The building was large, damp but spacious, and held rows of stacked boxes toward the back. A body lay clumped some distance away, the vessel of the energy needed to summon Agnon. Humans in flowing robes of black gathered around him. Their toes were well back from the blood-splattered chalk outline they mistakenly thought would contain a being as mighty as Agnon.

Silly creatures.

While they clearly knew Agnon was a different demon than the one they’d called before it had stolen the summons, they still had no idea of the power they’d brought to their doorstep. The being occasionally loved working with imbeciles. In this situation, especially, it made the task so much easier.

It stayed perfectly still, facing the self-proclaimed leader, a male human with moderate magical ability.

“Great One, we have had news,” the human said, wringing his hands. He was nervous and trying not to show it. Within his head echoed thoughts of fear, both for himself and for the woman to Agnon’s right.

The being turned its head that way until it was looking just behind its shoulder. The woman startled, then frowned. She grabbed her robes. A thought echoed regarding a stolen necklace. What a strange thing to think of in that moment. Or maybe this secret was simply more powerful than all her others.

The being filed that knowledge away.

“It seems the aswang was destroyed before its power could be transferred,” the human leader said, his fear amplifying. “The creature had fed before the confrontation, but still the woman dispatched it with ease. She did have some help, though it was minimal.”

“How did the transfer fail?” Agnon asked. More than one person flinched. The being hadn’t adopted speech that was pleasing to the human ear.

“Another human killed it with a magical blast of fire. The transfer did not have a chance to make it to the woman.”

“Did the fire touch the woman?”

“No. She had a spell that blocked it. But she was close enough to lose her eyebrows, I hear. The transfer would’ve happened if not for the fire.”

“You are such stupid creatures.” The being clasped its hands behind its back.

“I’m sorry, Great One, I do not follow you.”

“You are mages. Do you know of a spell that can block fire from harming the skin, but does not also protect the hair?”

All the mages exchanged glances. An echo of a thought came from a human on the left. The puny specimen worried his fellow mages would discover his lack of knowledge and power.

If a body was needed for a menial task, or to recover strength, Agnon would use this human first. His deteriorated body wouldn’t be missed.

“There is talk of experimental magic,” the human leader suggested.

It was a wonder this group of mages had managed to summon a demon at all.

“If what you heard is correct, it seems she is unaffected by fire,” the being said. “This is noteworthy. We must get closer and test her.”

The leader smiled. “We have connections. We can bring her to us and maintain the home field advantage.”

“Then. By all means.” The being lowered its head a fraction, giving its assent. Agnon would need to make preparations. If she was who it sought, the mages would not stand a chance against her power.

Chapter Ten

The next morning, I awoke to my phone vibrating. I rubbed my eyes and glanced at my nightstand, expecting to see it there. Instead, I spied it across the room on my dresser, not in arm’s reach.

It could keep on vibrating.

The red letters on my clock said nine o’clock, on the dot. Soft light filtered in through the sheer white curtains.

I stretched, debating getting up. There was little chance I would sleep any longer, but really…what else did I have to do besides lie in bed?

Last night had been a quiet affair, if you didn’t count the time I’d spent sneaking around the house, trying to catch Darius’s minions. They had tried several times to get in unnoticed, and each time, I’d caught them and chased them away with my sword and a few well-timed spell casings. I’d scared the bejeebus out of them, even though they must’ve known I was lying in wait. One vampire had even screeched. I called it a win.

J.M. had texted that he had to work late. Our dinner was postponed until Saturday, when he had a guaranteed day off. That had left my evening free for a confrontation with Darius, but I’d been tired and lazy at that point. Chasing his minions had felt like a better use of my time.

“What shall I do today?” I asked myself.

I needed to get a cat so I had something to talk to. At least then I wouldn’t seem insane as I wandered around the house, muttering to myself.

After another moment, I heaved myself up and headed for the shower. Maybe I’d break into Darius’s house in the French Quarter and rearrange all his crap. He’d probably hate that as much as I hated him sticking his nose all the way into my business. Add some spray paint, and he would be absolutely livid.

It would serve him right.

Shower done, I finally grabbed my phone, only to see another missed call and a voice message.

Seriously, who actually called people anymore? Now I had to physically put the phone to my ear and listen to a voice message. The horror!

Scratching a part usually covered in public, I trudged into the kitchen and opened the cabinet where I kept the coffee. It was getting low.

Maybe I should’ve let the minions in. At least until they restocked.

“Reagan, this is Detective Sean Smith. Call me if you would. I have a question for you.”

Could he not have texted it? All the telephonic hoops he was making me jump through just to ask me a question…

“Detective Smith,” came the voice on the other end.

“Hi. This is Reagan. Somerset. Calling you back.”

“Reagan, yes. Hi. Listen—” The line made sounds like he was shifting his phone. “The supernatural branch of the Seattle PD, the branch that I work for here, has a case they need help with. Their resident MLE office is stumped. Long story short, this looks like a serial killer. We think the killer started here, but those cases were unresolved. The same style killing seems to be happening in Seattle now. The PD thinks they look like cult killings, which really just means it falls in the magical department.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“They heard our MLE office is one of the best, and they reached out to me to get my opinion. I told them about you. You’re a natural.”

“I’m not a natural. I’ve only studied magic. Any good mage will be better, since they actually practice magic.”

“Like I said, their MLE office is at a standstill. When the murderer struck in New Orleans, our MLE office didn’t get very far either. That was before you joined them. But then, we didn’t have much time.” I heard the determination ringing in his voice. He didn’t like leaving things unresolved. “Anyway, I agreed you’d be a good addition to the investigation.”

“Bad news. I don’t work for Magical Law Enforcement anymore. I was fired. Ish.”

“I heard. Which is why I am calling you directly. The people in Seattle didn’t want to stop at Captain Lox’s no.”

“I’m afraid I’m a little lost.” I took down a coffee filter.

“Seattle PD would like to contract you as a consultant. All expenses paid, of course. Given your track record, I’d ask you to give it a few weeks, tops. If you can’t solve it by then, it probably can’t be solved.”

I scratched my head. “You didn’t work with me much, so you probably don’t know that I’m not great at investigative work. I can figure out if magic was used, sure, but I’m not a true crime detective. I’m more along the lines of a…you know, bounty hunter. I didn’t fit in so well with the MLE office. Hence my being fired.”

“Even with your proposed handicap, you’d be a real asset. I’ve been working with the MLE for years, and I’ve never seen anyone as knowledgeable, or who works as quickly as you. Give it a few weeks, and if it doesn’t work out, at least you got to travel.”

I rubbed my eyes. It was too early for this. “What is the nature of the crime?”

Rustling sounded over the line, paired with voices drifting in and out of focus. Then a door closed and silence fell. “The victims appear to have been skinned alive,” Sean said. “The killer struck twice here in New Orleans. Now, we had a great local magical team look into it…”