to kill me, I felt pretty guilt free and a little less crazy while ogling him. I couldn’t help it. The man was hot.
Drew didn’t take his eyes off me as he addressed everyone in the room. “If we’re doing this, and you guys here…” He looked at Olivia, then swung his gaze to Sam. “You let her come?”
Sam threw up his hands in exasperation. “I don’t control that woman. I’d like to see you try.”
I coughed in my hand to hide my laugh. No one was fooled though. Olivia and I exchanged a glance, then burst into nervous laughter. Like either of them could control a woman.
Drew rolled his admittedly handsome eyes and held out his hands. “All of you except Sam in the other room. Stay quiet. We’ll try to cuff her and take her quietly. Hopefully, we won’t need any of your magic.”
“That would be nice,” Owen said. “But I doubt it.” He leveled as stare on Drew. “Were you trained? As a hunter?”
Drew nodded, his features turning dark for a moment. “Yeah. I was trained.”
“Good. Sam wasn’t. And Sam is human. Hunters do have a little extra something in their blood that makes them stronger, healthier. Sam doesn’t. You’ll have to protect him.”
Sam bristled, but Owen shook his head. “I mean no offense. But you’re human and she’s not. We’re just in the next room, ready with binding spells. Remember the panic word.”
“Snooze,” Sam said. “We know.”
Owen turned and held the door open for Olivia and me. We stood just inside the room and listened. When Carmen arrived and the doors clanged, all three of us jumped, even Owen, who seemed nearly nonreactive.
“Carmen, thank you for coming in.” Drew’s voice filtered through the door strong and clear. “We just need you to provide a positive identification. Your brother was unable to do it.”
“Of course, it’s no problem,” she replied. The room was quiet for a moment. Then the sound of shuffling feet made my heart lurch into overdrive. I took a chance and peeked through the little window.
Drew had his gun out, pointed at Carmen. She had Sam in a grip in front of her with a knife to his neck. “Sleepy!” Drew yelled, then cursed. “Uh, Tired, Dozer!”
I burst through the door with my hands out, Owen and Olivia on my heels. “Good try. Snooze,” I hissed at Drew as we inched forward. “Carmen,” I said louder. “Let him go. He’s human.”
“This blade is cursed,” she said in a low, melodic voice. “One touch to his neck and he’s dead.”
My pulse quickened and my inside burned with fear for my best friend’s life. If only I could knock her out with my power without harming or killing Sam. But I wasn’t confident that I could.
She grinned, more like bared her teeth. “Now, all I want is your father, Ava. Give him to me and this will be over.”
“He’s dead, Carmen. He died a long time ago.” I tried to keep my voice soothing, but I heard the tremor in it. “I’m sorry. I wish he were alive, too, though for very different reasons than you.”
She snarled and pushed the blade of the knife to Sam’s throat. We all flinched, and Drew lunged forward, but froze again when nothing happened. “What the fuck?” Carmen yelled. “Why isn’t it working? It should kill anything magical with a touch, except necromancers. They require a little more zing.”
Sam sighed. “Thank goodness.” With a yell, he elbowed Carmen in the chest.
She flew backwards and slammed into the table holding the poor, bloated, abused body of Betty Knolls.
Betty’s body slid off the table with a sickening squelch. She slammed on the floor, liquid spreading out in all directions. Including under Carmen’s feet.
I stopped and watched in awe as Sam scrambled away from her. She danced, trying to get her balance, sliding in the goo that was part Betty, part ocean water.
A giggle slid up my throat, the sort of giggle that made me feel like I was going to take a one-way train straight to Hell for laughing. But Betty was long gone and watching Carmen glide and skid over that goop hit me funny. Maybe it was the stress of the situation. I just couldn’t help it.
Olivia hissed as Carmen got her balance. “I’m so glad you laughed,” she said. “Because I was about to lose it.”
Owen shot us a glance. “Those kinds of blades don’t work on humans,” he explained as Carmen held the knife out, pointed at us, and stood in a defensive position.
“Okay, so don’t get near the blade,” I said. “On it!” Olivia yelled. She rushed forward as I yelled.
“Olivia, no!” I threw out my magic, trying to throw up a shield around Olivia, but nothing happened. I kept trying to no avail. My magic wasn’t working.
Carmen jerked back and looked at Olivia in amused confusion as my new best friend tried to slap at her. Carmen grabbed Olivia’s wrists, somehow maneuvered them into one hand, and then turned her around to press the blade to her throat. “You forgot that it’s still a sharp knife,” Carmen said. She raised her hand to plunge it into Olivia’s throat, but Sam and Drew moved. Sam blocked her hand, and the knife flew out of it, and Drew jerked Olivia out of Carmen’s arms.
Carmen dropped to the floor, then surged back upward with a scream. Both Drew and Olivia went flying. Sam didn’t go as far. He slammed into Carmen from behind, and somehow, she had the knife again. We all tried to get to her, but Sam was holding his own, avoiding the knife and getting some blows in. They fought around the room, crashing into cabinets, and knocking over tables, and got closer to Olivia.
Olivia saw an opportunity and grabbed Carmen’s wrist. She leaned forward with a shrill shriek and bit her wrist.
Carmen jerked away from both of them, dropping the knife and retreating. “Olivia, get the knife out of here,” I yelled. “It’s stopping my magic.”
It had to be. That was the only thing that could be crippling my powers. Olivia darted out the door into the hallway. My magic flooded back into me with a rush.