Free mission magic 01 - the incubus job by Diana Pharaoh Francis Page B

gore,” I said. “You’d think someone would have noticed that. You’d also think there’d be a blood trail. He couldn’t have done this without at least getting blood on his shoes. Unless he flew.”
    “A possibility,” Law said and I could see him reviewing likely culprits in his mind. He frowned. “There aren’t any voids, though.”
    He was right. Even if the murderer were hovering in the air, his body would have blocked the arterial spray and left blank spots somewhere on the walls, ceiling, or floors. Which brought us back to magic, which we already knew and told us nothing about the killer.
    The only magical remnants from the murder that I could feel were the whirling confetti of pleasure-infused terror. It was deliberate. Whoever had done this wanted investigators to know that the incubus had suffered and the killer had enjoyed every excruciating moment. It was a message of some kind.
    “I don’t know that there’s anything else to find here. Maybe we should head upstairs.”
    Law nodded. “I have the incubus’s room number. I fetched you before I went to see it.”
    I felt my cheeks heat as I remembered just what had happened after he’d found me in the club. He was watching me, but instead of looking smug, he looked troubled.
    “What’s wrong?” I asked.
    “Whoever killed the incubus was targeting him. Finding him, luring him down here—it was well planned.”
    I nodded, my brow furrowing. This was reasonably obvious. “Yeah?”
    Law grimaced. “If he is after the stolen box, you’ll be going after him.”
    “That’s the job,” I said.
    “This thing is dangerous,” he said.
    I was beginning to see where this was going, and anger rolled through me. “It is.” I offered nothing more. I was going to see if he was really going to jump off this bridge.
    He was.
    “What if you can’t handle it?” he asked bluntly.
    It was a fair question, and if it had been anyone else but him asking, I’d probably have taken it better. As it was, all I knew was that he was doubting me, questioning my ability. Maybe because of the Ammit demon and lich incidents or maybe because I’d failed to grab the box already. Maybe the ghosts made him think I was weak. Maybe he just didn’t think I was good enough.
    “I guess if I can’t handle it, I’ll end up painting the walls like the incubus,” I said. “Let’s hope I’m better than that.”
    Law dragged his fingers through his hair. “Damn it, Mal! This is serious.”
    “I’m well aware of that, Law,” I snapped. “I just didn’t realize that you had such a low opinion of my skills.”
    He gripped my shoulders, jerking me against him. “This has nothing to do with your skills, and you know it,” he seethed. “We don’t know what this thing is, but we know it’s smart and it’s dangerous. What makes you think you can handle it by yourself?”
    I shoved myself back. He extended his arms but didn’t let go. “What makes you think I can’t?” I demanded.
    “I don’t think so, but I also don’t know that you can. For one, you’ve decided you’re anti killing. All well and good, but that handicaps you whether you like it or not. For two—” He broke off.
    I waited, chin jutting stubbornly. He didn’t continue.
    “That’s it? I don’t kill so I’m doomed to fail? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” This time I succeeded in pushing out of his grasp. “Good thing I broke our partnership up when I did. I knew you wouldn’t trust me to guard your back anymore.”
    Saying that out loud lanced a hurt I’d been hiding from for years. The same reason I was content to work solo. I only risked my own life now. What if he was right? What if my unwillingness to kill an enemy got him killed? My life was my own to pay but his? Even now the thought of his getting hurt or worse because I failed to kill an enemy sent a shiver of horror down my spine.
    “I trust you with my life,” he said. “But what if the only way to handle