Liam’s eyes drooped and I saw him mulling it over. “We’ll meet him in the graveyard. Faris can stay there until we get Milly and Pamela out.”

“And Frank?”

His jaw ticked several times. “You’ll just have to work your charm on the fanged one and make him see Frank is harmless. And that you need the kid to save Milly and Pamela.”

I nodded, feeling the worry climb my spine, sticking its spikes deep into my body. As far as plans went, it wasn’t much. But considering the number of times I flew by the seat of my jeans, it was a damn miracle we had even that much mapped out.

It would have to be enough. We headed into the kitchen and I was thrown back in time for a moment. Everything was old school. Circa 1950s old school. Older too, if the wood burning stove was any indication. Everything was in muted pastels that made me ill looking at their sickly, pale tones.

“Gag me, hire a decorator,” I muttered, walking to the black rotary phone hanging on the wall. It was freaking huge, at least two feet tall and a foot wide, black with the white numbers nearly rubbed completely away.

I held my breath as I picked up the receiver. A steady beep, beep, beep sent a flood of relief down me.

Liam stepped closer and the beeping faded. I pushed him back. “Too much of you apparently is not a good thing.”

He laughed softly and he trailed his fingers along my collarbone. “You sure about that?”

My eyes flicked to his and I shook my head. Now was not the time for that kind of discussion.

“Ease up. Work first, play later.”

He gave me a salute and stepped back, dropping into an awful green pleather chair that made me cringe. I dialed Doran’s number.

There was a click, a buzz, and finally the other end rang. “Come on, be awake, be awake.”

“Hello?” The hesitant voice was not Doran’s or even Berget’s.

“Frank?”

“Yeahhhhh. Who is this?” The fear in him was palatable. Shit, had something gone wrong?

“It’s Rylee. What time is it there?” Hell, I didn’t even know what time it was here.

“Early afternoon I guess. I just woke up.”

I squeezed the receiver. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just, I don’t like it here with Doran. Something about him is freaking me out.”

Ah, that explained it. Nature trying to assert itself and force their hands to each other’s throat. “Don’t worry, you’re leaving in a bit. We need you here.”

“Where are you?”

I ignored his question, feeling the bite of timing running out nipping at my heels. “Just listen. Did you find the other necromancer?”

He cleared his throat. “Yes, she was very pretty. I mean … smart … and …um.”

“Spit it out, kid.”

Again he cleared his throat and if one could hear a blush, it was all over his voice. “But she couldn’t help me, she’s far too young to know anything either.”

I wanted to shout for joy. Fuck yeah, we were getting both Milly and Pamela out! The fates were looking kindly on us finally and sending help our way.

“Get a hold of her and get her to meet you at Dox’s bar, do you understand?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know she will, and why at the bar?”

“I’ve got someone to teach you both, an old necromancer. He’s the best in the business. Don’t worry about why I’m having you meet us at the bar.” I didn’t want to tell him the reason he was uncomfortable at Doran’s. I didn’t want to compound that with a second necromancer. Last thing I needed was an inexperienced necromancer freaking out and raising zombies.

That was all it took. He was off the phone and I stood listening to the empty dial tone.

Liam hung up the phone. “How are you going to contact Faris?”

I ran a hand through my hair, my brain trying to tell me something, a tease of a hint I could grasp if I worked at it hard enough.

“He has ties to those he bites, can find them pretty much anywhere, right?”

Liam gave a slow nod. “But that wears off with you, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, but he bit someone else with us. Alex.”

“You think he would come if Alex called him? I doubt it. There’s nothing in it for Faris to show up at the beck and call of a werewolf he thinks is submissive.” Liam leaned back in the chair, his eyes calculating.

“But Faris knows Alex is always with me. Alex would never call Faris on his own.”

He nodded several times. “True. Is there a distance factor, like with your Tracking?”

“I don’t know.”

And there was no way to know until we tried. “You think Thomas would open the veil to pick up his two new pupils?”

“Good question.”

So, back to the living room we went. Erik stood at the edge of a large, bay window, peering out through the curtains. “The zombies are still out there.”

Well that was just great. Peachy. “Thomas, we have located two young necromancers for you. Are you willing to open the veil to bring them here?”

Thomas sat up, as if he pressed each vertebrae into his chair individually before he finally lifted his head. “That was rather quick. I find it hard to believe you have more ability to find a necromancer than I do.”

I shrugged. “Do you really care if I have more connections than you? Now, will you bring them across or not?” If I could have done so without him seeing, I would have crossed my fingers. As it was, I held my breath.

“There are two reasons I will not,” Thomas said and my stomach sank, breath knocked out of me. “The first is you could be lying and just trying to find a way out for yourself.” I sucked in a sharp, very angry breath but he plowed on ignoring me. “The other is if I open the veil now, after raising so many dead to keep you out of my home, I will not be able to open the deep level of the veil to your friends you wish to save. For days, perhaps. I am at the end of my strength now. I must rest while you bring the new young necromancers to me. Once they are here I can tap into their strength and we will open the deep levels for you.”

Shit. That was not good news on any front.

“Then I may not be able to stay with you. The only way to get them here will be … difficult.” There, that was a nice way of putting it.

Thomas waved both hands at me. “If you get them both here, a task I did not think and still do not think is possible, I will forgo the knowledge you have ‘til another time. That being said, I will keep one of your men here, just to be sure you will come back, Tracker.”