A Drop of Magic, page 23
part #1 of The Magicsmith Series
Along with the wood and string, Kai chanted over several seemingly useless pieces of junk he collected from around his room. The words were guttural and slurred, in no language I could recognize.
Hours passed, and I grew more and more lethargic. By the time Kai was satisfied with his arsenal I could barely raise my head. My muscles sagged like I’d run a marathon on an empty stomach.
Sitting on the floor across from me, Kai looked to be in about the same shape.
I rested my head against the mattress. “I can’t move.”
“A few hours’ rest and a decent meal, and you’ll be good as new.”
“How long do we have until the meeting?”
He glanced at the nightstand. “Six hours.”
With a grunt, I heaved to my feet, stumbled across the hall, and toppled into bed.
THE GENERIC CHIME of my phone’s default ringtone shattered my dream and scattered the memory of it beyond recall.
Rolling over, I struggled to untangle my covers and reach the nightstand. There was a muffled hiss when my elbow came down on something soft and warm. Cat slunk off the bed and glared from across the room.
I finally managed to wrap my fingers around the ringing phone. “′Lo?”
A deep sigh. “At least you answered this time.”
“James?” I sat up, rubbing gummy chunks out of my eyes. “What’s up?”
“Were you sleeping?”
“Just a nap.” I looked at the clock. Quarter to eight. Tuesday. Suddenly, I was wide awake. “Crap! I totally forgot to call you about tonight.”
“I take it I’ll be dining alone?”
“I’m so sorry, James. Something came up.”
“Nothing dangerous, I hope?”
My mind raced ahead to a dark field full of murderous fae. “No, nothing dangerous.”
“This makes two weeks in a row you’ve stood me up. I hope you’re not avoiding me.”
The silence stretched while I struggled to find my voice. Was I avoiding him?
A phantom touch tickled my cheek. The girl he seems to care for . . .
I shook my head to clear the thought.
“I’m here if you need me, Alex.” James’s voice rang in my ears like a gunshot.
Swallowing past what felt like a mountain in my throat, I disconnected the call and fell back on my pillow with one arm draped over my face.
Cat butted his head against my side.
Lifting my arm, I stared into his big green eyes. “I may not have any friends left when this is over. Not that it matters, I guess. Even if this thing with Kai ends tonight, my life will never go back to normal. I’ll register with the PTF, and maybe get shipped to the reservation for not coming forward right away. Or worse, maybe they’ll dissect me because of my immunity to iron, or try to use me as leverage against the Lord of Enchantment.” I sighed, scritching Cat’s stomach as he rolled to expose it. A parade of lost friends and aborted relationships marched through my thoughts, scored by my mother’s words: Don’t get attached. “Probably best just to cut ties now.”
My stomach let out a long gurgling rumble, so I gave Cat one last pat and rolled out of bed.
Kai’s door was shut.
My stomach grumbled again as I pulled out a carton of eggs and a loaf of bread. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so hungry.
I decimated a pan of scrambled eggs and four pieces of toast before Kai’s door finally opened.
He poked his head into the living room and sniffed. “Is that bacon?”
Smiling, I moved the sizzling strips over to a paper towel and turned off the stove. “Only if you hurry.”
The bacon was gone in seconds, and the rest of the loaf of bread followed.
Gravel crunched outside, and I froze with the last piece of jellied toast halfway to my mouth. “Were you expecting company?”
Kai shook his head, cheeks bulging from the bite of egg he’d just shoveled in.
Trotting to the window, I peeked out to see who this latest invader might be. A tall woman stepped out of a black SUV with the word POLICE printed in glowing white letters on its side.
“Shit. Now what?” I tugged the curtain until I was looking through the thinnest slit possible. The officer’s fitted uniform blended with the night around her, making her look like a floating head until she stepped under the glare of my porch light and knocked on the door.
I waited a breath, then straightened my shoulders and pulled it open. “Can I help you?”
She was six feet tall with curves like a gymnast, and she watched me like a hawk eying a mouse. Not an ounce of fat softened her sharp features, and her raven hair was pulled back in a severe braid that tugged the bronze skin on her forehead tight. It was hard to place her age; her brown eyes seemed older than the lines on her face would warrant.
“I hope so,” she said. “My name is Sarah Nazari.”
I frowned. Then the name clicked into place and my mouth went dry. David’s cop friend. But what was she doing here?
“May I come in?”
“What’s this about?”
“It’s all right, Alex.” Kai pulled the door out of my grasp and opened it wide, gesturing for Sarah to enter. “Please, come in.”
Sarah’s lip curled back from pearly white teeth, but she stepped past Kai and crossed the living room in three long strides.
“Do you—?” I pointed at Sarah’s back.
“No,” Kai said. “But I know enough.”
“Care to share?”
He smiled and closed the door.
I stepped behind a chair, digging my fingers into the back cushion. Between Kai’s smile and Sarah’s frown, I felt like the only person in a comedy club who’d missed the punch line.
Sarah’s eyes traveled over my walls and shelves, cataloging. “David had me look into your suspicions that the task force investigating the series of recent murders might have been compromised.”
“He told you who I was?”
“He told me enough.” She crossed her arms. “I am a cop after all.”
I wracked my brain, trying to remember what David had told her about me. White hat? Some kind of security expert? Cold sweat broke out across my back and palms. If she put me in front of a computer it wouldn’t take long for her to know that was a lie.
Kai reclined on the couch, crossing his ankle on the coffee table. “Happy to have you on board.”
She frowned. “I’m not thrilled to be working with you.” Her eyes shifted between us. “Either of you. But I want the killer caught, and you clearly have information about these cases. And while I don’t believe for a second that any of the officers on the task force would tamper with evidence, David also mentioned possible fae involvement.” She looked pointedly at Kai. “Which means all bets are off.”
“Indeed.” Kai offered her a toothy grin. “We think it likely that one or both of the fae who paid Alex a visit here last week are involved.”
Sarah uncrossed her arms and perched on one of the bar stools. “What do you know so far?”
I glanced at Kai, hoping for some clue that would explain his easy acceptance of this woman, but he just offered a lazy nod.
I shook my head but said, “The murderer has been targeting people who own specific items. My friend, Aiden, took his to a pawn shop and mailed me the claim ticket before he died. Then two fae came here asking about a box that sounds like the one Aiden had. I chased them off and they haven’t been back, which I thought was weird until I found out the pawn shop Aiden used was robbed and the box was stolen. It’s not a huge leap to think the fae who came here killed Aiden for the box, then stole it from the shop when they realized I hadn’t picked it up yet.”
Sarah narrowed her eyes. “How do you know what the killer was after?”
Kai sat forward, his feet once more firmly on the ground. “Alex, tell the officer what you saw in Angela’s apartment.”
I stared until my eyes felt like they were going to fall out of my face. Had Kai lost his mind? I wasn’t going to out myself to a cop.
“She already knows what you are,” Kai said as though reading my mind.
My stomach dropped, and I would have followed if not for the death-grip I had on my chair.
“Relax, Alex. She’s not going to tell anyone.” He turned that toothy grin back on Sarah. “She can’t.”
My breaths were coming fast and shallow. “How—”
Sarah studied the floor, every muscle coiled like a spring waiting for release. “You’ve met Marcus.”
It took a moment to realize that was all the explanation I was going to get, and all I needed. “You’re a—”
“Don’t,” she snapped. “Don’t even say it. Let’s just agree we both have secrets we’d rather didn’t get out.”
That’s why Kai had been so quick to accept Sarah. He’d known she was a werewolf as soon as she crossed the ward, just like Tim.
Kai picked up the conversation like Sarah and I weren’t standing ten feet apart pretending the other didn’t exist. “We know the killer is after magic artifacts because Alex watched him kill Angela Espinoza, and he made her tell him where she’d hidden her treasure first.”
My hands clenched at the memory.
Sarah’s eyes snapped up to meet mine. “What does he mean, you watched?”
“I didn’t watch.” I rubbed the goosebumps that had sprung out on my upper arms. “I relived the memory of Angela’s murder.”
“You saw the killer?”
I shook my head. “He was behind her when she died.”
Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s a good working theory, but it’s all circumstantial. We need physical evidence that can place these fae at any or all of the crime scenes.”
“You can help with that.” Kai pointed out. “Scent them out. The same magic was used at all the murders, I just don’t know who was using it. Melissa Row’s house is closest. If the fae from Alex’s studio were also present at the pawn shop and Melissa’s house, that would make them look pretty guilty.”
“It wouldn’t be admissible.”
“It doesn’t need to be,” Kai assured her. “If this is a fae matter, there’s no reason to bring human law into it.”
Sarah pursed her lips, thinking. “And if I confirm their presence at all three locations?”
“Then I would have all the evidence I need.”
“I can tell if they were present, but not who they are. How will you find them?”
“I have a meeting scheduled with some fae buyers tonight. Alex is going to see if she can ID them as the fae who came here.”
“So if the fae you meet tonight were Alex’s visitors, and I tell you they were also at the pawn shop and a murder scene, what will you do?”
Kai shrugged. “As I said, that would make it a fae matter. No need to drag the humans into it.”
Sarah looked at me. “You’re okay with that?”
“I want to catch the people responsible for my friend’s murder. Preferably before anyone else dies.”
She shook her head, but said, “All right. I’ll get the scents from the studio and see what I can match up. Fae killing fae isn’t a matter for the police, but promise you won’t act unless I confirm they were at all three locations.”
“I won’t do anything permanent until I get your call,” said Kai.
“Good enough, I guess,” Sarah muttered. “When’s your meeting?”
“Ten o’clock. Here’s my number.” Kai scrawled it on a slip of paper. “Make sure to call by then.”
“One last thing.” Sarah focused on me. “If this comes back to bite you in the ass, and it probably will, leave me out of it. If I’m exposed, you’ll be facing more than homicidal fae.”
I bridled at her tone. “I don’t like being threatened.”
“Neither do I,” she countered. “The fact that you know about me at all is a threat to my career, my life, and my family. When I found out who you were, I almost didn’t come. But Marcus vouched for you, said you’re a good person. His assurance carries a lot of weight, but he’s been wrong before. You wanna keep breathing? Prove him right.” With that, she strode out the door.
Great. It seemed Sarah was one of the wolves who’d have been happier if I’d bled to death, or been killed because I knew too much. Hell, she probably volunteered to do the deed.
I turned to Kai. “If she’s so worried about being exposed, why help at all?”
Kai shrugged. “She’s a cop. I guess she wants to see justice done, and she knows the police don’t stand much chance of accomplishing that if there are fae involved.”
“Isn’t that what the PTF is for?”
“Sure, in theory, but she’d have to provide evidence to back any claim she made. She can’t do that without revealing herself. Besides, this is a win-win for her so long as she keeps her hands clean. A murderer is taken off the streets, and there are a few less fae in the world.”
“Why don’t werewolves like the fae? I mean, I get why they don’t consider themselves fae since they start out human, but it seems like more than that.”
“The wolves blame the fae for their curse, as they like to call it. It’s ancient history.”
“Did you? Curse them I mean.”
“No,” he said tersely. “Now, let’s get ready. With any luck this will all be over tonight.”
I OUTFITTED MYSELF in as much steel and iron as I could on short notice; insurance in case the car wasn’t such a safe place after all. To that end I was wearing steel mesh gloves, steel-toed boots, and a steel choker that covered my neck. I also had a couple three-foot iron rods to defend myself.
Taking Kai’s car in case they recognized mine, we arrived for the meeting an hour ahead of schedule. The parking area we pulled into was packed dirt marked off with old logs. To one side was the trailhead for a hike that wound into the foothills north of Boulder.
I waited in the car while Kai jogged a circle about twenty yards out from where the meeting would take place. Stopping periodically, he crouched in the grass for a moment only to stand up and continue on. The clouds threatening rain overhead blotted out any chance of moonlight, so it was difficult to track him while he worked. I was amazed Kai could see well enough to run without tripping, let alone whatever he was doing in the field.
When he completed his circuit, he returned to wait with me in the car. The dashboard clock turned to 9:48.
I drummed an erratic beat against my thigh. “Sarah should be done by now. What’s taking so long?”
Kai shrugged and leaned back in his seat. A few drops of rain speckled the windshield.
Five minutes before the appointed time, a van pulled up on the far side of the clearing.
Kai checked his phone, shook his head, and set it back on the dash.
“What if she doesn’t call?”
“We follow the original plan.”
I narrowed my eyes. “The capture-torture plan?”
A man got out of the van and stepped around so he was backlit by the headlights.
“Do you recognize him?” Kai asked.
I squinted through my window, but the bright lights combined with the distance and general gloom made it impossible to see the man’s features.
I shook my head. “I can’t tell from here.”
Kai frowned. “You’ll have to get out of the car.”
His phone buzzed, vibrating on the dashboard, and we both jumped.
He snatched it up. “Hello?”
I leaned close, but couldn’t catch Sarah’s half of the conversation. The knots in my stomach were twisting tighter by the second.
The man in front of the van took a step forward. “Are you going to make us wait all night?”
Kai disconnected the call. “We’re good to go.”
“Sarah was able to verify the fae from my studio were at Melissa’s and Smitty’s?”
“And Aiden’s. That’s what took so long. She wanted to make extra sure by checking the freshest scents. She smelled you, me, and two other fae. That’s good enough to green light tonight’s little escapade.”
I licked my lips. We were really doing this.
Together, we stepped into the night.
“Stay behind me,” Kai said. “If they attack, you run.”
We made our way to a point between the two vehicles. Then Kai yelled, “That’s as far as we come. If you want to do business, you’ll meet us halfway.”
“Fair enough.” The man waved one hand, and a second figure emerged from the van.
I was pressed close to Kai’s back, squinting over his shoulder as the men approached. They were definitely fae. Both caused the double vision I was still struggling to control.
The first had antlers like an elk, a long face, and broad shoulders with willowy arms that hung almost to his knees. As he got closer, I focused more on his human glamour. Nothing remarkable, just an average guy. Mr. Smith had struck me the same way, but that was the problem with trying to identify an average-looking person; there were a million just like them. I couldn’t be certain this was the same man.
My gaze shifted to his companion, and a mouth full of needles grinned back at me. Across the second fae’s cheek was a long black scar. Cold sweat coated my skin and my breath came in short, painful bursts. I hadn’t realized until that moment how afraid I was to see that terrible face again.
Twisting my fist in the back of Kai’s shirt, I hissed, “It’s them.”
Chapter 19
“MS. BLACKWOOD, how lovely to see you again,” said Mr. Smith. “We rather hoped you’d be joining us.”
Kai’s back stiffened under my hand.
“Did you think we would fail to recognize a dog of the Realm, Malakai? Even a pup, like yourself?”
