It didn’t.

I swung it back on the road, still following the silver sedan. Behind me, two of the cops made the turn. I wasn’t sure what happened to the third, but I imagined he’d be joining us soon.

The sedan pulled into the vacant parking lot of a golf course, but even though his car stopped, he didn’t get out. I gave him points for picking a public place to stop—if you think someone is a crazy killer you shouldn’t lead them to your house—but I took away points for it being empty. The clubhouse ahead of me was dark, the course and parking lot lit only by security lighting. I put the Hummer in park but I didn’t cut the engine.

Behind me, the two remaining cop cars skidded to a halt and the officers poured out hot, guns out and ready for action. They barricaded themselves behind their open doors as four guns pointed at the Hummer.

I pulled my ID and badge out of my pocket, unrolled my window and held both my hands—one open to prove I was unarmed and one holding my badge—out of the car.

“I’m MCIB,” I yelled through the window and hoped they could hear it over their adrenaline. “I’m unarmed and I’m coming out. Don’t shoot.” I double-checked that my weapons were hidden under spells and then twisted my arm so I could open the Hummer from the outside, never letting my hands leave the cops’ views. No one shot up my door, so I took that as a good sign and slid out of the vehicle.

Still no shots, but the cops still had their guns drawn.

“I’m Magic Crimes Investigation Bureau,” I told them again and they looked from one to the other. Finally one of the older men made a waving motion and his partner ran forward, his gun still out but at least pointed at the ground and not me. When he reached me he held out his hand and I handed him my credentials.

“She’s legit,” he said after studying the badge and ID extensively.

With his announcement the other cops dropped and holstered their guns; they kept them unsnapped though, as if they expected to need to draw fast again soon. I ignored the implication.

“So he’s a suspect?” one officer asked, pointing at the idling silver sedan.

“Actually, a victim, but I don’t think he realizes that fact yet.” Still, I’d learned a long time ago not to allow a victim carrying an unknown spell to wander around unobserved. You could tie up a case only to discover a new problem had spawned. “He needs to go to a magical containment ward at the hospital.”

The cop glanced from me to the sedan before shrugging and approaching the car. The driver didn’t immediately unroll the window let alone get out. It took the officer knocking on his window twice before the man finally cracked it. The man then went on a too-fast diatribe about how I was a psychotic murderer. I didn’t bother listening beyond the fact that his name was Justin. Sometime during the panicked retelling, the third police car arrived. They seemed more than a little confused by the scene, but didn’t stay long once it was obvious there would be no more car chases and no firefights.

“Sir, please get out of the car,” the officer told the still frantic man.

He refused at first, but like most good, law-abiding people, did as the officer requested. I watched the proceeding idly. As long as Justin made it to a secured location where he’d not only be safe from the magic that I’d seen infect him but everyone else would be safe as well, then my job was done. The police could take it from this point. I had other things I needed to do. Like interview my suspect.

Pushing away from the hood of the Hummer, I turned to go but something caught in the corner of my eye.

What the hell?

I scanned the shadow pooling around the sedan, the man, the cop. There were enough lights in the parking lot that shadows were short, but the man’s shadow appeared to be growing. I squinted. It also appeared to be boiling. Shit.

“Get him out of the shadow,” I yelled, launching myself into a full-out run.

Justin and the cops looked at me, stunned. Worse, they didn’t move.

I wasn’t far away, but I wasn’t fast enough. The shadow boiled over and a gaseous figure emerged. Well, I’d been looking for one of these creatures. Now I had one. Great.

At the creature’s appearance the cop stumbled back, out of the shadow, but Justin stood there, his eyes going wide and his mouth opening in a wordless scream. The creature had no features, but it had no trouble zeroing in on a victim. It lifted what vaguely passed as an arm and swung gaseous talons toward Justin’s chest.

I grabbed him by the shoulders and threw us both backward. The talons passed within inches of us while we fell, and I summoned my crossbow. I squeezed and the bolt shot outward, taking the creature in the chest. Purple lightning passed through the shadow and it paused, but didn’t stop.

I hit the ground but used my momentum to keep moving, and rolled over on my shoulder. I landed on my feet in a crouch, another bolt in my hand, but before I could aim, gunfire sounded behind me. A bullet whizzed by and I ducked low. My jacket was spelled to be bulletproof, but that didn’t mean I wanted to get hit—it would hurt like hell. Justin had pressed himself completely flat on the pavement, but he was still dangerously close to the shadows, not to mention the rain of bullets. What are they thinking?

“There are people here!” The words didn’t have any effect on the amount of gunfire flying around us. They’re panicking. Monsters could do that to people. And speaking of . . . I chanced a glance up at the creature. The bullets slowed as they passed through it, but passed through it they did, and from what I could tell, did no damage.

As the cops seemed intent on emptying their clips, I needed to get out of the line of fire. Dropping, I rolled toward my Hummer. The pavement scraped against my hands, but it took only two rolls to get mostly clear. I ran the last few yards and ducked by the front tire.

The sound of an approaching engine tore my attention from the creature and to Officer Russell Lancaster as he jumped out of his car and ran toward the cover of my Hummer. He had his gun out and at the ready. I looked at it and shook my head.

“You shouldn’t be here, and please do not fire at the creature—there is already enough wasted lead in Justin’s car.”

“I wanted to help.” He sounded very young as he said it, and I tried to force a kind smile to my face.

“You helped already. Go home.”

The sound of guns clicking empty filled the parking lot, and I rose, looking to see if anyone was reloading. They all appeared out. Finally.

Charging at the creature, I summoned my crossbow again, this time with a knockout bolt. The shot passed through what passed for its head. No effect. Okay, something else. I released the crossbow and drew a dagger. It froze any substance it cut—which worked great on water elementals—but did a smoky shadow have substance?

The creature struck at chest level when I approached, which I anticipated, so I went low, driving the dagger up into the hazy shape. For a moment veins of ice crystals spread around the blade. Yes. Then they collapsed on themselves, falling to coat my hand in cold water. Damn.

I withdrew the dagger, aiming a side kick at the shadow as I holstered the blade. My foot slid into the creature’s chest and numbness spiraled up my leg. With the pain and chill came a wave of soul-eating sorrow. Why am I fighting this thing? Why bother. It’s hopeless.

I dropped my leg and stumbled back. The chill dissipated quickly, but the apathetic sorrow was harder to shake. I stood before the creature, and I just couldn’t care that it was hurting people. That it could kill me if I didn’t find a way to stop it.

It just didn’t matter.

“Inspector!”

A body slammed into me, knocking me aside. Then the screaming started. I turned, slow, too slow. Russell stood beside me, his head thrown back, mouth open wide in agony. Dark talons emerged from his chest, and the creature moved as if it were trying to pull sticky saltwater taffy out of his body.

No. Anger burned through me, blotting out the cold traces of false despair. Grabbing Russell, I dragged him backward, far from the shadows around the sedan. Tears slipped from his eyes as he collapsed into himself.

I gritted my teeth and looked from him to the creature. It didn’t know it yet, but it was dead. Right now it was on borrowed time. I fingered the vials on my bandolier, determining the method of the creature’s death. At my sternum, a disk buzzed with a soft heat. Derrick’s charm, healing the last of what touching that creature did to me. He knows. We were going to have to have words. Leaving Russell to a misery I had no idea how to fix, I stormed across the pavement, stopping a few feet from the shadows around the sedan.

Justin had moved at some point and I turned to where he stood, shell-shocked, with the cops. “Sorry about your car.”

His frown deepened. “It’s not so—”

I pulled a vial from my bandolier and tossed it where the creature’s feet should have been. The spell exploded with a surge of brilliant white light.

“—bad. Woman, are you crazy?”

I didn’t turn. I just watched the rapidly spreading fire. The spell would burn out soon, and I needed to know—It’s not there. The creature was gone, and it wasn’t the heat. Light, why didn’t I try that earlier? Well, mostly because the only spell I carried with enough illuminance was highly destructive, which was further evidenced when the car’s gas tank exploded, releasing a blazing ball of fire into the air.

Heat from the explosion ate at my exposed flesh, and I finally turned away. Digging my phone from my pocket, I hit the only number on speed dial.

“How many ambulances do you need?” Derrick asked without bothering to say hello.

I glanced at Russell, definitely, but I also wanted Justin to get checked out to make sure the spell had no more surprises. “Two.” I started toward the Hummer. “Oh, and, Derrick, I need the fire department.”

—

The woman gasped, and sat up, blinking her eyes rapidly.

I gave her a moment to orient herself, especially since she had landed in this cell while still unconscious. Not that there was much to see. Four blank walls, an uncomfortable cot bolted to the concrete floor, a basin for water and a bucket. Oh, yeah, then there was the magic circle encasing it all. Definitely not the most dignified surroundings, but witches who turned their powers against others didn’t deserve much.