Gunmetal Magic: A Novel in the World of Kate Daniels

2

    A caravan of black SUVs rolled into the parking lot, their enchanted water engines belching noise. Magic-powered cars didn’t move very fast and sounded like a rock avalanche hitting a speeding train, but they were better than nothing.
    We watched the SUVs through the broken window, as they parked at the far end, killed the noise, and vomited people, vampires, and body bags. Ghastek emerged from the lead vehicle, ridiculously out of place in a black turtleneck and tailored dark pants. He came through the door, surveyed the scene for a second, and headed to us.
    Curran’s eyes darkened. “I bet you a dollar he’s running over to assure me that we’re in no danger.”
    “That’s a sucker’s bet.”
    The Pack and the People existed in a very fragile state of peace. None of us wanted to do anything to jeopardize that.
    The People were efficient, I gave them that. One crew went for the vampires, the other headed for the woman’s body, the third for the despondent journeyman. Two women and a man in business suits made a beeline for the booth where the owners sat.
    Ghastek came close enough to be heard. “I want it to be clear: this was not an attempt to kill either of you. The journeymen weren’t supposed to be here and the guilty party will be harshly reprimanded.”
    Curran shrugged. “Don’t worry, Ghastek. If this was an attempt, I know you’d bring more than two vampires.”
    “What happened?” Ghastek asked.
    “They were having dinner,” I told him. “They seemed happy together. The boy handed her a necklace and it choked her to death.”
    “Just so I understand, Lawrence himself wasn’t personally injured?”
    “No,” Curran said. “He’s in shock from watching his girlfriend die in front of him.”
    Ghastek looked over the scene again, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here. “Once again, we’re dreadfully sorry for the inconvenience.”
    “We’ll live,” Curran said.
    One of the People stepped away from Amanda’s body. “The necklace adhered to her skin. There doesn’t appear to be any locking mechanism. It’s a solid band of gold.”
    “Leave it,” Ghastek said. “We’ll remove it later.”
    If I were them, I’d cut it off during tech and stick it into a hazmat container.
    A middle-aged man shouldered his way inside the restaurant, followed by a young woman and a boy who looked about seven. I glanced at the woman and had to click my mouth shut. She looked to be in her late teens, right on the cusp between a girl and a woman. Her body, full in the bust and hips, slimmed to a narrow waist. Her long slender legs carried her with a natural grace. Her hair streamed from her head in a shimmering cascade so precisely matching the color of gold, I would’ve sworn it was gold if I didn’t know better. Her face, a pale oval, was angelic. She glanced at me in passing. Her irises were an intense deep blue and her eyes were decades older than her face.
    She was beautiful.
    She was also not human. Or she had bargained with something not human for that body.
    Curran was watching her. His nostrils flared a little as he inhaled, sampling the scents and I felt a punch of jealousy right in the gut. Well, this was a new and unwelcome development.
    Ghastek focused on the woman as well, with the kind of clinical interest usually afforded to an odd insect. “Here come the grieving parents. I’ve met them before.”
    “Is that her sister?” I asked.
    “No, that’s Mrs. Aurellia Sunny, her mother. The boy is Amanda’s brother.”
    Not human.
    The middle-aged man saw the female navigator, whose body the People had just loaded on the gurney. “Amanda! Jesus Christ, Amanda! Baby!”
    “No!” Aurellia cried out.
    He dashed to Amanda. “Oh God. Oh God.”
    His wife chased after him, the boy in tow. “Don’t go near her!”
    The man grasped Amanda’s hand. The golden band of the necklace popped open. An eerie soft light ignited within the necklace, setting the gold aglow.
    “Oh Go—” Amanda’s father fell silent in the middle of the word, transfixed by the necklace.
    His hand inched toward it.
    “Stop!” Curran barked. The man froze, arrested by the unmistakable command in that voice.
    I was already moving.
    The golden-haired woman pushed past him, yanked the necklace from Amanda’s neck, spun, and thrust it at the boy’s throat. The gold band locked on the child’s neck, adhering to his skin. I missed it by half a second.
    The boy gasped but didn’t die. His father