Page 86 of Spit

Katalina said nothing.

Legion arched a brow expectantly.

Anna-Risa swallowed the lump in her throat but did not speak.

Legion rolled up the sleeve of his charcoal suit. The action was innocent enough, but it read as a threat.I don’t want to get my cuffs dirty when I cut your skin from your bones.

Anna-Risa’s eyes flicked to each of us, searching for an out and not finding one.

“I received a ransom note this morning with traces of your magic on the paper.” Legion continued calmly. “Perhaps start with that.”

“I don’t—” Anna-Risa stopped herself. “I’m just a phlebotomist. I’ve got a bit of magic, so they call me a blood witch, but I’m trained to take blood. I used to work in a hospital. Please—”

“Have you written or delivered anything recently? Handled ink that may have picked up some of your magic?” Katalina asked, pleading with her friend.

Anna-Risa shook her head. Her mass of curls fell in her face, and she pushed them away. “No.”

The demons stared at the older woman for a moment, seeming to communicate without words.

Finally, Sev nodded, agreeing with an unspoken statement, and Legion turned back to the frozen woman.

“Do not collect any more blood for Magicktek,” Legion demanded.

“But—” she argued.

Legion continued, speaking over her protests. “If you require money, you may become part of Hemlock House and join the coven there. Katalina can give you more details.” Legion nodded once, his message delivered before he turned on his Italian dress shoes and marched away, leaving the rest of us to follow.

Anna-Risa smacked her lips together, glaring at Katalina. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” She said accusingly.

Oof. That sounded ominous.

Katalina met her eyes. “You should come to Hemlock House.” She told her friend before turning and following Legion.

No one spoke until we stepped onto the street.

“I think she was telling the truth,” Katalina said to no one. “Thank you for offering her asylum.”

Legion tipped his head, acknowledging her gratitude.

“That explains the coven in the basement,” I said, squinting at the bright sun overhead.

Sev nudged my middle. “What? You thought Legion had a harem?”

“Something like that,” I mumbled, avoiding his eyes.

“Right!” Sev clapped his hands together, grinning. “Why do we do now? Cocktails? Dancing?”

Legion answered by holding up another scrap of paper. “We visit a blood bank.”

The blood bank was a bust. A rotten hole in the wall filled with delirious women drained dry by top-of-the-range medical equipment in a hovel.

Visibly disturbed, the moment I tried to rouse one of the women, Legion stopped me.

“They signed a contract.” He told me, pointing to the paperwork on the side of the medical bed. “It’s magically binding.”

“They didn’t sign up for this,” I whispered, the sour smell of unwashed bodies in my nose. The women, the witches, were unaware of us even as we stood over them talking.

“None of this equipment belongs to Magicktek.” Sev strode up, holding an oxygen canister that had the brand scratched out. “Their logo is tamper-proof. It can’t be removed to avoid people price gouging or stealing their products and passing them off as their own.”

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