Page 7 of Bitter Spirits

Seriously? He’s a damn dog with a bone. She shouldn’t have been surprised, since she was dealing with a Hound.

“I don’t think so,” she said as she remembered Kelly’s horrified shock.

Initially, when she first walked in, she thought it was highly likely that Kelly had killed him, but… unable to resist the pull any longer, she inched toward Leo’s body. Her magic shivered in anticipation, like a carrion bird fluffing its feathers before a feast. She ruthlessly reined it in and focused on the physical evidence.

In the kitchen were scattered drops of blood, likely from where Kelly had cut herself on the broken glass. On the other side of the island and trailing into the living room were more crimson smears but nothing big enough to indicate a fatal wound. The bloodied knife she’d stepped over earlier lay between the kitchen and living room. The four-inch blade wouldn’t have offered much protection if Leo was tossing fireballs at the panicked girl. If Kelly had killed him, as Isa feared, there should be a blood pool somewhere nearby, but there wasn’t.

That left Isa with serious doubts that Kelly killed anyone, so she didn’t want to share the girl’s name with Locke. Especially since she had no idea why the Cordova Family was interested in Leo.

She turned back to the man watching her and told a partial lie. “According to her, he was still breathing when she ran out of here.”

There was a disconcerting glint in his ice-blue eyes, but whatever he was thinking was well hidden. He shook his head. “Is she okay—your server?”

Ignoring how his obvious concern made her heart twinge wistfully, Isa gave a slow nod. “She’s going to need stitches and some serious time with an ice pack.” And probably a good therapist.

He folded his arms over his broad chest. “And you still came alone to confront him?”

She frowned. “He’s a drunk kid, Locke. I didn’t need a bodyguard.”

“Even a drunk kid can do serious damage, Isa.”

She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. “It’s not like I can’t protect myself.”

“Did you tell Des about this?”

“He knows.”

“And he let you come over here? Alone?”

“Your sexism is showing, Locke,” she snapped.

His head jerked back, and he dropped his arms. If she hadn’t been so upset, she would have found his affronted expression hilarious.

“I’m not. I’m just…” Flustered, he ran a hand through his hair as he looked away. “Dammit, Isa, you could’ve walked into anything.”

Knowing he had a point, she blew out a long breath. “Well, I definitely walked into something.” Her magic grew impatient, and to feed the monster, she inched a little closer to Leo. “This missing person—who is it?”

Those sharp eyes didn’t miss her movement, but he didn’t comment. “His name is Isaiah. He just turned seventeen. His older brother has been trying to track him down, with no luck.”

“What happened?” She could think of a hundred reasons why a teen would take off, but the fact that Locke was trying to track the kid indicated something deeper was at play.

“That’s what I came over to ask Leo.”

“It’s going to be hard to get your answers now,” she pointed out.

“Maybe not.”

She looked over her shoulder to find Locke studying her with those glacial eyes that appeared to glow. Not wanting to admit how much that eerie gaze unsettled her, she asked, “What?”

“What if you⁠—”

“Uh-uh, nope.” She shook her head as she backed away. “Nope. Not doing it, Locke.”

He tilted his head, his gaze shifting from considering to calculating. “Your magic wants to,” he drawled.

“It doesn’t always get what it wants.” The reminder was as much for her as it was for him. She turned away, rubbing her arms where, once again, her hair was standing on end. “Dial it back, buddy.”

“I’m not doing anything.”