Caged Read online

  I was glad he wasn’t looking at me. That meant no chance of him catching the look on my face that would have betrayed my disappointment. We’d just finished working a theft, I’d been hoping for something a little more…

  Well, a little more.

  Guilt ate at me. Working with Flint for a month had been miserable, but I couldn’t deny it had felt good to test myself. I’d made more strides magically speaking in that month than I had in the past three years combined. He’d made me fight, and he’d pushed me to reach beyond what I’d thought I was capable of. My power had grown, and so had my confidence. I felt like I could tackle bigger problems.

  But that doesn’t mean you can ignore the smaller ones, I chastised myself firmly. That’s exactly what Mother Hazel warned you would happen.

  “I need to use the bathroom,” I said, heading for the door at the bottom of the short staircase.

  Andy stiffened. “You didn’t go while you were home?”

  The protest caught me by surprise, and my eyebrows shot up. “I did. But I need to go again. Is that a problem?”

  Andy’s jaw tightened and he clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides. “I’ve been working on some home improvements. You can’t use that bathroom, you’ll have to use the one upstairs.”

  I nodded and turned to go up the stairs. Blood and bone, if I’d known my bladder was going to be an issue, I’d have forgone the second cup of coffee.

  “Wait.”

  I paused again, startled when Andy pushed past me to go up the stairs first, dropping Peasblossom onto my shoulder as he went. I shared a look with the pixie as a door slammed, then another. When I heard the click of a door being locked, I bristled.

  Peasblossom patted my neck as I passed Andy on his way back down the stairs, avoiding his gaze. As I’d expected, he’d closed—and locked—all the doors, leaving only the bathroom open. I shut it behind me, gritting my teeth so hard my jaw hurt.

  “Does he think I’m going to steal something?” I hissed. “Am I a thief, not to be trusted with open, unlocked doors?”

  “Something’s going on with him,” Peasblossom said slowly. “This is more than being a little cranky because you shut him out for a month.”

  My chest tightened, squeezing the air out of my lungs. I’d known—as I’m sure Flint had known—that my forced isolation from my FBI partner would put a strain on our relationship. But I hadn’t expected this. All week long I’d tolerated Andy’s short temper, the tension that vibrated off of him whenever I was around, the way he looked so…angry all the time. I’d expected it, to some degree, and I’d been sure it would pass. Maybe I’d underestimated just how upset he was.

  “I’m telling you, it’s not just you,” Peasblossom insisted. “You’re a witch, think about it logically. Where does anger come from?”

  “Fear,” I answered automatically. I frowned. “You think he’s afraid of something?”

  “He’s got plenty to be afraid of.”

  I froze and stared at her in the mirror. “The kelpies. Goddess, Peasblossom, do you think they came after him while I was gone?”

  Peasblossom’s brows furrowed. “I think he’d be dead if they had. But I think the whole situation affected him more than he’s ready to admit. Maybe he’s mad because he had to deal with that fear without you while you were gone. Maybe he didn’t feel safe. Remember, he’s still pretty new to the idea of the Otherworld, let alone being on a kelpie’s hit list.”

  For a split second, I felt like I was back at the lake, facing off with the sister of the kelpie Andy had killed. I could still hear Siobhan’s voice.

  “Like all humans, he draws a line between his people and all that is Other. And anyone Other is invariably less than he and his kin.”

  “Or maybe he doesn’t feel safe around me at all,” I said quietly. “Maybe he’s angry with me because I scare him. He was starting to trust me, but I think… I think maybe Siobhan is more right now than she was then. He wanted my help before, but maybe he’s just not ready to admit he doesn’t want it now. Maybe Andy isn’t as ready to let the Otherworld into his life as he wants to be.”

  “He warmed up to you once,” Peasblossom said. “He’ll do it again. Just be patient with him.”

  I thought about that as I finished up in the bathroom, washed my hands, and left. As I stepped into the hallway, a cool breeze tickled my skin, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. Instinct turned me to face the door that for most house plans would lead to the master bedroom.

  “Peasblossom, do you feel that?” I whispered.

  Peasblossom leaned forward, her wings twitching, but not moving. “A cold spot.”

  “It feels like a ghost.” I moved closer to the door without meaning to, my hand rising to try the doorknob. Locked.

  “Shade?” Andy called out.

  I whirled around, heart pounding. Andy stood at the bottom of the staircase, staring up at me with tension drawing deep lines around his eyes and mouth.

  “Something wrong?” he asked.

  Great, he was angry again. Angrier. I stared at him for longer than I meant to, my brain trying and failing to come up with something to say that would explain why I was upstairs trying to get into a room he’d clearly wanted to keep me out of. “No. No, nothing’s wrong.”

  I hurried to the stairs, and in my desire to find something else to talk about, I noticed something I hadn’t before.

  Andy’s house was not decorated the way I might have expected from a bachelor. There were Precious Moments figurines everywhere, covering every shelf. The side table next to the couch had honest-to-Goddess doilies on them, and there were enough framed photos on the walls to tell me a woman had decorated this room. A woman who was very proud of her son.

  Andy’s young face stared back from the pictures, a pre-pubescent Andy with a smile on his face—and shadows in his eyes.

  Shadows I would guess came from the same person who’d given him those scars on his back.

  “Are you coming downstairs to look at the case files or not?” Andy asked, his voice tight with impatience.

  I ignored his tone. “Where do your parents live?” I asked.

  “They lived here, but they passed away.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” I nodded at the figurines. “Were those your mother’s?”

  “Yes.”

  He didn’t add anything else. I pushed back a wave of my own frustration. Had he always been this resistant to small talk? “It’s nice that you keep her things around.”

  “Are you ready yet?”

  I pressed my lips together and glanced at Peasblossom for support. She shrugged and I rolled my eyes, following Andy downstairs to the family room.

  “Do you have any siblings?” Peasblossom asked him.

  “No.”

  His cell phone rang. Andy answered it without looking at me, but I could tell from the stiff set of his shoulders that he was just as riled as I was by our failed conversation. Probably for different reasons.

  “Agent Bradford. Yeah.” A pause. “Text me the address.”

  He turned, his face grim. “We have a murder. Let’s go.”

  Chapter 2

  “Who’s the victim?” My knuckles turned white where I gripped the handle of the door on my side of the SUV. My peripheral vision wasn’t the best in the world, but I was certain Andy had missed sideswiping the truck we’d just passed by less than an inch. Considering he was going at least eighty miles an hour, that was unsettling.

  And it had been a big truck.

  “Adrian Varca.” He swerved around another vehicle. The driver opened his mouth in a silent shout, his hand hovering, ready to blare his horn at Andy. One glance at the light flashing above the FBI agent’s car, and his hand fell, his fury burning down to a muted death glare.

  I tried to force a breath into my lungs without gasping, my hands tingling with a stabilization spell just in case the laws of physics caught up to us. “I take it he’s someone important?”

  “He co
uld have been.”

  “Could have been?” I clenched my teeth and tore my eyes from the road to give Andy as much of a witchy look as I could while hurtling over the earth at this speed. “Perhaps you could slow down?”

  “They’ll have handed the case to whatever detective was on call. I want to get there before they’re too attached.”

  “Slow down!” Peasblossom shouted, her voice ringing in my ear thanks to her position pressed against my neck. “You’re going to kill us all before we get there.”

  Andy ignored her, zipping by a sports car painted a red so bright I was sure I’d see spots when I blinked. “Can you do that?” I asked. “Just take over the case?”

  “Adrian is a person of interest in at least six of my cases. If I get there fast and ask very nicely, it won’t be a problem.”

  Peasblossom opened her mouth—probably to offer another opinion on his driving. Before she could get a word out, Andy jerked the wheel, sending the SUV careening down an exit ramp. Peasblossom let out a squeak as she almost tumbled off my shoulder.

  “Andy,” I said sharply. “She’s already injured, and she can’t wear a seatbelt. Slow down, or I will slow you down.”

  Technically, it was an empty threat. Nothing I could do to him or the car would be safe at this speed. But he didn’t need to know that.

  Andy didn’t respond, didn’t even spare a look for me or Peasblossom. He did slow down, but it was hard to tell if it was my threat, or just the fact that we’d left the highway.

  Unease rolled down my spine. Erratic driving wasn’t like Andy. And though there was little doubt in my mind that he drew a very firm line between humans and Otherworlders, he wasn’t usually this inconsiderate either. Something was definitely wrong.

  “Did something happen while I was gone?” I asked quietly. “Are you—”

  “No.”

  He didn’t yell, but there was a sharpness to his tone that stung. The steering wheel groaned as he tightened his grip, speeding down a road that wound around a heavily forested area. The veins in his neck bulged, and the muscle in his jaw knotted as if he were clenching his teeth. Dark circles under his eyes spoke of little sleep. Nightmares maybe? Goddess knew the fey loved nightmares.

  There were no injuries I could see, no fresh scars, no burns, no blemishes. It didn’t look like he’d been tortured, and I was certain if he had gotten in a physical altercation with the kelpies there’d be some mark to tell the tale. I studied the line where his back met the seat, remembering the old scars that covered his skin around his spine. I’d never found a good time to ask him about those scars either…

  “We’re here.”

  I closed my mouth on whatever I’d been about to say and glanced out the window at the house perfectly cradled in a natural crescent of trees at the edge of a thick forest. It was hard to see much of the house itself, surrounded as it was by trees and perched at the end of a long, winding driveway. It wasn’t until we were practically on the porch that I got a good look at the enormous house with unblemished beige siding, bright white trim that looked like it was touched up every other week, and a sprawling hand-crafted stone porch.

  There were already five other vehicles in the driveway, but I barely spared them a glance as I took a deep breath. “Andy—”

  “Nothing happened while you were gone. I’m fine. We’re fine.” He unfastened his seatbelt and jerked his door open, slamming it behind him before I could respond.

  I stared at him, lips parted in shock.

  “Either he just lied to your face, or he’s lying to himself,” Peasblossom muttered.

  “Right,” I said softly. I nodded, resolve coalescing inside me. “That’s it.”

  I unzipped my waist pouch and peered into the shadows of the enchanted compartment. “Bizbee?”

  A tiny face appeared, baby blue eyes squinting up at me as two antennae tipped in soft tufts of light brown fuzz swayed above his head. “Ach, what is it? Can’t ye see I’m in the middle of something?”

  I couldn’t, but that was beside the point. “I’m so sorry to interrupt. I was hoping you could make a note for me. I need to remember to pick up a few potions when this case is over.” I looked up to where Andy stood talking with the officer guarding the front door. “I need to find out what’s been happening with my partner.”

  The grig’s eyes narrowed. “Have ye asked him?”

  I pursed my lips. “Of course.”

  “I’ll make the note. But it would be easier to just ask the lad again. Maybe after a pint or two. There’s naught that can’t be fixed with a pint between friends.”

  “I will certainly consider your advice,” I said dryly.

  Bizbee snorted. “Of course ye will. Teetotaler.”

  The last word carried a derisive sniff, and the grig disappeared into the enchanted pouch. I zipped it closed again before exiting the SUV. “As soon as this case is over, I intend to find out exactly what—”

  “Bug crawled up his bum?” Peasblossom offered.

  I started to argue, then sighed. “Yes.”

  I half-jogged to the front door. Andy was vibrating with impatience by the time I climbed the front steps, and I was somewhat surprised when the officer guarding the door just nodded to me as Andy ushered me inside.

  The young police officer watched me as I walked past him, his expression a combination of curiosity and attempted indifference. I didn’t recognize him, but there was something about the way he studied me that made me think we’d met before.

  “What did you tell him to get him to let me in?” I asked. “How—” I stopped and stood still, frozen in place by the sight that greeted me. “Oh…my.”

  There were animal heads everywhere. Hunting trophies, ranging from deer and coyotes to an enormous moose and a small black bear. Wherever there wasn’t an animal head put on display, there was a photograph. Each of them pictured a small man with curly brown hair and black-rimmed glasses. He dressed in so much hunting gear he looked more like a mannequin from an outdoors shop than a serious sportsman. The man, whom I assumed was Adrian Varca, posed in the photos next to a variety of dead animals. The vaulted ceiling meant high walls and lots of space. Lots of heads, and lots of photos.

  The photo of the dead giraffe was particularly sad.

  “How can anyone feel triumph over killing a giraffe?” Peasblossom demanded.

  An officer looked up at the sound of her voice, pausing with his pen in mid-scratch on the notebook where he seemed to be writing down a witness’ statement. His brown eyes sharpened as he stared at my neck where Peasblossom hid under my hair. The small Asian woman sitting on the broad black leather couch didn’t appear to have heard the pixie, and she frowned at the officer’s sudden shift in attention before following his stare to me.

  “Keep it down,” I said under my breath, trying not to move my lips.

  Something on the floor by the woman’s feet moved, and I blinked as I realized it was a dog. A black lab with a neatly labeled blue jacket that marked it as a service animal. The jacket was much like the one I conjured for Scath when I took her out in her dog glamour. As the dog raised its head, also following the sound of Peasblossom’s voice, I noticed a slight change in the Asian woman’s posture.

  She’d already been sitting with her back straight, but now she raised her chin, her delicate features firming into a mask of pure authority. Immediately the dog lowered its head, resuming its position lying at her feet.

  Interesting.

  Andy didn’t pay the woman or the police officer any attention as he headed straight for the large staircase leading to the second floor. “I’d bet half my pension that Adrian didn’t kill more than ten percent of the animals you see around you. I know for a fact the guide beside him in that picture”—he pointed at a picture halfway up the wall that showed Adrian Varca and another man standing next to an elephant—“shot the elephant himself and let Adrian think it was his shot that finished the beast off.”

  I wrinkled my nose. I didn’t have a
problem with hunting, or even trophy hunting. Most hunters, whatever their motivation for hunting in the first place, found someone to eat the meat if they didn’t eat it themselves. And humans were more likely to protect the land necessary for an animal’s survival if they thought there was money to be made letting people hunt said animals. But there was something about the pictures of Adrian Varca, combined with all the trophies, that made me think there’d been something more sinister to his domination of the animal kingdom.

  Andy nodded to a room at the top of the stairs. “That’s where the body is.”

  I followed him up onto the landing and spotted another uniformed officer standing in front of a closed door. I recognized the uniform before I noticed the patch on his shoulder.

  “The rangers are here?” I asked.

  The ranger in question looked up, and I almost tripped on the top step. He had the greenest eyes I’d ever seen, so bright they didn’t look real. When I got closer, I could see a pattern on his brown skin, so faint I might have dismissed it as my imagination if I hadn’t seen his eyes first. Whorls and ripples like tree bark.

  “You’re a dryad,” I breathed.

  The man froze, glancing from me to Andy, then relaxed just as suddenly. “You must be Mother Renard. And that makes you…Agent Bradford?”

  “I am,” Andy confirmed. “What—”

  A loud snarl from inside the next room cut him off. I jerked back, staring at the door, my heart pounding. The memory of all the animal heads and hunting trophies danced through my mind, filling my imagination with a plethora of possibilities of what might be in that room. Another snarl tightened my nerves, and I winced at the thick sound of two heavy bodies colliding with one another. Whatever was in there, it wasn’t alone.

  The dryad didn’t react to the sounds, didn’t take his eyes off Andy. “We found this in the mouth of one of the hunting trophies downstairs.”

  Andy glanced down at his own business card held between the officer’s fingertips. It had what looked suspiciously like tooth marks on it. Not human. “Adrian had a sense of humor. It amused him that I kept coming after him trying to get him to testify against his clients. He said I was like a dog with a bone and put the card I gave him in the coyote’s mouth.”