“Are you sure she was dead? She could have been a Phantom of some sort, masquerading as Fae.”
“You saw her. She was flesh and blood. Holly died in my arms, which makes this personal. I couldn’t save her.”
“Fire Wizards can’t save everyone.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, other than a shapeshifting dog, I haven’t saved anyone. The bad guys are winning.”
“No wonder you’re in a bad mood. It’s obvious that whoever is calling the shots didn’t want any loose ends.”
“I’ve heard Trolls are good trackers,” Rowan said. “Any clues who took her? She might have left a residual signature.”
Renegade knelt and placed the palm of his hand flat against the iron bench. “A female was here, all right. The essence signature is faint, almost nonexistent. Not a Phantom, like I thought. But she had mixed blood along with the Fae. That’s interesting.” He lifted his gaze toward Rowan. “It’s faint, but she has a trace of Wizard blood in her DNA.”
Rowan swore under his breath. “We’re back to targeting only Wizards. Anything else?”
“There is also a trace of human blood, which would explain the lingering imprint. Human souls stick around longer when they’ve been murdered. It’s one of their more endearing qualities. They never give up. However, the trail ends here. Whoever snatched the body did a good job of cleansing the air around it. But the person or persons running this show made a tactical error.”
“How d’you figure?”
“This is no longer just a war against your kind. It’s against anyone with even a trace of Wizard blood. The potential size of your army just increased.”
“Half-Bloods aren’t easy to control.”
“I said your army increased. I didn’t say it was a good thing. What’s our next move?”
“Find Morgan.” Rowan headed back toward the exit. “She was supposed to meet me here tonight.” He hesitated, knowinghis voice sounded too concerned. “It’s a simple business arrangement,” he began again. “She’s helping me with this case, and in exchange I agreed to find out who killed the female Wizards on the island.”
Renegade chuckled. “Spin your story to a human and see if they believe the fairy tale. You know as well as I do that where our women are concerned, it’s never a simple business arrangement. You should have asked me sooner. I have a pretty good idea where she’s hiding.”
Rowan paused, his frustration rising to a new level. He was starting to feel like a guy in a rowboat with only one oar. Rowing a boat with only one paddle meant one thing. You ended up rowing around in circles or taking a long time getting to where you needed to go. “And why are you just now sharing this choice tidbit? You knew I was looking for Morgan.”
“If I told you where she was, the lady I was betrothed to would have me drawn and quartered, and I’d never have another chance to ask her to marry me. Like I said, where our women are concerned, it’s complicated.”
Rowan shoved the door open to the outside, hoping the assassin had circled back and was standing behind it so Rowan could vent his frustration and slam him into the next dimension. “And they say women are the weaker sex.”
“You’re talking about a myth perpetrated by men. Women, whether human or magical, aren’t weaker, they’re just more subtle in how and when they use their power.”
“Amen.”
****
Three in the morning, and The Pike Place Market looked deserted. The street in front of the Market was a different scenario. Traffic resembled rush hour. Horns blared, people hailed cabs or ran from the market while fire trucks and police and aid cars jammed the narrow streets. All that was missingwas a man with a beard down to his navel, carrying an eerily prophetic poster that read “Repent. The End Is Near.”
Renegade pointed toward a cab parked on the corner a short distance away. “Looks like I’m not going to have a chance to show off my tracking skills after all. There’s milady. My guess is that Morgan either didn’t receive my message to stay away or ignored it.
Morgan stepped out of a checkered cab and paid the driver as she waited for a file of cars to pass so she could cross the street. The dog Rowan had saved bounded out of the back seat and took his place next to Morgan. Wiz stared in Rowan’s direction as though waiting for the order to rip out Rowan’s throat.
Rowan might have saved the shapeshifter’s life, but Wiz’s first loyalty was to Morgan. Rowan begrudgingly admired him for it.
“Question. You keep referring to Morgan as ‘milady.’ Why?”
“I thought you knew. Caitlin, the female Wizard who died on Bealtaine, was the leader of the female Water Wizards. When she was murdered, Morgan was next in line to become their new leader. Caitlin’s murder triggered an old alliance between female Wizards and Trolls. Simply put, if you tried to harm a hair on Morgan’s head, I’d kill you without a moment’s hesitation.”
“And here I thought we were pals.”
Renegade grinned when they reached the cab. “That was almost funny. I was told you didn’t have a sense of humor.”
In a lull in traffic, Morgan crossed the street and headed toward him. Her appearance hit him like a bolt of lightning. He swore the woman was more beautiful each time he saw her. She was dressed to blend in, wearing light-colored slacks, a cream sweater and a trench coat. Her efforts to blend in failed in spectacular fashion, if the appreciative glances cast her way were any indication.
