by Jami Gray
Discussion over, we headed toward room 259. The Three Arbiteers took up positions along the blank wall space between the doors, leaving me seemingly all by my lonesome in front of the door. Taking a bracing breath, I released my grip on my magic, let the edges of my vision fuzz until the magical echoes began to flicker to life, and knocked.
Three things happened at once. First, I didn’t crumple in pain when my knuckles hit wood, which meant no security wards were active. Second, a wash of power emanating from the motley trio to my right triggered an immediate response from my magic, which snapped into place in order to buffer the impact. Third, a violent burst of sickly red-and-gray magic surged through the cracks of the doorframe, impacted with the Arbiters’ power, and erupted into a blinding burst of light while something hit the door with a resounding thump.
Unprepared, I stumbled back a step. “Whoa!”
“Rory?” Zev called in a low rumble.
I waved a hand in his direction as I blinked my vision clear. “I’m good.” The last of the dancing white spots disappeared, and I realized the three watchful mages were staring at me intently. Uncomfortable under their perusal, I turned back to the door. “Something is definitely moving around in there, and it’s not friendly.”
“Human?” Imogen asked.
Studying the tendrils of disturbing magic licking around the doorframe, I cautiously shook my head. “I don’t think so.” The writhing power didn’t reach above the doorknob, which made me think whatever was generating it was either a feral toddler or some kind of animal. No way could I imagine Neil running around with a toddler, but him carting around an animal seemed plausible, considering what we’d run into at his cobbled-together lab. “There’s no ward on the door, but I’d advise caution going in.”
Zev stepped up and, with a gentle hip check, nudged me aside. “Step back.”
I did as ordered and waved a hand at the electronic keypad on the door. “Have at it.”
A crystalline blue glow erupted over his hands and crawled up his arms. He pressed his palm against the pad, and small forks of lightening erupted. Coincidentally, a teeth-gritting scrape of power scored over the protective layer of my magic and left a slight but persistent ache behind.
Dammit, I should have stepped farther away. Too late now.
Zev’s magic receded until it was gathered around his hands. He looked at Imogen and Bryan, and after an exchange of nods between the three, Zev grabbed the doorknob. Imogen and Bryan moved up to Zev’s back. Power roiled around the three of them, agitating those ugly red-and-gray tendrils. Disgruntled with the heavy air of power, my magic thickened the protective layer, muffling the worst of it so I could stand steady under the unrelenting pressure. Since a headache was starting up, I let go of the soft-focus vision.
As I was out of the badass loop, I hung back, not anxious to get nailed by whatever lay in wait on the other side of the door. I’d leave that to the professionals. However I couldn’t help but warn Zev, “Be careful.” When he turned to look at me I could feel my cheeks heat, but I sallied forth. “Whatever it is, it’s determined.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “What am I looking at?”
I managed an uncomfortable shrug. “Don’t know, but that impact sounded about yea high.” I lifted a hand to hover midthigh.
“Got it.” He turned back, his magic expanding before him as he slowly opened the door and slipped inside.
Imogen and Bryan each shot me a long look but stayed at Zev’s back, leaving me to trail behind. Once inside, I slapped around the wall near the door until my palm hit a light switch. I stayed close to the door, shutting it behind me, as the soft glow of a lamp near the bed beat back the shadows.
In the faint illumination, the jumbled mess of the room barely registered as my attention was snagged by a muted grunt from Zev, a furious hiss from Imogen, and a muffled exclamation from Bryan as vying magics filled the room. Confusion abounded. A flash of indigo shot out and hit the bundle of sickly red taking up the floor space between the bed and the door. A sharp squeal preceded the ear-popping sensation of a pressure change, which left my ears ringing. There was a clash of cold and heat, and when the dust settled, Zev was in a defensive crouch, hands up in a combat pose. Imogen mirrored him as a pearlescent silver glow curled around her, and Bryan was aiming a gun at something in front of Zev.
“What the hell is that?” Bryan asked, his question echoing through the room.
I inched around, toeing what looked like a shredded pile of rags out of my way so I could get into position to see what they were staring at. When it came into view, all I could say was, “Holy shit.”
Nauseating and morbidly fascinating at the same time, it was similar to the Frankenstein creature in Neil’s makeshift lab except bigger and nastier. Of course, that could be because it was currently trying to escape whatever spell Zev and Imogen had it trapped in so it could rip off their faces. I could see traits of rat, cat, and maybe raccoon melded together into a monstrous concoction.
It was caught in midattack, its lower half encased in solid ice while Zev’s blue flames wrapped around it like a net. The creature was so determined to get to Zev that it fought the magical restraints with mindless intensity. It was disturbing to watch because I could see where the lines of Zev’s power were slowly slicing into fur and skin, raising raw wounds. Even more chilling, there was maybe a foot or less between the foam-laced muzzle and Zev’s face. Showing a decided lack of concern, Zev stayed crouched and moved a few inches closer.
“Do you have it?” Imogen gritted out.
“Almost,” Zev murmured as his hand moved and a thick ribbon of blue locked on to the creature then began to wrap around that snarling snout like a muzzle. It was a visual reminder that Zev had an affinity for animals. The straining creature’s jerky movements began to slow, the lines of the blue net darkened, but the evil red glint in its eyes didn’t dim. Zev moved one of his magic-coated hands toward it. It snarled and lunged, trying to sink sharp teeth into his skin. Fortunately, it missed.
“Is there something we can put it in?”
It took a second for Zev’s calm question to register, but I drew back and took in the room. “Give me a minute. I’ll see if I can find something.”
“Make it quick,” Imogen demanded.
I refrained from rolling my eyes as I skirted Imogen and Zev. There wasn’t much to the room—a queen-size bed, a nightstand, a dresser, a TV attached to the wall, and the closed, deeply gouged door, which probably led to the bathroom.
Bryan was staring at the creature with clear disgust. “Better if I just kill it now.”
“Let’s try to keep it alive so we can figure out what the hell happened to it.” Zev’s attention didn’t waver from the animal.
I kicked aside the shredded remains of the comforter pooled on the floor and squeezed through the narrow space between Zev and the foot of the bed.
“I think it’s pretty damn obvious what happened,” snapped Bryan. “Neil’s been playing mad scientist, so you’d better make sure that thing doesn’t bite you.”
Still on a mission for a container, I spotted a mangled mesh of metal in the space between the bed and the closet. Since the bedside lamp was on the other side, shadows were deep and heavy in the narrow space. I pulled out my phone, activated the flashlight app, and aimed at the mess. “I, uh, found the cage.” I picked it up, turned, and held it aloft for the others to see. “Don’t think it’s worth much anymore.”
That was putting it lightly. The wire mesh carrier looked as if the creature had exploded out of it, tearing a hole in the side and leaving tuffs of bloodied fur on the sharp torn ends. I lifted it higher, brought it close, and let out a low whistle of disbelief. “Definitely don’t let it bite you, Zev, because based on these teeth marks, I’m thinking you’ll lose an appendage if it gets close enough.”
“Not helpful,” Zev grunted.
“Right.” I tossed the useless carrier onto the bed and put my phone back in my pocket.
; I turned back to the closet, slid open the door, and found it empty. Great. That left the bathroom. I went to the door and put my hand on the knob, and then caution kicked in. Just in case our Frankencritter wasn’t alone, I touched my magic as I searched the bathroom to make sure I wasn’t walking into a spell of some sort. When my power remained calm, I stood to the side, took a deep breath, and threw the door open.
When nothing rushed out, I flicked on the light. My stomach tightened. Blood spattered the counter. Towels were an ugly mix of rust and white. The mirror above the sink sported a starburst pattern marred with more red, and long cracks snaked out to the edges of the mirror. “Neil can forget about his security deposit.”
Behind me, an animalistic shriek of pain erupted simultaneously with Zev’s curse. Magic hit my back, and I spun around, eyes wide, to see Zev standing, hands at his hips and a dark glare directed at the floor. Imogen was pale but resolute, the silvery glow gone, and Bryan’s gun was now aimed at the floor.
“What happened?” My voice came out strangely calm despite the fact that my heart was going a hundred miles per hour.
Zev dragged a hand through his hair, a disgusted look on his face. “I don’t know.”
I got closer until I could see the limp body on the floor, lying motionless in a spreading pool of blood. “Guess we don’t need a container.”
“Actually, we do,” Imogen said in a coldly clinical voice. “We need to get this”—she motioned to the dead animal—“whatever it is into a lab so we can figure out what Neil did to it.”
“I’ll go hit up the front desk,” Bryan offered, tucking his gun into a holster in his waistband. His lip curled as he stared at the carcass. “Maybe they’ll have some rubber gloves. I’m not touching that thing.” He didn’t wait for a response but headed out.
Imogen gave Zev a look I couldn’t read. “I’m going to make a call and find someone in-house who can figure out what that is.”
Zev gave her a nod, and she turned and stepped outside. When it was just Zev and I in the room, I asked softly, “What the hell?”
His voice was equally quiet. “I don’t know. I almost had it calmed, then something snapped, and the next thing I know, it’s seizing in its own blood.” He looked at the still open door and I did the same. Imogen was on her phone, staring into the courtyard. “Rory.”
I turned back to Zev. “Yeah?”
“I need you to look at this before they get back.”
I studied the mess on the floor. “I’m looking at it, Zev.”
“No.” He shifted closer, his voice going lower. “Like you did in the alley. We need to know if the magic involved is similar to the other scenes you looked at.”
Knowing we didn’t have much time, I gave him a short nod and let my vision soften. The dull ache spiked, but I pushed through until the magical echoes lit up the room with dizzying speed. This time, they were brighter, probably because what had gone down was only moments old. The shift was so abrupt that I felt my balance tilt, but before I could fall, Zev’s arm was around my waist, keeping me steady.
“Thanks,” I whispered then got to work.
Even as I studied the undulating pattern, the magical traces began to fade. I held on grimly, focusing on the warped ribbons that lingered, but they kept smearing away like greasy smoke. I was able to pick out the deep blue going the stormy gray of Zev’s magic, the silvery pearl shading to the white of Imogen’s lingering power, and the sickly red mottled with an ugly pewter color that was slowly uncoiling around the creature. But no sigils, no runes, at least none that I recognized. And just at the edge of my vision were those strange blips where the echoes flickered in and out like an electrical short. The arm at my waist tightened in warning, and I blinked my vision clear.
“You got someone?” Zev held me so close that his question vibrated through his body to mine.
“Yes,” Imogen said in a snippy tone.
Someone has her panties in a bunch. I couldn’t find it in myself to care, so I took my time pulling away from Zev under Imogen’s narrowed eye glare. Ignoring her, I crouched by the animal, resting my arms on my knees, making sure not to touch it. I studied the still body, noting that there were no obvious signs of surgery, which added weight to our assumption about Neil’s Fusor abilities undergoing an unexpected boost. Following that logic, the next conclusion would be that the boost came in the form of a serum. If Neil was willing to use a serum on himself, wouldn’t he have tested it first?
“I think it’s safe to assume Neil has progressed to animal experimentation,” I said.
Zev had no problem following the same logic. He turned to Imogen. “Your contact—can they rush the test results?”
“I’ll make sure they do.” She skirted around me and moved farther into the room, carefully picking her way through the mess.
Still staring at the pathetic lump of fur, I murmured, “If we’re lucky, maybe they can tell us why it died.”
Imogen snorted as she went to the door of the bathroom and stuck her head inside. “I’d think the why would be pretty obvious.”
I had to give her credit—she navigated the line between condescending and mocking well. Getting into it with her was a waste of time, so I didn’t bother. Instead, I thought about the similarities of the echoes here and where Jonas and the sleeper had died. Since Zev had waited until Imogen was otherwise occupied, I knew he didn’t want to share my newly discovered quirk, but it didn’t feel right not to get the team on the same page. Besides, seeing the similarities wasn’t enough. We needed someone to be able to match the magic used here to the magic used at the death scenes. Vague suspicions filled my mind, but I didn’t have enough to string them together. I needed a way to get more information and not just because Sabella would require solid proof.
The minute I added Sabella to the mix, the solution hit me. I could use my status as her proxy to make unorthodox requests. In the initial meeting with Trask and Clarke, they’d mentioned that the serum worked on the brain, which would be what Imogen’s contact would look for, I was sure. But that wasn’t the only kind of forensics out there. In my time with the Guild, magical forensics had been a key component in various cases. This shouldn’t be any different.
I rose, easing the ache in my calves. “Besides physical evidence, is there any way to determine if there’s a magical connection between this”—I motioned to animal—“and Chloe and Jonas’s deaths?”
Imogen turned from the bathroom and eyed me with speculation. “Maybe.”
“That’s definitely worth checking,” Zev said, taking the hint and adding his weight to the conversation.
Imogen considered us for a long moment then slowly nodded. “I’ll submit the request and have management hold off on cleaning the room.”
“Thanks.” Now that I’d gotten what I wanted, I could be nice.
“This is all they had.” Bryan walked into the room, waving an empty garbage bag.
Imogen’s nose wrinkled. “It’ll have to do.”
In a matter of minutes, the dead animal was wrapped in plastic. We left the room and stood on the walkway as Zev set a ward on the door. Dawn chased back the night as we talked. Bryan set the bag down at his feet, and we discussed next steps. Imogen would notify hotel management that the room was to remain undisturbed until she could get a forensic team in. She would supervise the evidence collection then accompany it back to her contact and encourage them to prioritize the results. She promised to update us as soon as she could.
Bryan volunteered to get surrounding street and security cameras to see if we could track Neil’s movements. It would make for a long day because he’d have to work his way backward. Zev and I volunteered to review the tapes Bryan had collected, as the only thing on our agenda was our interview with Kerri in a handful of hours.
“Send me the link where you’re uploading the videos,” Zev told Bryan. “Rory and I will work through them at my office once we’re done with Kerri.”
“You have an office?” I asked
, taken aback. I just couldn’t picture him in a corporate setting.
“The Cordova Family has a suite at Dueñas Park.” He seemed amused.
Dueñas Park was a collection of multistory buildings that sat in the middle of Medina Memorial Plaza and housed corporate offices for many of the more prominent Arcane Families in the area. It was also the site where I’d taken the job that had me crossing paths with Zev for the first time.
“Right,” I mumbled while they finished finalizing their plans for the day.
We exchanged promises to check in by evening with the latest so we could finish putting the pieces together and hopefully corner Neil. We headed down the stairs and through the empty courtyard to our respective rides.
Zev stayed back with me while Bryan followed Imogen to her car, where he put the bag in her trunk then turned to his SUV. As Bryan got in and Imogen backed out of the lot, Zev said, “I’ll be at your place in about an hour and a half.”
Bryan followed Imogen out of the lot, their taillights disappearing around the corner of the building, leaving Zev and I alone.
Not quite following, I said, “Sorry?”
He shifted his position until I was trapped between my car and him. He brushed his hand over my cheek in a fleeting caress that made my lashes flutter in pleasure at the delicate touch. “Go home, down some caffeine, check in with Sabella, and do whatever it is you need to do to get ready for our interview with Kerri. Since we’re spending the day together, I’ll pick you up around eight.”
Somehow, without my volition, my hands found his chest. The heat of him seeped through my palms as I looked up into his face, noting the faint signs of interrupted sleep and lingering stress in the lines around his mouth and eyes. The sight tugged at my heart.
I managed a soft, “Sounds good.”
He dropped a kiss to the top of my head and stepped back then waited until I was safely in my car before he strode to his bike. He followed me out of the lot, and I lost him when I had to turn west and he continued north.