No matter how horrible that was, it made Elliot feel special. Like he meant something despite all his flaws and bad decisions. Knight had already told him a lot about the Merciers, but now that Elliot had found out he was a part of it all, Knight told him even more obscure stories on the way home. Elliot loved every single one.
He didn’t mind one bit that Knight had said Elliot should change his last name either. Becoming a Mercier for real would get him that one step closer to Knight, even if a common last name was all he could ever get.
Upon their approach to the hall that contained the hideous statue and the staircase leading to Knight’s apartment, Elliot started hearing strange noises before they even entered. He didn’t mind, because Knight was by his side and would surely know how to deal with any situation, but Elliot was not prepared to see what he saw.
The biker ghost, whom Elliot had seen since Fane first entered his body was still bleeding all over the statue, but instead of calling for Elliot to bring him Hound’s blood, he had his lips locked with a woman. Baffled by the sight, Elliot at first thought she was one of the party guests who had somehow entered the restricted part of the building, but then he noticed her clothes—a grayish white dress shaped like a sack, and a thick unfashionable sweater, both of which hardly constituted partywear at a biker clubhouse.
Knight didn’t even flinch, continuing on with the story of yet another of Elliot’s newly discovered ancestors, but while he did not seem to notice the woman, she definitely noticed them.
Her face turned into a scowl, and she let out a hiss, backing away into the shadow. “Goddamn you, Fane! You’re not a part of this house anymore!”
The biker ghost blinked and reached his hand toward Elliot.
Fane laughed and put his arm over Elliot’s shoulders. There was no point fighting it and making him angry. “That coming from a woman who doesn’t know how to keep her legs closed? If I wasn’t too disgusted to touch those soft bits you have down there, I’d sew you up.”
Elliot groaned, but the woman ran down the corridor and disappeared without an answer.
Fane shook his head. “Pathetic creature.”
Elliot ignored him. “Knight? There’s something else I haven’t told you.”
Knight exhaled. “Christ. What is it this time?”
“I see more ghosts. I’ve seen four now altogether.” Since there was that man Elliot had spotted walking the grounds the other day, but he’d left no prints in the snow, and the silent Native American who shook his head at Fane whenever they met.
Knight stopped in his tracks. “Ghosts. Did you summon anyone else?”
Elliot shook his head rapidly, glad that Fane got into an argument with the impaled biker, so at least he wasn’t bothering them. “No! I just… started seeing them. There is one stuck on the gargoyle’s horns and bleeding all the time. He’s fucking creepy and begs me to help him get some of Hound’s blood.”
Color drained from Knight’s face, and he jerked his head to the side to look at the gargoyle statue. “What does he look like?”
Elliot walked up closer and the biker laughed, staring at him with a roguish grin.
“Go on, boy! Describe me to the ungrateful motherfucker.”
Elliot glanced at Knight. “He’s… blond, and not young, not old. It’s weird. But he’s got a leather cut like all of you. To be honest, he sounds like he knows you.”
Knight rubbed his forehead with the heels of his hand before grabbing Elliot’s hand and pulling him up the stairs. “That’s King. Beast’s father. Do not help him.”
“And fuck you too, Knight!” King screamed, moving on the horn so furiously, Elliot scowled at the squelching sounds his body made.
They rushed up the stairs and Elliot tried not to think about Knight holding his hand. It was normal, right? Knight had got used to it before, so he must have grabbed Elliot automatically.
“Noted,” Elliot muttered grimly. “Did he die falling off the stairs?”
“He tried to kill Beast. They fought, and Hound pushed him at a wonky railing. My apartment used to belong to him,” Knight said, sighing loudly as he used the touchscreen. “Will you tell me if there’s a ghost around? It freaks me out.”
Elliot nodded. “Fane follows me everywhere.”
Fane pushed Elliot at the door so abruptly there was no way to fight it. He was slowly understanding that it was a battle of wills when it came to resisting Fane’s force, but the surprise touches were the worst and impossible to protect himself from. “Oh? So I’m ‘Fane’ now? Not ‘William’ anymore? If that’s how you want to play, it’s Mr. Fane to you.”
“Tell him to stay outside,” Knight said and hid the touchpad with his body, tapping his finger against it.