Hell's Bell

  He was shaking his head even before I finished. “It was Garrett she loved, not Aron. And Marlinda was a friend of them both—they went to school together.”

  I frowned. “Marlinda was older than either of them, wasn’t she?”

  “Only by six months or so.”

  Meaning either her family was rich, or becoming Maelle’s blood supplier had been a very profitable deal for the young woman.

  “Did they hang around together much?”

  He shrugged. “That I couldn’t tell you, but I could ask Meika, if you want.”

  I hesitated, and then nodded. Aiden had undoubtedly checked any connection between the three of them, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask anyway. It was always possible—though also very unlikely—that I’d nugget out something he’d missed.

  I followed Mike back into the kitchen. “Sis, has Larissa been seeing much of Marlinda in recent weeks?”

  Meika’s golden gaze immediately shot past him and hit mine. “My girl didn’t kill her. She wouldn’t. They were good friends.”

  I held up my hands. “I’m not suggesting she did, but it’s possible there’s a connection between Larissa’s disappearance and the murder of her two friends. Maybe she is involved, but not the way everyone is thinking.”

  Tears gleamed briefly in her eyes and she blinked rapidly. “You mean she could be another victim?”

  I hesitated, torn between not wanting to upset her or to give her false hope. Mike placed a hand on her arm and said, “That’s not what Lizzie meant, but it’s nevertheless a possibility we have to be prepared for.”

  “She’s not dead.” The older woman crossed her arms, her stance defiant. “I’d know if she was.”

  “Has she been in any trouble of late?” I asked. “Had any arguments with anyone other than Garrett’s parents? It’s possible she’s hiding from whatever—whoever—killed her friends.”

  And if that were the case, the next question had to be—if she wasn’t the reason for the soul eater’s presence here, who was?

  If the part of my soul that had prophetic dreams had an answer to any of the current crop of questions, she certainly wasn’t saying so. But then, she did tend to prefer the midnight hours to hit me with her dire portents.

  “No.” A somewhat wry smile touched Meika’s lips. “And while threatening his parents wasn’t the wisest move she’d ever made, it was done in the heat of the moment.”

  I didn’t say anything to that, because there was really nothing I could say. So I simply nodded and glanced at Mike. “Do you want to be there tomorrow? I can ring for a temp to cover your shift.”

  He hesitated, and then shook his head. “With the rangers there, there’d be no point.”

  “Cool.” I returned my gaze to his sister. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  She nodded. I gathered my purse from the living room and then left. Mike followed me out. “Thanks for trying. I appreciate it.”

  “No probs, Mike.” I threw my purse onto the passenger seat and then glanced at him. “Just make sure your sister isn’t expecting miracles. Larissa might not have worn any of her jewelry often enough to leave a resonance, and if that’s the case, I won’t find her.”

  “She knows, but you can’t blame her for holding out hope.”

  No, I guess I couldn’t. I waved goodbye, then got into the car and reversed out of the driveway. I’d just turned back onto the Midland Highway when my phone rang. The number that flashed up on the console screen told me it was Aiden, and a silly smile touched my lips.

  I pressed the answer button and said, “What’s up, Ranger?”

  “I’m due a dinner break, and I’m feeling like some company. Care to join me for something to eat?”

  “Sure,” I replied. “But be aware the gossips will consider it a date and you’ll lose your twenty quid.”

  “Not if you come to the station and we order in.”

  “A cop shop is not the most romantic location for a first date, but it’s certainly better than nothing. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”

  “Meaning you’re not at the café?”

  “No, I’m just coming back from Guildford.”

  “Why on earth are you there?”

  “Meika asked me to find her daughter.”

  “And did you?”

  He didn’t seem surprised that she was missing, but I guess that was natural given she was their number one suspect and they would have been looking for her. “Not tonight, but I’m trying again tomorrow. Thought you might like to come along.”

  “You thought right.” He paused. “What do you want to eat?”

  “Surprise me.”

  He chuckled softly. “That could be an unwise decision on your part, given I’m a werewolf and we do have a taste for steak that’s more than a little on the blue side.”

  “Then order mine well-done, and all will be good.”

  “Done deal.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “See you soon.”

  He’d no sooner hung up when energy stirred across my skin. Not dark energy, but wild.

  And there was an odd sense of warning to its touch.

  I frowned and glanced around. I was about halfway between Guildford and Castle Rock, in an area that was all gently rolling hills dotted with trees. Aside from the cars on the other side of the road, the area was practically deserted. If there was a threat out here, as the wild magic seemed to imply, then it wasn’t evident.

  I drove on, but the pulsing beat of wild magic got stronger, until my skin burned and my heart raced.

  Then, without warning, something hit the rear of the car, the windshield shattered, and I was spinning out of control.

  Chapter Eight

  My first instinct was to hit the brake, but some distant voice in the back of my brain screamed “No,” and told me to steer out of it instead. But that was a hard thing to do when the windshield had become a spiderweb of long cracks. I swore and peered between two of the veins, looking for the road as dust and stones flew high, distorting my vision even more. I caught a glimpse of a speed sign and steered toward it, figuring the road would be somewhere between it and me.

  Then the wild magic stirred and the curtain of dust parted, allowing me not only a clear view of where I was in relation to the road and that sign, but also the trees I was rapidly sliding toward. I resisted the urge to wrench violently on the wheel, and instead kept the nose pointed in the direction I wanted it to go. Slowly but surely, I got the vehicle back under control. Once it was, I pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. For several seconds, I didn’t do anything more than shake.

  You okay, now? Belle asked eventually.

  Yeah. I sucked in a deep breath to chase away the lingering remnants of fear, then released my fierce grip on the steering wheel.

  Then what the fuck happened? Why did you lose control of the car?

  My gaze went to the cracks and the small hole in the center of the windshield that was their source. One of the cars coming the other way must have thrown up a stone. It cracked the damn windshield.

  That doesn’t explain the spin.

  Maybe I blew a tire. The rear end slid out before the windshield shattered.

  Meaning the stone might have been thrown up as a result of the oncoming cars off-roading to avoid you.

  Possibly. And yet that didn’t explain the overt sense of danger in the wild magic, or why it was now absent. I climbed out of the car and walked around to the rear. None of the tires had blown and there was no obvious reason—either on the road or the car—as to why I’d been thrown sideways. I frowned and glanced around. The nearby hills were empty of anything other than cows, trees, and the odd rock outcrop. There was absolutely nothing to suggest anything untoward had happened, and yet a niggle remained that this wasn’t an unfortunate accident. But I couldn’t say if that was merely a lingering effect of the wild magic’s touch, or my psychic skills kicking in a little too late.

  I frowned and walked back to the front of the car. The
hole in the windshield was actually quite small, and while there was indeed a spiderweb of cracks radiating out from it, they didn’t cover the whole thing. Which meant that while the windshield would need replacing, the car was probably safe to drive back to Castle Rock as long as I didn’t do insane speeds.

  You just don’t want to miss your dinner date with Aiden. Amusement ran through Belle’s mental tone.

  True that, I replied cheerfully. With the way fate and this goddamn soul eater are messing with us, it might be days before we get another chance.

  The council’s reluctance to call in the RWA is putting everyone in danger.

  Aiden said he was going to talk to the council this morning, so I’m hoping someone official will be here ASAP.

  If neither he nor the council has called, I’m going to do it myself, she said. Anonymously, of course.

  That’s not likely to help, given only the rangers, the council, and the two of us know the true reasons for these deaths.

  Well, our position here is already tenuous according to Aiden, so what more can they do to us?

  I don’t know. In truth, I really didn’t want to know. Until the worst actually happens, I’m thinking we’re better off not stressing about it.

  She snorted. And I’m thinking it’s a little late for that sort of advice.

  Also true. I laughed and got back into the car. I’ll ask Aiden about it. That way, we’ll know, one way or another.

  Talking about business rather than pleasure—way to spend an evening with a luscious man, Lizzie. Belle’s mental tone was dry.

  He’s at work, I reminded her. And call me old-fashioned, but I’d rather not be doing the wild thing in a workplace environment.

  Especially when the werewolves who worked with him would be able to smell the scent of sex the minute they walked into the room.

  Belle’s laughter ran through my thoughts. You’re all adults, so what does it matter?

  It’s a matter of decency, I said, somewhat primly, and not wanting the whole bloody reservation knowing when I do and don’t have sex. It’s bad enough that they’re placing bets on when we go out.

  Small-town minds do have to amuse themselves somehow, she replied. Be careful driving. If any of those cracks start growing, stop and call the auto club. We’ve windshield replacement in the policy.

  I know, but it’ll take too long to get someone out, and I’m not missing my dinner.

  She snorted, the sound lingering as her thoughts left mine. I started the car and pulled back onto the road, carefully increasing the speed until I reached sixty kilometers. The window remained stable. I probably could have gone faster, but decided one scare a day was more than enough.

  I made it back to Castle Rock without incident, and found a parking spot not far from the ranger station. Aiden opened the door as I walked up the steps, his smile wide and welcoming. He didn’t say anything—he simply grabbed my hand and tugged me inside. Once the door was closed, he pressed me back against it and kissed me, with all the passion, heat, and urgency I could possibly want. It left me breathless, and hungry, and wanting so, so much more.

  “You have no idea just how much I’ve been looking forward to doing that.” He lightly rested his forehead on mine, his warm breath teasing my lips. “What took you so long to get here?”

  I laughed softly. “A stone hit my windshield and sent the car into a spin. You’re lucky I even arrived.”

  He pulled back and scanned me somewhat critically. “You’re okay?”

  “As Double-O-Seven would say, shaken not stirred.”

  “Good.” He twined his fingers through mine and then tugged me into the main office area. “What sent you into the spin? Was it the shock of the stone smashing the windshield?”

  “Weirdly, I went into the spin before the stone hit. It felt like I’d blown a tire, but they were all intact when I checked.”

  “Maybe you hit something.”

  “If I had, there would have been some damage on the car or a dead animal on the road. But there was nothing.”

  We went through the door into the area that held the interview room, cells, storeroom, and who knew what else. He led me into the former, which hadn’t changed since the last time I’d been in here. At least this time I was neither tied up nor about to be questioned as a suspect. The basic table that sat in the middle of the room held several take-out containers, a couple of bottles of drink, and some glasses.

  “I decided on Chinese.” He pulled out a chair and grandly seated me. “So we have crispy duck served with pancakes, several types of dumplings, beef with black bean sauce—which is all meat, no veg, because I can’t stand too many vegetables—chicken with cashew, honey king prawns, and of course, fried rice.”

  I laughed as he sat down next to me. “There’s enough food here to feed a damn army.”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I got a bit of everything. What we don’t eat I’ll put in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.” He motioned to the soft drinks. “Alcohol would have been nicer, but I’m on duty. So, Coke, lemon squash, or bubbly water?”

  “Water would be good, thanks.”

  He picked up the bottle and started pouring. I tugged the containers closer and pulled off the lids.

  “How come you’re the only one here? I thought you said the shifts were staggered so that there were always a couple of people on duty?”

  “They’re out on patrol.” He handed me the glass of water, then clinked his Coke against it. “To the voyage of discovery ahead of us.”

  “If fate ever actually gives us time.”

  “To fate being less of a bitch, then.” He lightly touched my glass again, amusement crinkling the corners of his bright eyes. “Unfortunately, that time is not later tonight.”

  I reached for the steak, scooped some onto my plate, and then handed the container to him. “After the last few late nights, I’m not surprised you’ve run out of steam.”

  “Oh, trust me, there’s plenty of steam left in the tank.” He accepted the container and tipped the rest of it onto his plate. “But the council have asked me to meet with them again when I finish work.”

  “Why?” I frowned as I helped myself to the rice. “I thought you met with them this morning?”

  “I did. They agreed it was time to call in the RWA.”

  Relief slithered through me. At least the pressure would be off Belle and me once he or she arrived here. Last night had proved that I didn’t have the power to fight the soul eater. If it had knocked away the charm as easily as it had knocked away the spelled knife, I would have died out there.

  “When are they due to arrive?”

  “Tomorrow, apparently.” He hesitated. “They’ll probably want to talk to you.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “I suppose I’ve no choice, given the situation.”

  He shifted so that he was looking at me more fully. “Why do you and Belle want to avoid any sort of witch authority?”

  I smiled even as my heart began to race. I started eating, more to buy thinking time than because I was hungry. “The High Council doesn’t like having unvetted half-breeds like me and Belle running around willy-nilly.”

  “Why?”

  I shrugged, a casual movement that belied the tension growing within. “Because half-breeds can be born with full witch power, and if it’s uncontrolled, it’s dangerous.”

  He frowned. “But you and Belle are in control of your abilities, which means you must have undergone some training.”

  “We did, but even underpowered witches don’t go through the official appraisal process until they’re eighteen. If they’re deemed powerful enough, they go on to full training at the Halden University—”

  “That’s the witch one, isn’t it?”

  “And the only one in Australia.” I grabbed the chicken and cashew, and scooped some into my almost empty plate. Not because I really wanted it, but because it was the only way to not so obviously avoid his gaze.

  “So why didn’t
you and Belle go there?”

  I smiled, though there was little in the way of amusement in it. “Aside from the fact neither of us are powerful enough, we weren’t around at eighteen to be tested. We skipped out on our parents at sixteen.”

  “How do you know you weren’t powerful enough if you weren’t appraised?”

  “Because, as I’ve already said, I had a lifetime of my parents either telling me that I wasn’t good enough, that I’d never make it through regular witch school let alone university, or trying to force me—” I broke off and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm the bitterness before I said too much. It might have all happened a very long time ago, but it was a wound that had never really healed. “So when we could, we got the hell out of there.”

  “I didn’t think your parents were witches.”

  “The witch blood came down the line through Gran, so Mom did have witch blood in her.” I grimaced. “I’m the one who got the watered-down powers, though.”

  Most of which was true enough, but the words still tasted bitter on my tongue. I hated not telling him the entire truth, and yet I simply couldn’t. I might like and trust him, and I was definitely attracted to him, but that wasn’t enough to counter the last twelve years of caution. Only when I found the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with would I finally admit who I was and what had really happened to make us both run.

  And Aiden wasn’t that man. As Belle had said earlier, werewolves were a fun time, not a long time.

  “Is that why the RWA mentioned the fact you’re not registered with them?” he asked eventually. “Because you’re unvetted?”

  “We’re not registered with them because it’s only full-blood witches who are supposed to register on entering the areas of the various regional associations.” I ate some chicken and then glanced at him. “And you’ve neatly avoided answering my initial question—why do the council want to meet again tonight? Surely it would be better now to wait until the RWA witch gets here?”

  His gaze met mine, and there was something in his eyes that made my breath catch in my throat. Its cause wasn’t desire. It was uncertainty. Maybe even trepidation.