The Summoning (Custodes Noctis) by Muffy Morrigan Read Free Book Online Page B

in relatively good hands if he needed to be elsewhere. He’d met Flash when they’d both auditioned for a band, decided they didn’t like the other members and set out to form their own. Once they’d found Pete Miles who played drums and his cousin Sean who played keyboard and rhythm guitar, The Urban Werewolves had been born. Over the last few years, they’d been slowly been making their way up the local scene, and playing better venues. The night of the accident, they’d been on the way home from a gig at Hell’s Half Acre, one of the most popular spots in town.
    But Flash was more than a bass player, lead vocalist and Galen’s closest friend. He’d faced the Old One and nearly died. His face and neck still showed the purple scars left by the minions of the creature, and the year before he had calmly faced the armies of the feorhbealu . Knowing Flash was there relieved some of the tension that was tightening the muscles in Galen’s back.
    Whatever was going after his brother was powerful, more powerful than he’d ever dreamed. When he’d called his father the night before, Parry had been unable to come, so Galen had actually performed the Calling, a formal ritual designed to call former Keepers back to serve, and none of them, not even the most powerful, The First Emrys, could get through. It was enough to make Galen begin to panic. If the bond had been functioning, he wouldn’t be as worried, he’d have a better grasp of what was going on, and honestly, the muted bond was hard to live with. The energy it took to keep even the small spark there was exhausting and he needed it as much as his brother did.
    “I didn’t mean to,” Flash said, spotting him as he walked into the shop.
    “You never do.”
    “The bird made me.”
    “ Do you really want to start that?” Dera asked with a laugh.
    “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Flash asked, setting the broom aside and picking up his coffee.
    “I don’t know. Rob’s been dreaming… Or he says it’s dreams.”
    “But?”
    “But he tried to walk down the stairs, he…” Galen stopped and swallowed. “He was up several times last night, trying to leave, he tripped over the end table once. Didn’t wake up. I called Dad, but they couldn’t get through at all.”
    “Hence the extra things and piles everywhere.”
    “Hence?” Galen chuckled. “Yes, hence. I spent most of the night Bolting the place. I’m not sure it did any good, though.”
    “Why not?”
    “Just a hunch,” Galen said, carefully arranging the pens by the cash register.
    “Oh, fuck. We are so screwed.”
    “What?”
    “Your hunches. The last one you had was what, about a month ago? And look how well that went.”
    “It wasn’t that bad.”
    “It wasn’t your favorite motorcycle that was destroyed,” Flash grumbled.
    “We replaced it.”
    “Yeah, good thing too, ‘getting chomped by monster’ is not covered by my insurance.”
    “You need better insurance.”
    “Uh huh,” Flash said, raising his eyebrows. “And how do I start that conversation. ‘Excuse me, do you have the coverage for otherworldly, paranormal or acts of destruction not of this earth?’ If they did, the premiums would probably kill me.”
    “Considering the number of speeding tickets you have, I seriously doubt the other would even put a dent in the rest of it.”
    “Oh ha ha.” Flash frowned. “Now, you going to tell me?”
    “I would tell you, Flash. I wish I had something to tell you.” Galen huffed in frustration. “I am at a loss. Rob finally admitted it’s been haunting him for days.”
    “Haunting? You mean a plain old ghost?”
    “Flash?”
    “Yeah, right, I know. Sorry. Shutting up. Go on.”
    “He said it felt like the Old One at firs—” Galen started only to be cut off.
    “The Old One?!?” Flash almost shouted. “The Old One? As in the thing that…” He rubbed his neck, where the scars still marred his skin.
    “Yes, that one, but he said not quite. He’s