to start crashing funerals?”
“Yep.”
Killian looked at the folder, “Maybe we can just stick with tracking down your uncle.”
“It’ll be fun. A little garlic necklace for you. A little magic rod for me.” I looked at him sharply, “Don’t say it.”
He shut his mouth with a snap and a grin.
We sat in the car in silence.
“I have a magic rod.”
“Shut it!”
“I could consider it as payment of the favor you owe me,” he offered.
“Don’t!” I said, holding up my finger in warning.
“Although, you probably would end up owing me at the end. We could keep track.”
“Elf!”
He held up his hands in acquiescence, “There is no need for favors to be an unpleasant experience.”
“Listen, you. You had your chance to name your favor and you chose saving the world instead of saving the world in your pants. Next time, bargain better.”
He gave me a wink, “That I shall, that I shall...”
Chapter 13
So, Killian wasn’t completely off. Ghouls can be darn tricky to spot. That is, they are until the life force they’ve been chowing on starts to run out, in which case they get a little gooey around the edges as things break down.
Killian and I were on our fourth memorial service of the day, chosen at random from the obituary notices and I was starting to feel a little discouraged. We hung towards the back of the funeral procession. I knew the ghoul would have enough instinct to stick around until the living types disappeared. Ghouls aren’t particularly smart, but every scavenger figures out you’ve gotta wait for the lions to finish if you want to survive to your next meal.
Killian was looking rather dashing in his black turtleneck and jacket. Set off those baby blues of his. Just a quick trip through Austin’s closet and we had ourselves a funeral appropriate genuine Armani knock off. At least I hoped it was a knock off, because I didn’t know if dry cleaners would charge extra for ghoul stains. I had picked a tasteful basic black suit from Mindy’s things. A dress would have been more appropriate, but it’s hard taking down the undead when you’re concerned about flashing your girl bits.
I touched Killian’s sleeve and jerked my head away from the burial site. We walked to the far corner of the graveyard, leaving the widow to say her goodbyes and let the coffin be lowered into what, if I could help it, would be the guy’s final resting place.
The drizzle was starting to come down and black umbrellas popped up everywhere. Of course it would have to be raining. Killian and I stood behind a tree. He seemed strangely quiet.
“It is a shame humans do not live for long.”
“Long enough,” I replied. Except for perhaps one. Dad could have stuck around for a bit longer and I wouldn’t have minded at all.
We watched as the mourners paid their last respects and left arm in arm. The backhoe started covering up the stiff, but then the operator got a phone call. He turned off his machine and hopped off, walking away only halfway through the job.
“This is it.”
Dusk had started to fall. Crap. Why couldn’t these little beasties choose warm days on Tahitian beaches instead of muddy drizzle in an ever increasingly dark cemetery? Battling things out with the forces of darkness was always trickier when it was dark. Home court advantage and all.
“It’s him.”
Killian looked at me like I was nuts.
“It is the pastor.”
The guy had a limp and was oozing grey tar out of his black pant leg. Unless he had come down with a rare case of flesh eating Ebola, he had an ectoplasm problem.
“I can’t believe he’s coming out while the undertaker is on a call.”
I opened up my purse and pulled out the garlic necklaces. I looped one of them over Killian’s like he was touching down in Hawaii.
“I thought you said they went after easy targets.”
I shrugged, “Sometimes, they can’t wait. If they haven’t eaten in
“Yep.”
Killian looked at the folder, “Maybe we can just stick with tracking down your uncle.”
“It’ll be fun. A little garlic necklace for you. A little magic rod for me.” I looked at him sharply, “Don’t say it.”
He shut his mouth with a snap and a grin.
We sat in the car in silence.
“I have a magic rod.”
“Shut it!”
“I could consider it as payment of the favor you owe me,” he offered.
“Don’t!” I said, holding up my finger in warning.
“Although, you probably would end up owing me at the end. We could keep track.”
“Elf!”
He held up his hands in acquiescence, “There is no need for favors to be an unpleasant experience.”
“Listen, you. You had your chance to name your favor and you chose saving the world instead of saving the world in your pants. Next time, bargain better.”
He gave me a wink, “That I shall, that I shall...”
Chapter 13
So, Killian wasn’t completely off. Ghouls can be darn tricky to spot. That is, they are until the life force they’ve been chowing on starts to run out, in which case they get a little gooey around the edges as things break down.
Killian and I were on our fourth memorial service of the day, chosen at random from the obituary notices and I was starting to feel a little discouraged. We hung towards the back of the funeral procession. I knew the ghoul would have enough instinct to stick around until the living types disappeared. Ghouls aren’t particularly smart, but every scavenger figures out you’ve gotta wait for the lions to finish if you want to survive to your next meal.
Killian was looking rather dashing in his black turtleneck and jacket. Set off those baby blues of his. Just a quick trip through Austin’s closet and we had ourselves a funeral appropriate genuine Armani knock off. At least I hoped it was a knock off, because I didn’t know if dry cleaners would charge extra for ghoul stains. I had picked a tasteful basic black suit from Mindy’s things. A dress would have been more appropriate, but it’s hard taking down the undead when you’re concerned about flashing your girl bits.
I touched Killian’s sleeve and jerked my head away from the burial site. We walked to the far corner of the graveyard, leaving the widow to say her goodbyes and let the coffin be lowered into what, if I could help it, would be the guy’s final resting place.
The drizzle was starting to come down and black umbrellas popped up everywhere. Of course it would have to be raining. Killian and I stood behind a tree. He seemed strangely quiet.
“It is a shame humans do not live for long.”
“Long enough,” I replied. Except for perhaps one. Dad could have stuck around for a bit longer and I wouldn’t have minded at all.
We watched as the mourners paid their last respects and left arm in arm. The backhoe started covering up the stiff, but then the operator got a phone call. He turned off his machine and hopped off, walking away only halfway through the job.
“This is it.”
Dusk had started to fall. Crap. Why couldn’t these little beasties choose warm days on Tahitian beaches instead of muddy drizzle in an ever increasingly dark cemetery? Battling things out with the forces of darkness was always trickier when it was dark. Home court advantage and all.
“It’s him.”
Killian looked at me like I was nuts.
“It is the pastor.”
The guy had a limp and was oozing grey tar out of his black pant leg. Unless he had come down with a rare case of flesh eating Ebola, he had an ectoplasm problem.
“I can’t believe he’s coming out while the undertaker is on a call.”
I opened up my purse and pulled out the garlic necklaces. I looped one of them over Killian’s like he was touching down in Hawaii.
“I thought you said they went after easy targets.”
I shrugged, “Sometimes, they can’t wait. If they haven’t eaten in
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