Page 84 of Sigils & Spells

“Why don’t you take her out to the site?” Harding took the plastic sleeve from Aidan, squeezed the sides, and held it out to me. I dropped the charm inside. “And show her. The University isn’t far from here. I’ll walk over and talk to Professor Girard.”

“Hey!” Scarlett slapped her hand against the counter. “What’s so important about this bike?”

Everyone, including the nosy customers lurking around us, turned to stare at her.

“It’s a missing person case.” A growl infused Court’s voice, raising the fine hairs on my arms. “That’s all you need to know.”

“Ms. Girard. Would you come with me, please?” Aidan asked.

“Priya and I have the store.” Scarlett nudged me. “Go on.”

CHAPTER3

I hadn’t expectedto be nervous riding in a police car. The coded dispatch calls and answering responses didn’t concern me. It wasn’t Aidan’s driving. He navigated the black Ford Taurus in a quiet, competent manner, never deviating from the posted speed limit. It was my keen awareness of him that rattled me. When I wasn’t sneaking glances at his profile like a smitten teenager, my eyes lingered on his broad hands, precisely placed at ten and two o’clock on the steering wheel. My imagination plagued me with thigh-clenching speculation whether those strong hands would be smooth or roughened as they stroked over my skin. Even when I reined in my overactive imagination, within the confined space the mossy wood scent of his cologne proved a heady distraction.

The prolonged silence between us, as he negotiated through the traffic, scratched at my nerves. I toyed with the hem of my silky shirt. The swirls of color were lovely, but right now I needed the calming reassurance from one of my no-nonsense, neutral-toned classics.

“Can you” —I cleared my dry as dust throat— “tell me anything about the missing person?”

“Jonah Budney. He’s eighteen, a freshman at Kingston U. Plays for the school’s soccer team. Lives in the dorms. He works two days a week at his uncle’s pharmacy. When he didn’t show up for his shift, the uncle called Jonah’s parents. When they couldn’t track him down, they called their alpha. Twenty-four hours later, they notified us.”

“His poor parents. They must be frantic.”

“They are.”

“I didn’t expect you to give me so much information.”

“We had an audience at the store.”

Aidan slowed as we approached a vacant lot. He parallel-parked between two trucks.

The long stretch of open ground, comprised mostly of crabgrass and creeping Charlie, had a land-for-sale-or-lease sign posted near the street and yellow crime scene tape staked around one of the recently planted birch trees. Newly constructed apartments in varying degrees of completion bookended the empty lot. The closest one was little more than a forest of two-by-fours with construction workers hammering and sawing away. Across the street, there were three apartment buildings—at least partially occupied based on the number of cars in the parking lots. At the end of the long block, a billboard listed the various amenities offered to entice new renters.

This wasn’t a seventeen hundred-square-foot home. Looking for a nickel-sized charm in this vast area would be like looking for a needle in a haystack for me. My jittery fingers fumbled with the seatbelt. “Did someone see Jonah out here?”

We were on the eastern edge of Kingston. Shifters tended to live in the city’s northern and western regions. While witches weren’t as confined to a geographic area, by and large, we still congregated into isle-like capsules filled with magic users. There were some blended neighborhoods, but this area wasn’t one of them.

“No. My magic drew me here.”

“You’re a Seeker?”

“I am.” He got out of the car. “Before you ask, no I can’t find buried treasure or your missing cell phone or a lost dog for you. People only.”

I’d known a Seeker in college. She’d always worn gloves. During a group project, I learned her control over her seeking magic was intermittent. Without gloves, her magic randomly sparked, swamping her with information about the last person who’d handled the object. Ignoring the urge to track them down inevitably led to her skin itching as if she’d wallowed around in poison ivy. She’d born it all with a grace I’d admired.

I scrambled out of the car. A warm breeze carried the scent of fresh tar from a patchwork of repair jobs down the street. “I’m not trying to be nosy.” I absolutely was. “Do you use a focus to locate people?”

“When I was younger, I needed a personal item, something that held sentimental value in order to track.” He strode over to the taped-off area. “I still orient myself with those objects as well as immediate family and/or close friends. Once I’ve caught the essence of the individual I don’t need a focal element.” Aidan pointed to a yellow flag rippling in the breeze. “I tripped over the concealed bike’s tire there.”

I scanned the immediate area. I didn’t see any glinting metal among the weeds, nor did I feel anything. Not even a ping of magic.

“Do you sense anything?”

“No.” I didn’t want to question the police force’s search efforts, but I’d honestly expected to find they’d overlooked other charms. It didn’t make sense. One charm couldn’t cover an entire bike. There had to be more.

“We’ve been over that patch of ground with a fine tooth comb.” He nodded to the taped-off area. “We need to know if there are any more active spells. Let’s go over this open area, then around the buildings. You lead and I’ll follow.”

“All right.” I went to the right, heading for the newer construction. The only thing I felt was the warmth of the sun.

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