Hex and the Single Witch (Vehicle City Vampires)

by Roxanne Rhoads

  “I trust you and I'm willing to risk it.” I pulled his chin so he was looking at my face not my neck.

  “Of course you do, that is exactly what I am afraid of.”

  Chapter 23

  Galen guided me out of the maze like mansion to the foyer where Mel waited for me with a wicked evil grin on her face.

  I ignored her and turned to Galen. “Are you going to continue to stay here?”

  “No, if Satinka thinks it is okay for me to leave then I am going home. I hate being stuck in that room.”

  “Okay, well if you need anything let me know. Maybe you could stop by later.”

  He gently kissed my lips. “I probably will not get the chance tonight. I need to talk to Satinka, then run some errands and head home. I’ve been here for days and have not gotten anything done.”

  What did a vampire need to do? He didn’t have a job, did he? Hmm, I really needed to ask more questions. This whole not automatically knowing things really threw me off my game. Speaking of which…

  “Right, tomorrow is better for me too. I totally forgot I told Mel I’d go over to her place for a while. You know, girl time.” I smiled, looking forward to hanging with Mel. It had been awhile.

  Galen smiled a really amazing smile making my knees weak. “Great. Be safe, Anwyn.”

  Walking out to the car Mel just couldn’t keep it in, her giggling erupted. “Girl, you finally got you some. ‘Bout damn time, too.”

  “You saw it? In a vision?”

  “Naw, girl. I saw it in High Def.”

  “What?” I screeched with alarm.

  “Anwyn, I told you Galen’s quarters are wired with the latest technology so Satinka can keep an eye on him. The system includes cameras.”

  “Oh my Goddess! Are you telling me everyone watched Galen and I have sex?” I couldn’t believe it; the room really did have cameras. I should have known. I had known. I just hadn’t cared at the time.

  “Not everyone, just me and Satinka. She sent the Guardians out of the room.”

  “How thoughtful of her,” I snarked. “You know I can handle you seeing me like that, you’ve been watching my sex life for a long time now, but Satinka Tala. I guess I was close to her a long time ago but now…this is too weird.”

  “Look we only did it out of concern for you. To make sure Galen was okay and he didn’t vamp out and bite you. Honestly, we only had your interest at heart. Satinka has all of Galen’s sessions monitored so he doesn’t freak and hurt anyone. It’s no big deal. Vamps and shifters are kinda weird sometimes about sex and nudity. Sure they are super sexual creatures but at times they can just shut it off and take a cold, clinical approach to anything—including sex. Satinka watching you guys was purely clinical and a safety protocol. And don’t worry she deleted all the video footage so no one else will be able to watch it later.”

  “Wow that makes things all better knowing I was just watched while I had sex with my boyfriend for the first time.”

  “I’m sorry Wyn, but it was for your own good.” She frowned at me like I was a small child.

  “Galen would never hurt me.” Wow, maybe I did need mothering because I sounded childish, even to my ears.

  “Honey, Galen is a vampire. No matter how sweet he may seem, remember he has fangs and shit happens.”

  “Always so eloquent aren’t you, Mel?”

  “You don’t have to get all snarcastic on me, Wyn, I’ve dated vamps before. I know those who crave the blood/sex mix as much as Galen doesn’t do well without it. He will eventually bite you, with or without your permission.”

  The thought of his fangs buried in my neck made me shiver with fear…and a little bit of desire.

  ****

  “So what is this camera going to do?” I asked Mel as she prepared to do some kind of magick scan on me. I stood in front of a white screen while Mel messed with the gadgets and gizmos in front of her computer.

  “Well, if it all goes as planned it should show me if someone has been tampering with your magick. It should also show me any bindings that have been put on you. And the best part is…not only will I be able to see the magick, I’ll be able to trace it and add it to my database.”

  “You mean trace it back to whoever cast the spell? And put it in a database?” I asked. If my magick was working right I could trace it back to its owner by touching something, like a bloodhound on a magick scent trail. Lately though, I wasn’t picking up much of anything. And I never could store everything in the database of my mind. Photographic recall was not one of my talents. Mel’s mix of magick and technology truly amazed me. “If there is a spell on me, something binding my power, can you remove it?”

  “Come on, Wyn, this is Magick 101. You know it’s hard to undo someone else’s magick. I would have to unweave the spell, trace it to its owner and decipher the personal magick signatures within the spell. An almost impossible task. Ninety-nine percent of witches can’t do it.”

  I smiled. “Yeah, I know. I asked because I also know you are the other one percent. You’re a powerful witch, Mel. A spell caster extraordinaire. And you have technology on your side. Please tell me you can undo this.”

  She giggled. “How about you let me see what we’ve got going on here before I answer that?”

  “Okay, are you ready?”

  “Yup, just be still, this isn’t going to hurt at all. Chances are you won’t feel or see a thing, but for me, it will be like I’m putting on special goggles that let me see every magick string, every fabric of magick on and around you. I usually just let the camera do the work, but I want to see this, plus it’s a little more detailed than just the normal data grab I do. I need to sync my vision, the camera, and the tweaked spell so I can really see what’s going on with you. Think of it as a magick X-ray.”

  “Okay.”

  Mel threw the last ingredient of the spell into her cauldron, which was actually a copper pot, and the potion poofed. Smoke filled the room like fog curling out and away from a lake. It circled around me, her, and the camera.

  Mel’s eyes grew big as she stared at me, then she circled me, snapping photos. “Oh, my Goddess. This is incredible.”

  “What is, tell me, Mel, what is it?”

  “Ssh, just let me look. I have to make sure what I’m seeing is right.”

  “Is it bad?”

  “Shh.” She kept staring and circling, snapping photo after photo, bending here and there to get closer to me. Several times she would reach out like she was fingering strands of hair or touching strings I couldn’t see. “Honey, this ain’t good.”

  “Mel, what is it?”

  “Anwyn, you have layer upon layer of binding spells wrapped around you. They have been cast over and over again; years upon years of spells have been weighing you down. It’s no wonder you’ve been a late bloomer with the magick. Someone has kept you from coming into your full powers.”

  “What? Who? Why?” I couldn’t believe what she was saying; I stammered and stuttered trying to sort it out in my head. “But I’ve always had my gifts of knowing, why are they suddenly gone as well?”

  “Well, on top of all the old layers of spells which look like they were cast by the same person, a new spell got placed on you. A new binding spell. This one by someone totally new and it specifically binds your knowledge skills. It is so fresh I can see exactly what it does. It lets enough of your power through to keep you unsuspecting but it really has you bound up. I have never seen so many spells on someone before. I don’t understand, Wyn. Someone really wants you left in the dark. They want you powerless.”

  “But why? I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t either, but I am going to figure this out.” Mel’s mouth set in a determined line, her jaw tight. She was angry. So angry she remained silent. That was when I really needed to worry about Mel, when she grew quiet. “Look, I need to upload these photos so I can have the threads of magick stored in my magickal data base. The virtual image of the threads will let me unravel and hopefully trace them
without you standing here the whole time.”

  “So you have a complete data base storing the images of magick you take with the camera?”

  “Yeah, I have used my talents for combining technology and magick for more than just weapons and wards for the P.I. T. Crew. I’ve created this camera to record everyone’s signature magick. With some tweaking, like I did a moment ago, I can also capture images of magick placed on someone or something. I upload it all into my magickally altered computer and start sorting out the spells, bindings and threads layered on you. While I am at it, I can also add your personal magick signature to my database.”

  “How many Others have you stored in that thing so far?”

  “I have almost every known witch in the area. I have been snapping discreetly, but I don’t have too many vamps, weres, or demons yet.”

  “Wow, amazing. I didn’t know magick could be caught on film.”

  “The wonders of digital technology are now used magickally. Just look at vamps, for years they couldn’t be seen on film or in mirrors because of the silver used in film processing. Now digital technology allows them to use cameras and screens to see themselves and be caught on camera.”

  I was completely awed by Mel’s abilities. “So how long will it take to unravel all this?”

  “It’s going to take a while and I really need to concentrate. I don’t mean to kick you out honey, but you know I do my best work when I’m alone.”

  “I understand, Mel. I’ll let you work. Call me as soon as you find something or figure something out.”

  “You bet, Wyn.” Suddenly a thought seemed to pop into her head, “Hey, are you going to the Vampire Ball Saturday night?” she asked.

  “The Vampire Ball? You mean that crazy costume party downtown where humans dress up as vampires not realizing real vampires walk among them?” I snorted, the whole thing seemed ludicrous to me. Plus, no one asked me to be their date.

  Mel’s eyes narrowed. “Wow, your Gram really has kept you out of the loop. How do you keep your job as Preternatural Liaison when you don’t know jack about the supernatural activity in this city? Satinka Tala puts on The Vampire Ball so preternatural types and humans can mingle—safely, on her terms. Guardians will be all over the place, making sure no one gets out of hand. And I guess you didn’t get the P.I.T. Crew memo, team members are encouraged to be there. I would think because of your job as Liaison it would be a requirement for you.”

  Shit. “Sorry Mel, I didn’t know. I haven’t even checked my mail box at work or my email in days. This whole Galen-Mike thing has thrown me for a loop and is obviously keeping me out of it. Not to mention the fact someone is messing with my personal mojo. And as far as the ball…I was kinda hoping a certain vampire would invite me.” I looked down at the floor.

  “Honey, this is the twenty-first century and we aren’t in high school, you don’t need a man to ask you to go anywhere. Nobody asked me and I’m still going, you can be my date.” Her smile was radiant.

  “Okay, Mel. It’s a date. Now I need to find something to wear.”

  “Don’t worry about it, I have something perfect tucked away in my closet. I bought it but the color doesn’t work with my skin tone, for you…it’ll be perfect. Come by tomorrow and we’ll play dress up. Now, I have to get to work on tracing your bindings.”

  “That’s great Mel, thanks.” I smiled at her realizing I had really missed hanging out with her.

  “That’s what friends are for, Wyn. Now get the hell outta here.” Laughing she gave me a big hug and practically shoved me out the door.

  Chapter 24

  I’m sexy and I know…

  Oh Goddess, another nightmare! This time I stood completely naked in a bar and a light skinned dude wearing Speedos and sporting a ‘fro wiggled his huge erection at me.

  Noooo…

  I struggled out of the dream and reached for my cell, I knew it was Malone.

  “Rose,” I grumbled into the phone.

  “Get up Anwyn, there’s been another murder.”

  I bolted upright. Shit. Galen. He was alone. “When, where, who?”

  “Downtown by the river, right off Saginaw. It’s fresh, only a couple hours old.”

  “Who found the body?” I didn’t want to know. I had a really bad feeling about this.

  “The vic’s boyfriend. A werewolf. It’s a full moon. He wolfed-out and went for a run, came home a couple hours later and she was gone. He tracked her scent to the river where he found her. Weirdest thing though, he says he can’t smell anything or anyone else even though it is clear she was fucked and fanged just like the rest. It’s just like with you and your magick; he can’t sense this bastard at all.”

  I shook and prayed to the Goddess, but I knew the victim was Galen’s missing blood donor. Sure she had been found with her new boyfriend yesterday, but now she was dead. After Satinka Tala released Galen. “I need to get dressed then I’ll be there,” I said.

  “Sun will be up soon,” Malone said then hung up.

  I dialed Mel’s number while I scurried around looking for a shirt. I wasn’t going to show up at another crime scene in my see-through pajamas.

  “Lo?” Mel’s sleepy voice grumbled.

  “Mel, wake up. There’s been another murder!”

  “What? Who?” She became instantly alert.

  I probably shouldn’t even be calling her, but since she worked for the police like I did I could get away with it, not so if I called Satinka Tala directly.

  “Galen’s blood donor, the one who went missing, Charlotte. Her wolf boyfriend found her dead by the river. Last night was a full moon so he left her to go for a run. For some reason she left, or was lured away by this bastard and he killed her. Oh, Mel. We set Galen free. What if it was him?”

  “Calm down Anwyn, you know this wasn’t Galen, but the bastard wants you and everyone else to think it is. He knows about the donor and somehow knows Galen was set free. Damn it, Wyn! This guy knows everything we do, or at least everything Galen does. I bet this one wasn’t even planned. He took a chance and snagged her, a crime of opportunity. Maybe he made a mistake.”

  “Great thinking, Mel. I got to get to the scene but you need to find Galen and tell Satinka what is going on.”

  “You got it girl and if there’s anything else I can help you with, let me know.”

  “Thanks, Mel.”

  I finished getting dressed and headed to yet another murder scene downtown.

  ****

  Lately it was always the same route to one of these scenes—75 south to 69, get off at the Saginaw Street exit turn left and head downtown, I knew once I hit the bricks I was almost to a scene. Did this psycho have a thing for the bricks paving this part of Saginaw Street?

  Hmm, something to wonder about. One never could tell what kind of magick was woven into something as simple as bricks and mortar.

  I pulled up behind a line of parked police cars flashing lights and hauled out my badge so I could cross the lines of yellow tape without hassle. Since I went directly into the P.I.T. Crew after college and the academy, most of the beat cops and regular uniformed guys didn’t know me very well. I hardly dealt with them at all except during times like these.

  I followed the trail and headed downhill, down all the concrete stairs to the small grassy area by the river where everyone gathered in a huddle.

  Mike met me before I reached the body.

  “Looks like the same killer though this one’s a bit messier than the others. There’s more than one bite and her clothes are completely shredded. If she was tore up more or if the bite marks were different I’d pin this on her wolfy boyfriend, but these are clearly vampire bites, not werewolf bites. The forensics team already measured, spaced, and took casts of the marks. We’re ready for you to do your thing.”

  I looked up at him uneasily. This was the most he’d spoken to me since the incident at my house. And he was all business. I almost didn’t want him to be.

  I wanted something…but I had w
ork to do.

  The throngs of police and human forensics cleared to make a path for me to the body. I gasped at what I saw.

  Her clothes were literally shredded off her body and littered the area around her. Only a few scraps remained clinging to her naked flesh. Bites marks covered her breasts, thighs, and neck. As I looked closer, I could see she put up a fight; her nails were broken, she had bruises all over her body, her feet were scraped and cut like she had been running barefoot over pavement and rocks.

  Someone had chased her.

  I knelt down beside the body fearing the visions that would come.

  I let it wash over me. The first thing I saw was Galen. The shock almost knocked me over though I had been half expecting it. I let go of her, afraid to see any more.

  “What’s wrong, Annie?”

  I tilted my head up slightly keeping my eyes focused on the body not wanting to meet Malone’s eyes, afraid he could see what was there.

  “Nothing, just a jolt. It’s been awhile, I wasn’t expecting it. I always forget how intense the visions can be sometimes.” I prayed he wouldn’t see through the lie. I put my hands back on her.

  I stood in the doorway staring at Galen. He was smiling. I was scared.

  “Look, Galen, I’m sorry I left without telling you. I was just afraid you’d be angry.”

  “Charlotte, how could you think such a thing? Have I ever treated you badly, have I ever hurt you?”

  “No, but he told me you were bad, told me about the things you’ve done to people. I didn’t want those things to happen to me and well…Tom was getting tired of me being a donor to a vamp and wanted me all to himself. I guess I should have told you I was leaving.”

  “Who told you what about me?” Galen asked, fangs slightly showing which caused my heart to race with fear.

  “That British guy at VAMP.”