“To obliterate the rest of the runes?” Carol asked, frowning at her own picture.
Jonah smiled at her. “That’s a great guess.” He brought up a mental picture of the scene. “I think I saw surveillance cameras overseeing the field. If we can get pictures of him before the stabbing, perhaps we can find out what they were trying to hide.”
“Whatever runes they used would have to be drawn in ink or somehow made at least semi-permanent. Otherwise, they could have simply washed it away.” Debbie, scowling at her own picture of the body, grunted. “I can’t make anything out though. Whoever it was, they were thorough.”
“I may not be able to tell you what was under the stab wounds, but I can tell you this. Once the victim was dying, their mana was definitely drained, but not completely. That’s the other unusual thing about this. The rest of his mana was drained post-mortem.” Paul gestured to the stack of papers. “This wasn’t a vamp murder. There aren’t any signs of bite marks on the body. There was a lump on the back of his head, though, which makes me think he was attacked first with a blunt object, probably knocking him unconscious, then he was killed via magical drain.”
Hmm. Jonah stared at the vic, trying to check everything at once but unable to focus on anything but those runes. “So, the perp didn’t want him to suffer?”
Paul shrugged. “Or they wanted him subdued and unable to fight back.”
Carol stared at the wound, pointing at the jagged edges. “What kind of knife was used?”
“Serrated, probably about six inches long. The pattern reminds me of a steak knife.” Paul put the picture down. “You’re definitely searching for a blood sorcerer. Until I open him up or get a tox screen, there’s not much more I can tell you.”
“Knocking him out first means that they didn’t want a struggle with him. Could be the sorcerer is someone who’s physically impaired,” Carol muttered.
“It’s a definite possibility.” Jonah made a note to check for those with disabilities at the college. “I hate these fuckers,” he muttered. Those idiots out there who thought sorcerers were enslaved by their familiars, or that having a familiar made you weak were stupid. Most gave in to the need for a familiar before becoming blood sorcerers, thank the goddess.
“But why wasn’t Mr. Reeves drained completely, all at once?” That baffled him. That was what usually happened.
“Could the sorcerer have been interrupted before his work was complete, then finished draining him when he had the chance?” Debbie’s tone was clinically curious. Not surprising, since she often assisted Paul.
“That might explain why Mr. Reeves wasn’t drained completely before death,” Carol replied. “The sorcerer couldn’t finish the job.”
“Then why drain the rest? Why take the risk? He had enough from the initial drainage, right? Unless...” Jonah examined the picture. There had to be more to be found in the image than what he’d discovered so far. “A wither?” A creature born of a dead blood sorcerer, withers haunted the spaces of Terra Noctem like infernal serial killers. They hungered always for their lost mana, sucking their victims dry before moving on. A dying baby sorcerer with no defenses would be a tasty little appetizer for one of them.
Other, darker things haunted Terra Noctem, things he prayed weren’t coming through the veil to this side. Things that would suck the life and magic out of someone without batting an eye. “I want status updates the moment you find out anything.”
“Don’t you always?” Paul replied.
Jonah picked up the page with the clearest picture of the runes. “Can I take this?”
“Sure, I printed all these out for you. We’ve got them saved elsewhere.” Debbie yawned and gathered the pictures into a large envelope, handing them over to Jonah when done. “By the way, is anyone else hungry?”
Jonah’s stomach grumbled right on cue. “Oh, god, yes. Jack in the Box?”
Carol spun on her heel and strode toward the door. “Let’s go. I love their shakes.”
Jonah followed her. “A woman after my own heart. You two coming?” he called back to Paul and Debbie.
Two sets of footsteps ran after them. Soon, Jonah found himself sinking his teeth into his burger. “Mm. That is so goddamn good.”
The four of them ate, enjoying some quiet, non-work talk before Jonah and Carol had to leave. Debbie and Carol made plans to get together over the weekend, making Jonah and Paul smile indulgently.
Apparently, Debbie and Carol shared a passion for someplace called Sephora? Whatever that was. He’d walked the mall and seen it, mostly from a distance. Wasn’t it some sort of makeup store? From the way the women gazed at each other, Jonah could tell that Carol and Debbie were going to be fast friends.
Good. Anything that bound sweet Carol more tightly to him had his utmost approval.
Chapter 7
Carol hadn’t been to the station before, so she found the place fascinating. The steps leading up to the double glass doors were concrete, the railings metal. The building was modern in style, with rows of concrete parallel to rows of darkened windows.
Jonah held open one of the doors, letting Carol step through first. She sniffed the air, getting whiffs of gun oil, metal, fear, and sweat, along with the usual people of an office building. The quiet hum of electricity was occasionally overwritten by the sound of voices, some distant and indistinct, others closer, the words clear as a bell.
The front desk was dark, the walls an off-white. The floors were a bland off-white tile.
“Morning, Detective.” The young officer manning the front desk smiled at Jonah. “New partner?”
“Morning, Bob. This is Carol Voss, my new familiar. Carol, this is Officer Robert Simpson.”
Carol nodded her greeting, holding up her wrist to the officer, showing Jonah’s name inked into her skin. “Nice to meet you.”
“Are Detectives Wheeler and Ridgely back yet?” Jonah stood by the front desk and tapped on the countertop with his fingers as Officer Simpson covertly checked out her chest. Since her T-shirt was plain, he wasn’t reading anything printed on it.
“Yup. They’re probably expecting you. You’re working that university murder, right?” Officer Bob was talking with Jonah but still checking out Carol’s boobs.
Guh. Men. “My eyes are up here, stud.” She pointed to her peepers with two fingers, watching as Officer Bob’s cheeks slowly turned red.
Jonah slowly shook his head. “I wouldn’t mess with my familiar if I were you.” His voice had a chill to it that hadn’t been there previously. “Not unless you want to know how tasty frogs find flies.”
The guy pulled back, his cheeks paling much faster than they’d reddened. “Oh. Yes, sir.” His wan smile was half-hearted. “Sorry, sir.”
Carol smiled. Jonah had used his magic rather than her teeth as the threat. That went a long way to making her feel like he wouldn’t use her as a threat in the future. It also made her wonder if he worried over whether or not she could protect herself.
She’d have to wait and see. Once she had her visitor’s badge, she followed Jonah into the interior of the station.
“C’mon, Homicide is on the second floor.” He scowled at the visitor’s badge like it personally offended him. He touched it, lifting it gently away from her chest. The light brush of his fingers against her sent a tingle down her spine. “We’ll get you an F-class badge as soon as possible. Once you’ve completed your training with me, I’ll have you listed as my official partner.”
She swallowed, trying to keep her nerves at bay. The light in his gaze was ferociously possessive, as if he’d already begun to bond with her on a deeper level than the simple year and a day contract. “I’d like that.”
An F-class badge, or familiar’s badge, was only temporary. She’d need to earn her detective’s badge or wind up working the beat once the year and a day were up.
He smiled secretively, dropped the visitor’s badge, and began leading her to the stairs and up to Homicide.
Jonah stalked dow
n the hallway to the office of the lieutenant who was running Homicide. He knocked politely on the door, his face an expressionless mask. Carol straightened her shoulders, wishing she’d worn something a little more presentable than her T-shirt, jeans, and canvas sneakers.
“Come in,” a deep voice bellowed.
Jonah opened the door. “It’s me.”
“Shit.” The man behind the desk scowled. “If this is about Wheeler and Ridgely—”
“It is,” Jonah interrupted smoothly.
The big man sighed, running fingers through his dark hair. “Jonah, Wheeler and Ridgely acted appropriately. From the information they’d gathered, it appeared to be a routine homicide, not an MCU case.”
Jonah shook his head, taking one of the two seats in front of the lieutenant’s desk. “Ralph, we both know that this was a pissing contest, pure and simple. I found them badgering the poor kid’s familiar. They didn’t believe him when he said he felt his sorcerer die.”
“They were questioning a suspect.” The lieutenant scowled at her. Apparently, the detectives had not only complained about Jonah, they’d given their boss an earful about her as well.
She was proven right when the lieutenant’s scowl deepened. “And she’s too new to be at a murder investigation.”
So, he was going to go with that route? That wouldn’t work at all.
Jonah snorted disgustedly. “You know the rules on sorcerer familiar bonds, Ralph. She stays with me.” Jonah matched the lieutenant’s scowl. “At least she’s been through the academy. Hell, she was supposed to start the week after I found her. She’ll be an asset, not a liability, especially with a wolf’s nose.”
The lieutenant seemed a little more interested in her when he heard of her species. “Wolf shifter, huh?”
She wanted to hunch her shoulders under his scrutiny. This man ran an entire department. She was just a rookie. He could end her career before it even started. Still... “Wolf familiar, sir. There’s a difference.”
“Oh, I’m aware of that.” The lieutenant shot Jonah a vaguely amused look. “His mother has been very insistent on the differences between the two.”
“Oh.” She relaxed. Her status as a wolf wouldn’t be a problem, at least not with this man.
She glanced at his nameplate, curious as to who those two yahoos reported to. She almost laughed as she read his name. Lieutenant Ralph Kramden? “Pow, zoom! Straight to the moon!” She clapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”
How could she have quoted The Honeymooners at a police lieutenant? Her career might be over before it even started if he got mad at her for it.
Thankfully, he seemed to take it well. Lieutenant Kramden’s reluctant grin made him almost attractive. “Yeah, like I’ve never heard that one before. And the quote actually is ‘One of these days, pow! Right in the kisser.’”
Carol frowned. She could have sworn she was right. “He never said the moon bit?”
Lieutenant Kramden rolled his eyes. “He would say ‘bang zoom’ and ‘you’re going to the moon,’ but not together.” Lieutenant Kramden shook his head. “Can we get back to the case?”
“Yeah, sorry.” Carol’s shoulders slumped. She was so embarrassed she just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.
Jonah coughed into his fist. She could smell his amusement, light and crisp like lemonade. “We’ve confirmed that this murder was magical in nature. The runes on his chest were a ruse, but the body definitely had been drained of its magic.”
“You sure?”
Carol touched the tip of her nose. “Positive. And both the coroner and the coroner’s wife, Debbie, agreed with me. The scent is unmistakable.” She gagged slightly just remembering it.
He sighed, long and low, his shoulders slumping. He sat back in his chair. “The sniffer didn’t detect anything.”
Carol grunted, but before she could answer Jonah did. “Those things don’t always work. You need familiars on the force with good noses, like Carol.”
Lieutenant Kramden shot her an assessing glance. “Perhaps, but tell that to the city council. They want to cut the number of officers we have now, not add to them.”
Jonah grunted. “Volunteers? Familiars who want to get into law enforcement could work as interns, learning the different scents of a crime scene.”
“But their testimony isn’t always admitted. Judges aren’t always open to the idea of new evidentiary procedures.” Kramden held up his hand. “I agree with you. I wish the sniffers worked the way they’re supposed to, but they don’t. I’ll be complaining to the city myself. For now, though, give my people a break. They were working with what they had.”
Jonah nodded, his lips tight. The corner of his right eye twitched. “I’ll do that.” He glanced at his watch and grimaced. “We need to go report to my boss. I have to introduce Carol to her.”
“First day on the job?” Kramden stood and offered his hand. “Welcome aboard, Ms. Voss.”
“Thanks.” She shook his hand and didn’t even try to match his grip. She’d learned early at the orphanage not to show too much of her strength. If she did, the kids would cry wolf.
Literally.
“Get out of here, Jonah. I have work to do.” Kramden waved them away with a grin that belied the grumpy tone of voice.
“Yeah, yeah. You love it when I stop by.” Jonah flipped Kramden the bird.
The two must be friendlier than Carol had first thought. She’d remember that for the future.
Carol followed Jonah, her departure much more subdued than his. He was calling out hellos here and there, but he didn’t stop to introduce her. Instead, he headed to the stairway once more. “Our department is one floor above Homicide. Some of us work with them on murder cases involving sorcerers, while others work other sorts of magical crimes.”
“Like vampires taking blood without the permission of the donor?” She kept up with him easily despite the fact that he was almost a foot taller than she was.
“Exactly.” Jonah grabbed her hand and threaded their fingers together. He kept her at his side as they walked through the new department. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she tightened her grip on him.
She could scent the magic on this floor, and it soothed her wolf. Her anima reacted as well, swelling at the sensation of so many sorcerers in one area.
“Down, girl. No touching.” Jonah tugged her close, putting his arm around her shoulder. He whispered in her ear, making her shiver with more than the sensation of his breath tickling her. “You’re my familiar. I’m not letting any of these guys poach you.”
She trembled, unable to do anything else but respond to the possessive tone. The man wouldn’t allow her anima to touch anyone in the room other than him. She found that ridiculously hot. She licked her lips, a small whimper making it past her control.
Jonah’s arm tightened around her shoulder, but it was the only sign he gave that he’d caught the embarrassing sound. “C’mon. You’ll like our boss. Her name’s Anne Ford, and she’s one tough-ass broad.”
“I heard that!” A tall, broad-shouldered woman came toward them with a determined stride. Her hair was short and platinum blonde, her eyes pale blue. She wore a gray suit with a pale blue shirt underneath and shiny black boots, the type that were good for running in. “You must be Carol, right?” She was smiling, her hand held out as she approached them, her whole demeanor open. “You poor baby, stuck with a grouch like him.”
“Hey!” Jonah’s tone was affectionate. “Carol, this is Captain Anne Ford. She runs the Magical Crimes Division of the LAPD. Anne, this is Carol Voss, my new familiar.”
She preened a little at the pride in his voice when he introduced her, not that she’d admit it. “Hi, nice to meet you.”
Her hand was taken in a firm, no-nonsense grip. Anne didn’t try and prove she was stronger than Carol. She already knew she was. “Nice to meet you too.” She let go of Carol’s hand and glanced at Jonah. “Jonah, I want you to work the universi
ty case while I show your familiar around.” She frowned at the visitor’s badge Carol wore. “We need to get you an F-class badge pronto.” Jonah sputtered behind them as Anne whisked her away. “More importantly, let me show you where the coffee machine is.”
Carol grinned and fell into step with the captain, visions of hot coffee dancing in her head. “I like how you think.”
Chapter 8
Jonah was watching Carol as she familiarized herself with the workspace she’d been assigned. She twirled in her seat, looking as happy as a child in a sandbox.
“This is awesome,” she whispered, smiling so wide he could practically see her molars.
“Excited about being on the job?” He remembered when he’d first started. Putting on the uniform had filled him with both a sense of pride and trepidation. He was putting his life on the line for the good of the community. While most cops retired safely, some did not. Add in the fact that being a rookie naturally meant making mistakes, and he’d been a basket case for about a week.
“Big time,” she replied. She put her hands on her desk, her expression becoming more serious. “Time to inspect the desk.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m smelling something a little funky, and a little...chocolatey?”
Jonah had cleaned the desk out himself. “Are you sure? I thought I got rid of all the trash.” His last familiar, the hedgehog, had loved snacking and kept herself well supplied.
She tapped the side of her nose, making him chuckle.
“Okay. You do that, I’m going to—” Jonah’s phone rang. It was Lieutenant Kramden. “Answer the phone, apparently. Excuse me.”
“Go right ahead. Let me know if it’s about our case.” She shivered, once more that excited child. “Our case.”
Jonah was smiling almost as widely as she was. He’d had familiars excited about the job before, but never to the extent that Carol was. He answered the phone, feeling good about his coming day. “Sound here.”
“Jonah. How is Carol settling in?”
“Really well. She’s met my captain, and now she’s settling in at her desk.”
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