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"Good Then I’d say we’re not looking for a witch, either"

She replaced some of the bottles she’d removed from the shelf and took down a metal plate that had little feet on the underside to prop it up, and then waved in, I want to remind you there is only a very small chance this ork And I cannot assume responsibility for any unforeseen consequences that ot it"

She frowned "I know you must miss your partner But this is a tricky spell in the best of tiardless of outcorabbed Amanda’s brush from the floor and set it next to where she knelt She pulled a city map from a small stack on the shelf and unfolded it, and then set the paper on the floor to her left She placed the small metal plate in the middle of the circle, on top of the symbol, and duh surface

Natalie whispered a word and lit a wooden match "Kneel," she ordered

As I knelt across from her, she tossed the match onto the plate

The pile of tinder exploded into a se, which co into h to clear the taste from my throat, but it didn’t help

Natalie closed her eyes andI couldn’t make out She pulled a handful of Amanda’s hair from the brush and tossed it onto the fire A fewher palripped her hands in mine

"Close your eyes"

I closed therew stronger, burning their way down s

"Concentrate Visualize your partner, what she meant to you, how much you miss her"

Amanda’s face filled rin and steady personality, her long hair and devotion to her job Her wide, unblinking eyes Her tangled hair hanging over the edge of her bed

I sed around the luuide your intent Concentrate on him The killer who took her from you Feel how much you need to find him"

I forced ht of him, the man who killed her How badly I wanted to return the favor I felt it all The pain and rage and fear It was as if Natalie had opened a floodgate, and maybe she had, perhaps that was part of the spell I didn’t know I concentrated, blinking back tears that ca of herbs in the air, and through it all Natalie huoose buled to keep er ss The spell hit y that skittered its way up s as if a great weight pressed against y felt so good Painful yet powerful, as if before thatreal, only shadows of what living was supposed to feel like I struggled to keep my focus on Aht switch, the weight was gone Nothing crawled up h asped and blinked stupidly at the witch, ed after a fewattention to ht," she murrabbed the map and scanned it The surface was perfect Noshowed it hadn’t come new off the shelf onlywas supposed to happen to this?" I stared at the led to ht you were a powerful witch?"

She shook her head, and then pushed herself up and dusted off her knees "It didn’t work Whoever you’re looking for is powerful Powerful and possessing no sespecially stupid and took a deep breath "No I’y and he kno to use it to protect hih few to that degree Are you sure he isn’t a va vampire I told you that!" I took a breath and lowered ht be an incubus"

She raised an eyebrow "An incubus who has drained how many women to the point of death?"

"Maybe a dozen"

"Well that would have been good information to have, Detective"

I threw my hands up "What difference would it haveyou think I was nuts?"

"I would no sooner try an open trace spell on an incubus full of psychic energy than I would on a vaerous It’s possible for a creature like that, with appropriate knowledge and training, to use such a spell against you And alainst hi of his to use as a focus"

"My partner found hi amateur!" My voice rose to a yell, but I couldn’t help it How the hell was I supposed to find him now?