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Kash has cottoned on to Monty’s date, and we’re consoling ourselves at the bar.
Are you sure that wasn’t Monty’s plan all along?
Even he wouldn’t go that far. Not when he was obviously enjoying her company.
It was very interesting she’d noticed that, but I had enough sense not to say it. Enjoy the rest of your night, then.
The booze and food is free, so how could I not?
Her amusement faded from my mind. Aiden called me a cab, then escorted me back through the house and waited on the front porch with me.
Lights swept around the corner, and the fierce wail of sirens bit through the night; a heartbeat later, the green-striped white SUV pulled up beside Aiden’s truck, and Ciara—who wasn’t only the coroner, but also his sister—climbed out. After grabbing her gear from the back of the SUV, she dashed through the rain to the front porch.
“What have we got this time?” she said, giving me a quick but friendly nod.
“Two bodies, but similar MO to the groom’s murder.”
She grunted and looked at me. “You able to get anything?”
“Nothing useful.”
“That’s inconvenient.”
“Yes, it is,” I agreed wryly.
“The bodies are in the rear bedroom,” Aiden said. “I’ll meet you there in a minute.”
Ciara nodded and headed in. I crossed my arms and shivered, though it wasn’t so much the night’s chill but rather the still-fading remnants of death. Aiden wrapped an arm around my shoulders and tugged me closer to his big, warm body. He didn’t say anything and neither did I. We didn’t really need to.
The cab came a few minutes later. I tugged the coat’s hood over my head and, after dropping a kiss on Aiden’s cheek, dashed out into th
e wild night. It didn’t take long to get home; once I’d paid the driver, I climbed out and swung my pack over my shoulder.
It was then that I noticed them.
Tiny threads of magic, floating through the air.
Tiny threads that had been torn apart.
My gaze jumped to our café on the other side of the road.
Multiple layers of the magic protecting the building were missing or had been rendered inert.
Someone up to no good had tried to get inside.
Chapter Three
That the attacker hadn’t entirely succeeded was no doubt due to the fact that the remaining layers were enhanced by wild magic. Whoever did this—be it Clayton or one of his flunkies—had obviously decided getting into the building wasn’t worth the risk of provoking it.
If it was Clayton, then he now knew about my affinity with the wild magic, even if he couldn’t be aware of the full extent.
Rain poured from my hood and pooled around my feet, but I didn’t immediately move. I just studied the building, looking for possible snares or traps. I couldn’t see any, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. Clayton, like most fully powered blueblood witches, was utterly capable of concealing his spells.
I swiped the rain from my face, then forced my feet into action and quickly crossed the road. Energy pressed at my fingertips in readiness, but no one jumped out at me and nothing magical attacked. The front door hadn’t in any way been jimmied, and the windows remained locked. I hesitated and then walked around to the rear of the building. Our new SUV sat alone in the parking space, and the back door looked untouched. I tested the handle; still locked.
I hesitated again and then walked back to the front door. While I could have gone through the rear entrance easily enough, the hallway beyond was small and had very little in the way of fighting room—something I’d discovered the hard way a few months ago. I shoved the key into the lock and, just for an instant, magic crawled across my fingers. Though it was little more than an echo of the power held by the man behind it, I remembered its feel well enough.
Clayton.
