Witch Hearts

by Liz Long

  She scowled at him.

  “Okay, let me put it this way: do you want Michael to see you rolling up in your Prius or with me on a bike?” He gave her a hint of a wink.

  “I’m not that worried about him, Coop. Give me a little credit.” He merely looked at her and she sighed, sticking the helmet over her head. Cooper reached over to snap the buckle in place. His cologne, dark and spicy, floated to Ruby's nose and she had a bizarre urge to lean into him. Shaking it off, she climbed on the seat, adjusted her bag, and wrapped her arms around him.

  The bike rumbled to life beneath her as he popped the clutch and took off. Ruby squeezed her arms tight around him and kept her head close to his back; she didn’t dare look around in fear of throwing up or freaking out at his speed. She mumbled a little prayer to the goddess as he took turns and hardly braked through traffic. Minutes later, they arrived at their destination, a historic district filled with small retail shops and restaurants. As soon as they stopped, Ruby practically flung herself off onto solid ground.

  “Oh, c’mon, it wasn’t that bad,” Cooper reprimanded her.

  “I’m not saying I’d never do it again, but maybe next time we go the speed limit and actually brake, okay?” She huffed as she got her helmet off, her hands shaking a bit.

  Cooper took his own helmet off. “Well, you have to do it again to get home,” he reminded her with a smile, “but I’ll see what I can do about your rules.”

  He took their helmets and strapped them to the back of his bike. “By the way, did I hear you praying?”

  “Maybe.” Ruby shook her hair out, hoping the waves weren’t too demolished. Cooper stood over her and grabbed her hands. He adjusted a piece of hair for her and she gulped at his closeness. She’d known him forever, had sat closer to him plenty of times. What the hell was wrong with her?

  “Trust me, your hair looks great. Calm down.” He grinned at her and she couldn’t help but smile back.

  “You ready to go up there and face everyone?” he asked.

  Her grin died. She was about to face everyone in her old coven for the first time in months, since she’d chosen to leave for the sake of her dignity. She’d received few text messages from anyone; perhaps they’d simply chosen to side with Michael as he was coven High Priest. For all she knew, he’d asked them not to contact her anymore. It wouldn’t have surprised her.

  “Tonight will be tough and not only because of my and Michael’s history. They loved Courtney. They’re going to be upset.”

  Cooper's face shut down again. “Yeah, probably. Everyone loved Courtney.”

  “Did the police tell you everything they know? I’m worried Michael will have some information you don’t.”

  “Like what?”

  “I have no idea. Whoever Michael knows on the force, they’re close. He’s always been able to get details the public couldn’t know. Last year, we did a ritual and found a missing girl because we knew particular details about the suspect from Michael. I don’t want you hearing anything you weren’t told or don’t want to know.”

  “I want to know everything; I want to know exactly how much I have to torture that son of a bitch.” Cooper's voice grew frigid and Ruby could swear the air around them dropped a few degrees.

  “Ruby?” a voice called out. They both turned towards Michael’s building to see a petite figure walk towards them.

  “Lacy,” Ruby greeted her. Lacy surprised her with a warm hug. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “I’ve missed you. I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to to talk at the memorial.” Lacy’s warm brown eyes matched her beautiful dark skin. Red highlights in her corkscrew curls shone in the street light. She gave Cooper a shy smile before turning back to Ruby. “It hasn’t been the same since you and Courtney left. C’mon, I think we’re the last to arrive.”

  “Funny, I thought we’d beat everyone here the way Cooper drove,” Ruby mumbled. Lacy hid a smile as Cooper elbowed Ruby in the ribs.

  Michael’s building stood on the corner between an old barber shop and a neighborhood street. They walked to the building’s front door and entered to the elevator. Nerves threatened to creep over Ruby; she was extremely familiar with the four-floor layout. Michael’s family had made millions in Great Britain; when he moved to America, his trust fund followed, allowing him several comforts, including this entire building.

  On the top floor (the one with the view) was his beautiful loft apartment where he and presumably Rebecca now lived - where Ruby used to live. Michael put his art gallery on the first floor, where he often had showings and lavish parties for guests. The second floor contained his workspace, where he spent hours with canvas and paints to bring his imagination to life. The third, however, was completely closed off to anyone not in the coven. It was his Wiccan safe space where members gathered to talk and practice every month.

  The elevator slowed to a stop and opened at floor three. Ruby stepped out first, not wanting to look as though she were hiding behind Cooper or Lacy. She tossed her hair back and held her chin high, bracing herself for a barrage of whispers or sympathetic looks. Instead, she was surprised to see open arms and welcoming smiles.

  Nearly everyone greeted her, chattering about how they’d missed her and how great she looked. Despite Cooper never having been part of their coven, they greeted him with equal warmth. Ruby overheard several people murmur their apologies to him. She shot him a glance to see his face, gracious and open.

  Then a voice slithered in and threatened to break her solid demeanor. The people around her grew quiet as they watched the exchange.

  “Welcome to our coven, Ruby,” Rebecca Mason greeted her.

  Ruby had to admit Rebecca was as beautiful as she remembered, with creamy white skin and jewel green eyes. Her shiny auburn hair looked like it belonged in a shampoo commercial. It was easy to see Michael’s attraction, if he wasn’t looking past her gorgeous surface. Personality-wise, he was an idiot, because Rebecca was a grade-A bitch. Rebecca’s crack about “her” coven made Ruby want to create a spell to set that lovely red hair on fire.

  “Yes, it’s good to be back,” Ruby responded. She kept her tone just as icy as Rebecca’s.

  “I hope you’ve been able to keep up with your practice. I’m surprised you haven’t joined another group; they’re so helpful to have around.”

  “True, but I’ve always managed to do magic well enough on my own. Are you finally getting the hang of things?” Ruby ignored Cooper's smirk.

  Rebecca’s lips straightened into a hard line. She tossed her red mane back and opened her mouth to say something, but Michael interrupted.

  “Ruby, welcome back. It’s good to see you again,” he said smoothly, coming up from behind the coven. Ruby didn’t miss the warning glance he gave Rebecca as he stepped forward, blocking his girlfriend slightly with his broad shoulder.

  “Thanks for having us. You remember Cooper?” Ruby said, placing a hand on Cooper's arm.

  “Of course. Good to see again you, though I wish it were better circumstances.” Michael reached out and they shook hands. “I’m so sorry about Courtney.”

  Cooper's face tightened. “Thank you. I’d like to jump in and get this whole thing over with, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course, I know this must be painful for you,” Michael said. He stepped back and opened his arm to the room. Everyone walked over to the large plush rug in the center of the room and settled into a circle.

  Ruby took a seat between Cooper and Lacy. She counted five men and eight women, thirteen in all, including her and Cooper. That meant they hadn’t replaced her and Courtney with anyone…or perhaps no one had wanted to join their group. At least no one else had left.

  Michael sat in the circle next to Rebecca, who stared adoringly at him. Cooper glanced at Ruby and they both rolled their eyes as Michael spoke.

  “We are not here to practice tonight. We are here to discuss the tragedy of three witches, one of whom we all knew personally. Courtney Wilson was a fine
witch and a good friend. We were able to celebrate her life with the memorial yesterday; now we must discuss the unfortunate details of her death in order to better protect ourselves and other witches. Ruby, Cooper, please feel free to jump in as needed in case you have answers I myself may not be able to provide. Now, who has any questions?”

  Lacy raised her arm and Michael nodded gently at her. She took a deep breath before she spoke.

  “Was she taken from her home?”

  Michael hesitated long enough for Ruby to know he didn’t have a definite answer. She motioned for his attention and he let her have the floor.

  “No,” Ruby said. “When Cooper and I went to her place, her wards were still up even after…I don’t see how anyone wanting to hurt her could have gotten past those.”

  “Right. The police believe she was taken in the evening after work. A gym bag with her work clothes was in the back of her car,” Michael said.

  “Sometimes, if she was late for work in the mornings but it was warm enough, she’d go for a run at night,” Ruby said.

  She’d always told Courtney never to run alone in the dark. Ruby had a brief flash of anger at Courtney before she caught herself. Shame quickly spread to replace the anger. How dare she be angry with her dead best friend?

  “How long was she gone?” a girl named Denise asked. Worry and fear clouded her light brown eyes. She bit her lip as she waited for the answer.

  “Less than twenty-four hours, not even enough time for a missing persons report. The guess is she went out for a run, was jumped, killed, and dropped at the river by sunrise. They think the whole thing took maybe eight to ten hours.”

  “Eight hours too long,” Cooper growled under his breath. “Who knows what he did to her while he had her.”

  “Did they…” Denise tried. She lowered her voice to a shaky whisper. “Did they rape her?”

  Ruby felt Cooper tense up next to her. His hands curled into fists; she placed her right hand on his left in reassurance. She also feared the answer and gritted her teeth together so hard her jaw ached.

  “No,” Michael said. There was an audible sigh of relief in the room, including from Ruby and Cooper. “There was no sign of that particular abuse. The killer must’ve tied her down because she had some bruising, before he…” he trailed off, looking uncertain.

  Ruby raised an eyebrow at Michael; he met her gaze and quickly looked down. She looked around to see their quizzical faces.

  “Michael. They don’t know?” Ruby asked.

  “Don’t know what?” Rebecca asked sharply. “What do you know?”

  Cooper spoke up for her instead. “The bastard cut out my sister’s heart.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Gasps of horror spread through the circle. Lacy’s curls shook as she trembled and for a moment, Ruby thought the petite girl would burst into tears. The rest of the group remained stunned. Even Rebecca had the decency to look appalled. Witches, for the most part, were a quiet group who preferred to stick with nature and their covens. A few bad apples were always there, but that type of violence didn’t often happen.

  Denise broke the silence, waved her hand as if she weren’t terrified. “I thought that was a rumor, something the media had stirred up to try and get photos released. The police denied it when reporters questioned them.”

  “They’re trying to keep it under wraps - either because it’s that awful or maybe they don’t want to release his MO. He didn’t just take Courtney’s,” Ruby butted in. “She was the third victim, the third witch, with her heart stolen. Michael, I understand why you wouldn’t want anyone to panic, but they need to know the truth so they can protect themselves. I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you everyone, but we’re all in danger.”

  Ruby knew Michael was trying to compose himself before he spoke. He met her eyes and she saw remorse. He’d made a mistake to keep it from them. Ruby was surprised, hadn’t expected to still communicate with a glance. Rebecca bristled at the interaction.

  “How do you know all of this?” she asked Ruby in a snide tone. Ruby saw several of the others exchange looks at her outburst. Michael put a hand on her knee and Ruby saw him grip it tightly for a brief second, as though telling her to stay quiet. Rebecca’s full lips went back into their hard, straight line.

  “Michael came to me the day Courtney was murdered. He wanted to make sure I didn’t hear it from someone else.” Ruby shrugged and kept her voice matter-of-fact. Deep down, she felt a brief streak of perverse pleasure at making this awful woman squirm.

  Rebecca glared at her, shot a sideways look at Michael, who remained calm. He looked around at his coven, who gestured and whispered urgently among themselves.

  “My friends, I’m sorry I didn’t inform you sooner. I worried it would ensue panic. I don’t blame you for being angry but now we must band together and be extremely vigilant,” Michael said.

  A man by the name of Andrew spoke up, tried to copy Denise and overcome his fear with skepticism. “Do we know for sure he’s taking witches? I mean, how do we know he’s not some psychopathic freak?”

  Michael hesitated, a sign Ruby knew to hide much more. Michael grimaced at the bite in her question as she asked, “What is it?”

  “There is something else that recently came to light,” he said. “My source in the department didn’t know because they’re keeping it quiet, but the way this man took their hearts…he left a symbol on them.”

  “He’s using dark magic?” Cooper asked, his green eyes flashing.

  Michael nodded. “I believe so - he’s using a tool, a particular symbol on them, which leads me to believe it’s for his own rituals.”

  “What’s the symbol?” Ruby asked.

  Without a word, Michael got up and retrieved something from his binder on a nearby table. Coming back to the circle, he handed her a piece of paper with a penciled sketch of the symbol. She took a long look while everyone held their breath, waited to see if she knew it. They sighed in disappointment as she shook her head and held it out to the group.

  “Anyone know this symbol or what ritual calls for it?”

  Not one person replied, not even Michael or Rebecca. Cooper gave the paper a hard look, sighed in frustration when nothing came to him. Ruby took out her phone and photographed the image before handing it back to Michael.

  “Can you get a photo of the real thing?” Ruby asked Michael.

  He shook his head, regret on his face. “They’re being quite secretive about the whole thing. All I know is that the burns on their chest are in the shape I sketched. Some sort of mystical weapon, I assume.”

  “Do the police know that it’s witches this person is hunting?” Andrew butted in. He no longer looked skeptical, his face pinched together with worry and fear.

  “My source says that Courtney was the third woman to be an active participant in Wicca. I have met with the High Priest and Priestess of the two covens the other victims were part of and they told me the women were quite powerful within the group.”

  “It’s been only females?” Vivian, another witch, spoke up.

  “So far,” Michael said. “Ruby and I thought it best to tell everyone tonight at the meeting.”

  Ruby raised an eyebrow at him; he lifted a shoulder ever so slightly in apology. She shook her head an inch in either direction. She didn’t want his apology or to be included in any of his coven business. She refused to be dragged back in.

  “Courtney didn’t trust everyone she met,” Cooper reminded them. “She was careful with who she talked to, especially about witchcraft and her power. He must have been watching her. I have no idea how someone could overtake her; he would’ve had to surprise her.”

  “I would strongly suggest no one here mention anything about his or her abilities. If you’ve talked about them in public before, make a list of those you’ve told. They could be possible suspects,” Ruby said.

  “Where were the other two victims found?” someone asked.

  “Courtney and another were from
here; the other from two towns over. They were all, however, found in or near the river,” Michael answered.

  “He favors water,” Ruby said without thinking. The others looked at her and she caught herself. “Uh, I mean, that’s my guess. Whatever he’s doing, it requires some sort of water element.”

  “He’s not drowning them, is he? I mean, before or after the…heart thing,” Lacy asked, her voice faltering on the last part.

  “I don’t know,” Michael said with a frown. “I can ask my source and see if they know or at least have checked for it. That might show us something more if you’re right, Ruby.”

  An older woman named Pearl spoke up. “I was wondering, what do you think about a séance to call Courtney's spirit? Perhaps she can give us details to help.”

  Silence coated the circle; the group looked from Michael to Ruby to Cooper in question.

  Ruby saw the look on Cooper's face and pulled the attention back on her. “We’ve been part of séances before and quite frankly, those never seem to work out the way we want. I would rather not, to be very honest. I don’t want to see Courtney like that and I’d really appreciate it if no one else tried.”

  She kept her voice light, but everyone nodded in agreement. When a séance brought a spirit back, it was as that spirit had died. Under no circumstances did Ruby want to see Courtney with her heart cut out, plus she was afraid it might send Cooper over the edge. She could already see the struggle he had with being here, with hearing these things about his dead sister. She couldn’t bear to allow such a terrible sight.

  Cooper reached for Ruby's hand and gripped it tightly. She laced her fingers with his and squeezed to let him know they were almost done. She noticed both Rebecca and Michael’s eyes on their clasped hands. She took that as their exit cue.

  “I think I’ve had about enough tonight. I’m sorry to bail on everyone, but it’s been an exhausting few days.”

  Lacy nodded fervently in agreement and the others also seemed eager to be done with the circle for the evening.