Page 354 of Castings & Curses

There was a reason she was good at this job, but damn, she had enough scars, damn it. She didn’t need more.

Avery and Cappelli had caught up to her when she was hip deep in the water herself. The siren song of the deep had been calling and she didn’t want to think about what might have happened if they hadn’t gotten there when they did.

She’d grabbed her bag and changed while Cappelli filled up the car.

Cappelli opened the driver’s side door and got behind the wheel without looking at her.

“What is wrong with you?”

“Excuse me?” Devi stuttered, blinking at the vehemence in her voice.

“You’re my partner, for tonight at least. Like it or not, I need to know if you’re going to get suicidal, or whatever the hell that was, with every tough case we work.”

“No.”

“Well, what was that?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

And she didn’t. One minute she had been on the shore, and the next she was wading deep into the water.

“So, you always keep a change of clothes in your bag?”

“It’s kind of the nature of the beast.”

Cappelli winced.

“I know. Bad joke. But it kind of applies, don’t you think?”

“I guess.”

It was going to be a long night.

“Need some coffee?” Cappelli started the car, waiting for her answer.

“No. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Suit yourself.”

Devi scooped her silvery white hair up into a messy up do and uncapped her rarely used lipstick. She stared at the crimson shade, her mind traveling back to when Kate first gave her the silver tube.

Kate.

Goddess she missed her.

It had been three years, but the sting of it still felt like yesterday.

Yeah. And whose fault was that?

Every time she picked the lipstick up, the zip of Kate’s magic flowed over her like kisses on her skin and she was lost.

Bitterness twisted in her gut.

She had been damned if she did, and damned if she didn’t.

Being a cop meant being her own person, not an extension of someone else. But no one understood and she had no choice but to walk. away.

So why did she still miss her so fucking much?

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