by C. M. Cevis
But there was something else. Something that she’d seen just before she been pulled from the vision.
“I saw… lines. Angry, red lines. I don’t know what they are, but they’re important,” she said. She took the offered water bottle from Nick, gargled a sip, and spat. “And there are three,” she said.
“Three lines?” Lance asked. Willow shook her head.
“Three witches standing behind the murderer. Three controlling this.”
23
IT HAD BEEN ALMOST TWENTY-FOUR hours since the last body, and all Nick had managed to do was not sleep and tear his hair out. The few times he’d attempted to lie down and close his eyes, all he’d ended up doing was staring at the ceiling over him, thinking his way through the case. Every new piece of information brought on new questions, and now they had every media outlet in the country breathing down their neck. It had been hard enough with just the Baltimore media outlets, but when the story had gone viral, people started flying in to camp out in front of the precinct and shoot questions at every officer coming or leaving via that door. The stress was not making the officers work harder, but it was slowing them down with petty arguments and frustration.
Nina had allowed Nick to move all of his case information to a small war room. Nick had made it known where everything was and informed the rest of DCS that they were perfectly welcome to enter the room, move things around, and brainstorm, as long as they didn’t actually remove anything. Nick wasn’t too surprised to find someone else there when he shuffled down to take a look at everything with a fresh pair of sleep-deprived eyes.
“Morning,” Lance said, turning as Nick entered the room.
“Morning. What are you doing in here so early in the morning?” Nick asked.
Lance smiled. “I usually come in two hours before my shift so I can have time to hit the gym,” he said.
Nick made a face. “Ugh, you’re a morning person, aren’t you?”
Lance laughed and nodded. “I am, sir. My mother says that I’ve always been one. I’m also a bit of an insomniac. The two traits don’t always pair well, if you were wondering.”
“I can see how that would cause some problems for you, yes,” Nick said, taking a sip of coffee. “So, you seeing anything that I’m not? Because this is driving me insane.” He gestured around the room covered in pictures and files.
Lance’s face turned serious, and he crossed his arms, turning to face the large map of the city that they’d been using to map out the locations of the bodies.
“Something has been bothering me for the past several days, but I couldn’t figure out what. It was like there was something just beyond my reach. And then, this morning while I was running, I thought I’d finally figured it out… But now that I’m here, I don’t think I was right.” He frowned at the map.
“Don’t doubt yourself, Lance. You’ve got good instincts, use them. Tell me what you see,” Nick said, slapping Lance hard on the back in that bro way that men are taught to use when they’re trying to be supportive.
Lance hesitated, then sighed and began talking. “Do you know what a summoning circle looks like?”
Nick frowned slightly. “You mean that thing that they have in horror movies that the dumb kids draw on the floor to summon the demon that eventually kills them all?”
Lance tilted his head in a half nod. “Yeah, that. It is actually a legitimate thing, though there is more fanfare and ritual to it than the media shows if you are actually attempting to summon something.” He turned to the map. “The dump sites almost look like the points of a summoning circle.” Lance traced a finger from on site to the next, hesitating on the fifth one. “Except the last two bodies are in the wrong order. They should have been reversed, if I’m right.” His finger stopped on the last body that they’d found, and Nick put his cup down and took a step forward with a frown. He didn’t know a summoning circle from a sewing circle, but he could definitely see a pattern.
“The pattern you traced looks more like a star,” he noted.
Lance nodded and turned to face him. “The summoning circle they are using has a star in the middle of it, and the points are supposed to be drawn in a certain order, to lock in the power needed to hold the being that you’re calling. It can still work if the points aren’t in the right order, but the more wrong the order is, the more concentration and magic you have to pour into it to make it function.”
Nick nodded and looked at the map again. He could see the pattern now that it had been explained to him. The bodies were at dump sites that, when connected in proximity, made a circle the size of all of downtown, and when connected in order, made a star inside the circle. Except for the last two bodies, one of which he and Chris had interrupted.
“All right, I get that it’s a summoning circle, and I understand at a high level what a summoning circle is for. My question is why in the world is it the size of the city? I thought the circles didn’t have to be massive,” Nick said, turning to Lance.
“That, I can’t answer. But I’m pretty sure we know someone we can ask,” Lance said.
That was the moment that it hit Nick.
“Angry red lines,” he said. Lance gave him a questioning look. “In Willow’s last vision, the one that she used you for, remember? She said that she saw angry red lines. Don’t you have to connect those points?” Nick asked.
Lance’s eyes widened, and he nodded emphatically. “You do. And the best way to connect them is using blood.”
Nick clapped loudly. “That’s why the bodies are dry!” He almost yelled it.
“There’s one point left before the circle closes. I’d guess there’s going to be another body soon, if that’s what their aim is,” Lance said. He pointed to a spot on the map that was unmarred by the red marker lines and push pins. “If they get those lines drawn, and drop the last body here, the circle will be done.”
Nick pulled his phone from his pocket, feeling invigorated now that he had a direction to pursue.
“Go upstairs, get the captain, and tell her everything that you just told me,” he said, dialing Willow’s number. “I’ll see if I can find out what the hell needs a summoning circle that big.”
Lance nodded and took off on his way to Nina’s office.
24
NICK DIDN’T WANT TO WASTE any time, and after hearing Lance’s explanation, Nina agreed. The area that Lance had indicated covered several blocks of city streets, so Nick gathered as many officers as he could, had them get into plain clothes, and stationed them every other block. They needed to catch this asshole before they closed the circle, and since no one was quite sure what the circle was for (including Willow), the last thing they needed was for it to be completed. Whatever big, badass thing the rogue witches were trying to call could just stay where the hell it was.
Nick, Willow, and Lance were patrolling a portion of Baltimore’s nightlife together. Blending in wasn’t too big of a problem, thankfully. They hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary in over an hour, until they turned a corner and Willow stopped. As soon as she did, Nick heard it—growling, coming from behind him.
Willow sighed loudly and motioned for the men to follow her. “Ose, puis-je vous voir pour une seconde?” she said.
“French?” Lance asked. A thick and unnatural fog suddenly enveloped them in the alley.
“Darling, you know how much I hate being in public,” a deep male voice purred from the shadows.
The man that stepped into sight looked like a normal, albeit ridiculously good-looking guy, but clearly wasn’t. For one, his voice had an unnatural echo to it. His eyes shown a rather deep, soul-sucking blackness before he blinked, and they returned to normal human coloring. Part of Nick thought that perhaps he hadn’t just seen that, but Lance took a step back and an unnaturally animalistic growl almost radiated from his being.
“I know, but this seemed important enough to warrant your attention.” Willow turned to face the empty head of the alley, opposite of where Ose was standing. Nick coul
d make nothing out in the fog, but Ose sighed loudly at whatever he’d spotted there.
“Janet seems to have sent my pet to follow you,” he said, the irritation clear in his voice.
“Yes. And I told her that if she did, I would kill it. However, you’d probably be upset if I did,” Willow said with a smirk.
Ose glanced at her and grinned. “I do love the fact that you are so gloriously violent when you want to be. But yes, you are right.” He waved his hand, and the first growl stopped. Lance’s didn’t. “That Janet woman annoys me.”
Willow laughed. “She annoys me too. Is there a reason that you haven’t killed her yet?” she asked, as if it was the most natural question in the world.
“It would violate our agreement,” Ose said with a dramatic eye roll. “Her deal was made when I was new to the process, and while I covered most of my bases, she has exploited the one loophole I left unattended.”
“You’re a fallen. Kill her anyway,” Willow said with a smirk.
Ose snorted a laugh. “Fallen or not, there are still rules, pet.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Willow said with a sigh.
Ose turned his attention to the two men who had, until this point, been thankful not to be the center of attention. “Here kitty kitty,” Ose whispered to Lance, a vicious smile spreading across his lips. His mouth looked impossibly wide and thoroughly terrifying.
“Leave him alone, Ose. He’s young, and he’s a good person. He hasn’t picked up any serious flaws yet,” Willow said, as Lance tensed beside Nick.
“Shame,” Ose said, returning to a somewhat normal expression and looking Lance over with a scandalous lick of his lips. “I do so love corrupting the innocent.”
Willow chuckled and put her hand on Ose’s shoulder. “Don’t scare the hell out of him. He needs to be careful of fallen, not be terrified of them.”
Ose nodded and turned to the officers with a grin that didn’t make everyone want to take off screaming into the night. “Detective Nicholas, Officer Lance, I actually do respect your profession very much.”
“Is that right?” Lance asked, voice hard.
Ose’s eyes flicked to him. “It is. Believe it or not, order is very important to fallen. Without order, we can’t get anything done here. I was telling the truth when I said that there are rules, even for us.”
Nick frowned and cocked his head. “Like what?” he asked. Curiosity was probably going to get him killed one day, but for today, he went with it.
“Like, for example, there is always a reason for a fallen-caused death—it is never just because. And if there is no reason, the fallen will be dealt with before you all can get to them. The last thing that we want is more attention; it’s easier to operate when most people forget you’re there. That is also the reason why we can’t break a deal, even if we very much would like to. There are rules, and while there may not be as many as humans choose to have, we do not break the few that we have.” Ose mirrored Nick’s tilted head as if he expected a follow-up question.
“Is that why Willow can call for you? She made a deal?” Nick asked, obliging.
Willow’s eyes grew wide and angry. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she almost squealed.
Ose laughed, an unnaturally warm sound coming from him. “Willow would not make a deal unless it was her last resort, and even then she might simply opt to die. No, Detective, Willow has made no deal. She is powerful because she has made it so. And she has my respect, so I come when she asks, knowing that she doesn’t ask unless there is a good reason.” Ose made a slight bow in Willow’s direction, which she returned, though she shot another angry glance at Nick.
“I’m offended,” Willow mumbled.
“I don’t think that the detective meant to offend, pet. I think that this is all just a bit too new for him,” Ose said, before turning back to the group with an annoyed look on his face. “I guess it’s time for me to have a little chat with Miss Janet.”
“Ornery old bat,” Willow interjected.
“Gentlemen,” he said, bowing a farewell to Lance and Nick. “Pet,” he said, taking Willow’s hand in his and kissing it gently.
“You know that I hate that nickname,” she said, though Nick saw her smile at the suave Fallen.
“I do. But I know that you like me, so you allow it,” he said, taking a step back and fading into nothing before she could retort.
Willow shook her head. “Damn fallen,” she muttered as the three walked back out onto the street, growl-free.
“I don’t think that I like fallen,” Lance said. Willow fell into step beside him and linked her arm through his.
“Is Ose the first fallen you’ve ever met?” she asked.
Lance nodded. “Something about him makes me nervous.”
“As it should, due to the nature of the beast, so to speak. If you are going to do this job, Lance, sticking your head in the sand about the beings around you isn’t going to help. You can’t defend yourself from something you don’t even know is coming.” Willow patted his arm.
“Here’s the thing about fallen: Most have no interest in picking a fight, randomly killing someone, or anything like that. It’s bad publicity, and they thrive on people forgetting that they exist. They just want to go on about their lives and follow their given rules. Sometimes, when it suits them, your friendly neighborhood fallen is helpful,” she said with a gentle smile. “Just don’t ever make a deal.”
~ ~
IT HAD BEEN HOURS, AND everyone was running out of steam. No one had seen anything out of the ordinary, and the discussion being passed from group to group was maybe they had the wrong area. Even Lance had stated that maybe he was wrong about what was going on. Until…
“I smell something,” Lance said, suddenly perking up. “It smells like the scent from the bodies,” he said, bounding to his feet from the bench that he, Nick, and Willow had settled onto.
“Follow it,” Nick said. He and Willow stood and followed the discreetly scenting Lance.
Lance strode away, and Willow and Nick were at a light jog to keep up, but neither of them was willing to slow him down. The scent led them down a few streets and a few blocks over, and finally into an empty field behind a large building. There, in the darkness, was the shadow of a man who looked to be pouring something onto the ground.
“That’s a spell,” Willow hissed.
Lance sneezed, and the figure looked up at the sound, then dropped what he was holding. The figure took off running in the opposite direction without so much as a glance back to see if they followed. Nick that started running after him, but Willow could tell that he wouldn’t catch him. The figure was moving entirely too fast. More-than-human fast.
“Lance, go!” she yelled, a spell weaving its way through her mind and attaching itself to Lance as he whipped off his shirt and shoved his jeans to the ground. He shifted so smoothly and quickly into a black and white tiger that it was almost like poetry. Willow didn’t have long to appreciate it as he took off into the night, taking part of her consciousness with him. She wasn’t fast enough to be able to keep up on her own, and she knew that. But she didn’t need to be able to run that fast—she just needed to see.
As the large tiger bound away, Willow could see what he saw. She would be able to tell if her body was in danger, but other than that, her concentration was on Lance and what he was seeing.
~ ~
NICK’S LUNGS WERE BEGINNING TO burn, but he made himself keep running. He could see the figure in front of him, but he was losing ground and frankly, it was pissing him off. He was in no way a slouch when it came to running, but the person he was chasing seemed impossibly fast.
Nick watched as the figure hurtled over a six-foot fence like it was nothing, landing on the other side as if he or she had just hopped a curb, and taking off yet again. Nick grunted his frustration and braced himself to attempt to scale the fence by methods not nearly as graceful. A roaring sound from behind brought his attention around as a tiger the size of a smal
l horse ran past him and leapt over the fence like it wasn’t there. The large cat stopped on the other side, hesitating just as Nick finally figured out what the hell was going on.
“Go, I’ll catch up!” he yelled at Lance. If Lance could catch the person, that was fine. Nick would worry about how to explain it later.
~ ~
WILLOW COULD FEEL THE BEAT of Lance’s paws as they hit the pavement in rhythm with his heartbeat, and she remembered why she liked the feeling of shifters, even if they were a rather lively bunch in general. She watched as Nick waved Lance onward and braced herself as he took off again.
Lance was gaining on the figure before him, but it wasn’t easy. Whatever had been cast on the being was giving him or her one hell of a boost, but Lance was strong enough to slowly but surely outrun it. The figure stopped at a corner, the tall streetlight illuminating enough for Willow to see that the figure was a man. Lance’s mind pricked at hers, and he wondered why the man had finally stopped running. It felt like a trap of some sort, and Willow agreed that something was wrong. The figure turned in the light and smiled.
“Alex?” Willow said it out loud, shock from both herself and Lance stopping every ounce of sense that she had. Lance stopped dead in his tracks, confusion singing through his psyche.
And then, Alex literally vanished.
25
NICK AND LANCE CAME BACK to Willow at a walk. There was no need to run now, and while Nick hadn’t been as close as Lance had been, he’d come around the corner just in time for the reveal, and running didn’t seem to matter. They’d been played, and it was hitting all of them hard.
Willow sat on the ground beside Lance’s clothes, her arms and legs hugged close to her body as she looked down at the concrete. Lance shifted back to his human self and sat beside her without even bothering with the clothes. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him, as if he could sense how hurt she was. There was nothing that he could say that would make her feel better, but there was something comforting about him caring enough to sit there beside her, and just let her be.