Sin & Salvation (Demigod of San Francisco #3)(75)

I sighed and relayed what he’d said. This process would’ve been so much easier if she could see and hear spirits, too.

“That’s a maybe, John,” she replied. “I’ve found that even well-balanced spirits lose it when they get in a cadaver. But if you can manage, I’ll leave you to it, how’s that?” She paused and he stared at her. “Is he talking, or…”

“A woman like this could never work for someone like Valens, that’s for sure,” John muttered, following her toward a body.

I shook my head and nudged a small locket. Inside were two kids’ faces, both sweet little cherubs, no more than four years old. I settled into a trance, picking up each item, one at a time, and closing my eyes. The Line pulled at my soul. Beyond it, I felt spirits moving around—not restless, but not content to stay put, either.

The die felt cold against my fingers. The rabbit’s foot felt too soft. The image of the kids stuck in my mind.

That was the one to focus on.

After returning the other items to the table, I went deeper into the trance, sending a pulse deep beyond the Line to call the owner of the locket, the father of the two little kids. Surely he must be missing them. He would feel their absence. He would feel them in my hands. On my mind.

Slowly, a presence awoke.

I ran my thumb across the metal, picturing the kids in my mind. Tingles spread across my skin and my small hairs stood on end. A faint line appeared before me, connecting me to the soul.

“I’ll be damned,” I said softly. This was like the ribbons I’d used the other day to grab all the souls in the living bodies, only fainter.

I’d used this method every time I’d called a spirit from beyond, something I’d taught myself way before Kieran had come into my life. So maybe the epiphany with the shifters had come from my subconscious connecting the dots behind the scenes.

I pushed that thought to the side. Now wasn’t the time.

The form materialized beyond the Line, blurry at first and then it resolved into the shape of a man. I kept pulling, dragging the spirit across the divide and into the world of the living.

Blinking groggily, a powerhouse of a man in his mid-thirties appeared beside me, his work boots scuffed, his cargo pants torn, and his shirt in tatters, revealing a hard body. He stared at me like he’d asked a question and was waiting for the answer. They all did, once they’d been beyond the Line long enough to let the sores of their past life fade.

“Hi,” I said, flattening my hand. His locket lay open on my palm. “Is this yours?”

His dark brown eyes dipped to the locket, and a spark of recognition eased him a little further into the present.

“Yes,” he said, his voice deep and rusty.

“Do you know who Kieran Drusus is? The Demigod of…Ireland, kinda. He didn’t rule there, he just lived there.”

This wasn’t going well.

“Why do you have that?” He moved to take the locket, and going by his speed—or lack thereof—I could tell he’d been out of the world of the living for at least a decade, probably two.

“Kieran Drusus gave it to me so I could call you. Do you know who he is?”

“Drusus?” Anger rose in his gaze, like a champagne bubble working up from the bottom of the glass. “Drusus…”

“Not Valens, but his disgruntled son. Kieran, the Demigod of—”

“Valens.” More anger lit up his gaze now. Tensed his body.

“Right. So you have a grudge against Valens, I take it? He did something to you?”

“He killed me. He killed my whole family.” His fists clenched and he took a step toward me, like he was contemplating grabbing my throat and lifting me into the air. In life, I have no doubt he could’ve done it. In death, he’d get an unwelcome surprise. “He blamed me for a fuck up that wasn’t my fault.”

“Yeah, he’s a real dick.” I checked my watch. I’d spent half an hour doing this so far, and I still had nine of these to go. I wasn’t moving fast enough. “He tortured his wife, did you know that? Kieran, his son, who was trapped with her, had to watch her die slowly. So now Kieran is seeking revenge. He thought you might want to be in on it.”

“Are you asking him to help?” Bria asked from the other side of the yard.

The man glanced up and the power within his spectral body kindled to life. It pulsed, then grew, then pulsed again, starting up like his brain had just done. When it was finished, I figured he was still damn near a class five. He must’ve been off the charts when he was alive. I had no idea why there wasn’t a class six.

“I’m just letting him get his bearings,” I said, leaning against the table.

“We don’t have time for bearings. Slap him in the body and let him figure out how it works on his own time.”

I crinkled my nose. I wasn’t really comfortable with that. He’d been happily…sleeping, or whatever happened beyond the Line. I’d torn him away without asking, and now I was throwing uncomfortable memories in his face. It didn’t seem right to force him into a body as a slave to my will. Besides, the guy clearly had a grudge. He’d probably love a chance to claim a little revenge, and like John, he’d probably want to do it on his own steam.

“Just pretend I’m putting you in a body right now,” I whispered. “Anyway, Kieran is going to take on Valens and we could really use some help. If you’re willing to strap on an old body, you can get your vengeance tomorrow.”