“Because we weren’t worried yet. It’s only been a coupla days. Sean tends to come and go. Sometimes he’s gone for even a week before he turns up drugged and drunk on the porch.”
“Very well. What can you tell us about him?” Detective Evans asked.
“He’s a druggie. Like most of the men living here.”
I raised an eyebrow. “But not you?” This guy didn’t exactly seem like the Boy Scout type. But I could be wrong.
The man’s eyes flitted to Detective Evans and back to me. “I’ve been clean for a long time.”
Sure.
“Do you have any reason to believe someone would want Sean dead?” Detective Evans asked.
The man shook his head. “No. He didn’t get into much trouble.”
I tilted my head. “Even with his addiction?” Most druggies I knew got in trouble regularly.
“No,” the man said. “He stayed out of things.” He folded his arms and scowled, leaning against the doorjamb, obviously getting tired of our visit. “Is there a point to all these questions?”
“Yes,” Detective Evans said. “We have reason to believe your roommate has been murdered. We need to find out for sure if it’s him and to ask you some questions.”
The man blinked once, then twice. “Murdered?” His voice showed skepticism. “Who would murder Sean?”
Detective Evans shook his head. “We don’t know. That’s why we’re here.”
“Have you seen any weird dogs around the neighborhood lately?” I asked.
If the man was surprised by my seemingly odd question, he didn’t let on. Instead, he pondered it before shaking his head. “No, I haven’t, but one of my neighbors has. Seems like a couple blocks over, there’s been a dog wandering the neighborhood.”
I nodded. Good enough. There wouldn’t be much more I could learn, so I thanked him and Detective Evans took over, calling in his partner. They needed DNA from something Sean owned to compare to the body parts that had been found.
Either way, I’d learned about the victim but not the murderer, other than the fact that he hung around the neighborhood a lot. I still had no idea where the hound was or how he’d even found the man other than my theory that he’d been outside Lizzie’s house when Sean had walked past.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out, surprised to see a text from Melissa. She almost never reached out to me via phone. Technology wasn’t her thing—she preferred in person contact.
Abel, you’d better hurry. He’s getting impatient.
I swallowed. She’d warned me like this before, and the results hadn’t been good. I really needed to get to the Shadow Prophet before something happened that neither he nor I could undo.
20
A trip to see him soon was a good idea anyway, since I wanted to ask for an extension. He’d granted me one once before, simply having Melissa increase her visits to multiple times a day. That had been fun, lemme tell you. I hadn’t asked for another extension since because she annoyed me so much. But now that I was trying to figure out a way around murdering Lizzie, it would be worth it. Especially since I’d pretty much put all the money I’d already secured toward the warehouse—getting the equipment there and buying odds and ends I needed.
A thousand dollars right then would go a long, long way.
Of course, Lizzie still needed to get her amulet. Regardless of how much I could use the money, I wouldn’t get it until her amulet arrived and we were able to start offing hounds.
I said goodbye to Detective Evans and headed to my car. I desperately needed to get caught up on rest and nourishment. I hadn’t needed to use my tracker tattoo that extensively in a long time, and I was really feeling it.
Once at my apartment—thankfully, Melissa hadn’t been there when I’d arrived—I commanded the tattoo to let me sleep for several hours. I couldn’t risk taking longer than that. Not with an impending trip to see the Shadow Prophet, plus still needing to make some headway with Lizzie and what I’d been asked to do for her.
***
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was a need to pop my ears. Weird. That hadn’t happened before. But even after I popped them, I didn’t feel relieved. A pressure was building. I couldn’t tell what from because I’d never sensed it before. Did it originate from the Shadow Prophet? Or from Lizzie? Or was it my own magic? I snorted at that. Not likely.
Regardless, it was unfamiliar and made me anxious and nervous.
Randy, the previous owner of the warehouse, needed me to do a quick job for him.
“How are you at intimidation?” he asked over the phone when I’d returned his call.
“Pretty good.”
“Excellent.”
Knowing what sort of job I’d be doing, I chose clothes that made me look tall, dark, and deadly—a tight black tight tee and dark jeans. Glancing in the mirror, I sighed. The silver hair turned my deadly appearance into a stately one instead. I’d need to dye my hair again.
As I did so, I started feeling on edge. I couldn’t tell if it was because I hated dying my hair or if it had to do with the pressure that still hadn’t let up. Maybe it was both.
Once finished, I made my way to the place where Randy wanted me to meet. It was down the street from a junior high. A sinking feeling hit my stomach when I noticed Randy glancing at the school frequently. This wasn’t the sort of job I enjoyed doing—anything involving kids, as a matter of fact, was something I usually turned down.
“Intimidation?” I asked when I joined Randy.
If he noticed the strong hint of skepticism, he didn’t let on.
“Yes. Most people don’t take me seriously. My daughter’s getting bullied at school, and I want you to help her out a bit.”
Was he serious? Did he want me to get arrested? And why couldn’t he do it? He wasn’t a huge man, but he definitely wasn’t a stick either.
Randy must have noticed my expression because he quickly continued. “You don’t need to do anything. Just pick her up from the junior high and act like you’re her uncle or something.”
I growled inwardly, then pushed aside my pride. As long as it only entailed picking her up, I could do it. “Okay, fine. When does she get out?”
He looked at his phone. “In about fifteen minutes.”
Randy handed me a picture of his daughter, and I studied it. Being able to pick her out of a crowd would be necessary, for obvious reasons.
I recognized Jaclyn the minute she exited the school. She was a cute girl with a light spray of teenage acne across her face. Puberty wasn’t kind to most people.
Realizing I couldn’t very well do a good job if I were sitting in the car, I got out and leaned against the door with my arms folded. As a teenager, I’d gotten pretty good at making my muscles look huge that way. Now that my muscles really were big, that pose was extra effective.
Jaclyn, who had been prepped by her dad, heard me when I called and came running. She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward a group of kids. Wow. She was totally acting the part. I tried to stay casual so as not to show how surprised her actions made me.
“This is Abel, my uncle,” Jaclyn said to the kids—all of whom were obviously from the “popular” group. Props to her for bravery. She showed absolutely no hesitation in approaching and talking to them. “He’s staying with us for the next few months.”
I nodded. Where was she going with this?
The girls looked at me with admiration—definitely something I’d experienced before—and the guys perked up when Jaclyn mentioned I was experienced in fighting and killing terrorists and “bad guys.”
I hadn’t expected her to actually tell the truth about me, and it took me off guard even more.
“What sort of bad guys?” one of the guys asked immediately.
“All sorts. And not just humans.” I could tell I had their interest, and wanting to help Jaclyn out, I told a few “crowd pleasers.” Stories that had a lot of flash and show and that made me look good. I’d told them so many ti
mes, I could do it in my sleep. One involved a vampire on the planet where I’d been taken after getting kidnapped. Another involved an assassin the Shadow Prophet had hired to intimidate and motivate me to kill my first victim.
I left out the part about the victim. And the Shadow Prophet.
After twenty minutes of telling stories, I insisted that Jaclyn and I needed to leave. The group of kids was genuinely sad, and I felt bad that I wasn’t really Jaclyn’s uncle. It felt good to interact with children again, to feel like I was part of a family once more.
Heart heavy, I drove Jaclyn to her dad, where she sang my praises for several minutes. Randy and Jaclyn were both happy, and I escaped only after getting hugged by her twice.
The drive to Lizzie’s place went quickly as I dealt with my emotions. They’d seriously been out of whack since I’d picked up that file of Lizzie’s over a week ago. I wasn’t used to feeling so much. It made me melancholic and discouraged.
I pulled up on the other side of the street from Lizzie’s house and watched for a few minutes. I was definitely procrastinating approaching—my emotions were already on edge and sensitive, and I didn’t want to add Lizzie in to the mix.
Remembering that I still hadn’t talked to the elderly woman to the north, and glad for an excuse to put off approaching Lizzie, I hopped out of the car and knocked on the woman’s door.
21
This time, she was home. And so was her husband. Thank goodness—I needed to know him too. The woman invited me in, smiling.
“Dear? That nice young man who took care of the dog the other day is here.”
Her husband glanced up from where he was sitting on a rocking chair, reading on a tablet. “Wonderful.” He set the tablet aside and stood, approaching me with his hand extended. “I’m Mr. Russell. It’s nice to meet you. Especially after everything Mrs. Russell has said.”
Russell. Good to have a name. “I’m Abel. Thanks for taking care of Lizzie.”
He nodded. “From what Mrs. Russell has said, you’re helping out where she’s concerned too.”
“Yes, I’ve been hired to protect her. But I’ve also known her for years, and would have done it anyway.”
Mrs. Russell invited me to take a seat on the couch by the big bay window. “What can we do for you?” she asked.
“You mentioned you keep tabs on vampires?”
She nodded. “I know where you’re going with this.”
Mr. Russell leaned forward. “We learned about them right after you killed the dog.” He shook his head. “We have no idea why so many of them are here, nor what they plan to do.”
“So many of them?” There were more than just two?
“A whole group arrived two days ago,” Mrs. Russell said.
“How many do you think are here now?”
“Around a hundred,” Mr. Russell said. He chuckled when he saw the expression on my face. “Yes, that’s a lot. And they’re all in this area—most of them, anyway.”
I swallowed. Vampires were hard to fight. Fire vampires even more so. How was I supposed to protect Lizzie against a hundred of them? “And you don’t know what they’re doing here?”
“No. We’re still trying to find out,” Mrs. Russell said. “We haven’t been able to make contact with their leader, unfortunately.”
“What happens once you do?”
The two glanced at each other. “Let’s just say it’s best if they figure out what they want before we meet them.”
I nodded. They were Croents. I didn’t doubt that they could do serious damage if put up against fire vampires, even a hundred of them, and even in their elderly human state. “For their sake, then, I hope they do.”
The Russells thanked me for coming again and I thanked them for the information they gave me, then mentioned I’d be watching Lizzie’s house for a few hours.
“Let us know if you need anything,” Mrs. Russell said. “Food, water, a place to catch a nap. Just knock, and we’ll do what we can.”
Mr. Russell put a hand on my arm, and for the first time, contact with a Croent didn’t creep me out or bother me. Maybe these two really were good ones. “She’s serious about that.”
“As a matter of fact, why don’t you take some food with you now?” Mrs. Russell asked. Without waiting for me to respond, she turned and headed into the kitchen.
When I left, I did so with several containers full of leftovers and cookies. I settled into the front seat of my car, keeping an eye on Lizzie’s house and eating. People like the Russells were good to have on your side. Food, magic, power . . . not to mention great disguises. I was glad I’d met them.
***
About two hours later, I noticed movement in Lizzie’s house, and a lot of it. I straightened, watching closely. There was a man in there. How had he gotten there, and was she in danger?
When I noticed her jumping around, I decided it was time to drop in before anything bad happened. I hopped out of the car, strode across the street, and knocked.
Lizzie pulled the door open, inviting me in without saying anything.
My mouth popped open when I saw Alexander standing in her living room.
He was a hound? Why hadn’t he told me?
I clenched my fists when I realized why. He wanted to kill her himself. And he’d hired me to take care of the other hounds so he wouldn’t have competition.
I growled, pushing Lizzie behind me and holding her there, preparing to attack.
Alexander crouched, also growling, his eyes on my arm that kept Lizzie in place. “Let her go.”
Lizzie made an impatient noise and elbowed me in the side, trying to get out from behind me. “I’m not in the mood for a territory fight.”
Is that what she thought this was? I pointed at Alexander. “He’s one of them!”
“Yes, but Alexander is helping me.” Lizzie raised an eyebrow. “How do you know what he is?”
“Because I’ve been watching your house, and he—
Lizzie’s jaw dropped. “You’ve been watching my house? Why?”
“Come on, Lizzie,” I said. “There are fire vampires out there, insane demons, not to mention the hounds, and you’re surprised I’m making sure they don’t come and kill you?”
She closed her eyes for a moment, obviously trying to control her temper. “Fine. How did you know he was a hound?”
“Because he didn’t come through the front door, and I already know you don’t have a back one. He just appeared inside.”
That seemed to satisfy her on that count, but she scowled, folding her arms and glaring at me. “How long have you been watching my house? Because he’s not the first visitor I received today.”
I decided not to tell her I’d been watching more than just today. “About two hours.”
“You obviously missed the most important visit.”
“Which was?”
“The previous owner of the Shade Amulet. He brought it to me.”
22
Finally. Thank goodness. We could actually get to work now. “That’s great. Have you used it?”
“No, I haven’t really had a chance.” She pointed at Alexander and me. “You both showed up way too quickly after I got it. And honestly, I don’t want to play around with it while I have an audience.”
“Pressure will help you learn faster,” I said. “Go ahead—see how it works for you.”
Lizzie shook her head at the same time Alexander said, “No, she needs privacy.”
I glared at the older man, still annoyed that he hadn’t revealed who he really was to me. I’d be talking to him about that later. “Why? Will she get that when she’s fighting hounds?”
Alexander motioned at her. “Because this is her first time using it. You can’t expect her to know what to do right away.”
He had a point, but I wasn’t willing to concede. Not yet. “Lizzie is smart. She’ll figure out things much faster than you’re giving her credit for.”
“I’m sure she’s intelligent, but she’s going to
need days, if not weeks, to learn how to use the amulet.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but Lizzie grabbed my arm, giving me a shake. “Go outside. Both of you. I can’t do anything with the two of you yelling in my house.” She sent me a stern glance. “I appreciate your confidence in me, but I do need a moment to myself.” Then she looked at Alexander. “And a little more faith in me next time, okay?”
Without waiting for either of us to respond or to acknowledge that we’d understood, she walked to the door, pulled it open, and pointed outside.
That stung. She was actually kicking me out of her house. And though I knew I deserved it, my emotions were still on edge, and it hurt more than it should have. I strode outside, stepping to the edge of the porch and staring at the Russells’ house.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked him.
“I didn’t know if I could trust you not to try to kill me. As you obviously were going to do tonight.”
I glared at him. “Only because I thought she was in danger.”
Alexander stared at me. “You’re in love with her.”
I turned from him, scowling at the neighbors’ house again.
“Good. Then I know you won’t hurt her.”
I stiffened. Had he said that on purpose? Did he know what I was being blackmailed over? I didn’t respond—didn’t confirm what he might have been asking about in his simple comment.
Neither of us said anything more. The door to Lizzie’s house drifted open—she obviously hadn’t shut it all the way—and I turned to it, peering inside and wondering what was taking her so long. Nobody was there, so I stepped over and pulled the door shut.
Alexander paused pacing and looked up at me, a question on his face. I shrugged. He sighed loudly, resuming his pacing, and I took up my stance again, leaning up against the post on her porch. This time, I watched not just the Russells’ house, but the street and other houses too.
I jumped when Lizzie appeared next to Alexander. He totally freaked out, his whole body jerking. I leaped down from the porch, laughing. “That was great.”
Shadow Prophet (Midnight Chronicles Book 1) Page 9
