We spend the rest of the afternoon holed up in Lukas’s hotel room, using my laptop to research necromancers. The effort feels a bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack. We come across one person online who seems likely to be either a necromancer themselves or closely related to one. Unfortunately, they live overseas, so they’re not a direct lead on the necromancer here. Still, they might have useful information or insights. Together, we carefully compose an email explaining our situation in vague but urgent terms, asking for any advice or guidance they can provide. To be completely honest, I’m skeptical they’ll reply. If I received an email like this, I’d probably delete it or mark it as spam. But we include my contact information, my email, phone number, everything, and I promise I’m available at any time. Then, with a sigh, I close my laptop and lean back.
“Are we done for the day?” Lukas asks, his tone heavy with exhaustion. I glance at him, fighting the urge to point out that I’ve been the one doing all the actual typing and digging. But then again, he did spend his morning reading traumatised minds and dealing with an incubus. Eli might be friendly, but I do get the impression that being around him for long periods of time is probably tiring, especially for a guy who reads minds. Plus, Lukas has been up since some ungodly hour. I shrug.
“Yeah, we’re done.” I answer as I stretch my arms over my head, feeling the stiffness in my shoulders. When I finally stand to slip my heels back on and grab my keys, Lukas is watching me closely.
“You look tired.” He observes. Great, wonderful, he’s basically saying I look awful. I think resentfully. I sigh and nod.
“I am tired.” I answer reluctantly.
“You could stay.” He offers, his tone nonchalant. I freeze, my eyebrow shooting up.
“Excuse me?” I demand.
“This bed has space for two.” He says matter of factly, as if he’s commenting on the weather. I narrow my eyes at him, searching his face for signs of sarcasm. But no, he seems completely sincere.
“Uh… No.” I answer bluntly. Lukas frowns.
“Why not?” He asks. I blink.
“Why would I?” I ask.
“Because you’re tired.” He says simply, as though it’s the most logical thing in the world.
“If you stay here then you don’t have to drive back, and I enjoy your company. Plus, I’m curious to see what you dream about.” He adds. I stare. He has got to be joking!
“Dude, what the hell? No! I’m not staying here so you can spy on my dreams!” I shoot back, horrified. Lukas lets out a disappointed sigh.
“No one likes spending time with me because of the whole mind reading thing. I thought you didn’t mind it so much. You talk to me using it, and you let me read your mind sometimes.” He points out.
“That’s different.” I say, crossing my arms.
“I choose to share at those times. I have no idea what you’d see if I was asleep. Besides, I don’t like you nearly enough to share a bed with you.” I say firmly. Lukas raises a skeptical eyebrow.
“Right.” He says in a tone that doesn’t sound like he’s agreeing at all.
“The answer is a definite no.” I say firmly, wanting to leave no space for doubt.
“If you change your mind, the offer’s there. Maybe you just need to sleep on it.” He reasons, a faint smirk tugging at his lip
“Separately.” I snap.
“If you insist.” He shrugs easily, getting to his feet to walk me out. Roxy trots along at his heels, her tail wagging softly.
“Good night, Clare. I’ll see you tomorrow?” Lukas confirms, holding the door open for me. I sigh.
“Yeah, I suppose so. Night.” I say awkwardly. Lukas steps forward, and for a moment, I think he’s about to do something ridiculous, like try to kiss me. Instead, I hurriedly bend down to scratch Roxy behind her ears.
“Goodbye, sweet girl,” I say softly before standing abruptly and rushing off into the night without looking back.
When my alarm blares in the morning, I groan and bury my face deeper into the pillow, stubbornly clinging to sleep. For a blissful few seconds, I contemplate ignoring it entirely. But Princess, my tiny demon of a cat, has other plans. She’s already at my bedroom door, clawing the carpet with the persistence of someone who has never been denied a thing in her life.
“You’re lucky I love you.” I grumble as I shuffle out of bed, my hair a mess, falling out of my rollers, my limbs heavy with exhaustion. Princess, of course, is unimpressed with my efforts. She greets me with her usual high pitched, whiny meows as I scoop food into her dish. It’s not like she can’t see me preparing her breakfast, she just enjoys making a show of her starvation.
“Drama queen.” I mutter affectionately as she dives into her meal with the enthusiasm of someone who hasn’t eaten in days. With Princess temporarily appeased, I drag myself to my closet. Just the thought of putting on pants today feels like actual torture. After a solid minute of standing there, staring blankly at my options, I finally settle on comfort over style. I pull on a pair of hot pink leggings, because if I’m going to be lazy, I might as well be bold about it, and pair them with a black t-shirt that reads, ‘I’m not stubborn, my way is just better.’ The slogan feels appropriate today. Seriously, if anyone argues with me I’m likely to tear into them. My mood is not good. Probably because it’s been a few days since I’ve gotten a proper, full night of sleep. I glance at myself in the mirror and sigh. Definitely not my most put together look, but it’s not like I’m heading into work. Plus, comfort is king. I sit down to do my hair, going through the usual routine to tame the chaos into something manageable. My makeup is applied as usual, although I'm maybe a little lighter on the eyeliner than usual and of course, I pull on my trusty glasses to finish it all off. Then, for the final touch, I zip up a pair of black knee-high boots. I take one last look in the mirror, tilting my head critically. It’s far from my best effort, but the outfit is cozy and casual. Exactly what I need today.
“Good enough.” I declare to no one in particular. It’s not like I plan to really see anyone I know other than Lukas, and I don’t care what he thinks… Mostly. Ugh. Annoying. I shake it off and slam the door behind me, determined to not overthink it.
I arrive at Lukas’s hotel, marching my way up to his room with purpose. Armed with the knowledge that he’s a morning person, I fully expect him to answer the door right away. But as I knock, there’s…No answer. Frowning, I knock again, louder this time, but there’s still no response. Did he go out? He was expecting me. Surely he would’ve texted if he had plans to go out somewhere. Lukas isn’t exactly the type to wander off without a word, especially given the risks of being alone right now. I pull out my phone to call him when a faint sound catches my attention, a low, distressed whining. I freeze, straining to listen. The noise is coming from inside the room. I lean closer to the door, and the sound grows louder. It almost sounds like… Roxy?
“Roxy?” I call softly. The whining instantly intensifies, followed by the sharp scratching of paws against the door. My heart races. Lukas would never leave Roxy like this. He adores her. Something is very wrong. I jiggle the handle, but of course, it’s locked. Frustrated, I yank on it again, hard, as if brute force will somehow make the door budge. The whining inside is growing more frantic, and so is my heartbeat. I tug on the handle again, and this time, I feel a spark race down my arm. The door clicks open. Oh. My magic, acting out on its own again. I’ll deal with that later. I shove the door open and step inside. Roxy launches herself at me, her large paws landing on my chest as she whines loudly, her whole body trembling. I crouch down, running a hand over her head in an attempt to calm her.
“Hey, girl, it’s okay,” I murmur, though the words feel hollow, probably because they’re a total lie. This is definitely not okay. I scan the room quickly. It’s empty, no sign of Lukas anywhere. His phone is still plugged in by the bed, which looks untouched, as if he hadn’t slept in it. I start to feel sick when I spot his shoes neatly placed by the bed. He only brought one pair with him. Lukas wouldn’t go anywhere without his shoes. Not willingly, at least. Panic tightens in my chest.
“Shit.” I whisper, stroking Roxy’s fur, as much to calm myself as to calm her and I try to think. Whatever happened, I know one thing for certain, Lukas didn’t leave here willingly.