Chapter 8
BY THE TIME we got back to the Wild Hunt, it was nearing six. Angel had settled into her station. She had bought a bouquet of flowers for the end table, the magazines were all new and up to date, neatly stacked on the end table. And her desk looked like somebody was actually working there. She was poring through a file when Vik and I trailed into the room. When she saw us, she looked relieved.
“Herne and Yutani got back about ten minutes ago. Herne asked me to tell you to go back to the break room when you got here. I’ll be there in a minute.” For the first time in a while, she seemed relaxed.
“Getting familiar with your job?” I asked, heading down the hallway.
“Actually, I am. And I think going to enjoy it, sans the part where we look at pictures of dead bodies.” She picked up her tablet and a notebook and put out the sign that said, please ring for service.
Viktor motioned for us to go in without him. “I’m going to stop at the bathroom first.”
Angel and I headed into the break room where Herne and Yutani were discussing something. Talia was tapping away on a laptop. They all looked up as we entered the room.
“Viktor will be here in a moment. He stopped at the restroom.” I realized suddenly how I looked, soaked up to my thighs from the stream and grunged up with mud, dirt, and dust. But there was no time to change.
Herne stared at me, his lips crooked into a smile. “You look like you’ve seen some action today,” he said, arching his eyebrows. There was something sensuous about the way he spoke, and the way he looked at me. Either that or it had just been way too long since I’d had sex.
“I decided to go swimming. The water’s nice and cold, if anybody wants to know.” I pulled out a chair and slid into it, shivering. I’d kept warm while I was on the move, and in the car the heater had dried me out some, but now I felt chilled. “Any way to turn up the heat in this joint?”
Herne shook his head. “I got the rent so low on this building because I agreed to keep utilities within a certain range. But if you’re cold, we do have a shower and you can heat up that way. I don’t think we have any spare clothes that will fit you, though.”
“I’ll pass. I can manage until we go home.” At least my butt and thighs weren’t wet.
Talia snorted, letting out a harsh laugh. “Or your boobs.”
I gave her a questioning stare. “What?”
Herne laughed, slapping the side of his thigh. “Talia didn’t mention it earlier, but she has a way of catching random thoughts. Usually the ones we don’t want anybody hearing.” He gave her a reproving look. “Be nice to the newbies.”
She winked at me. “I don’t tease people I don’t love, girlie. Or at least, that can’t handle my sense of humor.” With a shrug, she added, “Herne’s right. I’m not psychic, but I’m able to catch random thoughts. Trust me, I don’t deliberately pry.”
Oh great. A harpy who could randomly read thoughts. Just what I needed in my life. She gave me a long look, and I wondered if she had heard what I was just thinking. Feeling paranoid, I cleared my throat.
“So how often does this ability of yours kick in?”
She chuckled. “Only now and then. Usually when I’m not paying much attention. Don’t worry, I can’t hear everything you thinking, nor would I want to. No offense intended.”
“No offense taken,” I said, glancing at Angel, who rolled her eyes. But oddly enough, the interplay was comfortable, and I realized I might actually enjoy being around these people.
Viktor entered the room, looking at the coffee pot. “Coffee?”
Angel jumped up. “Let me get you some. Ember, do you want any, or do I even need to ask?”
I stuck my tongue out at her. “Lots, and you know how I like it.”
“Oh babe, you know I do.” She blew me a kiss as she went to fix our coffee.
I placed the necklace on the table in front of me.
Herne looked at it expectantly. “What’s that?”
Viktor let out a long sigh. “Ember found it on our scouting mission today. We think it belonged to one of the victims.”
“I know it belongs to one of the victims,” I said. “That’s how I got soaked. It was down in Seward Park, in a stream.”
“Why don’t you to go first?” Herne leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, listening.
Angel brought our coffee to the table. She motioned to Herne and Yutani, but both of them shook their heads. Talia already had tea in front of her, so Angel sat down.
I let Viktor take the lead. As he ran down what we had found, including our encounter with the vampires, I glanced over at the window looking out of the break room. Outside, it was starting to hail.
I glanced back at the clock. It was only five-thirty. We had only been working since noon, but I already felt like I had done more than a day’s work. Working for myself, I set my own schedule, and even when I was tired, it didn’t seem quite so intense. It’d been a long time since I had worked for anybody else.
When Viktor got to the part about the stream, I took over. “And then I saw the necklace. The water led me to it.”
“So Morgana is right, you do have a way with the water element.”
“Of course I do,” I said, glancing at Herne. “My mother was Water Fae. That’s why I honor Morgana, because my mother was bound to her.”
“We’re probably going to make good use of your abilities,” Herne said. “Go on.”
I finished telling him what it happened. “I was thinking, maybe we can get more off of this necklace. I’m not gifted with psychometry, but Angel has the talent.” I glanced over at her. She gave me a dirty look.
“Do you think you can give it a try?” Herne turned to her.
“I can try,” she said. “I’m not sure what I’ll pick up, but I’m willing to give it a go.”
I pushed the necklace across the table to her. She picked it up, wrapping her hands around it, and closed her eyes as she leaned forward, bringing her forehead down to rest on her closed fists. A moment later she jumped, letting out a small cry.
“Oh my God, I can feel her fear.”
She began to breathe heavily, letting out a small moan. “It’s after me. It’s after me and I can’t get away. What is that thing? I’ve got to run. Maybe I can hide somewhere. How do I get away? The old house—I need to find my way up to the house. Maybe I can hide there.”
She paused, her shoulders shaking. A moment later she let out a strangled cry. “Stop! Please stop. Stay back—stay back or I’ll scream.”
Turning her head to the right she suddenly said, “Why are you doing this to me?”
With one last cry, she threw the necklace across the table at Herne and launched herself back in her chair, tipping herself over with a thud.
I was around the table in seconds, kneeling by her. “Are you all right?”
She groaned and I helped her up and righted her chair. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she started to hyperventilate.
Viktor immediately raced around to her side, slowly brushing his hand across her back. That seemed to calm her down immediately. Angel let out a ragged cough, thick with tears, and then shook her head.
“Angel? You okay?”
She nodded, taking her seat as she winced. “Yeah, I just got the wind knocked out of me. I’ll be all right. It was freaking terrifying. I couldn’t get away, and I knew it was going to kill me.”
“Do you know what was chasing you?” Herne asked.
Angel shook her head. “No, I wish I did. But it was huge and dark and like a shadow that was moving toward me. I do remember sharp brilliant white teeth flashing in the darkness. And a hunger… A hunger that seemed to engulf everything, and I knew it was after me.”
“You mentioned a house,” Talia said. “Did you get any visuals?”
“It seemed familiar. I think I’ve actually been near it. My sense is that the house is old. And empty. Mostly, I just sensed the need to get away from whatever was chasing me, but it was quick. And… I’m not sure what else. Surprise. Being taken by surprise?” Angel shivered, taking a long swallow of her tea. “Whatever that thing is, I hope to God I never encounter it. All I could feel there at the end was absolute terror.”
The room fell silent as we took in what she said. She had been so terrified, so frantic that her emotions were palpable in the room.
“Well, that gives us a little more to go on,” Herne said after a moment. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I wouldn’t have asked you if I would have known it was going to be so traumatic. But I’m glad you did, to be honest.”
“I can tell you this,” Angel said. “No wild animal attacked her. She wasn’t killed by a bear or a wild dog or anything of that sort. This was a creature, some form of monster.” She set her lips, staring at the pendant on the table. “I want to find what killed her. That much fear, it’s not right.”
“I’m not sure we can bring them to justice if you’re talking about the cops. But we make our own justice.” Herne gave her a sad smile. “The truth is, a lot of people get away with very evil deeds. It’s something we have to accept. The universe isn’t fair, and not everything balances out. But we do what we can.” He looked over at me, then Viktor. “Is that everything?”
“Yeah,” Viktor said. “Ember, can you think of anything else? Anything we left out?”
I shook my head. “I think that’s all.”
“Then I guess it’s our turn,” Herne said. He glanced at the clock. “Everybody good for staying another hour? We can order pizza.”
I looked over at Angel, who shrugged. “Neither one of us have any hot dates going on.”
Herne caught my gaze and again, the slow smile spread across his face. “More’s the pity.”
“I have to agree.” I held his gaze for a moment, then dragged my eyes away. Angel was right. It was dangerous to flirt with the boss, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. There was something about him that pulled me, something that told me he wouldn’t meet with the end that my other boyfriends had.
“Well,” he said, straightening. “We visited all the families, all that we could find. Four of the victims were so mangled they still don’t have an ID on them. And two didn’t have any family in the area. So we’re going to have to call them later on. But of the six we do have information for, we managed to visit four of their families. We got all the information we could, although I’ll tell you—one of the victims has a family that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy from hell.”
“Before we get into that, I haven’t had enough time to look over the dossier,” I said. “If I remember right, you said eight of the victims were human and four were shifters?”
He nodded. “Right. And the shifters were all Wulfine, but that’s not uncommon, given how many wolf shifters are around the area. All the local packs are from Mount Rainier and the Cascades, you know. We also have a fair number of cougar shifters and bear shifters too. There are a smattering of others, including a number of Selkie, but mostly the first three.”
“So the families you talked to today, were they human or shifter families?”
“Two shifters, two humans. The family from hell was human. We might as well start with them because they were the shortest visit.” He looked over to Yutani. “You want to take over?”
The lanky coyote shifter let out a short laugh and pushed his glasses back up on his nose. “Gee thanks, boss. Leave the dirty work to me, why don’t you?”
“Somebody’s got to do it.” Herne arched his eyebrows.
Yutani leaned forward, consulting his tablet. “Okay, here’s the rundown. We talked to the mother and father of Marilyn Reginald. She was one of the first victims to be found—down by the docks. Marilyn was an office worker for Psitech Corp. She was a low-level office worker, basically went to her job and home again. She wasn’t dating anybody, but was active in several amateur ghost hunter organizations. She was active in a couple local groups that take trips out to haunted houses to check them out.”
“Her family, however, basically can be summed up as trailer trash to the max,” Herne said. “According to her father, Marilyn thought she was better than the rest of them and had moved out about three years ago, never talking to them after that. They wouldn’t tell us anything about her—or couldn’t—and all her mother said was, ‘Who’s going to get her money?’ Which pretty much sums up our visit.”
I grimaced. Greedy next of kin were on my list of lowlifes.
“So you got no useful information out of them?” Talia was taking notes on her laptop.
“Nada. As I said, we learned more about her in our background check than anything else. Basically, Marilyn was a good-hearted person who was interested in ghosts and the paranormal. She had an uneventful career, and was saving for a trip to England. I sincerely hope that her family doesn’t get their hands on what little she had.” Herne shook his head, looking disgruntled.
“So who’s next?” Viktor was also taking notes and it occurred to me that maybe I should be as well.
I glanced over at Angel who was scribbling things down on her notepad. I mimed writing to her, trying to get her to give me some paper. She looked perplexed, tilting her head.
“If you want something, just ask for it.” Herne looked like he was restraining a laugh. At that moment I wanted to smack him.
“Fine, thank you. I need a notebook and pen, please.”
Flashbacks of my high school years flooded my mind. I hadn’t been the best student, although I had been near the top of the class in terms of my test scores. Angel was always bailing me out because I forgot my notes, forgot my books, and I would have forgotten my head if it hadn’t been attached to my shoulders. I just couldn’t muster up the enthusiasm for school, given how much the other students teased and picked on me. Luckily, once I started training in the gym, they shut up.
Angel jumped up. “I’ve got extras in my desk.”
“Why don’t you show Ember where the storeroom closet is. Any time you need something, just go ahead and get it, but make sure you mark it down on the inventory sheet. And no stocking your home office from our supplies.” Herne leaned back, crossing his arms as he waited for Angel and me to return.
The stockroom was a small closet packed to the gills with office supplies. As Angel and I rummaged for steno books—which made wonderful notepads—I glanced at her.
“Are you doing okay? I know that took a lot out of you to read that pendant.”
“I’m all right. But I can tell you right now, I’d like to put a stop to whoever or whatever killed that poor girl. I’m still terrified. If the Fae are able to rustle up creatures that can do this much damage, I’m grateful that DJ’s out of harm’s way.”
I gave her a nod. “I understand. We’d better get back.” Clutching my notepad and a pen, I returned to the break room, Angel following me.
“Our second victim, René Johnson, was also human. She also led a solitary life, although she did belong to—and you’ll notice a similarity here—a paranormal investigations group. This one wasn’t just a ghost hunting group, though. They study a number of things, including UFOs and Bigfoot.”
“Did René and Marilyn ever cross paths?” Talia looked up from her laptop.
“We’re not sure about that. To cut to the chase, all four of our victims were involved in various groups studying the paranormal or ghosts or things of that nature.”
“All of the victims identified were, actually. I discovered that today,” Talia said.
“Do we know if they were involved in the same organizations?” Herne asked.
She shook her head. “There are dozens of groups around like that, and the information isn’t required for your work resume or anything of the sort.”
“Well, it’s something to go on, at least. Talia, tomorrow would you do your best to cross-reference the names of all the paranormal groups with our victims and see if any of them overlap in the same group?” Herne checked something off his list. “The other families didn’t give us much to go on, either, though they weren’t nearly so objectionable.”
“I can do that,” she said.
Yutani frowned. “If the pattern holds true, the next victim should surface tomorrow night. So we have one day before another murder takes place.”
“Unless something breaks the pattern, but I’m not holding out hope.” Herne glanced up at the clock. “It’s a quarter after six. Time to call it a day. See you all bright and early tomorrow morning at eight.”
“You were going to have my car and things here?” Angel asked.
Herne slapped his forehead. “Damn it, I knew I was forgetting something. All right, Viktor and I will take care of things tonight. I promise, your car will be here tomorrow morning.”
“Great. I really could use it.” Angel stopped as her phone rang. She pulled it out, frowning as she looked at the Caller ID. “It’s my landlord.” She answered, speaking in low tones before she let out a loud yelp.
“What? You’ve got to be kidding me! No… No, he wasn’t home.” She paused, then said, “To the ground? Why didn’t you call me earlier?” A moment later she let out a long, shuddering breath. “No, I understand. I’m away from home right now so I can’t make it over there. I’ll talk to the police.” As she hung up, she started to shake.
“What’s wrong?” I took a step toward her.
Angel sank down into a chair again. “My house… It burned to the ground this afternoon. And my car was trashed. Everything I own is gone. The landlord just called me. He’s hopping mad, wanted to know what the hell I was doing. At least he calmed down when I told him I was away from home.” She looked up at Herne. “If DJ and I had been there…”
“Viktor and I’ll go over there right now, but I guarantee you this has a Light Fae signature on it. Retaliation for their men, probably planned out before your name filtered through as being on the protected list. We’ll look for anything that can be salvaged. In the meantime, you and Ember be careful. Word needs to circulate that you’re under our protection.”
As Angel and I left, Viktor escorted us to my car, checking it over before he allowed us to get in. He leaned in at the driver’s window, and I rolled it down.
“If you need me, for anything at all, just call. Herne, too. We’ll watch out for you girls until this is all settled.”
And with that, he headed back toward his car and I turned on the ignition, easing out of the parking garage. As we headed home, all I could think about was how our lives had changed within the past twenty-four hours. And if it had changed this much in so little time, what would it be like within a couple more months?
ANGEL GLANCED IN my cupboard, shaking her head. “Do you realize the only food we have here is the food that we brought from my place? Don’t you ever eat, woman?”
“I told you, I don’t cook. I can make boxed macaroni and cheese, I can open a can, and I’m pretty good with frozen dinners. Sandwiches are my forte. But you know as well as I do that I’ve never been good in the kitchen.” As a matter of fact, I hated to cook.
Loved to eat, hated to cook. They’d write that in my obituary.
“I’m surprised you managed to get this far living on what you do. What do you want for dinner? We have some ground beef, cheese, chips. I can make either patty melts or we can have nachos.”
“Nachos sound fine with me. You know I’m not that picky. As long as I get my caffeine, whatever food you put in front of me I usually eat.” I pulled out my laptop, firing it up on the table so I could talk to her while I was doing my research. The cat began winding around the keyboard until I gave him a good petting and set him down on the floor.
“What are you looking up?” She pulled out a pan and a spatula.
“Ghost hunting groups in the area.” Even though Talia was going to be doing some research, the connection had piqued my interest. I just wanted to see how many groups were out there.
“You should leave the office at the office,” Angel said, but she didn’t sound all that convincing. “Remember, no investigating without permission.”
“Don’t you talk. I know you’re thinking about her too. The girl with the pendant. Besides, I’m just looking up stuff on the internet. I’m not talking to anybody.” I glanced over at her, where she had started chopping tomatoes and peppers.
Angel set down the knife. “Yeah, I am. I just can’t get the fear and pain out of my head. Whatever was after her is terrifyingly huge. I’m not sure if I mean in stature, but big and powerful and violent. And it’s so hungry, and everybody looks like food.” Angel leaned against the counter, staring at her knife. “Everything I own is gone, Ember. My brother, my home, my car, my things… It’s as though my entire life has been ripped away and I feel like I’m in freefall.” The bravado of the day vanished and she burst into tears, leaning over to rest her elbows on the counter as she cried into the pile of tomatoes.
I pushed back the laptop, uncertain of what to say. We had always been there for each other. When my mother and father were killed, Angel and Mama J. kept me going. They had been my anchors and rocks. Now, Angel was the one who was adrift. DJ might still be alive, but he wasn’t around. And though Angel didn’t own anything worth a great deal, what she did have represented home to her and a connection to a mother who had cherished and valued her.
I wrapped my arms around her shaking shoulders. There wasn’t anything I could say to make it better, but I could feed her my strength, remind her that I would always be at her side.
After a few moments, the tears slowed and she let out a long sigh. I handed her a tissue, and then another, and she wiped her eyes and blew her nose. Then, washing her hands, she turned back to the vegetables.
“Thanks. I just needed…” Her voice drifted off as she stared at the cutting board.
“I know. I understand.”
“I hope you don’t mind a little extra salt in the food.” She attempted a smile, and I laughed.
“You know me, the saltier the better. Maybe Herne and Viktor will find something left.” I wasn’t one for holding out false hope, but right now, she needed something to cling to.
“Maybe they will. Anyway, at least I’ve got a job now that I like. That’s something. And DJ—I meant it when I said he’d be better off where he’s at. He’ll have a good role model. Cooper had such an even, steady energy. I hope to get to know him better. I don’t want to intrude on his life, but I’d like to learn more about the person who’s taking care of my brother.”
She began chopping vegetables again and, following her lead, I began rinsing the dishes as she finished using them.
I was setting the table when the doorbell rang. As I glanced out the peephole, I saw Herne standing there, holding a large bag. I opened the door.
“I told Viktor to go home, but I thought I’d bring these things over now. There wasn’t much left, I’m afraid, but they should make Angel feel better.” He paused, staring down into my eyes. “You two have a friendship that I envy. I have a lot of friends, but I don’t have anyone I can call my best friend.”
Taken aback by his admission, I sought for words. “I think sometimes the word ‘friend’ is overused. I don’t have many friends, but the few that I do have, I cherish.”
Standing so near him made me weak-kneed. He smelled like cinnamon and honey, smoke and musk, all yummy things rolled together. His hair flowed down his shoulders, out of the braid he had worn it in this morning. I noticed how broad his shoulders were, and how straight, and his jaw was firm but he held it soft, as though he didn’t need to prove anything to anybody.
Suddenly realizing that I had been standing there staring at him, I stuttered, reaching for the bag. “I can take this, unless you want to come in and tell her what you saw. Maybe that would be good.” The rush of words sprayed out of my mouth, like a garden hose gone wild.
“That would be nice, but you’re standing in the way.” He moved closer, staring down at me with a questioning look in his eyes. “Ember?”
“Yes?” I could barely breathe.
Angel peeked around the corner. “Who is it?”
Feeling like an idiot, I flushed and took a step back.
Herne blinked, looking startled. “Just me. I come bearing gifts. I hope that they help. I know you suffered a great loss.” He set the bag on the coffee table in the living room.
“I’m just finishing up dinner. Would you like to stay and eat with us? There’s enough.”
I tried to flash her the message of Don’t ask him don’t ask him, but apparently she was ignoring me.
“Don’t mind if I do. I’m pretty hungry, and we never did get the pizza at work.”
As he settled onto the sofa, I gave Angel another look, this one saying, I’m going to kill you later. Wrinkling her nose at me, she smiled and motioned for me to join her.
“Why don’t you give me a hand in the kitchen, Ember?” As she headed back into the kitchen, I followed, swearing that I’d get even with her later.