To Skin a Wolf

by A. L. Kessler

  To Skin a Wolf

  Here Witchy Witchy

  Book Four

  A.L. Kessler

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  To Uncle Jim Elliott

  Thank you to everyone who has made this series what it is. Thanks to my beta readers and Jasmyn who always catches those weird things. (Thanks to her I know how fast blood dries). As always, thanks to my husband who provides me with unending coffee and support. Last, but not least, to my readers.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Abigail.” Levi’s voice held a warning that I didn’t heed. I held total control over the magic buzzing through me. My magic carried me through the pain of my wounds. Ira stood in front of me, trapped in a red circle. All I had to do was close my fist, and he would burn. After everything that had happened the last six months, I wanted to close it. I looked in Ira’s eyes, and the damn vampire had the audacity to smirk at me. “Kill me and face the wrath of my maker.”

  There would always be another bad guy…I tried to remind myself. Killing Ira wouldn’t bring people back, it wouldn’t heal the wounded, and it wouldn’t solve any of my problems. But it might give me some satisfaction. I tilted my head to the side. “I’m not scared of your maker.”

  “Abigail, don’t.” Levi’s voice came through my magical high a bit stronger now.

  I blinked and Ira disappeared. Out of my circle, out of my magic. Just gone. He shouldn’t have been able to do that. My magic crashed back into me as if someone forced it. It burned through my body and my wounds, forcing me to my knees. I gasped as the warmth left my body and my vision went with it.

  ***Two weeks earlier ***

  I stood in front of the board I had created in the basement of my house parent’s house, well, my house since I had recently decided to move in. They had been murdered a little over twenty years ago and new evidence had come to light over the last couple years. The investigation board in question held pictures, notecards, and sticky notes of people from my past. I had used red lines to connect all the people who were currently dead. Little notes hung from the strings containing a bulleted list of any connections the deaths might have had, from known killers to cause of death. I had Nick’s picture pinned in the corner with a question mark. I wasn’t convinced that my partner was dead even though his mother had put him to rest…of course, she didn’t know that his body had disappeared from the morgue or that I saw him disappear into the dusk.

  I stepped forward and pinned a picture of a vampire PIB agent, Grayson Yorkingson, who’d mentioned that he had known my father. He had also warned me about the case I had been working on at the time. The doorbell rang and I pulled myself away from the board and looked at my phone. My new fancy security system allowed me to view the camera feeds from the device. Clarissa stood there with two Chinese food bags in her hands. I hadn’t been expecting her, and as far as I knew, Levi hadn’t approved her to visit. Even though the house was mine, he had begged me not to let anyone else inside. He never explained why, but I knew that the house was special to him in a way.

  I locked the basement door before going to let Clarissa in. She had recolored her hair, so the bright red caught the sunlight, making her green eyes even brighter as she walked in. “Levi sent me.”

  That was a hell of a greeting. “Why would he send you?” I motioned to the kitchen. She hesitated slightly as she walked in, but seemed to shake it off.

  “He wanted me to let you know that he and Mario are going on vacation.”

  Mario was a visiting vampire who had yet to leave. I wasn’t a fan of him, he knew that, and lately, he’d been staying out of my way. Must have been because I threatened to shoot him, several times. “So he sent you here with lunch to tell me?”

  “He’s worried about you, Abby. You hardly come to visit him anymore; you hardly leave your house unless you’re working on a case.” She put the food down on the table. “We’re all worried about you.”

  But what they didn’t know was that I was working on a case now, I was just keeping it hidden from them. My cat jumped up on the table and meowed at the bags of food. I assumed he smelled the chicken lo mein that Clarissa always ordered. I picked Osiris up and scratched his head. “The last few months have been hell. I’m still working on recovering.”

  It wasn’t a physical recovery. My last huge case hadn’t landed me in the hospital, but it had led to a magical meltdown where I had lost control, the PIB building had blown up, Nick was killed, or at the very least missing, and Boss Man had forced me into therapy by threatening to suspend me. So far we hadn’t made much of a breakthrough because I wasn’t one to really share my grief with anyone.

  “Holing up in your house isn’t the way to recover from Nick’s death.”

  The words still held a punch I wasn’t ready for. “You’re right, which is why I’m still at work. Clarissa, I never left my house much beforehand.”

  She started to put the food on the table, and I went to get plates. “Okay, that’s fair, but it doesn’t mean we’re any less worried about you.”

  My phone rang and I found myself hoping for a call on a new case to avoid an awkward intervention from Clarissa. I pulled it out of my pocket, and Clarissa put her hands on her hips, giving me a disapproving look.

  “Agent Collins speaking.”

  Nothing but dead air. I looked at the phone. The caller’s number was private, so I ended the call. Clarissa raised a brow. “Maybe it’s a ghost caller.”

  “Not funny. I never did find out if that woman was put to rest or not. I’d hate to think she figured out how to use technology to contact me.” The last case Nick and I worked on dealt with ghosts, lots of ghosts and lots of bodies. I didn’t have the sixth sense, but one ghost showed herself to me several times. We closed the case, kind of, but I never found out if her spirit was put to rest.

  She chuckled and shooed the cat away from the food. “Relax, I don’t think a ghost would call you anyways. They’d leave a message in some other way.”

  That wasn’t a comforting thought either. I sat down and started dishing up my plate. “So where did Levi and Mario go on this so-called vacation?”

  “He didn’t say. And you and I both know it’s not actually a vacation.”

  “Vampire business, don’t ask, Abigail.” I did my best impression of Levi, and Clarissa snorted.

  “Sounds like him.” She shooed the cat away again as he tried to swipe some of her chicken. “Osiris, go.”

  I clicked my tongue, and the cat jumped off the table and wandered off. “He lied to me, about the last case.”

  “I know he did. Are you still stuck on that?”

  I glanced down at the food. “If he was willing to lie in regards to a case with twenty-four dead, what else would he lie about?”

  “Don’t dwell on it.” Clarissa sighed. “Anything that he’s lied, or is lying, about is to keep you safe and out of vampire politics.”

  “So he says.” I shook my head. “I’m not convinced.”

  My phone rang again, and this time I checked it. Private number. I answered it and again, nothing but dead air. I shook my head.

  “Maybe someone has the wrong number and just keeps trying?”

  It would be a logical answer, but I was learning that nothing happened to me by mistake. “Maybe. I’m just hoping it’s not Levi trying to get through.”

  “Could someone at
work check the number?”

  “Yes, but then I’d have to explain why I needed it checked.” I shook my head. “Speaking of, let’s eat up. I’m due in the office in a couple hours.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Are you on a case?”

  “Nope. I closed a small one last week, nothing else has come up yet.” Though I kept wondering if Boss Man was avoiding giving me a bigger case.

  “Then why are you going into the office?”

  “Because I’m still required to show up to work.” I shrugged. “I don’t get to work from home all the time.”

  She took a bite and watched me with narrowed eyes. “You’re hiding something.”

  “Nope.” I met her gaze. “Why would you say that?”

  “You put a lock on your basement door, and there’s a rune on it to tell if someone goes in or out.”

  I raised my brows. “You saw the door on the way in then. Yes, a lock and a rune, because I want to keep people out of it. That’s where my parents died; maybe I don’t want it open to anyone.”

  “Are you trying to keep something down there?”

  “Like what?”

  “Spirits.”

  “My house is not haunted.” Some nights I questioned that too, but I wasn’t going to let her know that. “I just don’t want it opened. Not a big deal.”

  She gave me a skeptical look and went back to eating. She didn’t push and I let it go, but I knew she didn’t believe me.

  We finished our lunch and Clarissa left with a hug and a vague promise to check in on me again. I told her, once more, that I was fine. I walked her out and got in my newish car. My luck with vehicles was questionable. After the last three had been destroyed, I opted to buy a used one this time around. I threw my bag in the passenger seat and headed towards town. My property wasn’t as far out of town as Levi’s was, but it was still a pretty good drive. The trees and occasional house gave way to city buildings and housing developments and, of course, traffic. The original PIB building downtown was still being prepared, so my office had been moved to the north building. It had been used to store files and house very few offices, but now it was now headquarters for the local PIB branch.

  The parking lot still had the unfaded black of new asphalt with fresh, bright yellow lines. I parked my car and headed towards the shiny building featuring steel and wide windows on the upper floors. The automatic doors opened, leading me inside to the reception desk. Mandy, our regular daytime receptionist, looked up and smiled.

  “Hey, Agent A,” She smiled. “Mason is upstairs waiting for you.”

  That was odd, why didn’t he just call me? “Okay, thanks for the heads up.” I turned down the hall that led to the stairs. Ever since the other PIB building blew up because of a bomb in the elevator, I opted for the stairs. Besides, I could always use a little bit of cardio in my life.

  I pulled open the heavy metal door and walked into the concrete hall. The building was new enough that the stairs were basically for emergencies, so the well was quiet except for the echoing of my feet on the steps as I walked up the two flights. I paused when I thought I heard another set of feet echoing behind me. I peeked over the railing and saw nothing. No shadows, no creepers, and no monsters.

  I got to the second floor and went into the main part of the building. My office was just two doors down from the stairs, a nice change from the long walk in the original building. Just as the receptionist had said, Mason was leaning against the door to my office. He’d kept his head bald and grown a beard. His eyes were calculating as he watched me approach. His detective badge hung on his waistband, and I realized that this wasn’t a friendly visit, but official business. Which made me wonder again why he hadn’t called first.

  “Good afternoon, Agent Collins.”

  There was something about his official tone that I didn’t like. I raised a brow. “Afternoon, Detective Mason. Something I can help you with?” I went to swipe my ID badge to unlock my office, but he grabbed my wrist. I jerked away, surprised at the gesture. “No need to touch me.”

  “I had an e-mail cross my inbox this morning. I need to speak to you about it, off the record.” He kept his voice low as his eyes darted to my office, and I wondered what he was so paranoid about.

  I put my hands on my hips. “Then why all the official-ness?”

  “Because I told my higher ups that I’d come to question you in connection with another case.”

  “I’m a suspect?” I dropped my hands and tried to keep my movements calm. “I’ve been working, and that’s it for the last few months. I haven’t even ventured out to meet with the coven.” Paranoia set in my mind.

  “No, you’re not a suspect, not even a person of interest. But you might have information that could prove useful to us.”

  I didn’t like it. “We’ll do the official one in the office, then how about I treat you to a cup of coffee? There’s a local shop down the way, tucked away from most of the public.”

  He nodded and motioned for me to continue into the office. I swiped my ID card over the reader. The tumbler clicked out of place, and we entered. The big room felt empty with just my desk in it. It faced the door, with the back to the wall of glass windows. My flat screen monitor sat on the desk with a small computer attached to the back of it. Modern technology in a tiny package. It left the rest of the desk clean and tidy with just a keyboard and mouse laying on the surface.

  Mason sat in the chair in front of my desk. “Tell me, what do you know about the local wolf pack?”

  Well, shit. That was a loaded question. “I know who the alpha is, dated him for a little bit. Why?”

  “Do you perform any magic for them?”

  Now that one was a tricky question. “No.”

  “Abby, they say that your magic surrounds their pack lands.” He leaned forward. “Is that true?”

  “Yes, but that’s not actively performing magic. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. Like protective runes.” I countered. “I don’t do any active spells for them. The pack land thing…that’s just a protective circle is all.”

  I wondered where he had gotten this information. “What’s going on with the werewolves that you’re asking me about their pack?”

  “Simon asked me to bring you in on a case. I hadn’t realized he’d become alpha. Something happened on their land that forced them to call the authorities.”

  Well that was a surprise, the actual pack lands were tucked up in the mountains, and the pack normally took care of their own business, criminals included. “What happened?” What I wanted to ask was if Simon was alright, but since he’d requested me to be on the case, I assumed he was.

  “Someone murdered three of their pack members in their club.”

  I kept my face straight. The club he was speaking about was one that I put concealing runes on at one point, but had deactivated them when Simon’s second-in-command threatened me. “Which club is that?”

  “Wolf’s Bane downtown.”

  I couldn’t hide my surprise. “I didn’t know they owned that one. I thought a bunch of want-to-be-wolf humans ran it.”

  “The lease is in Simon’s name, signed over from a Greg…something or other.”

  Which was a forced signature since Greg was dead. I leaned back in my chair. “So what can I do for you? I didn’t know about the club. You know everything I do about the pack, and that circle, that’s only on the pack land in the mountains. Tell Simon I can’t help you unless you prove paranormal beings were responsible for the crime, not some human on a werewolf hunting high.”

  Though he had said originally that it was his higher-ups that wanted me questioned. “Why do your higher-ups think I can provide more information?”

  “Because you’re connected to Levi who is allied with the wolves.”

  And Levi was unreachable. “Ah, got it. Yeah nope, that’s all I can tell you. Shall we go get coffee?” I stood up, ready to dismiss the werewolf case.

  “No, we’re pretty sure supernatural creatures are
responsible. After we get coffee, we have a crime scene to look at, and you can confirm or deny if they were supernaturally murdered or not.”

  I tried not to wrinkle my nose at him. “Fine.”

  “Lover scorn?” He asked when he stood up.

  I shook my head. “Let’s just say it seems anytime I get involved with the werewolves things go astray.”

  “A-stray.” Mason chuckled at the unintended pun, and I rolled my eyes. I motioned to the door and followed him out. We walked down the stairs and out the front door silently, making our way towards the small shopping center a block away.

  “Don’t want to drive?” He kept up with me.

  “No, it’s not that cold and it’s a block away.” I shrugged. “Besides, less chance of my car blowing up.”

  He chuckled, but it was forced. “Agent Grace sent me an e-mail to update me on Tomes.”

  Tomes was one of many people who had attempted to take my life. He was also awaiting trial for using magic to kill, in a roundabout way. He’d risen zombies and used them as the murder weapon.

  “Interesting, I haven’t gotten one from her. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her since the ghost case.” I shook my head. “She was convinced she was going to be sticking around.”

  Mason nodded. “Well, I’m sure she has her hands full, someone paid Tomes’ bail, and he disappeared.”

  My heart dropped and I stopped walking. He’d used magic to kill; there wasn’t supposed to be the option of bail. “Why wasn’t I notified?”

  “Said on the case file that only Agent Grace needed to be notified.” And she had chosen not to tell me. Lovely.

  I tried not to growl. “And the vampire we brought in?”

  “He’s still in containment. I don’t think he’s had bail set for him.” Mason put a hand on my shoulder. “What about this case aren’t you sharing with me?”

  I glanced at him. “It has to do with the Vampire King. Ira, the vampire we’ve connected to the blood-starved case, apparently has the same maker as the king, and he’s been getting away with these…experiments for decades, if not a century.” I continued to the coffee shop. “If we could track Tomes, maybe he’d lead us to Ira.”