Cold Read

by Renee Joiner

  “This is a lot to take in,” Sarah said, barely able to speak. “Is that why her eyes turned red in the end?”

  “Yes. Something took control over her. Estrella, herself, might not have ever fired a single shot,” Tasia answered. “Whatever steered her actions, on the other hand, had no such reservations.”

  At that point, something large and white came bolting toward them. It was Whiskey. He jumped on Daniel, starting to lick his face.

  “Whoa boy, whoa. Slow down!” He pushed the dog off of him but held him at the collar as he started to get curious over the body of Estrella Pearce. For the first time, Tasia saw Daniel considering the dead woman, right before he noticed the wound. “The thing, right there next to her. That’s—”

  “The nail I stepped on,” Sarah said in a detached way. “I didn’t tell the man who took me that I’d hurt myself the way I did. We came down, you see, from hiding atop an upper platform in a barn. Somewhere in the hay, that thing was lodged. It stabbed right through my shoe. The bleeding wouldn’t show. Neither would the wound. So I’d figured I’d conceal it, for when I needed it in an emergency. Guess that happened a moment ago.”

  “Sarah, this man who took you, who was he? Can you describe him?” Tasia asked.

  Whatever reminiscence that question caused, it made Sarah turn white as she remembered. “He was the most frightening man I’d ever seen. Forceful, cruel, and domineering. He helped Estrella with all the kidnappings, but I never shook the feeling that she was never the one in charge, whatever she may have thought. I—I was terrified I would die, at any moment, by just being around him.”

  Daniel looked to Tasia. “This guy is still a damn mystery. He was the caller, and it appears he has been doing the dirty work. He’s responsible for most of the damage caused—the kidnappings, the arson, and the murder.”

  “He was the executioner, but the original sin is not his,” Tasia mused.

  “I don’t understand,” Daniel replied.

  “It was something Estrella said when she was ranting madly while trying to keep her cool in the situation. Max was the one out of control. She said he was the crazy one. All those years of abuse had done a number on him. It left his soul mangled and twisted. Along with suppressed powers, that could really mess someone up. This is something in its own right. They had both been gifted. Instead of being taught how to use these gifts, he was forbidden to use them and punished simply because he had them. So when he played with them when he was older, it only figures that the power trip would have sent him over the edge and made him do the things he did. It brings me to what she said—the monstrosity he had summoned to help him. From what I just saw, I think that this other man was a product of his summoning.”

  Daniel sighed and massaged his temples. “More magic....”

  “Of the worst kind,” Tasia continued. “If Max was a fledgling witch that came across the right spell and the right motive, willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, then he would have been able to muster some dark power. I think he did a soul split, causing a shade to emanate from himself—another Maxwell. This thing would essentially house all the toxic parts of Max’s soul, leaving the other part cleansed and changed for the better. But the other half develops a will of its own. Given the incentive, the evil part would try and take over, pitting the original in a game of survival of the fittest. I think this man—the mysterious figure called Maxwell—deliberately killed and tortured Max to get rid of the weaker half. It makes sense. Saoirse, one of the other captives, said that Max was too timid to ever be so despicable. It also explains why every vision concerning him had a bearing on them both. Maxwell was around for long enough to entrench himself in this world, and I fear he just succeeded in doing that. He is out there somewhere, plotting his next move. I don’t know what he sought to gain from this, but I’m afraid his presence out there in the world makes this whole saga far from over.”

  “He won’t come back for us, will he?” Sarah asked, looking visibly fearful.

  “I don’t know how to answer you. He’s a menace, and he’s out there. But I don’t think he’ll have a motive to kidnap again. If he is as strategic as he has proven to be, then he’ll be keeping a close watch on us. It’s what he did with this exchange. In some way, he must have inherited Max’s powers as well and used them to channel his strength through Estrella when the struggle ensued. It’s what gave him his edge.”

  “I don’t know how I’m going to explain any of this for the case files,” Daniel said.

  “You can’t.”

  “That may be harder than you think,” Sarah said, pointing at the distance. On the horizon, she could see police vehicles barreling toward their location. Among them were the recognizable cars of his fellow agents.

  Tasia looked at Daniel in astonishment.

  “I’m sorry. I pressed my emergency dial the minute things got heated. They’ve been delayed, obviously, since we misled them. But I needed to bring them in.”

  “Listen to me, both of you. Whatever happened here, you have to let the physical evidence do all the talking. No mention can be made of the nature of my involvement: the death premonitions, the energy transference, or the healing. Everything I have done is a direct violation of our creed as rusalkas. Regardless of the report, you write or the conclusion you pencil down, I need to remain invisible. Daniel, are you listening to me? It’s imperative. There are forces out there that would seek to harm my kind. By helping you, I have left my mark in more places than I’d wish to admit to myself. A drop of blood has fallen into a shark tank, and unbeknownst to us, I may have caused a frenzy. It’s best not to give them any more of a trail to start a hunt.”

  “This Maxwell, is he one of them?” Sarah asked, looking concerned.

  “Yes, but I fear there may be a lot worse than him.”

  Daniel walked toward her, cupping her face before putting as much intention as he could behind his words, “You have my word that I’ll protect you.”

  Love—it’s so precarious, she thought. Maybe I’m more responsible for drawing attention to myself by allowing it...

  “Your secret is safe with me,” Sarah offered, moving in to give Tasia a hug.

  The first squad car arrived. After that, Steve’s car parked close by. The men in both vehicles rushed to their location. Tasia found it strange that the other cars had made a turn off as if they were in pursuit of something else.

  “Oh my god!” Steve exclaimed, coming to a screeching halt as he saw the body. “Wh—?” He was breathless, clearly not expecting to find what he did.

  “Steve, it’s okay. The matter got more complicated than we’d imagined. She turned out to be behind this operation. I’ll take you through all the details when we file the report. For now, we need to clean up this place before the locals get too suspicious....”

  “Did she have an accomplice?” Steve asked.

  “Yes. He has yet to be found.”

  “Oh, boy, Daniel, I think we did. When we repositioned, one of our agents couldn’t pick up a signal, so he made his way down the main road. He told us he saw your car and was going over to check whether everything was okay. He was attacked from behind and nearly bludgeoned to death but survived. There was a man that climbed in and sped off, Dan. We saw him speeding down the road toward the freeway. Someone just made a getaway in your car!”

  Daniel looked bewildered. “He was here all along... he was lying in wait,” he said in a hushed tone, almost as if to himself.

  Then the witch hunt isn’t over, Tasia thought, wondering how she would go back on shift tomorrow without expecting more odd visitors.

  About the Author

  Renee Joiner has been in love with the supernatural for longer than she can remember, so it is no surprise that she is an author of paranormal urban fantasy. Although she discovered her passion for writing when she was only twelve years old, she didn’t make her writing debut until many years into the future. Adventurous and fun-loving, she enjoys traveling to new places, exploring new sights
and meeting new people. Thus, she delights in creating fantastical worlds that are sure to give her readers an escape from the real world while simultaneously providing thrilling entertainment.

  Besides her special knack for writing, you'll also find a passion for metaphysics spirituality which she has been nurturing for over four decades. Renee hails from New York and currently resides with her husband in their empty nest—unless you count their three adorable fur babies—in Florida. She enjoys adding to her sea of knowledge and thus spends her free time learning new things.

  To find out more about Renee Joiner, feel free to visit her official website.

  Series by Renee

  Thorne Sisters Chronicles

  Possessed by Magic

  Reincarnated by Magic

  Immortal by Magic

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