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“Watch out for the old divine. The Abrahamic divine is easy to fool because they work like a corrupted bureaucratic office. The old divine is far more sinister and manipulative. Hel doesn’t always have your best interests in mind.”
My stomach dropped. Ahh, that’s what he meant.
I nodded before I realized Thor couldn’t see me. That meant I needed to get my words in order.
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I managed to say, “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Ryder scowled. Maddox inched his chair closer to me, which drew Ryder’s attention. A small smile curled at the corners of Ryder’s mouth despite the conversation we were having. I wondered what Ryder saw that made him happy.
“Thor,” I said, trying to turn the conversation back to the subject at hand. “You said the other shifter was from Boston?”
He cleared his throat. “Ah, yes. Is that odd?”
“No, it just means I can make another phone call for information. Thank you.” I stared at my phone screen, dreading another call to the Boston-Salem high priestess.
Amaranth had been less than pleasant to deal with. She’d made it very clear that she thought little of me and my arcana. I could ask someone else to call, but I doubted the conversation would be any different. Amaranth was just…like that.
Maddox cut in. “Do you know what happened to this shifter while he was there? Did he ever bring up his story? It could be helpful in finding out why he disappeared.”
“Unfortunately, no. He kept his past close to his chest. I don’t make a habit of prying. If I can’t help a shifter without digging into their wounds, then what kind of man would I be? My job is to help them move forward, not leave them in the past.” Thor sounded proud of himself.
He was a good man, but his desire to keep the past and future separate was a hindrance to us right now. At least, we had another lead. I just had to buck up and make the call.
Though I wanted Maddox at my side while I did it, Ryder stole him away before I could even ask. I watched the two of them retreat from the room, leaving me alone with my duty. I groaned and opened Amaranth’s contact information.
“Adeline,” she answered coldly after the first ring. “I am not a help-line. If you need assistance, call upon that vampiric hoarder in your area. Luca has a collection of books that hold more information than I have breath for you.”
Did…did she just say I was a waste of her breath? I wasn’t surprised, more annoyed than anything else. I swallowed my long-suffering sigh and glanced back to where the men had disappeared. Why couldn’t Maddox stay and hold my hand?
“Actually,” I said. “This is information only you could tell me.”
I heard her physically perk up. Her chair creaked as she sat upright, and she made a sound of amusement.
“Is that so? Go on,” she nearly purred.
My skin crawled suddenly. I got the urge to fling my phone across the room. It had to be from my past interaction with Amaranth. She’d made her disdain for me very clear, and I was growing tired of those who thought they were better than me.
“A shifter from your area went to Thor’s sanctuary in Tennessee,” I began. “Is there anything you could tell us about the man? His name was Vince.”
Amaranth made a displeased sound on the other end of the line. “That’s it? You think I keep tabs on the animals in my area? I’m not animal control. If you think it’s my job to police the bears and wolves wandering around on all fours, then you’re very mistaken. I am a high priestess, necromancer.”
I could almost see her pinching her nose like she was dealing with a toddler—not just any toddler, but one that had proved idiocy time and time again. I clenched my fist because I couldn’t reach through the phone to punch her in her holier-than-thou face.
For a moment, I wondered if my arcana could reach across the states and raise the dead in her backyard just to give her a fright. Of course, that wasn’t possible. While Massachusetts was close, it wasn’tthatclose. I would have to make a special trip, and that wouldn’t be possible until this case was closed.
Where are you, Vince? Were you a victim? Did the shifter that changed you come back to finish the job?
“I wish you could make yourself even the least bit helpful,” I said without hesitation. “You haven’t proven that you’re capable enough to hold your position as high priestess. What’s the point of being a community leader if you can’t be bothered to lead?”
Amaranth shouted at me. I held the phone away from my ear and waited while she got it out of her system. If Perse was here, we would be laughing at Amaranth’s pretentious arguments. Perse was still missing, though.
My life was quiet without my dead friend. The longer this case took, the more I feared for Perse’s soul. What if this disruption corrupted her the way that it had the other two ghosts I’d come across? I would never be able to forgive myself.
This wasn’t my fault, but this painstaking slowness could have been avoided. If I’d been a better partner for Maddox, then he wouldn’t be struggling. We would be able to focus on this case rather than pack pledges and midnight jam sessions.
Eventually, I hung up on Amaranth. She wasn’t any help anyways. By then, Maddox and Ryder had returned. Both seemed frustrated. I wondered what had happened while they’d been gone.
“Whatever Maddox did, I formally apologize,” I said, quickly.
Ryder laughed. “He didn’t do anything. Don’t worry about it.”
I glanced between them as if I could read what they weren’t saying in their body language. Shifters spoke with their bodies more often than not, but I got nothing from these two. Whatever they’d said to one another was locked away.
Fine.
Ryder invited us to return to the cookout happening in Maddox’s honor. I stood and reached for Maddox’s hand because I could feel him inching towards the exit. Before our fingers could touch, a wave of cold slammed into my chest.
