After Ronan headed down the hall, Vidoc opened the front door, waving his hand at me to follow. "Jake says meet him in the barn and work with your familiar."
"Do I work with another student?"
"Worry about learning how to do spells without wrecking the place. Jake will decide if you need to work with anyone."
CHAPTER THIRTY
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
In the barn, the students occupied all but two of the cubicles on the ground floor. Jake pointed me to the closest empty space. On the right, a man with a shaved head breathed flames out of his nose. On the left, a woman beamed while she pirouetted next to her rag doll.
Jake placed the black candle and herbs I'd chosen at the market on the cubicle counter. "Get Ruby out of the box."
I stood her upright on my hand. Feathers covered her frame. She stretched out her wings. "What if she flies away?"
"She's chosen you. She won't flee. You need to develop rapport with her. For starters, I'll give you a standardized bonding spell." From the rag doll cupboard, he withdrew a laminated sheet. "To do is to learn." He crossed the room to talk to Ira.
I sat on the floor and put Ruby down. Steps one and two of the twelve-step bonding process were simple. Move your head left and right. Imagine the familiar moving its head. As I shook my head, Ruby flew to the counter, her wings a blur.
Jake came inside the cubicle. "I'm going to have you work with Ira on bonding. He's the only student here with a familiar. You and Ruby can learn from him and Niko."
I did want to probe him for everything he knew about Felicia. Probe Ira. Yes, indeed. The disrupted demon dissolution and shape-shift, the crushed frame at Ira's booth, the invitation to dance on the second level. He was excitement. I wanted more of it. I had to make up something to say to Jake. "Ira might read my mind."
"I've never known Ira to misuse his empathic powers." Jake squatted in front of me. "Someone will be supervising you and Ira, especially at first. Think about it from Ira's point of view. You can be scary too."
A relationship with a complex, mercurial man awaited me. Repeat Eduardo. Who knew? While I frowned, Jake shifted in his crouch. Ruby flew down and tapped the top of my head with her beak then perched on my shoulder. I rubbed the stinging spot on my scalp. Mild pain can clarify thought. Fear didn't rule me. Accept the challenge. "Fine, bring on the guy with the snake tattoo."
When Ira entered the cubicle, Ruby flew to his head and tapped on it.
Ira rubbed his scalp. "Did you tell her to do that?"
I smiled for the first time that day. "That's her way to get inside your head."
Ira picked up Jake's twelve steps sheet. "You're working on this?"
I wanted something faster than Jake's plan, so I opened Loki's book. The raven flew out and lifted pages with his feet, stopping at The Talk to Me Spell.
It had three steps. Think it, Mouth it, Send it. I thought, Mark Turner, a neighbor of Felicia's, set up a meeting with her Mystery Lover. When I mouthed the words in an exaggerated manner at Ruby, she flew to Ira.
"Mark." She drew out the "a" sound.
"What mark?" Ira said.
Impatient, I bypassed Ruby. "Mark Turner, a neighbor of Felicia's, set up a meeting with her Mystery Lover."
"Why would her lover agree to a private meeting?"
"What do you know about Felicia's lover?"
"No one knew his name. Why would her lover meet this Mark after going to all that trouble to keep his identity private?"
"What if he wanted to find out how much Mark knew?"
Ira glanced at Jake, who juggled glass balls for a student. "We're supposed to concentrate on our familiars. Let's sit on the floor in case we need to work within a circle to increase a spell's power."
I positioned myself opposite him, cross-legged. "Why do you need extra strength? Doesn't your familiar obey you automatically?"
"We're not all as well integrated as Jake. He's so completely meshed with his fire familiar he's internalized it and doesn't have an imprint."
"Show me what you can make your snake do."
Niko lifted off his tattoo and slid over to me. I scooted back, not desirous of a snake's touch, sure his clammy, scaly skin would chill. Niko was solid, not the transparency he'd been at Ira's shape-shifting class.
Afraid?
Ira's deep voice in my head gave me goose bumps.
Niko won't touch you till you're ready. Shut your eyes. Trust your familiar to protect you.
I locked onto Ruby's beady eyes. Watch over me? I mouthed at her.
"Peeetra." At least she made an effort to say my name, although she pronounced the first part as if it were Pete.
I didn't think Ira would do anything scary with Jake across the room from Ruby and us possibly on guard. Trust is important in a relationship. I closed my eyes and heard Ira rustle about.
The scent of a rose, light at first, thickened into an odor so sweet I could almost believe a real flower bloomed. He must have lit the candle.
"Relax." Ira said. "Take deep breaths. Imagine the perfect black rose."
My shoulders drooped as I pictured velvet blackness. I opened my eyes when something slithered over my leg. Niko swished on my calf, a light touch. I tried sending a mind message to Ira. Have you fed him? Ira didn't react. It didn't seem fair that he could talk inside my head, but I couldn't talk inside his. Since I'd grown up thinking I wasn't a wizard, I'd never expected to have the experience of mind-to-mind speech and wasn't sure how it worked.
Although Niko's movements on my calf were delicate, my leg went twitchy instead of relaxing. I had to restrain myself from stretching out and shaking him off because I didn't want to offend Ira or his familiar.
"That's an interesting sensation. He won't do anything weird, will he?"
"No, that's my part."
Ira offered his arm to Niko, who melted into his master's skin. When Ira passed his hand just above my leg where Niko had been, warmth spread over my skin and loosened my muscles. As soon as Ira cupped his hands over mine, Ruby flew to my shoulder, puffed out her feathers, and chirped.
"That's good," Ira said, "she's protective of you." His hands traveled up my arms and rested above my shoulders. "Try telling her to do something. Surprise me."
Brush Ira's face with your wing, I mouthed at Ruby.
She landed on his head and bobbed her tail on his hair three times. I wished she'd touched his face. I wanted to run my fingers over his skin, even where his cheeks were rough with stubble.
Ira leaned forward and lightly brushed his hands over my face. He stopped with his thumbs at the base of my neck and traced circles. I breathed in the sweet odor of the black candle and focused on Ira's mouth. His lower lip, plump with a little pout, looked good to kiss.
"Trust me. You don't really think I killed Felicia, do you? You were just saying that because you're Keegan's lawyer."
I scooted back from him. "If you did something to Felicia, I don't think you meant to." That sounded muddled. "I believe what you say, but maybe you don't know what you did. Do you know what I mean?"
"No, but I hope you're mellowing toward me. Do you know how I know Keegan didn't kill Felicia?"
I remembered his uncle Ronan asking me the same thing. "Because you know who did it?"
"No, how would I know that? Keegan is the sane, reliable brother. I'm the screwed-up one, and Paul is the handsome, charming one. Keegan makes mistakes but always fixes things. He never let me down when I needed help." His amber eyes flicked over me. "Who do you think did it?"
"I'm not on the case anymore. Chris is going to go ahead without me because I can't leave here without a supervisor."
Ira's full lips twisted as if he'd tasted something bitter. "If you could see the look on your face. You still think I did it." I opened my mouth to protest, but he hurried on, "And when were you going to tell me that this Mark guy got killed and that you saw it?" He gripped my ankle. "I don't like the sneaky way you had Ruby say his name."
"Okay, so I
tried to trick you." I couldn't think of something clever, so I told the truth. "I wanted to see if you would let slip that you already knew Mark was dead. The media hasn't put out any details, so if you knew about it, that would mean something. Even though I'm not on the case, I can't keep out of it."
He released my ankle. "You're a hunter. Get to know your prey. When someone wrongs me, I use drugs or I crack up. That's it. I don't kill them."
"How did you find out?"
"Sal left me a bunch of messages. He can't get over it that this guy's dead. He said you saw it. I was waiting for you to tell me."
"Yes, we've established that I'm a sneak. Okay, here's what happened." While I told him about Mark's death, I tightened up inside and ended up with my arms wrapped around myself. As I talked, Ruby broke open the plastic bag of rosemary and dropped bits of the herb in a circle that included me but not Ira.
When I finished, Ira left the cubicle and returned with two chocolate cookies. He tossed one to me. "You should process that experience with Kai. She's good at bad experiences."
I brushed off cookie crumbs. "Okay, maybe I will. Let's get back to Ruby. I hope the circle she made around me is a good sign. Of course, it could just mean she thinks I need extra help with my magic."
I repeated the command. Brush Ira's face with your wing. In response, Ruby perched on Ira's shoulder, brushed her tail on his hair, made numerous bird noises at him, and pecked his head, hand, ear, and tattoo.
After what seemed like hours of her antics, I paused, my butt sore from the hard floor. I'd kept my voice and demeanor calm, but I was discouraged. "I can't get through to Ruby. How do you work with your familiar?"
"I don't make Niko do anything. He inspires me when I design fabric and costumes."
Niko slid off Ira's arm. His scales shimmered and swirled with reds, yellows, and blues. The colors spun off Niko as threads that Ira formed into a ball.
"You're a team. You work together seamlessly." I slumped. "I'll never get that close to Ruby."
She tore open the bag of chilies, snatched one, and dropped it onto Niko's head. The snake flicked his tongue at the chili but reared back as soon as he touched it. I thought I heard a hissing before Niko flung himself onto Ira's arm. Ruby dropped a chili on Ira's head.
When I saw tears stream down his face, I broke through the rosemary circle and handed him some tissue. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, sympathetic reaction." He tossed the chili back on the counter. Ruby pushed it off.
"You mean you're so close to Niko that you can feel his emotions?"
Ruby dumped the bag of chilies on top of us.
"Hey!" I scrambled up and shook my finger in front of her beak. "What are you doing? Stop." The strong scent of the chilies made my eyes water. My voice got screechy. "I give up. You win. Do whatever you want."
Ruby flew to Ira and brushed his cheek with her wing.
I sank next to him. "That's what I've been trying to get her to do all afternoon. Do you think she was waiting till I broke?"
"I think she wanted you to show you cared. You weren't emotionally engaged with her."
"All I did was yell."
"Yelling, short of verbal abuse, shows you care." He linked his arm through mine. "You didn't break. You opened up."
Ruby brushed my cheek with her wing. It was a soft tickle.
"So Ruby wants me to go mushy." I wanted the tender touch again. "Does this mean she bonded with me?"
Jake entered the cubicle. "Speak to her."
I reached out my hand to Ruby, who was on the counter. Come. Show them.
A thread of gold outlined Ruby. It thickened and spiked up, sending out sparks of light.
I clutched at Jake. "What's happening?"
He yanked up the sleeve of my T-shirt. Turning my left arm, he held it so that my elbow faced up. "Petra, the imprinting has begun. Brace yourself."
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
SATURDAY EVENING
Ruby's gold aura turned into red spikes all over her body.
I knew what was coming, knew I should wait while Jake held my arm for Ruby, but I wanted to twist away and run into the night.
Ruby flattened herself onto my skin. The spikes stabbed into my upper arm. I gasped at the sting and jolted back, my body stiff with shock.
Jake supported me until I sat on the stool he pulled from under the counter.
"How long will this last?"
"Take a deep breath, counting to ten," Jake said. "Let it out slowly."
The intense breathing helped the pain subside, as if the needles had been withdrawn. Relieved at less acute jabs, I twisted my arm around. Puffy skin, dotted with red blisters, formed an oval. "On a scale of one to ten, the pain has gone from a fifteen to a ten."
"Petra," Jake said, "let's move to the main house. The beanbags are more comfortable." He led me outside into the pink light of sunset. "Ira, you'd better leave. Your presence might be too stimulating."
In the living room, I almost asked Ira to come back. He made me feel alive. When I came near two of the beanbags, they bunched together to form a chaise lounge. I dropped onto it and tried to stretch out. Not able to relax, I turned on my side and curled up inside myself. Shaking with cold, I held on to my arms to keep warm.
Jake sat on the edge of the beanbags. "If you let me hold your hands, I'll do a warming spell."
"When will the second part of the imprinting happen?" From his touch, heat crept up my arms.
"For some people, the second phase takes months. For you, I suspect soon tonight."
"It gets worse before it gets better?" When the warmth curved over my shoulders and down my back, I felt something uncoil inside.
Jake pulled his hands away. "Don't anticipate the pain. It always surprises you."
Shutting my eyes, I conjured up my favorite place, the high desert of New Mexico. I loved to drive through the hills at sunset and watch the ground turn pink and the shrubs lengthen into mysterious shadows. I always sensed the land spoke to me. I'd return and listen.
"I need to talk to her now." Ira charged into the room and sank down next to me. "I have terrible news."
Pain stabbed at my upper arm, a hot knife slashing at the already punctured skin. In reflex, I shoved out at Ira with so much force I fell off the beanbags. Jake grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back onto the chaise lounge. He released me and tapped on Ira's chest. Ira's face slackened, and he slumped. Jake lifted him onto a beanbag that accommodatingly rolled up. Totally limp, Ira sprawled out, his features slack.
Jake kneeled on the side of my chaise lounge. "Do the deep breathing."
After the pain lessened, I cleared my throat. "When it eases up, it's better even if it's still bad."
Jake checked Ira's pulse. The gold scales on the snake tattoo glittered. Needing to feel myself on solid ground, I walked around the room until my insides no longer quivered.
I stood over Ira. "I want to hear his news. When will he wake up?"
"When I want him to."
I settled on my beanbags. They shifted underneath me, as if to hold my weight more comfortably. "I want to talk to Ira while I wait for the last phase. If he shocks me with his terrible news, maybe that will hurry up the end of the imprinting." I checked my upper arm. A patch of pink, moist skin had the silhouette of a bird.
Jake paused with his hand over Ira's head. "It's your ritual. You can dictate the terms. I'll be here." He tapped Ira's temple.
Ira jerked up and examined Ruby's mark. "Ruby will be a beautiful imprint."
"Tell me the terrible news."
"You won't believe it. First, let me get something straight. One of your theories is that Felicia's mystery lover murdered her out of rage and then killed Mark to keep his identity secret?"
"In murder cases, the obvious solution is usually the right one. Don't go for anything fancy."
A spasm distorted his face. "Keegan killed Felicia. He wants to plead guilty."
I grabbed his T-shirt and yanked him to his feet. "You'r
e lying. You don't know what you're talking about."
Ira reached out to me. "I just talked to my aunt Mona. She visited Keegan in jail. He told her to tell you. He said not to investigate anymore. It's over."
I stumbled back, my hands in fists. "She's wrong. How could you possibly believe it?" I ran from him to the sanctuary of my room, where I sat on the stone ledge and hit my head on the wall. With the side of my hand, I rubbed at the words I'd written yesterday, Crying never fixed anything. I will never cry, until they ran together in a black smear.
Ira grabbed my shoulders. "Hurting yourself is not a good way to release emotional pain."
"Leave me alone." If Keegan wanted to plead guilty, that meant he was a killer. I beat on the wall. I wrenched away from Ira and ran across the hall into the restroom. Shutting myself in a compartment, I sat on the toilet and let myself cry stupid noisy sobs.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
SATURDAY EVENING
The bathroom door swung open and swished shut. Footsteps pattered across the tile. The faucet squeaked on. The sound of running water comforted me. I joined Ira at the sink, where he was wringing out a face cloth. We contemplated my image in the mirror. Swollen red eyes, turned-down lips, and a runny nose.
He handed me the cloth. "Did you puke?"
"No, I cried."
He examined the scrapes and ink stains on my hands. Squirting soap on the injuries, he muttered, "Mother of Mercy, help me cleanse this mess." When he held my hand under the running water, the ink disappeared, leaving red scratches. "I knew you'd take it hard." He dried me off with a fluffy white towel.
"I've never fallen apart in public before. It doesn't help my client. I forgot I'm off Keegan's case. Did Keegan say anything else except he wanted to plead guilty?"
"That's all Mona told me. He's my brother. I support him no matter what, but I can't believe it."
"I can't either. I can't talk about it anymore. I have to live through this experience with Ruby."
Ira wiped off the sink. "Most people go through their imprinting with their mom hugging them. It helps to have a family support team. Where are your parents?"
Murder Casts Its Spell Page 17