Hell's Belle by Marie Castle

would leave you. And,” she nearly growled, “don’t think that I don’t know how dangerous that was.” She let out an exasperated sigh.
    Her eyes, once again gray, met mine. Her scolding wasn’t as severe as Aunt Helena’s would’ve been, but the emotion in those eyes… It was more effective than any lecture I’d ever received. I had been taking more risks lately—flying solo when it was easy to ask Mynx for help. I’d been unusually reckless, almost wild with the urge to stand on the edge of that cliff, and was at a loss to explain why, even to myself.
    “I’ll be fine.” I managed to pull my hands free, tucking them under my armpits. “I’ll take a warm shower and be as good as new. Then we need to check out Isabella’s apartment and conduct interviews. The longer it takes to find her, the more danger she’s in.” I tried to stand but fell back.
    Jacq looked me over with another frown. “No.” She offered a hand, pulled me to my feet. “I’ll go to town. We need to sweep Isabella’s apartment anyway, and you’re in no condition to use more magic. Why don’t you stay here and track down the boyfriend.”
    “That’s fine.” I sighed, sitting back down. At her questioning look I explained, “You can go. I’ll wait here until I have the power to open the wards.” I hated to admit that my magic was that low, but I wasn’t about to lie either.
    “I’ll help you into the house.” She answered my unspoken question, “Mynx temporarily keyed me to the wards, so I could come and go without an escort.”
    Mynx didn’t make rash decisions. How had Jacq earned her trust so quickly? I was consumed by irrational jealousy. Had Jacq charmed and been charmed by my beautiful friend? I looked away, trying to hide the foreign feelings, which faded as I saw a candle burned down to a small puddle of wax in the dim corner. It wasn’t just cats and cat-women that were easily charmed by this woman. I’d made my own spur-of-the-moment decision, putting my life in her hands while traveling through the magical plane. And she’d proved herself worthy of that trust. But would she continue to do so?
    As we walked the path leading from the agency offices to the main house, we revised our plan. Or rather, Jacq revised. I focused on placing one foot in front of the other. The stubborn woman wanted me to lean on her arm. And I was as determined to walk on my own. For the last three years I’d managed perfectly without having someone to walk me to my door. No point in getting comfortable any other way. The woman at my side would walk away when this case was over, and I’d still be here, walking this path alone, returning home.
    * * *
    After taking a scorching hot soak I felt nearly human. I wasn’t sure when heat had become fuel. It’d happened so gradually over the last few years, generally only occurring a few days a month, that at first I’d barely noticed. But recently there’d been a big jump. Too bad this hadn’t worked several days ago. Today at least I could charge my drained batteries.
    I could survive without the heat, but I thrived with it, the absorbed energy speeding up my metabolism, healing me, satisfying a deep hunger I couldn’t explain. It also helped metabolize the phers more quickly. When around the Weres, that was a bad thing—the increased metabolism also increasing my absorption rate. But when alone, it helped burn out the phers already in my system.
    I headed back downstairs to begin my research. Luckily, Jacq had carried my laptop and files into the house, leaving them and Isabella’s phone as requested on the kitchen counter. The hot water had helped, but I was still weak, making it unwise to venture to my office outside the wards’ protection. The house was empty and quiet, though there was still a warm kettle on the stove and the lingering scent of sage and sandalwood in the air.
    Before I started my calls, I looked over the background Henry had given me. Kyle was a student at