Until now.
Whoever had murdered my parents was back.
“Echo. What did we injure this time?” A sweet voice spoke to me from our left. Esme had a tall frame, with her reddish-brown hair tied up in a messy knot on her head, wisps of it framing her elfish face.
“Not me this time, but I have a special patient for you.” I nodded my head toward Asher and Lisa. The smile on her face fell, then her expression turned very serious.
“This way, please.”
We followed behind her to a private room where Asher laid Lisa on the paper-covered table.
“What happened? I need all the details you can possibly give me,” she demanded as she started looking over Lisa with the normal routine while Asher gave her a rundown of what happened.
“She needs blood. I’m going to go grab some, and then we will get her all taken care of. You did a good job sealing up the wounds.” She complimented Asher then went to get blood for Lisa. She wasn’t gone long and came back with a bag and an IV stand.
We sat back and let Esme get to work. Lisa fell asleep shortly after the first bag was done, and Esme assured us that she was going to be fine.
“She’s going to be okay, really. Why don’t you go home and rest? I’ll give you a call later and give you an update.”
I wasn’t ready to go yet, but I did want to leave the room for a bit. I needed space from the past that was threatening to take over my head.
“Come on, Snow White, let’s go get some coffee.” Asher lightly touched my arm and guided me out of the room. It took a few minutes of walking in a mindless stupor to realize he called me by my cat name.
“I’m not Snow White!” I jerked my arm away from his and looked at his face. He had a smug smile going on.
“I’m aware, but it got that feisty Echo back instead of the ghost that showed up at the bar and never left.” He walked over to a table and pulled out a chair for me to sit in.
“What do you want?” he asked, and then my stomach growled. It had been a while since I had eaten anything. Too long.
“Black coffee, and something to eat, please. Something with meat if they have it,” I answered and looked around the little cafe. It was quiet, just another couple sitting across the room. Not that Asher and I were a couple. Just two people in a cafe waiting for a girl who was almost murdered to get pumped full of blood. No big deal.
Asher came back shortly with two cups of coffee, and a breakfast sandwich for me.
“Thank you. What do I owe you?” I went to pull out my wallet from my back pocket, but he waved it off. I wasn’t the type of girl to fight for the bill when it came to men. Some didn’t even try to pay for a meal, so when they did, I’d accept it.
We were both silent as I ate, and he drank his coffee. I felt my nerves start to ease with every bite.
“You’ve seen it before, haven’t you?” Asher decided to break that silence with a sledge hammer.
“Yep. Once, about twelve years ago, there was a serial killer that had the same M.O. He or she would cut little slices about the body, and then depending on the person, would carve either two slits between their shoulder blades or two smaller slices on their forehead. There were fifteen murders, then it all stopped. No one knows who it was or why.” I didn’t mention that my parents were the last victims.
“So, the killer is back,” he said in a matter-of-fact way. I nodded. We didn’t know for sure, but it seemed likely. But why now?
“You’ll catch him.” Asher spoke with confidence. I didn’t know what to say to it. I’d never given up trying to solve my parents’ murder, and the others. But it was a very cold case. Absolutely no leads. The victims seemed completely random.
“So, what’s the deal with your powers?” I needed a subject change, and I had never gotten the scoop on his powers. I had been too anxious to get away from him last time—I didn’t care how he changed me back, I just wanted out.
“Magic, not powers,” he corrected and drank some coffee. His eyes staying glued to mine from over the rim of the cup. They were challenging me somehow, I just couldn’t figure out why my body suddenly turned warm with his stare.
“Phillip said what we have is a gift from the Greek gods,” I retorted, and he grinned.
“I’m not like you guys. My magic comes from a different place. It’s wild magic, that stems from the energies all around us. Everything has an energy to it; my people are able to wield that energy. Mold it for our needs. Of course, there are some rules and stipulations. Magic for selfish gain is a no-no, can’t bring back the dead, that kind of thing. Your transformation was natural since you are a human who can change. I can’t turn a cat that is actually a cat into a human.” He laughed to himself, probably thinking about changing a cat to a human. Wild magic. So many interesting revelations today.
“So, you’re like a witch?” I was curious; this was something I hadn’t thought was real until now.
“I don’t like being call a witch, or even a warlock. But yeah, essentially what you most likely would associate us with are white witches. Most are nature freaks that want good for mankind, to keep the bloodlines going and be a nice little family.” He shrugged like it was no big deal, but his grin was gone. There was more to his words than he was letting on. But he didn’t push me, so I didn’t push him.
“What made a beautiful girl like you become a detective?” It was his turn to switch subjects on me, apparently. I felt a little flutter in my stomach, hearing him speak. That breakfast sandwich must be causing issues with my insides.
“I have natural protective instincts, thanks to all the animals in me, and wanted to help save people. Bring the wrongdoers to justice.” Which reminded me, I needed to hunt down those two men who took Janie and bring them in. They’d match her descriptions, of course, and she’d testify they were her kidnappers. Case closed.
“A warrior woman. I like it.” He was looking at me like he’d love nothing more than to lean across the table and give me a kiss. The vibes that were coming off him were absolutely magnetic.
“You feel it, too, don’t you?” he asked. The grin was back and lighting up his face.
“The urge to vomit when you look at me that way?”
“What way am I looking at you, exactly?” He was amused by my feigned indifference.
“Like you want to kiss me and expect me to kiss you back.” I gave him my best resting bitch face, showing him that I was not affected by that look.
“I see. You do understand that I can not only manipulate energy, but I can see it, as well, right? And your energy is digging my energy.”
Chapter Nine
Asher
She did a good job of hiding her attraction to me. If it wasn’t for my extra sense to see and feel the energies around me, I would have believed her. Everything about her, from the badass outfit of leather and boots, and the face that said she’d bite if touched, that said she wasn’t interested. But I’d felt that shock between us when we kissed. That shock was no coincidence.
“Sounds like you’re seeing things. Maybe the coffee was poisoned,” she bit back, with that cool mask of indifference. I could honestly say I hadn’t had this much fun around a woman in a long time. She was tough and didn’t need a man. Or so she thought.
“Could be. I am having thoughts of playing a naughty game of cops and robbers with a purring detective.” I watched that mask of hers fall straight off with the realization that she’d been purring like a kitten. I hadn’t wanted to point it out until now, enjoying that she was unaware to her own body’s response to me. She might not feel that her powers had chosen me. Those animals of hers liked me very much.
“The sandwich was very good.” She tried to recover, but we both knew the truth. Somewhere in there, she was feeling something toward me. Maybe lust? Maybe something more?
There’s this story with my people about mates. We are born with a combination of all the energies of earth inside us, unlike the normal energies of man. It’s what gives us the power to c
ontrol the wild magic. Like everyone else, we try to find that special person who we want to spend the rest of our lives with, but because our energies are vastly different, a bond is never created.
It’s not common to find someone with as much energy inside them as us, and many of my people settle for someone without ever finding it, marrying simply for lust or to keep the bloodlines going.
That shock that happened between us was a clash of energies, hers battling mine for dominance. Her powers were strong, and she wielded the energy of all creatures inside her. Enough to rival mine. Now a subtle current flowed between us, the more we are around each other the more apparent it will become. She was my equal, and I had no issues with it at all. Her attitude was entertaining for me, and only made me want to push her buttons more, to get emotions out of her that she probably never let anyone see.
“Maybe they should use that in their marketing for the food. ‘It’s purr-worthy.’”
“Maybe they should, since that’s what happened.” She was staring me right in the face, her poker face on point. I would have continued our conversation, but Esme caught my attention and waved us over.
“Time to go, pussycat.” We stood at the same time and she walked off toward Esme without another word to me.
Lisa was doing better, and while she would need to stay another day after having lost so much blood, she was awake and wanted to talk to us. Esme got paged and had to go, but she promised that Lisa would continue to be taken care of and she’d be back in an hour to check on her.
“Thank you for saving me.” Lisa’s voice was hoarse and didn’t sound good. But who was I to say how she was supposed to sound after everything that happened?
“You’re welcome.”
“Lisa. My name is Echo Cross. I’m a detective with the Seahill P.D. When you feel up to it, I need to get some information from you. I’ll make sure Esme has my card, so you can get in touch with me when you’re ready.” Echo sounded like the good cop right now. She was quick to contain any emotions she felt at the moment.
“I felt a stinging pain in my neck and then nothing. I could see around me but couldn’t move. I felt the cuts being made but couldn’t scream. It was like I was paralyzed. I didn’t see anything except black loafer shoes.” Lisa blurted out what happened to Echo with a scared look. All of this happened in the brief time I had been in the back. Whoever did this was quick and had no hesitation at all. They knew exactly where to cut for maximum blood loss.
“We can wait until you’re better, Lisa. I don’t want to cause your body more stress.” Echo tried to be the good guy and let the girl rest, but I could tell she wanted the information she was being given.
“No, it’s okay. I just want to forget the whole thing and move out of this city.” She took a deep breath and looked at the medical posters on the wall. Maybe she wanted to learn more about how you get clogged arteries.
“I had a fight with my fiancé today. He has strong opinions about what’s happening in our city, with the heroes and all—saying they’re freaks and they should be put down like the animals they are.” Tears that were flooding down her cheeks earlier at the bar were missing now. She almost looked angry saying the words.
“We never talked about people with powers because he’d been blissfully unaware of them.” She looked at us and then back at the posters.
“He’s also unaware that I have powers. So, I decided to open up to him for the first time, to show him that people with powers weren’t all bad and he...well, let’s just say didn’t take it well. I left and went to the bar for a drink. Maybe he did this to me. I didn’t think he could ever do something like that, but if one feels strongly enough about something, they might do something they wouldn’t normally do.”
Damn.
“How old is your ex-fiancé?” Echo asked.
“He’s forty-three.”
I saw where Echo was going with this; he was old enough to have been killing twelve years ago for sure. This lead was definitely worth looking into.
Echo asked her a few more questions before thanking her and telling her to get some rest. She had Echo’s number to call if she thought of anything else or needed her assistance for anything. I bid her farewell, then we left the hospital to head back to the bar.
“I wanna help you catch the killer,” I announced once we were in her sexy-ass car.
“Excuse me?” she sputtered, her hands gripping the wheel a bit tighter than they were before.
“This person almost killed a woman in my bar. They declared war.” I also wanted to spend more time with her, but I wasn’t going to say that out loud. She could understand a revenge plot more than a romantic one. As romantic as killer hunting could be.
“I’ll be in touch.” She pulled over in front of my bar and stopped, the car still running and in drive. Obviously, she wasn’t getting out. I smiled while giving her a look that said she was full of crap. Her eyes narrowed slightly in response to what I’m guessing was that kissing look on my face again.
“Sounds good.” I stepped back, but before I closed the door, I had to say one more thing.
“Might want to tell that kitty of yours to lay off the sandwiches if the purring can last this long.” I winked and shut the door.
My look had made her purr, and the look on her shocked face as she peeled out only made me want to find new ways to make her purr.
Chapter Ten
Echo
Stupid, charming jerk.
My powers were betraying me. Purring while he talked. I hadn’t even noticed I was doing it!
“Ugh.” My groan echoed in the car as I drove to Hero Society’s headquarters. Phillip had told me our history, and more about Emanuel, but he wanted me to come back and meet the other members of their crew. I still wasn’t sold on joining them, and I think he thought this would persuade me.
But my mind felt like it was already at capacity. A killer from long ago, Asher and his kiss-me look, the heroes, and a potential evil that is brewing to take over mankind. Then we had Seahill dividing as the cherry on top of the shitstorm sundae.
Too much was happening all at once.
I reached over and turned the music up on the radio, needing a distraction to take my mind off the whole overflowing plate I had going on.
At least I had accomplished one thing off my to-do list: I found those two men that had taken Janie and brought them in. They confessed that they took her for an anonymous person who paid them good money. I may have threatened them with another encounter with a bear before we entered the station if they didn’t cooperate, some one-on-one time together. They sang like canaries, and never once mentioned I turned into a bear.
Two criminals down, hundreds more to go.
I parked in the back of the restaurant where Phillip suggested. He was waiting there for me, with a little to-go box in his hand.
My stomach rumbled at seeing it. It had been an a while since that breakfast sandwich, so whatever he was about to offer would be welcomed.
“Figured you’d be hungry.” He smiled as I approached with my arms extended to take the little box off his hands.
“Always hungry.”
He opened the door and then led us toward the janitor’s closet that housed the hidden elevator inside. I’d discovered their headquarters were quite large and included the apartments above the restaurant for those who needed a safe place to stay.
He’d given me a quick tour yesterday; it looked like they could run a smooth operation from here.
“Everyone is in our chill room; they had a busy night last night.” Phillip walked us down a hallway and stood in front of a door where laughter and voices could be heard from the other side.
“I can’t tell if you will become a part of our family. But that’s exactly what we are. This isn’t just an after-school club saving the day. We are a family. I must have your word that if you choose not to become a part of our tight-knit group, then you will keep the secrets you have seen and heard. Their safety is one of my
top priorities.” Gone was the cute boy next door, now a protector stood in his place. He may not be a fighter on the outside, but I believed he would do anything for the people on the other side of that door. Anything.
“You have my word. I’m just as vulnerable as you are with my powers. I would most likely be hunted like an animal if people found out about me.” It was the truth.
He nodded and then opened the door.
All the playful, joyous sounds stopped.
“Everyone, this is Echo. She’s a detective for the Seahill P.D. and has a very special gift. Don’t scare her off.” Phillip walked over to sit in an empty spot on the sectional.
“We’re going to need more couches in here; the sectional you just got is getting crowded,” a petite girl that was covered in black eyeliner and wearing a unicorn onesie whined as Phillip sat next to where her feet were.
He grinned at her annoyance and then looked at me. I guess I was being awkward, still standing by the door.
“Oh, come sit with me. I love people! And I love boots. You have cute boots.” A black-haired woman who was dressed like a model stood up and grabbed hold of my hand, pulling me toward the spot next to where she was sitting.
“I’m Lilith. No superpowers, but I have some cool skills that come in handy in tight situations.” She smiled wide while introducing herself.
“I’ll go next—name’s Mina. Queen of Seahill. I’m the eyes and ears of all. My brother, AJ, and I make sure things run smoothly around here.” The onesie girl pointed at a boy who was sitting in a chair fiddling with a tablet. Phillip’s quiet chuckle made Mina shoot him a look that dared him to deny her claims.
AJ looked up and gave me a nod.
“ ’Sup.”
“ ’Sup,” I replied to the teenager.
Phillip pointed to the couple in the big, round chair that were cuddled close. “You’ve met my sister, Rose, and the guy next to her is Draco, our leader of sorts. He’s the original.” Draco gave me a subtle nod hello, and Rose waved.
“Good to see you again, and not all furry.” She giggled and then Lilith took over the introductions.
Dusk (Hero Society Book 3) Page 4
