by Meg Anne
“They found another body,” she said, her eyes searching his.
Lucas nodded, already walking toward his bedroom to get dressed. “You coming?”
Chapter 37
Skye
Skye watched Lucas work through the window, the pleasant buzz of the scotch doing nothing to help numb her against what had been waiting for them once they got here.
As Professor Zane had predicted, the murder had taken place on one of his dots. There were now only two of the seven places that didn’t have bodies attached to them. Although one may have only been unclaimed because the Druid had been unable to take down Lizzie at her diner. That only left the one in the center. The location meant for Lucas.
Skye’s chest was tight. She couldn’t stand the thought of losing either of them. This bastard wasn’t going to stop, and they were running out of time. Sure, they’d made progress finding the information about the wards and getting them set up, but that didn’t do much to help them defeat this guy. They couldn’t just wait around like sitting ducks.
Lucas and Matthews walked out of the old storehouse, both of them removing and discarding their gloves. Skye pushed away from the Impala as the men walked over to her.
“Anything new?” she asked.
Lucas shook his head. “Same deal as before. Three freshly charred corpses and the same bloody love note smeared on the wall.”
Skye tilted her head. “Only three bodies?”
Both men’s eyebrows bunched as they narrowed their gazes.
“What are you thinking?” Lucas asked.
She shook her head, not really sure. “Initially, we thought the number of bodies had something to do with the ritual. It’s what made us think there might be a crime scene we’d missed.”
Lucas nodded. “You think there’s another one out there?”
“Well, there was one body at the original crime scene, the one you just found. Two at the next, which was your first crime scene. And then three bodies spread over two crime scenes. It just seems logical that there would have been four…” Skye trailed off.
“Wouldn’t it make more sense for the number of bodies to match which crime scene it was?” James asked.
“Not if the symbolism was focused on something else.” Skye tapped a restless staccato on her thighs as she tried to make sense of the numbers. “We already know that the numbers three, four, and seven have significance for him.”
The men nodded.
“Right, the idea of completion and achieving immortality somehow being tied to them,” Lucas recited.
Skye nodded. “Yea, something about where three and four meet, or maybe what happens after they meet.” She stopped, feeling like the answer was just out of reach.
“Why don’t we review what we know, that always helps me when I feel stuck,” Lucas offered.
Skye shrugged. It couldn’t hurt. “Alright, well, we know Lucas is going to be the last kill.”
“Lucky me,” he muttered.
James snickered.
“That could make him the fourth, but there’s still one unaccounted-for dot on Professor Zane’s map. So we’re looking at seven total crime scenes, with the last one being the most important one.” She sighed. “That’s all I feel confident saying I know. From there, it just turns to speculation.”
“Feel free to speculate wildly; Lucas always does,” James joked.
“Hey,” Lucas said. “I make informed guesses. It’s not the same thing.”
“Potato, Pa-tah-toe, man.”
Skye rolled her eyes but carried on listing her thoughts aloud. “Well, knowing that three and four are both important, it makes sense to me that there would be scenes with that many bodies.”
“Alright, I’m with you,” Lucas said.
“So even if the first couple of crime scenes were just warm-ups, or necessary for their location more than anything else, it just feels like a sacrifice of three and then four have to be required before whatever, I don’t know, let’s say gateway, needs to be open to allow him to complete his ritual. The numbers are too significant for them not to be incorporated. That means someone else would have to be tonight’s fourth to leave Lucas as the grand finale.”
The guys mulled over her words, not looking entirely convinced, but Skye was proud of herself for putting the pieces together and making sense of the chaos.
A chill of premonition trailed a cold finger down her spine. The color drained from her face. “Guys, where’s Lizzie?”
Matthews frowned. “I dropped her off at Lucas’ when I got the call to come down. Why?”
If there was no fourth body, no fourth victim at this scene, that meant only two things; either he hadn’t been able to find a fourth victim—something she deemed rather unlikely since he was incredibly methodical, or he had someone else in mind for the fourth. Someone who would be all alone right now because everyone else was focused on this scene.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she fit the pieces together, and goosebumps that had nothing to do with the cold burst out across her skin. They were so stupid to leave her alone!
“We need to go. Now!” she shouted, throwing open the passenger door and jumping in. “Lizzie is going to be the fourth!”
The men didn’t hesitate. Matthews ran to his car, and Lucas pulled out his phone, dialing his sister’s cell as he climbed into the car. “Come on, damn it, pick up!”
They were about to find out whether those wards worked after all.
Chapter 38
Lucas
Lucas pushed open the door to his apartment, Skye and Matthews on his heels. Lucy lifted her head from the corner but didn’t get up to greet them.
“Lizzie?” Lucas called while they split up to check the apartment.
“She’s not here!” Skye called after checking the bedrooms and bathroom.
“Fuck,” Matthews cursed. “Where the hell is she? I dropped her off myself!”
“Let’s check her apartment; maybe she forgot something.” Lucas tried his best to keep his voice steady. The fact that his baby sister might soon become the fourth victim of the day had panic icing straight through him.
“Lizzie!” Matthews hollered when they stepped inside. Her apartment was empty too, and Lucas turned to his partner who was wide-eyed and breathless with fear. If they managed to survive tonight, he was going to have to step the hell out of the way and let both of them be happy. When they survived. There was no other option.
“Would she have gone back to the diner?” Skye asked.
“Possibly,” Lucas responded. “She’s not here or at my apartment, so I think it’s damn sure worth the trip to check and see. I doubt she stepped out for a midnight snack.”
They headed for the door, but just before they reached the threshold, the wards that had been hidden before began to pulse brightly on the walls.
“What the fuck is going on?” Matthews shouted, reaching for his weapon.
“I have no freaking clue.” Skye’s eyes widened as she backed away from the glowing runes.
Lucas lunged for the door and grasped the handle. Just as his skin contacted with the metal, he felt as if someone sucker punched him, and he slammed into the wall on the other side of the room.
“Lucas!” Skye cried, rushing to help him to his feet.
“What the hell is going on?” Lucas shouted, rubbing the back of his head. “Why are my wards acting all fucking psychotic?”
“Because they aren’t your wards,” the Druid said with a laugh. They all turned to see him standing in the corner of the room. “Did you honestly think yours would keep me out for long?” He clicked his tongue. “Shame on you. You should have made sure every single wall was marked.”
“They were,” Lucas insisted.
“Not.” The Druid gestured to the far wall of the kitchen, his smug smile all they could see of his face.
Lucas cursed when he realized the Druid was right. There was one wall they apparently hadn’t warded. How the fuck did he miss it?
“Son of a bitch!” Matthews swore.
“Oh, yes, Detective. I hope you paid closer attention at the diner.” The Druid’s words struck fear in all three of them.
“You stay the hell away from her!” Skye screamed, stepping forward.
Lucas grabbed her arm to hold her back.
“Oh, Seer, I have so many plans for you once this is over. You have nothing to fear from me. At least for now.”
“You aren’t getting your hands on Lizzie or Skye,” Lucas growled, pulling Skye back behind him.
The Druid shrugged. “So says you. But tell me, Detective, how are you going to save her when you’re trapped here? You see, I’ve been doing this a long time. Not only am I more powerful than you could ever imagine, but I have far more tricks up my sleeve.”
“Because you’re a fucking psycho murderer,” Matthews fumed.
“You say murderer; I say pioneer. No Druid has ever gotten this close to ultimate power. I will be able to shape a new world, one where my kind is revered again.”
“We will stop you,” Skye vowed. “One way or another, we will end you.”
He stepped closer. “Doubtful.”
Lucas lunged but the Druid disappeared, and Lucas nearly toppled over. Switching gears, he rushed toward the door.
He howled in pain as he came up short against an invisible barrier and bounced off. Lucas hissed as his arm began to turn an angry red where it had come into contact with the door. The scent of singed hair met his nose.
“Son of a bitch!” They really were trapped. “We have to get past these fucking wards. Call Lizzie again!” He turned to his partner. “Dude, we have to get to her, which means we need to get the fuck out of here now.”
“Same book, same page,” Matthews agreed. “You have a plan?”
“You try opening the door.”
“I saw what that damn thing did to you.”
“Yeah, but you aren’t a Druid. Maybe you will have better luck.”
Matthews eyed the door warily, but for Lizzie, he was apparently willing to risk it. “Here goes nothing,” he muttered, stepping past Lucas to try and open the door.
“Motherfucker!” he shouted, instantly pulling his hand back as the same sizzling pulse of light flared at the contact. “So much for your fucking theory,” he said, cradling his hand to his chest.
“Damn it!” Lucas slammed his fist into the wall and winced as the pain radiated through the barely healed cut from earlier. His other hand was fucking useless, and would probably need a hell of a lot more first aid than he’d be able to give himself. How about I not be a total jackass and mess up the only hand that’s currently useful.
He flexed his fingers and turned to look at the room again. They could not get stuck here. Not with his sister’s life on the line. Failing was not an option. Think, MacConnell, think.
His eyes found Skye, who ended the phone call, her worried amber eyes meeting his with a sad shake of her head.
“Keep trying,” he demanded, his voice hard.
Lucas forced himself to breathe, his panic threatening to overwhelm him. He needed to focus. The only way they could save Lizzie was to get to her, and the only way they could do that was if they got through the damn door. There had to be a way out of here.
Lucas’ hand was moving before he had consciously decided to reach for the door. He grit his teeth, already anticipating the searing pain.
“Lucas, no!” Skye said, reaching out like she could stop him.
It didn’t matter if he lived through the process. If he got that damn door open, the others would get to Lizzie. Matthews’ would take care of her if Lucas couldn’t.
As his fingers reached toward the invisible barrier separating them from freedom, the hair on his arms stood on end and a buzzing of electricity hummed through his blood. The anticipation of pain had sweat beading on his body, but he didn’t stop.
I am a fucking Druid too.
The second before his contact with the door felt like it lasted years, and it was as if he were watching himself from the outside.
Memories flooded his mind, a slow-moving video reel of his life. From childhood—his sister, when she was six years old, showing off her gap-toothed smile with pride, or at seventeen, posing for pictures with her prom date, looking more beautiful than she had any right to. Then a flash forward to just a few years ago, the night he’d picked Lizzie up after her monster of an ex-husband beat the piss out of her just to prove he was a man.
He’d sworn then that no one would ever have the chance to hurt her again, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to break his promise.
With all three pictures of his sister in his mind, Lucas slammed his hand through the barrier. He screamed in agony as pain radiated through his body and seared his skin, making it feel like he was burning alive. The agony was ruthless and unrelenting, but he didn’t stop.
“Fucking open!” he shouted, and in a blast of light, the pain dissipated.
Skye and Matthews gasped, and Lucas opened his eyes. The entire wall had turned into a swirling pool of purple light.
Instead of seeing the hall in front of him, Lucas stared at Lizzie cowering in fear as the Druid stalked toward her.
Without a second thought, Lucas ran through the light.
Chapter 39
Lucas
Lucas stumbled into the diner and heard the staggering footsteps as both Skye and Matthews followed. They stepped up to flank him, and he did a quick assessment of his sister who was injured, but alive.
“Well, isn’t this an interesting turn of events? Seems our intrepid detective has learned a new trick. How precious.” The Druid laughed.
Lucas didn’t have time to process the fact that only moments ago, he’d been standing in his apartment on the other side of town, and now he was in the middle of his sister’s diner.
“Get the fuck away from my sister,” Lucas growled as he leveled his weapon on the Druid with his left hand, barely feeling the pain as it rubbed against his bandage. His right hand, feeling like it had been burnt to a crisp, hung uselessly at his side.
“Come on, Lizzie,” Matthews said in a low voice, reaching for her and pulling her to her feet. Blood dripped from Lizzie’s lips and tears streaked her pale cheeks.
Lucas growled, focusing his attention back on the Druid.
“You honestly believe that gun will do anything to me? Do you not realize who I am?” the Druid roared.
“Seems to me you wouldn’t be so hung up on my gun if it couldn’t do some damage. I’m willing to bet you bleed just like the rest of us.” Lucas pulled the trigger.
The Druid disappeared.
“Fuck!” Lucas roared.
Hands pressed against his back, pushing him across the room with lightning speed. He crashed into a wall, pain radiating like liquid fire through his body. His vision swam.
“Lucas!” Skye rushed to his side, so he fought to focus on her.
Her body lifted into the air, then slammed against the ground a few feet away from him. Lucas gaped at the Druid, who had managed to whip her away from him like a ragdoll with only the flip of his wrist. Her body bounced when it impacted with the floor, and she didn’t move.
“Skye!” Lucas rose, rage guiding him to his feet as his muscles tensed for battle. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, setting fire to his limbs.
“Do you not quit?” the Druid screamed. “You will never win!”
Lucas caught a blur of movement from the corner of his eye as Matthews charged. Before he made contact, the Druid flung out an arm and caught his partner around the neck. He lifted him by his throat as if he weighed nothing.
“You are weak,” the Druid spat in Matthews’ face. “A weak, useless human without an ounce of power and yet you think you can stop me? I am power!” the Druid roared.
Using the Druid’s momentary lack of attention, Lucas bent to a crouch, braced himself, and then ran toward the Druid. Still too focused on Matthews, the Druid didn’t see Lucas in time to stop him.
It was all the advantage he needed. Lucas hit the Druid in the side, knocking him and Matthews to the ground. Once freed, Matthews gasped for air and pushed himself up. Lizzie rushed to his side, helping him stand.
Lucas rolled and popped up, staring into the soulless black eyes of a madman. “What the fuck?”
The maneuver dislodged the Druid’s hood, and Lucas caught sight of the bastard for the first time. There was no white in his eyes, no trace of humanity as Lucas stared him down. A large, jagged scar ran down his cheek, and his nose, which had been broken more than a few times, was crooked at the end, his lips twisted into a familiar sneer.
“You see, Detective? Tell me, do you fear me now?”
The Druid stood slowly, menacingly, and the movements were so otherworldly that it sent chills down his spine.
Crazy he could handle. Even the most determined murderers were only aiming to accomplish some perceived goal, but you could usually reason with them. That wasn’t the case here. When Lucas looked into the Druid’s eyes, all he saw were twin bottomless pits that were anything but human.
The Druid cocked his head to the side and growled, “You see me now, so tell me, Detective, do you have any idea who I am? Who you are messing with?”
“I’ve seen worse.” Lucas braced himself, clenching his fists at his sides.
The Druid laughed, the sound dry and humorless. “I can guarantee that you will see much worse before I slaughter you.” He charged, and Lucas dodged. He looked up as Matthews raised his gun and aimed it at the Druid.
A single shot filled the room, and the Druid spun on his attacker.
“Not so fucking useless now, am I?”
Skye and Lizzie were behind Matthews, and he was shielding them with his body. The Druid growled and flung his hand out, sending the three of them flying back into the glass counter that typically held all Lizzie’s baked goods for the day.
Lucas scrambled to his feet and faced off with the Druid again.
