Once they were all in the car, Jonah carefully backed out of the lot. The reporters were kind enough to get out of the way, but they remained close to the sides of the vehicle until Jonah pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street.
“Well. That was fun.” Ian leaned forward, placing himself above the car’s middle compartment. “Now what?”
“We do what Anne recommended,” Jonah replied. “We go over statements or decide whether or not to reply to them at all.”
“Sounds like you’ve already decided.” Carol was staring at him, her gaze concerned. “No comment, right?”
“Letting the higher-ups deal with the press is sometimes a viable option, especially right now,” Jonah replied. “We need to make decisions, and it won’t be easy.”
“I say we don’t bother trying to hide your relationship,” Ian said, his fingers drumming the top of Carol’s seat. “They’re bound to find out about it anyway, and it makes it look like you’re trying to hide something illicit if you’re not up-front about it.”
“But we’re coworkers,” Carol muttered, looking down at her hands. “That’s what worries me. Will my relationship with Jonah impact Jonah’s career? Yours? What do we do then?”
“We deal with it,” Jonah replied. “Ian has an out. He could request another partner.”
“And miss all this?” Ian waved his hands like a magician. “Hell no. I’m in, good or bad.”
Carol smiled. “Okay. Then let’s go balls to the wall.”
“You have balls?” Ian gasped dramatically.
Jonah bit back a laugh. Ian was gonna love this.
Carol leaned forward and pulled out a chewed-up tennis ball from under her seat. It had been a gag gift from Debbie. She held it up for Ian to see.
“Canine. Gotta have our chew toys.”
Jonah shuddered, clamping his thighs together. “Yeowch.”
“Dude, I didn’t know you were into the rough stuff.” Ian cackled like an idiot.
Jonah barely resisted the urge to cup himself. “So, we’re agreed? Open and honest?”
Carol winked before putting the tennis ball away. “Yup. Balls and all.”
Chapter 27
The weekend had been fairly quiet. Carol had called Stacey and talked for about an hour in her room and had gone shopping with her friends while he stayed home reading. They’d worked on their magic, the give and take coming easily to them.
She was his perfect match, physically, mentally, and magically. They hadn’t been together for very long, but he was already willing to put a ring on her finger. Hell, if he thought he’d get away with it, he’d put his name in magical ink on her forehead.
Or maybe across her shoulder blades. Yeah, that was definitely the way to go. No Touchy! Sincerely, Jonah Sound was the perfect tattoo, especially if he got it inked on her in his own handwriting. The thought made him grin.
He’d make her wear halter tops all the time just to expose her ink and his claim.
“Jonah?”
He blinked, his thoughts of nakie time with his familiar interrupted. He shouldn’t have been thinking about that in the first place, not here, anyway. Jonah and Carol’s getting-to-know-you grace period was over, and now both of them were required to be in the office Monday through Friday as well as being on-call, just like every other detective pair.
“Yeah?”
“Dr. Ramsey is can to talk to us today. Her office called and said we can come over.” Carol was standing over him in her work clothes, appearing both serious and hot as hell.
Damn. When he found black slacks and a striped shirt hot on a woman, he had it bad.
“Then let’s roll.” Jonah picked up his badge and gun and headed stairs. Around them, the rest of the office chatted on phones or typed on keyboards.
On the stairway, they met up with Ian Matsumoto. “Hey, guys, I was just coming up to talk to you. You off to talk to the dimen expert?”
“Yup.” Jonah nodded to the detective. “You coming?”
“Yup,” Ian echoed. “I’ve been assigned as your permanent partner.”
Carol growled.
Ian just laughed in response. “Until you’re through your on-the-job training, your boy here still needs a full-fledged detective as a partner, remember?” Ian slung his arm around her shoulder. “After that, I’ll probably be paired with someone else, so love me while ya got me.”
“Hmph.”
Carol’s displeasure vibrated through their bond. Jonah decided to address it by showing how proud he was of her. “Carol’s been a big help already. She’s the one who recognized the symbol of Apep.”
Ian whistled. “How’d you identify it?”
“Internet.” Carol stomped down the stairs, her expression fierce. “And Jonah only has one partner. Me.”
Jonah couldn’t help but grin at her possessive tone. The fact that she responded to him so strongly was a good sign for their future. Not to mention, the sex was spectacular. “You’re special, Carol. Remember that. You’re the first familiar I’ve ever had who went through the police academy. If you’d had more training under your belt, Ian wouldn’t be here.” Jonah got out his keys and unlocked the doors. They climbed in, Ian taking the back seat as if he always sat there. “So, if Ian is now my permanent partner, all three of us will work together. That means he’s your partner, too, and you can pick his brains as well.”
“Huh.” Carol relaxed a bit at that news.
“You completely up to speed on the case?” Jonah asked Ian as he headed for the campus where Dr. Ramsey worked.
“I think so. Two vics, each stabbed repeatedly to remove the Apep symbol, each with a different flower in their hands, and it’s possible that this is part of some sort of ritual using pyramids and diamonds.” There was the sound of rustling papers as Ian continued. “We’re going to be talking to...” Ian muttered something under his breath. “Right. Dr. Rosemary Ramsey, professor of dimenology and dimenic languages at UCLA. Dr. Hill set it up for us.”
“She’s emailed us some useful information.” Jonah headed for the college, keeping an eye on traffic while he listened to Carol and Ian double-check their facts of the case. Before they were done, they were pulling up in front of the main administrative building. He got out of the car and waited for his partners to do the same. “Let’s go chat up a professor.”
Carol and Ian followed him up the steps. He had forgotten which office Dr. Ramsey might be in, so he planned on asking at the front desk in the central campus office. No one stopped them this time, unlike when they’d met Dean Hill.
The young man at the front desk smiled at them, the typical professional smile of receptionists everywhere. “Can I help you?”
“Hello, I’m Detective Jonah Sound, and these are my partners, Detective Ian Matsumoto and FD Carol Voss. We’ve got an appointment with Dr. Ramsey.”
The young man typed at a computer before nodding. “She’s in the department of languages, office 305.” He pulled out a map and circled a building. “Go to the parking garage near Rosenfeld Library, then cross Royce Drive, past the North Campus Student Center and take a right toward Campbell Hall A.” He gave them a stern look. “That’s A, not B.”
“Thank you.” Jonah took the map with the marks the receptionist had made and walked back out of the building. He followed the provided directions, marveling at the sheer size of the campus. He’d gone to a much smaller college than UCLA, and he didn’t regret the experience. Gas alone had to cost a fortune for the students.
“Man, this brings back memories.” Carol was glancing around with a wistful expression.
“Miss school?” Ian was doing his best to be friendly with Carol.
Luckily, she was responding in kind. “Hell no. I miss some of the friends I made who moved back home. It was the first place I felt accepted, even normal.”
Ian, who didn’t know about the bullying Carol had gone through, gave her a concerned glance. “What do you mean?”
Carol shrugged. “Let’s
just say my life hasn’t been a bowl of cherries, but it wasn’t all bad.”
“Cherries?” Jonah glanced back curiously.
Her expression turned horrified. “Do you know how much a bed of roses costs?”
Ian snorted out a laugh. “Oh yeah, I’m going to like working with you guys.”
Carol shook her head. “Idiot.” But her tone was fond, making Jonah bristle a bit. Before he could say something he’d regret, Carol pointed. “There’s the building.”
On the surface of the brick building were silver letters, denoting it as Campbell Hall A. Across from it was an identical building, but this one was marked B.
Ian held up a finger. “Remember, A, not B, children.”
Carol snorted, clearly amused. “They must have magical and non-magical languages separated.”
“Wouldn’t want to accidentally blow up the kids learning Spanish.” Ian took the lead this time. Jonah happily fell back to walk next to Carol.
They entered the building and took the stairs to the third floor. Finding the professor’s office wasn’t difficult. Voices from inside meant she wasn’t alone, however.
“Dillon, you’ll be fine. Remember what I told you, and don’t screw up the order of the words, or you’ll summon Belial. No one wants Belial at a graduation party.”
Carol’s brows rose. “That would be one hell of a party,” she muttered.
Ian knocked on the door. “Dr. Ramsey? It’s Detective Matsumoto. We’re here for our appointment.”
A tall, somewhat gangly man opened it, his cheeks bright red. “Um. Sorry. I needed to double-check something with the professor.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t want hell-spawn drinking all your beer.” Ian shook his head. “I hate it when they do that, especially when they leave the cheap stuff and drink all my IPAs.”
The boy’s cheeks heated further. “Um. Yeah. I’ll just...go.” He glanced behind him, his tone changing from embarrassed to respectful. “Thank you, Dr. Ramsey.”
“You’re welcome, Dillon.” The professor’s voice was deep for a woman. It reminded him a bit of Emma Stone. “Come in, Detectives.”
Dillon left, rapidly walking down the hall without a glance back. Ian, Jonah, and Carol walked into the professor’s office.
The room was small, the desk, two chairs, and bookcases taking up most of the space. Each bookcase was filled to overflowing. Magazines were stacked on the floor by one of the chairs.
Jonah sat, pulling out his tablet. Ian hesitated for a moment, but Carol stood behind Jonah, obviously guarding him from whatever might come up behind him. Instead of suggesting she take a seat, Jonah nodded for Ian to take the other one. “Thank you for agreeing to speak with us. I’m Detective Sound, and this is my familiar, Carol Voss, and my partner, Ian Matsumoto.”
Dr. Ramsey held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
After everyone had shaken, Jonah got down to business. “What can you tell us about the writing found on our victim?”
The professor grimaced. “Yeah, about that. There’s some weird shit going on here.”
“No, really?” Carol murmured. “Can you tell if the person left us, oh, I don’t know, their real name?”
The professor chuckled at Carol’s question. “No, they didn’t. However, I can tell you that it’s definitely an aspect of Apep you’re dealing with. While your sister did a nice job with the magical runes, the hieroglyphics give us some of the ritual your murderer is performing.” Dr. Ramsey pulled a sheet of paper toward her. “This is what I’ve been able to translate.” She cleared her throat and began to read. “Apep, serpent of rebirth, you who devour the barque of Ra, who battles Set yet is never vanquished. He who was spat out, roar to the heavens thy defiance. Children of Apophis, come forth! Drink of this offering, that thy power may fill this vessel.”
“Holy shit,” Carol breathed. “That’s bad.”
“It’s not the complete spell.” Dr. Ramsey put the paper down. “Are you sure there wasn’t writing on the first body?”
Jonah shook his head. “We didn’t find any, but...”
“Invisible writing?” Carol stared at him, but she wasn’t observing him. Her gaze was distant as she continued speaking. “Like lemon juice ink? When you put the paper to a heat source, it turns brown. Otherwise, it’s invisible.”
“That could be it, but the body has already been released to the family,” Ian replied. “If that was done, it’s been washed away by the mortician.”
“Not necessarily.” Jonah was well aware that there were other ways to write something invisibly. “Dr. Ramsey, what do you think this could mean?”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t tell you without the beginning of the spell, but I could hazard a guess. Either this person is after power, or he’s trying to raise the dead.”
“The price being parts of a soul.” Ian swore softly. “Dr. Ramsey, if we find anything more, can we bring it to you?”
“Of course. I’d be delighted to help, Detective.” Dr. Ramsey stood. “Once you have more of the spell, please bring it to me. Even without the start, I might be able to figure it out before it’s too late.”
“Too late for what?” Carol asked.
Dr. Ramsey clenched her hands. “The apocalypse.”
Chapter 28
Carol watched closely as Jonah sat cross-legged on the floor, his back against the wall. Before him were the autopsy photos of Louis Reeves, as well as hair clippings from the body that they’d gotten from Paul. They’d promised to call him once Jonah’s spell was complete. He’d been just as horrified as they were to discover that the words written on the second victim’s body weren’t a signature but part of a spell.
They were back in the precinct, in the spell chamber the detective-sorcerers used when they needed to cast. The magic wouldn’t leak beyond the room, making it similar to the shielded room where they’d viewed the tape of the wither.
Ian sat next to her, watching Jonah with a curious gaze. “How often have you watched him use his magic?”
“Most of the time, we’ve concentrated on blending our anima and animus to strengthen our bond. Other than that, he’s used it to send a wither away.”
Ian stared at her in disbelief. “A wither? I thought magic didn’t work on them very well.”
“It doesn’t, but Jonah didn’t use it on the wither. He used it on the lights. He made them so bright the wither ran.” Carol smiled fondly as Jonah tugged on her anima, aligning it with his magic. “He’s almost ready.”
“What do you think he’ll find from a photograph that wasn’t found on the body?” Ian truly sounded curious. People who had no magic often challenged it, but Ian seemed utterly charmed by it.
“He might be able to use sympathetic magic to bring up any spells or symbols that were done invisibly.” Carol held up her hand before Ian could ask. “Sympathetic magic is magic that uses effigies, like straw dolls or photographs, to represent the person being targeted. Something belonging to the victim, like hair or toenail clippings is added. The sorcerer then casts the spell to affect the target.”
“In this case, poor Mr. Reeves,” Jonah added. He’d begun to sparkle with the amber glow their combined magic created. “Now shush. I’m going to cast.”
Carol nodded and closed her eyes, concentrating on the link between them. The language of the sorcerers echoed through the room, Jonah’s deep voice vibrating along their bond. Their magic flowed much more freely between them than it had the first time they’d practiced together. Jonah’s determination to find anything hidden in the autopsy photos that hadn’t been discovered yet firmed her own resolve to help him any way she could.
This spell would cause those hidden things to flare to life, visible to anyone in the room. Ian would write down anything that glowed because Jonah and Carol would be too busy maintaining the spell to take notes.
Jonah’s voice rose in volume, the tone demanding. Soon, she sensed Ian scribbling away, meaning they’d found something. Jonah’s voice continu
ed to drone on, keeping the spell active.
“Got it. You can stop.” Ian’s voice was quiet. Either that, or the magic was drowning him out.
The tug on her anima slowly dissipated, leaving her weak. It was a good thing they’d done this sitting down because she didn’t think her legs could hold her. She opened her eyes to find Jonah leaning back against the wall, his face pale and sweaty.
“That was rough,” Jonah muttered. “Something fought me.”
Carol scowled. “I didn’t sense anything like that, just the normal flow.”
Jonah grinned weakly. “Because I didn’t let you get caught up in it.” He slumped over, lying down, his legs still tangled together. “Sorry.”
“Ass.” She crawled over to him, placing his head on her lap. Her movements scattered the spell components, but she didn’t care. They didn’t need them anymore, and they could clean up once Jonah was back on his feet. “You should have let me help.” She stroked his hair, and he sighed, closing his eyes.
“How?” Ian’s voice interrupted her thoughts of how cute Jonah was as he curled into her like a kitten seeking warmth. “I mean, you’re not a sorcerer, so how would that have worked?”
“I could have taken some of the burden from him, or even all of it. It’s part of what a familiar does for his or her sorcerer. Shifting pain and fatigue to a familiar is common among those who duel often.”
“You haven’t done it before.” Jonah’s voice was soft and sleepy. He must have really put himself into the spell. He’d never appeared this tired after blending their magic before.
“So? I have to do it sometime.” She continued to stroke his hair. “One of these days you’ll bite off more than you can chew. What will you do then?”
Jonah cocked an eyebrow. “Spit it out?”
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