by Honor James
“She,” he emphasized, “was attacked by one of the Luhpynes a number of months back. She’s still shaken and doesn’t like getting near the Veil line. She doesn’t trust any of us much further than she could throw us. You’re here, so she’ll talk to someone about her findings since she won’t even look at any of the races. And Vhampires she really has a hate-on for, I think. She always gets this creeped-out expression whenever I’m around. I am the wall between her and the other side. You’re here to chat.” He turned the vehicle off the pavement onto a dirt road and slowed. “Don’t mention anything about the attack. Very few people know about it, less than a dozen total.”
“That poor woman,” Lilly whispered. “Has she been to a counselor? What happened to the one that did it to her? Please tell me that he’s been punished,” she whispered and licked her lips. Damn, suddenly she didn’t feel so safe, and fear began to roll off of her because all of a sudden, she had no idea who she was dealing with. Not the two men she was with, but the Veil.
“Hey”—Artaxias reached over—“there’s no reason to be afraid. The Veil line isn’t to blame for this, but a sick, sadistic Luhpyne. He was caught and is currently standing trial before the Regents of the Luhpynes. I don’t know if she’s seen or talked to anyone beyond Lacey. You’ll meet her later. Nothing is going to happen to you, Lilly, I swear it.”
Lilly relaxed immediately and sighed. “I know. Weird, isn’t it? I’ve just met you, but I know that the safest place for me is right here with you. I know that with the two of you near, there will be no more getting shot, stabbed or beaten. It’s a good feeling. One I like a lot.”
“Obviously I need to read your file,” he grumbled. Pulling to a stop next to a marked vehicle, he stopped and turned off the engine. “That’s Briar.” He pointed out the windshield before he slid out of the truck. “Coming?” he asked her before he shut the door.
“Why would you need to read my file?” Lilly asked and then nodded. Looking to the ME, she nodded again. “I’m ready.” She got out of the vehicle, adjusted her weapons, and approached the woman, trusting the man with her to stand guard between the women and the Veil.
“Get to know you better,” he said with a wink. Then he left her and moved toward the body, giving it a wide berth, and stopped between the line of the Veil and it.
“Hello, I’m Agent Lilly Webb. I understand that you are the medical examiner? Would you like to go over the body with me and then we can get it loaded up?”
Briar eyed Lilly up and down with pursed lips before looking past her toward Artaxias. “Briar will do,” she said in a clipped tone. Her knuckles were white around the case she carried in both hands. She looked like she was ready to use it as a weapon. “You’re the new weapons expert from DC, aren’t you?” she asked, moving very cautiously toward the body. The woman looked like she’d come out of her skin if someone so much as cleared their throat right then.
“Briar, are you okay? You look like you are ready to come out of your skin, are you sure that you are going to be okay?” Lilly asked the woman softly. “I don’t want you to be afraid. I really don’t. I would never let anyone hurt you.”
“You can’t protect everyone, Agent,” she said before shooting one more look toward the Veil. Then she crouched down with the body between her and the Veil. “We have a male Caucasian humanoid in appearance,” she reported as she uncovered the body. “Clawed across the chest, abdomen, and face. Unknown instrument used.” She lifted his left arm. “Tattoo on left inner arm, scrapes on knuckles, and blood under the nails.” She looked to one of her techs, “Bag the hands,” she ordered, standing and moving around toward the guy’s head.
Lilly frowned and reached out a gloved hand to the marks on the chest of the body. “Look at this.” She had moved so that she was on the opposite side of the body, so that she was between Briar and the Veil. “Do you have a light? Maybe tweezers and a baggie? I see something metallic here.” She pointed to the mark. “I think that this was made to look like a wolf did the damage.”
“Or something from under the claws,” Briar said in a tight tone. The tweezers were held out as a light clicked on. She also held open a baggie for the sample Lilly had spotted. “No conclusions can be made until the autopsy is completed.”
Pulling the metal from the body, Lilly frowned and moved the piece from side to side and shook her head. “This wasn’t under someone’s claws.” She dropped it into the baggie and said, “That’s, what? An inch long? It looks as if it is razor sharp as well. How odd.”
“Then it probably isn’t from a weapon.” Briar lifted it up and frowned. “No weapon I know of would ever shatter or splinter like this. I’ve seen the tips of blades snap off on bones, but that’s about it.” She shook her head. “We’ll have to wait until the lab boys can run the analysis.” Standing, she pulled out her camera and took a couple pictures of the body. “All right.” She waved in the coroner assistants. “Load him up gently.”
Lilly took the baggie and sat back on her haunches, her mind working through this. “I’m a weapons maker,” she explained to Briar and lifted the piece of metal to the moon. “It was a weapon,” she whispered and her eyes went wide. “Oh shit,” she whispered with a gasp. “I’ve seen it, too.” She rose to her feet. “Can I take this with me? Please?”
“Wait!” She grabbed a clipboard. Snagging the sample back, she took a photo, made an entry, and then handed everything over. “Sign for it. And if it’s not in the lab by this time tomorrow, you’ll have a lot of explaining to do. Either that or a report on my desk in the same timeframe.”
“Don’t worry. I can do it. I just want to look at it under the scope in my lab, and then I will bring it to your office, I swear.” She had a hunch, and if she was right, that meant that there was a human out there with a claw hand and killing. Wonderful. Just fucking wonderful.
“All right.” Briar nodded slowly. She moved back about twenty paces as the assistants got in to move the body.
Artaxias appeared just next to her shoulder a moment later. “What do you have?” he asked quietly. Reaching around, he lifted her hand, the one holding the baggie up higher, and leaned over to look at it.
“Honestly?” she asked and looked up at him. “A few years back, there was a ring of humans that created weapons to mimic the claws and fangs of Vhampires and Luhpynes,” she whispered. “And if that is the case, we are in for a shitstorm of trouble,” she told him quietly. “It’s like the KKK so many years ago, only so very much worse. They are really, really horrible. This will be very bad if this is the case. If this metal is what I think that it is, we are going to have a world of hurt.”
“And if it’s not?” he asked, turning his head to look at her. “Don’t jump to conclusions, Lilly. That’s a damned fine way to get everything blown out of proportion. I don’t like the idea this could be a revival of something of the past, but if it is, we’ll deal with it. Let’s get the evidence so we can present it clearly and concisely to the captain. From there, we can panic and do whatever else it is you humans like to do with impending doom and gloom.”
“I really and truly hope that I’m wrong,” she admitted. “I pray that I’m wrong. I’m trying not to jump to conclusions, but in the meantime we need to work with what we have. We need to try to figure out what this metal is, and we need to see if I can rework this into what I think it is. If I can, then we know that I’m right, but if I can’t, then I’m thankfully wrong.”
“I hope you are,” he said quietly. “I really, really hope you are, Lilly.”
Chapter Four
Artaxias hadn’t said much after that. They’d waited until the body had been loaded, the last photos taken and evidence collected. Then they’d gone back to the AEDA offices. Briar and the body had gone to the morgue. She and her fragment, with Ax on her heels, had gone to her new territory. Then he’d found a spot to sit, watch, and wait. But never once did he say anything. No. He knew as well as she did there wasn’t anything to say until her worst fears wer
e confirmed, or, God, she so hoped she was wrong, proven incorrect.
Lilly finally looked up and turned the screen so that Artaxias could see what she was seeing. “See the markings here?” She had magnified the metal so that she could see it as closely as possible. “This mark here, it’s a signature,” she told him softly and rubbed the back of her neck, a nervous gesture on her part. “It’s a human signature”—she pulled open another file—“that matches this one,” she whispered. “And as you can see, they are a hate group.” A group that wanted the Veil to be destroyed, wanted somehow and someway to “free the planet of the fucking aliens’ or something like that.”
Moving in closer to her, he leaned over to look at the monitor. “Well, there’s our evidence this is more than what it first appeared.” He did not sound happy. “Print it all off. We need to get copies to Briar, and then we need to go see the captain. We should see where she’s at on the autopsy as well, since she should likely sit in.”
“You should take this to the captain and I will deal with Briar. She’s”—she frowned—“she’s been hurt, you can see it in every move she makes. I think that it would be best if I sat in on the autopsy, and can vid it to you if you would like.”
“If she’s not done, yeah, link me in,” he nodded, taking a copy of the file from her. “But if she’s done and has enough results, have her come up to the office. I’ll sit well away from her and the door so she has a clear shot at the exit.” Artaxias touched her cheek. “I know she was hurt.” He’d been the one to tell her about it. “I also know there’s more there than what happened. A lot more. But that’s not my mystery to solve.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “See you in a bit.”
“That sounds good to me.” She rubbed her cheek to his, much like a cat would, and sighed happily. “I like the way that feels,” she confessed. “We will talk later. Go and do what you need to do so that we can meet halfway. I look forward to seeing you again.”
“I programmed our numbers into your phone,” he told her as he drew back. “Don’t ask when.” He shot her a crooked grin that had her blinking. One of his fingers trailed over her cheek and down her throat lightly. “Shoot me a text if you’re coming up or if we’re videoing it. I’ll be with the Cap, either way.”
A full-body shiver raced down Lilly’s spine and she nodded. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she looked up at him and smiled. “I look forward to anything and everything that we can figure out together. For now.” She nodded. “I will vid the autopsy, hopefully Briar will talk to me, and maybe it will help her to feel better to talk to someone that is new and gives a fresh perspective on life.” One could hope, at least.
“We’ve been in here for over eight hours, Lilly.” He pointed to the clock. “She’s likely done the autopsy and into write up just waiting on results. Get her out of the morgue and up to the captain’s office, if you can. I’ll stay out of the way and keep my mouth shut. But she can’t keep hiding out down there during work hours.”
“Oh, well crap.” How the hell had she lost time like that? What the hell had she done? “All right, so I will go and get Briar and pull her up to the captain’s office, and then we will figure things out from there, right? Hopefully she will have something to add to this whole mystery.”
“Pretty much what I said.” He grinned at her. “I think we need to feed you, you seem to get a little lost when undernourished.” Taking her arm, Artaxias grabbed the reports and led her toward the elevator. “I’ll get you to the morgue floor and then you’re on your own. I’ll dig you up a snack for when you get to the captain’s office.”
“How could you know me that well?” She had only just met them, how could he know her that well? She did. When she didn’t eat she did become more than a little scattered, and she began to question everything that she had done or been doing.
“It was a good guess since you seemed to be having issues focusing. Plus, I can smell the change in your blood chemistry.” He shrugged. “You need to eat so your blood sugars and chemistry balance out. I will find you something good to eat. Do you have any allergies I need to know about?”
“I’m diabetic. I have an insulin pump that I have to use if I get too low. I take shots nightly,” she confessed. “Type one, so I’m totally screwed for the rest of my life,” she muttered, laughing lightly. “Even with all of the advancements that have come from the fall of the Veil, a cure for diabetes is something that is yet to be found.”
“Mmm,” he hummed softly. At the morgue floor he stepped between the doors to keep them open. Handing her one copy of the file, he said, “Go and talk to Briar. Don’t be too long, Lilly. You need to eat something nutritious, and I’ll ensure you have it.”
“Thank you.” She gave his hand a squeeze and moved into the ME office. “Hi there, Doctor.” Lilly made sure that she spoke before truly entering the room where Briar was currently standing. “Have you filed the report with the office yet?”
“The autopsy yes, but I’m still waiting on the trace evidence, and of course, your report. Which I’m guessing you have there?” She held out a hand. When Lilly didn’t pass it over, Briar frowned. “Was there something else, Agent Webb?”
Lilly looked down at the folder in her hand and frowned. “Have you ever felt as if you have been in the same place and are doing the same thing over again but don’t recall the first time?” Something was…well, something was off. She wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something that wasn’t sitting right with her.
“I work in a morgue, Agent Webb, I do the same thing over and over all the time.” Briar gave her a peeved expression before she let out a breath. Rubbing her hands over her face, she dropped them. “What do you mean?”
“I—” Lilly started and stopped, a frown on her lips as she moved closer to what was left of the body. “I don’t know.” She knew this body, knew this man. How? How did she know him? She had. “I feel as if I have been to this man’s autopsy before.” If the men didn’t think she was losing it before, they were sure to think she had now. “The case that I was talking about involving humans who tried to mimic Luhpynes. I—” She rubbed at the back of her neck, a pain throbbing there and making her feel sick to her stomach. “I’m missing something.” It was like there was a blank wall up in her mind. She couldn’t seem to penetrate the fog, and the harder she tried to recall, the more her head hurt. Lilly continued to stare at the man, not even feeling the nosebleed that began from her trying to force memories that were seemingly hidden from her.
“Lilly!” Briar was right at her side with a tissue. “You haven’t eaten recently, have you?” she said, grabbing her arm. Pulling her away from the table, she pushed her into a chair, tipped her head back a little, and pressed the tissues to her nose. “Hold that there,” she ordered before moving to her phone. Dialing, she kept her eyes on Lilly. “You need to come down to the morgue, something’s wrong with Lilly.”
Lilly continued to look at the body and shook her head. “No, I haven’t eaten recently but—” She felt a sharp pain in her mind, the fog closing more firmly over her memories and making her wince in pain. “Not that,” she whispered. “I dunno what, but not that.”
“Lilly look away from the body,” Briar said, squeezing a hand to her shoulder. “You need to look away now. Stop whatever it is you are doing, please!”
The door crashed open and Artaxias came right in toward her. He cupped her cheeks and kissed her, dragging her up into his arms as he stuck his tongue into her mouth. He sucked hard, his teeth lightly scraping her inner lip as his hands slid around her body.
Lilly’s arms wrapped around Artaxias and she found herself kissing him back, melting into him until the one and only thing she focused on was him. Forgotten was the body. Literally, it was as if she couldn’t recall why she was where she was. When they parted, she licked her lips and smiled up at him, “Wow. What a kiss. I think that you should do that more often.” She then looked around, frowning. “How? Huh?” She had no clue how she had gotten into the mo
rgue, or why Briar was looking at her as if she had grown two heads.
“Come on, little mate, you need a meal and we’re going to talk. I hate to ask, doc, but would you mind going with her to the cafeteria? I kind of left the captain hanging when I raced down here,” he said quietly. His hand stroked up and down Lilly’s back slowly as he held her close to him.
Briar frowned as she watched how gentle this man was with Lilly. The Agent was clearly not exactly as hardy as Lacey Rose was, but the care that the Vamphyre used in attending to her was unique. “Sure, I will take her and ensure that she eats. If I recall from her file, she’s diabetic? Type one?”
Ax nodded, “That’s what she told me, too,” he said quietly. Hugging Lilly close, he pressed his face into her hair. “Go with Briar, babe. Eat something and I’ll come and find you in a little while. I need to finish my meeting with the captain, but I won’t be long.”
“All right.” Lilly frowned. How the hell had she wound up in the morgue? Damn, she was starting to miss time again. Not good. At all. “We will be in the cafeteria.” She didn’t turn to face the body on the slab, Briar’s body blocking her too well. “And maybe then you can tell me why I was in the morgue?” What the hell was going on?
“We’ll talk when I come to find you, little mate,” he promised softly. His finger traced over her cheek and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Stay with Briar until I come to get you, please?” His words were soft and a request, no demand in his tone.
“You betcha.” Reaching out a shaky hand when Artaxias moved from her, she grabbed his hand in hers, “You will explain, right?” She was losing her mind, that had to be it. She was losing her ever-damn-loving mind and this was all a dream. She was in some padded cell somewhere, that had to be it.
