Magic Misled (Lizzie Grace #7) - Keri Arthur Page 0,72

violence almost unwillingly, quickly taking in the blood, the gore, and the body parts that had been spread in a wider arc around the main grouping of bodies.

It really was a massacre.

But what was far worse than the physical destruction was the thick wave of disbelief, horror, and pain emanating from those who’d died here. It wrapped around me like a cloak, smothering fresh air and making each breath feel as if I was swallowing death.

Belle made a low sound of distress and stopped abruptly. “I can’t go any further.”

“Will you be able to contact the souls from another room?” Monty immediately asked.

Belle nodded. “I’ll need you to make a protection circle though, as neither of us have our spell stones with us.”

“No problem at all.” He lightly cupped her elbow. “Let’s get you out of here.”

“Call me when you’re ready,” I said, then followed Jaz deeper into the destruction zone. Luke was examining the body of a woman. Duke was in the process of photographing and tagging everything. It was going to take him quite a while.

I took a deep breath and regretted it immediately, as the thick scents that filled the room clawed at my throat. I’d seen some pretty horrendous deaths in my short time within the reservation, but this was the first time I’d not only seen it on such a large scale, but also felt it so strongly, both psychically and sensorially.

I swallowed heavily, but it didn’t do a lot to ease the sick churning in my gut. Five of the victims had a look of horror and disbelief forever etched onto their faces. The sixth—a man—had obviously been the first to die, as not only was his expression one of surprise, but his body was the most intact of all. Our rogue wolf had gotten more violent as she’d moved on. The last victim—a blonde woman in her later years from the look of what remained—had been utterly torn apart.

I stopped several feet away from the end of the table and tried breathing through my mouth. It didn’t help. The scent of blood and death and utter rage—

The thought stalled as I caught a faint but familiar scent. I drew in a deeper breath and there—barely—was the pungent aroma of sulfur.

And it was coming from the rear of the hall.

I backtracked around the circle of destruction and strode down the hall, carefully avoiding the outlying puddles of gore and blood.

“Lizzie?” Jaz said. “You all right?”

“Yes. But there’s something else here.”

She hurried after me. “What?”

“Magic. Her magic.”

I pulled down the sleeve of my jacket and carefully pushed open the kitchen door. It was small but modern, with gleaming stainless steel benches and appliances, a surprisingly large fridge, and open storage that contained all the cooking and serving necessities.

The sulfur scent pulled me on through a second door that led into a storeroom. Shelves lined either side, and directly in front were a padlocked rear door and a window.

The latter had been smashed, and on one edge of the glass were two scraps of blood-soaked material.

My heart beat a whole lot faster. If she’d used my blood to find me, there was no reason why I couldn’t return the favor.

“Well, at least we know she left via the window,” Jaz said. “And we should be able to get some DNA evidence from those bits of material.”

“Yes, but would you mind if I collect them both first and make an attempt to trace her through them?”

“Is that possible?”

“I won’t know until I try.”

“Then wait until I record the find.”

She did so, then handed me a pair of gloves and an evidence bag. “I’m sure the boss won’t object to you at least trying, as long as there’s no cross-contamination.”

I plucked the two bits of material free; even through the gloves, I felt the dark pulse of her presence. How long it would last, I couldn’t say. The last time I’d used blood to track someone, it had been a supernatural being and the connection faded pretty fast. I had to hope that wasn’t the case here, because I couldn’t go anywhere until Belle had talked to the ghosts.

I carefully constructed a spell that would both contain and also “freeze” the blood in its current state; hopefully, that would hold the pulse in a useable state until we actually had the time to access it. Once the threads of magic were tightly wound around and through the evidence bag, I activated the spell. The dark connection fluttered briefly