Shifty Magic by Judy Teel

to the
barbed wire. The magic running through the metal coils danced in
the light like glitter. Except in one section. "The wire's been cut
and replaced with three strands of copper wire. Whoever did it
managed the switch without alerting anyone to the disruption. Off
hand, I'd say only Laiyla has that skill." I moved closer to the
wall and studied the lowest handhold. "There's a few spots where
the moss growing in the crevice has been crushed or knocked
off."
    "Someone's been sneaking in and out of
Morrocroft." Cooper's iC buzzed on his belt. He unclipped the
device, activated it and identified himself. Pressing the private
call button, he put it to his ear. His expression turned serious,
but as the conversation continued, his eyes narrowed with
anger.
    Disconnecting, Cooper stared up at the wire
along the top of the wall. He didn't look happy.
    "Anything I need to know?" I asked, not sure
I really wanted an answer.
    He pulled in a long breath and brought his
gaze back to me. "The police found Laiyla."
     
    * * *
    I wasn't happy to be nearly shoulder-to-shoulder
with Cooper again, but it was a heck of lot quicker than the hover
system.
    "They found her in Carmel Park," he said,
taking Colony Road to Fairview.
    I scooted closer to the passenger door to
give myself some thinking space and stared out the window. Brick or
stone walls marking all of the once better neighborhoods tracked
along the road, as gaping and mangled as an old woman's smile. Like
Morrocroft, most of the once luxurious homes had been converted
into boarding houses or apartments, their manicured lawns
supporting gardens and goats now. Signs for first floor home
businesses appeared here and there, usually small groceries or
repair shops.
    It took a long time for communities to
recover from the shock of a catastrophic attack and a significant
paradigm shift, but it could be done. Stuff could be fixed and
lives rebuilt. People though...losing people was permanent.
    I hadn't known Laiyla, not really, but I
dreaded what was ahead. I'd heard the tense note in Cooper's voice
when he got the call, the way shadows of frustration and regret had
gathered in his eyes. That could only mean one thing.
    "She's dead, isn't she?" I said, a tense
sick ache sinking to the bottom of my stomach.
    His jaw hardened. "About eleven this
morning."
    While I slept, Laiyla was dying. Was it
because I'd gone to see her? Had that flagged her as a risk? Guilt
seeped into me. "She was tracking that series of vampire attacks in
New York several months ago, too. There might be a connection," I
said as Cooper turned right onto Oglukian. Wild poplar trees, ferns
and abandoned houses crowded in on the car. "The murderer might
have found out that she talked to me."
    "You mean he wanted to shut her up?"
    "And me, too."
    He released a long breath, his focus on
navigating around potholes.
    I frowned, annoyed by his silence. No one
could play oblivious like an FBI agent. "If you want me to work
with you, start by telling me why I'm not dead after a vampire
chomped on me last night."
    "Like I said, I don't know what you're
talking about."
    "A silver and black wolf kicking butt when a
Were tried to join the fight doesn't ring a bell?"
    Cooper got scary still. "Nope."
    I studied his profile, my gaze touching
where his silver hair blended into sorrel brown and then to black
at his temple. "Any speculation about why a Were and vamp might
work together, or why the vamp's eyes were solid black instead of
feeding frenzy blood red?"
    "Not really."
    "I found the vamp's chewed off head when I
came to. And the rogue Were was gone. I don't know many people who
could kill a vamp and make a second body disappear. They'd have to
be, oh I don't know, maybe one of the FBI's paranormal agents?"
    His face tightened down into neutral lines
as rigid as a three-foot thick cement wall.
    "I guess leaving the evidence could have
been awkward," I said.
    "Killing vamps without a Church order is
dangerous," he said, his tone