The Lion's Den

by D N Simmons

  Warren, Matthew and Brian gave each other knowing looks. The Council had been mum concerning shape-shifters. Because the senator who had been turned wasn’t a Natural Born, he had no idea that a born shifter could change at will and was the only one who could transform partially. Slowly, but surely … the truth was leaking through.

  Colin answered him. “Apparently not, because this shifter was killed with only a quarter moon in the sky.”

  “Shit!” Barry and Gabriel said in unison. “Why are we just finding out about this?” Gabriel asked, growing angry.

  “Because, like I told Warren earlier. We were told to keep a lid on our case and to only let certain details leak to the press, nothing more. Nothing that would jeopardize the mission of the S.U.I.T. or rich people’s pockets,” Colin answered.

  “You don’t say.” Gabriel looked at the other three detectives. “Did you know shape-shifters could change forms like that?”

  Warren and Matthew looked at each other, feigning bewilderment.

  Warren shrugged. “No, I didn’t. This is news to me,” he lied.

  Brian wanted to steer the conversation in another direction, hoping to confuse the insightful humans. “Perhaps they found a way to change him, maybe they used torture tactics to cause enough pain for them to turn. We know that can happen from our research.” He shrugged. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. That’s not important. What is important is catching this cov”

  “What the hell are you talking about? How is that detail not important?” Colin asked his partner. “In both of our cases, we’re discovering more and more about these supernatural freaks than we ever knew. Everything we learn is important, Brian.”

  Brian cleared his throat, thinking about a way to correct his faux pas. “You know what, you’re right. I didn’t mean that it wasn’t important, it’s just, how does knowing that help us now? Not to mention, we

  “Then let’s not ignore what’s so obviously ‘tangible’… like for instance, vampires that might be able to fly and go out during the day,” Colin shot back.

  “Can we not argue amongst ourselves,” Matthew intercepted, hoping to calm the rising tempers in the room.

  “That’s fine with me,” Brian agreed, hoping to cease Colin’s line of questioning. He brought their attention back to the case. “Now, maybe we should have a chat with the media, put out a bulletin for everyone to be on guard. We should alert the public of their next possible target.”

  “That’s just it, we don’t know who their next victim will be. The shape-shifter was the first victim in our case, not the second,” Matthew said. “We don’t know if the next victim is going to be a child or not, or if it’s going to be killed by a vampire or the shifter.”

  The six men were silent as they pondered their scenario. Each one was trying to come up with a solution with little success.

  “They must be laughing their fucking asses off. The government’s “best” scratching their heads and asses,” Colin remarked, angered by their lack of options and ideas.

  They all were.

  ***

  Back at Darian’s mansion, They were still at a stalemate on the perfect tactic to deal with this new threat.

  “Well, we haven’t heard from the S.U.I.T. yet, I guess the killing has stopped for the time being,” Justin said.

  “Marcus is probably watching this mansion right now. It’s very likely he could be reading our thoughts, hearing our voices,” Darian commented, crossing one long leg over the other.

  “Well shit, what’s the point of us even trying to think up a plan anyway?” Sergio asked, irritated by the entire situation. “You can’t feel this motherfucker’s aura, so we don’t know if he’s listening or not.”

  “I’m with Sergio, if we happen to come up with a plan that doesn’t completely suck ass, he’ll know about it,” Adrian added.

  Darian shrugged one shoulder. “It doesn’t matter. This vampire is smart. I’m sure he already knows we’re trying to come up with something. That’s just common sense. We should continue plotting under the assumption that he’ll know about our plan.”

  “How is that productive?” Tatiana said, exasperated.

  Darian sighed. “Well for one reason, it’s far more preferable than sitting here staring at each other in dumbfounded silence. Another reason is, we may brainstorm enough to come up with a plan that might work whether he knows about it or not.”

  Natasha pointed frantically at Darian, he watched her, confused. Her mouth was a perfect “O” as she struggled to get the words out in her excited state.

  “Calm down, take your time,” he instructed.

  She did, taking a deep breath. “Sorry. I just had the perfect thought! Okay, you’re having a hard time tracking this vampire and you can’t read the shifter’s mind. You got me to thinking when you said Marcus” She cut herself off, looking at Adan. “Are you sure that’s his name? This vampire?”

  Adan nodded. “It’s the name he gave to me the night we first met.”

  “Do you know the other coven members names?” Natasha asked.

  “Why do names matter?” Stephanie asked.

  “Woman, hush!” Adrian told Stephanie, who rolled her eyes, but remained silent.

  “I believe the shifter’s name is Kiren. I heard him call him during one of our battles,” Adan answered.

  “What’s with the tidbits of information you’re dealing out?” Adrian asked, frowning as he was growing more agitated.

  Adan raised both eyebrows. “I was interrupted with questions, if I remember correctly, then you all simply took over … I let you, because it seemed more …” He looked at Tatiana, nodding at her. “… Productive to talk about solutions instead of the problem.”

  “If I may continue,” Natasha blurted out, frowning at Adrian.

  “Go on, I’m just … I’m fucking tired, that’s what I am,” Adrian replied.

  “We all are.” Natasha continued, “if we can somehow steal something personal of theirs, I may be able to see what they’re doing even before they do it.”

  “How are you going to steal something of theirs?” Devin asked. “It’s not like they’re leaving shit at the crimes scenes.”

  “I’m not dumb, I know that. I was basing this on the fact that they may attack us or Adan and his Pride again. Since they keep letting them live, and us for that matter. They may attack us and at that point we can take something from them I can use.”

  Adan perked up as well. “You can do that?”

  Natasha nodded. “Yes, I can do that, and I don’t have any reasons to think it won’t work. My ability isn’t magical or supernatural, it’s mental.”

  “Do you think he’ll be able to block her?” Elise asked Darian.

  “Yes,” Darian replied, honestly. “But it may be worth a shot, we may be successful, we may not. Even if Natasha sees a glimpse of their location, that may be our only chance to strike. I believe the shifter is the best candidate for this. He doesn’t have the ability to block Natasha from seeing his future.”

  “Then, let’s hope when they do attack us, we survive,” Xander said.

  “I’m not looking forward to this plan at all,” Sergio groaned.

  “I don’t think any of us are,” Elise agreed.

  It was true, no one liked the plan, but it was the best thing they could think of at the moment.

  ***

  Back at the precinct, the six detectives were still brainstorming.

  “Listen, I have a completely outrageous idea, but it’s better than nothing,” Brian began. “It’s completely unorthodox, but we’re out of options. Why don’t we petition supernaturals within the city for help.”

  Colin was flabbergasted. “What?! That’s fucking insane!”

  Brian shot him a look. “Why is it insane, Colin? Maybe a vampire or shifter can track this coven in a way we can’t. The S.U.I.T. is an amazing force, I’m not denying that, but even we have our limitations.”

  Warren and Matthew gave each other another k
nowing look, not quite certain if the plan proposed was a smart one, or bad. They certainly knew their respective communities were taking their own initiative, but they didn’t want to involve any outside supernaturals, who may complicate matters.

  “Are you saying we should enlist the services of say … a supernatural private investigator?” Gabriel asked. The idea both intrigued and frightened him.

  Brian nodded. “Yeah, something like that, why not?”

  “I don’t think the S.U.I.T, would allow that,” Barry said, not sure if they would or wouldn’t.

  “Why not? When I was on the Force, we hired outside professional help all of the time. Psychic, clairvoyants, psychologists, hell, even other fucking criminals to give us the inside info,” Brian protested.

  “Yeah, but they weren’t supernaturals,” Colin argued.

  “Psychic … clairvoyant,” Warren whispered, immediately thinking of Natasha. “I think you may be onto something.” Excited, he ran to his telephone, dialing Natasha’s cell. She didn’t answer. He then dialed Darian’s home number.

  John answered. “Hello?”

  “John, this is Warren, listen,” He began to tell them what they were discussing. “Think Natasha would be up for it?”

  “You have no idea just how perfect your timing is. Natasha just volunteered to use her abilities. We just need to get something of theirs she can link to,” John informed.

  “That’s going to be difficult, they didn’t leave anything behind,” Warren said.

  “We’re hoping they attack us and we survive long enough to snatch a belonging for her to connect with.”

  “What the fuck? How is that a good idea?” Warren was incredulous.

  “It’s not, but it’s all we have for now.”

  “Why would you think they’d attack you?”

  “There’s a lot of shit you don’t know about. Let’s just say that they may attack for fun, like a cat taking a playful swat at a mouse. If they do, that’s our plan of action,” John said.

  “When we get the time, I want you to fill me in on everything. For now, I’m wondering if Natasha will be able to connect with the vibes these bastards may have left behind.”

  “Well, there’s a thought.” John was surprised they hadn’t thought of it themselves.

  “Think she’d be willing to visit a few crime scenes and possibly touch a few bodies?” Warren asked.

  “I honestly don’t know … that’s something you’re going to have to ask her.”

  “Can you put her on the phone?”

  “Yeah, one minute.” John passed the telephone to Natasha. He told her who was on the other end.

  “Hey Warren,” she greeted.

  “Hey Tasha, listen, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind coming to one or two crime scenes with me, possibly viewing a dead body or two. You know, to see if you’ll be able to see something, some kind of residual vision?” Warren asked.

  “I’m not sure if that’ll work. I’ve never had a vision of someone after they’ve died. Maybe my clairvoyance might pick up on a few vibes left at the crime scenes, but I wouldn’t expect much. I’ll do whatever I can, though. I was just talking to everyone about using my ability to help. If you want, you can swing by … Hold on,” she interrupted her conversation to listen to what Darian was saying to her. “Warren, don’t worry about coming to get me, Darian is going to take me to the scenes, but we’ll meet you back at the precinct, okay?”

  “Sure, I’ll be here, and thanks.” Warren ended the call. He was excited by the new prospect of getting a little “psychic assistance”. Whatever Natasha could see might help them.

  Matthew came over to him. “Any luck?”

  Warren nodded. “Yeah, she’s heading to the crime scenes with Darian, then they’re coming here.”

  “Good,” Matthew smiled.

  A few minutes later, their telephone rang, they answered. They had three new crime scenes with three dead bodies. They got the information they needed.

  Gabriel, with Barry in tow, approached Warren, Matthew, and the other two California detectives. “We’re going to investigate the DB on Grand. Which ones are you four going to tackle?” Gabriel asked.

  “Brian and I have the DB on Chicago Ave., Matt and Colin have the one on Belmont,” Warren said, pulling on his coat. “We’ll call you guys oce we get there, tell ya what we know. I’m sure Galen’s on his way there. I feel just as sorry for him as I do for us.”

  “Well, the good news for him is, at least he’s got two teams. They can take shifts. These bastards are making sure to keep all of us on our toes, literally,” Gabriel said, adjusting the collar of his jacket.

  The six detectives split off into three teams, heading in the three separate directions. Warren figured the coven knew that there were six detectives on the case, why else would there be three crime scenes instead of one? Or was this just another stitch in a pattern they couldn’t see. He wondered just how much they knew about them. He wished he could get back to his Pack and friends to brainstorm with them. He contacted Natasha’s cell phone, this time she answered. He told her where he was going, and asked if they could meet him at the new crime scene. She agreed, letting him know what Darian said about the Master vampire being able to read their minds, and the key details they discussed. She also told him the Master vampire’s name.

  “His name is Marcus? How do you guys know that?” Warren asked, shocked.

  “Adan told us. Warren, we’re getting ready to leave, so we’ll meet you at your crime scene in a little while.”

  “Who’s Adan?”

  “He’s a friend of Darian’s that we’re helping out. It’s a long story, I’ll have to tell you later.”

  “All right, see you soon.”

  “Okay.” Natasha ended the call, and gave Darian the address.

  “Three new crime scenes,” Darian said, not really needing her to confirm, he already knew.

  “So it seems,” Natasha said, pulling on her coat, buttoning it over her expanding belly.

  Darian frowned, eyebrows creased. “I don’t want you going there,”

  “Darian you need me to gather inform”

  “That’s not my point,” Darian interjected. “If we are to hold on to this plan that we have, we need to not raise suspicions, and that’s assuming he doesn’t already know. If he doesn’t, you going to this most recent crime scene, and touching items there, will no doubt raise their suspicious … and their overall interest in you. We’ll stick to the original plan. I’m willing to bet they aren’t monitoring their past scenes.”

  Now understanding what Darian meant, she had to agree. “What if they are following us?”

  “It’s the chance we’re taking. However, my guess is they want to watch the police try to figure them out. While they are preoccupied with that, we can do what we need to do.” Darian closed the car door behind her then climbed in behind the wheel.

  “I’ve got a question, if they’re split up, viewing three crime scenes, wouldn’t now be a good time to attack them?” Natasha asked, believing she was seeing a weakness.

  “

  “At this point, I could care less about the media attention. Can’t you read Warren’s mind now, you’re strong enough to keep tabs, right?”

  “I can, but how many will die before I reach them? Are you willing to take that chance?” Darian asked her.

  “I don’t like our options, but I think it’s worth a shot,” Natasha said.

  “There’s something else, they’re able to hide their auras very well. It’s a good chance they could be among them and our companions wouldn’t even know it.”

  “So have members of Adan’s Pride join each team, that way, they should know what they look like, right?” she asked, hoping she was actually offering good ideas and not just being contradictory.

  Darian cracked a smile. “You’ve put a lot of thought into this, haven’t you?”

  “Just kind of came to me. I don’t know if it would work, but who’s to say it won�
��t?”

  “You’re right. If Elise, Richard, Xander and Adan are willing to take that chance, so will I,” Darian said, finally agreeing. “Why don’t you call the mansion and give them your idea.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you. Your idea, you tell them.”

  “I’m just so used to you or Xavier doing all the … Okay, I’ll do it.” She decided not to finish her first thought about how he and Xavier always take control of every situation. She pulled out her cell phone and called the mansion. When Miko answered, she told her the plan.

  Miko was impressed, but also a bit leery. “Does Darian agree with this?” she asked.

  “Yes. He says it’s tricky, but he thinks it’s worth a shot.”

  “All right, I’ll tell the others. I’ll call you back and let you know if we decide to do it.”

  “Okay.” She ended the call, turning toward Darian. “They’ll let us know what they’re going to do.”

  Darian nodded as he steered the car effortlessly to the crime scene where the third victim was found in a parking lot.

  mbp:pagebreak/> Chapter Thirteen

  Miko went to the other leaders and told them what Natasha told her. They seem to think about the idea, weighing their options and other possible scenarios. Once they decided they were going to do it, Elise called Richard, explaining to him the situation. He too, thought it was wise and gave them permission to take his members with them.

  “So are we ready to go?” Elise asked.

  “Yes,” Xander said. “Why don’t you decide who among your groups will take each crime scene.”

  The other leaders agreed, joining their groups telling them the plan. Without wasting anymore time, they drove out to the three separate crime scenes, searching for their target. To the other observers, they just looked like curious bystanders trying to get a closer look at the scene.

  Matthew had been looking over the body when he felt a familiar presence. He looked up to see Ignacio coming near him. He turned, seeing other members of Xander’s Pack scattered around the area, but still staying relatively close together. After about an hour had passed, he walked over to Ignacio. “Did Richard send you here?” he asked.