Spell Tamer: Paranormal Criminal Investigations, #2

By Laura Greenwood

What do a cold case and a skeleton have in common? 

At first glance, there's nothing connecting the two cases, but the more Cassie and the team start digging, the more similarities they discover. And when a third body shows up, they're faced with a murderer on the loose. 

Can they catch the killer in time?
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Spell Tamer is an urban fantasy and book 2 in the Paranormal Criminal Investigations series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Drowlgon Press
• Release date: Feb 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781386728290

Laura Greenwood

Laura is a USA Today Bestselling Author of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and fantasy romance. When she's not writing, she drinks a lot of tea, tries to resist French macarons, and works towards a diploma in Egyptology. She lives in the UK, where most of her books are set. Laura specialises in quick reads, with healthy relationships and consent positive moments regardless of if she's writing light-hearted romance, mythology-heavy urban fantasy, or anything in between. You can find a full book list and more information on her website, or in The Paranormal Council Facebook Group. Happy Reading!

Book preview

Chapter One

Cassie grabbed her takeaway mug of tea from the counter with a quick smile for the barista. She wouldn't normally stop at a coffee shop, but she'd forgotten to buy tea bags while distracted by her research and she didn't want to start her day without one.

She pushed her hand through her bright green hair. It was time for a colour change, though doing it on the street wasn't the right place. The surrounding humans would no doubt be shocked to see the red sparks of her magic dancing along the strands and turning them a completely different colour. She'd likely end up in front of the High Council accused with trying to reveal the existence of paranormals to the world. There was no doubt in her mind that the knowledge would reveal itself at some point in the future, but she could accept that this wasn't the time. And she needed to keep in the High Council's good graces for when she had to ask them for more tools for the Paranormal Criminal Investigations department.

The streets bustled with people on their way to work, just like she was. Everyone kept to themselves, not even noticing what was going on around them.

Cassie scanned the faces around her, finding herself wondering if any of them held a dark secret. Before she'd joined the PCI, she'd never spent much time thinking about whether or not people were killers, but now it was on her mind almost constantly. The cases they'd taken on in the past two years had surprised her with the kind of people who had been guilty. There wasn't even a paranormal type who seemed to be more violent than others, despite the rumours to the contrary.

The familiar building that housed the lab she worked from, as well as all the other equipment the four of them needed to solve murders. Unlike with the human police, they were responsible for all aspects of the investigation, though they could pull in other paranormals to help with arrests if there was complete certainty that the person was guilty, but that was a rarity.

The new logo still looked odd on the glass of the entry doors, but she was growing to like it. The four of them were already a team, but that didn't stop the logo making them feel like it even more. Hopefully, she'd be able to get a set of lab coats with it on soon too.

The doors swung shut behind her as she pushed through and into the lab. A small smile twisted at her lips as she took it in, just like she always did. She still wasn't used to having all of this at her disposal. So far, if she'd wanted a piece of equipment, she'd been able to get it, which was a rather surreal thing. Her previous lab hadn't had half of the stuff she had here, and there was no way she could have infused any of that with magic like she had here. Being able to use both science and her powers had been the breaking point in several cases so far.

Ah, Cassie, you're here, Hadrian said as he strode into the room with the easy confidence she'd come to expect from him.

She smiled at the sight of her mate, her magic jumping to life in excitement.

Morning.

Are you busy?

She frowned, that wasn't his normal greeting. They weren’t particularly affectionate while they were at work, seeing it as better to practice restraint in case they were in front of other people.

What's up?

We have a crime scene.

The familiar thrill travelled through her. She didn't think it would ever get old. It was quickly replaced by the grief over the loss of a member of the paranormal community. It was the double-edged sword of working in this field. To do her job, someone had to lose their life.

What kind?

According to Issac, a muddy one. I hope you have wellies in your car.

She snorted. You know I couldn't wear them even if I did. They couldn't risk contaminating the crime scene when there could still be evidence.

True. But this case is a little different from the ones we've done so far.

She had to admit, her curiosity was piqued. Oh?

You'll have to wait until we get there to see. But I think you're going to like it.

She nodded. What do I need to take with me? she asked, pulling out her travel case. She could leave it stocked up with the basics, but she didn't like to do that. She much preferred to focus on the equipment she'd need for each particular case.

I don't think you'll need anything for this one.

That's cryptic.

Hadrian chuckled. I promise it'll all make sense once we're at the scene. I want us all to see it so we can keep it in mind while we're working, but there aren't many tests you'll be able to run while you're in the field this time.

All right, then. I'm ready whenever you are. She picked her tea back up, grateful she'd gotten it in a takeaway cup after all, she wouldn't have been able to take it with her otherwise.

Hadrian held out his arm to her and she slipped her own through it. Lead on.

It only took a few moments for them to be back outside the building and heading towards Hadrian's car. Cassie lived within walking distance of the lab, so didn't see the need to drive the short distance. If she needed to get to a crime scene, she'd hop into one of the others. Or into the specially adapted morgue van that Zack was so proud of.

Hadrian clicked the radio on, letting the hits of the week fill the cab of the car as he pulled out of the parking lot.

How long until we get there?

Fifteen minutes.

It's close to home. She didn't bother to keep the surprise out of her voice.

I know, that was a shock to me too. But I suppose it was only a matter of time until we got one.

She nodded. For a short while, they'd been the only PCI unit. While a few more had popped up over time, they were still the only one for the entire county, and that stretched for several hundred miles. They had their work cut out for them, especially as their patch included the Council seats and all the paranormals visiting them. It meant that a lot could go wrong in their neck of the woods. Which only made the mystery of what was to come even more intriguing.

Chapter Two

The moment Cassie stepped out of the car, she realised Hadrian had been right about the possibility of needing wellies. The field they were in was packed with mud. She grimaced at the prospect of trekking across it despite the fact she wasn't wearing clothes she felt particularly attached to. It would still be difficult to walk through and could make working uncomfortable. She'd probably be able to go home and change before she went back to do the lab work, depending on how much time it took and if anything was time-sensitive.

She trudged through the mud and ducked under the caution tape. It was the same kind the human police used, though it was spelled to try and repel as many humans as possible. Most paranormal deaths were unremarkable, but if there were curses involved, it could produce some unexplainable circumstances. It was best to keep as many people who weren't aware of things away. Especially if Issac had to reanimate them on-site, which he had to do if the death wasn't recent enough for them to get back to the morgue first.

Hi guys, the necromancer said, waving enthusiastically at them.

She narrowed her eyes. That wasn't how he normally acted when he had to raise the dead, which only raised more questions about what was going on