Murder by Magic Read online

  Silence descended. Fisher gaped at her, mouth working like a stranded fish. Derek held back a grin. Finally, Fisher found his voice.

  “How the hell did you end up here?”

  Jessica shrugged. “Good old-fashioned police work, I guess.”

  Derek smirked, ignoring Fisher’s glare. “Fine. Whatever. Just make sure it’s all in the report.”

  Jessica nodded. Of course, it would all be in the report; at least whatever made the most sense, and would ensure that Anastasia was charged with two counts of murder, and one count of attempted murder. She moved away from Anastasia, using her good hand to keep pressure on her wounded one.

  Fisher eyes travelled to Jessica’s hands, and he saw that she was hurt. With a look that was surprisingly filled with concern, he tilted his head toward her, then grunted. “I’ll take Anastasia Kane into custody. You go get your hand looked at by medical.”

  “Thanks, Fisher. I’ll get it looked at.”

  There was sudden movement behind her, and she turned. The emergency medical team was wheeling Hudson out on stretcher, and she moved aside to let them go through. One of the members abruptly stopped in front of Jessica, reaching out to pull her hand toward him, wanting to see the damage.

  “This needs immediate attention.” He studied the wound carefully, and when he looked up at Jessica, she saw the seriousness in his gaze.

  “Okay, sure. Just give me a minute, okay?”

  The EMT crew member cocked his eyebrows, not even attempting to hide his annoyance. “Sure,” he replied, before walking away.

  Jessica turned to face Derek, and he smiled at her.

  “So. You gonna tell me how you ended up here, at the right time, right place, to save the day?”

  Jessica shrugged. “It’ll all be in the report.”

  “I see.”

  She saw, in the look on his face, that something between them had changed, and that he was hurt that she wasn’t sharing the details with him. She wanted to. She wanted to tell him everything – all about her partnership with Euros, how they connected the murders, what brought them here. She wanted to share it all with him. He had been a friend to her from the very beginning at the Academy, and she knew that he was one of the few friends she still had. But she also knew that she could never tell him about the Other world, or about the magic.

  That - well, that she’d never share with anyone.

  “Well, I guess I’ll see you back at the station.” Derek held her gaze a moment longer, and then turned, walking into the hallway. And then he was gone.

  “You really need to get that hand looked at, sweetheart.”

  She turned around, surprised to see Euros standing there behind her. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll get it looked at…”

  He didn’t hesitate, crossing the space between them. He reached out, not wanting to hurt her – and knowing that if he brought her into his arms he wouldn’t be able to control himself, and there would be nothing gentle about it – and so he brushed his fingers along her collarbone, both hands cradling her neck, drawing soft lines over her skin, as though he were a sculptor and she was his muse.

  He smiled at her then, a teasing smile curving his sexy lips… a playful mile that told her that they had a lot of catching up to do, in and out of the bedroom, and that he was anxious to get started. He brushed his fingers across her neck once again, analyzing her features, before drawing his fingers across her check, and then up to cup her chin.

  Bringing her face closer to his, his lips grazed her cheek and she felt the heat of him burned into her flesh. Then his mouth found hers, cutting off whatever protest may have lingered on her lips. The hunger of his lips on hers said so much more than words ever could, and she let herself go, found herself lost in the dizzying wave of emotion that circled around them.

  His mouth was hot and mobile, moving over hers, speaking without words. He growled against her lips, and his wordless kiss told her exactly where he was going to spend the night.

  The kiss deepened, his tongue meeting hers, his soft lips crushing against her own, but he didn’t touch her, other than to keep his fingers under her chin.

  Finally, he broke away with a growl, but let his fingers linger, gripping the base of her neck, his fingers wrapped into her hair, telling her, without words, that she was his – and only his. Then he stepped back, all slow and easy.

  “You really need to get that bandaged up. You’re bleeding all over the place.”

  Breathless, and still dizzy from the kiss, she took a deep breath to steady herself, and bring herself back down to Earth.

  “I need…” She needed many things, needed to get to the station, needed to file her report, needed to figure out how to connect this with the Lansing and Parnell cases.

  “No. You don’t.”

  She looked at him sharply. “Don’t what?”

  And there he was; closer again, his lips brushing across hers, reminding her of all that mattered. Then he lowered his mouth to her neck, and she shivered as his heat raced through her body, leaving her desperate for more of him.

  “You don’t need to connect the cases, to tie Anastasia to the other murders.” His words were a growl against her neck, and at first she wasn’t sure she heard him correctly.

  “What? But, she’s guilty. She killed the Mayor, and Parnell. To not bring her to justice is…”

  As he spoke, his lips brushed against her neck again, and she groaned, wishing he would step away from her so they could have a serious talk about this, but at the same time, never wanting him to stop.

  “You can’t prove that she killed them,” he murmured. “You know that. There’s no evidence that’s not based in magic. And magic isn’t something you can explain.”

  “But they’ll be left as open cases…”

  He moved his mouth lower, his fingers pushing down the edge of her shirt, so that he could kiss her shoulder. “Anastasia is behind bars. The grimoire is safe.” His lips moved to her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. “And those cases are Fisher’s. Not yours, remember? You were kicked off them.”

  Reluctantly, she took a step back, moving just a few inches away from him. She looked into his eyes, intently. “You have a way of putting things into perspective, you know…”

  “I know,” he replied with a wink. “Now, let’s get out of here. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go – after you get that hand taken care of.”

  It was so easy to step forward and stretch up, to let her lips brush over his again, but she knew that if she let him kiss her again, she would never want to stop. And he was right; she needed to get this damn hand bandaged up.

  “Okay, fine. Take me to the hospital, and I’ll get stitched up. But then…” She let her eyes move very slowly from his face to his chest, to that wonderful part of him that made her scream out his name, and then back up to his face. That sexy smile was curving his lips again. And his eyes...those steel-grey eyes. They were enough to make her forget what she was going to say.

  “And then?” His eyes were fixed on hers, and she saw passion, and desire burning bright, lighting up the gray, with flecks of silver.

  “Then take me home. We have a lot to catch up on… a lot of time to make up for.”

  “You read my mind.”

  She laughed, shaking her head. “It doesn’t take magic for that.”

  The raised eyebrow, and the teasing sparkle in his eyes made her smile. He stepped forward, his lips back on hers again.

  “Jessica...the love of my life, and the only woman I have ever wanted. When it comes to you and I, there’s always magic.”

  About the Author

  Catherine Vale, a Canadian romance author, has been writing fiction for as long as she can remember, but it wasn't until she wrote her very first paranormal romance story that she found herself hooked on the wild side of powerful shifters and dominant alpha men (of the furry kind!).

  Catherine writes contemporary, urban fan
tasy and paranormal romance for readers who are willing to take a walk on the wild side of love. Her stories always girls with curves and guys with growl.

  Do you want to be notified of upcoming books, giveaways, book signings and more? Visit http://www.CatherineVale.com, and subscribe to her newsletter to receive notifications whenever a new book is released!

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  Other Books by Catherine Vale

  Shades of Dragon

  Broken Moon

  Kiss of Fire

  Darkest Days

  Wild Things

  Run Fur Love

  On the Prowl

  Dark Side of the Moon

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