Page 9 of Soulbound Shadows: Part 1

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I was looking for dark magic,” Evangeline said before she grabbed something from her jacket pocket and held it out to me. It was a contraption of black plastic covered with bright, blinking lights. “This thing is supposed to guide me to it. As soon as I got close to the source, though, two guys ran past me scared out of their minds and told me that there was someone trying to fight off a group of vampires.” She nudged one of the unconscious vampires with the toe of her shoe. “Seems like they made the situation sound a lot more dangerous than it actually was.”

“That remains to be seen,” I said. One of the vampires was still conscious enough to be groaning faintly, and I knelt over him, pressing my hand to his temple. His thoughts were muddled and hazy from whatever he and his friends had drunk, but I couldn’t find any trace of a larger plan, just dumb animal hunger, and the urge to hurt something.

“What are you doing?” Evangeline asked. The way she watched me made me feel like she was taking mental notes.

“Reading his mind. Making sure he’s not part of something bigger.”

“Vampires can do that?” She sounded incredulous.

“Only a few of us. The stronger the vampire, the easier it is for them to read someone. Skin contact can magnify it, which is useful when you’re dealing with someone in a state like this. His mind is far from clear at the moment.”

“Sounds useful,” Evangeline said. There was something in her tone I couldn’t quite put my finger on. “Can you use it on anyone?”

I glanced up at her. “Technically. Although many of the older vampires have learned to guard their thoughts, and fae are dangerous to read. Their thoughts are so chaotic, it’s easy to get lost. I prefer not to use it on anyone humanoid… unless it’s a case like this, however.” I straightened up.

Evangeline’s eyes were very green in the moonlight. I put one hand behind my back and clenched it into a fist where she wouldn’t be able to see it.

“Did you really think it was wise for you to come out into the forest alone in the middle of the night?” I asked.

Evangeline gave me an extremely unimpressed look. “I can take care of myself,” she said. “Just ask him if you don’t believe me.” She kicked the vampire she’d knocked out.

“Still,” I said stiffly. “These woods can be dangerous.”

“Yeah, well, if the big bad wolf came to get me, it’d have to answer to Sal,” she said.

“I… have no idea who you’re talking about.”

She shook her head, and the coppery curls that had escaped from her bun bounced with the motion. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Not somebody your type would hang around.”

“My type.”

“Yeah,” Evangeline said. “You know. Tall, dead, and mysterious. Pretentious. Pompous.”

“Pompous?” I repeated incredulously. “I’ll have you know that I consider myself a man of the people. I spend a lot of time among the common folk.”

“Okay, see, it’s saying things like that that makes you seem pompous,” she said. “And I can’t help but notice that you didn’t try to defend yourself from the pretentiousness accusation.”

“Well,” I said. “Well.” I was suddenly incredibly grateful I’d changed out of my court clothes. If I’d had to argue I wasn’t pretentious while wearing a vintage silk brocade cape, I probably would have just staked myself in the chest to avoid the embarrassment. I cleared my throat. “Why were you out hunting dark magic in the first place?”

“The case I’m on,” Evangeline said. “There’s this artifact that stores magic. If it’s full of dark magic, it’ll have to have a pretty big energy signature. I thought it might be worth a try to map areas with a lot of dark magic… maybe try and triangulate a general area to search in.”

“And you’re using… that?” I asked, pointing at the little plastic box.

“That’s the plan.”

“It won’t work,” I said bluntly.

“You have no way of knowing that.” She bristled. “This is my job, all right? I’m a professional.”

I raised a hand in a way I hoped was placating. “The device,” I said. “May I see it?”

Evangeline glared at me but tossed me the box. When I caught it, it was still warm from her touch. As soon as the little device got closer to me, every single one of the lights turned on and stayed on.

“Vampires were made with dark magic,” I said. “We still contain traces of it. If this little thing can’t distinguish between different kinds of dark magic, it’ll just lead you to vampires and any witch selling petty hexes.”

“What do you think I should do, then, since you’re such an expert?” she asked.

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