Electric Heat (5 page)

“Where did you go?” Durant’s hands were knotted into fists,
no doubt to keep from shaking the answer out of her.

She blinked to clear the last of the vision. Her mouth had
gone bone dry, and she licked her parched lips, struggling to answer him in a
way that wouldn’t freak him out. “The past, I think.”

Durant’s brows lowered ominously, and he looked ready to
scoop her up into the safety of his arms.

“I’m fine.” She smiled to cover her unease. “I accidently stepped
in a ghost and saw a snippet of his murder.”

 Chapter Four

“
O
h,
well, if that’s all.” Though Durant’s voice revealed no inflection, a muscle flexed
in his jaw.

“The murder happened a long time ago.” She tried to brush it
off, but immediately noticed he was having none of it. Taking another tack, Raven
prodded his back to get him moving forward, placing her own feet with more care
this time. “We’d better hurry, or we’ll be late for dinner.”

They entered the large ballroom, now converted into a
cafeteria of sorts. The decor was clearly original to the house, the wallpaper
unchanged. It was as if she had stepped through time.

Most of the students were already eating, all of them older
than she would have expected. Although a few appeared curious about their arrival,
the majority of the students dismissed them out of hand, while the rest didn’t
seem to even notice. The unpleasant smell of cafeteria food thickened the air,
but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

“This way.”

She followed Durant’s example and filled her plate. As they
walked toward an empty table, she noticed there wasn’t any available space on
his dish, the food piled so high it spilled over onto the tray. They barely sat
down when a small group of girls walked into the room and grabbed their food.

They giggled, rudely staring at Durant as they neared, then
one of the girls stopped, forcing the rest to halt as well.

Raven stilled, instantly on alert.

“He doesn’t belong at the table.” The girl smirked as she removed
a bowl from her tray and set it on the floor. “Here, kitty-kitty.”

Raven went taut, ready to lunge across the table. Durant gave
a tiny warning shake of his head. He bent, scooped up the bowl and smiled,
flashing his fangs. “Thanks.”

A couple of the girls squealed and leapt back, but the one
in charge narrowed her eyes at the challenge before she led her small band of
stuck-up princesses away.

Raven’s blood boiled at the insult, and she barely resisted
following to teach them a lesson. They headed toward a table at the front of
the room. As they neared, the occupants scrambled to vacate, but one boy wasn’t
fast enough. The leader of the group leaned over and shoved the poor guy’s tray
of food to the floor while her friends laughed.

“Don’t do it.”

Raven blinked innocently. “Do what?”

The girls were fools if they thought she was helpless. Raven
reached for her core before she remembered there was nothing left. The reminder
was an annoyance. She might not be able to use her own power, but that didn’t
mean she was defenseless. She noted the plug-ins behind the main table, and
drew down hard and fast.

Electricity forked through the room, and she directed it
toward the lead table.

Sparks arched up the metal legs.

Within seconds, the girls launched to their feet with a
collective squeal, rubbing their asses while they scurried away, dumping trays
of food over themselves in their haste.

Raven smothered her smile and dropped her gaze to her food.
Durant snorted and continued to eat. The room grew eerily quiet. Some of the
kids smiled, a few others snickered.

Much to her surprise, the creature gave a snort as well, seemingly
to approve of her petty revenge.

The girls marched past them, heads held high, humiliation
burning in their cheeks as they headed out the door…all but one.

The lead girl stopped at their table, hatred fizzing around
her like the buzz of an annoying insect. “You did this.”

The whole room fell silent, all eyes on them.

“Prove it.” Magic swelled around Raven, the air turning
overly sweet until her teeth ached.

“They’re guests of the coven.” A young male, probably just
short of graduating, strolled boldly up to their table, tossing an apple in the
air before catching it. He was thin, his blond hair short in the back and
styled longer in the front. There was something gregarious about the boy that
made Raven want to smile and invite him to sit with them. “You’re already
pushing the boundaries, Paige.”

The girl spun to face him, wrath darkening her eyes, her
long blonde hair whipping out in her agitation. “Mind your own business,
wizard.”

“Of course.” He bowed, then his eyes lit with mischief. “You
have something on your dress.” Then with a perfectly straight face, he pulled a
noodle off her skirt.

A scream of rage escaped behind the girl’s clenched teeth.
Magic rippled in the air, knocking the boy on his ass.

Raven shot to her feet, but the girl had already turned,
storming across the room toward the door. By the time Raven reached the kid’s
side, he was already on his feet, a little wisp of smoke curling up from his
chest where the stuck-up princess had struck him with a hex. “Are you all
right?”

The boy shrugged and pulled out a necklace. The small metal
charm was now charred beyond recognition. “She does it about once a week. If
she hadn’t done it now, she’d have found a different excuse to do it later.”

The reply baffled Raven. “Why?”

The kid appeared startled, his eyebrows inching up his face.
“Because she’s a witch, and I’m only a wizard.”

The answer meant absolutely nothing to her. “Explain.”

Dawning understanding crossed his face. “A witch can harness
and cast magic. A wizard can only manipulate existing magic. We’re considered
second-class citizens. Only the best of us are allowed to train here. They
resent having us in their classes.”

Curiosity got the better of her. “Train for what?”

“The witches are being trained in how to cast. The rest of
us are shown how to make potions and amulets to sell. We work in the specialty
shops for humans.”

He appeared resigned to his fate.

“Like wizards are the working class compared to their
royalty?”

A smile quirked his lips at the analogy. “Exactly.” Another
bell gonged in the distance. “I’d better go. Good luck.”

He straightened abruptly, flashed a smile that would seduce
many a women in a year or two, and walked backwards. “I’m Luca, by the way.”

Raven watched him leave, his blond head blending in with the
rest of the students. Despite her determination not to like the witches, Luca
had charmed her. He reminded her that not all witches were the same. Just like
any other species, people here were both good and bad.

Her presence on campus suddenly became clear. She’d been selected
to find a killer. Someone on campus was murdering witches. It was the only thing
that could possibly explain why they’d invite someone like her into their coven
and school.

When the cafeteria was empty, Raven noticed Heloise waiting
by the door.

She stiffened and wondered if the whole show had been a setup.

“If you’ve finished, please follow me.”

Durant rose, coming on silent feet to stand by her side. As
they followed the witch, Raven realized the entire house was a warren of secret
passageways and rooms. But after a few minutes with no rhyme or reason to its
architecture, it became more like a carnival funhouse. “It’s magic.”

The woman turned her head slightly. “Only part of it.”

“Why are we here?” She’d had enough games. She wanted this case
over and done with while she still had time.

“The coven is in trouble.”

Raven didn’t say anything for a moment. The witches here
were the best of the best. What kind of murderer stalked the grounds that would
force them to seek outside help? To say they were a select and secretive
organization was putting it mildly. People with even a lick of magic were
inducted into a coven, whether they wanted it or not.

Those who protested, those who wanted out, were never seen
again…if they were lucky. The few who had been found after a coven was through
with them had been stripped of everything—their powers, their money, and often their
minds.

Being invited to the coven couldn’t be good for her health.

“Why me?”

They continued down the hall, until they came to a set of
double doors. Heloise didn’t pause as she pushed them open and strode into the
room.

Raven took a step to follow, and stopped short when she
detected a slight hum of magic in the air.

Wards.

Raven hesitated, but no amount of standing there would tell
her whether the magic was malevolent or not. And queen bitch wasn’t sharing.

Durant nudged her aside. “Let me go first.”

Raven scowled, liking his suggestion even less. When he lifted
his foot to cross over the threshold, she placed her hand on his shoulder and stepped
into the room at his side. Magic washed over her, the sticky cobwebs clinging
to her until they were five feet into the room before sloughing off.

“Are we going to have to go through this every time I want
answers?”

Heloise glanced up from her papers. “The wards were created
decades ago. They inform me when I have visitors, and if they have malicious
intent. It also soundproofs the office and makes it impossible for anyone to
eavesdrop by other means. They’re not easily dismantled, so I am disinclined to
take them down just to cater to your delicate sensibilities.”

Raven grudgingly accepted the explanation. She scanned the
office, and her eyes were drawn to an old portrait of a woman who looked
vaguely familiar. The second woman from her vision. Written on a plaque beneath
was the name Marie Laveau. Despite herself, Raven was impressed. “You’re
related to the voodoo queen.”

Heloise snorted as if finding the whole thing ridiculous.
“Everyone from Louisiana claims they’re a long lost relative.”

Raven flushed at the remark, feeling a little foolish, then
focused on the mission. “Why are we here?”

“We need help, and the coven has voted to seek outside
assistance. The decision was not unanimous.” Those dark eyes of hers were
direct and unflinching.

Something about her stiffness made Raven distinctively
uneasy.

“You wanted us here.” Despite all her snootiness, Heloise
had voted to bring them on the case. That was the last thing Raven had
expected.

The woman gave a regal nod. “Someone is hunting us and
stealing our magic. Our resources are limited. We need someone who can sense
magic and remain unaffected.”

There was more to it, though.

“Why me?” Raven couldn’t keep her suspicions from coloring
her voice. There was more happening than what she was being told. The sense of
a cage door closing behind her left Raven with the feeling she was never going
to be permitted to leave.

“You have a reputation. You’re efficient. Discreet.” There
was a smidge of respect in the witch’s voice, also a certain pleasure in being
able to answer without revealing anything of value.

The tight twist of Heloise’s lips spoke volumes. Raven wasn’t
going to get any more out of her. So instead, she focused on what wasn’t being
said. “And if I can’t find your suspect—”

“Killer.” The witch’s voice was flat. “If you take a witch’s
magic, you kill them.”

Although she desperately wanted to learn more about her own
situation, Raven bit her lip to keep from asking questions. The last thing she
needed was for them to be even more suspicious about her.

She suspected she already knew the answer anyway.

The creature had stolen her energy.

There was no going back for her that didn’t involve death.

“What happens if I haven’t captured your killer when my week
is up?”

“We have our own checks and balances. We’ve requested other
assistance, but it’s unavailable at the moment. They said they would send
someone as soon as possible.” Her mouth tightened in annoyance at being denied.
“We can’t wait that long.”

A heavy fist pounded on the door, and a young man charged
into the room. “You have to come quick.”

Heloise inhaled deeply as she rose to her feet, the sound infinitely
weary. “What is it this time?”

“One of the familiars has gone feral and is on a rampage.”