I put my head in my hands. “Double-edged sword then.”
“Pretty much,” Corinne agrees.
"Do you believe in ghosts?" I ask. It’s been bothering me since the first time I saw her, and I figure now is as good a time to ask as any.
"Ghosts?" She asks, tilting her head to the side. "No."
She leans back against the desk and crosses her arms, looking at me critically.
"Are you asking because you have seen what you assume is a ghost?”
I shift on the bed, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees.
"I've seen her more than once. My mother," I say quietly. "It's like she's haunting me ever since I tried to Find her."
"Where and when have you seen her?" She asks, tucking her hair behind her ears.
"The first time was in the hotel, the morning we arrived. I saw her in the mirror. The second time was during the raid. I saw her in this chrome planter. She pointed behind me, and that's when I realized someone was sneaking up on me. She saved my life."
“Hmm, that is an interesting manifestation,” Corinne says.
“Interesting how?” I ask, twisting my hands together. I want her to respond, to tell me I’m not crazy. Or that I am, but she can fix it.
“Well, for one, there’s no such thing as ghosts. Superstitious human nonsense. You did find a sort of echo though. It’s like you’re being haunted by her memory,” Corinne says, picking up her tea and taking a long drink. “The magic searched everywhere to find her, and because you cannot let her go, your magic is tied up in making these hallucinations manifest. It’s the most basic thing we teach Finders, but of course, you were never taught.”
I gnaw at the inside of my cheek. On one hand, I'm glad I'm not being haunted by the ghost of my mother, but it had felt so real. Part of me doesn't want to give up being able to see her.
"And the warning? Is that just a memory too?"
Corinne shrugs. "A memory, your magic protecting you perhaps."
Her answer is underwhelming, perhaps because I wanted it to mean something more. I take a deep breath and press the heel of my hands into my eyes for a moment, then look up.
"So what now?"
She sets her tea down and walks over to me, pushing up my sleeve. She traces one of the welts on my arm with a feather-light touch.
"This will never fade until you can untangle your magic, and let go."
"Let go of what exactly?"
"This kind of thing happens when the person using the Finding magic is obsessed with Finding someone. You may have tried to end the spell, but you didn't. You are burning yourself up with the magic, and the only way to stop it is to let go. You have to accept that you will never Find her. That she's gone."
I grit my teeth and dig my nails into my palms.
"I know she's gone. She's dead."
Corinne smiles gently.
"You know it up here," she says, pointing to her head. "But you need to accept it here," she points to her heart.
"It sounds like you're saying I need to just get over the fact that my mom is dead."
"That's not what I'm saying at all," Corinne says sharply, her lips pulling into a frown. "I'm saying that you have to accept that she isn't coming back. It's not something you can do overnight either. Until then, it's just going to be difficult."
"No offense, but I really thought you'd be more helpful than this."
Corinne’s frown twists up into a smile. “I hear that a lot. You should have Staci brew you something for those welts.”
“I still have enough salve left to last for a few days. I can figure this out before I run out of it,” I say tugging my sleeve back down over my forearm.
Corinne presses her lips together, her face skeptical, but she doesn’t argue.
"I should just get some sleep,” I say standing. I head toward the door, wishing I could just be alone for a few hours. Maybe I can hide out in the bathroom for a while.
"I'm sorry, Olivia," Corinne says as I turn the door handle. "For your loss. It's awful, and you'll always miss her.”
I pull the door open and walk out without responding. My feet lead me to the elevators, but I hit the button for the first floor. I can’t go back to the room yet.
The elevator is empty and carries me swiftly to the ground floor. The sun will be rising soon and I want to see it. I push through the double doors that lead out of the hotel and step out into the brisk air. The wind is blowing hard, pushing my hair around my face and cooling the hot sting of tears that escaped down my cheeks when I wasn’t paying attention.
The buildings here are spaced farther apart in this city than the one I grew up in. They’re far enough apart that you can see the sunrise on the horizon between them. They’re bathed in reds and golds right now as the sun begins creeping up into the sky.
The vampire magic curls up inside of me like a cat, stealing some of my energy as it goes dormant. The sounds of cars get a little more distant and the heartbeat of the man hurrying down the sidewalk across the street simply ceases. I feel human for a moment.
With a sigh, I turn to go back inside, but I stop when I see a woman with long brown hair reflected in the hotel door. She’s smiling at me, a worn book in her hand. My heart twists all over again and I realize what Corinne meant. I don’t want to stop seeing her.
I yank the door open and stomp inside. It’s going to be a long night tomorrow.
10
The JHAPI office is located on the outskirts of the city. It’s a large, square three-story building. The bottom is red brick, while the top two stories are white brick, making it look like someone stacked two different buildings on top of each other. A large archway stands in front of the building. There are three pillars in the archway representing the three tenets of JHAPI. Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity, something borrowed from the FBI since JHAPI was originally just another department within that organization.
We step out of the car and I pull my jacket tighter around me. The temperature dropped fast after the sun went down. Reilly’s phone rings as he shuts his door.
“Yes?” Reilly asks as he answers it. There is a pause. “No, I don’t want her mingling with the rest of the clan yet.”
I glance back at him and pull on the vampire magic, hoping to hear the other side of the conversation.
“—control is excellent, and she had requested a little more independence,” the caller says. It sounds like it might be the tattooed man I met at Javier’s.
“I’m glad to hear it, but I know you understand my reasons for wanting to keep her away from the others,” Reilly says, sounding annoyed like this isn’t the first time he has had this conversation.
“For how long?” The caller asks.
“At least a couple of weeks more. If she’s getting too restless, take her out somewhere, just make sure it’s away from the clan.”
“Yes sir,” the caller says, resignation clear in his tone.
Reilly hangs up the phone and looks at me.
“Was that about Leslie?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says as he starts toward the building. I trot after him.
“Is she alright?”
“Yes,” he says again.
“Why won’t you let her meet the rest of your clan?”
He stops short and I almost run into his back. He looks back over his shoulder.
“What did Maybelle tell you about how your mother conceived you?” He asks, his eyes scanning my face for the answer. “A question for a question, Olivia. I’ve already answered two of yours.”
I grit my teeth. He can’t ever make anything easy. I brush past him, but his hand on my arm stops me.
“You are going to tell me eventually. I’ve been asking nicely, but I won’t do that forever,” he says, voice low and his breath on my ear.
I jerk my arm away. “I hate you.”
He laughs like that’s the best joke he’s heard all week. “You sound like a petulant teenager.”
I open my mouth to argue with hi
m, but he simply walks around me and heads toward the entrance. I stay where I am for a moment, equal parts angry and frustrated, before following after him. I really do hate him.
Elise and Zachary reach the front door just before I do. Zachary holds the door open and lets me walk in before him.
“I cannot get used to this schedule,” Elise says, pressing the back of her to her mouth as she yawns.
“It might be easier if you actually went to bed in the mornings instead of watching tv,” Zachary mutters.
Elise rolls her eyes. “It’d be easier if you didn’t snore.”
Zachary glares at her. “I don’t snore.”
I laugh and try to turn it into a cough, but Zachary has already turned his glare to me.
“I’m sorry, but you definitely snore,” I say stepping back and raising my hands in apology.
Elise claps me on the back. “This is why I like you. Now, we need to get upstairs or we’re going to be late.”
Reilly is already in the elevator. He holds the door open for us and we all squeeze inside. My stomach lurches as it speeds toward the top floor. It stops just as abruptly as it started and the doors slide open.
The conference room is directly across from the elevators. It’s not as nice as the one in Phoenix. There is only one window, and it’s not very big, so the room is stuffier and darker. The rest of the team is already there. We grab empty seats at the end of the table and Corinne slides coffee in our direction.
Stocke stands and looks around the table, making sure she has everyone’s attention.
“One of the reasons we’re here in Vegas is because of recent disappearances, now believed to be kidnappings or murders. Vampires from five different clans have gone missing. Each clan has only lost a single member, and each clan leader had reason to believe the vampire might have simply run away. However, per clan law, they were still reported as missing to the vampire council.” Stocke pulls up a slide with pictures of five vampires, the dates of their disappearances, and their names next to them. “The disappearances caused alarm, there were too many to be a coincidence. The vampire council forwarded this information to JHAPI to investigate. Because of the increased chatter from the NWR in this area and the sighting of Martinez just last week, the case is believed to be related. We will be investigating this until we find the missing vampires, or find proof it is unrelated to terrorism.”
“Have any other paranormals gone missing?” Elise asks.
Stocke nods in Elise’s direction, looking pleased with her question. “The other councils have not reported any missing persons. However, I would like you to go in person to the local were packs and ask them. Explain that vampires have gone missing and that we are concerned what the NWR is up to. If nothing else, I’d like them to be extra cautious in the coming weeks.”
“Sure thing, boss. I’d like to take Olivia with me if that’s alright,” Elise says.
“I have no objections,” Stocke says with a nod. “Corinne and Hu, I’d like you to do the same with the local covens.”
“We’ll get started tomorrow morning, bright and early,” Hu says with a grin. Corinne nods in agreement.
“Reilly, would you be able to accompany Ivy to speak to the clans that have had a missing vampire?” Stocke asks, looking toward Reilly at the end of the table.
“Yes,” Reilly nods.
“Everyone else will be following up on the Martinez sighting. I want everyone who might have seen him questioned. I want every surveillance tape that might have caught a glimpse of him walking down the street. I want to know who he is talking to, what he is doing, and where he is.”
The remaining agents all nod.
“Corinne,” Stocke says. “In a couple of days, I’d like you to attempt to Find him. However, we’re going to do it by the book and take every safety measure possible. I want to know with certainty that he is close by.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Corinne says sitting up straighter. I’m surprised Stocke is being so overly cautious about trying to Find him. I thought it would be one of the first things Corinne did when we got here.
“Alright, everyone get to work. Anyone you can’t talk to tonight, find a way to see them tomorrow during the day. I want progress updates, and anything of note should be sent to the entire team immediately.”
* * *
I spend the entire night with Elise poring over pack member lists for the two packs in the Las Vegas area. The werewolf council has always refused to report their exact numbers, insisting instead on giving ranges in terms of pack size in certain areas. The lists Elise have been cobbled together from personal knowledge of contacts in the area and whatever information the local police have.
Reilly had disappeared after an hour to go visit one of the clans since they’re actually awake in the middle of the night. I almost wished I could go with him just to avoid reading anymore reports. Luckily, Elise called it quits well before sunrise.
Elise parks the car and I rub my eyes, only half awake.
“Thanks for the ride,” I mumble as I open the car door.
“Yeah, no problem,” she says with a yawn. “I’ll see you tomorrow at ten a.m.”
“So early,” I whine.
“The rest of the world hasn’t adapted to the night shift,” Elise says as we walk toward the elevators. “Just be glad we get to sleep at all.”
We ride the elevator up to our floor silently and head our separate directions with a short wave goodbye. I hope Reilly isn’t back yet. It would be nice to fall asleep without feeling watched.
I finally reach the hotel room and dig the key card out of my back pocket. I slip it into the lock and the light switches to green with a click. I push open the door and stop on the threshold. Reilly is sitting on his bed, and a girl is sitting on him. Her shirt is stretched down over her shoulder and his fingers are tangled in her hair, pulling her head sharply to one side to expose her neck.
His tongue trails up across a fresh bite. She shudders and moans, but he is looking at me. There’s no shame or embarrassment in his face, but I can feel mine heating up.
My fingers tighten on the door as a wave of conflicting emotions crash through me. The first is anger. Then jealousy, which only makes me angrier. Then annoyance, and finally, exhaustion. I don’t want to deal with whatever this is. I’m not sure if he intended to taunt me, or if he just didn’t expect me back so soon. He has to feed, I just expected him to do it anywhere but our room.
I take a step back and pull the door shut, then rub my hands over my face. Elise’s room has a couch just like mine. Maybe she won’t mind if I sleep on it.
I’m barely three steps from the door when it opens again and Reilly shoos the girl out. I keep walking without looking back. His footsteps get louder instead of quieter though, and I can hear his heartbeat speeding up.
“Olivia, where are you going?” He asks as he wraps his hand around my arm.
“Just finding somewhere to sleep,” I say attempting to tug my arm out of his grip.
“Then come back to the room.”
“No, you have company,” I say, swaying on my feet slightly.
He frowns at me, eyes scanning my face.
“She’s gone, and you’re exhausted. Come back to the room.”
I sigh deeply and run a hand down my face.
“Don’t do that again,” I say quietly.
“Do what?” He asks.
“Bring your dinner back to the hotel,” I say sharply.
“Why does it bother you?”
“It’s just gross. You could have at least put a sock on the door. That’s common courtesy.”
He smirks. “Were you jealous?”
“No,” I say, looking up at him in alarm. “No. Absolutely not.”
His smirk widens into a smile and he presses his hand into my lower back.
“Come get some sleep. It won’t happen again.”
His heartbeat stays steady. He means it.
11
I haven’t been awake at no
on in well over a week. It’s painfully sunny, and the roads are much busier than they are at night. I yawn and squint as I stare out the window. We’ve driven about twenty minutes north of the city.
Everything immediately around us is flat, including the shrubs and cactus. Nothing seems capable of growing higher than my knee. The mountains on the horizon look like crumbling mounds of dirt. They aren’t regal like the mountains I’ve always seen in pictures with snow on their peaks and trees climbing up the base. Even the sky seems flat here. There are no clouds, just a washed out blue that fades into white at the horizon.
We round a turn and the first body of water I’ve seen since we arrived in Nevada appears. It’s bordered by dull green grass that’s swaying stiffly in the breeze. We’ve somehow gotten into the hills I had seen in the distance without me realizing it. The river blinks in and out of view between them as we drive.
Elise slows down, then turns left and drives over a small bridge that crosses the river. The pavement doesn’t last long and the car bumps along a gravel road that is mostly designated by the high fence that springs up along either side of us. A mile away from the main highway we arrive at the main gate.
On each side of the wrought iron gate are pillars of white stone stacked as high as the fence. In front of each pillar is a statue of a wolf. The one on the left is sitting, staring straight ahead. The expression on its face is creepily life-like. The one on the right is howling, its head thrown back and its eyes shut.
Elise comes to a stop in front of the gate and presses a buzzer. Immediately, the gates swings outward. We drive in slowly, but I can’t help but glance back at the wolf on the left after we pass through. I almost expect it to have turned around to watch us somehow.
The road winds through more low hills for a quarter of a mile before it opens up to about twenty acres of flat land, neat lawns, and cookie cutter houses. The road we’re on goes down the center of the subdivision. At the end of it is a huge stone house that looks like a castle. A watchtower extends up from the middle of the structure. I wonder if the architect didn’t realize how phallic it looked, or if that was the point.
Blood Magic: Witch’s Bite Series Book Three Page 8
