Page 116 of XO Karma

A smile spreads across his face, and he straightens to stand with a hammer in one hand and the skull in the other. “That’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

I choke a laugh. “Maybe I should swap my dagger for cupid’s bow.”

His eyes trail my body, and he drinks me in. “I’m still waiting for the part of the night where I get to rip this dress off.”

“And you’re going to be waiting a while longer.” I pluck the “art” out of his hands, and he groans. “Now, where should we do the honors?” He gestures to the ground, and I set it on the concrete of the unfinished basement.

“Step back,” he instructs, and I retreat. With a single swing, the skull busts into pieces. He retrieves one of the fragments, presenting it my way. The inner side is a yellowish off-white color and free of gems.

“Do you think the residue from the glue or stones will affect the test?”

“For the smell, maybe, but it wouldn’t change if the skull melts or not.” He grabs a few items off a working bench. Gripping the edge of the piece with a cloth, he holds it gem-free side down, then ignites the lighter in his hand. “Here goes nothing.”

The flame waves near the skull, using the bone as a ceiling. After about thirty seconds and a faint putrid scent, he stops the flame so we can check our hypothesis.

Flipping the skull over, we both peer closely at the burn mark. He retrieves a switch blade from his pocket, and it clicks open. With the tip, he presses against the spot, then sniffs it.

“Well, it definitely didn’t melt,” Aster says, showing me the knife tip, which only contains a bit of ash.

“Could it be porcelain or another material?”

“Unlikely.” He hands me the fragment. “The inner skull would look much different.”

“So we now have shattered bedazzled human remains on your floor?”

We glance down, then both take a step back. “It appears so.”

“What should we do with it? Do you think we should bring Liam in?”

“Hell no,” Aster scoffs as if I’ve offended him. “Absolutely not.”

“Well, don’t we want to find out who this head belongs to?”

“I’m less concerned with who this is and more concerned with why the Westerfords have Vetrel’s body.” Aster retrieves a dustpan and broom.

“We can be curious about two things at once,” I argue as he deposits the broken pieces into a black trash bag.

“We’re not bringing Liam into this.” His tone is firm.

“Why not?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest.

“Because I don’t trust him.”

“I didn’t trust you a few weeks ago, and look at us now.”

“Maybe I’ve been blinded by lust.” He winks, and my jaw drops open. Does he really not trust me?

“Wow! Rude.” I stomp off to the research room and stew in silence until he appears a minute later.

“I’m kidding,” he assures me, grabbing my hand, and I yank away. “Lily.” He places a finger under my chin and tips it towards him. His green eyes bore into mine, and damn it, he makes it so hard to stay mad. “I promise, I’m kidding.”

I don’t know why I’m acting so offended. There’s still a part of me that doesn’t trust him either… I suppose it’s a bit hypocritical considering I have a whole ass anonymous caller I haven’t told him about.

“I should make you grovel.”

He grins. “Don’t tempt me with a good time.”

I fight a smile, and he nuzzles my nose victoriously, then gives me a quick peck. He releases his hold, turning towards his desk, and I shake off the annoyance and lust he so recently mentioned. Aster grabs a piece of blank paper and jots something before slapping it to the board. It’s a self-drawn skull with the words “Murder Art?” scribbled across it.