The flash of doubt and concern in his eyes set Mal’s teeth on edge. It probably shouldn’t have. After all, he was her boyfriend. He was in love with her and she was about to go check out the scene of a mutilation and likely murder. At the same time, Mal couldn’t help feeling that he didn’t think she was up to the job. That she would fuck it up or take “unnecessary risks,” all because of her no-killing policy.
Years ago, when they’d been partners at Acadia, a sort of supernatural policing organization, they’d been exterminators—the highest level witches in the organization, meaning they had the power and authority to put other beings down if necessary, including and especially ghosts. For whatever reason, vampires and ghouls were perfectly acceptable in society. Even zombies raised by necromancers didn’t get a lot of flak. But ghosts were seen as unnatural vermin by most of the human and inhuman world and, therefore, required extermination.
She and Law had become lovers during that time, but he hadn’t been able to see or understand Mal’s growing anguish as they were assigned more and more exterminations. Eventually she’d reached her breaking point and left, walking away from the job and him. She loved him but believed she didn’t mean anything to him. She didn’t much like herself then and saw no reason he should.
After that, she’d become a fixer, helping people—human and not—with their supernatural problems. The only caveat was that she would not kill. That was a line she refused to cross again. A line that Law still couldn’t understand. As far as he was concerned, some things just needed killing. Maybe they did. Mal was willing to concede that, but it didn’t mean she had to do it. That attitude made him see her as weak, broken, vulnerable—in a word, incompetent. And that’s why she resented his look of doubt and concern.
“Good plan,” LeeAnne said before Law could reply. “Consider yourself on the payroll. I’ll notify the staff to give you anything you need. I would appreciate it if you would ask your ghosts to help search for the missing children,” she added crisply.
Mal stared. LeeAnnehireher?LeeAnne?Hireher? Nope. She could not have possibly heard that right.
“Close your mouth. I’m quite aware you’re excellent at your job, if a bit unorthodox and occasionally messy. The wedding is scheduled for tomorrow, and we’re not going to let it get derailed. Not on our watch. We need to sort out whatever’s happened and prevent anything from interfering with the completion of the nuptials. Now, Law, if you please, let’s go.”
She strode away, a study in grace on her six-inch heels. Even Mal was impressed, and she’d trained to run and fight in heels just like those. All the same, LeeAnne made them look like she’d been born wearing them.
“Here,” Law said, pulling off his jacket and holding it out.
Mal slipped it on. His masculine scent wrapped her and melted the edges off her irritation.
“I’ll let you know what I find,” she said.
He nodded. “Good. Here’s the nutshell on what you need to know. This marriage alliance is not widely accepted on either side of the aisle, and many giants and pixies actively want to see it prevented. For the giants committed to the marriage, it’s a matter of survival. They’ll do what it takes to see it through. The advance team of giants were bringing a magical talisman—the same as worn by every virdana, the female giant who leads a clan. The wedding contracts stipulate that the pixie bride will become the virdana. Having an outsider as virdana is a sacrilege to many among the giants, and they’d kill to stop it. Without that talisman, the wedding doesn’t go on. They were sneaking it in so that no one could steal it before the ceremony. If their entourage was attacked, that’s probably why. It also means someone close to the heart of the planning has betrayed them, and more trouble could be in the works.”
He grabbed Mal’s hand. “Take Merrow with you in case you need backup.” He tensed, waiting for her response.
This time Mal didn’t take offense. Given the situation, she’d have wanted him to have backup as well. She nodded agreement.
He relaxed slightly. “Let me know what you find. I’ll be in touch as soon as I find the kids.”
“Have Elliot help. If anybody can find them, he can. And magic won’t stop him.”
Because if the children hadn’t wandered off, if someone had taken them, then certainly the kidnappers were using magic to hide them.
Law’s lip curled back in a snarl. “Magic won’t stopme.”
Mal’s mouth twisted in a crooked smile. “Effrayant has rules, remember? You can’t break those. Your oath won’t let you. Elliot doesn’t have that problem. He doesn’t have to care about ethics or privacy or whether or not anybody is a guest. Take him.”
Law’s mouth worked like he wanted to spit, and he nodded. He swept Elliot into his arms and pressed a kiss to Mal’s cheek.
“Stay safe.”
As he walked away, Mal watched the play of muscles beneath his crisp navy shirt. That last was uncalled for. She was going to look at a crime scene, for cripes sake. She wasn’t walking into an ambush or a war zone.
She glanced at Merrow.
She hoped she wasn’t, she amended to herself. But she wouldn’t put it past the elf not to warn her. It would be one way to get Mal to practice combat skills, at any rate.
Chapter Two
Before starting out,Mal had Edna collect the rest of the ghosts and head off to help with the search. In the meantime, a custodian delivered a pair of clean overalls to her. Apparently LeeAnne didn’t want Mal wandering around Effrayant in a bikini and covered in blood. She supposed it sent a bad message.
Mal dressed, stuffing the severed hand into one of the large zip pockets, and proceeded to follow Merrow.
They took the elevator to the ground floor and went outside into the central courtyard. A cloistered arcade spread out, connecting all the towers, then ran farther down into an enormous formal garden with an amphitheater that sat a thousand humans, a huge pavilion, a lake and combination ice and water park, plus several other amenities.
They crossed the courtyard and moved between the towers on the opposite side into a large vegetable and fruit garden. Really more like a farm. Here they picked up the pearly gray spell trail she’d cast. It led them across the front of the garden near a shed on the northeastern corner.
“I think this is where Elliot encountered the hand,” Merrow said, pointing to a spot beneath an enormous bean bush.
