Wayne nodded. “I smell it.”

  Only one thing had this odor, one terrible thing that I’d thought I’d never see.

  A sorcerer.

  “We need to leave. Now.”

  “I’m done with the pictures, and I have samples.” He stowed the camera, along with two tidily packaged, dead birds.

  I turned toward the path and found Sage blocking my way. “Move.”

  “Why? What does the smell mean? Twice now you’ve come out here, been in a big rush to leave, and I haven’t seen you do a single spell. What is that?” Sage motioned to the altar.

  “A rock slab with remnants of terrible spells. Since there are no more demons, I’m not sure what created the sorcerer.”

  She paled, which did nothing to stop me.

  “As we speak,” I continued, “a person who wasn’t born with magic now has magic. They have none of the training a witch receives or the accountability that comes from clans.”

  Sage’s went wide. “We should leave.”

  “Yes.”

  Sage jogged to take the lead and set a brisk but comfortable walking pace.

  With every step, another hair stood on end. Even with the sun cutting hot streaks through the canopy, goose flesh covered my arms, and cold sweat dripped down my neck.

  The third time Sage twisted to look back at me, it clicked. She wanted to go faster, but she was playing it smart. A fast walk wasn’t likely to inspire pursuit. If we ran out of here like a sorcerer was after us, we could invite whatever danger lurked in the woods to chase us.

  Telling myself why we were walking rather than sprinting didn’t make it any less stressful.

  Around a mile away, the sensation of eyes faded. The lone bird song became a chorus, and a squirrel bolted up a tree. We’d left the wrongness behind.

  The rest of the walk back left all of us panting by the time we reached the truck. None of us were keen to linger. Sage had the truck in gear before I got my seatbelt on.

  A bump jolted me into Wayne. “Sorry.”

  The truck dipped as it went across a deep rut.

  “This isn’t my usual job, you know?” Sage blurted out. Her knuckles were white where they clutched the steering wheel. “Illegal hunting, sure. Areas stripped of life or used to create a sorcerer? Not so much.”

  “The site we visited today is older. Those animals weren’t stripped of their skin like the last ones. They died and decayed,” I said. Hopefully, Nash could tell from the pictures how long ago they’d died. If he had to examine the remains, I’d have to purify everything.

  Sage’s eyes darted in my direction. “What does it matter if it’s old?”

  “Either the sorcerer went on a rampage of destroying things, or it likely left the area. That makes this our problem, not yours.”

  A real Narzel of a problem. Sure, there was the odd tale of a good sorcerer, but with those energy readings, the one created in this forest was anything but good. It had to be identified and captured before it hurt too many people.

  Unlike most capital offenses, sorcerers didn’t end up an appetizer for President Ederin. No, they were killed, usually by beheading, their body burned, the ashes salted and spread over different bodies of water.

  “What if I find more of those places?” Sage turned onto the road back to the range.

  “It’s very unlikely.” I closed my eyes against the glare coming off the rearview mirror.

  “But if you do, Agent Pine and I are only a phone call away,” Wayne said.

  The truck skidded to a stop. “Sorry,” Sage muttered. “Thank you for your help, and let’s keep each other updated.”

  Wayne leaned around me and offered Sage his hand. “Deal.”

  I leaned as far back as the seat would let me. The middle sure lost its appeal as an adult.

  “Appreciate it.” Sage released his hand.

  Wayne smiled at her and got out of the truck.

  I couldn’t make my escape fast enough.

  “Agent Pine, thank you for being so quick to come out when I’ve called.”

  Turning back, I forced a professional smile. “Any time, and I’ll let you know what we find.” I all but ran to my car.

  Harris followed at a more sedate pace.

  Sage waved as we left, and out of politeness, I waved back. Truth be told, I hoped we didn’t come back. Two different ritual sites were bad news, even if they didn’t look connected. I really didn’t want to see a third. That would confirm a connection, and I didn’t have a clue what could be behind both of those spells.

  “What do you think?” Wayne asked.

  “That I have more questions than answers. Like why there are two sites in those woods. The one we went to today had a lot of residual power for the level of decomposition in the wildlife.” They’d been mostly bone, which didn’t match the magic or scent. Usually, evil energy faded quickly.

  “Unless it’s been used recently.”

  “Well, yes.” Though that theory had its own set of questions. “But by the same person as the one who did the initial offering or someone else? Did the sorcerer use it to communicate with its creator or another entity?”

  “If it was another ritual, wouldn’t there be fresh, well, dead animals?” Wayne stumbled over the words.

  “I don’t know. If you’d asked me a few days ago, I would’ve said it was next to impossible to see signs of two nature-damaging rituals in the same area.” I moved into an exit lane. “But witches don’t spend much time studying sorcerers. They’re rare and usually easy to spot.”

  “I am aware.” Wayne tapped his fingers on his thigh. “Why haven’t there been reports of a sorcerer terrorizing the locals?”

  At this hour, there were plenty of parking spaces to chose from, including one near the door. “Add it to the list of questions.”

  Wayne patted my hand. “It’s past time for you to go home. I can take the evidence over to Nash and report to Smith. I’ll do what I can of the write up and have it ready for you in the morning.”

  My phone rang. I checked the number before I answered. “Sweet bones of Narzel. It’s Olivia.”

  I did my best to seem calm, but my mind was racing. Was Olivia pestering me for an answer, or would this be a more overt threat against my father? Had she discovered my secret? “I’ll be right back.”

  Wayne squeezed my hand and nodded.

  I forced a smile as I grabbed my purse and backpack. With a few feet between me and the car, I answered the call. “Minister, I hadn’t expected to hear from you again today.”

  “Don’t mince words with me, Kelsey. I need to know everything about Bees’ Gifts.” Olivia got right to the point.

  My backpack and purse landed in a heap in Fabian’s back seat. I sat behind the wheel, turning my keys over in my hands. If only there was some information I could feed her to get her to leave me alone. “And I told you, it’s a police matter. It’s worth my job to give you any information.”

  “Is it? If I hadn’t allowed Jamie to aid you, would you still have your precious job?” she purred.

  The world tilted. When he gave me the power to capture CJ, he’d said it was a favor. One he wouldn’t tell the clan. I’d thought that, just maybe, he had cared about me. Maybe the years we loved each other hadn’t been a lie.

  “I thought his aid was in line with his job with the government.” I forced the words out, hoping Olivia wouldn’t know she’d struck a nerve. “That was why he helped with cases.”

  “It was one of the reasons.”

  My vision wouldn’t focus, so I closed my eyes and leaned against the steering wheel. “As grateful as I am for the help you’ve permitted, my oaths to the clan would be worthless if I broke other oaths so casually.”

  Olivia made a dismissive sound. “Your promises to us predate those you made to the police.”

  “Would you trust a witch who only honored some of her vows?” Pushing the words past the lump in my throat hurt. What had Jamie promised and when? Had any part of our relationship and friendship been real?

  “Answer me or don’t,” Olivia snapped. “You have until tomorrow night. After that, I visit your father.” With a single beep, the call ended.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Narzel blast it!”

  Olivia didn’t make idle threats. If she said she would visit my dad, then tomorrow she’d corner him at work or go to the house.

  “Syed take her.”

  There had to be a way I could help my dad without telling Olivia about the case.

  If I went to Smith, then we might be able to arrest her for blackmail. That would remove her ability to hurt Dad. It wouldn’t do anything to stop her followers. She didn’t need to personally carry out the threat.

  Truth be told, leaving the clan without a minister didn’t seem like the best idea.

  That was if Smith and the rest of the TBI didn’t decide I was more trouble than I was worth. Clan baggage was one of the many reasons few departments had witches working for them.

  Jamie was another issue all together. I’d really thought he was on my side, but no. He was still Olivia’s minion, doing her bidding no matter the cost to anyone else. Like last time, he’d come out of it with a better life and an even more fabulous apartment, for the small price of breaking my heart and trust one more time.

  “Not this time.” I cranked Fabian. “Heart? Like he has one.”

  I pulled onto the road. “This time, I’m not alone at college. This time he has to explain himself.”

  Fabian’s engine rumbled as we moved into the fast lane.

  “Glad you agree.” I patted the dashboard.

  A voice in the back of my mind warned me this might not be the best choice.

  I ignored it and took the exit for his house.

  My necromancy curled around my leg, sending a refreshing chill through me. It would be more than happy to ensure I got the truth from Jamie, just as soon as I raised him from the dead.

  Killing him and raising him would be plan D. The TBI frowned on that sort of behavior form its agents.

  But one way or another, I was getting some answers. Olivia had moved up to my number 1 problem, an impressive change with necromancy in contention. Until I dealt with her, I couldn’t give the case or the sorcerer the attention they deserved. Until I got the truth out of Jamie, I didn’t know how much Olivia knew.

  I took the last visitors spot at Jamie’s building. Turning off Fabian, it occurred to me Jamie might not be home, and I might not get through the door. Penthouses had fun security like that.

  Smiling, I checked my reflection. It didn’t look too much like a snarl, so it would do.

  The marble tile and off-white brick walls were as opulent as I remembered. In my boots, the slick floor did nothing to slow my march across the foyer. The desk person took my name, called up, and then directed me to Jamie’s elevator. The doors closed behind me as I typed the code into the keypad. It whisked me up.

  Six years of mending a shattered heart. Three years of him checking in on Olivia’s behalf. Two unforgivable lies, and today we would have a reckoning.

  It was a great plan until the elevator doors opened to an empty entry way.

  “You said you only had sanctioned contact with her. Why is she here?”

  The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. I stepped out of the elevator and waited.

  “Aiden, I told you I helped her on a case. She’s here to get my official statement.” Jamie’s voice drifted down the hall from the living room.

  Narzel’s knees. Of all the witches to be here, why Aiden? He’d tormented me as a kid.

  “At your apartment? Last I heard, only one type of ‘police’ made house calls,” Aiden sneered. “Wait till I tell Olivia.”

  Behind me, the elevator doors shut, cutting off my escape. Today wasn’t my day.

  Aiden came around the corner briskly, halting as soon as he spotted me.

  The past six years had treated him better than he deserved. The warts and hunch I’d been hoping he would develop were in short supply unless there were illusions on his suit to hide them. Instead, he stood much as he had the last time I’d seen him, his dark brown eyes matching his hair and a face other girls had called perfection. But he’d been my lesson that good looks could hold a black heart, and his was one of the blackest I’d met.

  Forcing a smile I didn’t feel, I acted like I’d just walked in. “Aiden! It’s been ages! I didn’t expect to find you here. If you and Jamie are busy, I can come back later for his statement.” He’d always been a sucker for bad acting, so I added a dramatic eye roll. “Boss said the one at the scene wasn’t detailed enough and wanted it done immediately, so here I am.”

  Jamie came around the corner, brows pulled together as he looked between Aiden and me. In his frayed jeans and worn t-shirt, he looked like he’d been ready for a night in before Aiden showed up.

  Aiden’s shoulders relaxed. “It’s been too long, Kelsey.”

  It was all I could do not to cringe when he gave me a hug. “Too long.”

  “I wouldn’t want you to be in any trouble with your boss.” He pushed the elevator button, and the doors opened. “Jamie, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Aiden,” Jamie voice was as cold as my necromancy.

  Aiden smiled at me. “You should visit home more often. We miss you, Kelsey.” The door closed.

  I shivered. Seeing Aiden had effectively neutralized the rush of anger and betrayal I’d been riding.

  “What a mess.” Jamie sighed gustily. “How much did you hear?”

  If I could’ve gone back to being angry, I would’ve, but Aiden’s parting shot worried me. I didn’t need to give Olivia additional reasons to look into my life or torture my dad. “Him accusing you of having ‘unsanctioned contact’ with me, whatever that means.”

  “Narzel.” Jamie raked a hand through his hair. “I’m sure you have questions.”

  “Questions, accusations, take your pick.”

  He looked at me like he could see through my eyes and into me, spotting every secret along the way. “I owe you some answers. Have you eaten?”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  His lips flattened into a line. “Fine. I’m ordering a pizza.” He tugged his phone out of his pocket and headed into the kitchen.

  I stood in the entry, not sure what to do. Nothing with the clan made sense. If Olivia knew so much about my life, why would Aiden be upset at my arrival? Would Aiden decide they could threaten Jamie to make me cooperate? They should know that if I wouldn’t obey orders to keep my family safe, I wouldn’t do it for Jamie.

  “Pizza will be here in half an hour,” Jamie called out from the kitchen.

  With a sigh, I headed into the kitchen.

  He looked up from pouring a glass of Witch’s Brew. “Do you want any?”

  “Why not.”

  Jamie poured a second glass and slid it over.

  “Thanks.” Crafted by a clan in France, Witch’s Brew was a drink created for witches by witches. The heady scent came first, citrus with an undertone of midnight. The first sip hit my tongue, overwhelming my other senses. That faded, only to be replaced by hope and sorrow, as fleeting as they were poignant. The last flavor, the one that lingered, was the moment before dawn when a person could shape the world and leave none the wiser. “How’d you know I like Witch’s Brew?”

  Jamie swirled his glass, kicking up a flurry of sparkles and twists of lemon yellow and midnight blue. “Two years ago, I saw it out in your kitchen when I stopped by. The bottle was half-empty, and you had a glass on your coffee table.”

  “And you remembered that?” I couldn’t remember what I’d had for breakfast yesterday.

  He set his glass down and leaned on the counter. “If you remember, both times, I was acting as a courier between you and Olivia.”

  “The paperwork that had to be signed before the police would even consider working with me.” That part I did remember, mostly because of how much I’d hated seeing him.

  He nodded.

  “What were you and Aiden arguing about?” Olivia’s surprise visit, and her accusation that Jamie was a spy, had sparked my temper. Which, now that I thought of it, had been her intent. After years of warning me about her visits, it didn’t fit that he’d fail to mention today’s.

  The corners of his mouth turned down. “You.”

  “That’s the part I don’t understand.” Well, one of them.

  “He wanted this job.” Jamie knocked back more of the Witch’s Brew.

  “Your government job? I thought he was a senior manager at the clan company. All the perks of working for the clan with none of the bothersome travel and magic expenditure.” Considering his terrible spell craft, it wasn’t the worst use of his ability, but I pitied his employees.

  He shook his head. “No, Kelsey, checking in on you.”

  “What! Why? He never liked me.” Truth be told, I couldn’t remember a person he did like, other than Olivia.

  “He wasn’t happy when I got it, and he’s been watching me since. He said he knew you’d been here, and it wasn’t about a case. I told him you were double-checking a spell because I’m the only clan member in town.” Jamie met my gaze. “I’m sorry. If I’d known you were coming over...”

  “I should’ve called.”

  He shrugged.

  I sipped my drink and tied to untangle my thoughts. Either he was the best actor in the world, or he was on my side, and Olivia was trying to stir up more trouble. “I never understood why you were the one checking on me.”

  “Would you rather Aiden got the job?”

  “No, but you wouldn’t have been my first choice, either.” Not that Olivia would’ve approved my first choice. She’d done everything she could to drive a wedge between me and my father.

  “I know.” He put the Witch’s Brew back in the cabinet. “Olivia called me after she went over to your place. If I’d known, I would’ve given you a heads-up.”

  That was one question answered, and it fit with Olivia’s past actions. Jamie may or may not have been trustworthy, but I knew Olivia wasn’t. “And Aiden?”

  “He came over to threaten me in person, to frighten me into more accurate reports or the like.” Jamie set plates out. “Aiden switched jobs. Now he’s in clan management.”