But knowing what had to be done was a totally different matter to actually doing it.
Aiden handed me the flashlight, his expression giving nothing away. Nor did he say anything. He simply raised his gun and took aim.
I wanted to look away, but resisted the desire. Not because of some macabre need to watch the shattering of bone and decaying flesh, but because it somehow felt disrespectful to do anything else.
While this rotting vessel might no longer hold life, it was always possible Mason’s soul had not moved on. Some didn’t, especially if they were killed before their time. And while I wasn’t Belle, and had no way to see or contact him even if he were here, I could at least offer him a prayer of peace.
Which was what I did as Aiden fired.
Six shots. That was all it took. Six quick shots to finish what time and decay had already started. With no head and shattered legs, he was now beyond the reach of magic, no matter powerful.
“I’m going to enjoy killing this vampire,” Aiden said softly. “And nothing, not the IIT or anyone else, is going to stop me. Not after this.”
I touched his arm lightly; I might have well been touching steel. “I think you’ll find the IIT won’t argue with that sentiment. They want this ended every bit as badly as you do.”
“Perhaps.”
His gaze met mine, his expression cold—angry. Not at me, not even at the IIT, but rather the situation. At the deaths and destruction that had shattered this otherwise peaceful reservation.
The insights, it seemed, were back—although it didn’t really take psychic powers to guess at his emotions and thoughts right now.
“Do we need to do anything about the rest of Mason’s body?” he added.
I shook my head. “He needs to be reburied, of course, but we’re running out of daylight and it probably wouldn’t be wise to retrieve him until tomorrow morning.”
“Agreed.” He plucked the flashlight from my grip and stepped around me. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
By the time we’d exited, the shadows were beginning to close in. René was squatting against a tree on the far side of the clearing, but rose as we approached.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes.” Aiden handed him the flashlight. “But the mine is now a crime scene, so don’t go in there.”
“So it was gunshots I heard?”
“Yes.”
Aiden’s tone remained as neutral as his expression, but the anger and frustration continued to vibrate through him. It might be under the surface and very well controlled, but I suspected it wouldn’t take much for it to be unleashed.
“I’m going to place a clearance order on the entire area for a day or so,” he continued. “So if you’ve got anything expensive at the mine you’re working, I’d grab it. But be out of the area before sunset.”
René nodded and left.
“What are the chances of the vampire returning here tonight?” Aiden pressed his fingers against my spine and guided me toward the somewhat vague path that had brought us up here.
“He has no need to come back.” His touch left me as soon as I stepped onto the path, but the heat of it lingered, a mocking reminder of our altogether too brief kiss. “He’ll know Mason is now beyond his reach the moment he wakes.”
“I suspect he’s not going to be pleased.”
“I suspect you’re right.”
In the fading light, his hair glinted with silver, but the stubble lining his chin was dark enough to look black. It was an odd but rather nice combination.
You need to give up denying you’re attracted to the man, Belle commented. Because you’re certainly not fooling anyone. Not even your own hormones.
Okay, so I’m attracted. Admitting it doesn’t change the situation, Belle.
Give him time and space, and you just never know.
Except that I do know.
I could almost see her frown. You didn’t mention another dream.
Because I didn’t have another one. It’s just intuition.
Your intuition has been wrong on occasion.
But not often.
No. She paused. Still, I live in hope that in this case, it is.
The foolish part of me that never seemed to tire of having my heart broken secretly hoped the same thing. But there was no point in voicing a desire the universe and the man seemed determined to ignore.
We reached the rough road and made our way back to the district’s heart. By the time we reached the café, darkness had fallen and weariness had settled into my bones, making every step an effort.
“Would you like to come in for something to eat?” I dug the keys out of the backpack and opened the door.
He shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m dead on my feet.” He hesitated, and grimaced. “And that is a saying that will never again seem so harmless.”
“No.” I touched his arm lightly. Anger and horror still vibrated through him, even if its force was more muted. Whether that was due to control or sheer tiredness, I couldn’t say. “Thanks for saving my butt today. If you hadn’t caught me—”
“I did, so don’t even think about what-ifs.” He raised a hand and lightly brushed something from my cheek. Whether it was debris or merely an excuse to touch me, however briefly, I didn’t know and didn’t care. “Get some rest, because it’s totally possible we might have to call on your services again tonight.”
“For both our sakes, I hope not.” I hesitated. “Night, Aiden.”
“Night.” He dropped his hand, but his fingers, I noted, were clenched.
I went inside. By the time I’d turned to lock the door, he was gone. I placed the watch and Belle’s knife back into their compartments, but left the rest of the items in the pack. I could deal with them tomorrow, when I had more energy.
“Grab a shower,” Belle said, as I wearily climbed the stairs. “I’ll heat some lasagna for you when you’re done.”
The hot water washed the grime and the smell of death from my skin, and went some way to easing the ache in my muscles. But no matter how long I stood under the stream of water, my face raised and my eyes closed, it didn’t wash away the memory of Mason’s empty, broken face, or the stump that had remained once Aiden had finished firing. I eventually gave up and got out.
“Dinner is ready,” Belle said, retrieving the plate from the microwave as I walked out wrapped in towels. “I’ve also made a pot of ginseng tea.”
“Thanks.” I grabbed a tea towel before accepting the hot plate, then moved across to the couch. “Are you going out tonight?”
“No, I told you that this afternoon.” She raised an eyebrow and sat next to me. “Have you forgotten the full moon and the bloodstone?”
I swore and scrubbed a hand across my eyes. “Aiden obviously did, too.”
“I’m not entirely surprised, given this afternoon’s events.” She began pouring the tea. The sweet scent of licorice root drifted through the earthy, woody aroma of the ginseng—a combination designed to boost strength and help relieve pain and stress. “I feel sorry for Mason’s parents. This travesty will hit them hard.”
“They may never know.” I scooped up a mouthful of lasagna. “Aiden has them holed up at a safe house somewhere under full watch. He could very easily arrange for Mason to be reburied before he releases them.”
“I hope he does, for their sake.” She took a sip of tea. “It might be better if we skip investigating the bloodstone tonight. You look wiped—”
“Yes, but the waning moon hasn’t the power of the full. I really think we’ll need it—”
“What you need,” she said, in a tone that would brook no argument. “Is rest—something the doctors were quite adamant about, and something you’re yet to properly do. Besides, a waning moon still holds plenty of power, and between it and us, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
She was probably right, of course, but the need to unravel the mystery of the bloodstone and the man who had spelled it nevertheless pulsed through
me.
Time was running out; he might still have people to wreak havoc on in this reservation, but if we didn’t catch him soon, we wouldn’t.
“Now that’s a cheery thought,” Belle muttered.
Wasn’t it just? “Are you going to call Zak now that I’m not having a go at the pendant?”
She hesitated, and then shook her head. “There’s plenty of time ahead to further explore the delights of that man. It’ll probably do us both good to have an early night.”
I nodded and finished both my meal and the tea, by which time, my eyes were becoming so heavy it was hard to keep them open. I eventually gave up and just went to bed. Sleep hit almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.
I woke with a start some hours later. My heart raced and the bitter taste of fear filled my mouth. For several seconds I did nothing more than lie there, the blankets pulled up close to my nose and my eyes wide as I stared into the darkness. There was no sound other than the slight ticking of the old clock downstairs, and I had no idea why I’d woken in such a state.
And then I felt it.
A tremor. Not in earth, but rather across my metaphysical senses.
Someone was attacking the wards and spells that protected this place—and it didn’t take a genius to figure out who. I all but fell out of bed then scooped up a T-shirt from the floor and my phone from the bedside table before bolting for the door—and had to do a quick two-step to avoid crashing into Belle.
“What the fuck is going on?” She thrust a hand through her wildly matted hair. “There’s been no alarm, but it feels like—”
“The bastard is attacking our spells and wards.” I gave her my phone. “Ring Aiden. I’ll go downstairs and bolster the spells.”
“Be careful,” she said, even as she unlocked my phone. “He’s not alone.”
“How many can you sense?”
“One other.” She wrinkled her nose. “A hired thug.”
“Can you incapacitate him?” I pulled on my T-shirt as I headed for the stairs.
“Yes, but not until I ring Aiden. Go.”
My footsteps echoed as I clattered down the stairs—something the men outside would undoubtedly hear. It didn’t really matter—the vampire would have felt it the minute I became aware of his attack.
I ran through the dark room and placed my hand on the old front door, my fingers spread wide. The energy that pulsed across my fingertips was heated and angry. He was close, so damn close, to fully unraveling the threads that protected us—and it was doubtful the wards alone would stand up to him once he did. They just weren’t powerful enough on their own.
Fear surged, but I ruthlessly thrust it aside. I had no time for it—I needed every ounce of control and concentration I could muster.
Through narrowed eyes, I saw both the failing threads of our magic, and the blot of his pressing down on them, undoing them, destroying them.
“You’re not getting in that easy,” I muttered, and began pushing back. The remaining threads flared as I carefully picked them up and wove a strengthening spell into them. It would drain me faster than adding additional layers to the protecting spell, but the latter would take time, and that was the one thing we didn’t really have right now.
The blot of darkness grew heavier, the weight of it threatening to buckle my knees. I forced them to lock and kept going, but even as the remaining threads thickened and grew stronger, he pushed back with a force so great my knees did buckle, hitting the floor so hard a grunt of pain escaped.
That collapse saved my life.
The inside of the door where my face had been exploded inward, filling the air with a deadly shower of splinters. A heartbeat later, something hit the rear of the café and what sounded like an entire mountain of plates and cups crashed to the floor.
I didn’t look around. I didn’t even twitch. I simply kept my hands pressed to the door, my fingers enmeshed in the remaining threads, uttering every spell of strength and resistance I knew.
It wasn’t going to be enough. He was simply far too strong for me.
One of the three remaining threads grew taut and then snapped. The force of it rebounded through me, making my body shake and my head pound. Instinct and desperation had me reaching for Belle, and a heartbeat later, she was with me, as one with me, her power and her knowledge mine to use. I threw everything we had at the final two spell lines, quickly bolstering their ability to resist. Then I pulled one hand away and uttered a simple spell, one designed to do nothing more than knock the vampire off his feet. Hopefully, it would be enough to shatter his concentration and stop—however briefly—his unrelenting attack.
I said the final line of the incantation and then cast it forward, physically and mentally. A heartbeat later there was a loud grunt, and the black force shredding our magic dissipated. I took a deep, shuddering breath, and felt Belle do the same. I quickly released her and instantly felt the weakness run like water through my limbs. I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead on the door. But I couldn’t stop feeding the thread lines yet—the vampire was still out there. I could feel him. Feel his evil and determination. Any minute now, he would pick himself up and resume his attack….
The sharp sound of sirens cut through the air, and relief surged. Aiden and his rangers were coming; if our vampire had any sense, he would not hang around.
“You win a second round, witch.” The voice was deep, well-modulated, and so damn close he had to be standing on the other side of the door. “But the next round will be mine.”
I didn’t reply. I couldn’t. The waves of hatred and corruption seeping through the door that separated us were all but suffocating me.
He left—something I knew only by the sudden ability to breathe clean air. A sob escaped, and tears of relief and exhaustion started coursing down my cheeks.
Outside, tires squealed as several trucks skidded to stop. Doors opened and footsteps echoed.
“Lizzie?” Aiden said. “Are you there? Are you okay?”
“Yes. Go after him. I’m fine.”
“Duke, take care of this scum. Mac, you’re with me.”
Footsteps departed. I took a deep breath and—using the door as a brace—pushed to my feet.
Belle? You okay?
Yeah. Her response was immediate, if weak. I’ve been keeping the thug immobile.
Fuck, you should have released your hold on him the minute I—
And let him run? she bit back. No fucking way. He was paid a measly grand to shoot the two of us—the bastard’s obviously too stupid to be allowed to roam the streets alone. He’s lucky I only froze his movements rather than erase what little intelligence he actually has.
It was a threat that spoke volumes about the level of her anger. Making someone little more than a vegetable theoretically could be done by strong enough telepath—and she was certainly that—but it would be a very dangerous action for her to take. While I had no idea if the witch creed of harming no others would bleed over to her psychic abilities, it was certainly a possibility. And a risk I’d rather she not take.
A sharp knock on the door made me jump. I sucked in air in an effort to calm my shattered nerves and then said, “Yes?”
“It’s Ranger Tala Sinclair. Open up.”
I tied up the ends of the strengthening spell to stop it leeching any more energy from me, and then looked through the newly created peephole in the door. Tala wasn’t alone—the shorter of the two IIT men accompanied her, as did a woman I didn’t recognize.
I wasn’t going to greet any of them wearing a T-shirt that barely covered my butt.
“Hang on while I go grab some clothes.”
I bolted upstairs, pulled on an old pair of track pants, and then returned to open the door.
“I believe you’ve already met Officer Blume.” Tala’s voice and expression were carefully neutral. “But let me introduce you to Anna Kang, a representative from the Regional Witch Association.”
Anna was a middle-aged woman possessing what could be describ
ed as the typical features of the Kang line of royal witches—an oval face, high cheekbones and a prominent nose, and mono-lidded eyes. Her hair was as vivid as mine, but cut extremely short.
Given her heritage, it was rather interesting that she was working for the RWA, as it was a position that normally wouldn’t be considered suitable for someone of the Kang line. They tended to be mystics more than spell casters, believing that everything in this world—be it flesh, earth, or plant—had a spirit associated with it, and that interaction and understanding with that spirit was necessary if witches wished something done.
But there were always outliers, witches born to royal lines who didn’t live up to family expectations. Perhaps she was another of them.
She held out her hand, and after a moment, I clasped it. Energy stirred, brief but probing—hers stronger than mine. No surprise there. Even if I had been at full strength rather than shaking with fatigue, the result probably wouldn’t have altered.
I broke contact and moved aside. “Please, come in out of the cold.”
You want me down there? Belle asked.
No. The rangers might be aware you’re a witch, but it appears no one else is. Let’s keep it that way.
Blume and his cohort know—they mentioned it when they first questioned you.
I’m not worried about the IIT. I’m worried about our regional witch investigating the backgrounds of two witches of Marlowe and Sarr heritage, and stirring curiosity in the wrong places.
You have something of a fixation with your parents finding you of late, Belle noted. Is there something you’re not telling me?
It’s just a niggle in the back of my mind. It’s probably nothing, but still… let’s not tempt fate.
Blume led the way to the biggest of our tables. “Why was the vampire attacking you? I would have thought it’d be in his best interests to avoid a direct confrontation.”
“He’s well aware that I’m no match for him magically.” I all but collapsed onto a chair opposite him. “Besides, it’s not the first time he’s attacked me.”
“No, but it makes little sense to do so as openly as he did just now, and with a hired gun at his side.” Blume’s brown eyes narrowed as he studied me. “That speaks of haste and anger, which is odd behavior for a man who has so meticulously enacted his plans up to this point.”