“Callie and Dizzy,” I said. Callie had told me about this—a magical casing I’d found while working with Darius had looked similar to one she’d found while consulting on that case. “She said the perp was skinning the victim in order to get large amounts of energy to call a demon.”

“That’s what they concluded, yes. I will furnish you with the file and their findings. We found a few clues—hair fibers, fingerprints—but everything came up empty. The fingerprints weren’t in the system. Whoever did this is off the grid. Or, at least, not in our databases.”

“And the scenes in Seattle are the same?”

“They have found two bodies, which fit the killer’s MO exactly, and one of the crime scenes, which also matches up. They haven’t found the second scene, since that body was just dropped, but we can assume the perpetrator used a similar circle.”

That might mean the mage had found a home for his or her circle—a place where it could be reused. It was safer not to start from scratch if you knew your circle worked. The problem was, it would make things more difficult.

“I honestly don’t know what help I’ll be,” I said. “Like I said, I’m a lackluster detective, at best.”

“And like I said, you’re a natural. I’d love to get your two cents if I could. I want this case solved as much as the people in Seattle do.”

I scooped coffee grounds into the machine. “What’s the weather like in Seattle this time of year?”

A few hours and a talk with the captain at the MLE office later, I’d decided going to Seattle would suit me just fine. The hourly wage would be double that of my old job, with a bonus if I solved the case. They were calling it a bounty, but it was more of a contractor position, like Detective Smith had said. Whatever worked. Besides, I got to travel to a place I’d never been. With mild weather. Why not?

We’d agreed that I would fly out the next day, but as evening approached, I was sent new travel plans. It seemed they wanted to get a move on.

I packed a bag with my scuffed black leather pants and my non-scuffed red ones that Marie had gotten for me. A ton of tank tops, one of which was leather, and my toiletries, and I was ready to go.

The doorbell rang as I was checking the time. Six-oh-six. I had to get moving if I hoped to catch my new flight.

Wondering if Mikey needed another swearing session, I pulled open the door. Dizzy and Callie, dual mages, which meant that together they formed a unit that amplified their power, stood on my doorstep, their faces etched with worry.

“Hey, guys.” I frowned. “You okay?”

Callie pushed past me. I stepped aside to let Dizzy in.

“I have a contact at the MLE office,” Callie said as she paused near the kitchen entrance. Clearly she didn’t much care for small talk at the moment. “I heard they’re giving you our old case.”

It wasn’t like Callie to be territorial where it concerned me.

Unease rattled my heart against my ribcage. “Yeah. Hey, sorry. I didn’t realize I was stepping on your toes. I recently worked with the detective, and he thought maybe it would help to have a fresh pair of eyes in Seattle. If I’d known you’d be upset, I would’ve passed. I still can, if you want.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not that.” Callie waved me away, adopting her bulldog expression that meant she was about to start bullying someone. I had a feeling it would be me. “Reagan, the mage you’re dealing with is powerful. From what the police were able to deduce, he somehow kept his victim alive for over half of the crime. You know what the crime was, right?”

“Skin removal,” Dizzy supplied.

Callie grimaced. “Yes, Dizzy, thank you. This mage harvested the blood and energy from a still-living victim. We think they might’ve used that technique to summon an extremely powerful demon. Do you hear what I’m telling you?”

“Why is my life crowded with demons these days?” I checked the time again. We needed to hurry this up. “All this time I’ve been able to avoid them, and ever since the vampires stepped into my life, it’s been demon after demon.”

“This is no time to play the martyr.” Callie put a fist to her hip. “You’re gaining power, sure, but a strong demon might overpower you. Your only hope might be to banish it. You shouldn’t get involved.”

“Hey, did I tell you that I managed to move yesterday when I levitated? And I picked up the big rock with my power.” I lifted my brow and threw her a thumbs-up. “Cool, right?”

“That’s great!” Dizzy clapped. “Well done. I knew practicing would really help.”

“Now is not the time,” Callie said to Dizzy.

“This is why no one will work with you!” he shouted. That was how he dealt with his wife’s bullying. Yelling. “You don’t appreciate people’s efforts.”

“People won’t work with me because I tell them when they’re being idiots. In our circle, that happens more often than not.”

“How was Lorraine supposed to know that an Irish coffee wasn’t made with vodka?”

“Because of the word Irish. Had I said a Russian coffee, sure, I’d get the confusion. But Irish? C’mon! Everyone knows they drink whiskey. Or beer. Had she used beer—”

“You still would’ve called her an idiot,” I said. “No one in their right mind would put beer in coffee.”

“You’d be surprised,” Callie muttered. “Anyway, Reagan, stop trying to distract us. You can’t put yourself in this situation. Catching this mage is one thing, but if he has that demon hanging around, it puts you in incredible danger.”

“If the demon is that strong, they can’t have him hanging around, though, right?” I headed back to my bedroom and grabbed my bag. “Only the highest-level mage could hold a demon like that for long.”

“Even then, he wouldn’t be able to hold it for long at all.” Dizzy’s solemn voice drifted down the hallway. “That’s our concern. It is very likely the demon will eventually get out. One slip-up, or a conversation gone on too long, and the magic holding it could unravel and give it an opportunity to escape. That’s the danger.”

“The circles he was using here would’ve just barely been strong enough.” Callie filled my doorway.

“Do you think he’s ingesting the demon?” I paused before leaving my bedroom, then threw a couple of hair things into my pack. Chances were, I’d forgotten a thing or two.

“No, thankfully. Any human body that demon took over would rot from the inside out. If it got out, though, it wouldn’t need a host. It would have the power to adopt a form on its own. Only if it grew weak from keeping the form intact would it transfer to a host to regenerate and literally suck the life out of the human.”

“Awesome.” I tapped my sword, wrapped in a towel. Just to make sure it was in there. “Well, if it did escape, it needs to be killed anyway.”

“There are people in Seattle who can do that.”

“But they aren’t doing it now, so…”

“She has you there, hon,” Dizzy said.

“Don’t help her. You’re supposed to be helping me.” Callie scowled at me. “We are talking about a high level-four demon here.”

From what I’d gathered over the years, there were six levels of power in the underworld, with level six solely occupied by my father. There were three or four sub-tiers of level-five demons, but only two or three sub-tiers of levels four and three. As a whole, any level-five demon was extremely powerful. Level-four demons were obviously less so, but the upper echelons of four were still extremely dangerous.

I zipped up my pack. When did I back away from a challenge? Especially on the backswing of Garret getting one over on me.

“Well, thanks for coming, you guys,” I said. “But I have a date with a mild climate and a lot of trees. Maybe a rolling hill or two.”

Callie followed closely behind me as I headed for the door. “Have we made any impact on you, Reagan?” she asked. “You really shouldn’t go.”