by Jami Gray
“Let’s knock first and take it from there.” Zev opened his door and got out.
I did the same and waited for him to come around the car. As I stood there, I studied the nearby homes. To the right, an older-model sedan with a light layer of dust sat in the neighbor’s carport. Across the street, one of the homes held a minivan with one of those annoying “My student…” sticker collections. The house next to it was guarded by an older import with flashy tires. Add in the flag with the university logo in the bedroom window, and it was safe to assume college students were tucked inside.
I turned back as Zev came up to me, and together, we walked up the drive. I did a quick scan of the house’s exterior, looking for any cameras. It seemed everyone had them nowadays. Thankfully, this appeared to be one of the few who didn’t.
As we got closer to the door painted in a burnt sierra, my skin prickled in warning. Zev raised his hand, but before he could knock, I stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Hold up.”
He looked at me. “What?”
I opened my mouth to warn him that some sort of magical security lay in wait, then realized that would create questions I didn’t want to answer. So I shook my head and changed what I was going to say. “Let me knock.” He arched a brow, so I talked fast. “If anyone is home, I’m less intimidating. They look out and see you, they’ll call the cops before they open the door.”
Those dark eyes focused on me with uncomfortable intensity, but he finally nodded and stepped back, making room for me. I took his spot and waited until he stood between the door and the window, out of sight of anyone inside. Tugging on my magic, I drew it close, dragged in a bracing breath, lifted my left hand, and knocked. When a jolt of magic shocked my knuckles, I bit the inside of my lip in an effort to squelch my reaction. Pinpricks of pain raced along my muscles, making them jump under my skin. I couldn’t tell what spell I’d tripped, but it was clear someone wasn’t keen about visitors. I dropped my hand to my side, hoping Zev wouldn’t see me curling and uncurling my fingers as I rode out the painful tingling in my arm.
We waited for a response, and when I looked to Zev, his brows lifted in question. I shrugged.
He tilted his head toward the door.
Damn, he wants me to knock again. Now that I knew what lay in store, I held my breath and did three sharp knocks. The jolt wasn’t nearly as bad this time. When no one came and nothing stirred inside, I lifted my hand. Holding it just above the doorknob, making sure not to make contact, I looked to Zev in silent inquiry.
He hadn’t missed my hesitation. He looked at the knob then back at me, a frown I couldn’t read on his face. This time, his nod was slower, more reluctant.
I didn’t draw it out. Either this would hurt like a bitch, or it wouldn’t. I grabbed the metal and twisted. Whatever spell guarded the door snapped around my wrist like an invisible vine seeded with thorns, and I must have made a noise, because Zev closed in. It was clear he didn’t know what was happening, just that something was, and he didn’t like it. I raised my free hand, palm up, holding him in place. “Don’t.” I did my best to keep the pain out of my voice. My magic hardened, lessening the pressure of the painful grip. “I’m good. I think I tripped a spell, though.”
“How bad?”
“It’s fine.”
While my response didn’t appear to reassure him, he appeared to accept it. “Is it open?”
I twisted my wrist, but the knob didn’t move. My magic shoved against the spell’s grip, and with a silent pop that echoed in my skull, I felt the magic shatter and fall away, but the door remained stubbornly locked. “Nope. Locked tight.” I pulled my hand back and shook it out as a dull throb set up shop behind my temples. “But if someone’s monitoring this spell, they know someone’s here.”
Zev closed in and caught my arm, bringing it up. His fingers brushed over my skin as he examined my wrist. The spell’s hold had left no visible marks, but his featherlight touch set off a series of goosebumps I couldn’t control. As he continued to stroke my arm from wrist to elbow, my pulse raced. He was so close, his scent seeped into my lungs with every shallow breath. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” My voice was husky. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I’m good, it just stung. I don’t think anyone’s home.”
“Doesn’t look like it.” He lowered my arm, his fingers tangling with mine before he let me go. “Wait over there.” He gave me a gentle nudge.
I took his spot and watched as he pulled out two thin pieces of metal from one of his many pockets and went to work on the lock. Before long, the last tumbler released with a dull thunk. He pocketed the picks, shifted to the side, and grabbed the knob. “Ready?”
I nodded.
He opened the door a couple of inches. When nothing rushed out, he used the flat of his hand to push the door until it hit the wall behind it. Silence and cool air greeted us. He looked at me in silent question.
After dealing with the magic guarding the door, I was perfectly fine letting him stand between me and whatever might lurk inside. I tilted my head in a “go ahead” motion. He smirked and stepped inside, leaving me to follow. I stopped at the threshold and braced one hand on the doorjamb, uncertain about testing whatever magical security remained. Something lingered, but it was fragmented and wispy, like phantom fingers brushing over my skin.
Zev hadn’t gone far. He stood in the tiled entryway, hand on the door, and eyed me. “What? You need an invite?”
Instead of answering, I gingerly stepped inside and braced. Nothing struck out and tried to kill me, but the discomforting sensation of walking through magical cobwebs remained. Zev waited until I cleared the door before pushing it closed behind me, shutting us inside and away from curious neighbors.
Disappointment cruised through me. The house wasn’t overly large, but the interior had undergone a recent upgrade. The open space didn’t provide much by way of hiding spots, especially if Keith was holding Lena captive. The floors were done in a slate tile, and the few intact walls were coated a bright white broken by an occasional canvas splattered with color. The furniture was clearly staged; everything was picture-perfect, right down to the place settings with cloth napkins on the table to our left. From the entryway, I could see the kitchen to the right, complete with high-end appliances and a small island. Two chairs sat with a couch in the main living space that stretched along the left side of the house, ending at a river-rock fireplace. I’d never understood the need for a fireplace in the desert, but it seemed to be a thing nowadays. To the right, just beyond the kitchen and before patio doors leading off the open living space, was a doorway. Another one broke up the left wall, closer to the fireplace. My guess was the bedrooms were to the left, a bathroom or utility room to the right.
“Not what I was expecting,” I said as I went to step around Zev.
His arm shot out, blocking my way and pulling me up short. “Uh-uh, not yet.” He dug into one of his many pockets. “Let’s make sure we don’t trip any more wards, shall we?” He opened his hand. On his palm lay a yellowish shard that, at first glance, appeared to be some kind of wood.
Without thinking, I grabbed his wrist, holding his hand steady as I peered closer. “What is that?”
“A wolf tooth.”
Now that he said it, I could see it. The slight curvature that ended in a point, the discoloration from dark at the thicker end to light at the pointed end. I looked up and frowned. “Why?”
In the depths of his dark eyes, a feral light kindled. “Natural material holds magic better.” Before I could ask what kind of magic, he added, “It’s a sniffer spell.” His long fingers closed around the tooth, the move shifting his tendons under my touch.
Without warning, power sparked, ripping against my magical skin like striking flint. Unprepared, I flinched and let go of his arm. “A little warning next time,” I groused, wiping my stinging palm against my thigh.
Zev gave me a sharp look, but since a sniffer spell was will based and required the cast
er’s attention, his focus returned to the charm in his hand. Despite the fact he was holding perfectly still, the charm quivered and wobbled. His lips moved, but no sound escaped, and the trembling object steadied. Slowly, it rose to hover in the air above his palm. His hand drifted down, leaving the tooth floating in place. “You know how this works?”
“Yeah.” I caught the faintest shimmer of blue surrounding the charm like a water globe. I tore my gaze away and looked to Zev. “It’s like a magical dowsing rod.” Much like the name implied, a sniffer spell basically sniffed out a magical scent trail. To avoid running all over hell and back chasing down false trails, the spell had to be keyed to a specific person’s unique magical “scent.” So who did Zev key this spell to? “Is that keyed to Keith?”
My question earned an impatient glance. “Who else would I use?” He stepped back, giving the charm room. We both watched as it twisted like a leaf in a gentle wind. First one way, then the other. “If he’s the one blocking your Key, this should tell us.”
As the tooth inched in my direction, I couldn’t stop my heart from picking up speed. “Why’s it doing that?”
“If I were to guess? I’d say it’s picking up whatever traces you’re carrying of the ward you tripped. The sniffer analyzes all residual magic scents in an area then locks on to the unique scent it was given. Much like actual scents, residual magic is layered. The more recent the use, the stronger the trail. Even though it’s a targeted search, it still has to shift through all existing traces before locking on to the one it wants.”
A warning went off in my head, and before I could put together why, I tamped my magic down tight. The charm stilled for a breathless moment then resumed its movements. This time, it shifted away from me and slowly began drifting farther into the house. I stayed put as Zev followed it past the kitchen and into the living space.
“How reliable is it?” When he turned back at me with a frown, I continued, “I’m just saying, it’s not like there are a ton of hiding places here. Everything’s open. There’s no basement. The bedrooms are within hearing distance, which means if Lena was here, we’d already know.” When he didn’t say anything, I ran a hand through my hair, fighting back my urge to leave him here and just clear the damn house myself. “It’s just that a sniffer spell seems like overkill, and you’re being awfully cautious.”
He turned so he could see me, and he closed his fist. The charm stilled in the middle of the living room, like a dog on a leash. “You sure about that? What if your friend is trapped in an occlusion spell? You’d rather trigger a complex concealment spell that could kill your friend outright if she is here?”
Since there was no way to respond without appearing childish, I locked my response behind my teeth and glared at him.
Unmoved, he hammered his point home. “You know that expression, ‘hide in plain sight’? It’s not that hard to get your hands on an occlusion spell if you can afford it.”
I winced at his scathing comment, and an embarrassed heat washed over the back of my neck. Dammit, I should’ve thought of that. If Keith had gotten his grubby hands on something as complex as an occlusion spell, it would explain why the Guild couldn’t track Lena. I scrambled to regain my footing. “We know Keith wasn’t hurting for money.”
“Nope, he had plenty of pockets to pick,” Zev said, letting me off the hook. “Not to mention his position at LanTech gave him ample opportunity to develop a wide network of contacts. If he was holding your friend hostage, he wouldn’t have many places he could use that wouldn’t garner attention. This place, though…”
“Would work,” I finished, finally following his logic. “Especially since he’s been using it to hook up with his girlfriends for years and no one’s caught him.”
Zev studied me for a long minute, then he turned back to the sniffer and unclenched his fist, like dropping a leash. The sniffer resumed its hunt. We followed its slow path as it cleared first one bedroom, then the next.
My frustration grew as we retraced our steps back through the hall into the living room. Some instinct whispered Lena was somewhere close, which left me antsy and impatient. Not a good combination. “You’re sure that thing’s working, Zev?”
He leaned against the wall and folded his arms, his attention on the sniffer as it crisscrossed the room. “I’m sure.”
I gave a loud sigh and took up a position next to him.
He shot me a look. “Patience is not your forte, Costas.”
“I feel like we’re wasting time, chasing shadows. It’s obvious she’s not inside.” I fought back the urge to leave Zev and his stupid sniffer here. “Maybe I can head outside while you finish in here.” There had to be something I was missing.
My bitching was cut short when the sniffer gave an odd jerk then darted to the patio door, where it stopped a hair’s breadth from the glass and vibrated in tiny jerks.
Chapter Seventeen
The sniffer’s unexpected behavior brought both of us to attention, and we were moving in seconds. Zev hit the door first, unlocking and then sliding it open. The sniffer sprang forward, zipping into the backyard. I followed in Zev’s wake as we dodged the patio furniture, bypassed the sparkling pool, and rushed over the crushed-gravel path leading to what appeared to be a well-kept office shed. The charm hovered in front of the glass-paned double doors, but the in-glass blinds were shut tight, making it impossible to see inside.
Zev rocked to a stop, blocking the way. Impatience warred with caution and won. I went to step around him, only to be brought up short by his outstretched arm. “Wait.”
I bit back my not-so-nice comment and grabbed his arm, my nails digging in unconsciously as I resisted the urge to shove him out of the way and break down the doors. “Hurry the hell up.”
He shot me an exasperated look as he dropped his arm. “Rushing in could kill us or your friend, especially since we don’t know what kind of protections are in place.” He caught the sniffer and deactivated it with a soft word before dropping it in a pocket.
“You have some other nifty charm that will tell us what’s in there?” It came out snarky because my instincts were all but yelling that Lena was on the other side of the damn doors. If Zev hadn’t been there, I would have already broken in, magic be damned. It wasn’t like it could touch me—much.
Zev ignored me, his attention on the shed. I danced from foot to foot as the seconds ticked by with agonizing slowness. Just when my patience hit its end, a rush of power stole my voice as Zev raised his hands a few inches from the doors. Whatever he did caused the air in front of him to shimmer with a hint of blue flame. A spark of white flashed like a lightning strike, leaving me blinking away faint shadows. When my vision cleared, I found myself staring at a circle of runes illuminated by an icy-blue flame. They writhed in mesmerizing beauty as if alive, but there was something about them that set the hairs at the back of my neck on end.
My jaw dropped, and I breathed out an incredulous “Holy shit, what is that?” Because the best I could tell, this was way more than a simple, straightforward casting.
Zev’s face was drawn tight in frustration and what looked like anger as his hands dropped to his sides. “That is a double-layered occlusion spell.”
That didn’t sound good at all. There was a note in his voice that made me swallow hard. “Can you break it?”
He curled and uncurled his fists. “Yes, but it’ll take time, and we have no idea who or what is on the other side.”
“But—” I snapped my mouth shut on what sounded suspiciously close to a whine. I took a deep breath and studied the spell. Not that it helped much. This was more Lena’s specialty than mine. My mind spun uselessly before teetering on the edge of a dangerous decision. Even though I suspected the answer, I had to ask, “How long will it take you?”
Zev avoided my gaze and ran a hand over the back of his neck. His response was almost too low to hear. “Too long.”
Yeah, that’s what I thought. Guess I wasn’t the only one feeling the weight of a
proverbial clock ticking down. I closed my eyes in resignation, my decision all but made. Magic was powered one of two ways—through either the mage’s will or the complex ritual of casting. My ability landed smack dab in the depths of will power. When a stubborn mage was pitted against a complex spell, the winner tended to be the one with the most brute strength. In this case, with Lena’s life in the balance, pitting my secrets against an unknown caster’s spell was a no-brainer.
Resolute, my magic wrapped around me with diamond-hard intent. When I opened my eyes, I didn’t look at Zev, didn’t dare clue him in to what would happen next. I slipped by him, my goal to breach the spell and access the locked door. As I stepped through the floating runes, tendrils of the spell curled around me as power hit with breath-stealing force that made my vision shimmer. Zev’s shout sounded dim and muffled, as if my ears were stuffed with cotton. Dismissing him, I concentrated on staying upright under the unrelenting pressure of magic trying to squash me like a bug. The remaining couple of feet to the door stretched endlessly before me. I shuffled forward, each inch a hard-won conquest.
Every breath hurt. Every move zapped agony along my nerves, seizing muscles and electrifying tendons. Holding fast to why I was willingly suffering this hell, I gritted my teeth and kept going. To avoid the nauseating visual spin as the magic battered me, I closed my eyes even as I reached out. My palm brushed the cool metal of the knob, and I gripped the unforgiving surface. The magic whipped around me like invisible flames, searing my skin until I wanted to scream. As my grip tightened, invisible spikes tore through my hands. I bore down, refusing to give in, and even though it felt as if I were breaking my own wrist, I twisted the knob. The door swept open with unexpected ease, and I tumbled inside, my knees hitting the threshold with bruising force. Like taffy, the occlusion spell, and whatever else was layered into it, tore apart. Remnants of power clung to me, avidly searching for a chink in my magical armor, only to come up empty.
