Lukas pretends to be annoyed as I call Eli, but the faint smile lingering on his lips and the general sense of contentment kind of ruin the effect. I put the phone on speaker and listen to it ring.
“Hey there, gorgeous.” Eli greets cheerfully as he picks up.
“I’m here too.” Lukas comments flatly.
“Oh, my bad. Hey there, gorgeous, and Clare.” Eli corrects himself, his voice dripping with amusement. I burst into giggles while Lukas frowns, clearly unimpressed. It takes me entirely too long to get myself under control.
“So, Eli, we’re calling to see if anything else has come up that we might be interested in.” I eventually manage.
“So… Since when can you read minds?” Eli demands. I freeze. Huh? I glance at Lukas, who looks mildly alarmed and immediately grabs my hand.
*I didn’t tell him about you. Did you tell him? Could he have figured it out some other way?* I ask silently.
*Your family is fairly well known, but I thought that was mostly in witch circles.* I point out. Lukas gives a small shrug.
“It’s possible. I don’t hide it exactly… I just don’t always advertise it.” He murmurs under his breath.
“... Guys? You were supposed to laugh.” Eli clears his throat.
“Are you still there? I was joking. I was just saying that Dami told me, like, two minutes ago that I should call you about the scene we’ve been called to.” Eli adds awkwardly. Oh. I blink.
*He has no idea. That was just a joke. Unless… He’s joking to hide the fact that he knows…? Does it even matter if he knows? Am I overthinking this?* I wonder.
“You’re definitely overthinking it.” Lukas mutters just loud enough for me to hear. Then he speaks up.
“Text us where to go.” Lukas demands. I feel like I should remind him about his manners, but I don’t think he actually forgot, he’s just stubbornly pretending to hate Eli. I doubt he ACTUALLY hates him. To hate someone you generally have to know them enough to care what they think.
“Oh, sure. No problem. I’ll send that in a second, but first, I have a question.” Eli answers, apparently not even remotely offended by Lukas’s attitude. Lukas frowns, while I roll my eyes.
“What did you want to know, Eli?” I ask, ignoring Lukas’s clear irritation.
“So… Are you two just like, secretly handcuffed together, or what? I swear you’re joined at the hip. Every time I call, you’re both there. Or maybe you’re just B.F.F.s, spending all your time making friendship bracelets and braiding each other’s hair?” He teases. Lukas smirks and immediately opens his mouth to answer. I slam a hand over his mouth before a single word can escape. His expression tells me I wouldn’t have liked any of it.
*Don’t you dare.* I warn him with a glare. Lukas grins under my hand but snaps his mouth shut obediently.
“Lukas is dealing with some family problems, and he’s crashing at my place while things get sorted out,” I answer smoothly.
“Oooh, family troubles. Sounds dramatic.” Eli muses.
“Does this have anything to do with why your car was on fire in front of his family home?” Lukas tenses beside me.
“Eli, you know it’s rude to pry.” I lecture, keeping my tone playful to make it seem casual. Eli groans dramatically.
“Fiiiine, spoil sport. I’ll just have to keep figuring it out myself. But I’ll text you that address anyway because I’m awesome. See you both soon, I assume. Bye!” The call ends with a click. I sigh and turn to Lukas.
“You were about to say something terrible, weren’t you?” I demand. Lukas just smirks, completely unapologetic.
“If you wanted to know, you should have let me say it. Now, you’ll never know.” He concludes. Damn him.
Thirty seven minutes and a taxi ride later, Lukas and I arrive at the address, which turns out to be a park, a very normal looking park, complete with green grass, a colorful playground, and a peaceful, family friendly vibe.
“This is not what I expected.” I comment, glancing around. It’s a stark contrast to the usual grim, burnt out crime scenes we’ve been dealing with.
“It is kind of pleasant for a crime scene.” Lukas agrees, watching as Roxy rushes off to sprint joyful laps around the grass.
“Even Roxy likes it here.” He observes. The only thing ruining the calm atmosphere is the group of cops gathered near the far end of the park, where bright yellow crime scene tape ropes off a section of the area. I spot Damien first and immediately drag Lukas along to greet him.
“Hey there! Eli said updating us about this place was your idea, so thanks for that.” I say, glancing around. Something about this feels different… Like something’s missing. It takes a moment, but I figure out what it is.
“Um, I don’t mean to seem rude… But you’re a firefighter, yeah?” I start hesitantly. Damien gives a wry smile.
“And you’re noticing the distinct lack of smoke, heat, or flickering light?” He sighs and folds his arms.
“Yeah. I have no idea why I’m here. Eli called and insisted I was needed.” He says with a half shrug. As if on cue, Eli approaches.
“Hey, Eli.” I greet him.
“We were just wondering why Damien got called here when there’s… No fire?” I gesture vaguely at the very unburnt park. Eli frowns, looking mildly offended at the question.
“Because he’s my partner? I always call him for sites that involve magic.” He says it as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. Damien groans dramatically.
“This again? You’re not my partner. I have a partner. She’s right over there. Hey, honey!” Damien calls out. I blink.
*Honey? Damn, no wonder Eli’s so hung up on this partner thing.* I mentally comment. Lukas squeezes my hand in agreement, picking up on my thoughts immediately. We both turn to see Damien’s actual partner approaching… And wow, she is gorgeous. She’s tall, with dark hair, dark eyes, and easily looks like she belongs on the cover of a high end fashion magazine. She’s so pretty that I almost instinctively want to hate her on Eli’s behalf.
“Hey, hon.” Damien greets casually.
“These are my friends, Clare and Lukas.” He introduces us cheerfully. Before I can respond, Roxy rushes over, and the woman gasps in delight, immediately dropping to her knees to shower Roxy in attention.
“Oh my gosh! What a gorgeous dog!” She exclaims, her tone genuinely excited as she cuddles up to Roxy, who basks in the affection like the world’s most spoiled dog. Damn it. This woman can’t be that bad if she’s this sweet to animals. How annoying for Eli. The woman glances up at Damien.
“Hey, Dami, it doesn’t seem like we’re needed here. So I’m gonna head off. Are you coming, or did you wanna hang with your friends a bit?” She asks in a friendly tone. Shoot, and she’s considerate too.
“I’ll hang a bit and catch up with you later. Thanks, hon.” Damien replies affectionately. I’m starting to think Eli is doomed. Poor thing.
Once Damien’s partner has left, Eli finally explains what's going on.
“So, someone called in and reported ‘teenagers doing some cult ritual,’ which sounds like a prank, but I came to check it out anyway and found this mess.” He gestures to the taped off area in the park.
“I don’t know exactly what it’s for, but a few… Less than savory types went running when I showed up. I don’t know them personally, but no one innocent runs that fast when cops show up. And then there’s this.” Eli leads us closer, and yeah, it’s pretty clear that something suspicious has been going on. Scattered around are candles, some leafy herb things, and, most notably, a human skull. I don’t know much about necromancy, but if they have rituals, this is exactly how I’d picture them. Lukas clearly comes to the same conclusion because he suddenly turns to Eli, his entire demeanor shifting from casual to sharp focus.
“The witnesses. Are they still here?” He asks, his voice urgent. A little startled by Lukas’s sudden intensity, Eli nods.
“Yeah, just over there.” He gestures toward a quiet corner of the park, where another cop is speaking with a middle aged couple. Lukas doesn’t hesitate.
“I’ll be right back.” He mutters before immediately rushing off toward them. I watch him go, hoping that maybe this time he will find something we can use.