Page 20 of Magic Unleashed

Griff leaned back on the couch, arms crossed. “All right. I trust your judgment. When do we meet him?”

Phoenix checked her phone. “He’ll be here soon. I called him earlier.”

“You called him earlier? You don’t think we should have talked about that?”

Phoenix shrugged. “I figured we’d need the extra hands.”

Griff suppressed the need to growl at her. He didn’t like the idea of her calling random men—especially someone like Shadowbane. Standing up, he stretched his arms above his head before walking toward the kitchen. “I’ll make some coffee then. Might as well be caffeinated when we’re talking about demons.”

The casualness of his tone made Phoenix’s heart flutter for a brief moment, but she pushed it aside. There wasn’t room for distractions, not right now.

Ash arrived not long after, sauntering into Griff’s home like he owned the place. Phoenix always marveled at how effortlessly cocky he was. Tall, lean, with a perpetual smirk that could either charm or irritate depending on the situation, Ash had the kind of roguish charisma that made him both infuriating and invaluable. His dark hair fell into his eyes, and the dual knife sheaths at his back, revealed when he removed his jacket, gave him an air of someone always ready for battle—which, in his case, was often true.

“So, this is the famous Detective Broussard,” Ash said, flashing Griff a grin as he dropped into an armchair. “Phoenix talks about you all the time.”

Griff’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t take the bait. “We’ve got a lot to cover, Shadowbane. You up for it?”

Ash chuckled, tossing a casual glance at Phoenix. “Always. But I’m more interested in how you two are holding up. Geneva seems to think there’s something going on between you two.”

“Geneva is demented,” said Phoenix.

“Demons are nasty business,” said Ash, “but what really eats at people is all the tension.” He winked at Phoenix, clearly enjoying himself.

“Focus, Ash,” Phoenix said sharply, though she couldn’t suppress the small smile tugging at her lips. “We need your help with something serious.”

“Right, right,” Ash said, shifting in his seat, his expression sobering. “What’s the latest?”

Phoenix and Griff filled him in on what they’d uncovered—Fontaine’s involvement in demon summonings, the residue they’d found at multiple crime scenes, and their suspicions of something larger at play.

“Geneva can’t identify it?” asked Ash.

“Not so far,” replied Griff.

Ash listened as they continued to bring him up to speed, his easygoing demeanor giving way to the sharp hunter instincts Phoenix knew him for.

“So, you’ve got a lead on another summoning,” Ash said, leaning forward. “That’s good. Bad for us, but good for finding these bastards. We can intercept it.”

“That’s the plan,” Griff said, standing. “We’re tracking down where it’s going to happen, but we’ll need help shutting it down. Whatever they’re summoning, it’s not going to be small.”

Ash’s smirk returned. “No worries. I live for this shit.”

Phoenix rolled her eyes. “Before we head out, we need to stop by Geneva’s office. I want her to analyze the residue we found at the last scene, see if she can confirm at least that it’s the same as the others. That’ll help us tie everything together.”

Ash stood, adjusting the straps of his holsters. “Geneva, huh? I could do that. Smart girl, your sister, and she’s got all that long, dark hair. Gives a man all kinds of notions.”

“You keep your notions about my sister to yourself,” snarled Phoenix.

Ash chuckled. “Probably not really my type. She seems a little uptight—although those glasses...”

Phoenix shot him a warning glance. “Behave yourself.”

“Me? Always.” Ash chuckled.

When they arrived at the morgue where Geneva worked, Phoenix immediately noticed the familiar scent of antiseptic and magic mingling in the air. Geneva had set up a small, private lab for her own work—usually connected to supernatural cases like this one. As they entered, Geneva was already bent over a microscope, examining a sample.

She didn’t look up when she spoke. “You’re late.”

Time for a little payback.“We brought company.”

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