Page 7

Chapter Four

ETHAN

I pace back and forth in my kitchen, irritation thrumming through me so intensely there’s no way I can keep still.

Raj is perched on a stool at the breakfast bar as he sips his coffee with frustrating calmness. “He can’t be that bad.”

“Oh, he is. The victims’ families were reluctant to even let me in the house, yet they welcomed Ayo with tears and hugs, offered him tea and biscuits, and refused to answer any questions unless he repeated what I’d literally just asked.

” I pace some more, shaking my hands out to try to get rid of some of this pent-up feeling.

“So… you’re annoyed because he’s doing exactly what we hired him for?”

“Yes! No. It’s not just that. The police officer guarding the alley the other day? Hugged the guy. Supe businesses in the Southern Quarter? Same thing. Hugs, would only talk to him about Frida Clemens, and eyed me with suspicion. And he sings in the fucking car. Sings , Raj.”

Raj hides his smile behind his mug, but I can smell how amused he is. “Kit and Jet sing in the car too.”

I wave that off. “That’s different.”

“Because…”

“They’re my team.”

“So is Ayo.”

I scowl at him and ignore that last part. The cute-as-hell magic-user works for me. That doesn’t make him one of the team.

“And why didn’t you tell me he’s a sorcerer?” I stop pacing at Raj’s startled look. “You didn’t know?”

“Uh… no. His power level didn’t come up in the interview, since that’s not what we’re hiring him for. Wow. Fuck.”

I snort and sit next to Raj, cradling my mug in my hands. Raj doesn’t often swear, so it always amuses me when he does. It’s enough to calm the worst of my frustration, at least.

Ranting to Raj while under-caffeinated probably isn’t fair to him, but it’s far from the first time.

We’ve been talking first thing in the morning every day since we left the SAS, even though he doesn’t live in the same building and we don’t actually work seven days a week.

It’s something we started doing when we were still in the army, and it’s a ritual I value more than he knows.

“Have you ever met a sorcerer who wasn’t an enemy?” I ask him.

He blows out a breath, swirling the dregs of his coffee around the mug. “A few mages before I enlisted, but no, never a sorcerer. He told you?”

I shake my head. “Didn’t have to. I could smell him performing magic when I met him. There were no herbs, charms, runes, or so much as murmured words.”

Sorcerers are the only category of magic-user that can perform magic that way.

“Badass.”

I snort. “Yeah.”

“If he’s that powerful, why isn’t Nyoka using him? Even at his age, surely he should be more than an admin.”

It’s a good point; one I don’t have an answer to. “You see now why I’m concerned he could be a spy?”

“Yeah.” Raj sighs. “He’s helping though, right? From what you’ve said, we wouldn’t even know the little we do about these victims without him.”

“That’s the only reason he’s still here. Just don’t let your guard down, okay? We can’t trust him.”

“Understood.” Raj drains the last of his coffee. “What does your wolf think of him?”

He had to go and ask the difficult question. “Sits up and pays attention whenever Ayo is around.”

Raj side-eyes me, but like hell am I giving him any more than that.

It’s not relevant to how trustworthy or not the sorcerer is that my wolf wants to get closer to him, that my gaze is drawn to Ayo’s full lips and huge brown eyes.

My friend definitely doesn’t need to know I have to restrain a growl every time someone hugs the man.

Which is way more often than I can tolerate. As evidenced by my tantrum just now.

Fuck.

Reaching for a distraction, I drain my coffee in several big gulps then stand. “Let’s get going. The pathologist can meet with me this morning, and I want a quick review of the Whitman job before I go.”

Ayo smells nervous, and my wolf doesn’t like it. Despite my suspicions about the sorcerer, I don’t actually want to traumatise him by forcing him to see the remains of one or more of his people.

I pull my car key out of my pocket and hold it out to him. “Go wait in the car.”

He blinks up at me, takes a deep breath, and shakes his head. “I’ll be fine. Thank you, though.”

“This isn’t going to be pleasant, Ayo.”

He swallows hard. “I know. And I apologise in advance if I throw up or something. I just… I need to know how they died. I’m really grateful you’re letting me be part of all this. Nyoka shelters me too much. I know you probably don’t need me for this, but please don’t send me away.”

It’s the pleading that does it. I pocket the car key and clench my jaw to stop myself from offering some kind of reassurance. My wolf nudges me, wanting me to make Ayo feel better.

Fortunately, a handsome young white man in scrubs comes into the reception area we were asked to wait in.

He smells supernatural, definitely not human, but I can’t place his species by scent.

Which is unusual. I thought I’d encountered every species by now.

Unless he’s from the fae realm? That’s possible, although he definitely doesn’t smell fae.

Ayo’s eyes light up with recognition. “Doc P, what are you doing here?”

I suppress a sigh. Of course he knows the forensic pathologist, although I can’t imagine how.

The man gives Ayo a slight smile. “It’s good to see you, Ayo. I didn’t realise you have a new employer.”

He looks at me, which Ayo takes as his cue. “Right. Doctor Payton, this is Ethan Lupo of Soldati Security.”

I shake hands with the man, no further along in figuring out his species but slightly more inclined to like him since he didn’t hug Ayo. “Thank you for meeting with us.”

“Of course. Follow me.” He leads us down a maze of corridors to a room with a keypad entry. He blocks the keypad from view with his body as he types in the code, then ushers us into the cool, sterile lab. There’s a body on the table in the centre, covered by a sheet.

Ayo’s mahogany skin turns an odd colour. “I’ll just face this wall right here.”

He turns around and starts reading the large whiteboard on the wall. Then quickly realises what he’s reading and turns to face a desk in the corner instead, which is empty except for a clipboard with paperwork attached. Points to him for not just running out of the room.

Doc P eyes him for a few moments as he washes his hands and snaps on a pair of gloves. Seemingly satisfied that Ayo isn’t about to pass out, he turns his attention to me. “Have you seen something like this before?”

“Not in this environment, but I’m former SAS.”

He gives me a tight nod. “If you need me to cover her back up at any time, tell me.”

With that, he removes the sheet. The victim’s head comes into view first, revealing a blonde woman.

The rest of her body is uncovered, and I’m glad I didn’t eat breakfast this morning.

I’ve seen the photos of the bodies of the previous two victims, of course, but it’s different having one right in front of you in this condition.

Frida Clemens was shredded. It’s the only way to describe what’s left of her.

Doc P leaves the sheet just next to her feet. “Ayo, would you mind putting up a silencing ward?”

I raise my eyebrows as the scent of magic fills the air. Doc P waits for Ayo’s quiet “Done” before he speaks again. “Thank you. This will allow me to speak more openly without risk of being overheard by one of my human colleagues.”

“Understood. I appreciate that.”

Doc P points to the victim’s abdomen. “As you can see, this was likely done by a shifter. The evidence points to her stomach being the location of the first lacerations. Any shifter with claws could have caused this damage.”

“Can you tell which species?”

Doc P shakes his head. “No, the damage is too extensive. There’s nowhere left with a single clean claw wound to get an indication of claw size, which was probably their intention.

There are also no clear indications of defensive wounds, so she was likely taken by surprise, but with the condition of the body, defensive wounds could have been destroyed on purpose. Some of these occurred after death.”

“But this is what killed her? What we can see?” I try to word what I’m saying carefully because Ayo is starting to smell upset, and it’s distracting.

“Yes. Here.” Doc P points to the centre of her chest. “She would have died from the wounds she received prior to this point if left, but this killed her instantly.”

“What did?” Ayo’s voice is quiet but determined.

Doc P and I exchange a glance. I give him a slight nod, and he watches Ayo’s back carefully. “The murderer broke her ribs, then clawed deep enough to reach her vital organs, including her heart.”

Ayo doesn’t say a word, but his scent intensifies before he rushes from the room. I start to follow him without thinking, but Doc P’s voice stops me.

“If I may, Ethan… give him a minute.”

My wolf doesn’t like that idea at all, but the human part of me agrees with the doc. Ayo and I barely know each other, and it would be better to finish this so that when I check on Ayo, I don’t have to leave him alone again to come back in here.

It takes longer than I would like for my feet to obey me and return to the autopsy table. “Let’s get this done.”

I locate Ayo in the reception area, a cardboard cup of crappy vending machine tea cradled in his trembling hands. My wolf whines as soon as I set eyes on him, the misery in Ayo’s scent setting me on edge.

Perhaps finishing up with Doc P was the wrong decision. Fuck, I might not trust the sorcerer, but he is still my employee, and if it were one of the others I’d be over there already, scenting them and making sure they were okay.