The Catalyst of Corruption (The Final Formula Series, Book 4) (6 page)

“Ah.” His gaze moved to the next box where the pair had selected seats near the rail. She had her program open, and he was pointing to something on the page.

“Do you think him brazen enough to try something with our little sister?” Donovan asked Rowan.

“He is a Nelson.”

“It would be easy to toss his chair over the rail.”

I muffled a laugh. “You two behave. They found a common interest, that's all.”

“What do you think, brother? Do we take our newest sister's advice?” Donovan still insisted that I was the fifth Element, the Quintessence.

“For now,” Rowan said.

“I can't be your sister and Rowan's girlfriend,” I told Donovan. “Unless a couple of guys in the orchestra pit are about to break out some banjos and play us that tune from
Deliverance
.”

“You have a twisted sense of humor, my sister.” Donovan's deep chuckle was drowned out by the opening strains of the first number. “Here we go.”

I smiled at his genuine excitement.

Rowan's fingers slid along my arm as his hand took mine. I leaned my shoulder into his, pleased to be part of this family.

 

Elysia caught me at intermission
and dragged me off to the restroom. The lines were long, but she avoided those and led me over to a mirror in the corner of the lounge.

“What am I doing wrong?” she asked.

“Wrong?”

“With James? He just told me that he's moving back to Athens next week for the spring semester.”

“That's my fault,” Era said, joining us. “Or more accurately, Rowan's. Lord forbid I go anywhere without a bodyguard.”

Elysia frowned, but didn't speak.

“This is your last semester, right?” I asked Era.

“I'll still have some things to complete over the summer, but I won't have to be on campus much.”

“See? It'll just be for a few months,” I said to Elysia. “And I'm sure Rowan's behind it. I'll talk to him.”

“No need.” Elysia shook her head. “James said it was best. We needed some time apart.”

I glanced at Era, and by her frown, I could tell she thought that sounded as bad as I did.

“Maybe he needs time away from that dress,” Era said. “That's got to be testing his willpower.”

Elysia glanced down at herself. “It's a bit much, isn't it?” She sighed. “Nothing else was working, so I thought I'd try to seduce him.”

“James is the most self-sacrificing guy you'll ever meet,” I said. “If he thinks his actions will hurt you, then he'll do whatever it takes to avoid that—no matter what the cost to himself.”

“I know, but why does he get to choose? I'm the one taking the risk. If being with him is going to make me go insane quicker, shouldn't that be up to me?” She frowned at her own reflection then turned to me. “You never refuse Rowan when his feelings for you put him at risk.”

“We have an understanding. He's supposed to tell me when he… needs a moment.” My cheeks heated and I tried to ignore Era's grin. “I wouldn't have agreed otherwise.”

“I didn't mean to imply that you would,” Elysia said, “but at least you get to have a relationship. James refuses to try.”

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

“Yes. No. I don't know.” She shrugged. “I'm going to go insane whether he's involved or not. I'm a soul reaper. That's how it works.”

“I'll find a way to fix this.”

“Addie. This can't be fixed—no more than you could fix Era here if her magic was killing her.” Elysia gestured at her.

“Kind of like Rowan?” I asked.

Elysia sighed. “Bad example.” She rubbed her arms and glanced over her shoulder, though at the moment, we had the space to ourselves.

“What's wrong?” I asked.

“As if I don't have enough problems, this damn building is haunted.”

“One of the most haunted places in the U.S.,” Era said. “Have you read about it?”

“No. You could say I'm a ghost magnet.”

“Seriously?”

“It's not a good thing.” Elysia turned toward the exit. “I need something to drink.” She worked her way back through the crowd near the door, collecting envious stares from the women waiting there.

I glanced at Era.

“I guess being beautiful isn't everything.” She didn't speak the words with any malice.

“Come on.” I started for the exit. “I wouldn't mind a bottle of water myself.”

 

Era and I squeezed through
the well-dressed crowd in the foyer, making our way toward the concessions.

“I'm not waiting in that.” Era nodded toward the huge line. “We'll miss the whole second act.”

I didn't answer, busy scanning the crowd. “Where's Elysia? She wasn't that far ahead of us.”

“Maybe she saw the line and decided not to bother.”

“You're probably right.” I turned away and caught a glimpse of golden hair. Intent on finding Elysia, it took my brain a second to register that it was a man. Then the crowd closed around him.

“I just saw a blond man.” I waved a hand in the direction I had been looking. “Was it Doug?”

Era was a good six or seven inches taller than me, maybe more in her higher heels. She still rolled up on her toes to see over the crowd. “I don't see him. Why are you looking for him?”

“He could see over the crowd for us.” I didn't want to head back to our seats if Elysia was still here.

“True. He's nearly as tall as Rowan.” Era started for the auditorium. “Elysia is probably back at the box by now.”

“Donovan would be really helpful in this situation.” I followed behind her, glad I had her to blaze the trail through the crowd.

“Absolutely.” She gave me a quick grin over her shoulder. “I told you that you should have gone with higher heels.”

“That's not even—”

We stepped into the hall and came face to face with Doug. I was about to make a speak-of-the-devil quip, but his frown stopped me.

“What's wrong?” I asked.

He didn't look at me, his eyes scanning the crowded foyer. “I felt a portal open.”

Chapter 5

I
stared at Doug. “A portal?”
Goosebumps coated my arms as I remembered the man I glimpsed earlier. “Where's James?”

“I don't know why he would open a portal here.”

“I wasn't suggesting it was him.”

Doug stopped scanning the foyer to frown at me. “Where's Elysia? I thought she was with you.”

“She went to the concession stand. She hasn't returned to the box?”

“No.”

I rubbed the back of my neck and stared into the crowd.

“What is it?” Doug asked.

“A few minutes ago, I saw a blond man. For a second, I thought it was you.”

Doug's frown deepened. “Where did he go?”

“I lost him in the crowd.”

“Show me?”

I pointed and Doug took a step in that direction. I caught his arm. “If a portal opened, it could be Alexander.”

“He's no longer a threat to me.” Doug patted my hand, and I removed it from his sleeve, letting him walk off.

Era immediately started after him, giving me no choice but to follow.

Doug moved through the crowd with ease. Maybe it was his size or his angry expression, but people seemed to get out of his way before he had to ask.

We reached the far side of the room in no time, but I saw no trace of the blond man I had seen earlier.

“So where—” I didn't get to finish my question as Doug abruptly spun away from us.

“Hey!” Doug called out.

Then I saw James, only yards away and moving quickly in the direction we had been headed.

Doug hurried to him and we followed. “Was that you?”

“No.” James didn't seem to require an explanation. He turned away to continue his search, but Doug stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“What if it's Alexander or Neil?”

“Then I'll deal with them. I'm following Elysia.”

“You saw her?” I asked.

“Yes, but she's now out of range.” His eyes met mine, and I could see the faint glow. He had seen her soul. That particular aspect of his vision wasn't limited by walls or physical barriers, just distance.

“It's a huge building with multiple floors,” Era said.

“True,” Doug said. “We'll search for her together.” He directed the last part of his statement at James.

James eyed him a moment, then to my surprise, nodded. “She was moving that way.” He gestured toward a hall barricaded by a velvet rope.

“Why?” I asked. “That part of the building isn't even open.

“What if it's the ghosts?” Era asked. “She said they were bothering her.”

“Shit,” James muttered. “If she's been possessed—”

“She's a necromancer,” Doug said. “She can't be possessed unless…”

James said nothing, he just held his gaze.

“Shit,” Doug repeated. “What if
she
opened the portal?”

“I was watching her when I felt it. She was following that hall.”

“If you follow it,” Era said, “it will take you to a set of stairs that lead to the ballroom. That's where the freight elevator is.”

“Why is that significant?” I asked.

“It's the most haunted part of the building. Come, I'll show you.” She glanced over her shoulder, then ducked beneath the rope.

“How would you know that?” Doug asked as we followed.

“That's where we got the best EVPs when my paranormal group visited.”

“EVP?” I asked.

“Electronic voice phenomena. Unexplained voices picked up on a recorder.”

“You ghost hunt?” Doug asked her.

“Yes.” She glanced over. “Are you making fun of me?”

“No, I'm just surprised. You're New Magic.”

“I'm as interested in where we go when we die as the next person.”

Doug gave her a considering look as we walked along. “It's a good place to ghost hunt. This building is haunted as hell.”

“You feel it?” Era asked, her eyes widening.

“Some, but I'm more aware of the dead buried beneath this place—and there are a lot of them.”

“Why?” I asked.

“A section of the property was once a potter's field,” Era said. “You know, where they buried people who died without identification or religious affiliation. There are also tales of mass graves from a cholera epidemic. It is believed that being buried without a name or the proper ceremony results in tormented souls that haunt the rest of us.”

We rounded a corner and came face to face with a closed door.

Doug tugged on the handle. “Locked.”

“Let me.” James stepped forward.

Era pressed a hand to his chest. “No, you'll break it. I'll get it.”

“You can open locked doors?” Doug asked.

“I can throw you the length of this building with a punch of air. It takes far less to move a few tumblers.” She closed her eyes, and a moment later, a click sounded within the door.

James depressed the latch and pushed the door open.

Doug met my gaze, his brows lifting.

I shrugged. “She's an Element.”

We followed Era through the dimly lit corridors until we found the ballroom she mentioned with the freight elevator tucked in one corner. But even in the dim light, we could see that the elevator door stood open.

James stepped up to the opening, then threw out an arm to block my path. “The car's not here.”

I stared into the darkness. “That isn't exactly safe.”

“You don't think she came this way, do you?” Era asked.

In other words, had she stepped through the open door and fallen down the shaft?

“How would she have gotten past the locked door?” I asked.

“That's not the only way to reach this room,” Era said.

“But why would she come here?” I asked.

“She may not be thinking for herself,” Doug said, his tone subdued.

“I'll check,” James said. Without warning, he jumped into the darkness. An instant later, a loud metallic clang echoed up from below.

“James?” I called out.

“The car's here, on the bottom.” His voice echoed out of the darkness.

I leaned forward to try to gage how far down he was.

Doug grabbed my arm and jerked me away—just as the door slammed closed inches from my face.

I stumbled back, heart in my throat.

“Addie, are you okay?” Era asked.

“Yeah.” I took a deep breath and looked up at Doug. “How did you know the door was going to close?”

“It, um, tried to take me first.”

“What?”

“Something wanted me to push you into the elevator shaft.” Doug gave me a shrug.

I took a step away from him. “How good are you at resisting?”

He gave me a flat stare, looking so much like Ian that I had to bite back a laugh.

“What?” Doug frowned. “Unlike the untalented, I can't be possessed. I must let them in.”

“The necromancer thing?”

“Yes.”

“But you think Elysia is possessed.”

“She's no longer whole,” he said, his voice softening.

“You mean, since she saved me?”

“And me.”

“But she said she's a ghost magnet,” Era said.

“All necromancers are,” Doug said. “The stronger the power, the greater the attraction.”

Era's brow wrinkled. “But if Elysia can't resist them…”

“Oh,” I said, making the connection. “That's where the insanity comes from.”

Doug and Era both gave me a puzzled frown.

“Why soul reaper's go insane—or one reason,” I explained. “They lose their natural defense. After Neil stunted her, Elysia said the ghosts wouldn't leave her alone. She thought she was going crazy until James chased them away.” I shook my head. “Damn, if I could just figure out how to rebuild her natural defense, maybe I could cure her.”

“How would that even be possible?” Doug asked.

“Addie's an alchemist.” Era said. “She doesn't believe in impossible.”

I ignored them, running a possible formula through my mind, then discarding it. I could use the Final Formula to repair physical damage, but how did I rebuild someone's failing magic? In my mind's eye, I was back in that crematorium with Neil, holding the jar of necromancer ashes. What if I could use the natural defense of another—

A thump, and the elevator suddenly kicked on.

“Era?” I asked. She was standing closest to the door.

“It wasn't me. It needs a key.” She gestured at the panel by the door, and even in the low light, I could see the keyhole.

“So did the locked door you opened.”

“Yes, but I'm not doing this.”

The elevator slowed to a stop. Was it on our floor? None of the lights were on.

The door began to open, and I slid a hand along my ribs—where I usually carried my vials in a series of narrow pockets. My fingers slid over the silky fabric of my dress before I remembered that I wasn't wearing my robes. Not that alchemy would work on a ghost.

The door banged open, revealing James standing inside.

“How—” I began.

“The roof.” He pointed at the open hatch above him. “Did you call the elevator? The door slammed closed while I was climbing through the hatch.”

“The door closed on us, too,” Doug said.

“And no, we didn't call the elevator,” Era said.

James's eyes went on full glow and he spun in a slow circle. “There's no one here.”

“Spirits use energy to interact with our world,” Era said. “I bet this one used it all.” She glanced at Doug and frowned. He looked like he was trying not to laugh.

“What? Am I wrong?” Era asked.

“No.” Doug continued to smile. “I'm just impressed with your knowledge.”

“Well, what I didn't learn from the usual channels, James taught me.” She shrugged.

“I found Elysia,” James cut in. He was staring at the floor on the far side of the elevator.

“Where?” I asked.

“The basement.”

“Why would she be in the basement?” I rubbed at the goosebumps that pebbled my arms. Was she down there alone?

James moved to the wall of the elevator beside the open door. “Era, can you operate this? It takes a key.”

“I can try.” She stepped onto the elevator, and Doug and I followed.

A dim safety light lit the space, and I had to force myself not to study the shadowed corners.

“If you can't get it,” James said to Era, “I'll change and go after her.”

“What if she's not alone?” Doug asked. “We still don't know if it was Elysia who opened that portal.”

The elevator motor kicked on and we were descending.

“I hope that's you,” I said to Era.

She had her eyes closed, her forehead bunched in concentration. A few moments later, the elevator slowed to a stop.

Era released a breath. “Yes, it was me. That was a bit tougher than tapping a few tumblers. We should have brought Donovan.”

“You haven't let us down yet.” Doug pressed the button to open the doors.

Era glanced at him, her expression surprised. “Be sure and mention this to Rowan later. I'm not as helpless as he thinks.”

“Definitely not.” Doug stepped out into the basement. Like in the elevator, only the safety lights were on. “Though I can't say as I approve of this ghost-hunting sideline.”

“Oh really?” Era stepped out beside him.

I glanced up at James and grimaced. Doug was about to get his butt chewed.

James gave me a smile and stepped past them. “I won't let anything happen to her,” he said to Doug.

Doug watched him go before turning back to Era. “Does he go with you?”

“That would be pointless. Ghosts are afraid of him.”

James ignored the conversation and stopped a few feet ahead of us. His back was to us, but I could tell by the way he turned his head that he was searching for Elysia. He suddenly pulled in a breath.

“Did you find her?” I asked. “Can you see her soul?”

“Yes. She's not alone.” He ran into the darkness.

“James, don't,” Doug called after him, his voice little more than a stage whisper.

James didn't stop, his silhouette vanishing into the shadows.

“Damn it,” Doug muttered. “You two wait here.” He ran after James.

“Yeah, right,” Era said and started after him.

I sighed and followed, lifting my dress to my knees and running on my toes to avoid twisting an ankle in my stupid heels. How I always ended up in situations like this was beyond me.

The basement was a narrow labyrinth cramped by low pipes. The space was used for storage, with large boxes and crates filling the gaps between brick pillars. It wasn't easy to find our way, and the dim security lighting didn't help. I followed Era as much by sound as by sight.

She stopped at a gap between a couple of large crates. I started to ask why when I spotted Doug's wide shoulders just beyond the opening. He stood with his back to us, but I was sure he'd heard us run up.

“Doug?” I couldn't see what held his attention.

He held up a hand. Was he telling us to stop, to wait, or to be silent? Maybe all three.

I glanced over at Era, but she was frowning at his back, no doubt angry about him taking command.

Abruptly, Era stood straighter. “What was that?” She gripped his shoulder.

He looked back, the safety light behind us illuminating his face—and his white eyes. He stared at her in shock. “You felt that?”

“What were you doing?” I asked.

“There are dead all around us, beneath the floor. I was trying to judge how long they have been here.” His eyes returned to blue and focused on Era. “I thought only another necromancer could feel necromancy in use.”

Era shrugged. “I don't know. I've never been around a necromancer who was using his magic.”