Magic Rises

sprout. Because scutes originate deeper in the dermis, a shapeshifter can keep them hidden until necessary. I also tested the tissue samples from the severed head,” Doolittle said. “Their levels of Lyc-V and hormones are nearly double ours. The higher the levels of Lyc-V, provided they don’t result in loupism, the greater the shapeshifter’s control over his or her body.”
    “Okay. So what you’re telling me is that they can choose to have scales or not to have scales?”
    “Yes.”
    “But what about the wings?”
    Doolittle spread his arms. “Bring me a wing and I’ll tell you more.”
    I sighed and took myself to Desandra’s room. Derek followed me, which was just as well since he was my partner for the shift.
    I stuffed Lorelei far into the deep corner of my mind, the same place I put the realization that Hugh d’Ambray was within killing distance. If I concentrated too hard on either one, I’d do something rash. Rash wasn’t in my vocabulary under the present circumstances. Not if I wanted to keep all of us breathing.
    At least the Lorelei thing could be solved very simply. I had to find Curran and talk to him. He wouldn’t lie to me. Of course, he wouldn’t.

CHAPTER 12

    When I walked through the door, Andrea’s eyes were really big and she had that pained expression that usually meant she wanted to pull her gun out and shoot somebody.
    “What’s up?”
    “The Italians won the hunt,” Raphael said. “We’re supposed to have a big celebratory dinner in a couple of days in their honor.”
    Okay. Not really surprising. I’d stayed behind, which dropped our team’s numbers to eleven. Half of them had guarded Desandra, and I had a feeling that Aunt B, Raphael, and Andrea had concentrated purely on getting the best kill for the panacea.
    “I was just telling them it was Gerardo,” Desandra said. “It’s his long legs. He can run forever. Most men don’t have sexy legs, but he does. They are very elegant.”
    Aha.
    “And, like I was saying, he is hung.”
    Oh boy.
    Andrea turned her back to Desandra and rolled her eyes. Raphael grimaced. They both looked scandalized. Dear God, what could she have said to scandalize a bouda . . .
    “No, really!” Desandra nodded. “Okay, so most guys don’t have a nice ball sack, right? It looks all hairy and wrinkled like some small animal died between their legs, but Gerardo’s is like two plums in a velvet bag . . .”
    Derek, who’d been lingering in the doorway, took a careful step to the left behind the wall and disappeared from my view.
    Kill me, somebody. I raised my hand. “Hold that thought. I need to borrow Andrea for a minute.”
    I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the hallway. Behind us Raphael growled, “Don’t leave me!”
    Andrea leaned toward me. “Plums.”
    “Listen . . .”
    Andrea raised her hands, imitating holding plums the size of small coconuts, and moved them up and down. Desandra had no idea, but I was about to save her life.
    “I’m sorry I’m late. There’s been another murder.”
    “Where?”
    “On the tower.” I brought her up to speed. “So sorry I got held up, but I’m here now to take Desandra off your hands.”
    “I love you. In a purely platonic way.” Andrea stuck her head into the doorway. “Honey, come on.”
    They escaped. I came in and sat in the chair so I could see the door and Desandra. Derek parked himself just outside.
    Desandra tried talking to me. I let her go on. After I listened for twenty minutes to detailed descriptions and point-by-point comparisons of Gerardo’s and Radomil’s private parts, complete with size demonstrations, Desandra finally wore herself out and fell asleep. She snored a little, whistling to herself, her belly propped on a small pillow.
    Derek rose and walked over to sit by me. “How can you stand her?”
    “She is lonely. She’s pregnant and scared. Her father is probably trying to kill her, and neither of the men she married is offering her any support. Nor can they protect her from her own father. I don’t mind cutting her some slack. She isn’t the worst body I’ve guarded.”
    “Who was the worst?”
    “One of the state senators got on the bad side of the law and took some bribes. His accountant blew the whistle on him. His wife was convinced that state protection wasn’t good enough, so they called in the Guild. I was with them for seventy-two hours. The accountant and his wife fought the entire time. There were four of us