The Sweet Scent of Blood

I narrowed my eyes at him. ‘You mean so you can rule me out as a suspect.’

‘That’s not what I said, Genny.’ Hugh’s brow ridges lowered over his eyes. ‘But it would be better if the facts were verified.’

‘Fine,’ I huffed. ‘I picked up the taxi from the rank at Leicester Square.’ I watched Hugh as I spoke. He didn’t even flinch, so they already knew I’d been to the Blue Heart. ‘The taxi dropped me off under the Hungerford Bridge, on the Victoria Embankment side, at five minutes to midnight. The journey took around thirty minutes, because of the traffic.’

‘Then what did you do?’ The inspector’s tone was brisk.

‘I waited for Alan Hinkley.’

‘And then what?

I shrugged. ‘He didn’t turn up, so I came home.’

‘What time was that?’

‘I’m not sure. I didn’t check my watch.’

‘You must have some idea of the time, Ms Taylor.’

I frowned. Maybe she was here about the revenants after all. Except, what with the fighting and the whole passing out thing, and then Malik, I really hadn’t a clue what time I’d got home.

‘Perhaps if I can butt in—?’ Finn’s voice sounded lower than normal.

I shot a glance at him and my pulse quickened. He leant forward, his arms braced on the counter on either side of him, the angles of his face seemed sharper, the moss-green of his eyes more arrogant, his horns taller. He was still Finn. Still gorgeous. Only now he had a harsh wild beauty that made him seem remote, less human than before. My breath caught in my throat as desire echoed faintly through me.

A small clinking noise dragged my attention away from him to the inspector. She was staring at him, her hand clutching the sapphire pendant at her neck.

Constable Curly-hair wasn’t so circumspect. She looked as interested as a hungry vampire scenting blood.

Then it clicked. I looked. There was nothing to see, but whatever Finn was doing, it was deliberate, and I realised I’d felt it before—it was his own magic. Even if the inspector didn’t catch on, it was so not a good idea with Hugh around. And judging by the red dust that was settling on Hugh’s white shirt, he knew exactly what Finn was up to, although, oddly, he just continued to stare at his notepad.

‘I came round to see Gen here last night.’ Finn’s voice tugged at something deep inside me. ‘I was late and she’d already gone. I tried to catch up with her at Leicester Square, but missed her again, but I saw her get into the taxi. I knew she was meeting Hinkley at midnight, so I headed for the Embankment. After Hinkley didn’t turn up, I made sure she got home’—a smile flitted across his face—‘and I left not long after.’

Neat, very neat. It tied everything up, without actually lying. And it all tallied with what he’d told me earlier. Only going by the expression on Detective Inspector Crane’s face, she wasn’t buying it.

Still gripping her pendant, she walked towards him, then stopped abruptly and turned sharply to the constable. ‘That will be all, Constable Sims,’ she said. ‘Please wait outside.’

‘But ma’am—’ Constable Curly-hair’s face fell. ‘Don’t you need me here in case you have to search the suspect?’

‘What suspect?’

‘Her.’ As she pointed at me I caught a flash of pink at her wrist. I frowned and looked. The pink flashed brighter. I was right; she was wearing the rose quartz bracelet again. Had she realised not all the spells were working? Not that it mattered; she’d broken the bargain. Briefly I wondered what price the magic would extract. Then I put it out my mind.

‘Ms Taylor is not a suspect.’ Inspector Crane’s teeth snapped together. ‘She is not a suspect in anything. Do you understand me?’

I looked, and saw the inspector’s spells glowing brighter than a supernova.

‘Yes ma’am,’ the constable said, not bothering to hide her disappointment, and she left, leaving the door ajar.

‘Wait outside the building, Constable,’ Inspector Crane called after her.

No chance of her eavesdropping then. That didn’t sound good.

‘And you as well, please, Sergeant Munro.’

Hugh laid his pad and pen down in front of him. ‘No, I don’t think so, ma’am,’ he said calmly.

‘That was an order, sergeant.’

‘If this is no longer police business, then you cannot tell me to leave.’ Hugh’s words sounded like loose chippings clattering over slate. ‘As a friend to both Genny and Finn, I feel that I should stay, ma’am.’

I shot Hugh a look. Nice though the support was, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to antagonise his new boss.

She glared at Hugh, then turned suddenly, ignoring him, and strode up to Finn.

Smacking her hand on his chest she cried, ‘How dare you do this? How dare you give her an alibi? After everything I’ve done!’ The magic misted round her with anger. ‘You disgust me—lying to protect her, trying to persuade me—and for what? A psychotic sucker whore. A sidhe! You know what they’re like, all of them—they’re just out for themselves!’

Okaaay, so I really wasn’t her favourite person—but psychotic ?

‘I haven’t lied to you, Helen,’ Finn said. The angry mist seemed to cling to him. ‘Gen didn’t do it.’

‘Of course you’d know that, wouldn’t you?’ she scoffed. ‘But you’re thinking with your dick instead of your brain—for the Goddess’ sake, you were with me when the call came in, Finn—you told me yourself it sounded like sidhe vengeance.’

‘Sounded, Helen, it sounded like sidhe vengeance, that’s what I said—’

I blinked. And he’d made me think he’d heard about it on the news.

‘She’s the only sidhe in London,’ she snapped.

‘You don’t know that, Helen.’ Finn tried to take her hand, but she batted him away. ‘Hugh?’ he asked, looking at the troll.

I turned to Hugh, expectant. Were there other sidhe around?

‘Finn has a point,’ Hugh rumbled quietly, ‘although it is unlikely.’

Inwardly, I slumped. So it was just a misdirection.

‘She was there.’ Inspector Crane swung back to Finn. ‘You’ve just admitted you saw her there yourself.’

‘You said the bodies were found at Hammersmith Pier and that’s miles away from Hungerford Bridge.’

Hugh started reading from his notebook, ‘A man walking his dog early this morning called in to say he’d found a pool of blood. His dog tried to roll in it. Initial blood typing matches with the bodies found.’

Whose side are you on here, Hugh? I asked silently.

‘Ask her, Helen.’ Finn pointed at me. ‘Ask thrice and she has to tell the truth.’

What the—? Shit, Finn, this is so not a good idea. I clamped my mouth shut to stop myself shouting at him.

‘Gen.’ He turned to me, emerald flecks sparking in his eyes. ‘Did you at anytime last night have anything to do with the deaths and mutilation of two humans?’

I breathed an inward sigh of relief.

‘No.’

He asked me again, the exact same words.

‘No,’ I said my answer firmer.

Hugh looked from Finn to me, a considering look on his face. My pulse sped up. Had he worked it out?

‘Gen, did you at—’

‘Stop it, Finn, now,’ Inspector Crane shouted. ‘I’ll ask her myself.’

‘It has to be the same question, Helen, or the geas won’t hold.’

‘I know that.’ She glared at him. ‘Remember?’

She stalked over to me, rage etched in her face. ‘Did you at anytime last night have anything to do with the