Sinister Magic: An Urban Fantasy Dragon Series (Death Before Dragons #1) - Lindsay Buroker Page 0,66

under the open door, and the man was slumped in his seat, hanging over the center console. The dark elves must have killed him—I’d been with Zoltan the whole time, so I doubted he was responsible. Besides, a vampire would simply bite his victim, not cut his throat or whatever had been done to make that mess.

I didn’t go closer to investigate—with all the trouble I was in, I didn’t need to risk getting my fingerprints all over a crime scene—but I couldn’t help feeling guilty. This guy had only been called in because of me, because I’d been in a hurry and hadn’t been more careful coming up to the house.

Why the dark elves had bothered him, I didn’t know, but I was starting to hate them for more than poisoning Willard and burning her building. I vowed to find their leader and make him or her pay for all this.

Angry, I threw open the van door with more force than necessary, and the clunk echoed up and down the street. As the inside light came on, I cursed my carelessness. My cloaking charm couldn’t hide all this.

Well, maybe it would lure the dark elves back out here. Then I could circle around, get Dimitri, and escape the carriage house without an encounter. Even if I wouldn’t mind sinking my sword into their chests right now, we’d seen five of them initially, and that was more than a sane person would fight, especially when I was stiff and bruised from the tarantula fight.

I snatched the alien bobblehead doll off Dimitri’s crate, closed the van door, and turned back for the house. A bush in the beauty bark on one side shivered even though there was no breeze. Yes, the dark elves were coming to investigate.

Careful not to make any more noise, I hurried around the opposite side of the house. With luck, they wouldn’t expect me to go back.

I made it to the carriage house without encountering any of them and slipped inside. The projection of Dimitri had disappeared. Sindari sat waiting by the door.

That’s the bribe you’re going to leave? he asked skeptically.

I’m going to try.

Does it have any value?

You’d have to ask Dimitri. I’m not a collector of, uh…

Useless junk? Sindari suggested.

Movie paraphernalia.

Useless junk. He sniffed disdainfully.

I took the bobblehead to the box-filled shelves and, in case the house was watching in judgment, hugged it and patted its head, as if its loss would grieve me greatly. Then I set it on a dusty box and backed away. If this didn’t work, Sindari and I would have to start tearing up floorboards.

A moan came from all around us, and a wind came up out of nowhere to batter at the roof. Chains I hadn’t seen rattled in the corners, and the sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor of the loft above filtered down.

This dwelling is melodramatic, Sindari informed me.

Are there no haunted houses in your realm?

No.

A green light started glowing in the center of the carriage house, and I glanced at the boarded-up windows. There were plenty of cracks between them, so if some of the dark elves were still in the back yard, they would see this. The light grew brighter. I was starting to hate this place. If I saw Zoltan again, I’d tell him to be like a normal vampire and get a nice basement apartment in the city.

The light flared so bright that I had to turn away. A loud thud came from the center of it, and I whirled back, Fezzik at the ready.

Abruptly, the light vanished, leaving me blinking away spots in my vision. And staring through them to where Dimitri groaned on the floor, grabbing his arm and looking like he’d fallen twenty feet instead of two.

I jogged forward and knelt beside him as I pointed Fezzik toward the door. “Are you all right?”

Sindari stood near the exit, gazing out into the yard, his ears twitching and his tail rigid.

“I think so.” Dimitri winced and grabbed his head. “I’m not sure what happened. I was checking out that toy train, and then it went all dark, and I felt this stabbing pain and this sense of being lifted and… I’m not sure after that. Until I dropped out of, uhm.” He looked up at the ceiling.

“I’ll explain it later. Or maybe I won’t. It’s time to go. Can you stand up?”

“I think so.”

They’re in the yard out there, Sindari told me. All five of them. Looking toward