“Perhaps,” he said. “The killer had to find out some way. This is the only one that makes sense.”
“Shit.” I stood and paced over to the window, staring out at the darkening sky. “How can we be sure?”
“It’s time to check Baker’s body for blood.”
Chapter 10
Dorian pulled up in front of a twenty-four hour diner at the corner of Cambridge and Franklin and cut the engine. “I can’t take it anymore. Your stomach has started its own symphony. Let’s get you something to eat.”
As if in response to his comments, my stomach rumbled loud enough to drown out a jet engine. “I appreciate your concern, but we should just get going. Bodies to inspect and councils to convince.”
“This isn’t up for discussion.” He leaned across me, his arm brushing against my chest, and pushed open the passenger-side door. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the sudden sweep of goosebumps across my skin. “If we go see the council with your stomach making that much noise, they aren’t going to take us seriously. And before you say a word about fucking money, just don’t. You’re working an official Enforcer case with me, so this one’s on the coven. Now, come on.”
A mere fifteen minutes later, I sat in a sticky, dimly-lit booth with a plate full of chicken strips and french fries, my mouth salivating from the sheer amount of glorious food before me. I’d been subsisting on ramen noodles and potatoes for so damn long that I had forgotten what being full actually felt like. I couldn’t wait.
Dorian sat across the booth, his elbows propped on the table as he watched me eat. He’d ordered nothing, for some bizarre reason, but he refused to let me leave without eating.
“You sure you don’t want some of this food?” I asked with a french fry dangling from my fingers.
“Like I said, I’ve already eaten.”
“Alright.” I chomped into the fry and sighed in utter satisfaction at the salty goodness. Sure, I should eat something healthy and good for my bones, but when you’re starving, this is the kind of food you crave. “Your loss.”
“Anyway, what do you have there?” Dorian asked, turning the subject onto the papers peeking out of my bag. I still hadn’t had a chance to look at the documents I’d found in Professor Wagner’s office yet. Or the map. So much had happened in such a short time. My life had become consumed by vampires, demon attacks, and strange stalkers. Every time I tried to carve out a few minutes for anything else, some new dangerous thing shoved me out of the way and ate those minutes itself.
Swallowing my food, I turned my attention onto my still very active case. As soon as we checked Baker’s body, I needed to make some progress fast. “It’s the stuff I found in Wagner’s office. I’m hoping it can help me figure out what he’s up to. Pretty sure it has something to do with finding a grimoire though.”
“Not living it up at Bubbles & Trouble then, huh?” His face cracked a rare smile.
“Probably not, but you never know with you crazy warlocks.” My mind flashed back to the mark I’d found on the professor’s floor, and I lifted my eyes to meet Dorian’s. “Listen, this place we’re going now. It’s not that warehouse where you questioned me, is it?”
He shook his head. “No, we’re going straight to coven headquarters. It’s where the Magister and his council reside, as well as where they have their meetings. Some Enforcers live there as well, but not all of them. That’s why the, ah, body is stored there. They thought it best to keep it close so the human authorities didn’t stumble upon it.”
“Right. That’s what I was hoping.” I took a long sip of my soda before diving into what I hoped would be a well-received request. “Do you guys have registers of all the witches and warlocks who are members of the coven? And maybe some kind of registry of all the runes?”
Dorian cocked his head, but he didn’t frown. “Yes, on both accounts, though the runes are stored in grimoires. Why do you ask?”
“Well, based on what I saw, I’m not convinced that Professor Wagner is a bone warlock. If he isn’t, he might have checked in with his actual coven at some point in the past few days. Maybe they would have a better idea of where he is.” I lifted my eyebrows. “See where I’m going with this?”
For some reason, I half-expected Dorian to fight against my request. So far, he hadn’t had much patience when it came to me. But, this time, it was different. Maybe because we’d faced off against Daywalkers together. Maybe because he realized I could actually bring something to the table. Or maybe it was just because we were actually doing something normal—sitting in a diner booth having a meal.
Whatever it was, it led him to smile. “You want to check the registry for his name. Alright, Zoe. After we examine the body and tell the council our findings, I’ll help you track down your professor.”
Despite having a mark, I’d never been invited inside the Bone Coven’s headquarters, much like every other witch and warlock in current times. The leaders were secretive, to say the least, and only Enforcers were permitted to mingle with our version of the Senate. No one else could cross the threshold. As with everything else in my world, things hadn’t been like this forever. Our headquarters used to have an open door policy, welcoming in mages from around the world. But when things go south, wards go up, both in the human and the supernatural world.
We have to protect ourselves as best we can. To some people, that means building walls instead of bridges.
The red-brick colonial mansion located in the heart of Cambridge loomed before us, set back from the street about a hundred yards. A curving driveway led to the front entrance where a marble fountain spewed glittering water that reflected the evening moonlight. Towering trees with sagging limbs obscured the rest of the property, including the large windows and most of the white balcony jutting out from the second floor.
And, of course, there was a gate. Security cameras squatted on the top of each side, and a black-clad guard stood with his back pressed against the steel bars. But that wasn’t the surprising part of the equation. It was the fact he had a semi-automatic weapon slung over his shoulder.
I turned to Dorian and raised my eyebrows. “Why does he have a gun?”
“Sometimes bullets are faster than magic,” he said, as if it were the most logical thing in the world. And I supposed it was, but I’d never heard of a witch or a warlock using a gun before. My stomach churned with unease. Even though I was with Dorian, I felt like I was walking straight into the den of a ravenous lion. One who had tried to eat me once before.
Dorian rolled down his tinted window and gave the guard a nod. Within seconds, the gate swung open before us like a hungry jaw. We drove inside, and I turned to watch the steel bars swing shut and seal us in.
Instinctively, I eyed up possible escape routes. There was no chance of climbing up the gate with its thick vertical bars. Plus, the guard would spot me in an instant. A stone wall surrounded the rest of the property, but there were no grooves to grip with my boots. My eyes continued to scan our surroundings until they snagged on a tree close enough to the wall, a long thin limb brushing the top.
Escaping that way would still have its risks. For one, I hadn’t climbed a tree in a long-ass time. Not to mention the fact that the limb would barely hold my weight, much less Dorian’s bulky frame. But if we needed to get out fast, it seemed like a somewhat viable option. Maybe the only one.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said as he rolled his car to a stop beside the curving front steps. He turned to me, lowering his sunglasses so that I could see into his churning eyes. It was hard to look at him like this, straight on like there was no space between us at all. It was as if he could see right into my soul—and into my thoughts. “You’re trying to plan a way for you to run.”
“Well, you don’t know everything, Dorian.” Even though he was right, I didn’t want him to be, and I certainly didn’t want him to know he had me pegged. How could he read me so easily? So soon? We’d only known each other for days, not months.
“So,
I’m wrong, am I?” He pursed his lips and dropped his sunglasses into the console before glancing away. I let out a whoosh of relief, but I didn’t know why. There was no reason to be so unnerved by a pair of eyes.
“Maybe not totally wrong,” I admitted. “But so what? These people were trying to pin a murder on me. Who knows how they’ll react when they see me here.”
“They weren’t trying to pin you, Zoe. You were found at the scene of the crime, remember?” He blew out a frustrated breath. Clearly, I still irritated him, even though the ice had begun to melt on my side. “Anyway, it’s no use. You might be able to get up that tree and onto the top of the wall, but you’d never make it over. We’re not dealing with humans here, remember?”
“There’s some kind of ward.”
I should have known. There was no way the secretive coven council would keep their base open for just anyone to come and go.
He nodded. “No one can go in and out except through that gate. There are no wards at the entrance, but there are plenty everywhere else. And good luck sneaking out of that gate without Henrik seeing you.”
So, I was stuck. At least I was here with Dorian instead of alone. Though I wasn’t entirely sure that should make me feel better.
No one greeted us at the large double doors, though the murmur of voices drifted toward us from somewhere down the hallway from the gold-encrusted lobby. A chandelier sparkled overhead, and two sets of curving staircases led to the second floor, the hardwood steps covered in antique red carpet. Whoever owned this place had money. A lot of it. I assumed it was the current leader of the Bone Coven, Leon Dupont. He’d taken over when the previous leader had died in the war. I didn’t know much about him, but he was rumored to have the strongest powers of any bone mage alive today.
The distant voices were like a siren call. What were they discussing? Did they know we were here? Was there a plan in motion to stop these deaths? Did they have any idea that the vampires might be involved in this entire thing? Or did they even care?
The coven council was supposed to lead us, but they’d done so little of it in the past few years that I didn’t see the point in having them anymore. Not unless someone new took over. Someone who saw the trees instead of the forest.
Dorian led me down the hallway to a restaurant-style kitchen and flicked on the lights. Metal gleamed all around me, a scent shot through with the chemical undertones of cleaning spray. Pots and pans of various sizes hung from an overhead rack, and steel shelves held dozens upon dozens of plates, bowls, and cutlery. I whirled, widening my eyes. Everything was glistening and clean except for a thin layer of dust that coated every surface. This kitchen clearly hadn’t been used in awhile.
“Do they not eat or something?” I asked while Dorian flipped through a rattly set of keys that hung from a hook by the walk-in freezer.
“What?” Dorian glanced up at me sharply, his voice edged in darkness. “Of course I eat. What the hell do you think I am?”
Frowning, I shook my head. “No, I meant the council members. Don’t they eat?” I gestured around me. “This place looks like it doesn’t get much use.”
“Oh.” He cleared his throat and turned his attention onto the keys again. “There’s a smaller kitchen in the other wing of the house. It’s not efficient to use this one when they have a quarter of the council they used to have. And there aren’t any balls and dinners and parties anymore.”
I’d only ever heard about the Solstice Balls, but my mother had always talked fondly of them. It was where she met my dad, and it was where they shared their first kiss. Tears suddenly stung my eyes, not just from their loss but from all the missing parts of my coven life. I’d never get to dance barefoot in the Bone Coven mansion. I’d never get to train in a circle full of witches just like me. And I’d never get to see my parents’ faces again. All of that was gone, thanks to the war.
“You ready, Zoe?” Dorian asked as he held up a key.
“Ready for what?” To see a dead body? Probably not. As much time as I’d spent prowling the streets at night, I’d never run into any actual danger. Not the kind that led to death. The demon I had encountered was banished within moments, and I’d certainly never tangoed with a vampire. Until now.
Dorian slid the key into the lock and opened the freezer with a click. My eyes blinked into the darkness of the small space, but when the contents came into focus, I wished I’d stayed blind. Jeffrey Baker’s body had been tossed inside, and his limbs were twisted like strands of spaghetti. His eyes were still open, wide and horror-filled and sunken into a pale gray face. I threw a hand over my mouth and stumbled back, trying to put as much distance between us as I could.
But there was no escaping this.
The coven thought that I was responsible for this man’s state. If I didn’t do whatever it took to find the truth, I could end up locked inside a freezer just like him.
“I’m sorry,” Dorian said, his dark eyes meeting mine. He looked sad and apologetic, like he hated to see me this way. But I was strong enough, stronger than he thought. I could do this. “I know this is rough. Maybe I should have given you more warning.”
“It’s fine,” I said in a tight voice. With a deep breath, I stepped forward and peered into the freezer. Even though they’d kept the body cold, the air filled with the rotting stench of him. It clogged my nostrils, making my head spin. “Let’s get this over with.”
Dorian nodded and leaned down to grab the man’s ankles, pulling him out of the freezer. It seemed as if it took no effort at all, even though the man was fully in rigor mortis, his body as stiff as a tree trunk.
“Right.” Dorian stepped back and pressed a hand against his nose. Looked like I wasn’t the only one overwhelmed by the smell. “Since he’s been frozen, his blood may not have coagulated yet, so I’d go ahead and check his wrist first.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You sure do know a lot about this.”
“I’m an Enforcer,” he said, voice tight with tension. “My job is to understand this kind of thing.”
“And you want me to cut him.” I shivered. Of all the things in the world I wanted to do, checking to see if a dead body still had blood was not one of them. I’m not exactly a squeamish person, but this was taking things a step too far into the disgusting zone. “I feel like that’s maybe an Enforcer job.”
“This isn’t something I can help you with, Zoe. You want to clear your name?” He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Then, earn it. Do the work. Just try not to pass out while you’re at it.”
The muscles in my shoulders clenched tight. “You know, sometimes I get the feeling that you don’t want to see me succeed at this. Sometimes it feels like you’d rather see me fail.”
“I think the people who deserve to succeed are the ones who bust their asses to do so.” His lips turned up into a cold smile. “So, why don’t you prove you should be free and clear to go.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but then stopped short. As frustrating as Dorian was, now was not the time to get into another argument with him. There was a dead body on the floor at my feet. One that the coven thought I had murdered. At no point would I ever feel ready to check his body for blood, so I might as well go ahead and get it over with before Dorian decided to take away my chance.
My knees hit the floor, and I took the man’s cold, stiff arm in my trembling hands. Nausea rolled through me, but I swallowed it down. There was only one way I could breathe—in and out of my mouth instead of my nose. If the scent became much stronger, I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to keep down the food from the diner.
Bees swarmed inside my ears as I slid the dagger from my sheath. The blade rippled in the air, my hands shaking so hard that I could barely keep a grip on the handle. I took a deep breath in and out of my mouth, trying to center my mind just like I did when I performed a spell. Two puffs in, a long breath out. Slow and steady. One breath after another until my vision stopped swirling like a storm at sea.
“Okay.�
� I pressed the sharp end of my blade against the man’s wrist. “I’m going to cut now.”
Dorian pressed a white-knuckled hand against his nose and sucked in a deep breath. Before I could talk myself out of it, I sliced into the puffy skin with my dagger, forcing it further until it was deep enough to hit the artery. Dorian grunted, but I didn’t dare look his way. My eyes were glued to the blade as I slowly extracted it from the man’s arm. Still shaking, I sat back on my heels and stared, waiting for the inevitable stream of red to spill from the wound.
But none came.
I glanced up at Dorian, only to find his back shoved up against the wall, his hand pressed over his mouth, and his eyes squeezed so tight that his entire face had to hurt. He trembled, almost imperceptibly, like he was far more freaked out by this than I was. Frowning, I couldn’t help but stare. He’d seemed so bulletproof, so impenetrable. And yet here he was, barely able to hold himself together while I was down on my knees doing the dirty work.
“There’s no blood,” I said.
Slowly, he cracked open his eyes, and his entire body sighed. I did not understand why he looked so relieved. Because zero blood could only mean one thing. This man hadn’t died because of a demon attack. He’d been sucked dry by the only creatures in the world capable of such a thing. Vampires.
Chapter 11
“We request a presence with the council,” Dorian said after we’d put the body back in the freezer and returned to the front lobby of the mansion. His body was stiff and straight, and his voice was sure and calm. He’d recovered from whatever had rattled his nerves in the kitchen. A part of me wanted to ask. Did he have some kind of phobia of blood? But I knew that he’d just block me out if I pried.
After explaining that we had some vital information about the recent demon attack, Dorian hung up his phone and crossed his arms, his eyes focused on a closed door at the end of the hallway. He clenched his jaw tight, the muscles in his face and neck rippling in response. He was all business now that we had some answers, and he barely even acknowledged my presence while we waited for someone to come get us.
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