Elemental Assassin 01 - Spider's Bite

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    “Thanks,” Caine muttered. You’d think he was coughing up a lung the way he forced the word out between his clenched teeth. “For everything tonight. As weird and as wrong as it is, I wouldn’t be sitting here now if it weren’t for you.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    He nodded, accepting my cool graciousness. “But don’t think tonight changes anything between us. After we find the elemental, I’m bringing you in for Cliff Ingles’s murder—whatever it takes, dead or alive. Don’t forget that.”
    I turned on the hot water and washed my hands. “Don’t worry, detective, I haven’t forgotten about your vendetta. But you should remember what I did to those men in your cabin. Because I won’t hesitate to do the same to you the second you get in my way. Understood?”
    Donovan Caine watched smears of his blood drip off my hands and disappear down the sink. “Understood.”
    Caine swallowed a couple of aspirin and returned to the den. I screwed the top back on Jo-Jo’s healing ointment and followed him. The detective seated himself on the sofa again. He might hate me, but at least he wasn’t shy.
    While we were in the bathroom, Finn had made himself a cup of chicory coffee. The rich, caffeine fumes drifted to my nose, and my stomach rumbled.
    “Finn? Late-night snack?” I moved into the kitchen.
    “Sandwich,” he said, not even bothering to look up from the blue glow of his monitor. “But not turkey this time. Something else. Different bread too. Surprise me.”
    “Yes, master.”
    I grabbed a loaf of Sophia Deveraux’s homemade sourdough bread I’d swiped from the Pork Pit, several bananas, and the peanut butter and sourwood honey out of the cabinets, along with some canned pumpkin. First, I mixed the peanut butter and pumpkin together, producing a rich, creamy spread, which I slathered onto the bread. I topped the mixture with sliced bananas and drizzled honey over the fruit. As a finishing touch, I sprinkled some cinnamon on top of the whole thing, then topped it with another slice of bread.
    I tore off a paper towel and handed it and the sandwich to Finn, who sank his teeth into the thick bread with obvious enthusiasm. Donovan Caine didn’t move from the couch. I stared at him, wondering who’d be the first to end this Mexican standoff.
    Caine looked at Finn’s disappearing sandwich. “That looks good. Would you fix me one of those? Please?”
    “Sure.”
    I made him a sandwich, then one for me, and a couple more for whoever got to them first. Donovan moved over to the table and sat next to Finn, while I got a gallon of milk out of the fridge and plucked some mugs out of the cabinet. I set the mugs on the table, then wrapped my hand around one of them and reached for my magic. Ice crystals frosted the container, guaranteeing that whatever was poured inside would stay cold. I repeated the process on the other two glasses.
    Donovan stilled, and his hazel eyes narrowed at the small display of magic. “You’re an elemental. An Ice.”
    I shrugged. “I have a little bit of magic, detective. That’s all. Hardly worth mentioning.”
    Finn eyed me. He knew I had more than just a little magic, but for once he didn’t contradict me.
    I finished with the mugs and slid Caine’s sandwich over to him. He picked it up but hesitated before biting down into it, as though just looking at the food I’d prepared was enough to make him keel over and start foaming at the mouth. He should have known by now that poison really wasn’t my forte. A cheap, theatrical device, just like blackmail.
    The detective chewed and swallowed. Surprise spread across his face. “This is really good.”
    “Better than the Cake Walk?” I asked.
    He didn’t look at me. “Not better, just different.”
    Finn elbowed the detective in the side. “I told you Gin makes the best sandwiches around.”
    Donovan didn’t respond, but he took another bite and poured himself some milk.
    I grabbed my own sandwich and milk, and joined the two men at the table. The peanut butter, pureed pumpkin, and banana wove a thick texture together, while the honey and cinnamon added a touch of tart sweetness to the mix. Perfect.
    “Any new leads?” I asked Finn after I’d eaten half my sandwich.
    He shook his head and wiped his fingers on one of the paper towels. “Not really. My contacts sent me some new intel on Halo Industries and the James sisters. I’ve scanned through it, but nothing’s popped out at me yet. Maybe in the