Sound's Familiar

by Dana Marie Bell

  Lessa opened the door, her hazel eyes lighting up as she saw them. “Come on in.” She gazed curiously at Ian. “You are?”

  “Detective Ian Matsumoto, Ms. Sound. I’m currently working the campus case with your brother.” Ian held out his hand, shaking Lessa’s when she presented hers. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you too.” Her tone was friendly, but Jonah saw the way she stared at Ian. She was sizing him up, just as she did everyone she was introduced to. “Are you a sorcerer?”

  “No, ma’am, just a homicide detective.” Ian’s smile was easy, his posture relaxed as he gazed around at Lessa’s home.

  “Our bosses decided it might be a good idea to make this one inter-departmental,” Jonah informed his sister.

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh, I get it. Play nice together, boys, and maybe you’ll get a lollipop.”

  Jonah shook his head. “Pretty much.”

  Ian gazed at Lessa curiously. “Let me guess. You work in academia.”

  Lessa blinked, obviously startled. “How did you know?”

  Jonah bit back a smile as Ian explained. “See your coffee table? It’s littered with paperwork with red pen marks and grades. Your bookshelves don’t hold the usual high school textbooks or paraphernalia you’d expect, but it does hold college-level stuff. Also, you’ve got a note from your TA stuck to a paper that fell on the floor. Since high school teachers don’t get TAs...” Ian shrugged. “Not that difficult to deduce that you work in a college or university environment.”

  Lessa’s gaze was less wary and more impressed. “Not bad, Watson.”

  He winked at her. “Besides, you were in the news like two days ago, Miss Sound.”

  She chuckled, and Jonah relaxed. They’d get along just fine.

  “So. What do you have for us?” Jonah settled on the couch, ignoring the papers on the coffee table. He whipped out his notebook and prepared for whatever she was about to reveal.

  “Remember how you told me that your coroner friend thought that there might be a magical signature buried in the runes?” Lessa parked herself next to him, leaving two chairs for Ian and Carol. “Well, he was partially right.”

  “Partially?” Great. This case seemed to take one step forward, two steps back, then cha-cha’d all over his nerves.

  She searched through the papers until she came up with the symbol that Ian had drawn. It seemed Ian had quite a bit of talent. The symbol was damn near perfect in every detail. “See here?” She pointed to where the signature was supposed to be. “If you examine this under a magnifying glass, you’ll find the symbol of Apep repeated several times in the calligraphy, but also two symbols other than his.”

  “What symbols are they?” Carol leaned forward, her expression fierce. His little wolf was on the hunt.

  “That’s the problem.” Lessa sat back with a scowl. “While I could read that they were names, the names themselves are obvious pseudonyms.”

  “How can that be?” Carol bit her lip. “In order for a spell like this to work, there have to be clear pathways and sympathetic magics involved. If he uses a pseudonym, wouldn’t that cause the spell to either cancel out or be cast on someone other than the intended recipient?”

  “That depends on whether or not he incorporated blood or other bodily fluids in the signing of the name.” Lessa folded her hands in her lap, her tone the one she frequently used when lecturing her students. “If the caster did so, it would negate the possibility of the spell being mistakenly cast on someone else. The blood would tie the caster to the spell, the blood of the recipient doing the same.”

  “Shit.” Jonah sat back, his shoulders slumping. And here he’d thought they’d found something. Instead, it was a big, fat nothing.

  “Don’t be so down, brother. It’s possible a DNA signature would—”

  “Not possible,” Carol interrupted. “The rune and the signature were completely obliterated by a wither with a knife.”

  “Well. Fuck me.” Lessa slumped, her hands falling to her sides. “Unless you can figure out who the pseudonyms belong to, they’re useless.”

  “Not entirely.” Jonah held up the picture, staring at the two names Lessa had pointed out. “It’s evidence that can be used at trial.”

  “I get to testify again?” Lessa held up her fist, the gesture reluctant, as was her voice. “Yay.”

  Carol smiled at his sister’s antics. “It’s better than jury duty.”

  Lessa snorted in disgust. “Wait until you’ve been cross-examined by someone determined to destroy your credibility and we’ll talk again.” Lessa rolled her eyes. “Just because Jonah and I are related, they’ll say I made things up. As if I would damage my own career just to bolster up an already rock-solid case. Hmph.”

  Ian held up his hand. “Professor, I have a question.”

  Lessa blinked at him. “Go ahead.”

  “What, exactly, are the pseudonyms?”

  Jonah almost smacked himself in the forehead. How could he have forgotten to ask something so obvious?

  Ian winked at him. “This is why you bring us non-magic folk with you.”

  Lessa snatched the paper away from Jonah, almost cutting him. “The names aren’t really names, actually. Not in the sense you mean. Roughly translated, the larger one is Apep, Lord of Rebirth, and the second one is Bennu, Lord of Jubilees. The first is a reference to Apep, but not one usually made. The second refers to the phoenix as the ancient Egyptians saw him. They’re...titles, I suppose.”

  “The phoenix? That’s a creature of rebirth.” Carol shuddered, her voice barely above a whisper. “Then we were right. Whoever is doing this is trying to bring someone back from Terra Noctem.”

  Chapter 24

  It had been a few days since they’d met with Lessa. Their Egyptologist had gotten back to them and informed them that Lessa’s interpretation of the signatures was correct. Worse, they hadn’t found anything new in the pictures of Reeves, disappointing both of them. The autopsy had confirmed the cause of death, so they had that at least. Death by magic—homicide was the official listing.

  Jonah stretched, checking his watch when he was done. They’d come home from the precinct and immediately headed for their shared home office to sift through their notes once more.

  “Shit.” He stood, collecting the pictures of the baseball field he’d been studying into a pile. “We need to get ready, or we’re going to be late for dinner.”

  Carol froze. “Dinner?”

  “With my parents.” He tilted his head and stared at her. “You remember? It’s tonight.”

  She blinked, her face paling. “Oh. Was that today?”

  She wasn’t fooling him one little bit. She was nervous as hell. “Yup.” He sauntered around his side of the desk and stopped beside her, holding out his hand. “M’lady.”

  She rolled her eyes, took his hand, and stood. The pictures she’d been studying were still sprawled across the top of her side of the desk. “I want to examine these a bit closer. There has to be something we missed, right?”

  “Not necessarily.” Jonah led her out of the office, ignoring the way her feet seemed to drag. “The sorcerer could have simply decided that this victim would receive his signature, or Reeves was an experiment.”

  “Ugh, I hope not. It’s bad enough he had to die in such a shitty way, but to be the warm-up guy?” Carol shivered. “Not cool.”

  “Go get ready. I’m going to grab a shower and change too.” They’d come home from the station early but just couldn’t stop staring at the photos of the victims.

  Jonah made his way to his bedroom, more than ready for a shower. He’d hoped talking about the case would keep Carol calm, but just mentioning dinner had made her tighten up like an overwound spring. “Don’t forget, Rose will be there too.”

  “Sure. Yeah.” She stumbled into her room and shut the door.

  An hour later, Jonah was ready to storm her room to get her out of it. “Are you done yet?”

  “Typical male,” she
shouted back. “Getting curly hair to behave takes time.”

  “Open the door, woman.” He kicked the bottom of the door gently, not wanting to damage it. “You’re dressed, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Damn,” he muttered.

  “I heard that.” She opened the door and glared at him.

  Jonah whistled. “Woah.” He pulled her out of her room and turned her, ignoring her irritated grumbling. “You’re beautiful.”

  She glared at him over her shoulder, catching him in the act of checking out her ass. “My eyes are up here, stud.”

  He chuckled, remembering Officer Bob and his wandering gaze. “Those jeans should be illegal.”

  “Hmph.” She turned back around, showing off her amazing cleavage. She’d chosen a dark pair of jeans paired with a V-neck silk peasant top. She’d done her hair up in some complicated, braided updo that had him wanting to free her curls just for the fun of watching them come down. She’d left some wisps free, making his fingers itch even more. She’d kept her makeup simple, just the way he liked it. The slick of rose-colored gloss on her lips made him want to kiss it away so he could view her mouth’s natural pink coloring. How long it would take? Would the gloss make her lips taste sweet?

  “You do. You’re gorgeous.” He kissed the tip of her nose, loving her little squeak of surprise. “I’m glad you went shopping with Debbie.” He grinned, enjoying the way her cheeks turned red. “Now, let’s go before they serve dessert, and Rose eats it all.” He started down the stairs, all ready to head out.

  “Wait! I have to grab my shoes.” Carol turned back into her room. She rummaged around for a moment before she ran out, carrying a pair of sandals. She sprinted down the stairs, her cheeks still pink. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “Then let’s go.” Jonah grabbed his black shoes and slipped them on. He’d found they both preferred to go barefoot inside the house, so for the most part, their shoes were left by the front door. He assumed that the sandals she was strapping on would soon join the others in the shoe rack he’d set up for them. When it was just him, he hadn’t even cared where his shoes landed when he got home, but one day an Amazon box had appeared, and a shoe rack had been inside. Apparently, Carol liked their shoes neatly placed by the door.

  Carol finished putting on her sandals and stood. “If we can figure out the signature hidden in the runes, we’ll have our guy.”

  “Unless it’s a false name, in which case we won’t. Always keep an open mind, or you’ll run the risk of missing something important.” Jonah glanced at his watch again. “You ready?”

  “Yeah.” Carol took a deep breath and approached the front door. “Seriously. I don’t need to meet them tonight, right?” Despite her words, she waited for him to let them out and lock the front door behind them. “I think I’m coming down with a cold anyway.” She sniffed, rubbing the tip of her nose.

  “You’re not going into enemy territory alone, soldier.” Jonah took hold of her hand and led her to the car. “You’ve examined dead people without flinching. I think you can handle one middle-aged sorcerer and his wife. Oh, and my sister. Maybe my brother. I’m not sure if he’s back from his trip yet or not.”

  “You suck,” Carol muttered, getting in the car.

  “Only if you ask nicely.” Jonah shut her door and strode around the hood. He climbed behind the wheel and grinned. “Off we go!”

  Carol leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. The only sign she gave that she was still unsure was the way her arms wrapped around her waist. She had a death grip on the bottom part of the seat belt.

  “We don’t have to go. If you’re that scared, I’ll stay here with you. We’ll order pizza and binge Netflix until we’re blind.” Jonah put his hand over hers, willing her to set aside her fears. She’d get along with his parents if only she had the courage to try.

  She stared at him, seemingly studying his face. Whatever she saw there must have reassured her because she let go and gave him a brief smile. “I’m okay. I just have issues with parents, that’s all.”

  He started the car and began the drive, not willing to give her time to change her mind. He wanted to rip the proverbial Band-Aid off for her. “Well, I can understand that. If you want, you can talk to my mom about it. Since she’s a predator, too, she’ll understand.”

  Her smile broadened. “I keep forgetting your mom is a raptor.”

  “She’s unique, even for an eagle.” Jonah adored his mother, even if she did flit around more like a hummingbird than a majestic bird of prey.

  “How so?” Carol’s tone was still slightly off, but she was slowly relaxing as he drove through the night. His parents’ home was close to his own, so the drive was a short one. He hoped that fact would also ease her fears. The less time she had to fret, the better.

  “You’ll see.” Jonah pulled up to his parents’ house. It was a four-bedroom Spanish colonial that his parents had purchased recently. It had been built in the nineteen-thirties and still had curved archways, dark hardwoods, and colorful adobe tile. His mother had done her best to maintain the charm of the home while adding the modern comforts they enjoyed in other homes. “Here we are.”

  “Oh boy,” Carol muttered, clutching the seat belt once more. She was staring at the house like it was filled with spiders and she was a raging arachnophobe.

  “You’ll be okay, I promise.” He took hold of her hand and gently pried her fingers off of the seat belt. “I’ll stay by your side. Plus”—he pointed to Rose’s electric car parked neatly in front of the garage doors—“Rose is already here. You have someone to fend off the Mongol hordes for you.”

  She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Okay. I can do this.”

  “You can.” He got out of the car and walked to the passenger side door. He opened it and held out his hand. “You’re my familiar. I’ll protect you even from my family.”

  Her head whipped around. Her gaze landed on him, gaze steady as she took his hand. “I bet we could take them.”

  He chuckled, pleased. She’d said we. “I know we could.” He kept hold of her hand as he led her to the front door. “They’re old.”

  “Am not!” The front door opened, displaying his mother’s cheerful, smiling face. “Jonah!” She wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head down for a kiss, then pulled back and scanned him from head to toe. “You look happy.”

  “Thank you, Mom. I am.” He hugged her back, her tiny frame filled with more strength than any woman he’d ever met save one. “I’ve got a keeper this time,” he whispered. He pulled away from her and gestured to Carol. “This is Carol Voss, my familiar.” He wondered if Carol perceived the pride in his voice as he introduced her to his mother. “She’s a great partner and has a degree in law enforcement.”

  Carol, still edgy, held out a shaking hand. “Hi, Mrs. Sound.”

  His mother grinned. “Finally.” She grabbed Carol’s hand and shook it with such vigor Carol’s wispy curls bounced. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you too.” Carol’s eyes were wide as she stared at Jonah’s mother.

  Jonah’s mom was taller than Carol but much thinner, almost model thin. A lot of bird shifters tended to be that way. She had bouncy blonde hair and a wide smile she gave anyone who hadn’t pissed her off.

  Jonah tried to never piss her off.

  “Lessa is here already. She just lost her familiar, so she’ll be searching for a new one soon.” His mom was dragging Carol behind her and talking a mile a minute. “You have a brother, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  Carol barely got out the answer before his mother was off again. “Great, let’s introduce them. Oh, and call me Tanya.”

  “Um, okay.” Carol squeaked as she was hugged from behind.

  “Carol!” Rose had grabbed hold of Carol’s other hand. She helped his mom drag Carol into the living room. “Lessa, this is Carol, Jonah’s new familiar.”

  “We’ve met before. Lessa pushed her glasses up her nose. Her
golden hair was pulled back in a long ponytail. “Hi.”

  “Hi. Nice to see you again.” Carol’s last word was grunted as Rose and his mother practically pushed her into a chair.

  “Now you sit tight while I get Benny.” And his mother was off, still talking. “You’ll love my husband. Benny!”

  Jonah tried not to laugh as Carol sat there, obviously stunned. “And you wonder why I’m so quiet.”

  Carol nodded. So did Lessa, who smirked at Jonah. “Mom can talk the ear off a rabbit.”

  “And that’s a lot of ear,” Rose added, settling on the sofa next to Carol. “Hey, Lessa? What happened to this one?”

  Lessa snorted. “He tried to seduce me.”

  Rose tilted her head. “And? Was he uglier than a blobfish?”

  “Ugh.” Lessa wrinkled her nose. “No, but he couldn’t tell the difference between a sigil and a rune.”

  Carol leaned toward him, muttering, “What is the difference?”

  Lessa’s brows rose as she answered. “Your familiar doesn’t know that?”

  Jonah wanted to growl. His sister could be a bit of a snob when it came to magical knowledge. He wasn’t going to let her insult Carol. “Carol’s degree is in law enforcement, not magical studies.”

  Carol smiled, but it was a little more strained than before. “I took some low-level courses because I figured I’d be working in the MCU once I had a sorcerer, but mostly I use my wolf instincts and my Google-Fu when it comes to that kind of thing.”

  “Ah.” Lessa sat back. That Carol had even tried taking some of the lower-level courses eased some of Lessa’s snobbishness.

  He’d have to tell Lessa about Carol’s background. She’d back off once she found out that Carol was the living embodiment of what their mother fought against.

  Carol nodded. “I learned some runes through self-study, and I can recognize some of the more common dimenic languages on sight, even read a little of some of them, but that’s it.”

  “Hmm.” Lessa nodded, her disdain disappearing. “What degree does your brother have?”