I stood there for a moment in a state of complete shock. I had seen several paranormal creatures disappear like that only to reappear again a few feet away. But those creatures had been obviously paranormal, not some middle-aged human with blood on his lips. One had been a rabid white rabbit. And another had been a crazed jinn and who had been trapped in a bottle for two centuries. Seeing a human who looked as if he belonged in some cubicle somewhere vanish into thin air was a bit startling. I looked down at the dead goat again. The guy had obviously been eating it. Why? Why would the naked human be on Aster’s land eating one of her goats? It just didn’t make any sense. In all my years as an Executioner, I’d never encountered a being like this one. Unfortunately, without my extra abilities given to me by the Council, I didn’t have a sense of where to even start.

Standing outside Aster’s front door, I could hear her husband within. “Another goat is missing. That’s the third one this week. There hasn’t been a single sign of them. You think someone is stealing them?” Bear asked.

“Why would anyone steal a goat in this day and age?” Aster said. 

I knocked on the door and walked inside. They looked surprised to see me when I plopped down at the kitchen table. “Well,” I said, looking from one to the other. The baby sat in his high chair throwing cereal on the ground for the dog. “I found one of your goats.” I waited a beat for their reaction, and their faces contorted into accusatory expectation.

“Where did you find it?” Aster asked.

“Over on that land you asked me to clear out. I finished by the way,” I said. “But you’ll never believe what I saw. I can’t believe it myself.” I shook my head, remembering the harmless-looking human. “There was this guy. He looked like a middle-aged accountant, paunchy and balding. But, get this, he was eating a goat.”

“What?” Aster and Bear said at the same time.

“Was he a homeless guy roasting it over a fire?” Aster asked.

“No. He wasn’t. He was eating it raw with his teeth. When he saw me he disappeared.”

Bear stared at me, dumbfounded. Smooth brown hair hung down to his waist, and it shimmered as a shiver ran down his spine. When I had left five years ago, Bear had been Raven’s annoying little brother, just as Aster had been my annoying little sister. He’d grown into a handsome and capable-looking man. They had a toddler and another baby on the way. It was another stark example of just how long I’d been gone.

“What are we going to do about this?” Aster asked me.

“Nothing. It isn’t my job to track down goat-eating humans.”

“Isn’t this exactly the kind of thing an Executioner does?” Aster said, cocking her head to the side and crossing her arms over her full, pregnant bosoms. She was right. A disappearing, goat-eating human was exactly the kind of thing that Executioners dealt with. But I was no longer an Executioner and the Council hadn’t sent me to take care of this problem.

“Usually. But the Council hasn’t directed me to take this guy down. I’m not a freelancer. It’s against policy to work on my own.”

“Seriously, Olivia. I’m your sister. This…thing is running loose on my land. I’ve got a toddler!”

I sighed, sitting back in my chair, my body collapsing in defeat. She had a point. She was my sister and it was the least I could do to track the man down.

“Let’s make a deal. I’ll find this guy and take him out, and you remember where you put Benedictus.”

“I was going to do that anyway,” Aster said, her eyes widening at me in an irritated expression.

“Olivia, we’d be grateful if you helped us with this. Defeating monsters isn’t something either of us has any talent for.”

“Not even shifted?” I asked him, changing the subject. I could see Aster was growing angry at me, and I didn’t want to get on my baby sister’s bad side when she was angry.

“My bear form might be useful for catching fish and scaring off coyotes, but unknown paranormal creatures, no. I’m just an ordinary black bear.”

He had a point. My nature witch sister and her bear-shifting shaman husband weren’t exactly cut out for dealing with goat-eating freaks. “Fine. Guys, I’ll do what I can. But I can’t identify it. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“Can’t you get information from the Council?” Aster asked, picking up baby Puma and rocking him as he began to fuss in his seat.

“No. I told you. Freelancing is against protocol. I could get in trouble for this kind of thing, so I can’t look for any help from the Council,” I lied. Aster frowned and kissed her baby’s head.

“I’ll be in your debt, Olivia.”

“Just find me Benedictus. I could use it to help you now.”

“I’m looking into it. Can’t you do it without it?”

“Maybe. But considering Mom took my clothes, and I’m down to one sword and one gun and a box of silver bullets, I’m not prepared for a hunt.”

“Why are you so low on supplies? Doesn’t the Council know you’re here?”

I blanched. I hadn’t meant to reveal so much. The last thing I wanted was for my family to know I’d lost my job. It was dangerous enough for them already. If they knew I was no longer an Executioner, they might want me to stay in Portland or something.

“They don’t. I came in secret. If you must know. That’s why I need the sword. It’s for a case I didn’t finish. The most dangerous monster I’ve ever fought. I shouldn’t even still be here.”

“I’ll do my best,” Aster said, holding her baby closer.

“We’ll offer any help we can in hunting the goat thief, Olivia. You aren’t alone in this.”

“Thanks, Bear. I appreciate that.” And I did. It was crazy and so out of character, but hearing my kid sister’s husband tell me I wasn’t alone filled me with a weird warmth I hadn’t expected. Not that there was actually much he could do. Like he’d said, he was just a regular black bear in shifted form.

He probably couldn’t take out the disappearing goat eater, let alone a vampire like Vincent. When it came to fighting, I was definitely on my own. In everything else, maybe not completely. I didn’t know quite how I felt about that. Maybe it wasn’t too bad.

“You could ask Raven for help. He’s more suited for that kind of thing. Investigating and all that.”

“Raven?” At the mention of his name, my whole body tensed up and my face burned. Bear gave me a strange look and the edge of his mouth twitched into a smile.

“Yeah. He’s a detective. Maybe he can help you do some detecting. Figure out what that thing was so you can track it down and deal with it.”

“It’s a thought,” I said, my voice croaking. I could barely stand being near Raven for a few moments, let alone working with him on a hunt.

“I’ll text him on the witch network and tell him to meet up with you.”

“No. That’s fine. I don’t need help.”

“It’s no trouble. I’m sure my brother will want to help protect his family.”

I sighed. Clearly, I was outmatched in this whole family loyalty thing. I couldn’t refuse Raven’s help if he wanted to give it. Witch families were obscenely loyal. 

“I’m going back outside to look for more clues. I’ll bury that goat and consecrate the land while I’m out there. Once I figure out what this thing is, I’m sure it will be easy enough to get rid of. Raven doesn’t have to get involved. I’m sure he’s busy with his police work.”

“I’ll call him and tell him where you are.”

“Great,” I muttered, standing from the table.

“Are you hungry?” Aster asked as I went to the door. “It’s getting close to suppertime.” What was with this family, always trying to feed me?

“I’m fine,” I said, opening the kitchen door. “I’ll eat later.”

“By the way, Mom said to come back to her house.”

“Right,” I grumbled as I closed the door behind me. The sun was tipping toward the horizon and the orange glow of sunset blanketed the farm outside the kitchen window. Opening the trunk of my Camaro, I gazed down on the small stash of equipment I’d packed in this car. There wasn’t much. Salt. Ashes. A bottle of dragon oil. I knew the consecration runes by heart. They had been imprinted in my mind during my Executioner training. Like many of the monsters in the supernatural world, not everything liked to stay dead. Who knew what would happen if that goat wasn’t buried properly? Better safe than sorry.

I pulled my black bag of gear from the trunk and slammed it closed. Striding down the path along the river, my thoughts involuntarily drifted to Raven. He looked so good when I’d seen him earlier that day. His long, lean legs spilled into those dark-washed jeans. I sucked a breath through my teeth, like I’d been stabbed by a sharp object. Memories of Raven were like that, sharp and steely cold. And it was all my fault.

I made it to the parcel of land I’d cleared earlier, the hoe and machete still lying on the rocky soil. The half-eaten goat was also still there, just as dead as ever. I dropped my bag on the ground and started digging. I needed a hole deep enough that the animal could decompose properly without being sensed by any other scavengers that might happen past the grave. Aster didn’t need anything digging the thing up again.

Picking up the hoe, I started hacking at the earth until I had a hole that was about four feet deep. My warrior witch abilities helped me burn through the soil with superhuman speed. When I was done, I pushed the corpse into the pit as the sun sank behind the forest.

Darkness fell around me and the air seemed to chill. I pulled a flashlight out of my bag and set it on a rock, pointed at where I worked. After I shoveled the soil back over the dead body, I began the consecration ritual. With the handle of the hoe, I drew the runes in the loose soil around the grave, speaking the purification spell that would free the goat’s body and soul from any taint or evil it might have contracted during its death. When I finished the last rune, I picked up the salt and sprinkled it in a zigzag pattern over where I’d buried the goat.

I then grabbed the dragon oil and sprinkled it on the ground like holy water, finishing the purification spell. With the snap of my fingers, a spark lit over the grave, igniting the dragon oil in a green flame that burned low and hot. The fire lit up the darkness but quickly burned out, leaving me alone again under the blanket of blackness.

“Pretty impressive,” a voice said. I spun quickly and grabbed the machete and flashlight in one swift pivot. Raven stood there, with his hands in his pockets, his dark eyes blinking in the glare of the flashlight.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded.

“I just flew over. You seemed busy so I perched on that tree until you were done.”

I grumbled, lowering the flashlight out of his eyes. “Shouldn’t sneak up on me like that. I could take your head off.”

“I’d think an Executioner would know friend from foe,” he mocked. I frowned in the darkness. He was right, usually I would, but with my senses weakened I was no longer an amped-up assassin working for the Council of Elders. Now, I was just Olivia, warrior witch. And I had limitations. Not that I wanted him to know that.

“I’m out of my element,” I said, shrugging. “I’m not supposed to do freelance work.”

“It’s awfully charitable of you to help your sister like this, especially since it could get you trouble.” I could hear the sarcasm in his voice, but I didn’t have the patience to deal with it. They could think what they wanted of me. All I was here for was the sword. When I had it, I’d be gone. The Council couldn’t hold my freelance work against me after they took me back because I wasn’t technically an Executioner at the time.

“Believe it or not, I care about my family. That’s why I need to get this over with as soon as possible.”

“Sure. I know what it looks like when you care about people.”

I ignored his remark. “Bear offered your help finding the goat eater. If you want to help me with that, fine. Otherwise, I’m done here.”

“My family’s safety is more important than anything,” Raven said, stepping back into the shadows. “We will continue this in the light of day.” His black leather clad arm swooped across his body, flashing into a black feathered wing. His entire body shifted and shrunk as he flew away with a caw into the forest darkness.