Read Online Capitol Magic by Mindy Klasky - Free Book Online

represented fun and frolic, the relaxing parts of Neko’s life that had nothing to do with his magical bonds to me.
    But Neko did enjoy magical workings. And, in this particular instance, I knew he was intrigued. He wanted to know how the tiger’s eye would work—I’d never fashioned a spell that combined the power of runes and herbs and gemstones before. He wanted to learn what waited for us in Maurice Richardson’s home. He wanted to explore a new branch of magic, the power of a sphinx that neither of us had ever seen in action.
    And in the end, all of that curiosity won out. Neko shrugged and returned the fourth strand of beads to the box. He said, “Just remember. You’re the one who’s going to have to explain this in the morning.”
    The warning shot determination straight up my spine. David was not my boss. I did not report to him. I made my voice icy as I retorted, “I’m not at all afraid of that.”
    But I should have been. I should have been very afraid. And I should have remembered exactly what curiosity did to the cat.

CHAPTER 6
    SARAH
    MY FINGERS CLOSED over the door handle of the taxi. The driver craned his neck to look at the huge white house. “Go ahead. I’ll just wait to make sure you get in safe and sound.”
    Great. We had managed to find the most helpful cabbie in Washington. I touched my thumb to my coral ring for calm and forced my voice to sound bright and steady. “No need. I’ve got my keys right here.” I jangled my own ring of house keys, pretending they would open the door to Maurice Richardson’s sanctum.
    For just a moment, I thought my ruse would fail. I wished that I had some of James’s cinnamon water, that I could exercise a vampire’s memory-erasing control over humans. Then, the cabbie shrugged and said, “Whatever.”
    I passed him money for the fare, making sure that I included an absolutely average tip. I didn’t want this guy to remember us, for any reason. I thanked him and waited for him to shove the car into gear. He seemed to take forever making his way around the great arch of the circular driveway. Only when the red tail lights were out of sight did I sigh in relief and turn to face Jane and Neko.
    â€œIt’s huge,” the witch said, eyeing the mansion.
    â€œAnd that chintz is atrocious,” Neko said, nodding toward the faded cushion on a glider that filled the right half of the porch.
    I suppressed a shudder. The last time I’d seen that chintz, I’d been exhausted, half-mad with worry for the single vampire I’d been sworn to protect, the one who had nearly given his life to rescue me. Six months before. Six months of fighting to define myself, as a woman, as a court clerk, as a sphinx.
    And it had all come down to this.
    I needed to prove to myself that I was worthy of the title sphinx, that I could reclaim the Eastern Empire’s resources without a man—or two—to bail me out. And if I’d enlisted the help of a woman and a cat, well, that was my own business. Who knew what I might have done on my own, if Chris hadn’t been so stinting with my training?
    Richardson’s home loomed before me. Three brick steps led to a massive door. Columns marched on either side, supporting a balcony and a Greek Revival roof. Black shutters sagged beside every window, as if they’d grown too heavy during the house’s neglect. Leaves skittered across the porch in a sudden breeze, and I rubbed at my arms, fighting to push away goosebumps.
    â€œCome on,” I said. “It’s not like there’s going to be any welcoming committee.”
    I led the way up the stairs. If this house had been the scene of a mundane crime, the door would have been plastered with crime scene tape. Black letters would have shouted from fluorescent yellow, giving us all an excuse to leave.
    But Maurice Richardson had been beyond the touch of ordinary justice,