There was some babbling of an incoherent language that sounded made up.
The man was obviously insane.
This was the end.
Once he was satisfied and believed that his Master was with them, he cleared a space and stared down at her. “I’m warning you now. I will make this painful on you. If you don’t want to suffer, then it’s best not to fight.”
She stared at him defiantly.
Oh, he could see her plans. She was going to make this hard and normally he wouldn’t mind in the least, but he had already left too much evidence, and he couldn’t risk it. Leaning over the woman, he wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed. As the woman passed out, he made his move and quickly lifted her to the altar. Tethering her hands above her head, he worked quickly. After her feet had been strapped down too, he was ready to begin.
Stripping from his clothes, he pulled out the smelling salts, and was careful to not spill any on her. When she sharply inhaled and her eyes opened, he stared down at her.
“I told you that I would hurt you. You were warned.”
She whimpered and began tugging at her arms as she tried to get free. When she found it useless, all hope left her.
“Your friend led me to you, and for that I’m grateful,” he said, licking one of her tears from her cheek. “Tastes like witch to me,” he stated before laughing uproariously.
She shook in fear.
“Shall we begin?” Picking up the sharpened athame, he scratched the outline of the pentacle in her flesh.
When her body shook from the pain, he glanced over at her. “Oh that was nothing,” he promised, grinning.
Calling for his dark Lord, he began to spill her blood. It was time to offer her soul up once and for all.
She screamed behind the tape and thrashed to escape the burning heat that seared through her body.
The pain was excruciating and pushed her into the darkness, only to have him yank her back once more.
It was a battle of wills. She desperately wanted to hide in the nothingness, and he wanted her to feel every single slice to her tender belly.
Her body bucked and fought as his laughter and babbling words filled the air. She was horrified that this was how her life was meant to end. Certainly, this was some sort of horrible dream and shortly she would be waking from it.
As he woke her one last time, she was coherent enough to see him move to stand behind her.
What more torture could he inflict on her?
Then he grabbed her hair and pulled her head back to reveal the graceful arch of her throat. Placing the blade against her jugular, he began laughing even more.
“Master, I offer you this woman. Enjoy her soul!”
With a sweep of his arm, the pain was exquisite, and she gasped at the rush of blood flowing from her. It coated her body as everything began to slow down.
When the pain slowly ebbed away, she was grateful.
Staring up into his face, she watched his eyes. They were so dead and vacant, almost soulless.
How did all this happen?
Why did it have to end this way?
There were so many questions going through her mind in those last seconds of life.
She was barely alive as he pulled the tape from her mouth violently. There was a slight feeling of pain, but nothing more.
In fact, she was beginning to feel good.
She was light and airy.
It was as if she was now floating above her body.
The dying woman stared down at the wreckage and watched herself slowly dissipate into the nothingness. It was all ebbing away.
The gray came and swallowed her as it deepened to a darkness that she had prayed for the entire time. Now it was all over and she could finally just sleep.
There were no more fears…
He stared at her grinning like an excited child. She had fought hard, and that always made it sweeter. Already, his mind was off this victim and on another woman.
He prayed that she would fight for her life too.
If she tried to bolt and ruin his plans, he already had a way to keep her there. Oh, he knew exactly how to grab her attention. She’d never leave, and then she’d be his.
It was time to move onto step one.
Gently, he pulled out the note and read it over and over again, just to relive the pleasure. Finally, he whispered the words like some twisted mantra.
Oh he couldn’t wait. The time was coming and he was giddy with anticipation. This was his destiny.
AND hers…
~ Chapter Fifteen ~
The knock at their door drew their attention. They’d been eating pizza and doing their work, and at the sound, each was praying that it would be good news and not bad.
What they needed was a break in the case. Finding out about Harmony and the witch was a good start, but they still needed more.
Going to the door, Callen glanced outside through the peep hole. Seeing it was part of the team, he relaxed and tucked his gun into the back of his pants. They were taking no chances with Elizabeth’s life from here on out.
Opening the door to them, he could tell that they were excited. Chris had a happy look on his face, the one that he always got when he had found something in autopsy and couldn’t wait to share all the details.
Immediately, Rex ran into the room and raced to Elizabeth’s side to lick her face.
“Rex, down boy. I get drooled on enough. Cut a girl a break,” she stated, as the dog gave her lots of love.
Ethan laughed and patted the big dog on his back, as Rex rested his head on her lap.
Not far behind the dog were the ME and agent. Elizabeth stared at them and tried not to laugh. They were holding hands and it appeared cupid’s arrows had definitely struck hard and deep.
Perfect.
“Directors, we wouldn’t have bothered you, but we found something and you need to hear about it. At first, we were going to wait until morning, but this is that damn good!” Cyra blurted.
She held up her hand. “Okay, first breathe. Secondly, in the office I’m ma’am, Director, boss and anything else, but when we’re off the clock, Elizabeth is just fine.”
Cyra relaxed around them. “Thank you.”
“Now, tell us what you found.”
Callen returned to his spot on the bed and had to move around the Shepherd. He too began petting the behemoth.
“Okay, well, I now have Ares real name. It’s Roger Flynt. I know you’re going to want me to run a background on him and I will, but this isn’t the huge thing that we found. It’s secondary.”
Chris took over, “So we’re having dinner and making out,” he began, only to get slapped.
“Christopher!”
The three laughed at the look on her face.
“If you think we weren’t aware of that, you must think we’re oblivious to the world around us,” Elizabeth stated, and then if to prove a point, “You have whisker burn, and he has a mark on his neck that is very hickey-esque.”
Chris started laughing, despite Cyra’s horrified glare.
“Yeah, we’re really observant like that,” Callen added.
It didn't faze Chris in the least and he continued, “Anyway, we’re watching the demonic porn show, and we saw this.” He opened the laptop and hit play. Holding it, he waited for his bosses to see what they caught. His money was on Elizabeth spotting it first. She had eagle eyes for little details.
She scanned the video as it played, and there were three men standing there with one woman restrained on the altar. She was writhing and squirming under their hands, but she looked to be enjoying it. Don’t get her wrong, she enjoyed sex, but this was super perverse even for her.
Elizabeth shifted her focus to the woman’s face. “Holy shit!”
Chris grinned. “Right now, you should be thinking, ‘isn’t that Harmony Wilcox’?”
Both men stared at it.
Ethan reached out to touch the screen and zoom in on her face. “Yeah, that’s
definitely her.”
This was a game changer. They now had a witch who was dabbling in the dark arts and from the look of it, she was enjoying it.
“I want to personally do a walk-through of her place,” stated Elizabeth.
Ethan agreed. “Tomorrow we can get it into our schedule first thing in the morning, or do you want to start your morning with the destruction of Ares Lafay?”
Cyra and Chris were confused.
Elizabeth told them about the phone sex and Harmony’s boss sharing the store’s number.
“Wow! Harmony is connected to the witches and Satanists too?” Cyra inquired incredulously.
“Yeah, she is. That means, I really need that background check under his real name before I interview Ares tomorrow. Can you pull it off?”
Chris jumped in and reassured her, “We’ll work on it until it’s done. I’m excellent with paper work.”
Elizabeth started laughing. “Yeah, that’s what she’s going to remember you for.”
He responded just as fast, “I’m pretty sure you’re beating me on gossip,” he snickered, and then went on. “Wait, you are because I spread most of it.”
Cyra looked mortified at the teasing between them.
Chris laughed when his boss offered him a fist bump.
“I let my guard down on that one, and I should know better with you,” she answered, winking. “I was put in my place by your IQ and witty repartee.”
“I aim to please, ma’am,” he replied.
Elizabeth opened her mouth and Ethan once more covered it. “You two better escape. You both are still on porn patrol. If we found one woman, then we might find another.”
“We’ll let you get back to your work,” Chris said, wiggling his eyebrows at his friend.
Cyra called Rex. “Come Rex-y.”
The dog didn't budge. In fact, it didn't even look at her.
“Rex! Heel.”
Elizabeth pushed his big head off her lap and it only made him crawl onto her more. Soon, Cyra was pulling on his leash, and he still wouldn’t come.
“I don’t know why he won’t listen. He’s never done this before.” She didn't want to carry the huge dog out, but it was a possibility.
“Rex, do you want to stay?” Elizabeth asked, staring at the dog. He barked. “It’s okay, Cyra. He can bunk here. He probably smells pepperoni. I’m used to men being motivated by food as a lure.”
Callen laughed. “Yeah, we’re easy like that.”
“Speak for yourself,” Ethan scoffed.
Cyra didn't mind if he remained, as long as he was safe. Obviously, he enjoyed Elizabeth’s company. In fact, he looked like he had a case of puppy love. “Are you sure?”
Ethan was doomed. He knew what this meant. His wife was going to surely want a dog. Three kids, four adults, a dog and a big circus under the roof at Fort Blackhawk/Whitefox.
“Yes. He’s fine. We’ll take him out later.”
Chris took her hand and led her away. Out in the hall, he stared at her. “Are you really okay with this? I’ll carry him out if you want me to, and trust me, Elizabeth won’t mind. She would probably offer to help.”
Cyra was just confused. “He’s never ignored a command from me.”
He gave her a kiss on the cheek in reassurance. “Maybe it’s the pepperoni or the fact she was giving him cookies. You brought me one and now I don’t want to leave your side either.”
She laughed at that. “Good point. Let’s go watch more porn and do searches.”
Dropping his arm around her, he grinned and tried to enjoy the evening despite the death. “If he never comes back, I can buy you a bunch of dogs.”
“CHRISTOPHER!” She didn't think he was kidding.
He started laughing and didn't stop until he reached their room, because he was already considering the possibility.
They worked nonstop the next few hours, until they were almost to the point of exhaustion. Finally, they decided to get some sleep. Climbing into bed, Elizabeth slid down between her two men and cuddled up for the night. She was just about to fall into the slumber, when the bed shook and the large dog climbed up at her feet. They all stared down at him walking in a circle until he found his spot.
“Just what I need. One more male in my bed,” she smirked. “It’s not like I have any room to spare as it is, Rex!”
He let out a ‘woof’ and rested his head on her shin.
Callen was laughing, since the dog was practically on top of his brother and Elizabeth.
Ethan wasn’t as easily amused. “He’s going to his home when this is all over.”
She giggled at the tone in his voice. “Honey, don’t tell me. You need to tell Rex.”
Yeah, here was another battle he was about to lose.
Saturday Morning
Two days until Halloween
To say the bed was crowded that night was an understatement. Yet, Rex had been a good dog and didn't move or bark all night. Now, the morning was another story. As dawn hit, he was sitting at the door waiting to go out. In fact, he got his own leash as if to prove his desperation. As Elizabeth prepared to take him, both men objected vehemently.
In the end, Callen took one for the team and opted to walk the dog. Once the door was closed, Ethan rolled over and wiggled his eyebrows.
“Maybe getting a dog will get me more alone time,” he teased as he kissed his wife.
“For the record, you get lots of alone time,” she replied, but found herself getting lost in it anyway. It was always an enjoyable experience when she could wake up and take ten minutes to just make out with Ethan.
“God, I don’t want to stop, but we need to focus on work,” Ethan said, as she began leaving kisses across the raven over his chest. “Really, Lyzee baby. You need to stop before I can’t think straight.”
She kissed him once more, and Elizabeth poured everything into it. It was so full of love and lust that it even made her want to take a cold shower. Releasing him, she stared into his midnight blue eyes and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “I love you, Ethan Jackson Blackhawk. Marrying you on our fourth day together was one of the best things I ever did in my life.”
His heart melted. Whenever she became all mushy, it just happened. “I got very lucky when I found you, baby. I love you so much.” He punctuated each of his words with a kiss on her nose.
“We better get dressed before Callen gets back or he’s going to help convince you to keep me naked in bed.”
Blackhawk started laughing as his eyes sparkled with love. “Baby, just so you know, no one really has to help me with that. I can manage that one all on my own.”
It was distracting to watch him climb out of bed. She really wanted to play ‘connect the tattoos with kisses’, but she knew better. Elizabeth stared up at him and held out her hand so he could pull her from bed. “Come on, Mr. Blackhawk. You and I have an assignment to solve.”
As they began dressing, when there was a knock on the door. Ethan pulled on his dress pants and grabbed his gun. “Stay here and if you hear shooting, come save me,” he teased. He was well aware that she was more than capable with a gun.
That wasn’t what she expected him to say or do, and it caught her off guard. “I will always save that sexy Native ass of yours, Ethan.”
Going to the door, he peeked out. “Come on in,” he said, opening the door for Chris and Cyra.
When she walked in, of course his shirtless body was the focal point. “Wow, someone likes tattoos,” she stated, trying not to stare, but it was difficult to look away from them.
At one time, Ethan would have cringed at anyone seeing them, but he’d learned to re-love each and every one. Grinning at them, he motioned for Cyra and Chris to follow towards the room where Elizabeth was getting dressed.
Chris couldn’t help but gawk at Ethan too. He was well aware that he had tattoos on his arm, since he’d heard Christina discussing it openly, but he wouldn’t have suspected that all that ink was under Ethan’s suit and tie. He watc
hed Cyra’s face for a reaction, wondering if maybe he should get a few to impress his girl.
When they walked in, their faces must have said it all, because Elizabeth started laughing. “It’s a thing of beauty,” she stated, as her husband pulled on his shirt and winked at her.
Cyra cleared her throat. “We finished the run on Ares.”
Elizabeth went to Ethan’s side and wrapped her arm around his hips as she leaned against him. “What do you have?”
She pulled out her tablet and began reading off the information excitedly. “After we got his name, the rest was fairly simple. I ran him in his home state of Washington and hit pay dirt. He has an arrest record for statutory rape of a minor, and he’s a registered sex offender.”
Elizabeth started laughing. “That would make me want to hide and change my name too.”
“He’s so screwed when you get him alone,” Blackhawk stated as he smirked.
She clipped her gun to her hip. “Are you assuming that I won’t out him right in front of his wife? Yeah, wrong assumption going on there, Cowboy. I plan on dropping the sexy talk on the phone and sex offender status right off the top.”
Chris laughed. “I’m so glad you’re my friend and wouldn’t ever do that to me.”
Elizabeth snickered. “Remember all the times you poked a wound, took away my gun or lectured me?”
He stared at her.
“I was buying my damn time. Now that you have a love life, I can mess with it. I’ll start working on that once we get back home. Hey, Cyra,” she glanced over at the woman. “I have some stories about Chris as a rookie ME. Want to hear them?”
“Hell yeah I do!”
Chris looked panicked. “You wouldn’t!”
Elizabeth started laughing. “You only have one secret I won’t share. The rest is free game.”
Well, he had to admit, he probably deserved it. “She knows about my money. I already told her.”
Ethan looked confused. “Your money?”
Devil Hath Come (an FBI/Romance Thriller ~book 7) Page 42