“I guess.” He half shrugged. “Go on.”
“He said there was blood magic involved—that it was used to transport the thing that did this into the house, and to also hide its form. Handberry’s last memories showed little more than a vague, smoky mass.”
“So we have a dark practitioner at large.” He flicked on the turn signal and turned onto Hoddle Street. “Do you think Ilianna will know if there’s one active in Melbourne?”
“It’s worth asking.” Neither Ilianna nor Mirri was a member of a coven, preferring to practice individually, but both had some serious contacts in the witch world. If there was a Charna active, those contacts might have heard whispers. Or at least felt the wisps of his or her evil.
“And if she hasn’t heard anything?”
I scrubbed a hand across my eyes. “I don’t know.”
Tao was silent for a moment, then said, “What about looking for the connection between the
little girl and Handberry? If blood magic was involved, then it surely couldn’t be a random attack.”
“That would involve running a complete background check on both victims. Neither you nor I have the skills for that sort of hacking.” And I couldn’t ask Uncle Rhoan. He’d kill me. Or lecture me, which was usually worse.
“But Stane has. And he loves a challenge.”
I frowned. “I don’t know. This situation could get very dangerous. It’s bad enough that I’ve involved you and Ilianna.”
“Stane is more than able to take care of himself—”
“Not against something that is transported by magic and can steal souls.”
He made a frustrated growl, then said, “Do you want this solved or not?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then you need outside help. Stane will do it. And surely Ilianna can magic up something that will repel evil?”
I nodded reluctantly. “She can do wards—that might help protect him if he gets a little too close to the source.”
“Then that’s what we do.” He glanced at me, blue contacts catching the passing lights and gleaming brightly in the darkness. “You are not doing this alone, Ris. End of story.”
I knew that tone. He would not be dissuaded. I drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. But it didn’t do much to ease the frustration flowing through me.
“Contact him tomorrow,” I said. “Right now we all need to get some sleep.”
Or the damn paperwork was not going to make any sense.
“You’d better shift shape and clothes,” he said. “Just in case those men are still watching the house.”
I face-shifted back to Kiera’s image—I was so tired, it seemed to take even more effort than usual—then stripped off Tao’s sweater and put my dress and Kiera’s coat back on. After changing shoes, I closed my eyes and leaned against the window, letting the rhythm lull me into a half sleep. It didn’t last very long—all too soon we were pulling up outside our apartment.
“Wakey, wakey, sleeping beauty,” Tao said, altogether too cheerfully. “We’re home.”
I grumbled something unintelligible even to me and pushed away from the window, stretching my arms above my head in an attempt to wake up. He was already out the door and, a second later, my door was opened. He clasped my fingers and helped me out, his skin a furnace compared with mine.
He frowned. “You need to eat. You’ve obviously shifted too much.”
“What I need,” I murmured, keeping my voice low because we had no idea where those men might be or if they had listening devices with them, “is sleep. And lots of it.”
He grunted and looked into the scanner. It was only then that I realized he was holding a tub of ice cream in his other hand. He must have stopped when I was asleep. “I’ll make you a burger before you go to bed.”
I shuddered. “At this hour? I’ll never sleep.”
“Then grab some cake, at least.” He gave me a sideways look, a wry smile touching his lips. “Don’t try to tell me you can’t do chocolate cake, because I know for a fact that would be a lie.”