The Bewitched Box Set

by W. J. May

  Christian slid the binoculars down from his face and looked at her and laughed. “Yes, you do. You want to go scale that fence with the sharp points on each rail and go ring the doorbell, pretending to be lost? Maybe we can get you a Girl Scout’s uniform and you can pretend to be peddling cookies.”

  She punched him in the arm. “Very funny.”

  “Shit, look,” Christian said, pointing toward the house again. “Looks like we have ourselves a vampire.”

  Annette looked to where he was pointing and frowned. She then opened the door to the clunky 1961 Ford sedan and slipped out as quietly as she could. With her enhanced hearing, she heard Christian whisper-yell, “What in the hell are you doing?”

  She slunk around the car, crouching down to stay hidden, and peered at the house. She raised the large camera up to her face and cranked the lens to get the camera in focus and began snapping pictures of the two vampires exiting the large house. I bet Leo knows who these bloodsuckers are, she thought to herself.

  Leo was the head of the Chicago Immortals coven. Annette Russell had left the Los Angeles coven three years before to move to Chicago. Her friend, Kathryn, had told her about her human life here, and Annette thought it sounded like a nice place to start over. She had been in Los Angeles for almost forty years and needed a change. When the BSI formed almost twenty years prior, word spread amongst the Immortal covens and they tried their hardest to get at least one Immortal into each field office, at least in the large cities, to monitor what the U.S. government – the humans – knew about the supernatural. Annette had gladly volunteered and was surprised when she was accepted into the position. Being highly male-dominated, she knew she had to prove herself, but her combination of enhanced senses and strength, along with her extensive knowledge of vampires and shapeshifters, impressed the Justice Department officials greatly, and they were happy to have her onboard.

  Annette slipped back into the car, closing the car door as quietly as she could.

  “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Christian asked her, an incredulous expression on his handsome face.

  She raised the camera that was hanging from a strap around her neck. “Taking pictures.”

  He shook his head. “They could have seen you.”

  She looked at him with amusement and raised her chin. “So?”

  He turned his head in the direction of the mansion again to see the two vampires getting into a large black chauffeured town car and then watched as one large, burly man used a key to unlock a padlock on the wrought iron gate. He swung it open so the car could pass through.

  “We following?” Annette asked.

  Christian nodded, pulling the gum from his mouth and flicking it out the window. “Oh, yeah.”

  Annette smiled.

  * * *

  Chapter 7

  Leo Burton swallowed the last of his whiskey and set the empty tumbler on the bar, signaling the waiting bartender for a refill. The bartender quickly complied, pouring another measure while Leo slid him a generous tip. He quickly pocked it and set the bottle down, wiping off the counter, but staying close to Leo and Annette.

  “You’re not drinking?” Leo asked in his deep, booming voice. His feet practically reached the floor, even though the barstool was set high off the ground. He barely fit on it anyway. Leo looked like he could bench press a steam train. His Marine Corps haircut was always in a sharp flattop that looked like you might hurt yourself if you touched it.

  Annette smiled. “No, not tonight.” She paused, watching him throw back his third dose of Irish poison. She knew his body chemistry would burn it off fast and understood why most Immortals drank. She used to love tequila shots but decided about ten years ago they were a waste of money and stopped drinking altogether. “So what do you say?” She pointed at the photo again.

  Leo slid the tumbler back toward the bartender, who lifted the bottle questioningly. Leo shook his head no. He picked up the eight-by-ten photograph and looked at it. “That’s definitely Jeremy.”

  She lifted a ginger eyebrow. “Jeremy? What kind of name is that?”

  Leo chuckled, his hazel eyes glossy. “Who the hell knows. He’s the head of the local vampire clan, though.” He poked the photo with his middle finger. “Devious, mean little bastard too. I wish the council would just let me kill him. He’s a prick.”

  “Gee, don’t hold back, Leo. Tell me how you really feel,” Annette replied, laughing. She shuddered at the venom in his voice, though. Leo’s Immortal gift was super-strength and she’d seen him in action.

  Leo was still looking at the photo. “I don’t know who the broad is, though. He usually hangs out with a female vamp named Vivian but this doesn’t look like her. Although,” he put the photo close to his face, “I suppose if she put on a blonde wig, maybe. This photo is really bad.”

  Annette nodded. “I know, I was kind of in a hurry when I took it.”

  He put the picture down and looked at her. “Why?”

  “I was with my new partner, Estes. He wanted me to get back in the car. We were on a stakeout.”

  “You liking the BSI?” he asked, seeming genuinely interested in the agency and her job.

  She nodded, grabbing a handful of peanuts from a bowl on the bar and popping them in her mouth. “Yes, it’s very interesting. The government has no flippin’ clue about the shifters and vamps though.”

  Leo raised both eyebrows. “No clue at all?”

  She swallowed the dry peanuts then signaled the bartender for a drink. “Well, I mean, they have a general idea, but they don’t know half the stuff we do,” she said. She looked at the bartender. “Just a Coke, Rick.”

  Rick nodded.

  “For instance, when we saw ol’ Jeremy and his date here leaving the house, we followed them in their car. They made about three stops before ending up at some god-awful nightclub for the rest of the night. It was actually quite boring. We followed them into the club but they didn’t do much except sit there and stare at the humans.”

  “No feeding?” Leo asked, interested. “Normally they use those clubs to find their next meal.”

  “Not that I could see, but I did see a few disappear into a backroom. What bothered me is that Christian didn’t want to get out of the car during the three stops they made. I wanted to know what they were stopping for.”

  Leo waved his hand. “Probably visiting blood whores.”

  Annette nodded. “Probably. But still.”

  “Tell me something, does your partner know about us?”

  She looked at Leo incredulously. “Of course not. And I don’t plan on telling him. Why do you ask?”

  “Just to hear you answer the question correctly. And you passed.” Leo winked at her.

  ∞∞∞

  “So, where are you from, Estes?” Annette asked, licking barbeque sauce from her fingers.

  He looked at her messy fingers and the sauce on her lips and shook his head, smiling. “I’m an Illinois native.”

  She nodded. “That’s great you got to stay local for the job.”

  “I know,” he said, sipping his iced tea. “I hear the Bureau is starting to send people out of their hometowns. I guess it does put a damper on undercover operations if someone from your high school is a shapeshifter and recognizes you.”

  She laughed as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Yeah, that would definitely be very awkward.”

  He stared at the napkin she had tucked into her black button-up shirt and was amused at how down-to-earth Annette was. “So you said you’re from L.A.?”

  She shook her head. “No, born in Oklahoma, actually. Took off to L.A. to find work when I was eighteen. I grew up on a dairy farm with six siblings. I had to get the hell out of there.” She set down the rib she had gnawed clean and picked up another one.

  “You know, that sauce matches your hair,” Christian said. “In fact, I think you may actually have some in your hair.”

  She absently smoothed a stray curl behind her ear. She normally
wore her hair up and away from her face, but sometimes the curls would escape and frame her face. “Oops. What can I say? I love ribs.”

  Christian paused the forkful of baked beans at his lips. “Well, you are from the South.”

  She laughed. “I suppose.”

  The bell above the small diner’s door chimed and neither of them turned around, but as the man who entered alone approached the counter, Annette could hear an animalistic grunting ringing in her ears.

  Stupid whore! I should rip her face off. She crosses me one more time and I will! Thinks she can screw around on me? Doesn’t she know who I am? She wants an animal in bed? Oh, I’ll give her an animal, all right. Won’t she be surprised when she lies down with a man and wakes up with a two hundred pound cat!

  Annette stiffened at his words. All the blood drained from her face as she slowly turned around to see a tall-ish man with dark skin and shifty eyes approach the counter and study the menu posted above the pimply-face clerk’s head.

  Christian studied her face. “What is it, Russell?”

  “Ah, nothing. Tell me, Estes, what do you make of the guy at the counter?”

  Christian slid his eyes past her and cocked his head to the right. “Nothing, really. Seems a bit shady but other than that...”

  “Keep an eye on him,” she cautioned.

  He smirked. “Why? You know him?”

  “Uh, yeah,” she lied. “I think he’s a shifter.”

  Christian’s eyes got big. “What? How do you know that?”

  Shit. “Uh, he hit on me in a bar once. Was super drunk, said he was an animal in bed. It was quite disgusting, I’ll tell you.”

  Christian threw back his head and laughed. “Okay, while that’s not the most romantic line, that doesn’t mean he’s a shifter!”

  “Then call it women’s intuition.” She looked at him very serious, her face still pale. “Just humor me, Estes, okay?”

  He nodded and shrugged. “Okay.”

  The dark-skinned man grabbed a tray of fried chicken and red beans and rice and sat at a nearby table, eating alone. Annette turned around in her seat, pretending to study the menu, but slid a glance in his direction. She could see he was indeed wearing a gold wedding ring and feared for his wife.

  Even if she was, perhaps, a cheating whore.

  The man quickly finished his meal and left out the door. Christian and Annette were already in their government vehicle in the parking lot, waiting for him to exit the diner.

  The shapeshifter took off down the sidewalk on foot and headed toward nearby Lincoln Park.

  Christian looked at Annette from the driver’s seat of the Ford. “We gonna follow on foot?”

  She nodded. “Oh, yes.”

  They quietly left the car and began following him. The sun was beginning to go down and the streetlights popped on, their orange glow matching the colors of the fading sunset along the Chicago skyline.

  “Where the hell is he going?” Christian asked, slightly winded at their fast-walking, trying to keep up with the man – and Annette, who didn’t seem to be having any troubles.

  Annette grinned at him. “You need to exercise more.”

  “Are you offering to be my personal instructor?”

  She bit her lip and shook her head. Then she punched him in the arm for good measure. “In your dreams, Estes.”

  “Look,” Christian said as the man kept to the park’s path, “not everyone can be as fit as you.” He raked her with his eyes from head to toe.

  A red stain crept up her neck and settled into her pale face and she looked away. “Gotta keep up with the big boys, you know.”

  Christian laughed. Annette didn’t even clear five-foot-three and probably weighed 100 pounds soaking wet with boots on. But what she lacked in physical stature, she made up with in attitude. He liked that.

  The shifter looked as though he was heading for a dense copse of trees at the edge of the waterfront.

  “It’s game time,” Annette said, pushing her chin in the man’s direction.

  Christian raised his eyebrows. “Game time?”

  “Just try to keep up,” she muttered, taking off at a slow jog.

  When they reached the thicket of trees, Christian turned to Annette and put his hand on his holster. He whispered, “I’ll go first, stay behind me –”

  Without warning, a large black panther pounced out from behind a thick tree and pinned Annette to the ground. It was growling and began swiping its beastly claws along her chest and neck while its massive weight kept her flat. She was screaming, her fists flailing punches at the creature, her feet trying to kick it off her.

  Christian went to grab his service pistol and his sweaty hands slipped twice, before he got it unsnapped from its holster, and even then he almost dropped it. Finally taking aim, the second he cocked back the hammer, the creature whipped its head around and looked right at Christian, who swallowed hard. Wasting no time, he fired three shots at the panther, his eyes locked with its yellow ones. The gigantic cat howled in pain and jumped off Annette and came bounding toward Christian.

  Annette rolled over and had her revolver out before she had even stood up fully and fired two shots into the back of its skull before it reached Christian, who was also up at the ready, aiming to shoot.

  The panther slumped over, five bullet holes seeping dark red blood from its head and torso. As it took its last breath, its furry black body began to change. Its claws and teeth shrank back into its body, its fur dissipating into dark brown skin, its eyes turning from yellow slits to normal chocolate brown pupils. Where once there was a panther, lay a very dead, naked human.

  Annette limped over to Christian, who had to grab hold of her before she collapsed. She had vicious, bloody stripes on her neck and chest, her shirt ripped to shreds. Christian holstered his gun and kept his eyes on the shapeshifter. His hands were shaking as he took off his jacket and put it around Annette, who then passed out in his arms.

  * * *

  Chapter 8

  Leo Burton rushed into the emergency room of Mercy Hospital in Chicago, frantic. He grabbed the first nurse he laid eyes on and looked down at her. “I need Annette Russell’s room.”

  The nurse, a small blonde lady with a nametag that read Lisa, looked at the large meat hook wrapped around her upper arm, then back up into the face of its owner. His face was twisted with pain and panic. Untangling herself from his grip, she pointed to the reception desk. “You’ll need to ask the candy striper. She has a directory.”

  He nodded and the nurse walked off in a huff, adjusting her uniform.

  After locating Annette’s room, Leo’s large legs easily took the stairs two at a time to the third floor.

  “Sir, can I help you?” he heard a female voice say as he whizzed by the nurse’s station. Totally ignoring her, he barreled into room six and stopped when he saw Annette sitting up in the hospital bed, smiling. The room was all white, even the bedcoverings and the paint, and a curtain was open, letting in some daylight. There was a young man sitting in a chair next to her bed and Leo’s eyes were immediately drawn to their linked hands.

  Annette’s eyes flicked up to the doorway and she smiled even wider. “Hey, Leo.”

  Christian pulled his hand from hers. He turned around and frowned at the large and imposing figure taking up most of the doorway.

  “Hey, kid, you okay?”

  She nodded. “Ah, Leo, this is my colleague, Special Agent Christian Estes. Christian, this is my... friend, Leo.”

  The two men shook hands.

  “Please,” Christian said, indicating the chair, “I was just leaving anyway. I have a shitload of paperwork to fill out.”

  Leo nodded. “Thanks.”

  With a small wave, Christian said, “I’ll see you back in the office soon, Russell. Get better.”

  “See you later, Estes.” She smiled.

  Leo watched Christian leave and stood up and hugged Annette. She winced and he pulled off her quickly, eyeing her bandaging, which w
as seeping blood. “Holy shit, woman, what the hell happened?”

  She took a deep breath. “Shifter got me.”

  He sat back down, his eyes big. “Tell me everything.”

  When she was finished with the tale, he looked at her and said, “So you realize your three mistakes, right?”

  She looked at him, confused. “Well I realized two of them right away, but a third?”

  “Yes, first, you didn’t have your gun drawn,” he started.

  She nodded. “I was working on it.”

  Ignoring her, he continued, “Secondly, you underestimated the shifter. I mean, what were you expecting, to get to watch him shift?”

  “Well, yeah, I was hoping to show Junior there...” She pointed at the doorway.

  He cut her off. “No. They shift very fast, split-second fast, Annette.”

  She sighed. “I know. And number three?”

  “Bringing that rookie human agent with you.”

  Her eyes flashed in anger. “But he’s not just some human, he’s a BSI agent! He’s gotta learn. On the job training, what better way to get his feet wet? That pathetic academy they sent us to in Georgia didn’t teach us nothin’. There’s no amount of training that prepares a person for something like this.”

  “Well you’re lucky he’s a decent shot, looks like he slowed it down enough for you to get a shot off. What did you tell the hospital staff?”

  She smiled slightly. “That we were hiking and a panther attacked us.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “A panther attack in Illinois?”

  She shrugged and sipped some water out of a straw from a cup she had on a tray next to her bed. “Not my problem, really. Gave them a fake name.”

  “And the body? Do I need to take care of it?”

  “No, Agent Estes dropped me in the ER then went straight to BSI headquarters and reported it. I guess the SAC already sent a team out to take care of it.”

  “Sounds like they are gonna be a good asset to us.”

  She nodded. “Yes, I think once they learn more about the Fae, they’re going to help us out a lot. I’m just glad I could get in with them.”