The Catalyst of Corruption (The Final Formula Series, Book 4) (7 page)

“What about Elysia or Ian?”

“There aren't any bodies beneath the floors at Addie's place—I assume.” She gave me a glance.

“None that I put there,” I agreed. Was this as big a deal as Doug made it seem, or was it more common than he realized?

Doug gave Era one last puzzled look before moving into the space before us. “Watch your step. The floor is dirt through here.”

His warning came an instant too late. My shoe found a soft spot, and I stumbled to the side, bumping my shoulder against the nearest box.

“Why is the floor dirt?” I asked, more annoyed by the uneven footing than curious.

“There were some renovations a while back,” Era said. “Maybe they didn't finish.”

“Odd that most of the dead are in this location,” Doug said. He continued on ahead of us not seeming to have any trouble with the uneven ground.

I followed, trying not to think about what lay beneath the earth. I could just imagine a skeletal hand reaching up to grasp my ankle—not that I needed any help to trip myself. But my active imagination made it hard to keep my pace sensible.

A light suddenly lit the area and I looked up. Doug held a flashlight. No, it was his cell phone. He must have one of those flashlight apps.

“Careful.” He directed the light at the floor. A few feet ahead of Era and me, potholes covered the area as if someone had been digging.

“This doesn't look like renovation,” I said. “It looks like an archeological dig.”

“You're right, but I don't know why.” Era stepped over a pothole. “I've never been in this part of the building.”

We stopped, and in the silence, the low mumble of a male voice could just be heard.

“James?” I whispered.

“I think so,” Doug answered.

He led us to the nearest wall, then followed it to the right until we found an opening into the next section of basement.

“No, you can't,” the voice echoed out of the unlit room inside. It was James.

I pushed past Doug and hurried into the room.

“Addie!” Doug whispered.

I slipped a hand into the top of my dress and pulled a vial from my bra. It was only Knockout Powder. The snug-fitting dress didn't allow much of an arsenal.

The floor was uneven dirt, but not as lumpy as the ground outside. The room was unlit, but not without illumination. A faint green glow shone several yards ahead of me, and I realized it was James. His eyes had always been like lamps when on full glow, but I had never realized how far the light carried in total darkness.

James knelt on the floor, his back to me, but I could make out his silhouette. Before him, in the brighter glow, knelt Elysia. He held one of her hands while her other arm was curled around something in her lap.

Abruptly, James whirled to face us, a snarl echoing around the room.

“Easy,” I said. “It's only us.”

Doug moved up behind me and held his cell phone aloft. The room was larger than I expected. The rubble of an old brick wall stretched into the darkness. Was it a foundation from one of the earlier structures that had once sat on the property?

“Is it just you two?” Doug asked James.

“The soul I saw with Elysia wasn't corporeal,” James said.

Elysia didn't look up. With her hand free, she began digging in the dirt. And by the looks of the depression before her, she wasn't the first person to dig here.

“Did you know that when you ran off?” Doug asked James.

“No.”

“So, as far as you knew, it could have been Alexander in here.”

“He would have just taken her, not led her down here.”

Ignoring the argument, I moved closer to Elysia. In the stronger light of Doug's cell phone, I could now see what she held against her. It was a human skull.

“Elysia?” I crouched beside her. “What are you doing?”

James cut off his argument with Doug and faced her once more. “Ely, please stop.” He caught her hand once more, pulling it from the shallow hole. Her newly manicured nails were chipped, and dirt was crammed beneath the nails she hadn't broken off.

“I have to free her,” Elysia told him. Her opposite arm tightened around the skull.

“She didn't mean free her bones from the earth.” James's tone was sad. “Trapped souls want to escape the mortal world. I can help her—”

“No! No, don't!” Elysia gripped the lapel of his tuxedo, leaving a smear of dirt on the black fabric. “She's not finished here.”

“What's going on?” Era asked.

Doug sighed. “She's been possessed.”

Elysia looked up, squinting in the light of his phone. “I am
not
possessed.”

“Uh-huh.”

“James, tell him.”

“She's not possessed,” James said. “Her soul is the only one within her skin.” His glowing eyes returned to her, and his pupils contracted as if he stared into a bright light.

“She
is
trapped here.” Elysia gestured at the ground.

“Who, Ely?” Doug asked.

She opened her mouth as if to reply, then closed it. A frown wrinkled her forehead. “I don't know.” She went back to her digging and pulled out what might have been a rib bone. She laid it carefully on a pile of similar bones near her knee. I hadn't noticed them until now.

With a sigh, James rose to his feet. He motioned for me to join him. When I did, he leaned down until his breath warmed my ear. “Help me?” He straightened and his glowing eyes met mine.

Understanding, I showed him the vial I still held clutched in my hand.

James recognized it and gave me a nod before turning away.

Elysia wasn't paying any attention to us, intent on pulling more bones from the hole.

“What's that?” Era whispered as I tapped a portion into my palm.

“Knockout Powder.” I took a step toward Elysia, but Era caught my arm.

“Let me.” Her eyes glinted in the darkness, and the powder suddenly rose from my palm, whirling in a tight ball of wind.

“Careful,” I whispered. “It will work on all of us.”

“I'm better than that.”

The powder ball left my hand and shot across the space between Elysia and me as if I had thrown a snowball at her. It hit her full in the face, exploding in a small puff of white on impact.

Elysia gasped. “Wh—” Her eyes slid closed and she slumped over.

A secondary burst of wind scattered the powder still hanging in the air around her.

“All clear,” Era said.

“Nice,” I said, though my heart wasn't in it.

James knelt beside Elysia and carefully took the skull from her lap. Even in her unconscious state, he had to pry her fingers away.

Doug rubbed a hand over his face. “She's starting to slip, isn't she?”

“That ghost had a pretty good grip on her.” James lifted Elysia from the ground and held her against him, as if to protect her from Doug's accusation.

“But you chased it away before we got here. That was Elysia digging in the earth like a madwoman.”

James lifted his lips, exposing teeth that weren't completely human.

“Don't snarl at me,” Doug said before he could.

“I didn't care for your word choice.”

“Do you think I like it any better?”

James frowned, but he no longer seemed angry. He looked down at Elysia and carefully brushed a strand of golden hair from her forehead.

“Why don't you take her back to the apartment?” I suggested. “This doesn't seem like a healthy environment for her.”

“It seems to me she should avoid all haunted places,” Era said.

“I'll help you,” Doug said to James. “I'll carry her through, then come back and guide these two out of here.”

“I'm not helpless,” Era said.

“I know that, but I have the light.” Doug held up his phone. “Let me show you back to the elevator while James changes.”

“That works,” I said before anyone could argue. “Standing here in total darkness doesn't sound like much fun.”

“Wimp,” Era said.

“Totally,” I agreed.

She smiled and took my hand. We followed Doug back the way we had come. I hesitated on the threshold and glanced back into the darkness. “I'll help her, James,” I whispered, knowing he would hear me.

“Hurry, Addie.” His soft voice just reached my ears, but I still heard the misery.

 

Era and I waited in
the brighter light just outside the elevator. By unspoken agreement, we didn't wait inside.

“So you really like tromping around in the dark in places like this?” I asked.

“Yes.” Era shrugged. “A good ghost hunt makes me feel alive.”

“There might be a pun in there.”

“Perhaps, but it's true.”

I gazed back the way we had come, wondering if James had returned Elysia to the apartment yet.

“Do you think Doug's right?” Era whispered. “Is Elysia slipping?”

“I don't know.”

“She was kneeling in the dirt in that dress, digging for bones.”

“I understand that a possession can be very intense. She was probably still acting under the influence of the compulsion.”

“I guess.”

We lapsed into silence. I had offered excuses, but deep down, I was wondering about Elysia's mental state myself. Aside from tonight, I hadn't seen any irrational behavior, but she was definitely growing more depressed. Before her trip to the catacombs, she had been so determined to find a way to adopt Kari's baby. Born two months premature, he had been in the hospital since his birth, but he was expected to be released in the next few weeks. Elysia had been so excited. But she no longer spoke of it.

The sound of footsteps broke the silence, and I turned toward the sound, expecting James or Doug. There was no one there.

“You hear that?” Era whispered.

“Yes.” I moved closer to her.

“We're not alone.”

“Thank you.”

The silence was unnerving, and I mentally urged James to hurry. Nothing would dare come near us with him around.

Something changed in the darkness before us. I hoped it was a portal, but the opening into that warm darkness never materialized, instead the temperature seemed to drop. The air before us began to coalesce into a shimmering fog that grew more substantial as I watched. A form took shape: a woman in an old-fashioned white night gown. Her golden hair hung in waves to well below her shoulders, then she lifted her chin.

I sucked in a breath when I met her golden-brown eyes. She looked like Elysia. Was Elysia trying to tell me something? Send me an image?

“Do you see her?” Era whispered.

“Yes.”

“Damn. A full-body apparition, and me without a camera.”

I stared at the ghost. It wasn't a vision Elysia had projected into my mind if Era was seeing it, too. But why did it look so much like Elysia?

Ashes. The darkest ashes.

I swallowed. “What?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Era glance at me. “Addie?”

The ghost blurred into that hazy fog once more, and I squinted my eyes, trying to see her better.

Suddenly, the fog shot straight at me. I gasped and stepped back. My heel caught in a crack as I stepped down, twisting my foot to the side. I felt and heard the pop, but my attention was firmly focused on the ghost. She hit me square in the chest, and my entire body went instantly cold—just like the time James had jumped through me.

The time he had almost taken my soul.

Chapter 6

I
fell backward, unable to even
catch myself. I hit hard, landing on one hip.

“Addie!” Era knelt down beside me and helped me sit up. “Are you okay?”

Footsteps echoed out of the dimness, and Era faced the sound. The heavy tap of hard-soled shoes on concrete drew nearer, the noise more substantial than we had heard earlier. A dark silhouette rounded the corner, the form much larger than the last.

“Who goes there?” Era called out.

A breeze blew across my bare shoulders, tugging at the tendrils of hair along the back of my neck.

“Am I about to be tossed the length of the building?” Doug stepped into the low light beneath one of the safety bulbs.

“Yes.” Era pressed a hand to her chest. “You scared the crap out of us.”

He moved closer. “Addie? Why are you sitting in the floor?”

“It wasn't by design.”

“We just saw a full-body apparition!” Era's enthusiasm bubbled over. “It attacked Addie.”

“Attacked?”

“Rushed me,” I explained. “It shot right through me.” I rubbed my arms. “It was so cold.”

“Here.” Doug offered me a hand.

Normally, I would have refused, but between the dress and my ankle, I accepted his help.

“Your hands
are
cold,” he said, then pulled me to my feet.

The momentum carried me forward and I took a step. Pain shot up my leg, drawing an involuntary gasp before my ankle gave out completely. I fell forward, but Doug caught me; otherwise, I would have surely ended up back on the floor.

“Addie?” Doug shifted his grip to my elbows. “What's wrong?”

“I twisted my ankle in these stupid heels.”

“Can you put weight on it?”

I still stood on one foot, but at his request, I set the other on the ground and shifted my weight. Once again, the pain took my breath, and the joint gave out.

Doug's grip tightened as I swayed. “I'll take that as a no.” He turned to Era. “Let her lean on you, and I'll see if it's broken.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he released my elbows, giving me no choice but to take her arm.

Doug knelt before me, and his warm fingers began a quick inspection of the offending joint. He was surprisingly gentle, but I still couldn't quiet my gasp when he found the sore spot.

“I don't feel a break, but you might have fractured it.” He stopped probing and rose to his feet. “It's definitely sprained and already starting to swell.”

“It'll heal,” I said.

“Well, yes, in a few weeks to months—depending on the extent of the damage.”

“No, the Final Formula accelerates healing. It'll be better by morning.”

Even in the low light, his skepticism was visible.

“You'll see,” I told him.

“I'm not going to argue that, but accelerated healing is still healing. You need to ice and elevate it as soon as possible.”

“But it's Donovan's birthday.”

“He's not going to be upset,” Era said.

I sighed.

“Here.” Doug moved to my side and before I realized what he intended, lifted me from my feet.

“This isn't necessary,” I complained.

Doug ignored my protest and carried me onto the elevator. “You can't walk, so unless you have an alchemical solution, I'll have to carry you out of here.”

“Clearly, I came ill-prepared.”

Doug gave me an amused glance, then turned to Era. “Do your magic.”

She hit the button to close the elevator door. “You're very bossy.”

“He's a necromancer,” I said.

Doug stopped smirking at Era to frown at me. “And that means?”

“Necromancers tend to be arrogant. Haven't you noticed?”

“I'm above all that.”

Era snorted. “You two hush so I can concentrate.”

“What about Elements?” Doug asked in a stage whisper. “Would you call them arrogant?”

“I call Rowan the Lord of Flames and Arrogance for a reason.”

“I thought you called him Hot Stuff.”

“That's for another reason,” Era said.

The elevator began to rise, the sound of the motor not quite drowning out Doug's laughter.

 

I gritted my teeth as
Doug snugged the ice pack a little tighter around my ankle. Era had gone back inside to let the others know what had happened, leaving me alone with Doug in the limo.

“You don't have to babysit me,” I said. “Go watch the end of the show.”

“I've seen La Traviata.” He finished his adjustments to the ice pack, then lifted my foot onto his knee, keeping it elevated. “It seems wrong to leave you out here alone.”

“I'm not alone. I have Marlowe.” I gestured at the privacy divider that separated us from the Elements' driver.

“You've been good to me.” Doug shrugged. “I'll wait with you.”

I gave up the argument. “Fine.”

“You sound so disappointed. Do you dislike me so much?”

“I don't dislike you.”

He lifted a brow though the low lighting concealed the finer points of his expression.

“Not anymore,” I added.

“But you disliked me once.”

“I didn't trust you.”

“Because I'm a necromancer?”

“Oh, give me a break. My best friend is a grim, my roommate is a soul reaper, and my business partner is a lich. I have no problem with Old Magic. I disliked you because you were Xander Nelson's son.”

“So you believe the nut didn't fall far from the tree.”

“Well, there are a lot of nuts on your family tree: Neil, his crazy mother, Alexander. I didn't have high hopes for you.”

“Makes a kind of sense, I guess. For the record, I no longer dislike you, either.”

“You disliked me? Why?”

“You were so pushy and opinionated. And you thought being the Flame Lord's girlfriend made you one of us.”

“I'm part of the magical community because I can wield magic, not because of who I'm dating.”

“You can wield magic?” Doug quirked an eyebrow upward, clearly doubting my statement.

“I've wielded Elemental Fire. I've also animated and controlled a corpse. Can you do both?”

“You can animate and command the dead?”

I suddenly remembered that I had stolen the blood of Doug's dead nephew to do that. It would be best not to go into detail.

“Ask Ian. He witnessed it. I even commanded him for a short time—until he broke free.”

Doug grunted. “I think
I
would have a hard time trying to control Ian.”

“I thought any living necromancer could take him.”

“That's true, but maintaining that control would be taxing. Any dead with a consciousness of their own takes a lot of attention. A lich like Ian, or his brother, would be a challenge to stay on top of.”

“What if the lich were soul bound to you?”

“That would make it easier. Why do you ask? Because Neil soul bound Ian?”

I looked over, surprised he knew.

“I could feel it,” Doug admitted. “When I asked, Ian told me it was Neil.”

“You could feel it? Elysia never did. I had to tell her.”

Doug sighed. “Elysia has never embraced her magic, nor really learned to use it. In hindsight, I guess it was a good thing, but it used to annoy me to no end.”

“Yeah.” I didn't want to go into that with him. “How about Alexander? Did Neil soul bind him?”

“I don't see that happening. Alexander would kill him if he tried.”

“Didn't you try to take Alexander, after James gave you the potion that broke you from his hold?”

“I tried, but he rammed that knife into my chest before I could do more than slip my soul into him.”

I made a sound of understanding, marveling at how open Doug was with me, and how bizarre this conversation was.

“What?” Doug must have caught a glimpse of my wonder.

“You. Well, all the necromancers I know. All of you just casually discuss how you send your soul from your body to… do things. Like it's no big deal.”

I expected an arrogant remark about how it wasn't a big deal, but Doug's expression grew serious, as if he truly considered my words.

“But didn't you tell me you animated and controlled the dead?”

“I animated it with necro blood.”

“How did you control the dead?”

“You want all my secrets?”

He gave me a small smile. “No. It would probably fly over my head, anyway.”

“Probably.” I smiled in turn.

“What makes you think that Neil soul bound Alexander?”

“He would have put something in the Formula he gave Alexander. A means to control him or protect himself. And since I have never designed such a potion for him to steal, I figure it must be necromantic.”

Doug frowned.

“Although, Neil is a necromancer now,” I said, thinking aloud. “Couldn't he control Alexander the usual way?”

“Neil took Alexander's flesh. A ghoul master's puppets cannot command him.”

“But isn't Neil immune to him?” It was a feature of the lich king blood gift: they were immune to ghoul masters. That was why Alexander had never enslaved Ian.

“Yes, but he still can't command Alexander.”

“Huh. Sounds like Neil is in need of some of my necromancy solvent.”

“Couldn't he come up with one?”

“Neil is a talented alchemist, but his forte isn't potion design.”

Doug smiled. “That's your strength.”

“Yes. But Neil is good at adapting potions for new uses, usually via necromancy.”

The car door opened and I jumped in surprise. I had been so intent on our conversation, I hadn't seen anyone approach.

“What have you done now?” Rowan frowned at us.

“I twisted my ankle in those damn heels,” I said. “Didn't I tell you those things were a hazard?”

Doug patted my knee and gently shifted my leg to the car seat. “It's a nasty sprain.” He climbed out of the car to stand beside Rowan. “Possibly a fracture, but she assures me she'll be healed by morning.”

“She would say that.”

“She needs to keep it iced and elevated.”

“For how long?”

“Until it stops swelling. Anyone else, and I'd recommend an X-ray.”

“I don't need an X-ray,” I called. “Tell him, Rowan.”

“I'll take it under advisement,” Rowan said to Doug.

I rolled my eyes. “Never mind me,” I muttered. “I'm just the subject of the conversation, not part of it.”

Doug gave me a smile, then pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “I promised James that I'd drive his car back to the lab.”

Rowan nodded. “Thank you for your help.” His tone sounded a bit begrudging, but I doubted Doug picked up on it.

“No problem.” Doug started to turn away and stopped. “Oh, and I would advise you to temper Era's ghost-hunting interests. It can be dangerous—as Addie will attest.”

“I'm guessing this goes beyond wearing sensible shoes?”

Doug chuckled. “Yes.” He sobered. “The spirit world is not a benign place. That's why necromancers guard themselves against it.”

“James keeps her safe.”

“She told me that he doesn't go on her hunts.”

“But he's only a phone call away.”

“If her phone will work. Spirits need energy to interact with the mortal world, and they collect it from their surroundings. Batteries are the first things they go after.”

“All right. I will speak to her.”

“Thank you.” Doug walked away.

Rowan frowned after him, then climbed into the limo with me. He pulled the door closed with a little more force than I thought necessary. Perhaps he didn't like Doug telling him what to do.

“Xander's son is a surprisingly decent guy,” I said as Rowan settled into the seat Doug had just vacated.

“The two of you have grown close.”

“I wouldn't go that far. But he did open up to me.”

“While you were sitting here alone in the dark?”

I smiled. “Jealous?”

“If I thought he was trying to move in on you…”

“He's already moved in with me,” I teased. “Well, with Ian.”

Rowan glanced over. A frown shadowed his eyes, but I could still see the slim band of fire around the pupil.

“You
are
jealous.” I lowered my injured leg to the floor and scooted closer to him.

“He's a Nelson.”

“So?”

“They tend to be charming. Good-looking.”

Didn't I already have this conversation with Era? “If you say so.”

Rowan's frown deepened.

I got up on my knees—careful of my ankle—so I could face him. “The girls tease me all the time about being oblivious to good-looking men.” I reached up and ran a finger along his jaw. “But I noticed you.”

He finally stopped frowning. “Why?”

“Initially? I don't know. You drove me crazy, but I still wanted to see you naked.”

One corner of his mouth curled upward. “Yeah?”

“Maybe it was because you were such a great kisser.”

He chuckled. “I still have the glass I traded you for that first kiss.”

“Really?”

“Though I did come close to throwing it against the wall after your little potion wore off.”

I laughed. “I bet that made you rethink your opinion of alchemists.”

“Well, one in particular.”

I arched an eyebrow.

“Come here, alchemist. Remind me again why I put up with you.”

“It's my wit, Your Grace.” I slid into his lap, grateful my loose skirt allowed it.

“Your smart mouth, you mean.” He wrapped his warm fingers around the back of my neck. “Yes. I like your mouth.” He pulled me to him and kissed me. His kiss was passionate, demanding. I ran my hands over the silky fabric of his shirt, glad he had unbuttoned his coat before he climbed into the car.