Dangerous Games (Riley Jenson Guardian 4)

I wasn't entirely sure whether I said that out loud or telepathically. Wasn't sure if the woman's spirit would even answer.

It stirred softly, a body of smoke with no features that gently rotated. But with every turn, energy built in the air, until the small hairs along the nape of my neck were standing on end. Only then did the words come again. You must stop him.

With that statement, the energy fell away, and the soul disintegrated, fleeing to whatever region of afterlife it was bound for.

I took a deep, shuddering breath. It was bad enough that I was seeing souls - now the fucking things were beginning to talk to me.

"Riley?"

Jack's voice was soft, filled with caution, but I jumped all the same. I looked up, saw that he was standing only a few feet away. Cole stood beside him, a concerned look on his face. I hadn't heard either of them move.

"It talked to me, Jack." I rubbed my arms. "It actually damn well spoke."

"I did warn you that might happen."

I snorted softly. "Yeah, well, I was hoping you were wrong." I looked down at the body, to where the soul no longer hovered. "I don't want to be talking to the spirits of dead people, Jack. It's just too creepy."

Cole's eyebrows rose. "You can converse with spirits? Cool."

I gave him an annoyed glance, and concentrated on Jack. "It said a name - the same one Dunleavy's soul gave me. Only this time it was Azhi Dahaki. A full name, perhaps?"

"It's quite possible. It's an odd name, though."

"Well, it's an odd talent." And that's precisely why Jack had brought me down here tonight. He'd been hoping I'd see something. "Have you got an ID on her yet?"

"Karen Herbert," Cole said, looking down at the PDA in his hand. "Twenty-two years old. Lived alone. Parents currently holidaying in Queensland."

I looked at Jack. "The Karen Herbert? The one I asked for a background check on?"

He had the grace to look uncomfortable. "Afraid so."

"Well, if that isn't proof positive there's a link between Quinn's case and ours, I don't know what is."

"Which is why, when you see him next, you will be questioning him."

Yeah. Like that was going to result in anything useful. I waved a hand at Karen's face. "She didn't die in terror. There were no drugs found in the systems of the other women, and I doubt there will be here. It once again suggests she came here willingly, Jack."

"Or that there was psychic influence. That can't be traced after death, remember."

"Jin's not psychic, so maybe I'm following the wrong person."

"If Jin's blocking you telepathically, he's a psychic of some sort. Plus, he shares a house with the woman Quinn is following, he works at the same place as Dunleavy's girlfriend - who was killed by Gautier because she'd seen or heard something - and he has a ring the same as one found at a murder scene. It's too much of a coincidence. Everything is connected. We're just not seeing the complete picture yet."

And we needed to, before the next woman was murdered. My gaze went back to the body. "So are these ritual killings or sacrifices?"

"My guess would be sacrifices. For what, I'm not sure."

"Blood and organ sacrifices," Cole corrected, then looked at me, "which is a darker and more powerful magic all together."

"It's still ending up with dead women, buddy-boy."

Annoyance flared in his pale eyes. "The nature of the magic is often a direct indication of the nature of the magician."

"Doesn't take much of a genius to guess we're dealing with someone who's wry black in nature."

"No, but the fact that there's blood and organ used means we are dealing with an extremely strong type of black magic. And if the mage is adding his own blood, then we are dealing with someone who's raising a power capable of doing far more than calling a couple of demons."

"Meaning, you don't think Quinn's hunt and ours are merging?"