“Are you going down to Melbourne to meet said friend with him?”
“Of course not. It’s not like we’re an item or anything.”
Oh, definitely not.
She glared at me, hearing the thought despite all her barriers being up.
Another laugh escaped. “And would you, if he asked?”
She hesitated, and then smiled somewhat ruefully. “To be honest, probably not. I was just caught by surprise, that’s all. It wasn’t even so much the fact a past lover was ringing him, but rather the warmth in his tone and their obvious closeness. I just wasn’t expecting it.”
“Why on earth not? He is an attractive man and a rather good catch.”
“Yes, but he was never serious about anything or anyone—at least when we knew him.”
“He was utterly serious about you.”
She rolled her eyes. “We were only teenagers. But even if he was, his parents would never have allowed him to get deeply involved with a mere Sarr witch.”
While that was undoubtedly true, neither of us could say whether Monty would actually have listened to them. He might have toed the family line back then, but only up to a certain point.
“Enough about me,” Belle said. “What about you and Aiden? Did he apologize for his actions at the hospital?”
“He did, in fact.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Well, that’s encouraging.”
“I don’t see how.” I grabbed a board and a knife and tugged the large tub of peeled potatoes toward me. We had Parmentier potatoes—which were basically mini roasted spuds cooked in butter, garlic, and herbs—on the menu today, and they’d proven extremely popular in the past. “I mean, it wasn’t like Katie gave us a lot of choice either.”
“She didn’t drag you like a wet sack through hospital halls.”
“But she might have, if I’d refused to help.”
Belle shook her head. “She needs you more than you need her, remember.”
Maybe. I swept a pile of cubed potatoes into a tray and started in on the next lot. “Did you find anything in your gran’s books to suggest what we might be dealing with?”
“A couple, but the most likely one is the hone-onna.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Which is?
“A female skeleton that apparently lures men into her lair and seduces them. According to Gran’s notes, her victims often don’t discover her state until after they’ve had sex. She then drains them of their life force, until they become skeletons themselves.”
“That suggests it’s a type of energy vampire.”
She nodded. “One that can either take on or at least project the illusion of humanity.”
“Any notes on how to kill it?”
Belle shook her head. “But Monty seems to think what will kill a vampire should kill this.”
“Then he can be the one holding the stake to finish her off.”
She laughed. “I said the same thing.”
I grinned and got down to the business of finishing the potatoes. The usual breakfast crowd came through, but things quietened down after nine, which at least gave us time for some cake baking. My phone rang just after ten-thirty, the tone telling me it was Monty. My pulse rate immediately skipped into a higher gear. There could be only one reason for him to be calling right now.
I hit the answer button and said, “I thought you were supposed to be heading down to Melbourne to meet an old flame? What’s happened?”
But even as I asked the question, I knew.
“We’ve another murder on our hands,” he said, voice tight. “And this time, the victim’s kid has gone missing.”
Chapter Five
I swore and rubbed a hand across my eyes. “How long ago did it happen?”
“Only half an hour. The trail should be fresh enough for you to pick up.”
“The rangers had no scent to follow?”
“No. There was some sort of magical interference. I tried to track it, but they were in a car and the trail faded out about a block away.”
“If we’re dealing with a skeleton spirit, why on earth would it be driving a car?”
“Why would I know?”
A smile tugged at my lips. “Of the two of us, you are the more knowledgeable witch.”
“More knowledgeable when it comes to spells, maybe, but definitely not when it comes to this sort of stuff. How soon can you get here?”
“That depends on where ‘here’ is.”
After he’d reeled off the address, I added, “It’ll take me about ten minutes. Is Aiden there?”
“No. He’s at the hospital again. Tala’s taking the lead on this one.”
Which wasn’t a surprise given she was second in charge. But Dillon having another setback wasn’t good news. I wished there was something more I could do to help, but neither Belle nor I were healers. I wasn’t even sure that witches who did have that capacity would be able to do anything that a werewolf’s own inbuilt healing system couldn’t. “Be there soon.”
“Bring your kit, just in case.”
“Will do.”
I hung up and pushed to my feet. Belle emerged out of the reading room, backpack in hand. “It’s definitely not a good sign that her killing spree is ramping up.”
“No.” I accepted the pack with a nod of thanks. “Unless this is nothing more than another attempt to get rid of me.”
“She surely won’t catch you unawares a second time.” She paused and gave me a severe stare. “Will she?”
A faint smile teased my lips. “No, because she also won’t be expecting me to be able to track her through the kid.”
Belle’s eyebrows rose. “And how do you figure that?”
“Well, she’s obviously aware of my presence through my magical aura—”
“If that’s how she’s tracking you, she would have also come after Monty, Ashworth, and Eli.”
“Not if it’s the wild magic that drew her here. If she’s sensitive to it, it’s possible she’ll sense me through it. But that won’t tell her about my psi skills.”
“Yes, but that’s something of a moot point when there’s such things as tracking spells.”
“They’re often not as reliable as my psi abilities, though.”
“Tell that to Monty. He swears by them.” She plucked my coat from the hook and handed it to me. “Just promise to be careful. I’ve got a bad feeling about this whole thing.”
I rolled my eyes. “I promise to be careful.”
“You say that, but we both know the demons and other nasties that come a-hunting in this reservation don’t often play by the rule book. As this one has already proven—twice.”
“Yes, but this time I’m not alone. Monty and Tala will both be there.”
“That isn’t as comforting as it sounds.”
“I’ll tell him you said that.”
“Like he’d care.”
“True.” With a laugh, I headed out.
It didn’t take me long to arrive at the crime scene. The house in question was a modern timber-and-concrete building with a flat roof that melded surprisingly well into the surrounding bush.