Page 22 of Cold Sacrifice

I stood, then hesitated. “Are you okay?” I asked him.

His lips tilted, just a little, as though the question was funny. “I’ll ask you back when…” Then it was his turn to hesitate. “Soon,” he finished.

I nodded. “Did you get anything useful?”

“Yes. But not enough. Not nearly enough for the council.”

And there it was. Bitterness. Rage hiding beneath the calm. Despair lurking behind eyes that couldn’t see.

“Wes,” I started.

He held up a hand to stop me, then got to his feet, his cane in his hand. He turned away from me. “Go home, Ms. Silver.”

I walked away. There was really nothing else for me to do. Night was coming.

My human escort was standing by the back door, and once again, he led me through the strange, silent house. When I walked out, Aaron was waiting. I took a deep, cleansing breath, glad to be away from the stale pretense of the council’s backyard, the tugging and vibrations of the reading, and the strange, blind wolf shifter who’d somehow gained the ability to slide into people’s minds.

Chapter Seven

“You’re late,” Max said, as I walked into the office. There wasn’t an empty chair in the waiting area, and it seemed noisier than usual. Clients generally sat stiff and quiet in their chairs, uncomfortable about being there, but too scared not to come ask for help.

“Barely,” I told him. “I had a meeting with the council.”

Joe got up from where he’d been sitting on the edge of Max’s desk. “Bastien?” he asked.

“He texted me the second he awakened. He’s fine. He’s going to call me as soon as he knows the status of all the others.”

“Did you tell him my idea about the necromancers?” Max asked.

I nodded. “I told him.”

“Well, what did he say?”

I shook my head. “He hesitated. And then he said he’d call me once he knew how things went with his vampires.”

He frowned. “So basically he ignored the information.”

“No,” I told him. “He just needs a minute to think about it, Max.” I leaned over his desk and peered at his monitor. “What else did you find out?”

He shooed me away. “I’ll tell you when I have something that makes sense. And where are my donuts?”

I grinned. “Lucy is bringing them. She’ll be here in a few minutes, Ash in tow.” I looked around, realizing suddenly that Gracie Dawn was missing. “Where’s Gracie?”

“Gracie had a rough night and isn’t coming in until later.”

“She’s sick?” I asked.

“Gaming,” he answered, then stood and urged me toward my office. “I need to get some of these people moving, since Gracie Dawn isn’t here to do it for me. Go. Sit. Make yourself spooky.”

When I went into my office, Richard the ghost was there, standing by the window. I’d nearly forgotten about him, somehow. I sat down and he ambled over, sighing.

“I may expire from boredom,” he told me. “I’d really like you to get me out of this building.”

“So you can go only into the spiritual realm and this building?” I asked him, turning on my computer.

“It would appear so,” he said. “Back and forth, over and over. I am needed in my realm and I understand that, but I’m here. Why contain me?”

I frowned. “Who’s containing you, exactly?”