Blood Moon_A novel of the Paramortals

by Livia Quinn

  "We noticed, Jordie girl. Grab a couple towels from the bathroom, please." While Jordie was taking care of that task, she said, "Call me, Ryan. Please, if you hear anything at all."

  "I will Tempe, I promise. Hold it together, for Jack." And he was gone.

  Jordie returned to the living room, mop in hand. Jack's daughter's arrival had broken her concentration and the rain had ended. Tempe sighed and sank onto the wet couch.

  "What's wrong," asked Jordie, who'd been through a lot in her sixteen years and a huge supernatural learning curve in an even shorter span. She was sensitive to changes in people especially those with supernatural abilities. Tempe suspected she'd grown into some kind of paranormal predictor. She'd known her new pet was a befanes, a faerie guard dog, before anyone else. And she'd recognized her friend Andy as Djinn. Tempe was sure it had something to do with what kind of Paramortal she was going to be.

  Enough procrastination, Tempe. She stroked several strands of Jordie's hair away from her face. Tempe always hated it when someone started out a conversation with I don't want to worry you but... She told Jordie what she knew, and watched her face pale.

  Jordie sat down hard beside Tempe, not flinching at the wetness under her. "But what does this woman want with Daddy?"

  Tempe shook her head. "I don't know, Jordie."

  "I need to call him, but my phone's in the kitchen," Jordie said and held her hand out. Tempe placed her phone into Jordie's hand. Jordie pressed Jack's number and put it on speaker as his voice came over the line.

  You've reached the sheriff. Leave a short, detailed message or call the dispatcher at 712-555-1515.

  As soon as the tone sounded she started speaking, "Daddy, where are you? I love you. Please be okay." Her voice broke, "Call me soon, please... Daddy?"

  When she ended the call, they were both crying, and the rain had resumed.

  Chapter 23

  Just because I'm not a girly-girl doesn't mean I'm clumsy

  Friday morning

  "Shut the door!" yelled James as the envelopes on his mail case suddenly lifted and flew off in single file, as if the wind had decided to deliver the mail itself. Hundreds of letters began to circle the mailroom like a veritable letter tornado. Lights flickered on and off, and James heard Tempe muttering, "No, no, no," as she hunched over her counter, her eyes tightly closed. Sparks flew from the ePad she held in her hand. What was going on?

  James had sensed something different about his friend this morning but hadn't been able to put his finger on it. Tempest Pomeroy was different, he knew that. Over the years they'd developed a friendship on the route. James didn't care that erratic phenomena seemed to follow her everywhere. He only cared that she'd been a friend and the best kind of coworker. In all the years she'd been a carrier, she'd never asked for favors, raising her younger brother mostly by herself, but right now, whether she knew it or not, she needed help, and a diversion.

  "Calvin, shut that front door. The wind is coming straight through the building and scattering the mail everywhere," James called.

  Tempe's face snapped around to his and she mouthed, Thank you. Then she slid her ePad across the floor to him while the others were chasing their mail. "Shut that thing off," she whispered. "Please."

  James nodded and scooped it up, but one look at the device told him it was fried. He frowned and walked over to her. "What happened to it?"

  "I—"

  He could tell she was going to fib, as usual she was incapable of disguising her thoughts.

  "I, uh, have too much electricity in my body sometimes. That's why I don't wear a watch, but it's not usually this bad. I'm worried about Jack. Thanks, by the way, for…" she raised her eyes to the mail suspended in mid-air and shook her head.

  James chuckled, "Let's hope it comes down soon. Wind isn't known for doing that." As if he'd commanded them with his words, thousands of letters, magazines and postcards rained down on the postal workers crouching beneath the cases until the torrent stopped. Then one by one they rose, scratching their heads, and began gathering the mail at their feet. James and Tempe joined in.

  Calvin, the postmaster, tiptoed in between the scattered mail assessing the damage. "What in blue blazes was that?"

  Tempe offered, "A mail storm?"

  Calvin shook his head, "It's a maelstrom, all right. This is a disaster. Start picking up this mess. I'm going to call the distribution center." He turned, trying to avoid the letters under his feet.

  Tempe said, "Um, Calvin, there was a surge when the lights blinked and I think my scanner got zapped."

  "Like I said, a disaster. Pick up the mail. I'll be back." He traced his way back through the mail and stomped down the hall to his office.

  He returned several minutes later. "Listen up, people. With the exception of packages and special deliveries we're going to send all the mail back to the distribution center to be resorted. While this may seem like a vacation day, just remember it means tomorrow will be a double load. Grab your Xpress and certified deliveries before you leave. Deliver your parcels, pick up outgoing mail, then sign out. Tempe, come to my office, please."

  Tempe closed the door behind her and stood waiting while her boss finished his phone call. "Sit down, Tempe. I heard a rumor this morning that your... that the sheriff is missing." He paused, studying her pale face and the deep circles under her normally lively eyes. "How are you holding up?"

  The previous evening had stretched on painfully with no news from Ryan or Jack. Montana had come over to try to keep her occupied but neither of them had been able to sleep. Rather than sit idly at the house where all she could do was worry, Tempe had reported for work.

  Apparently, her silence told him what he needed to know. He looked at her with more compassion that he'd ever shown before. "Why don't you take a day or two off? Call your sub and get her to deliver your packages."

  Tempe didn't know how to respond. She and her supervisor had a somewhat contentious relationship. But yesterday, he'd proven he could be reasonable. Why now? She rubbed her forehead as the tension built. Did it matter? She needed to hold it together until she got to her truck. Then, she was going to Aurora's to find out why she was feeling so... haywire.

  The elements of air and water that were an integral part of her kind, had settled down into her core over the past months, anchoring her with their steady energy. But the last couple weeks she'd been in a constant state of turmoil. The stress of Jack's disappearance was only making it worse. Even more odd was the way all the men in her life were acting. Like Calvin. She eyed him. Was he trying to set her up for a fall? But his next words quashed that conclusion.

  "You have significant vacation time stored up, Tempe." When she looked at him in disbelief, he said, "Look, you were hands on in the search for your brother when he was kidnapped. I assumed you'd want to have time off to do the same now." He sat back, seeming sincere.

  Well, why not? Working would be a good distraction, but she'd feel better if she were out there looking for Jack herself. "I'm not sure how you found out, Calvin, but I appreciate this. I'll get in touch with Barb and tell her to come as soon as she can. If everything goes as I hope, I'll be back Monday."

  "That'll be fine, Tempe. I hope there is nothing amiss with Sheriff Lang."

  Tempe nodded and before leaving, paused to thank James for his help.

  Several customers turned to stare at Montana as she pushed the door to Aurora Borealis open and strode into the boutique. One woman actually backed into the dressing room, shoving the curtain closed.

  Montana shook her head. Guess they didn't receive the memo. Montana's size and demeanor could be intimidating but that was always directed at men. Her Dinnshencha instincts and powers were focused on championing women, especially those who had been abused.

  Aurora was kneeling inside the door to her workroom. She threw her hand out. "Stop right there. Don't go clomping around in here with those big clumsy feet, Montana." She sat amid a colorful array of frou-frou dresses Montana couldn't be
gin to describe.

  "Just because I'm not a girly-girl doesn't mean I'm clumsy," Montana said.

  "Yes, well, remember I saw you in action at the Mardi Gras ball," said her friend.

  Montana smiled, remembering the night she'd met Conor, and how he'd led her through dance after dance of unfamiliar music. For him it was like reliving his favorite generations. "Well, I'm better at some things more than others. What is all this?"

  Aurora bent over, picked each dress up by the hangar and shook it. "The latest orders of prom and homecoming gowns I've been receiving and pricing. What brings you here this early?"

  Reminded of her mission, Montana flopped onto a one of the bar stools. "Have you met the new dragon in town?"

  Aurora stood and leaned back against the counter, her eyebrow arched. "Well, you certainly don't ease into a conversation. When did this happen?"

  "You'd better sit down. A lot has happened. I'm surprised you didn't know—not with your usual..." she moved her finger in a circle near her temple... "you know."

  Aurora just smiled. "I'm not crazy if that's what you're suggesting. And as I've said on many occasions, I don't know everything. Now, talk." Aurora's eyes held Montana's and as usual Montana wondered if she could get the information from her mind just as easily.

  "Have you seen Tempe lately?" she asked.

  Aurora's head tilted as she frowned, "Not in a few days, why?"

  Montana sighed. "Jack's missing."

  Chapter 24

  Anything’s possible, including dragonhunters.

  The sun was going down when Tempe climbed out of her truck, pushed the door open and ran toward the Spanish mission. Peggy had called with a message from Ryan that Jack's unit had been found behind the little church. Tempe spotted Ryan conferring with another deputy, Tom Basile.

  The officers were stringing yellow crime scene tape around the perimeter of the property including the sidewalk. The old mission was more of a tourist attraction harking back to one of several of Louisiana's cultural ancestors, in this case, the Spanish, though a few in the Hispanic community gathered there on Sunday for mass.

  Ryan saw her and started forward.

  "Ryan, did you find Jack?" She cried, colliding with him at the end of the driveway. Surprised by the impact, he grabbed her shoulders and stepped back quickly to keep them both from tumbling to the grass.

  In the waning light, her eyes sparkled like exploding stars. He said, "Tempe… take a deep breath—scratch that." A deep breath, in her case, might spawn a tornado or a straight-line wind. He shook her gently trying to persuade with the only thing that might matter to her. "Look, if you destroy the crime scene—uhh, wait, my bad—it's not a crime scene yet, okay?" He studied her face, those emotion filled eyes. "Are you listening to me?"

  Gradually the movement in her eyes slowed and returned to her normal stormy gray. She nodded, but the tears on the verge of spilling over showed him her emotions were close to fracturing. "Is he dea…" Her voice choked and Ryan acknowledged his own frustration as he felt her muscles tense in an effort to remain in control. Now that he knew why her emotions were at the surface, he understood how hard it was for her to stay calm under these circumstances.

  "No! No…He's not here, and except for some scuffed up grass in the back which could have happened at any time, there's no sign of any fight, and no blood... so let's relax." He wondered who was he trying to convince.

  Her shoulders did relax for a moment but then her eyes lifted to his, searching and suspicious. "What aren't you telling me, Ryan? Did he or did he not come here and meet this Diane person? If not, where is he?"

  Ryan rubbed his hand across the back of his neck and blew out a breath. Ah, hell, she'd find out soon enough. He'd seen Jane Fortune in the crowd of residents gathered nearby when they'd spotted the deputies' vehicles, lights flashing speeding down Clubhouse Way into the Glen. It couldn't be helped. His friend's life hung in the balance.

  "Jack's car is parked over there." He pointed to the side entrance of the little church. Tempe let out a yelp and hurried across the lawn. He didn't stop her because, who knew what she might be able to sense that humans couldn't. She bent over, searched the car, and Ryan was embarrassed at his team's efforts when she came back to him holding Jack's cell phone tucked in her T-shirt, to protect any latent prints. Good girl.

  Tempe watched Ryan as he flipped through the various apps on Jack's phone. When the message from Jordie played, Ryan cursed. Scanning the text messages, he spotted the one that was supposedly from Tempe. There were only three he'd sent in response. He checked the Sheriff app, the SO's interoffice communication backup, to see if he'd left a clue, but found nothing.

  "Why Jack?" Tempe asked. "What do they want with him? Maybe it's not the dragonhunter. What if it has to do with his job, someone out for revenge?"

  "Anything's possible, Tempe." Including dragonhunters, Ryan thought. He suddenly felt like he was in the middle of a supernatural blockbuster, totally out of his depth. He needed to find Jack, but what could he do? His mind returned out of habit to the normal investigative steps he'd learned in the service and as a deputy. First, make a grid of the entire perimeter—wait, not helpful, because in this case it could involve the entire lake, some of it off limits to humans. Next, they needed to interview everyone, trace Jack's last steps, and determine a motive.

  "I'll have Peggy look through Jack's open cases. Do you remember Jack mentioning anyone with a grudge? Especially recently?"

  Tempe thought for a minute then shook her head. "No. Our life has really settled down in the last month. He doesn't talk about his work much at home. We talked about the harvest festival at lunch, about the possibilities with this weekend's eclipse being a Blood Moon."

  "Blood Moon? What... possibilities?" Ryan asked suspiciously. The moons were a huge factor in Destiny.

  Distracted, she dismissed his question. "This can't have anything to do with the moon, Ryan." Her hands fluttered up. "I feel so helpless."

  Ryan patted her on her shoulder, "It's going to be okay, Tempe, but let me know if you think of anything. Where's Jordie?"

  Tempe gazed toward the Spanish mission, at the back bumper of Jack's unit sticking out from behind the church. "She's at Aurora's. I didn't want her to be alone."

  Ryan said, "Good thinking, but not for her emotional health. Until we find Jack, I want someone on you and Jordie, 24/7. Is there some kind of special protection you can put on Harmony?"

  "I have to look for Jack, Ryan. I can't…I won't just lock Jordie or myself in the house. Jack needs us." She rubbed her forehead, and Ryan felt the barometric pressure drop. "Stay focused, Tempe. Look, Jack would skin me alive if I let something happen to you or Jordie, so be on your guard. Hell, act as if it's another Chaos and there are villains after Paramortals again." Actually, he didn't believe he was that far off.

  "Why don't you head over to Aurora's and I'll have an officer meet you over there. He can follow you and Jordie home. Promise me. I can't be worried about you, too, not while we're out looking for Jack."

  Tempe looked like she was going to argue at first, then agreed. "I'm going there now." She got half way to her truck and spun back around. "Should I call Dylan?"

  Ryan said, "Already tried. He can't take any calls." She nodded, understanding that this meant the PI was engaged in some sort of undercover investigation, then she turned and walked back to her mail truck, barely listening as Ryan gave last minute instructions to his deputies.

  "Basile, after you finish with Jack's vehicle, drive it back to the station and lock it up."

  "Will do sir."

  Chapter 25

  What goes down in Dragonville, stays in Dragonville.

  Aurora's eyes widened. "Why haven't I heard about this? When—"

  "Hold up. We just found out last night. I'll tell you what I know." Montana threw herself onto one of Aurora's stools. "Conor's sister arrived in town yesterday morning. She slays dragonhunters. Conor says she's a dragonfae which gives her spec
ial 'tools' for the job." Montana shrugged. "Anyway, she followed a dragonhunter into the Moat but instead of finding the hunter, she found River."

  Montana narrowed her eyes, head tilting as she considered. "You know, I think she and River might have a thing." She shrugged, “Anyway, Conor and I filled her in on his past but she's still very suspicious of him. He saw her when she was unable to fulfill her mission so she’s wary.”

  "What do you mean? She couldn't kill the dragonhunter?" Aurora asked. "Why, that's..."

  "Yeah, not good. Conor thought it may have to do with her fae heritage so they went to see Petre and Arabella. Then Ryan showed up at the Inn looking for Jack, who told him he'd received a text from Tempe. He was supposedly on his way to meet her, but he never showed up at the M.E.'s or Harmony. He was going to take her to dinner over at Campbell Glen. The thing is—Tempe says she didn't send him a text. Naturally, she's bouncing off the walls. I just spoke to her. She spun up some kind of storm at the mail center and the postmaster suggested she take a few days off."

  "Oh, Goddess. What did Petre tell Conor and ...what's his sister's name?"

  "Her name is Cinder. Petre told them it sounded like some kind of bond, like a blood bond. They suggested Conor try to get close enough to this dragonhunter to see what he thought."

  "And?" Aurora rose to place her kettle on the burner then sat back down.

  Montana looked more worried than Aurora had ever seen her. "I'm concerned. Conor was very disturbed. He left at once to go see some kind of draconic druid wise man."

  "Ah, Aevyn."

  Montana slapped the table and stood. "I should have known you'd heard of him. I tried to get Conor to let me go along but he said there are rules about traveling the portal to wherever this wise guy lives. I guess what goes down in Dragonville stays in Dragonville."