Edged Blade (26 page)

“She wasn’t.” A vicious smile curved his lips. The look on his face was one of grim satisfaction. There was no other way to describe it. “That’s Lila and she’s staying with the house down in the ’Glades…and Paddy is with her. Between Paddy, Tate and Serene, it will take an act of God or a force of nature to get to her
now
.”

A soft sigh relief escaped me even as the guilt gathered and grew. “Who was it, then?”

“Teah.” He took a healthy swig of coffee so hot, it had to burn his tongue, but he didn’t show any reaction. “She seemed fine—almost stable. Pissed off…man, was she pissed. Teah was warrior-born. I thought she’d be okay. I went to talk to her yesterday and she’d been found shot through the heart. Bullets.” His mouth was grim, tight. “They shredded her heart to a pulp. I’ve got a friend in forensics who’s going to try to get me whatever info he can from the ammo, but I don’t expect we’ll get much.”

“Somebody is silencing them.”

That meant they knew something—or somebody
thought
they did.

The idea was enough to turn my gut to stone, but at the same time, it meant we were getting closer.

Was it because we had Saul? Or at least, we’d gotten to Saul. Whether or not he was still alive was anybody’s guess.

“I need to know when Drake died,” I murmured. “Teah died yesterday—we grabbed Saul midday.”

“She died later.” Justin jerked a shoulder. “I haven’t called for the TOD. They should have the time of death soon, but if I had to estimate, I’d say she was killed in the early evening.”

“Enough time for somebody to know something was up with Saul, that he might have talked.”

“Or maybe they were already cleaning up,” Justin said. He stared into his coffee cup. “We just don’t know.”

No. We didn’t. So now we had to dig around for more answers, and ask more questions.

I sipped my coffee. “I’ll call Megan, see when Drake died.”

“Let me handle it,” Justin said. “She likes me more.”

Judging by the curl of his lips, I took that to mean something else. “She likes you or she wants to get in your pants?”

“Hmmm.” He ran his tongue across his teeth, eyes glinting. “I think it’s a mutual sort of thing. Anyway, she’ll be more likely to talk to me. She’ll just screw with you—and not in the fun and sexy,
Kit, can I please watch?
kind of way either.”

I made a face at him.

He winked at me and then went back to the business at hand. “I’ll go by his house. Maybe I’ll luck out and find…something.”

The lighthearted teasing was familiar, but for some reason, it wasn’t as comfortable as it used to be. He was convinced he still loved me. Hell, for all I know, he still did. I knew there were still feelings there.
I
had feelings. He’d been my first love, my first lover, one of my first friends and even now, if everything went wrong, I knew without a doubt, he’d be the one person who’d have my back no matter what else was going on in the world.

Damon would always have the clan to think about as well—as he should. That was part of being a leader. He’d be a shitty leader if he put his girl in front of the clan and I knew there would be times when I’d have to come in second place. I knew this and I was aware of it.

The security Justin represented was undeniable. But I didn’t
love
him. Not like he needed.

Not like he deserved.

And I didn’t know where this was going to leave us.

Forcing my attention back to the matter at hand, I asked, “You think you’ll have any luck at Drake’s? It’s not like he was grabbed there.”

“No. But everything points to this being a job where these people were chosen.” Justin shrugged. “That means they were watched—or at least people knew who they were. Drake, for instance. Somebody knew enough about him to know he wouldn’t be missed for a while.”

“No family,” I murmured, remembering what Megan had told me. “He wasn’t a born shifter, was he?”

“Nope.” Justin scraped a finger across the table. His green eyes were grim. “He was changed not long before the war started. Lost his entire family. His mother was labeled as an NH sympathizer while his brothers became human supporters in the war. They were some of the first to die. He pretty much hated this existence.”

“I can see why,” I said softly. I looked out the window. “Civil war all but tore the United States apart once and civil unrest continued for a long time after. It started all over again when the world discovered us. People never stop finding excuses to kill each other, do they?”

“No.” He pushed back from the table, reaching for the shades he’d put on the table. They were the same metallic silver as the threads on his sleeves and he slid them into place, hiding his gaze.

“How’s the eye?”

The grin on his face was pure evil. “It hurts.”

“Was it worth it?”

His only response was a faint laugh. “I’m gone. Need to get out to Drake’s, then head out to find Megan. I’ll send an update if I find anything at the shifter’s place.”

His idea of
anything
was the kind of thing that I’d have no luck with. Justin, being a warrior-born witch, could sometimes hone in on acts of violence. It was a long shot, but if he’d ever had contact with Drake’s kidnapper—particularly violent contact—he might recognize something. The right vibe, something. Hell, maybe we’d
really
luck out and Justin would be able to pluck the right connection right out of thin air.

There
were
connections.

We just have to figure what they were—and where to look for them.

“Okay.” I nodded. “You do that. “

“You need to tell the cats to stay in place. I think they’re safe enough if they stay in the Lair. If you warn Damon that somebody is hunting down the NHs we rescued, he’ll put his best on alert.” He skimmed a quick look around us. “I don’t think I’m dumb enough to try and sneak in here.”

I knew
I
wasn’t.

“I’ll talk to him.” There was something else I needed to do, too. My skin crawled just considering it, but I had to do it. I shoved back from the table and busied myself gathering up the cups. Aware that Justin was watching me, I went ahead and just got it over with.

“I think I’ll talk to Icarus.”

Justin gave me an appraising stare. “Bearding the vampire in his crypt, huh?”

“Why not? Maybe I’ll get the answer to that age-old question.” I dumped the dishes in the sinks. “Do they sleep
in
a crypt or does a coffin suffice?”

Annoyed, I stood at the entrance to the Lair and listened while Damon finished speaking into his phone.

“She’s on her way back,” he said shortly.

“Why did she
leave
?” I demanded.

“Because you just now made it clear she shouldn’t.”

I made a face at him. “Thanks for pointing out the obvious,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. A moment later, Damon brushed my hand away and I fought a groan of pleasure as strong fingers dug at the tension building at the base of my skull. “The other cat?”

“Here. Safe.” He paused and then added, “Physically, at least. His head…”

I reached up and covered his hand with mine. “Give him time.”

Damon dropped his hands and pressed a quick kiss to my neck before he moved away. “I’ll keep my eye out for Maguire. Let you know when she’s here.”

I nodded shortly. “Do that. I have to go. Need to run by my place and then…”

I should have just kept it short and sweet, but knowing the ears in the Lair, Damon would hear about it soon anyway.

“You’re going to Allerton House.” Damon stared at me.

I made a face at him. “Spying?”

“Not necessary.” He jacked up a shoulder in a shrug. “My people heard you and one of them felt like it was news he should share.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Don’t get mad at my cats for trying to protect you.” He took a step forward and grabbed the front of my vest, tugging me onto my toes. “Be glad I convinced him you didn’t need an escort.”

His mouth was warm on mine. I sighed into his kiss and then tugged away. “That’s something you’ll have to work on if I do move in here, Damon.” Scowling, I shoved my hands through my hair. “Might need someplace fitted out with soundproofing. Some of the jobs…”

He lifted a brow. “I’ll see to it.”

“Just like that?”

He brushed his fingers down my cheek. “If I want this to be your home, then…yeah. Just like that.” He let his hand fall to his side and I turned away.

“Kit?”

I looked back at him.

The early morning sun painted him with brilliant color, the chilly wind of fall whipping at his clothes. “Be careful,” he said softly.

“I will.”

The stop at my condo was meant to be quick—in, out. I needed stuff, the kind of stuff I’d take along with me if I thought things would get FUBAR—my favorite phrase from a classic movie that made me laugh every time I watched it.

Fucked up beyond all recognition
.

And this job just might push things into FUBAR territory.

I’d already roughed out the gear I’d take and it should have taken me ten minutes—probably less.

But that was before I climbed out of the car and smelled…it.

I flared my nostrils, vaguely realizing I was doing the same thing I’d told Abraham was so annoying, but it did help. I dragged in the air and smelled…

Immediately, I shoved my back against the car. I drew my gun, staring hard at my condo. My nice, innocuous condo that had been all but drowned in a strange little potion garden witches cooked up and sold—if they were brave enough. It was called
hide
.

I had some of it myself, but I didn’t like to use it. It itched like a bitch and the only thing it did was cover your scent. It did nothing to hide you physically and nothing to cover the sounds you made. I could take care of being
seen
, but unless I could completely silence myself, it did no good to not be scented.

I’d only used it once or twice—for break-ins.

I hissed out a breath and had to fight the urge not to lunge toward my house. Instead, I focused on my other senses.

A minute later, I began to make way toward the front door.

Nothing had been taken.

Or at least, if it was, it wasn’t anything important.

But my place had been searched—and searched well. The wards had been evaded—not shattered. Justin would have felt that, since he’d put so much of his magic in it. No magical construct is full-proof, though, not even the wards Justin and Colleen had crafted for me, and somebody had gotten past them.

Actually, I suspected it was
somebodies
, although how they’d done it, I didn’t know. I could still feel the ripple of the wards—active now. They lay in a dormant state when I wasn’t here, only flaring to life when somebody other than me or the few who’d been keyed in to gain entry tried to come inside.

It still took a decent chunk of power to get past—or around or under—my wards and the idea that somebody had done it so easily left me on edge. I kept my blade in hand the entire time, her grip warm in my hand. That curious, empty ache in the back of my head that had once held her voice seemed to pulse, but I didn’t let myself think on it.

They’d gone through
everything
. I wanted to bite something as I came to a stop in front of my kitchen counter. They’d even gone through my tea supplies. My
tea
! What the hell?

Spinning away from the counter, I stared at the weapons on my wall. I’d been staring blindly at them for a few seconds when a thought hit me. I sucked in a breath and fury had me leaping over my kitchen counter instead of running around it. In my bedroom, I caught the bedpost and shoved, pushing it too far—

“Oh, man,” I muttered, hissing out a breath when the magic there held.

The spell Justin had used on this hidey-hole of mine was the quietest, subtlest magic he could have done and he’d tinkered and refined it over the years, understanding the need to keep secret the things hidden within. The quiet magic hid a devastating spell that would incinerate anything that tried to power through it. Severe consequences, but no innocent child could accidentally
find
these weapons and nobody with any decency in them would want them enough to steal them.

That made any possible thief fair game. These weapons were too powerful to fall into the wrong hands. I didn’t even trust them in
mine
.

Both spells, the concealment spell and the destructive one, were powered by the magic of the weapons. They breathed it out, like they were living creatures and the spells fed from that energy.

They were also both intact.

Setting my jaw, I went about disarming the magic and as soon as I removed away the false piece of floor, I was hit with swells of power and whispered promises of death dark and bloody. The blade called Death wanted to come out and play. He’d tasted blood recently and instead of slaking his thirst, it only made him yearn for me.

“Shut up,” I said to the blade.

There was no lessening in the power that came off it, but I didn’t expect there to be.

The Druidic bow was in there as well, along with the charmed blades and poisoned steel.

Whoever had broken in, they hadn’t found these weapons.

Once I had them safely stowed—and hidden once more—I got busy checking everything else.

The rest of my quick search turned up nothing but frustration. I could tell where somebody had gone through my things. My clothes, my damn
underwear
and my papers—what little I kept anyway. They’d even gone through my books. I could tell simply because certain things just weren’t…right. A few pages were too neatly aligned, while the spines on the books weren’t
perfectly
aligned.

Nothing missing.

But I learned nothing about who’d done it, either and I couldn’t linger here.

It pissed me off in ways I can’t explain and it also confused me.

Who in the hell would break into my place just to look around?