I picked up the old photo and looked at it. A picture of my mom and dad, their smiles shining through. They looked happy. Judging by the clothes it was a few years before I was born. Mom wasn’t wearing her ring and neither was dad. They weren’t even newlyweds yet.
I sighed. I missed them, even though I didn’t have them very long I missed them. Though I wondered what they got mixed up in that brought me here. I ran my finger across the photo and it shifted.
Not the people, no, but someone else appeared in the background. A smiling man whose head was thrown back in a laugh. I didn’t know him, but I knew the spell used to hide something in a photo. It was normally used to spread messages or spells in the days that witches were still being hunted.
Though many people thought witch hunting died during the time of the Salem trials, it didn’t. Hunters just became craftier. I tucked the photo away in my bag and made a mental note to ask Levi about it later. If anyone knew who it was, it’d be him. He was the closest person to my family.
“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!” Simon’s voice echoed through the house and made me jump.
I had fallen asleep on the couch again. I really needed to learn how to at least make it to the bed before I slept. Maybe I should have considered doing research in bed so when I fell asleep I was in the right spot. Of course, the guest room didn’t have a television. “Dear lord, why are you so happy after such a late night?”
“Had a great run, the pups did awesome, no one was eaten alive and now I’m here with a beautiful girl on my couch.” He sat down in the chair and wiggled his eyebrows at me. He looked perfectly clean and not like he’d been out most the night. It made me hate him for a moment.
I rolled my eyes and reached for my phone. “Holy shit, it’s three in the afternoon! Why didn’t you wake me earlier?”
“I just got home.” He shrugged. “Besides, I figured after your late night you could enjoy some sleep.”
That was true. It was nice to sleep in, but seriously, it was already late. I scrolled through the missed calls and notifications. I saw Detective Mason had called a few different times, clearly he didn’t want me sleeping in. Thank the Goddess for silent mode. “Did anyone know the werewolf victim?”
“Nope, so you’re on your own there.” He sighed and leaned back in the chair. “You’re all cleansed?”
I nodded. “Yep, as good as new and learned my lesson.” I snorted. “So you don’t have to follow me around, which is good, because it looks like I have a crime scene to go to.”
I stood and went to the spare room to get ready. I brushed my teeth and ran a quick hand through my hair. I’d grab a burger from somewhere for breakfast. I ran back through the living room and waved at Simon on my way out the door.
I called Detective Mason on my way out to the car. “Hey, sorry, long night, but I’m back to being a hundred percent.”
“I found something at the library. You’re not going to like it and I suggest you don’t wear good clothes.”
That sounded fantastic. “What about the other place I sent you?”
“Yeah, I’ll drive you out there when we’re done here. My men checked it out, but said there wasn’t anything they could see. Bill freaked out though.”
I frowned and pulled the car into the road. “Bill? Isn’t he the psychic?”
“He likes to be called a seer, but yeah.”
It was never good news when the psychic freaked out, at least if they were the real thing. That of course meant that I would find something with my magic there. Made me grateful that I was back at full strength.
“I’m on my way to the library now.”
“Also, Abby, I suggest you don’t eat.” He disconnected the call and I sat at a stoplight debating on if I should take his word for it. Normally Mason’s stomach was made of steel, so if he didn’t think I should eat I probably should heed the warning.
I gave a longing look as I drove past my favorite burger joint and continued to the library.
The flow of traffic moved swiftly, making my commute easy and almost enjoyable. I pulled into the parking lot at the library and saw all the police tape. It had to have been bad if they blocked off the main part of the library. I got out of the car and grabbed my badge from my bag.
I knew many of the police that were working the crowd and they waved me through. Unfortunately, I also knew the media people trying to get into the crime scene. Ah fuck, now they knew that there was something paranormal involved. I tried to cover my face as I moved under the yellow tape and to the entry of the library, but really, there was no fooling those people. My face and name would be plastered all over the media. Lovely. I hated the attention.
I made it to the entryway and showed my badge to the police officer at the door who didn’t know me. Once inside I clipped it on my belt and checked that my firearm was accessible. Not that I would need it here, I hoped.
I followed the strange amount of people who seemed to be standing around and found my way to the staircase. I walked down the dimly lit stairwell and found Mason standing at the bottom with his arms crossed.
“Bout’ time you got here.”
“There is a whole swarm of gawkers outside. It took me a few minutes to get through the crowd. Oh, and the media is here.” I waved a hand in the air like it would help explain. Mason didn’t crack a smile. His face looked a little gray around the edges and I wondered what he’d found in the library. He pulled at his black lapels and made a discontented noise.
“One of the reasons I’m so grumpy. Come on, I’ll show you what we have.” He pushed away from the wall and walked further into the basement.
The library was an old building, with a brick basement that was drafty and probably never even considered useable for books. Too much to worry about in terms of care, but storage for chairs and tables was an obvious solution for them. Mason walked into the room, but I paused outside the door just to make sure I couldn’t see any glowing runes. Nope, nothing active, but there were a lot of runes. Written in blood, covering the walls.
I gagged at the smell and the thought of the blood. “It looks fresh.”
“Do you know what runes these are?”
I nodded, “They are runes for pain, to stop pain and they are in the local coven’s version.” Holy shit, what was going on? “I don’t know why it isn’t dry yet. Or why it’s here.”
“Are you close to them?” Mason asked and I shook my head.
“They helped take the hex off me last night, but honestly I see them maybe once a year. I know one of the priestesses though, I can ask her if someone is missing.” Though, I hoped Clarissa would have mentioned it.
A werewolf and a witch, what was next? I knew the answer in my gut and I didn’t want to admit it out loud. A vampire. The coppery smell clung to my nostrils. “There’s no way whoever wrote all this is alive.”
“So you think it’s one person?” Mason sounded surprised.
I looked at the runes again. They would help ease pain, which told me the person didn’t think they could heal the damage and they wanted a peaceful death. I didn’t want to think about what kind of injury would cause those thoughts. “Yes, one person. We have runes and magic that can heal small wounds. These runes are strictly for stopping or easing pain.”
Mason ran a hand over his head. “We’re running down the list of employees to see if we can get a connection of some sort.”
I nodded. “Look for someone who has a lot of knowledge of Egypt or maybe obsessed with Ra.”
“Why?” He asked and stepped in front of me to meet my gaze. “What did you learn?”
“There’s a cult out there who believe that it is their job to purge the world of those who go against the crafts original intentions.” I sighed and touched the pentagram around my neck, thinking of my mother.
“Which means what, Abigail?”
“I honestly have no idea. What I do know is that they aren’t above using hexes to kill people.” I looked around the room and took in the runes.
“This person was in a lot of pain, so I’m assuming that the blood came from a pre-inflicted wound. Probably the one causing all the pain.”
Mason nodded. “Why?”
“Because there was a lot of blood needed for this, and this is a storage area, certainly there is a pen or chalk or something they could have used to draw the runes. Something other than their own blood.”
“Good point. Let’s let the team clean this up and I’ll take you to the other location.”
I stepped out of the room quickly, wanting out and away from the blood. Even once we climbed the stairs I could smell the copper scent. I wrinkled my nose as I saw that more media had joined the crowd outside.
“I hate publicity.”
“It’s what keeps your unit going, Agent A. So I suggest you smile and look pretty for the camera. Just don’t say anything.”
I rolled my eyes at him and followed him to his police cruiser. I did as he suggested and I even waved at a camera, but I refused to answer the gruesome questions that they asked.
Why would I tell anyone that we had a rampaging cult on our hands? I got into the passenger side of the cruiser and leaned my head back. I wasn’t looking forward to the second site. At least there wasn’t a body part at this one and from what I understood there wasn’t a whole lot to see at the other site.
Mason pulled his car to the side of the road and I had a strange sense of deja vu. I hoped this wasn’t near the forest where I’d been with the coven, if it was I was going to feel awful about being near a crime scene. Mason handed me a GPS and motioned to the woods. “It’ll beep when you get there.”
“Seriously? You’re leaving poor defenseless me to wander the woods alone?” I gave him a bored look.
He grinned. “You got your gun?”
“Yep.”
“See, you aren’t defenseless. Get going. It’s only a few yards that way. I’ll be right here waiting for you to get back, just in case someone decides to come back.” He motioned to the dense trees.
Right, and that’s why he handed me a GPS. I rolled my eyes and started the trek into the woods. Something was wrong. My magic started to stir in me and my aura itched. I understood why the psychic freaked out. I didn’t want to be here either.
I drew my gun when I heard a crunch near me. I froze and clicked the safety off with my thumb. The weight of the metal was nice, but I knew it wouldn’t do anything against something magical. Another crunch and I turned on my heels, my heart pounding in my chest. Then I saw it. A three legged, large wolf.
The size told me it was a werewolf, the three legs told me it was probably our victim. But then he ran into the forest. Instinct told me to run after him, but I knew better. There was magic still in this forest. The GPS beeped at me a few more steps in. It was the residue of magic that I was feeling, which meant that a really strong spell had been spun here. I couldn’t find any runes, no body parts, and my mind kept going back to the wolf.
I still had the pendent at home. Now that I knew the wolf was alive I could use it to track him and I could do it without almost dying. I stepped away from the scene and went back to Mason.
He raised a brow at me. “What did you find?”
“I caught a glimpse of a three legged werewolf and I can tell you that this is probably the place that all the magic originated from. It was powerful, but I’m betting they’re long gone.” Which wasn’t going to help us any. I growled. “They either found a new spot or they’re done.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I need to get to my office and look some things up.” I grumbled. “I have a feeling this isn’t the first time they’ve killed.”
I climbed into the police cruiser and rubbed my head. More research, but at least this time it was all digital. I was grateful for all the databases that PIB had gathered and hoped that I’d be able to do more than just look at runes.
“You know, you should build us a reference for the runes.” Mason said easily.
I shook my head. “Nope, get yourself someone else. I don’t have the time or the dedication.” Though I had a feeling all the information to put it together would be in the library at Levi’s at this point. “Maybe when I retire.”
“Like they’re going to let you do that. You’re the best there is Abby, you’ll have to die before you can leave this job.” He shook his head. “Honestly, you never should have joined the state.”
He was probably right and I knew I was the best. I was the one they called to help train new recruits, I was the first person put on the scene when it came to supernatural deaths, and I was the one Mason trusted most. “Probably not, but it beats sitting around all day.”
Though if I was honest with myself had I not taken the job, I would still have been living at Levi’s. I watched out the window as the woods passed. Everything seemed so peaceful from this view, hiding anything that prowled the dark.
By the time we got back to the library the crowd was gone and so was the media. Except for one. I glared at Mason. “I am not handling that woman. You can do it.”
Her long legs were boosted up by tall stiletto heels, bright red of course to match her lipstick. Her thick-rimmed glasses sat on her tiny nose, her mouse brown hair was tied up in a bun. Her name was Stephanie and she worked for the tabloids of the paranormal world.
“That woman needs a hobby.” Mason sighed. “I’ll drop you at your car.”
I was grateful for that. I wouldn’t have to face the viper. Last time my name ended up in her paper, Levi threw a fit. I didn’t blame him, she’d claimed that the only reason I worked for him was because I liked a nice bit of vampire ass. Levi’s. Ew.
Mason drove me to my car and let me out. I got in my own car and sighed. I swore that Levi would murder me if I showed up in the tabloids again. I waited until I saw Mason get out of his car all the way across the parking lot to talk to Stephanie. He would keep her busy long enough for me to get out without her noticing. So I hoped.
I pulled up to Simon’s house and saw his car still in the driveway. I wanted to know when it would be safe for me to go home again. Maybe, just maybe, I could go home tonight. If my house hadn’t been blown up. I took a moment to consider what my neighbors would think if it just suddenly went up in flames. Most of them didn’t know what I was, but that would totally let the cat out of the bag.
I shook my head and walked into the house. Simon had his feet up on the coffee table as he watched something on TV. Sports, I was sure, and nothing that would interest me. In jeans and a t-shirt he looked so normal, I never would have guessed he was a wolf. “I’m going to the office. Want to come?”
“Did you really drive all the way back here to ask me that?”
I shook my head. “No, I needed my notes on my dad’s stuff. It has what I need to put into my database program, but I thought I might be able to find out something about that werewolf.”
“Like what?”
“His address, his kin, something, anything. I saw him in the woods today.”
Simon jumped up at that and met my gaze. I’m not sure what he was searching for in my face, but he didn’t find it. “What are you talking about? Why didn’t you snag him?”
“Because he’s a three legged werewolf and even with three legs he’d be able to kill me. I’d prefer to stay alive for a bit longer.” I smirked. “Besides, why couldn’t you smell him out in the woods?” It was a shot, but I doubted that it was the same place that the pack ran.
“There are a lot of woods and a lot of mountains here, he wasn’t in our area. We would have known.” He crossed his arms. “He was in wolf form?”
“What did I just say, Simon?” I threw my hands up in the air and went back into my room to grab the binder. I came back out with it. “So you want to come or not?”
“You sure you should bring me into a government building?” He teased. “Pretty sure the medical examiner that showed us the arm wasn’t too thrilled about it.”
“Yeah, well Dr. Lambsburg can kiss my witchy a
ss. Besides, my office, my rules. All we have to do is get you a visitor's badge.” I checked the pocket of my bag to make sure the picture with the random person was still there. It was and the third man was still chilling out in the background. Perfect.
Simon grabbed his jacket. “Sure, why not. It’s not like I have anything better to do. Besides, you owe me a drink.”
“I do, don’t I? Promise we’ll grab one after this.” I shrugged my jacket back on and headed towards the door. “This time, I drive.”
He snorted and walked out, locking up behind us. He got into the passenger side of my car at the same time that I slid into the driver’s side. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to your office.”
“I don’t spend much time there. I don’t really have a use for it. It’s not like I depend on technology on a daily basis.” I shrugged and turned the car on.
“Then why now?” He asked.
I steered the car into the road and headed for the highway. “Because I need the answer faster than a tracking spell can give me. If I don’t turn up anything I’ll try the tracking spell.” Hopefully without the side effects. I could admit that I wasn’t really ready to try magic again. I had a feeling that the Cult was still keeping an eye on me and if I used my magic then they’d easily be able to track me. Just like I could them. The spell I used to find their locations had been risky.
“Do you want to tell me about the scene you just left?”
Not really, but I had to test my theory out on someone. “There’s been someone killed from the local coven. So that means a wolf victim and a witch.”
“It would have been two witches had they managed to kill you.” He pointed out and I nodded.
“I don’t think I was on their list.”
“You think it’s like a hit man?”
I watched as the traffic slowed and I slowed with it. I hated the highway at this time of day, but it was the most direct route. “Something like that. The information I have says that the Cult of Ra feels that it is their responsibility to cleanse the world of those who have strayed from the path of the craft. I have a feeling they have a list.”
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