Shadow Underground: A Romantic Urban Fantasy Murder Mystery (The Shadow Series Book 3)

by Candice Bundy

  Quinn’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “I’m the senior officer, and I don’t want to take that risk.”

  “So you’re okay risking others who could also face Niall’s fate?” Becka asked.

  For a moment they stood, squared off, staring each other down.

  “I understand you don’t want to risk me,” she said. “And trust me, I don’t want to place myself in harm's way either, but aren’t I here to put my talents to use?”

  Hamish cleared his throat. “Lady’s got a point, Quinn.”

  “Fine,” Quinn said. “I hope you’re right. But please, go slow.”

  Becka slid off her sea silk gloves, tucking them into her pocket for safekeeping. “I’ll be careful.”

  “I, for one, am not worried,” Caeda chimed in, her ebullient smile infectious, and Becka smiled back at her.

  “Enough with the talking.” Becka walked back over to the fountain, Quinn’s concerns festering in the back of her mind.

  Caeda walked alongside her. “I bet you can’t wait to flex those Null muscles?” she whispered.

  Becka side-eyed Caeda. “I mean, definitely yes,” she whispered back.

  “You know we can both hear you fine?” Hamish asked.

  “Have some decorum and be polite for a change,” Caeda said to Hamish.

  “How about you all take a few steps back and hush up so I can focus?” Becka said.

  Becka smiled to herself. Was this what it felt like to be part of a team? The idea warmed her heart, followed a moment later by a pang of regret over keeping Mimir’s messages secret from them.

  She had to tell them. Come clean. But how?

  After they backed away, Becka edged closer to the fountain, extending her awareness towards the black, frothing water, as she’d been trained. Niall was right, there was a lot going on in there, the layers of magic woven together like a fabric.

  She would have preferred to eliminate one aspect of the energy at a time, but between the interwoven magic and the way it roiled and churned with the water itself, Becka couldn’t see a way to Null the layers separately. It meant she had to do it all at once.

  She pushed the Null energy outward towards the water, attempting the least possible contact. As she slowly advanced the energy, Becka sensed the moment her power came into contact with the magic imbuing the water within the fountain. There was a sensation like a sparkler’s embers lighting over her skin and her whole body twitched in reaction. Then her power loosed itself through the water, running like invisible wildfire. Where the Null energy went, the blackened shadows dissipated.

  Becka had been told she was immune to magic due to her Null gift. So what had that magical sparkly feedback meant?

  In two seconds, it was over, and the body at the center of the fountain was revealed.

  Alvilda!

  Becka would have recognized her poisoning cousin anywhere. Her corpse was unnaturally pale, lips blue, fingers swollen. Emblazoned across her clothes in shadowy, swirling, pitch black were the words, FIND ME.

  Panicked, Becka jumped into the water, sloshing straight towards Alvilda.

  Chapter 4

  Streams of water shot out from the dolphins’ mouths in front and behind her, hitting Becka in the head, clouding her vision, causing her to almost slip on the layered coins underneath her sandaled feet. However, within a dozen slippery steps through the foot-deep water, Becka reached Alvilda’s body and fell to her knees, hitting the concrete with a splash and then a painful thump.

  Mimir’s message had warned her to tell no one. If they saw this message, would they be in danger? They’d certainly ask questions, perhaps leading Becka to reveal the messages in the journals.

  She reached out and touched Alvilda’s shirt, dispelling the words. Becka waited, but there was no further message. No additional magical kick. Just the body and the water falling around them.

  Maybe no one else saw it?

  “Where did the message go?” Quinn asked, and she jumped.

  Becka looked up, her heart leaping into her throat. Quinn and Caeda stood right behind her, all three of them soaked by the fountain. At least they had taken off their jackets and shoes before entering the water feature.

  “It disappeared when I touched her,” Becka replied, sticking to the truth.

  Quinn looked at Becka askance, his jaw clenching. He held out a hand, she took it, and he helped her up.

  “Spells within spells within spells,” Caeda replied. “What do you think the FIND ME meant?”

  “Most likely the Shadow-Dweller, Mimir, did this,” Quinn replied. “She’s the one who took Alvilda, and she must have staged this to demonstrate her clearly adept skills. Here, let’s get out of the fountain and let the team document the body.”

  Becka looked up, seeing a recording drone hovering overhead. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing the footage of her rush through the fountain later.

  They sloshed their way out of the water and just as they stepped over the basin wall, the fountain shut off. Andre approached them with blankets and handed them out.

  Becka wrapped herself in the blanket, chilled and anxious from the entire experience. Sure, her Null powers were on point, but having Quinn and Caeda discover Mimir’s message put them at risk, didn’t it?

  Why would Mimir start by sending Becka a private message, warning her to tell no one, and then go on and broadcast it for others to see? Was Mimir changing her tactics? Was she erratic and insane?

  Becka couldn’t know either way.

  “Nice timing on the water,” Caeda said, a snarky edge to her tone.

  “I aim to please,” Hamish replied. When they all frowned at him, he held up his hands. “Hey, I asked to have it turned off when I got here. But, it’s still amusing.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Caeda said. “Ugh, I need a shower! We were in dead body water!”

  Leave it to Caeda to point out the gross part. The thought, now planted in her head, made her skin crawl. Becka scrunched her hair and clothes rapidly with the blanket, anxious to get dry as fast as possible.

  When Quinn finished drying off his short-cropped hair, he turned to Becka. “Why did you run into the fountain and Null the message?”

  Her stomach flip-flopped. “I guess when I recognized her I just ran forward reflexively to check on her? Besides, you’d said to Null the magic,” she replied, which was completely a non-answer answer.

  By the way he frowned and his jaw clenched, Quinn wasn’t impressed with her response.

  “Hamish,” Quinn said. “Make sure the scene is exhaustively documented. I want to know what type of rope was used to tie her up. I want water samples taken to see if there’s anything unusual. And I want a full autopsy done on Alvilda. House Rowan will want to know exactly how she died.”

  The team nodded, one by one, faces grim.

  “Mimir left this here to send a message,” Quinn glanced meaningfully toward Becka, “and I want to make sure we understand every syllable. Got it?”

  “On it, sir,” Hamish replied.

  “Good. Hamish, I’m leaving you in charge of the scene. Plan on a debrief later today at the station,” Quinn said. “Once the recordings are done, start with getting her out of there. I want you to oversee her transfer personally. Make sure everything is set to rights before you go.”

  Hamish nodded, and then strode off towards the enforcers who were managing the drones.

  “Caeda,” Quinn said. “You’re in charge of finding the coin that flipped the switch on the magic in the fountain.”

  She shot him a look of genuine disgust. “In the dead body water?”

  “You’re already wet.”

  “Will do, sir,” Caeda replied, shoulders slumped.

  “Andre, can you swing by Becka’s townhome and make sure there hasn’t been anything unusual going on there while we’ve been gone?”

  “Of course,” Andre replied. “Should I wait there, or meet you back at the station?”

  “Remain at the townhome, but cal
l if you find anything to report,” Quinn said, and Andre nodded and took off.

  “You,” Quinn said to Becka with the same dishing-out-orders vibe that he’d had with the rest of the team, “are with me.”

  The chill in the air between them was a palpable thing, and Becka dreaded the conversation she knew was coming. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and wrapped the blanket around herself, giving Quinn a quick nod that she was ready.

  As they walked together in silence past the shield, Becka poured all of her focus into having tight control over her energy so she wouldn’t Null Niall’s work. When she cast a glance backward, Becka saw where she’d passed through marked by a hazy opacity in what was otherwise a white wall. She sighed. At least it was progress?

  When they got to Quinn’s car, he opened the door for her and then got in on the driver’s side. He pulled up the AI interface and picked their destination, the bureau, and then as the vehicle pulled onto the road he swiveled his chair to face her.

  “We’re headed to the station?” Becka asked, mostly to make conversation.

  A few seconds passed, as if he was debating his word choice. “We’re headed to the station. I’ll introduce you to Chief Elowen and then we’ll debrief her on the scene.”

  She would have preferred an opportunity to shower and get a change of clothes, but understood how dogged Quinn’s focus could be during an investigation.

  It should have thrilled her to spend more time one-on-one with Quinn, but instead the sinking feeling in her gut would not let up. Becka was not looking forward to the heart-to-heart she felt coming on, but also just wanted it over with. She hated the distance between them, which felt like it was growing by the second.

  If only she’d been able to hide Mimir’s message, maybe she would have figured out a way to manage the threat on her own without involving, and thus endangering, anyone else? Not that she wanted to do it all on her own, but she didn’t want people getting hurt over her. Not again. Not like Luce had. And especially not Quinn.

  “How are you holding up after finding Alvilda?” he asked.

  “Guilty, really. I wish we could have found her sooner and I’m not looking forward to calling Calder to let him know his girlfriend is dead.” A heaviness settled in her chest. “I also feel like I should have done more to help.”

  “Once Mimir had her, there was very little likelihood we could have recovered her alive,” Quinn replied.

  “You seem pretty sure of that. So why did you keep asking for me to try and find out something from the Shadow-Dweller books?”

  “Even though it was a longshot, there was still the possibility that she’d survive.” He shrugged. “Sometimes you have to try, despite knowing there’s little hope.”

  Becka couldn’t remember a time he’d sounded so bleak, and guessed there was more to the story that he wasn’t telling her yet.

  “It’s hard to feel like there’s hope of us defeating Mimir. I guess I’ve been putting things off, as if it would somehow prevent her next attack,” Becka admitted.

  His gaze narrowed at her. “Is this the first time you’ve seen one of Mimir’s FIND ME messages?”

  His question couldn’t have been more direct, no doubt allowing his truth-detection abilities to laser in on her. Becka didn’t want to answer. She didn’t want to put Quinn at risk, which she feared Mimir’s message “tell anyone, and they die” meant. But she especially didn’t want to lie to Quinn, whom she loved.

  Becka pulled damp strands of hair away from her face, running her fingers against her scalp. “I don’t want to lie to you, but I don’t want to lose you either.”

  Quinn’s expression was stricken, as if she’d sunk a dagger into him. “You can’t take on this threat alone, Becka, and you won’t lose me by telling me the truth.”

  Tears threatened at the edges of her vision. “I fear I will.”

  “By your reaction to the message at the fountain, it’s obvious the message wasn’t novel to you. Where have you seen it before?”

  “You can’t just use your truth detector on me whenever you want, Quinn. I have a right to keep my thoughts to myself.”

  The muscles in his jaw clenched. “You’re right, your thoughts are your own. It’s not my intention to intrude on your every private moment, and I encourage you to call me out when I’ve crossed the line. But, I’m duty-bound to follow leads related to your safety, which I have to think you appreciate the outcome of, if not the process. If you want, you can tell me this is none of my business, and I’ll back off.”

  Becka sighed. Quinn knew she’d been withholding, just not the reasons why. His assurances did nothing to alleviate the threat Mimir presented. Surely now that others had witnessed the message, Becka could admit to it without drawing any danger to them?

  “The first time I saw a FIND ME message was at the House Apple cabin. It was right after Mimir’s attack when she’d killed Luce and kidnapped Alvilda.”

  Quinn’s look of disappointment hit Becka square in the gut, her body clenching like she could hold onto his trust by the sheer grip of her willpower alone.

  “What exactly did you see back at the cabin?” he asked, the tone of his voice as still as an iced-over lake in winter.

  “FIND ME was drawn in the blood on the table at the cabin.”

  “I don’t recall that,” Quinn replied tersely.

  “You wouldn’t. Before you stepped into the room, I wiped it out,” Becka admitted, hearing her voice cracking with emotion. Was it heartache? Fear? Both?

  A flush rose in his cheeks. “You destroyed evidence?”

  Becka couldn’t deny it. A hot tear rolled down her cheek. “We’d just lost Luce. I was afraid if you saw that message, you might run headlong into danger. I didn’t want to lose you… or anyone else. I wasn’t thinking altogether clearly.”

  His nod was mechanical, but his expression was grave. When his eyes locked on her, Becka couldn’t look away. “Have you seen the message since the cabin?”

  She shifted in her seat. She normally loved Quinn’s ability to root out the truth, but being under his microscope made her squirm.

  “Yes. Every time I crack open the Shadow-Dweller glyph book and the journals from the cabin, the ‘Find Me’ message is there. Even before I ask a question. Even after I ask a question.”

  He looked away, his gaze going to the pedestrians they passed. But the muscles of his jaw flexed and his knuckles cracked as he adjusted in his seat. When he spoke, Quinn’s frustration carried over into an accusatory tone. “You’ve been holding back.”

  “So were you!” Becka heard the chagrin in her voice, but it was her guilt over the truth in his words that fueled them.

  “I held back investigation details that would not have had any impact on Alvilda’s outcome,” he snapped back. “You lied about Mimir’s messages to you! Repeatedly. All week since you’ve been back.” He threw his hands in the air. “Why would you do that?”

  Becka’s admission burst forth with a flurry of tears. “Mimir has an interest in me ‘finding her’ and she’s a super powerful Shadow-Dweller who is likely out to claim my power by drinking my blood and then leaving me for dead. Plus, she expects me to come to her willingly. Why wouldn’t I want to hide under a rock?”

  Quinn’s expression softened somewhat, but the betrayal never left his eyes. “I understand the urge. Were there any other messages in the two journals you kept from the cabin?”

  Becka shrugged, unwilling to share the final warning from the books with Quinn. “I haven’t made sense of them yet. Every time I try there’s that same message. I can’t seem to get any other response.”

  He paused, the intensity in his gaze once again boring into her. “I have to know, Becka. Have you attempted to find Mimir or any other Shadow-Dwellers?”

  “No!” Becka said, her voice louder than she’d intended, but his accusation stung her like a whip. “How can you think I would do that? Of course I haven’t tried to find her. But you know that. I haven’t stepped
foot out of the townhome before today.”

  “You might still have been researching ways to do so. Have there been messages from Mimir on where to find her? Or how?”

  Becka shook her head. Why did they have to have this conversation? She wanted to run away from it, as if that could somehow protect Quinn from Mimir. Which was a joke; she couldn’t even protect herself from that woman.

  “No, just find me, find me, find me, over and over. Like I somehow would know how to do that?” Becka’s anxiety increased with every syllable as the words left her lips.

  He cocked his head to the side, the flush in his cheeks deepening once more. “That’s a lie. Or omission? Tell me, Becka, what other messages have the journals provided?”

  “I don’t want to tell you,” Becka replied.

  His brows arched. “I can tell, which is why I can’t let it go. Especially since I don’t know why you would deceive the person who’s only ever cared for you and sought to protect you.”

  “I’m afraid for you!” Becka replied. More tears broke free, and she wiped them away.

  Realization dawned in Quinn’s eyes. “Some of the messages in the journals were threats?”

  Becka nodded. “There’s a direct warning that if I tell anyone, they’ll die. And now I’ve told you!” Fresh tears ran down Becka’s cheeks, hot against her chilled skin.

  Quinn frowned. “You didn’t tell me, or anyone, about the message in the fountain. We saw that for ourselves.”

  She shrugged, wiping tears away with the back of her hand. “I don’t understand that message being there at all. Why threaten me not to say anything, and then throw it out there for everyone to see? I mean, we all know Mimir is unhinged, but this isn’t even a consistent level of crazy.”

  Quinn leaned back in his seat. “Could be an escalation? Or another Shadow-Dweller faction?”

  Becka shook her head, her heart racing. “What do you mean?”

  “They’ve sent you messages and you haven’t acted. Mimir could be raising the stakes to increase the pressure and force you to come to them.”