Witch's Sorrow: A Witch Detective Urban Fantasy (Alice Skye Series Book 1)

by Taylor Aston White

  He gave her no time to get used to him before he started moving again. Pumping his cock in and out in powerful thrusts. Alice braced herself, taking every inch of him. He grunted as he pumped, reaching below to rub her bundle of nerves, flicking his finger over it in time with his thrusts. Feeling the tell-tale signs of her tightening around him he pumped impossibly faster, spilling himself into her as she moaned his name.

  Sneaking a peak she opened the cupboard slowly, seeing nothing through the small gap. The door swung open violently, a shadow standing over the opening. “Come here, little girl,” the shadow snarled.

  She screamed as a hand grabbed her ankle, pulling her from her safe place. Her head hit the floor with a crack, creating bursts of light behind her eyes.

  “You trying to hide from me, little girl?”

  With a squeal, she pulled from the stranger’s grasp, the warm liquid lubricant against the strong hand. In a rush she threw herself against the back door, the wood groaning from the impact. In her panic she stumbled with the doorknob, turning it at the right angle. The door opened a sliver, catching on the security chain.

  She squeezed through the small gap as suddenly a hand snaked out, grabbing her nightgown.

  “Got you,” the voice growled, the shadow’s eyes glowing red in the darkness.

  Chapter 15

  After what felt like forever, Alice finally pulled into a parking space in the busy high street, her car choking as it settled.

  She had woken up with a silent scream, her pulse racing as the remnants of her nightmare faded. The dread had felt so real, so vivid compared to usual. Realisation of what the creature was, the shadow making her subconscious go wild.

  Yet, the nightmares were still in faded puzzle pieces, repeats of the same story, over and over with no context.

  She hit her hand on the steering wheel in frustration.

  What was worse was she had woken up alone.

  From the absence of heat on the other side of the bed, she had been alone for a while.

  Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She hit the steering wheel again, calming herself.

  She had never expected she would end up in bed with Rex, he just happened to be at the right time and place. Yet she felt hurt, embarrassed that she woke up alone in bed after everything that happened.

  A dirty secret.

  Her body ached, muscles that were rarely used protesting as she shifted in her seat. He had been rough, she had wanted it that way, but could she forgive him for using her and then leaving? No note. Just an empty, cold place beside her in bed?

  “I used him too,” she admitted to herself. Which was true, she wanted to be able to feel something, wanted someone to make her feel alive. Wanted something constant as her life seemed to be derailing around her.

  With a sigh she flipped down the mirror, tilting her neck up into the light.

  He had to bite me, didn’t he? she cursed him.

  She had used the last of her potion to create that amulet, so the red sore on the side of her neck, just above her shoulder blade wouldn’t stand out in stark contrast to her pale skin.

  Annoyed at Rex she jumped out of the car, the door swinging shut leaving her standing in the busy high street. Someone nudged her, causing her to step straight into a puddle.

  “Hey lady, move out the fucking way,” a young man shouted as he continued his fast pace further up the high street, shopping bags swinging violently by his side.

  She replied automatically with a hand gesture as she moved towards the magic shop, deciding that from now on she would be nothing less than professional.

  But first, she needed to hide the bite.

  The black washed out ‘Mystic Medlock’s Magic Shop’ sign hung from the old wall, squeaking as it flapped gently in the breeze. The outside of the shop had two large glass pane windows, one side advertising novelty magic tricks for the Norms, and the other showing around three different sized chests with drawers Alice knew to be filled with different amulets and herbs. She walked past the large stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance and into the deserted shop.

  The shop was empty other than a bored looking man in a blue apron, who leant against the wall. His algae green eyes lit up as he noticed her enter, his back straightening and his hands patting down his front.

  “Welcome,” he greeted, smiling with his teeth. He gave a slight flare of his chi before retreating back behind the counter.

  “Hello,” she smiled back.

  The shop was decorated with novelty witch hats and pumpkins that grinned with sharp teeth. A fat black cat sat in the corner, licking its paw lazily, not even looking up to see who entered. A display unit had been moved recently from the scratches on the floor, to be replaced with a cardboard box holding different Hallows Eve cards.

  “Isn’t it a bit early to be selling Samhain decorations?” The week long festivities were over a month away, the twenty-fifth to the thirty-first of October a huge Breed event where most of the world partied for a week straight in celebration of Breed becoming recognised citizens over three hundred years ago.

  “You can blame the card companies. They try to squeeze as much money as they can out of the holidays,” the clerk chuckled.

  He was just shy of six feet tall with short lank brown hair, his face was pale and Alice noticed faint freckles spotted across his high cheekbones. His mouth was full, turned up at the corners as his green eyes glittered underneath the artificial light. He obviously thought he was hilarious.

  “Anything I can help you with?” he asked politely.

  “I need a concealer charm, I seem to have run out.” She watched as he moved around the shop, opening drawers and looking in cabinets. “Er, are you new here?” she squinted at him.

  “Not exactly.” His eyes flashed slightly. “My father owns the shop and he needed someone to help out, so I came back home.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal.

  “Oh, Mr Medlock?”

  “Yes, you know him?”

  “I do.” Alice smiled, having known the old man for years. He was always complaining the bigger chains were going to put him out of business, yet Alice couldn’t shop anywhere else. “How is he?”

  “He’s fine, thinking about retiring.” The man continued to search absently for the charms. It was clear he had no idea where he was looking. With a chuckle she walked towards the south wall, opening a drawer clearly marked ‘cosmetic charms’ and grabbing one of the small cylindrical disks.

  The cat in the corner hissed at something before jumping to the floor, slowly hobbling to Alice’s feet to look up at her with large yellow eyes. Letting out a yowl the cat waddled past, passing through the beaded curtain into the back.

  “He can’t retire, he knows everything.” She smiled when the man finally turned, holding the disk gently between her fingertips so he could see.

  The man grinned back. “Trust me, he doesn’t know everything.” He coughed, clearing his throat. “The name’s Alistair, but my friends call me Al.” He held out his hand.

  “Alice.” She brushed her own hand across his before handing over the disk.

  “So where have you been hiding? I wasn’t even aware Mr Medlock had a son.”

  “I’ve been studying abroad, just finished my degree when my father called asking for me to help out in the shop.” He started to ring up her purchase on an old vintage looking cash register. Each button released a loud ping noise, the vibrations gently echoing against the various glass displays set behind.

  “What did you study?” She found herself asking, suddenly interested.

  “Engineering.”

  “Engineering?” She noticed the scraps of metal and screws on the desk.

  “Yes, The mechanics of magic in machinery. It sounded cool at the time,” he smiled gently, almost shy. “Working here has given me some time to play around with some ideas. The shop isn’t as busy as I remember it.”

  “Yeah, the new chain came in down the street...”

  “Ah yes, my father is always stand
ing outside shaking his fist at them. Like it would help.” Wrapping up the charm he handed it back over, the price flashing up.

  Swallowing, she handed over the correct money, wondering if she gave the receipt to the expenses team she could claim it back. She was sure she could make up a decent excuse for why she needed the particular charm.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. It’s one my father made personally so I know it will definitely cover up that nasty bite on your neck. You need to find a boyfriend who doesn’t treat you like food.”

  Alice’s hand automatically covered the mark, her cheeks heating in embarrassment. “He’s not my boyfriend,” she replied before quickly shutting her mouth. Like that didn’t make her sound worse.

  “Then things just got a lot more interesting.” Al leant across the desk, accidentally brushing some metal and screws onto the floor. “Shit!”

  A loud buzz filled the shop before a whirling sound dashed across the floor. Alice stepped out of the way as a small circular black contraption began greedily sucking up the debris through a nose at the front. It was the size of a small plate and resembled a strange elephant. The back looked broken, or maybe even unfinished as she could see all the mechanics working inside its open shell, like a clock. The metal and screws it was trying to clean up kept shooting out its back onto the floor behind it, making it turn to collect them again and again.

  “What is that?” She watched in awe, never having seen anything like it.

  “Shit, shit, shit.” Al scrambled to catch it as it whirled around his feet, happily chatting away to itself. “SIM STOP!” he shouted at the metal thing. The mechanical elephant halted, twirling to face Al almost expectantly. “SIM, off,” Al declared in clear words before leaning down and picking it up.

  “Well, that’s curious.”

  “This is SIM, Suck. It. Mechanics. It’s a working name.” He hugged SIM to his chest, scowling down at it.

  “Well, your degree just got a whole lot more interesting.” She clutched her purchase. “I have to go to work, good luck with SIM.”

  She smiled to herself as she left the store, listening to the fading sound of Al scolding the mechanical elephant hoover.

  Having already applied the charm, the small wooden disk hidden beneath her bracelet, Alice felt herself finally begin to relax as she sat down in her small workspace. Each cubicle was made up of three grey felt walls with a desk, every single one identical in their uniformity. It was up to the owners of the desks to personalise their small little space, and that is exactly what Alice had done.

  Her desk, just like the others, was a pale wood with two drawers on each side. Mostly filled with pens and notepads, normal stationary things you would expect from a desk. A computer sat on the right corner, still turned on from the last time she had sat there with nothing to do, her game of solitaire patiently waiting for her to finish.

  The grey walls had various pictures pinned to the felt, photographs of Sam, old contracts as well as her Chinese knock-off cat clock. Sam liked to buy her things that had a cat theme, her newest addition was a poster with a sleeping cat curled on the front, and the words ‘Don’t talk to me’ printed underneath.

  She closed the solitaire game that always popped up when she turned on the computer and clicked open her emails. “Why am I getting emails about Viagra?” she muttered to herself, clicking through the various correspondences about penis extensions, amazing weight loss pills and badly written pleas from princes asking for help to move their millions. “Aha.” She finally opened the email she was looking for.

  Alice,

  Considering you discharged yourself at the hospital before I could come visit I’m going to assume you are okay. Which is good but don’t do something like that again.

  I have attached my notes regarding the reports in the last year, most are a waste of time but a few should be of interest.

  I have managed to stay on the case and will be liaising with the Paladin in charge, Danton, so you will see me more in The Tower. I will try to give you any more information I come across.

  Don’t get caught.

  Kind regards,

  Miko

  P.S. Feel free to give me Dr Richards number.

  Alice smiled at the email. Only Miko would turn something this important into something he could get a date from.

  Actually, she corrected, Sam would probably do the same. Her mood lifted as she opened the attachment and clicked print, hearing the printer roar to life a few cubicles over.

  Notes-

  John Doe – Unknown

  •Elongated canines, blood found in the stomach. Scratch marks across the torso. Skull deformed, bone protruding through skin on top of the head.

  John Doe – Unknown shifter

  •Elongated canines, blood found in the stomach. Shifter DNA doesn’t match blood in the stomach

  Maxi L. Swanson - Unknown

  •Elongated canines, blood found in the back of throat. Self-inflicted wounds.

  John Doe - Unknown shifter

  •Elongated canines, blood found in the stomach. Scratch marks across the torso. Shifter DNA

  Sahari Mooner – Unknown

  •All teeth have been forcibly removed. Blood found in the stomach and back of the throat

  Jane Doe – Human

  •Bruises on the wrists and ankles. Sticky residue around the mouth (Awaiting analysis). Broken teeth. Blood found in the back of the throat

  Mischa Palmer - Unknown shifter

  •Elongated canines, blood found in the stomach. Skull cracked

  Rachel Langly - Fae

  •Teeth completely deformed, blood found in the stomach. Nails torn from the fingertips.

  Francis Carter – Lion shifter

  •Teeth deformed, DNA came back with unusual strains.

  Alesha Morgan – Human

  •Paper ripped – No formal information

  Bobby Dust – Hyena shifter

  •Head had been cut clean off

  Tomlin (Surname unknown) – Wolf shifter

  •Purposely killed?

  Reading the notes she typed the names into the S.I. database, the screen flashing between pages, the police directory searching through hundreds of thousands of records. If any of these people had had any trouble with the police, even just a parking ticket a record should flash up.

  Sitting back she closed her eyes, the screen flashing through the pages too fast for her to read. Relaxing into the chair she thought back to the hospital, running all the conversations through her head over and over again. She hadn’t exactly lied to the doctor, she just hadn’t told the whole truth. It was only once that she had ever lost control to the point her own power had almost consumed her, but it wasn’t uncommon for her to lose a little bit of control. Her annoying dancing ball of flame was proof of that.

  An audible beep made her jump, knocking her cup of tea onto the floor with a crash. “Shit.” She quickly picked up the cracked cup and placed it back on her worktop, using a tissue to dab at the spill. The computer beeped again, waiting for attention. Using the mouse she navigated through all the information.

  Rachel Langly – Water Fae (Siren) – Reported missing 1974 – Arrested on 15th May 2016. Fraud.

  Francis Carter – Shifter (Lion) – Sun Kiss Pride – Arrested on 27th July 2016. Possession of Class A drugs and charms.

  Bobby Dust – NO RECORD.

  Maxi L. Swanson – Reported missing 1999 – DUI 1987.

  Sahari Mooner – Reported missing 2010.

  Mischa Palmer – NO RECORD.

  Alesha Morgan – Human – Arrested on January 10th 2015. Theft.

  Rachel Langly was a beautiful woman, at six foot one she was all long legs, her red hair emphasizing her luscious lips and sharp cheekbones. She definitely looked like an epiphany of a male wet dream, a siren in every sense of the word.

  Her supermodel looks showed just how easy it would be to sing men to their deaths at sea, just looking at her most
men would bow at her feet. Even in the police mug shot she had a sensuality about her, her luscious lips tilting up at the corner, her eyes rimmed in black.

  ‘No known family’

  “Great.” She clicked through the pictures, cringing. It was nice to know that when sirens died, the charms they used to survive on land disintegrated. Her long beautiful legs melted together like wax, pearlescent scales growing from her webbed feet up to her navel. Her neck developed gills, and her eyes became inhumanly large.

  Alice closed the tab and returned her attention to the list. Using a pencil she crossed out Miss Langly’s name, the pencil cutting through the paper from frustration.

  “Fuck, Fuck, Fuck,” she chanted to herself, rubbing her palms across her face.

  She looked up from between her fingers, a photograph of a blonde male staring back. Alice clicked on Mr Francis Carter’s photograph, enlarging the details. The dark chocolate eyes were void of any emotion, his emaciated cheeks stark against his natural tan.

  “Francis Carter. Sun Kiss Pride, Lion Shifter… where is Sun Kiss?” Alice minimised the page, intending to search for local prides.

  “What the fuck?” The computer cut out, the screen flashing before showing the login screen.

  Error. Log in details incorrect. You have been blocked. See helpdesk for more information.

  “Seriously?” Alice huffed.

  This can’t be happening.

  She scribbled down Francis Carter’s name and she tucked the paper into her jeans pocket. The I.T. guys were only a few floors down so she decided to take the stairs.

  “Hello?” She knocked on the door leading to where the I.T. technicians work. Alice tried to fight a smile at the poster on the door, a giant A2 print of ‘I.T. GUYS. HAVE YOU TURNED IT ON AND OFF AGAIN?’ written in bold typography.