by Liz Long
She struggled to get the key from her necklace. Her hands shook as she opened it and she quickly assessed that everything was still in its proper place. He hadn’t gotten through the locks or the very personal protection spell she had on her Book of Shadows, at least. A short sigh of relief escaped her. Cooper watched her from the doorway.
“Everything there?” he asked.
Ruby nodded, her adrenaline and panic beginning to wear off. Now she felt dizzy, nauseous at the idea that a stranger had broken into her safe space. She brushed past Cooper to do a walkthrough of her entire apartment.
“He didn’t take anything. He only came in here to leave me a note?” Ruby asked Cooper as she sunk into her couch.
He handed her a glass of water and sat close to her. “He came in here to prove a point. He wanted to show you that he could break your protection spell, to make you think he could get to you.”
“Can’t he?” Ruby replied dully. She stared at the water glass, wrapping her hands around its cool surface.
“No, he can’t. He won’t. I’m going to stay with you until this blows over.”
Ruby almost dropped her glass. She set it on the table and met Cooper's face with surprise. “Say what now?”
“I think it would be best for everyone if I stayed with you, to make sure you’re not alone in case this asshole tries anything again. I’ll stay in your guest room, of course,” he added hastily.
She opened and closed her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Aziza slunk in and jumped on the couch between them, nuzzled her head against Ruby's arm.
“This is crazy, you can’t stay with me.” Ruby could hear the half-heartedness in her voice. She scratched Aziza behind the ears to avoid looking at him; she was sure he’d read the fear all over her face.
“You said yourself I shouldn’t stay at Courtney's. We can tackle her stuff together at a later time and I can be sure you’re safe.”
“I don’t need a bodyguard, Cooper. I can take care of myself.”
“I’m not saying you can’t, but I would feel better knowing that you aren’t alone here. He got into your apartment, Ruby. Who’s to say he won’t come back when you’re sleeping or set a spell for something awful?”
Ruby considered the options. On the one hand, it would be very strange to have Cooper there, especially considering her thoughts about him. She did not, however, want a serial killer attacking her in the middle of the night and liked her heart exactly where it was in her chest. She shuddered thinking about it. Her silence made Cooper press more.
“Ruby, please. I can’t lose you, too. Let me help.” His green eyes bore into hers with such intensity she didn’t want to say no.
She sighed and slowly nodded. “All right, I guess it’s not the worst idea. I don’t exactly want to risk it, either.”
Cooper sat back in relief. Perhaps he’d been expecting more of a fight. He ran a hand through his hair, rubbed the stubble on his jaw, and looked around once more.
“We should call the police,” she said.
“I hate to do it, but I gotta agree. I can call the detective in charge of Courtney's investigation.” Cooper whipped out his cell phone and a business card.
“Why do you hate to call them in?”
“I can’t imagine the idea of witches and magic will go over well with them. That letter is pretty clear about his thoughts on you. They might chalk it up to pure crazy and not take it as seriously as they should.”
“Ah, I see. Well…I also think we should inform Michael.” Ruby braced herself for Cooper's reaction, which was expected.
“Are you kidding me?” He stopped dialing numbers to stare at her. “Michael has nothing to do with this.”
“Maybe not him specifically, but it definitely deals with the coven. What if you’re here and the killer can’t get to me, so he goes after one of them?”
“He said in his note he wants power. You’re more powerful than any of them and they know it, so he probably does, too.”
“Michael could be in danger; he’s the High Priest of a coven for a reason.”
“And he’s always been threatened by you.” Cooper's voice was so flat Ruby could’ve skipped rocks on it.
“That’s not true. Michael can freaking transport.”
“You know as well as I do that plenty of witches can do that with enough practice and spellwork. You and Courtney have done it lots of times. You’re making excuses. Why do you think Lacy wants to practice with you?”
“Because she wants to get away from Rebecca,” Ruby feebly argued.
“Partly, but she could go anywhere. She wants to practice with you because she knows how powerful you are, how focused you can be. You won’t let anything happen to those people. Michael, no matter how powerful he is, will always look out for Michael, and everyone knows that whether they admit it or not.”
Ruby looked down at her water glass again and said nothing. She didn’t want to sound arrogant, but she knew she was powerful; she always had been, even as a teenager, when being a witch could be most difficult. Michael had never been able to control the weather as she had or affect electricity. Any witch could write and do spells, but it took certain power to do more. He was a wonderful High Priest, but it was because he was charming, had personality and a reassuring demeanor.
“You should be High Priestess of that coven,” Cooper continued.
Ruby held up a hand to stop him. “But I’m not, so we need to inform the rightful leader of what’s happening. I do not want anyone else in danger because I didn’t want to talk to my ex-boyfriend. That’s childish. Besides, he knew about Courtney because he knows someone in the force. Someone there believes in our power. Maybe he can help.”
Cooper sighed but nodded his head. “All right, call him while I call the detective. I suppose we can expect both of them to show up within the hour.”
Michael didn’t answer his phone when Ruby called, so she left him a voicemail. As Cooper predicted, the detective showed up at her building half an hour later. Ruby buzzed him inside and opened the door on the first knock.
“Ruby Jackson? I’m Detective Phillips. May I come in and speak with you about tonight’s events?”
Ruby nodded and stepped aside to let the detective in. Short and stocky, Phillips had a thick dark mustache peppered with gray; his deep-set dark eyes looked sharply around the room as he entered. He nodded at Cooper in greeting.
“Is it all right if we have a seat in the living room? I’d like to ask some questions and take a closer look at this note,” he said.
Ruby led the way into the living room. She and Cooper had a seat together on the couch while Phillips sat in her reading chair. He paused to put on latex gloves and motioned for the letter. She handed him the note and watched him examine it for several minutes in silence. Her discomfort finally won over to talk.
“Mine and Cooper's fingerprints will be on there. I mean, I guess you figured that out already, but you should know,” Ruby babbled.
Phillips looked up from the letter to her. “I understand. I’m going to bag this and take it with me down to the station as evidence, though I don’t guess you wanted to keep it anyways.”
“Hell, no.”
“What do you think, Detective?” Cooper asked.
“It’s unusual that he apologizes about Courtney, considering the circumstances. It almost seems to show remorse, but experience tells me he’s only saying it as formality, as though to get in your good graces before threatening you.”
Ruby opened and closed her mouth. She and Cooper exchanged looks. Detective Phillips might be used to serial killers, but was he used to witches and magic? He didn’t seem too confused by it. Perhaps he was Michael’s contact?
“Sir, are you…uh, curious at all about the letter’s statement about magic?” Cooper asked.
Phillips retrieved an evidence bag from inside his jacket pocket. He slipped the note inside before meeting their faces. “I’m aware of the killer’s beliefs on his victims. He thi
nks he is killing witches, ones with immense power. It’s my understanding that he may be taking their hearts for his own practices.”
“Detective Phillips, do you believe in magic?” Ruby asked him point-blank.
“The killer certainly believes in magic. Therefore, I’m trying to think like he does in my attempt to stop and capture him.” His mustache didn’t even flinch as he spoke.
Ruby caught Cooper's eye again, knowing they shared the same thought. Without a clear answer on the detective’s stance on their craft, Ruby was hesitant to reveal more information for fear of judgment or disbelief. How could she explain to Phillips that another witch had broken through her protection spell when he thought the killer was merely crazy? She cleared her throat.
“So what’s the next step in all of this? How can I protect myself better against him breaking in again?”
“Unfortunately, it’s easy for people to get into the building. Someone could stand outside and pretend to have forgotten their key, or they could carry bags to make a person believe they live there and can’t open the door. I’ll suggest your landlord send out a letter reminding tenants not to let strangers in.”
Ruby swallowed hard; she lived in a secure building specifically to avoid things like that happening, but the detective was right. After all, Cooper had practically waltzed in earlier to pick her up. Besides, if the killer was a witch, there were plenty of ways to get around security. Not that she’d tell Phillips that right now.
“Now about your apartment,” Detective Phillips continued, “you didn’t happen to leave your door unlocked by accident?”
Ruby shook her head. “No one had a way in here. I don’t know how he did it.”
“You’re sure no one had a spare key? An old boyfriend, a friend?”
“Michael never had…” Realization hit her. She had been so concerned about her protection spell being broken that she forgot about the physicality of the actual locks. She felt the blood drain from her face.
“Oh…Courtney had a key to my place. Oh shit. He took her key after he killed her. That’s how he got in my apartment.”
Cooper stood up, alarmed. “That means he can come and go when he wants. We need to get you somewhere else.”
Detective Phillips raised up a beefy hand. “Hold on, hold on. We can get your landlord to change the locks. That’s not a problem. You can have them arrange that first thing in the morning.”
Ruby's door buzzer went off, making them all jump. She went to the receiver and hit the button.
“Yes?”
“It’s Michael. Let me in?”
Ruby pressed the button to open the building door and stood by her door. Seconds later, a soft knock sounded. She opened it and Michael swept through the doorway, surprising her with a hard embrace. His arms wrapped tightly around her and she kept her hands up, away from his back. Under no circumstances would she return his damn hug.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he whispered in her ear.
“What are you doing here? It’s two in the morning.”
“As soon as I got your voicemail, I headed over. Did you have a ward on your door?” He still hadn’t let go.
“Of course I did,” she hissed. She pushed against him and broke the hug. “I wanted you to know so the coven could be warned. You didn’t have to come all the way over here.”
“I wanted to.”
“Yes, because I’m sure Rebecca was thrilled to learn your destination.”
Michael shrugged. “She doesn’t know I’m here.”
Ruby had but a moment to stare at him, boggled, when a cough sounded behind them. Michael whirled to see both Detective Phillips and Cooper; Michael’s demeanor changed when he saw Cooper. His shoulders straightened as he pulled himself to his full height and entered into the living room with the two men.
“I didn’t realize you were still here,” he told Cooper.
“I’m a new tenant now,” Cooper replied grimly. “I was just telling Phillips here I walked her upstairs to find the note on her table.”
“Speaking of which, how did you know something was wrong before you opened your locked door?” Phillips asked Ruby.
“Uh…” she shot a glance at Cooper. How did she plan on explaining how the soft glow of the protection spell she put on her place faded at the killer’s magic powers? She could see the look on Phillips’ face already.
“A feeling, I guess,” she said weakly. “As soon as we opened the door, we noticed Aziza was missing; she likes to greet me when I first come in. Then Cooper found the note.”
“And was anything taken? Have you noticed anything different about your items, their placement or any fingerprints?”
“Nothing was taken as far as I can tell. There is a small scratch on my armoire,” Ruby said before she could stop herself. She didn’t want Phillips anywhere near her Wiccan materials.
“Your armoire?” he repeated, writing it down on his notepad. “What do you keep in there?”
“Jewelry,” she said automatically. “Nothing special, but there is a bracelet from my grandmother I keep locked up because I’m kind of weird about it.”
“Mhm,” Phillips muttered, continuing to scribble information down. “I need to see the armoire.”
Ruby's hand flew to the key at her neck. No way was she opening it for him; her Book of Shadows needed to remain safe and unseen, plus he’d probably think she was nuts if he saw her altar. She didn’t even want Michael near it at the moment.
“What do you mean, you’re a new tenant?” Michael asked Cooper. Perhaps he hadn’t meant to save Ruby just then, but all the same, she’d take the distraction.
“I’m not going to leave her unprotected. I’m going to stay here until the killer is…discovered,” Cooper said as he shot a look at the detective. Ruby knew he almost said “handled” but that would probably be bad form in front of the law.
“Nonsense. I have tons of room at my place and there’s no way he’ll get into my building. You should stay with me, Ruby.”
Ruby snorted. “With you and Queen Bee? I’ll pass, thanks.”
“Rebecca doesn’t live with me, but I’ll make sure she understands all the same. Your protection must be taken seriously,” Michael responded.
“Which is why I’m staying here,” Cooper jumped in.
Ruby restrained rolling her eyes into the back of her head. The testosterone in the room was beginning to stifle her.
“Guys. Thanks for all your help, really. Michael, I’m not staying with you, but I suppose I appreciate the offer. Cooper, I don’t guess I can stop you from camping out in the guest room?” He shook his head. “All right, then enjoy your stay at Casa de Jackson. Hope you don’t expect mints on your pillow. Detective, it’s late. May I please continue this with you tomorrow at the precinct or something?”
She thought she caught a small smile under his bushy mustache as she gave her spiel. “Yes, ma’am, I know it’s been a long night. Here’s my card. Please give me a call in the morning at your convenience and we’ll arrange a meeting. In the meantime, I’m taking this note to see if we can get any prints off it.”
Ruby nodded and walked him to the door. She gave him a firm handshake. “Thank you for coming by so late. I’m going to talk to my landlord first thing to get my locks changed and then we’ll talk.”
“We have an officer who lives in this building on the basement floor. I’m going to let him know what’s going on, as well as have a car stationed out in the lot to let this guy know the police are looking out for him.”
“Oh, okay. Should I meet with your cop?”
“Yeah, I’ll tell him to stop by in a day or two. His name is Ben Marshall; he’s a fine officer and will take this seriously.”
“Thank you.”
“See you tomorrow,” he said. He turned on his heel and exited the apartment as Ruby held the door open.
“Michael, I think you should go home now, too,” she said. He hadn’t left his post by the doorway where he faced Cooper.<
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Michael turned to face her with a worried expression. “Are you sure? I don’t mind staying…”
“I’m putting a protection spell back up and going to bed the moment I shut this door. I’m fine and Cooper is here to make sure this prick doesn’t come back. I’ll talk to you later.”
Michael walked to the door, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll have a transport spell ready in case I need to get to you quickly, okay?”
“Don’t waste the unnecessary energy, Michael. I’ll be fine.”
“All the same…I’m here for you. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, okay. ‘Night.” Ruby swung the door a little and he seemed to get the point. He turned to give Cooper a quick look before squeezing Ruby's shoulder. He walked out and Ruby immediately locked the door behind him.
CHAPTER TEN
Without another word, Ruby got her chalk and herbs out of the armoire and recreated her protection spell. Cooper said nothing, watching her every move from his seat on the couch. Once she was done, she went into her room to change into black yoga pants and a t-shirt. She came back out to find Cooper still in the same spot.
“Thank you for everything tonight. You really don’t have to stay if you don’t want,” she told him.
“Hey, you’ve already cast the ward. I don’t want to break it.”
Ruby padded into the guest room, grabbing an extra pillow and blanket from the closet. Cooper followed her in and grinned at her.
“What?” she asked.
“You don’t have to do all that. I can figure it out for myself.”
“You’re a guest.” Ruby fluffed the pillow and straightened out the comforter on the queen-sized bed.
“Nah. I’d overstay my welcome if I were a guest. Consider me a temporary roommate.” He reached for her wrist, yielding her constant movement. She looked up at him, his green eyes burning into her blue ones.