“Oh, please.” She cracked open one of the books and made a show of leaning over it, dismissing him, which Alastair ignored.
“I’m serious. Just because you haven’t managed it yet doesn’t mean it’s beyond your grasp. Trust me. I was a late bloomer myself. Why, I didn’t become a ghost until after I was dead, so you’re way ahead of me!”
She chuckled but refused to look up.
“Darling, you can trust me on this one. Necromancers come and go, but I’ve never seen one with the power you have. Well, perhaps once or twice, but not in several generations. Why do you think I pester you? Because, if anyone is capable of raising up my crumbled bones, it’s you.”
“But I’ve tried, Alastair! I practice all the time. But each time, it ends up in failure. I can’t seem to control whatever this stuff is inside me. Not only that, whenever I get emotional, my powers go all haywire.”
“Then stop trying to control it so hard.”
“What?” That made no sense whatsoever. How was she supposed to control her powers by not trying to control them?
“Sometimes you have to lose control to gain control.”
With that, he waggled his fingers at her and vanished without so much as a puff of smoke. Aurora sat dumbly for a moment, staring blankly into the space where he had been.
“What the heck is that supposed to mean?” she called into the echo of the stacks.
The only response she got was a loud “Shhh!” from a few aisles over. Turning back to the table in front of her, she softly closed the book she’d been studying. What good were these going to do her? She needed to head over to Abernathy’s house. After all, if he was sitting quietly at home, she was just wasting her time.
Taking a detour to quickly shelve the books—she wasn’t about to leave them there for some poor, beleaguered librarian to put away—she felt resolution brimming up inside her. She might just have this after all.
Twenty minutes later, Aurora sat in her car in front of Theophilus Abernathy’s house, utterly dejected. There’d been no answer to her repeated doorbell ringing, and she’d even peeked into any window that seemed peek-worthy. The place had the air of a house that had been empty for hours, maybe days. Where the hell could he have been? More importantly, how the hell was she supposed to find him?
A chime cut through her gloom, but when she pulled the phone from her purse, she froze.
The text was from Dane.
Her heart was in her throat before she could catch herself. Swiping through, her palms dampened in anticipation of what might be waiting for her.
Hey. It’s Dane. Just wanted you to hear it from me. The triune has decided to postpone the trial until the witness can be found.
Aurora sighed and typed back to him.
That’s exactly what I’m trying to do. I’m much too stressed to focus on anything else.
That sent, she went back to wondering where she should look next. He was a professor at OCU, so it would make sense to ask around there, but if he could be found that easily, it would have already happened.
Her phone chirped again.
Sorry you’re so stressed. I’ve always found that a break helps make my brain think more clearly. It can be hard to see the problem when you’re smack in the middle of it.
“You got that right,” she mumbled.
Are you proposing anything in particular?
It felt brazen in its coyness, but then something about Dane seemed to bring that out of her. His response came like a rocket.
You got that right! Not a DATE tho. Just 2 friends hanging out. Might clear your mind.
There was something completely disarming about the way he echoed her own words. Not only that, but the idea of seeing him again was incredibly appealing. Perhaps even more than she was willing to admit. She went to reply, but left the pads of her fingers hovering over the screen.
Paul’s piercing eyes flashed in her mind. She had barely managed to escape being fired on the wild promise that she would find Theophilus Abernathy quicker than the rest of the juniors combined—which, to be fair, seemed likely to be within the next calendar year.
Yet, the prospect of this not-a-date date tugged at her insides with a startling insistence. The situation left her stymied in a way that surprised her. Because Dane did have a point. Maybe if she got out of her own head for a while, she’d be able to attack the problem with a fresh set of eyes.
That cinched it.
Gimme 30 minutes?
As soon as the text was sent, his reply came back.
I’d wait for you forever.
Holy cannoli, he was good. Despite the cheesy text—which didn’t feel cheesy in the slightest—Aurora couldn’t hold back the smile blooming on her face.
“That’s a heck of a text, Dane Hensley.” She smirked to herself. “Not a date indeed!”
Twelve
Standing in the bowels of an airship wasn’t exactly what Aurora had in mind when Dane suggested clearing her mind. Granted, the airship itself would have been fascinating, even if it was a touch on the romantic side for two people who had only promised to be friends, but the bungee jump awaiting them gave her the jitters.
It was a good thing Dane had kept his planned activity secret because Aurora would never have met him if she’d known. Well, maybe she still would have, but she’d have been antsy over things a whole lot sooner. The ship had been well over the Sanguine Sea before the penny dropped about the point of the whole trip.
“You okay?”
“Huh?” She looked up to his face and realized she’d been gnawing at the corner of her thumb.
“You look like you’re about to unravel,” he said with a light smile. “Listen, it’s not like they throw you out of this thing. If you don’t want to jump, we can just enjoy the ride and head back.”
“No!” she blurted and then stilled herself. “It’s not the jump.” Dane cocked an eyebrow at her, and she let out a nervous little laugh. “Alright, it’s kind of the jump. But it’s just…” She didn’t need to finish. He knew full well what was eating at her.
“I get it.”
“It just doesn’t make any sense! I mean, I went to his house, and even asked a neighbor where some of his common haunts were. Every place I went, I came up empty-handed.”
“I know, but listen.”
“Yeah?” She looked up at him again and the gentle concern on his face melted just a bit of her worry.
“We probably shouldn’t talk directly about the case. Just because of our positions…”
“Yeah. Of course. Sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. It’s just a thing.” He regarded her with a sideways glance, just a hint of mischief playing at the corners of his mouth.
His coy little smile was infectious, and soon, she had one to match it. “What?”
“I’ve got to admit, I’m surprised you even got on this thing. Bungee jumping isn’t for everyone.”
“Well, you were clever enough not to tell me until we were already in the air.”
“It was on the sign,” he pointed out with a hearty laugh. “You were just too preoccupied to actually see anything until after we took off, and I’m glad you were.” He took a seat on the bench that ran the length of the airship along either side and patted the spot beside him for her to join.