Heart's Redemption (MxM)

Chapter 26 ~ Sam

Ian doesn't say much on the drive back to the lodge. When we arrive, Maria, Cass, and Sofia greet us with red eyes and tear-stained faces, and together we tell them as much as we can without going into too much detail about magical barriers and how to break them.

Fortunately, the Walkers are too concerned about what we found to care much about how we found it.

We're gathered in the main hall of the lodge, grouped around the fireplace, where Ian started a small blaze even though it isn't very cold. A pot of strong tea sits on a low side-table, and Maria pours everyone a cup. No one really wants it, but we all drink it anyway. It gives us something to do with our hands, and something to look at besides the grief-stricken faces of the three women.

"But you're not sure it was her, right?" Sofia asks, leaning against Cass, who has an arm around her sister's shoulder. "It might have been someone else."

"No, I couldn't tell. And unless they find some larger fragments or something that survived the fire, it might be impossible to positively ID the remains at all," Ian says. "If the fire was hot enough, there might not even be usable DNA."

"How do you know that?" Carlos asks, sounding impressed.

"I watch a lot of crime dramas," Ian admits.

I realize that this is true. At every hotel we stopped at on the way here, somehow we always got stuck watching some forensics show.

Maria sniffs and wipes her eyes. "Even if they do, our police department is a grand total of five people and an office. They'll have to send the bones off to some other lab somewhere, and who knows how long that could take before we get an answer."

It seems unlikely to me that the body in Inez's car would be someone other than Inez, given that, as far as we've heard, she's the only person missing, but I understand their need to hold on to hope until they know for sure. Suddenly, I realize that we might be able to help with that.

Ian had warned us to keep mentions of magic to a minimum, but as I witness the Walkers' pain, I'm finding it difficult to obey. For one thing, it seems unfair that I should be feeling so happy while they suffer.

I'm sad that someone is dead, of course, but ever since Ian said he loved me I've been filled with a happiness I can barely contain. All I want to do is get him alone and hear him say it again—preferably in a breathless voice, rough with raw passion, while he—

I blink a few times to clear my mind and give myself a little mental slap.

Dead body, Sam. Focus.

"Carlos, Ian...can I talk to you guys for a minute?" I ask.

They both look over at me in surprise, but nod, and we excuse ourselves.

Stepping outside onto the wide, wrap-around porch, I go to the rail and lean against it, staring out into the shadows gathering under the trees. "Carlos, do you think you'd be willing to act as a vessel if we could summon the person who died in that car?" I ask.

He frowns at me. "I suppose so," he says. "You think you can do that? Summon a spirit?"

I think for a moment. "I don't know. I watched Karin do it plenty of times, but I've never done it myself. Actually, I was thinking that Toni could."

"Absolutely not," Ian says, shaking his head. "I've told you both already, I'm not bringing Toni anywhere near this place."

I bite my lip. "I think that should be up to Maria and the Walkers, and Carlos, of course. If they agree, and he's willing, I think we should ask her for help."