“You said she’s your strength—do you mean literally, mentally, or magically?”
“All three. Familiars are guides and advisors, but also provide an additional source of physical strength should a spell require it. But because Belle is also a witch, I can also draw on her magical skills, combining them with mine if necessary.”
“So she also has a familiar?”
“No.”
“Then what the hell does she get out of the whole deal? Not a lot, from the sound of it.”
“That’s unfortunately very true.” Although at least becoming my familiar had bolstered her spell-casting strength and abilities. In fact, even though she hadn’t been tested since puberty, I’d hazard a guess that they were now very close, if not equal, to my own. We still had our own separate skill sets, but when it came to general magic, we were equals.
“I’m surprised she’s not at least a little bit bitter about—” He paused, his eyes widening a little as Penny came over with the food I’d ordered for him. “That’s an impressive-looking burger.”
“You looked as if you needed a good feed,” I said, with a smile of thanks to Penny. “And it’s hard to be bitter about something the spirits keep telling you will be the best thing to ever happen to you. Or so she said at the time.”
“I don’t think I want to know what you mean by spirits—not until I’ve digested all the current information, anyway.” He took a bite of the burger and something close to bliss touched his expression. “Man, this is good. Are you sure don’t add a little touch of magic to your food?”
“If ensuring our food is nothing short of mouthwatering can be considered magic, then we certainly do,” Belle said, as she sat down opposite him. “But over the years we’ve discovered quality generally works better than any minor spell we could actually incorporate into our food production.”
“If that’s the case, what happened in Peak’s Point?”
“You’ve been checking up on us,” Belle said, amusement clear in her tone.
“Of course. Nor have I finished.” He took another bite then added, “Peak’s Point—explain.”
“We were outsiders who came in and showed up the entrenched businesses,” I said. “Let’s just say they didn’t appreciate it.”
“The local cop I spoke to said that you were behind a sudden rise in the rat population.”
“That cop,” Belle said, “sat on his fucking hands and mouthed platitudes while his bastard mates harassed our customers and suppliers, and generally made our life hell.”
“And,” I added, “magic can’t make rats breed like rabbits, but it certainly can call to the unseen population of them that is in every town, and invite them to infest a certain premise or two.”
Amusement twitched Aiden’s lips. “So if there’s a sudden rat infestation at the ranger station, I’ll know I’ve seriously pissed you two off?”
“If you seriously piss us off,” Belle said, voice mild, “you’ll be dealing with far more than a rat infestation.”
He studied her for a moment, obviously uncertain whether she was joking or not. She was, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. It might do nothing to gain this man’s trust, but if the events over the last few days hadn’t already done that, nothing would.
“What happened after I left Marjorie’s last night?” I asked.
“The usual. We might be dealing with a vampire and her victim, but that doesn’t actually change procedure.” He glanced at me. “Although Ciara wants to know if there’s anything specific she needs to do with Karen’s body.”
I glanced at Belle. Given she’d read her gran’s book on vampires, she was the expert, not me.
“The old legends apparently have it right,” she said. “Decapitation, stake them through the heart, then burying them under soil blessed with holy water.”
“Can a priest do the latter, or does it have to be incorporated within a spell?”
“No. And holy water originates from priests, not us,” I said. “Have you talked to Karen’s dad about her funeral?”
He nodded. “I told him the explosion at the morgue had taken out a good portion of the refrigeration room and that he wouldn’t be able to have an open casket at his daughter’s funeral. He accepted it without fuss.”
Of course he did. It meant he wouldn’t have to pretend any real emotional connection as he looked upon his daughter for the last time.
That’s a bit harsh, Belle said. It’s not like he totally abandoned the kid. He did at least see her.
An uncaring dad is often worse than an absent one. And I knew that from experience.
I got the impression Phillip Banks wasn’t really uncaring—I think he simply put his own comforts and desires ahead of everyone else’s.
“I’m once again getting the impression there’s a whole separate conversation happening that I’m not a part of,” Aiden said.
Belle reached out and patted his hand. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it after a while.”
“I’d rather you just talk to each other like normal people,” he said. “Especially when you’re in my presence.”
“But we’re not normal people,” Belle said sweetly. “And you seriously do not want to hear every little thing we’re telepathically discussing. It might just make you a little uncomfortable.”
Amusement crinkled the corners of his blue eyes and made my pulse skip a beat or two. Disheveled or not, this man was seriously attractive when he smiled.
“I’m a werewolf. There’s not much that will make me blush.”
“Even when it involves two witches?”
“Depends what those two witches are doing,” he replied evenly. “And to whom.”
I just about choked on my tea, and Belle laughed, a contagious sound that broke the boundaries of my spell and had people looking around with a smile.
“I think there’s actually a half-decent person underneath that cool and unemotional exterior of yours, Ranger,” she said. “It’s a shame you don’t unleash it more often.”
“How do you know I don’t?” he asked. “As I’ve said before, neither of you know much about me or my pack.”
“Nor did you wish us to,” I reminded him. “Or has that now changed?”
He met my gaze, and I watched the amusement die. It wasn’t replaced by the all-too-familiar wariness or distrust, but it wasn’t exactly offering any hope of friendship, either. “I honestly can’t answer that question.”
I nodded, even as I hoped my unruly hormones took note and didn’t step any further along the attraction line.
“Then I’m gathering you’re here now not so much to talk, but because you want me to try finding Mason via the watch?”
“Yes. But also to tell you there was an attack last night—our vampire fed on an old couple not too far from Marjorie’s.” He paused, gaze narrowing as it swept my face. “You don’t look at all surprised.”
“No, because when I returned home last night, the vibes coming off the watch were strengthening, not diminishing. Given Mason’s life comes from our vampire, it had to mean he’d fed.”
“You should have contacted me—”
“And told you what? It’s not like I could tell you who he’d attacked or where.” Wasn’t as if he’d actually had the people free to go looking.
“You’ll have to release some kind of statement soon,” Belle commented. “Not even a full press blackout will stop the rumors now that there’s a desecrated grave and four people dead.”
“That is the province of the council, not us.” He pushed his empty plate away. “I relocated the Redferns this morning, and have them under twenty-four-hour guard. Will that be enough, or will Mason still be able to find them?”
“Mason’s a zombie,” Belle said. “He has no memories and no ability to think for himself. He is simply a creature at the whim of his master’s needs and desires.”
“Then what is the likelihood of our sorcerer being able to locate them?”
“Highly probable,??
? I said. “Finding spells aren’t all that difficult. All he needs is something of theirs.”
“I haven’t the manpower to place a watch on the Redferns’ place.” His tone was grim. Frustrated.
“I doubt you’d need to,” Belle said. “As that note said, he’s been plotting this revenge for a long time. He’s undoubtedly already taken what he needs.”
“Which might just explain the car break-in they reported a month ago,” Aiden said. “It happened at night, but all that was taken were the spare house keys they keep in the center console. They changed the locks the next day.”
“By which time, our vamp had already sent someone in to take what he needed,” I said.
“Probably.” He picked up his coffee and finished it. “Are you up to making an attempt—”
He stopped, his gaze moving past Belle as a mix of annoyance and hostility touched his expression. “Damn.”
I leaned back and saw two men enter the café. Both were tall and dark-haired, wearing gray suits, dark sunglasses, and an official air.
“The IIT?” I asked, my gaze returning to Aiden.
“Yeah.” He pushed to his feet. “Call me when they finish.”
“You aren’t sticking around?” I said, surprised.
“They won’t allow it.” His lips twisted. “Especially given I punched the shorter of the two in the face the last time they were here. It put something of a dampener on our relationship.”
“That is one story I’d really like to hear,” Belle said.
“And one you’re unlikely to.” He touched my shoulder lightly as he moved past. “Be wary of these two. I suspect they’ll treat witches with almost as much respect as werewolves.”
A statement that makes me even more curious as to what went down, Belle said. I wouldn’t have said our chief ranger was the type to lash out without reason.
From what I can gather, the last time they were here involved a witch who was never found, and the death of someone who was close to him. Aiden walked past the two men, offering them a polite nod they did not return. Obviously, the bad feeling was mutual. Wolves are notoriously protective of those within their packs, so it might not have taken much.
Given how controlled that man is, I’m disagreeing. Belle pushed to her feet. Aiden’s not the type to let emotion overrule common sense.
Except when it comes to witches.
Despite his obvious distrust of our kind, he’s treated us far better than many in the past. A smile touched her lips. And now, I shall flee and leave you to the mercy of the IIT.
Coward.
Totally. She gathered Aiden’s plate and cup, and then left, her laughter ringing lightly through my mind.
I looked up as the two men stopped in front of the table. “This is looking rather official—are you gentlemen here to arrest me or something?”
“John Hart, Interspecies Investigations Team.” The taller of the two flashed his badge. “This is my partner, Terry Blume. May we sit?”
They were claiming chairs before I could answer, so I didn’t bother.
“We need to talk to you about recent events,” he continued. “Is there somewhere more secure we could go?”
I gave him my politest smile—a sure sign of hackles being raised. And it wasn’t so much what he said, but rather the way he said it—in that bored, you-are-not-worthy tone I’d heard far too often in my youth. It was an interesting attitude to take given these two had to be dealing with witches on a regular basis. While the majority of bluebloods did restrict themselves to Canberra in order to be close to the Federal Government, there were advisory high witches connected to all State Parliaments, and the lowborn houses were scattered far and wide.
“Yes,” I said. “But there’s no need to go anywhere else. We’re quite safe to talk here.”
“Meaning you’ve spelled the area?” Blume said.
“I have indeed. What can I do for you gentlemen?”
“You can start off by telling us about yourself,” Hart said. “Because we’ve checked regional records, and the Association has no listing for either you or your partner.”
“No, they don’t.”
“Care to explain why?”
“If you’d care to explain this line of questioning.”
He raised his eyebrows—an action that was barely visible over the top of his dark sunglasses. “I simply find it interesting that these events have occurred not long after two unregistered witches arrived in town.”
“We arrived three months ago, Mr. Hart. Given the first incident occurred two months later, I wouldn’t exactly call that close.”
The two glanced at each other. “What happened a month ago?”
“Car break-in.” I smiled sweetly. “It’s only a theory that the thief who took the house keys from the Redferns’ car was indeed our vampire, but it’s one that becomes more likely given recent events.”
“Meaning the refleshing event that occurred last night?”
“It can hardly be called a refleshing, as even dark magic can’t replace what putrefaction has already taken.” I paused as the charm around my neck began to pulse in warning. “And whichever one of you gentleman is trying to invade my thoughts, give it up. I’m well protected, both mentally and magically.”
They shared another look, which made me suspect they were both telepathic.
And they’re also well protected from mental invasion, Belle said. It appears to be some sort of electronic shield rather than a magical one. I’m not able to get past it.
I wasn’t feeling any sort of energy output, but if science had developed enough in recent years to create a wearable shield against telepathy, then they’d probably gone that extra step to ensure it wasn’t detectable.
“Why would there be no Association record of either you or Ms. Kent?”
“Because it’s not a requirement for half-breed witches to register their presence when entering a new state,” I said. “You won’t find our names mentioned in the high council’s records of vetted witches, either. Neither of us bothered undertaking that particular process.”
“I thought it was a requirement of the high council that all half-breeds be vetted?”
“It is. Doesn’t mean it always happens.”
The two men contemplated me for a moment. I found myself wishing they’d take off their damn glasses—it was hard to get an indication of what they might be thinking when I couldn’t see their eyes.
A little breeze incantation can fix that problem, Belle said. More than happy to do the honors.
Tempting, but don’t think it’s a good idea to get them offside right now.
I’m thinking I don’t care.
And I’m thinking that’s a bad attitude. We don’t need them setting the Association on us.
The Association doesn’t scare me.
In and of itself, no. But it would only take one photo up to the high council to reveal our true identities. And while my parents might not care about either of us, I still had no desire to risk any possible contact or interference from them.
“To the suspicious,” Blume said, “your determination to avoid interaction with both the regional and high councils suggests you have something to hide.”
“Or that we simply have no desire to get involved with officialdom.” I picked up my cup and rose. “If you’re not here to discuss the recent murders, gentlemen, then I have nothing more to say to you.”
“Please, sit,” Hart said. “We are merely trying to establish your credentials as a witness.”
I snorted, but sat back down. “Do you make a habit of interrogating witnesses like they were criminals, then?”
“No.” Hart plucked a piece of fluff from his suit sleeve. “What can you tell us about the magic-wielding vampire?”
“He’s using blood not regular magic,” I said, and gave him a full rundown on everything I knew or suspected. I might not like either of them, but as I’d said to Aiden, they were here to do a job. “I take it you’ve contacted the Associat
ion for help?”
“Indeed.” Blume glanced at his watch. “They should have a representative here within the hour. He or she will probably wish to speak to you.”
Undoubtedly. Whether I wanted to speak to him or her was another matter entirely.
“Are you able to tell us anything about the reanimated corpse?” Hart said.
“I’m thinking you two probably know a whole lot more about zombies than I do.”
“Well no, because it’s not something we’ve actually come across before.” There was a note in Blume’s voice that suggested amusement, even if his face remained deadpan. “Central Victoria isn’t exactly a hotbed for the undead.”
“Which doesn’t mean there aren’t any vampires in the region.”
“Of course not,” Hart agreed. “But most have the sense to stay under the radar and out of trouble.”
“If most of them did that, you two would be out of a job.”
“Not as long as there’s magic, or humans living within werewolf reservations,” Blume said. “How long does reanimated flesh last?”
“As far as I know, for as long as the sorcerer’s strength holds out. Given he fed last night, that could mean another week, at least.”
The two shared another glance. “He fed?” Hart asked.
“So I heard from the grapevine,” I replied, hoping I hadn’t just landed Aiden in trouble. “An old couple was apparently found dead this morning. It’s not much of a leap to connect it to our vamp, given he would have been in desperate need of sustenance after his efforts last night.”
“Speaking of which,” Blume said. “I believe one of your skills is psychometry?”
I gave him a bland sort of smile. “That’s what the advertising on the café windows says.”
“Meaning if we found something belonging to either the Redfern kid or our vampire, you’d be able to find them?”
Obviously, Aiden hadn’t mentioned either the watch or the pendant. I opened my mouth to tell them, then closed it again. As much I really didn’t want to attempt locating our vamp or zombie through either item, I also had no desire to get Aiden offside. We had to live on this reservation once this mess had been sorted out—slipping back into the O’Connor pack’s bad books wouldn’t help achieve that aim.