Текст книги "Sins of the Demon"

Автор книги: Diana Rowland

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Chapter 11

I remembered to snap the cuff around my wrist before I stepped beyond the wards, thus avoiding being tackled by Eilahn. I knew the syrazawas always nearby, but the amazing thing was that I never felt as if I was under any sort of surveillance, and it was remarkably easy to forget about her. As a guardian of someone who was jealous of their privacy, she was perfect.

A wave of queasiness hit me as I drove past a fried chicken stand, and I gritted my teeth against it. Sure, the cuff gave me a great deal of peace of mind, but this constant simmering nausea sucked. If pregnancy and morning sickness were anything like this, I wanted no part of it.

A cold stab of apprehension went through me. I’d been blithely assuming the nausea was because of the cuff. Was I engaging in unhealthy denial? Nausea, check. Mood swings, check. Shiiiiiit.I’d read enough novels where the woman felt sick and seemed somehow oblivious to the connection between regular booty calls and getting knocked up. I was definitely getting the former. But I’m also on the pill, I thought, almost desperately. I’d slept with Rhyzkahl the night before, but when was the last time prior to that?

At the next stoplight I retrieved my phone from my bag, and pulled up the calendar. Since I was on the pill I had a pretty good idea of my cycle. I chewed my lower lip as I looked at the dates. The pill wasn’t infallible; I knew that. And the dates could possiblywork out. But it didn’t seem very likely. Still, my gut remained tight as I stopped at a drugstore and bought two pregnancy tests—just to be sure—while praying to any gods willing to listen that I wouldn’t run into anyone I knew. Wouldn’t thatset the rumor mill spinning!

My luck held, and I made my purchases without anyone but the bored checker knowing. Even made it home without puking. But that’s where my tenuous hold on luck failed me. The crunch of gravel came from behind me as I ran up the steps. I turned, my hand on the doorknob.

The dark blue Crown Vic pulled up and parked next to my car. Ryan gave me a smile as he stepped out, and I fought to give the same in return, hyper-aware of the pregnancy tests in my messenger bag. I glanced down to make sure that the zipper on my bag was closed and spied the cuff on my wrist. Shit.I didn’t want Ryan asking about that. He’d worry, or get pissed, or something else I didn’t feel like dealing with. I knew I’d have to tell him at some point…just not right at this moment. Luckily I was inside the wards now. I hurriedly slipped it off, dropped it in the outer pocket of my bag, and shoved the velcro flap down.

The queasy feeling receded as soon as it was off my arm, and I took a deep breath of relief. Okay, maybe not pregnant after all, I thought a little shakily. At least I hoped that was the cause. Still, I planned on testing to be sure.

I yanked my thoughts away from that topic as Ryan approached. I knew too much about him now. Can he read my thoughts? Even subconsciously?I was pretty darn sure that Rhyzkahl could, which meant that—if Ryan truly was a demonic lord—he might be able to as well. Think of something innocuous, like a white wall, or a purple giraffe.Ugh, I had no experience in trying to avoid having my mind read. Purple Giraffe. Purple Giraffe!

“Hey, Kara,” he said, smile relaxed and easy as he climbed the stairs. No sign on his face that he was picking up any of my stray thoughts. Instead he cocked his head, smile widening. “You forgot, didn’t you?”

I blinked at him, only now realizing he had a pizza box in one hand and a boxed set of DVDs in the other. I grimaced. “Oh, right. You’re going to attempt to turn me into a nerd.”

He laughed. “It’s a gradual process, but I fully intend to wear you down.”

The tension eased out of me. This was familiar ground again. I entered my house and dropped my bag by the desk near the door, nudging it lightly underneath in what I hoped was a casual manner and not an obvious attempt to keep it out of sight.

He didn’t seem to notice anything and moved into what passed for my living room, setting the pizza and DVDs down on the coffee table. Curious, I picked up the DVD box and peered at the cover.

“Seriously?” I said, casting a doubtful look at him. “This spaceship looks like a chicken.”

He gave me a mock scowl. “It’s a beautiful ship.”

“Is this guy trying to look like a cowboy?” I continued, purposely needling him. “A space cowboy?”

Giving a tragic sigh, he snatched the box out of my hand. “Just watch the show.”

I chuckled and plopped onto the couch. “Fine. I’ll watch your space cowboy chicken ship show. But only because you brought pizza.” At least the nausea was pretty much gone.

Ryan shot a glance down the hallway. “Where’s your roommate?”

I shrugged. “She’s around. She doesn’t usually hang out inside. I think she feels closed in or something. Or maybe she just likes giving me space.”

“Ah. Makes sense,” he said, sliding a disc into my DVD player. “I guess it’s an adjustment for you.” He moved to the couch and sat. Friend distance, I noted. Not right next to me, but not on the other end, either. “Have you ever had a roommate?” he asked. “I mean, besides your aunt, which I figure doesn’t count.”

“Had one in college. We pretty much ignored each other.”

Ryan grinned. “The best kind.”

He started the DVD, and we lapsed into comfortable silence while we munched pizza and watched. To my chagrin I found myself intrigued by the premise and the characters, though I didn’t dare admit it. He’d be way too satisfied if I did that.

He was entranced with the show, and I found myself watching him surreptitiously. He was a damn attractive man, though with a completely different kind of look than Rhyzkahl. Where Rhyzkahl was utterly beautiful and perfect, Ryan had more of a rugged, “man’s man” thing going on. He had a great mouth, too. What would it be like to have that mouth on mine? And damn, what I’d give to run my hand down his chest. A slow flush of warmth crept through me. Why did I have to be careful around him? That was absurd. It didn’t matter who or what he was. There was nothing at stake. Ryan was sexy as all hell, and the fact that I suspected he was a demonic lord only made him hotter.

Somewhere deep in the back of my mind I knew there was a good reason to keep Ryan in the “friend zone,” but it didn’t seem terribly important right now. Why hold myself back from what I wanted?

I shifted and reached to the back of his head, running my fingers through his hair the way I’d been wanting to ever since I met him. He twitched in surprise at the touch and turned his head to look at me, brow drawing down in question and confusion.

“Kara…?”

“I like your hair,” I murmured, sliding my other hand across his thigh. His breath caught, and I smiled, enjoying his reaction. “I like all of you.” I moved in closer, shifting to nuzzle his neck. “You smell great.”

“Jesus, Kara.” His voice was suddenly rough, and his hands tightened into fists as a shudder ran through him. The scent of him wrapped around me, and I ran my tongue lightly up the side of his neck. “Kara, wait…are you sure—?”

I didn’t let him finish the sentence. Shifting quickly to straddle his hips, I kissed him, groaning softly as my tongue found his. He tasted great too, and now I wanted more.

His hands on my shoulders gently but firmly pushed me back, breaking the kiss. I couldn’t understand the expression on his face. I knew he wanted me too, so why would he look distressed? Maybe he simply wanted to be sure. “Fuck me, Ryan,” I breathed, grinding myself against him. I gave a throaty laugh. He did want me. Some things were obvious. “Come on. Right here. I want you inside of me.”

A distant part of me clamored for attention, but it seemed terribly dim, and the desire for what I wanted overpowered it easily. I slid my hands up his chest. “You want me. I know it. You want to fuck me.” I pushed his hands away and captured his mouth again.

I heard the front door slam open, but I didn’t pay any attention. All I wanted was the feel and taste of Ryan. Something seized me by the back of my shirt, and I let out a snarl as whatever it was hauled me away from Ryan. Twisting, I tried to strike out at the interloper, but Eilahn blocked my blow easily and delivered a sharp and stinging slap across my face.

“You fucking bitch!” I howled, flailing out another attempt to strike the grim-faced syraza. She said nothing but struck me again, this time hard enough for me to see stars. I staggered and sprawled on the arm of the couch as I dimly heard Eilahn ordering Ryan to go outside. I turned to look at him and caught sight of the oddly tortured expression on his face, though I couldn’t figure out why that could be. Surely he wanted to fuck me too, right? What was wrong with that? Why the hell was Eilahn interfering? She had no right! Had Rhyzkahl ordered her to keep me away from other men? With a snarl of rage I threw myself at her, swinging a punch for her head, but she stopped me cold and seized my throat in a grip that felt like steel. She wasn’t cutting off my air—instead she had her fingers placed perfectly to cut off the blood to my brain. I clawed at her fingers, panicked as the blood roared in my ears, and my vision narrowed. Flailing, I watched the grim and worried set of her face as the blackness swept in.

“I am sworn to protect you,” I heard her say through the roaring. Then I heard nothing at all.

“What happened?”

“I do not know.”

“I wouldn’t have.…” That was Ryan’s voice. “You do know that, right?”

My head throbbed hideously, and the voices seemed to stab through my ears.

“I do.” That was Eilahn. I cracked an eye open uncertainly. The memory of the last few minutes before I lost consciousness was horribly clear. Humiliatingly so. Eilahn crouched before me, and I did my best to focus on her. I knew that Ryan was nearby, but I didn’t dare try and look at him. Oh fuck, I never wanted to look at him again.

I burst into tears instead, which, of course, only served to increase my total humiliation. To my complete shock she pulled me into an embrace. I’d been sitting on the couch with her kneeling before me, but in a graceful and impossibly strong move, she shifted so that she was the one sitting, and I was somehow cradled in her lap. Somehow it didn’t feel demeaning at all. Good thing, since I was utterly aghast at what I’d done and couldn’t stop crying. But the demon merely held me close like a child and hummed softly.

Gradually ease stole through me, and I was finally able to stop shaking and get control of the racking sobs. But I made no move to pull away. I wasn’t ready to face Ryan.

“You were overtaken,” the demon murmured. “You must not feel shame for what happened.”

But it was what I wanted, I thought miserably. I wasn’t being controlled.

“Something affected you,” she continued. “You know in your essence that you would never have acted thus on your own volition.”

She had a point there. Even if I did want Ryan to…I cringed. I couldn’t even think it without flushing in embarrassment at my behavior. Which, of course, helped prove Eilahn’s point. I wasn’t quite the type to jump on him, no matter how much I might secretly lust after him. And especially now that I knew how much more could be at stake. An unpleasant chill snaked through me. I am sworn to protect you.That’s what Eilahn had said right before I lost consciousness. Was she protecting me from Ryan? From Rhyzkahl? Would she have done the same if I’d made a pass at, say, Tracy Gordon?

I lifted my head unsteadily. She slid smoothly aside and shifted so that I was sitting properly again, though she remained beside me. I swiped at my eyes. Eilahn held out a roll of toilet paper.

“You have nothing else that would serve for nose-blowing,” she stated so matter-of-factly that I managed something that almost resembled a smile. I made use of the toilet paper, not caring that my nose-blowing was probably fairly disgusting. I’d already shamed myself enough. What was a little grossness at this point?

“What happened?” I heard Ryan say, anxiety deeply coloring his voice. I still couldn’t bring myself to look at him, though I was aware that he was standing just beyond the open door. Eilahn had ordered him outside, and he was apparently abiding by her command.

“I don’t know,” I replied, eyes on my hands. “Ryan…I’m so sorry. I—” My voice caught, and I couldn’t go on. I’d pretty much screwed up any chance of us remaining friends. A tiny part of me wondered if maybe that would be for the best, for my own safety, but the rest of me ached at the thought. I’d been alone for so much of my life that the thought of losing any of my newfound friends was agonizing.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Kara,” he said, anger in his voice. “Knock it off. Something happened to you that caused you to go temporarily nuts. Don’t you fucking dare apologize.”

I lifted my head to glare at him before I could remember that I was too ashamed for that sort of thing. He caught my gaze. “I guess that new cologne of mine that’s guaranteed to drive women wild worked a little too well,” he said with a reassuring smile that managed to ease a tiny bit of the horrible fear lingering inside me still.

I shook my head. “Nope. I think your geek show drove me over the edge.”

He laughed, relief shining in his eyes, and I realized that he was just as afraid as I was that this would permanently mar our friendship. Like there isn’t enough going on already to affect that, I thought. It’s a fucking miracle we can still even be in the same room.And how would Rhyzkahl react if I ever did sleep with Ryan? Rhyzkahl had never batted an eyelash at the two of us being friends, and he’d never seemed the least bit possessive. But even if they aren’t enemies there’s definitely some sort of conflict going on between those two. The last thing I want is to be caught in the middle.

I snorted to myself. Who the fuck was I kidding? I was already hip-deep in the middle of whatever the hell it was. Best I could hope for at this point was to avoid being collateral damage.

I took a deep breath. “I’m inside the wards,” I pointed out. “Could it have been some sort of attack—like the summoning attempts—that managed to get through?”

Eilahn’s brows drew together in a frown. “I do not see how such would be possible. The wards I have placed on this house are as strong as I can possibly make them. Even if something were to get through, I would have felt it.”

“But you knew something was wrong,” Ryan stated.

Her gaze moved to him. “I felt your shock,” she told him. She fell silent but her eyes remained on him. Unspoken—but as loud as if it had been shouted—was the assertion that if she hadn’t felt that shock, or if she’d considered Ryan implicit in any way, she’d have attacked him first instead of simply pulling me away.

Ryan broke the gaze first, scrubbing a hand over his head. My hand seemed to tingle with the memory of running my fingers through his hair. Hey, at least I’d managed to do that. He had nice hair. Almost worth the total humiliation of the whole thing.

“Are you, um, better now?” he asked me.

“I don’t feel an overwhelming urge to grab you and make you fuck me,” I said, struggling to be cheeky. Hell, maybe being deliberately blunt would help desensitize the whole situation.

I could see that he was resisting making a joke. Not the right time, I could see clearly in his expression. “I guess you don’t want to watch the rest of the show?”

“Not a chance,” I replied, managing a smile. “At least not right now,” I added. I gave a shrug. “It was actually…sort of cool.”

His mouth twitched. “Only sort of?”

“Don’t push your luck, nerd boy,” I warned.

He smiled, though there was still tension in his eyes. “Fair enough. I’d better be going then. I get the feeling Eilahn wants to talk to you in private.” His eyes met mine again. “I’m glad you’re all right. And don’t worry. Okay?”

I nodded. “Sure. Okay.”

He closed the door, and I soon heard the crunch of gravel as his car headed down the driveway. I let out a ragged sigh and shoved both hands through my hair. “Fuuuuuuuuuucck. Eilahn. I…wanted him. I didn’t care about any of the reasons why it was a mistake.”

She stood, peered through the window briefly as if to assure herself that he was really gone, then turned back to me, worry on her face for the first time. “I did not wish to say anything while he was here since I knew it could be awkward, but it does seem to me that whatever affected you did so by removing your natural inhibitions and grossly enhancing your immediate desires.”

Grimacing, I rubbed at my temples. There was a thought just out of reach but a slight headache was making it difficult to concentrate on anything. “I’m glad you were here,” I said, then looked up. “I really mean that. Whether I want to have hot sex with Ryan or not”—I ignored the slight lifting of her eyebrow—“that’s not how I would ever want the, uh, first time to be.”

“Understandable,” the demon replied. “I am pleased I was in a position to help.”

My cell phone rang. My headache gave a throbbing jab as I stood to retrieve my bag, then settled back into a dull ache. I fumbled my phone from the outer pocket.

“Kara, you need to come over to my house,” my aunt said as soon as I answered. Alarm spiked through me at the worry in her voice.

“What’s going on?” I demanded. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she said. “Someone died in my front yard. Police and ambulance are already here,” she went on before I could say anything. “But you need to get over here.”

My aunt wasn’t the sort who needed me to hold her hand in a stressful situation. “I’m on my way, but can you tell me why?”

I heard her sigh. “Because I think he was trying to get into the house,” she said.

That wasn’t a good thing. My aunt’s house was warded damn near as heavily as mine, mostly to guard the portal in her library.

“But there’s more,” she continued. “It’s someone you know.”

Two is a coincidence. Three is a pattern.My chest felt tight. “Who?”

“Your ex-boyfriend,” she said.

A spasm shot through me. Roman? No…please.I’d just seen him yesterday. I didn’t have any reason to dislike him. We’d simply been a bad fit, and the breakup had been as amicable as such things could be.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I almost missed what she said. “Wait, what? Which ex-boyfriend?”

“Thomas,” she repeated. “Thomas the Turd.”

Chapter 12

Tessa had made it clear from the first time she’d met my second boyfriend, Thomas Chartres, that she didn’t care for him one tiny whit. Unfortunately, it had taken me almost two months to see what she’d seen—that he was a charming asshole, manipulative and controlling, and, I later learned, an abusive one as well. He never reached the point of physical violence with me, though, mostly because I discovered he was also a cheating jerk, and I told him to get lost. However, the breakup had been an ugly one—he slashed the tires on my car, stole one of my credit cards, and spread vicious and ugly rumors about me in an attempt to get me fired from the PD. Luckily I had a fairly solid reputation as a quiet homebody who kept to herself, so nobody—or at least, nobody who mattered—believed his stories wherein I supposedly had wild public sexcapades with strange men in exchange for drugs. Eventually, I had to resort to a restraining order. And when he broke into my car and stole one of my guns, I took a great and terrible pleasure in obtaining the surveillance video that clearly showed him doing so, and I made sure that he was arrested for it. Since the theft of the gun automatically made it an aggravated burglary—a felony—he went to jail, and the only lasting injury I sustained was the shredding of my self-esteem.

So, can I blame him for the fact that I now have a demonic lord as a fuckbuddy?I thought with a sour smile as I raced to my aunt’s house.

I made it there in just over fifteen minutes, thanks to reckless disregard for speed limits, and not-so-judicious use of lights and siren to get through intersections and around cars. I slowed as I turned onto Tessa’s street. There were several emergency vehicles clustered in the vicinity of her house, and a number of neighbors milled about in their front yards in an effort to see what was marring the normal calm of their neighborhood.

I parked as close as I could and jogged up to my aunt’s house. Crime scene tape had been strung around the front yard and driveway. Low screens had been set up on her lawn to shield the body from the neighbors’ too-curious eyes. Jill was on scene, taking measurements. Sergeant Crawford stood nearby, speaking to Detective Pellini, who, apparently, had been on call tonight. Sarge caught my eye and gave me a slight nod, then returned to his discussion with Pellini. He’d get up with me later to fill me in. That was fine with me.

I headed over to where my aunt stood. She was off to the side of her house and near the sidewalk—outside of her wards, I noticed. A neighbor stood with her, an older woman who had her arm slipped around my aunt in what was clearly meant to be a comforting gesture. For an instant I thought that having someone die in her yard had been more of a shock to Tessa than I’d expected, because she was sure as hell giving the impression of someone who was shaken and distraught. Then she looked up, caught my eye, and winked before slipping back into her role of slightly fragile, overwrought woman.

I hid a grin as I approached. “Oh, Aunt Tessa! You poor thing!” I exclaimed, pulling her away from the other woman’s arm as I wrapped her in a dramatic hug of my own. “Such a terrible shock!”

“Don’t oversell it, sweetling,” she muttered, but I could hear the laughter in her voice.

I gave the neighbor a smile full of false gratitude, then steered Tessa away and closer to the crime scene tape—out of earshot. “Tell me everything,” I demanded in a low voice.

“First, I must thank you for getting me away from that inane woman,” Tessa replied tartly. “What a dingbat! She kept wanting me to pray with her ‘for strength.’” She gave a slight shudder. “Anyway, I was in the front sitting room when I thought I felt a ping from the wards. I figured it was just a neighbor trying to drop by and visit, so I pretty much ignored it since the aversions would take care of that for me.”

I nodded impatiently and resisted the urge to tell her to get to what happened.

“But they pinged again, which meant that whoever was trying to approach the house had more will to get to the house than the aversion could overcome. I looked out the window and saw someone in the front yard, so I turned on the lights. I didn’t realize it was Thomas, otherwise I’d have called nine one one right then and told them to bring the K-9s and their Tasers.” Her lips pressed together in distaste. “He was moving forward but fighting every step of the way.” She shook her head, brow furrowed. “I figured the defensive wards would get the message across, but he didn’t make it that far. Instead…he—”

“Grabbed his head, screamed, then keeled over?” I finished for her, a sick sensation building in my stomach that had nothing to do with the cuff on my wrist. At least, I didn’t think so.

She gave a brisk nod, eyes on me. “The other two. They died the same way, I take it.”

“I wasn’t there when Barry Landrieu died, but Evelyn sure did. And she and Barry both had the same kind of strokes.” My gaze slid to the shielded body. I had no doubt Doc would find signs of stroke in him too.

“I pulled the aversions back so that your people could work,” she said, nose wrinkling in annoyance.

“I’m sure they appreciate it, even if they don’t realize it,” I said, frowning. Before I’d left the house I’d popped some painkillers that had successfully squashed my headache. I’d also taken a few minutes to pee on the pregnancy test stick—which had come up with a nice, lovely result of Not Preggers. Now, with less pain and stress, I could think again, and I didn’t like what I was coming up with. “I think there’s another connection between these three—not just the fact that I knew them all.”

“And could conceivably have motive to want them dead?” she added.

I grimaced, nodded. Trust Tessa to get right to the point. “Yes. But Thomas was trying to get into your house. You have a portal in there.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Awhile back I found an old and buried portal in the detective’s parking lot at the PD. There was a lightning strike, and it made a hole.…They covered it with asphalt so I didn’t think about it.”

Even in the dim light I could see that Tessa had gone pale. “And the first body?”

I hugged my coat closer around me, suddenly chilled. “I felt something off, but couldn’t pin it down. But I’d be willing to bet one of my measly paychecks that there’s a portal somewhere in that area as well.” I eyed her. “What are they for? I thought the one in your library was random, but it’s not, is it?”

“I’m not sure,” she said, which surprised me. I’d somehow assumed she knew exactly what it was for and why it was there. “I only know that protecting it has always been of paramount importance. I inherited the place from my Great Aunt Nikki, even though I’d never met the woman, and she had children of her own. But she’d clearly been an arcane practitioner as well, because with the house came the contents of the library, along with a completely vague and rambling letter that maundered on and on about how vital it was that the portal be guarded and the wards maintained.” Tessa gave a low snort. “She was ninety-eight when she died, and I think her mind had gone bye-bye several years before.”

“Or maybe she didn’t know why it needed to be protected either,” I pointed out.

Tessa gave a quick bark of laughter. “Now that’s a possibility as well! When I get the chance I’ll have to look and see how she came into possession of this place.” Squaring her shoulders, she said, “But for now I need you to stay here and make sure all this is taken care of.” Tessa waved her hand at the goings-on in her front yard. “And if I’m not back by the time they finish up, can you please reactivate the outer wards?”

“Sure thing. But where are you going to be?”

She gave me a hard smile. “I think that Carl and I are going to go on a nature walk.”

After Tessa left, I waited for Sarge to get a free minute to talk to me. Since I had a personal involvement, I didn’t want to go beyond the crime scene tape.

He came over to me as soon as the Coroner’s Office van pulled up. “You all right?”

I briefly considered acting like I didn’t know what he was talking about, but then I realized it would be pointless. The crap with Thomas had only been a couple of years ago and had been the talk of the department.

I gave him a nod. “You got a minute?”

“I got more than a minute if you need it,” he said, looking at me with concern.

I took a deep breath. “There’s a link between Thomas here, the death out at the Nature Center, and the lady who died after running into my car.”

“You?”

I nodded.

He lit a cigarette, and I shifted upwind of him. “I knew about Thomas, of course,” he said. “And Tracy Gordon told me about the Stark woman.” He blew out smoke and didn’t look at me. “What’s the deal with Landrieu?”

“Gave me heroin when I was fourteen,” I said, not looking at him either, but I could still see him twitch in surprise. “I overdosed. Nearly died.”

“Damn,” he muttered. He flicked ash onto the sidewalk. “Y’think someone’s trying to set you up?”

“That, or someone thinks they’re doing me a favor,” I replied.

He made a sour noise in the back of his throat. “Well, it obviously doesn’t look good that people you have plenty of reason to dislike are falling over dead. But I also don’t believe for a second that you’re doing it.”

I inclined my head. “I appreciate your faith in me.”

“Only because I know you’d find a way to hide the bodies.” He snorted, smiled. “Well, if someone’s trying to set you up, we need to beat whoever it is to the punch, and let the chief know what’s going on.”

A knot of tension in my chest began to unwind. “Yeah. Makes sense.”

“Now, let me ask you a question,” he said, peering at me.

I waited.

“These deaths. Are they part of all that magic woowoo crap you do?”

I bit back the urge to snicker at his reaction and kept my face sober. “Probably so,” I replied.

“Fucking hell,” he muttered. He dropped the cigarette to the sidewalk and ground it out under his heel. “I’ll fill the chief in. I’ll also need to reassign the Landrieu case.”

“Understood.”

“You need anything else from me?”

I shook my head. “I’m good. Thanks, Sarge.”

“See you in the morning, then. Now get the fuck off my car.”

I gave him a mock salute and stepped back from his car. After he drove off I looked around to see if Jill was finished up. She was leaning against her van with her hands stuffed into her pockets, which led me to assume she was done and was waiting for me.

“You okay?” I asked her as I approached and got a good look at her. She definitely wasn’t her usual perky self.

She gave me a wan smile. “Stomach’s been acting up lately.”

“Ugh, I can sympathize.” I shook my wrist with the cuff on it. “Eilahn just gave me this thing—blocks the arcane and keeps me from being summoned—but it makes me feel queasy all the time.” Then I shot her a warning look. “But if you get me sick for real I’m going to be pissed.”

A flash of her usual humor lit her eyes. “And what would you do then? I can outrun you.”

“That’s what cars are for, bitch,” I retorted with a grin.

“So what’s the deal with you and your ex-boyfriends?” She eyed me, slight frown puckering her forehead. Her tone was joking, but I saw worry in her eyes.

I muttered a curse. “I think someone’s trying to set me up.” I quickly recapped everything I knew, including the graaattack and my suspicion that a summoner was behind it all.

“Maybe someone thinks they’re doing you a favor?” she suggested in an unconscious echo of my earlier remark, though it was clear that even she didn’t really believe it could be true.

“Yeah, well if they think that, I sure wish they’d come forward so that I could thank them with a really hard punch in the neck,” I said with a dark scowl.