In the House of the Wicked Read Online Free PDF Page B

for having been left alone for most of the day.
    “Let me see how late it is once Steven and I get finished.”
    “No pressure,” Linda said. “Just thought it would be nice to see you.”
    “And Marlowe?”
    “And Marlowe.” She laughed. “I’ve been missing him, too.”
    “I’ll give you a call when I leave Steven’s, okay?”
    “I’ll be here.”
    “Talk to you later.”
    “Bye.”
    Remy put his phone back in his pocket and looked around, surprised to see how far he’d wandered while chatting. The prison was off in the distance now, practically hidden by the thickening fog.
    Far enough away that he was able to resist the temptation to go back.

CHAPTER TWO

The Catskill Mountains
The Deacon Estate
February 1945
    Deacon’s hands trembled as he tried to knot the silk bow tie about his throat.
    He admitted to himself that he was indeed nervous about the night to come, but the tremor through his once-surgeon-steady hands and the painful ache deep in his joints were what made this evening crucial.
    “Damn it,” he hissed, ripping the failed attempt from about his white-collared throat.
    He gazed at the angry image of himself in the mirror on the armoire door, seeing a man much older than his forty years. The skin around his eyes had begun to dry and wrinkle; lines and age spots showed on his once-smooth brow. Hair that had been jet-black, like a raven’s feathers, was now streaked with gray, and his hairline was starting to recede.
    The magick had done this to him; every time he called on the dark arts, it took a little bit more of his life.
    It was a fair price to pay for immortality, but was there enough currency remaining to achieve such lofty goals? Deacon was not sure, which was why he had called for the gathering this fateful evening.
    He placed the black silk around his neck again, willing his fingers to do as he instructed, but the stiffness…
    “Here, let me,” Veronica said, coming up behind him.
    His wife took control of the tie, as he watched their reflection in the mirror.
    “I can’t believe you didn’t ask me to do this,” she said, the smell of alcohol on her breath. “You’ve never been able to manage one of these.”
    Deacon’s reflection smiled. “Still not used to having you here, I guess.”
    Veronica’s face grew sour as she continued to manipulate the silk around his throat, transforming it into a perfect bow tie. She started to move away, but he turned and grabbed her arm in one of his aching hands.
    “Don’t be mad at me,” he said.
    She stared glacially at him, pulling her arm from his grasp.
    “I didn’t want to come here,” she said, returning to the table where she’d left her latest drink. “I told you that, but still you insisted that Teddy and I come.”
    “You’re my family,” Deacon said. “Of course I want you here.”
    “But we don’t want to be here,” Veronica said, her words dripping with scorn.
    “This is my home,” Deacon said forcefully. “And I want it to be yours and Teddy’s, as well.”
    “But we already had a home,” she told him.
    “Without me.”
    “You made your choice.” The ice tinkled merrily as she brought the glass to her mouth and drained its contents.
    “What can I do to make you understand?” Deacon asked. “Everything I’ve been working toward is for you and Teddy.”
    Veronica smiled with little warmth or humor. Then she turned away and walked to the portable bar in the corner of the room.
    “All for Teddy and me,” she repeated, dropping some ice cubes in her glass before filling it to the brim with bourbon. “And here I thought it was all about your little playmates joining us this evening.”
    She leaned her hip against the cart, waiting for his response.
    “They’re important to the future…our future,” he tried to explain.
    “They’re monsters,” she snarled. “I would say they’d sell their souls for some arcane piece of knowledge that would put them a step above their fellow man, but