Nick grinned and grabbed Parker’s shoulders. “That’s it.”
“Reincarnate? No, I’m almost positive it’s re… respond? No, that’s not it either.” When Parker saw Nick’s grin, he stopped, a matching one on his face. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Nick said. Reaching forward, Nick called the circle back to him, delicately making sure all the anchor points were intact, and then he turned and attached it to the next officer Avila shoved forward.
The man was clean, and Nick only had to refresh the magic once in ten people. Zahide stopped when she saw what he was doing, narrowing her eyes and making sure she understood before she tried it herself. As she did, she muttered under her breath in French, and Nick spoke just enough to know that most of it was complaining about how often he took his boyfriend’s suggestions over known practice.
He was beginning to feel confident—maybe they’d gotten lucky and only one person had been infected when he tested McArdle. The detective had been helping Avila keep the lines organized, but when her turn came up, she went easily, standing with her arms out.
Nick placed the circle on her chest, delicately refreshing one of the anchor points. It lit her up, and he was about to clear her when he caught sight of something dark on her left humerus.
“Parker,” he said quickly. Maybe his eyes were tired, maybe he’d been staring too long at bright lights. Maybe…
Parker swore. “Yeah, I see it.”
“See what?” McArdle asked, craning her neck.
“Don’t move,” Nick said to McArdle. He looked at Avila. “Clear the room! Now!”
CHAPTER SIX
When the room was clear,McArdle still hadn’t moved, her arms still, her face pale. Sweat dripped from her forehead.
“I have kids,” she said. “Can you… can you get my phone and let me record something for them? A goodbye?”
Tears sheened her eyes, but she swallowed and swallowed again, and when she looked at Nick, they hadn’t spilled over. “Please?”
Avila was at the door, hesitant, and Nick said, “You stay out. Tell the captain what we found out—there’s evidence of the circles before the explosion.”
Zahide nodded sharply at Avila. “Go.”
“Don’t you dare get killed,” Avila said to the room at large. “Or I will call Laurel and make surenoneof you get into the good afterlife.”
She closed the door with a definitive click, and Parker’s face scrunched. “Wait, is she implying there’s a hell? Or, like, a cut-rate afterlife? APaylessafterlife?”
“Zahide, door. I’ll draw a shield spell in case we need it,” Nick said. He began sketching as Zahide stalked over to the door, tapping two circles on her jacket.
“Parker,” Nick said. “You need to go. This is alchemy.”
“Oh, right, so you can get yourself killed? Likehell, Nicholas King.” Parker glared at him. “Which, apparently, Laurel knows how to put us all in!”
“Focus,” Zahide said sharply. “Where is your phone, McArdle?”
“Jacket pocket,” McArdle said. She was still illuminated, her skin almost translucent, clothing invisible, but Zahide found the phone and inputted the password McArdle gave her. She hit Record just as McArdle started crying. “Guys, I love you. Mommy loves you so much. Be good, okay? Be whoever you’re going to be and work hard and…”
“No,” Parker said, his own voice cracking. “No, we are not doing this. This isnothappening.”
When he looked at Nick, it was with such determination that Nick knew they were going to be fine. It was the sort of expression Parker got when he was going to do something stupid and heroic and brave. It didn’t stop Nick’s heart from beating double time when Parker reached out and grabbed McArdle’s shoulder.
“Hey, sorry about this. I haven’t done it in a couple of years and never with a person, so… uh… Try and relax.” Parker reached out, and Nick’s racing heart stopped.
When Parker touched McArdle’s arm, the magic began to drain from the circle. The glowing green faded, and he and Zahide were both shouting at the same time.
“Parker, don’t! Stop!”
“Youimbecile! You are going to get yourself killed, along with blowing up most of the building!”
The green faded from the circle on her arm, and Parker thrust his hand up into the air. The florescent lights exploded with color, the brilliant shades lighting the room like a sunset.
