I disconnected. Just what I needed right now.

Faint sounds came from beyond the broken window. A light rustling of the hedge, a scrape against the stone. Three, two, one…

Ascanio jumped through the open window and landed by the rug.

“What, no combat roll?” I asked.

He pivoted to me, his eyes flashing with a ruby glow as they caught the light from the hallway. For a moment he looked ready to pounce, then he straightened, his expression nonchalant.

“You again. We keep meeting like this. It must be fate.”

Oh no, the return of Mr. Smooth. “What is your interest in Pastor Haywood’s murder?”

Ascanio picked up a chair, set it before the desk, flipping it around, and saddled it, his arms resting on the chair’s back. “My interest is private. I may be persuaded to exchange information, but you don’t have the authority to question me.”

“And you don’t have the authority to be here.”

“Neither do you.”

I gave him a small smile. “Actually, I do.”

Ascanio smiled back. “Fine, I’ll play. Says who?”

“Luther Dillion, the Assistant Director of Biohazard.”

Ascanio rested his chin on his arms. “If that’s true, I’m intruding on your crime scene. What’s your plan for removing me?”

Somehow, he managed to make it sound suggestive. “You’re being tiresome.”

“It’s a personal failing. I was told I can also be invigorating under the right circumstances.”

I bet. “Does the Beast Lord know you’re here?”

“This is a clan matter.”

He had Andrea’s and Raphael’s blessing and was confident that they would back him up if things went bad. “Why does Clan Bouda care about these murders?”

“You’re still not trading. How about this, I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours?”

I gave him a theatrical sigh. “You must think that your smile is charming.”

“Is it not?”

“You know what I see when you smile? Teeth. Teeth that can grow into big, scary fangs. We both know it’s a threat.”

He pushed from the floor, and the chair rolled back with him in it. “Do you feel less threatened now?”

“Not really. Keep rolling. Out the door, down the hall, down the steps…”

He tilted his head to the side. He really was stunning, especially when he smiled like right now.

“Why don’t you like me?” he asked.

“You menaced me on the bridge, showed up uninvited to my house, made veiled threats, tried to bribe me, and now you are contaminating my crime scene.”

“The bridge was a misunderstanding. I came to your house to apologize and offer help, and as for the crime scene, I was on this case before you were.” He spread his arms, a picture of innocence. “I’m blameless.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help myself; it just came out.

Ascanio leaned forward, feigning concern. “You stopped scowling for a second there. Are you alright?”

“Pe…” I caught myself. I was about to say “peachy,” and the moment he heard it, the game would be up. It was my mom’s favorite phrase. “Perfectly fine.”

A warm sensation washed over me. My ears heard a phantom lamentation, offered in an eager voice. My nostrils caught the scent of burning herbs and human flesh. It should have been revolting, and intellectually it was, but there was a part of me that found it comforting. A very small, faint voice whispered in my mind, “This is right, you should be offered this, this is your due.”

The ma’avirim had arrived.

The lament echoed in my mind. My pulse sped up. I couldn’t even sense the ma’avir at the first murder scene until I had concentrated on the glyph. This one radiated magic. It pressed on me, like a heated wall, sucking out the air and making it hard to breathe.

This would be an entirely different fight. I had to get Ascanio out of here. I couldn’t let him get hurt.

“We are getting nowhere,” he said. “How about this? Each of us asks one question, and the other gives an honest answer?”

“And then you leave.”

“Deal. Ladies first.”

I leaned back in the chair. “What advantage would you personally and/or Clan Bouda gain if you tie this murder to Desandra Kral?”

The charming smile vanished. The man who rose smoothly out of the chair was lethal and dangerous. He stalked across the room, put both hands on the desk, and leaned forward. He glared at me, his eyes like two bloody rubies lit up by fire from within. It was a stare that said I was food.

A cold shiver dashed down my spine. Ascanio was right before. When he threatened someone, they didn’t have to ask. Suddenly the office was too small, and I was acutely aware that I would have to get past him to reach the door.

“You made a deal.” I kept my tone cold. “Pay up or leave.”

The red light in his eyes grew brighter. His stare was difficult to hold. That’s twice in one night. First Derek, now him. This time, I wouldn’t be running.

Seconds ticked past.

Ascanio opened his mouth. His diction was perfect, but his voice was knitted from a growl. “Be very careful. You’re playing a dangerous game.”