He paused, listening to the voice we couldn’t hear again. After a moment, he sat up a little straighter and clasped his hands on the tabletop again, a slow, sickening smile spreading across his face as he listened to the voice in his head. "Not yet, but you better believe I'll make sure little Kathryn gets exactly what she deserves."
A bone-deep chill lanced through me and I recoiled. “I never mentioned my sister’s name to you. How do you know it? Who have you talked to?” Again, Collin’s face flitted through my mind.
“God tells His true believers everything we need to know to defeat His enemies.”
My heart rate tripled as Mr. Graves’ words echoed in my head.
The walls of the room started closing in. I shot to my feet. Spinning away from Mr. Graves and his high-pitched, hysterical giggling, I bolted to the door and pounded on it, casting a desperate glance back at Ray over my shoulder.
“You gotta get me out of here,” I said between gasps.
Ray stood and walked across to the guard. He shook his hand. “Thank you for your time, sir.”
The guard beamed at the recognition.
Ray took a couple of steps back, still holding eye contact with the guard. “If you ask me, I don’t think they pay you guys enough.”
The guard chuckled and nodded. “You’re telling me, man.”
Ray spun on his heel. When he did, his elbow made a sharp, satisfying thud as it contacted the back of Mr. Graves’s head. Graves yelped and Ray winced, cupping his elbow.
“Shit, I’m so sorry.” He cast a surprisingly convincing apologetic look at the guard. “Didn’t realize how close to him I was, man.”
The guard narrowed his eyes for just a second before nodding. Ray hurried back around the table to join me at the door. He knocked sharply, just once. James opened the door from the other side, and I practically ran him over getting out into the hall. Ray wrapped a supportive arm around my shoulders and I leaned into his side, trying to ease the full-body trembling that took me over.
Ray and Detective Stapleton spoke in low tones, but I couldn't focus on the words. Instead, I breathed deep and touched the pendant through the fabric of my shirt, drawing on the calm it radiated.
For just a moment, I was able to withdraw completely inside myself, and for the first time in a long time, I didn't feel crowded out by Shadow's presence. My breath hitched, and I pressed a hand against my stomach to ease the hollow feeling there.
Is there a way for me to finally live without that part of myself? My heart skipped a beat. Do I really want to? If I do, I might never be able to access my magic again. Is it worth it? My mind raced and my heart beat a little faster. Without a doubt, yes. I want to be rid of Shadow more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life, no matter the cost.
Ray reached out to shake the detective's hand. I blinked, as if to clear a filmy sensation from my eyes. Ray gave me a little squeeze and I mumbled a quiet thank-you as we turned away. I leaned a little harder against his side as we made our way back out to his SUV.
“You’re scary quiet.” Ray opened the passenger door for me and I shivered despite the heat.
“I don’t know what I was expecting a murder suspect to be like, but whatever I had in my mind...Graves was worse. I don’t think I can stomach trying to speak to him again.” My voice cracked and I had to pause, shaking my head. “If he finds a way to hurt Kat from the inside, I’ll never forgive myself.”
“Hey.” Ray reached up and tucked my hair back behind my ear. His unwavering gaze ignited a hot flush in my cheeks. “I promise you we’re going to do everything in our power to keep that from happening.”
My throat tightened and I nodded, not trusting my voice. When we turned out of the jail's parking lot, I was surprised to see we weren't headed back toward the office or my house.
I tilted my head and looked at Ray through the fringe of my eyelashes. "Where are we going?"
A slow grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, and something about it set my insides fluttering. A searing, achy heat followed in the wake of the flutters and I adjusted the AC on my side of the car to full blast to ease it. He said something, but I was so distracted by what a simple grin from him could do to me that I didn't even process his words.
"Huh?" I wrinkled my nose at how goofy I sounded.
"Grocery shopping," he said a little louder, like the noise from the AC might be what kept me from hearing him the first time.
I blinked at him. My brain had obviously missed a beat somewhere. "What for?"
He shrugged and the barest hint of a flush colored his cheeks. "You've had a rough couple of weeks and I thought a home-cooked meal might be a nice change of pace for you."
"Oh." The word came out quiet, almost strangled. I turned and looked out the window at the tourist-packed rows of shops and beach access parking lots. "I'm a terrible cook. We can just order something and have it delivered if you want. You don't have to go to any extra trouble on my behalf."
"I wasn't saying I expected you to cook." He chuckled, and I saw him shake his head in his reflection on the passenger window. "I meant that you've had a super rough time and I want to do something nice to thank you for letting me stay with you until my place is fixed."
My mouth watered, and not just at the idea of a home-cooked meal. Something about the idea of Ray cooking for me made me a whole different kind of hungry.
"I noticed you have a grill on the front porch, so I was hoping steaks would be a good idea for dinner. Do you like steaks?"
"Sure do." I licked my lips and tugged Misty's calming charm out of its hiding place, focusing on the delicately carved face on the pendant to avoid staring at Ray.
And I'm starting to find more and more things I like about you, too.
I winced when Ray tugged the lid of the grill open and frowned at the charred remains of Kat’s notes. He cut a sideways glance at me. “Why is there a bunch of burned paper in the grill?”
“Kat was studying a kind of magic she had no business dabbling in. I got upset when I found the notes, and I burned them hoping it would get it through her skull that she didn’t need to be messing with necromancy. All it did was push her away... =She disappeared right after.” I hugged my arms tight around my torso and slumped against the deck railing.
Ray frowned.
I quirked an eyebrow at him. “What?”
He shook his head. “I just...had a thought, but I can’t think of a way to word it that isn’t going to make you feel bad and I think you’ve had just about enough of that for one day.”
“Spit it out,” I grumbled, steeling myself for whatever he was about to say.
He shoved his hands in his pockets, pursed his lips, and looked away. I could practically see the wheels turning as he chose his words. "I think it might be a good idea to go grab a plastic bag just in case there happen to be any salvageable clues in here."
"Shit!" I smacked my forehead with the heel of my hand and rushed inside to grab a plastic bag. "How could I have been so stupid?"
I wrenched a box of plastic bags open before rushing back outside with a fistful of the gallon-sized ones. I left the door cracked a little in case Logan wanted to join us on the deck and opened one of the bags, holding it out with its mouth stretched wide.
"I feel like the absolute dumbest person on the planet right now." I grimaced as Ray started carefully scooping the charred fragments of paper into the bag.
"Don't beat yourself up." His voice was gentle, but it didn't stop the embarrassed heat from burning in my cheeks. "You had no way of knowing what was going to happen, or that you might need to research your sister’s secret death magic notes later. Besides, it's not like dwelling on your mistakes actually helps anything anyway."
"Fair enough." We finished salvaging the charred scraps and remnants of notes that didn’t manage to burn all the way and cleaned out the grill in companionable silence.
Ray lit the charcoal. I took the fragments we managed to save inside, setting them next to my laptop
on the sideboard. I paused and flipped the laptop open, hesitated, and closed it.
On a whim, I grabbed us both a hard cider out of the fridge, thinking we could drink them while we waited for the charcoal to get hot. Once I was back out on the deck, I passed one to Ray and drummed my fingernails against the cold glass of my bottle, clearing my throat. "What do you make of that visit with Mr. Graves today?"
Ray shuddered and reached up to rub the back of his neck with his free hand. "That guy gives me the willies, but after that threat he made today, James is having him monitored even more closely to see if he's communicating with anyone on the outside. If he gets any other visitors or calls, we'll be the first to know about it."
"Good." I nodded and took a swig of the tart, acidic cider as Ray checked the coals. A thought struck me and I chewed on my bottom lip for a second before I voiced it. “When we were at the office, Collin said he hopes I never find Kat. Do you think there could be a connection between him and Graves?”
Ray stiffened, then sighed. “If there is, James will make sure we hear about it.”
I narrowed my eyes at his hands-off tone, making a mental note to do some more checking of my own at the first possible opportunity. It couldn’t hurt to cover all the bases, could it?
While Ray’s attention was focused on the grill, I set my cider down on the built-in wood bench that ran the length of the deck, then slid my phone out of my pocket to shoot Manny a quick text. I clicked the ringer to silent.
Hey, Manny. Can you do me a favor? I appreciate everything you’re already doing, but I’ve got kind of a crazy hunch and I don’t think I can tell Ray about it.
Within seconds of texting him, he answered. Anything chica. What do you need?
Can you do some digging on Collin Tyrell for me? I think he might be involved with Kat’s disappearance and the murders somehow, but I have nothing to back it up.
I’ll see what I can find and let you know.
Thank you. I shoved my phone back in my pocket.
“The grill's about ready. Can you grab the steaks out of the fridge?”
My head snapped up and I shoved my phone back in my pocket. “Awesome! Thanks.” I started toward the door.
“And do you have grill tongs?” Ray called after me. “Probably a question I should have asked when we were at the store." He chuckled and closed the lid on the grill to keep the heat in.
I laughed. "I've got you covered. I'll be right back."
I strolled back inside, fighting to hide the goofy grin that was taking over my face. Logan trotted beside me, a soft, warm energy radiating off him.
So are you trying to flirt with Ray, or is it just kind of a thing that's happening these days?
I darted a sideways glance at the cat and pursed my lips, opting to answer telepathically instead of out loud, just in case.
I...honestly, I don't even know. He's genuine, dependable, maybe a little complicated, and unquestionably hot, but I feel like he's still kind of out of my league. So no, I'm not exactly flirting with him on purpose. I just can't seem to help feeling drawn to him. He didn't react badly when he found out he was my high school crush, which is nice, but…
Are you seriously trying to find excuses not to like him right now? Logan arched his back and shot me a sharp look as I took the plastic bag with the steaks and marinade out of the fridge.
"No!" I focused on getting the meat onto a platter without making a mess.
Liar, liar, pants on fire! Logan's sing-song teasing grated on my nerves. Here's what I don't get, though. They guy has proven to be better than you thought at every single turn so far. Why the hell are you so scared to let yourself like him?
"Well, for starters, my track record sucks," I mumbled, shaking my head. "I've only ever been romantically interested in two guys over the course of my entire life. Liking Ray got me socially destroyed, and then Kris used that whole stupid high school tragedy to convince me to kill myself and transfer all my power to him. These things do not make a great case for romance being a good idea for me." I grabbed the grilling tongs from a drawer to go along with the platter of steaks and turned to head back outside.
It could be different this time, if you let it, Logan said.
I paused and stared down at him with a heavy sigh. "Romance just isn't a priority for me, okay? Finding Kat is."
It's like you're punishing yourself for every mistake you've ever made, like you somehow think you don't deserve any kind of happiness. You don't know what might happen if you give your obvious attraction to Ray a chance. What if it makes your investigative partnership stronger, rather than being the distraction you're afraid it might be?
"First of all, I’m not a practicing witch, so how do I even have a familiar in the first place? Second, why are you so worried about my stupid love life when what we should be doing is trying to find connections between Collin and Mr. Graves?" I hissed between clenched teeth.
Logan stared at me with a strange intensity glowing in the depths of his unblinking eyes. You can’t change the fact that you were born with Bayshore Witch blood. No good familiar is going to let his or her witch, practicing or not, live her life in a heap of shattered, broken pieces. If you're not whole, you're not giving all of yourself to your purpose.
I shivered at the profound simplicity of Logan’s statement. No matter what I do, I can’t escape. Once a Bayshore Witch, always a Bayshore Witch.
Shaking my head, I eased back out on the deck, careful not to drop anything as I passed Ray the platter and utensils.
"Thanks." He grinned, placing the steaks on the grill with surgical precision.
"I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be the one thanking you for cooking dinner." I plucked up my cider and took another sip, sitting back down on the bench.
Ray checked his watch, closed the lid on the grill, and then grabbed one of the free-standing deck chairs, angling it toward me while also eyeing the grill. "I almost forgot to ask how you like your steak cooked."
"Well done, please," I said with a decisive nod.
He wrinkled his nose. "You really didn't strike me as the burnt offering type, but duly noted."
I didn't know how to respond, so I stuck my tongue out at him, and I didn't miss the fact that his breath hitched and his gaze locked on my mouth.
"You better put that away before you start giving me impure thoughts." His voice was soft and husky, but it was his slow, wicked grin that turned my insides to molten lava. A hot blush burned in my cheeks and slowly made its way down my throat. I licked my lips and took another sip of my drink in a desperate attempt to calm my arousal.
"You started it," I mumbled.
He stepped closer. Instinctively, I rose to meet him, all the while trying to calm the lightheaded rush that greeted me. My body knew exactly what it wanted, and I no longer had the will to fight it.
The hairs on my arms stood up as the heat radiating off his body enveloped me and I reached out, resting a tentative hand on his chest. The wild and erratic beat of his heart greeted my fingertips. Energy swirled and danced into my body, setting it aflame like a wildfire.
Ray's hands slid to my hips and I reached up, clasping my fingers behind his neck as I pressed closer to him, giving in to the aching need to erase the space between us. I pushed up on my tiptoes and gazed into his eyes, watching the way his pupils dilated with desire as I inched closer. The tips of our noses brushed for a fraction of a second before my eyes fluttered closed and I pressed my lips against his in a feather-light, tentative kiss.
A wild, primal growl rumbled deep in his chest as his arms tightened around me. His lips crushed against mine with an uncontrolled hunger and I shivered with pleasure. Tunneling my fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck, I arched against the hard planes of his chest, urging him closer.
His tongue stroked against my bottom lip. I opened to his touch, flicking my tongue against his, begging him without words. Deeper. More.
His fingers clutched my hips with an intimate, possessive needin
ess that only stoked the fire inside me. I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck and he reached down to grip my thighs. In one swift move, he lifted me, positioning me so my legs wrapped around his waist. He deepened the kiss and I let out a small, breathy moan. He pinned me against the side of the house and blazed a hot trail of kisses down my neck. I squeezed my eyes shut and clutched him tighter as his lips teased over the thundering pulse in the hollow of my throat.
The thought that it would be so easy for this desire to completely consume me floated somewhere in the depths of my mind, and I hesitated for a moment. Only if I let it...and I won't, not this time.
I went still.
Ray broke the kiss and tipped his head back to study me with his heavy-lidded eyes. "You're holding back."
I swallowed hard and nodded, not trusting my voice.
His brows pinched together as he lowered me back to my feet. His hands flew from my hips up to my face, cupping my cheeks to keep me from looking away. "Why?"
The whispered word was so quiet I almost thought I imagined it. My body and mind were at odds with each other. Wishing I could dismiss the conflicted feeling, I wanted to close my eyes, but found I couldn't break his probing gaze. A chill wind enveloped us and I clutched his shoulders when the world dissolved into the same sensation as falling into a dream.
"What's happening?" My voice sounded reedy and fragile, laced with panic.
"I don't know, but it's making me want to toss my cookies...like being carsick," Ray groaned.
"Whatever you do, don't let go," I said, as images flew past, almost too fast for me to comprehend except in glimpses. The familiar, decimated landscape of my Night Realm flashed past, and we kept plunging downward. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to drown out the feeling of vertigo.
When the wind and the falling sensation finally stopped, I cracked an eyelid to get a peek at our location. My stomach clenched when I saw that we were in the library at Bayshore High. I blinked and shook my head, thinking maybe it would snap me back to reality.
Coven of Lies (The Bayshore Witch Legacy Book 2) Page 10