Shifter Wars (Mind Sweeper Series Book 3)

by AE Jones

  Beatrice’s eyes widened. “You can be persuasive when you need to be.”

  We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, staring at the fire and drinking. Finally Beatrice fidgeted for a moment, took a quick breath, and then went silent again, frowning.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked.

  “Kyle, don’t write Seamus off.”

  “Why do you call him Seamus when everyone else calls him Griffin?”

  “Seamus is his first name. As a sign of respect, the pack leader is called by his last name.” She grinned. “Since I’m his baby sister, I have a little leeway.”

  “And why are you pleading his case to me?”

  “As the leader, Seamus carries a huge amount of responsibility. Responsibility no one prepared him for or thought he could handle.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Have you ever heard the saying ‘the heir and a spare’?”

  “No.”

  “Seamus is the second-born son, the spare. He was never supposed to become leader. But when our older brother William died…”

  “He took over the throne.”

  “Exactly. And it wasn’t easy. William had always been the golden son who could do no wrong. It’s hard to fill those shoes.”

  “Well, Griffin appears to have no trouble bossing people around.”

  “He can be a royal pain, but he means well.”

  “Well, I’m not one of his subjects. He doesn’t get to order me around.”

  She laughed. “No, you’re not. But understand there is a reason why he’s barking at you.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “He likes you, you silly human.”

  I gawked at her, my stomach tightening. “Half the time I want to throttle him.”

  “And he you, which is part of the fun.”

  “Fun? How is it fun?” I took a sip of the rich chocolate to hide my face.

  “If you think arguing strikes sparks, think about the sex you’ll have.”

  I choked, sucking the cocoa down the wrong pipe.

  Beatrice set her mug down and thumped me on the back. “Oh, dear, I forgot how repressed you humans are.”

  I coughed for a couple more seconds, wiping the tears from my eyes. “I’m not repressed. I just don’t normally discuss my sex life, especially with a man’s sister.”

  “Don’t worry. When it happens, I won’t ask for any details.”

  “It isn’t going to happen.”

  “We’ll see.” Beatrice smiled and curled her legs underneath her. She looked like a satisfied cat, which made me wonder what her animal form was. Somehow I was sure she wouldn’t be the garden variety domestic short-hair. I had a sneaking suspicion she was of the more exotic variety that spent time in Griffin’s backyard.

  Chapter 11

  I woke up sweating. Not the glistening, pretty kind, but the dripping sweat everywhere kind; behind my knees, under my arms and pooling between my breasts. I sat up and looked out the window. The sun was just coming up. Snow swirled outside, and wind rattled the pane as if someone was trying to break in. I shook my head to clear away the fog. The dream that woke me up had been a teeth-clenching one. Was it one of Dalton’s memories?

  I closed my eyes and concentrated on images that danced just out of reach. Although they were only vestiges of the dream, they still made my heart pound in a staccato beat.

  As the vision took solid form in my head, searing pain shot from the back of my neck and black dots swam in my vision. Holy God. I clutched my neck, pressing on it as if that would stop the pain. Then Sebastian’s voice filled my ears.

  “Tell me where the Key is, Lieutenant, and the pain will stop.”

  I stammered, “I don’t have the Key.” But instead of my voice I heard Dalton’s, breathy and spiked with pain.

  “If you give me the Key, I will let you live. I might even let you share in its powers. You could help me knock those self-righteous angels off their pedestals. Would you like that?”

  “No!”

  Sebastian sighed dramatically. “I’m getting thoroughly sick of this white knight routine. If you don’t care about your own health, perhaps I should have Kyle join the party. Do you want me to do that?”

  “I don’t care what you do.” But the minute the words were out of my mouth, the pain exploded exponentially. Instead of dots, my entire field of vision went black, and I cried out.

  I could barely hear Sebastian’s next words, since the pain garbled them. “You are a bad liar, Lieutenant. I think it’s time to call your girlfriend.”

  The memory faded slowly. I drew deep breaths through my mouth so I wouldn’t throw-up. Hugging my knees to my chest, I rocked for a couple of seconds to calm myself. I had only experienced seconds of Dalton’s memory, but even that little bit was horrific. In reality, Sebastian had tortured him for hours. After a couple of minutes, once I thought my legs were strong enough, I got out of bed and stood in the shower, washing off the sweat and clearing my head.

  I couldn’t ignore these memories any longer. I needed to figure out what they meant. What the Key meant. It was time for some heavenly assistance. I had never summoned Dalton’s grandmother, but then again, I had never tried before.

  “Marie!” I waited and then bellowed again, “Marie!”

  After a few seconds, a voice answered me. “Girl, stop the caterwauling, you’ll wake up the dead.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  She chuckled as she materialized in front of me. “You have no sense of humor.”

  “Yes, I do. You’re not funny.”

  “What can I do for you this morning?”

  “I just had one of Dalton’s memories.”

  The laughter vanished from Marie’s eyes. “Oh, child. Are you okay?”

  “Yes. But I need to figure out what this Key is all about. Have you found out anything?”

  “Not really. It’s amazing to me how hush-hush everything is up there.” She huffed. “I mean, if they don’t trust us, why did they let us in to begin with?”

  I shrugged. It was a good question, but I didn’t have the answer.

  “Can you tap into any earthly type of help?” Marie asked.

  “I don’t want to bring Misha and Jean Luc into this right now.”

  “Okay…What about the priest who was helping you?”

  I gave the idea serious consideration. When the team had discovered the prophecy about the Key, Father Brown had translated enough of the lines to make it clear Dalton was the one who had absorbed it. But I had hoped to keep Father Brown out of danger as well.

  “I’m not sure it would be safe to involve Father Brown.”

  Marie drifted to the window and looked out at the snow. “Maybe it’s not supposed to be safe for him.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Didn’t you try to erase his memory last summer to protect him and you couldn’t do it?”

  I gaped at her. “How did you know?”

  “I was spying on you, dear.”

  “No wonder they don’t trust you in heaven.”

  “Pffft. I already told you I was worried about you after you erased Joe’s memory. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to do anything stupid. Now, back to Father Brown. Maybe the reason you couldn’t erase his memory is because you weren’t supposed to. He could be an important piece in this Key puzzle.”

  I couldn’t fault her logic. “Maybe…”

  “I think you should go see him. Find out if he was able to translate more of the prophecy after you ran away.”

  I growled, “I didn’t run away.”

  “Whatever you say. Call me if you need anything, just not so loudly next time.”

  Before I could muster a retort, she faded away. So not fair.

  * * *

  I had the cab drop me off in front of Gesu Church. Father Brown normally celebrated morning mass at seven a.m., and I was more than late. A few people were walking out of the church as I was going in.

  Father Brown s
tood at the back of church shaking hands. He resembled Jimmy Stewart—tall and lanky, with kind eyes and a voice that somehow sounded like a Norman Rockwell painting.

  I stayed back until the small crowd dispersed. When he turned toward me, his eyes flared in recognition, but he kept his cool. I had told him never to acknowledge me in public, because I felt he’d be safer if the supernatural community believed I had erased his memory of last year’s events.

  “Can I help you, miss?”

  “Do you have time to hear my confession, Father?”

  “Of course. Come this way.”

  I followed him to the back of the church, and he pointed to a door. “Wait in there while I change out of my vestments.”

  I stepped into a room without a window. It held two chairs and a small table with a Bible and rosary. After another minute, Father Brown walked in. He wore black pants and his shirt with the priest’s collar. He closed the door and flipped a switch on the wall. I raised my eyebrow in question.

  “It turns on a light outside the room to let people know the confessional is occupied.” He smiled at me. “How are you doing, Kyle?”

  “Better. I’m sorry to just show up, Father.”

  He gestured to the seats, and we both sat down.

  “No problem. When did you get back into town?”

  “How did you know I was gone?”

  He shrugged. “I have my ways. I have a number of parishioners in Little Italy.”

  I frowned at him. “You have to be careful.”

  “I never brought up your name. I just asked a couple of questions about your apartment building and several of your neighbors mentioned you had moved out and a young man was living in your apartment now.”

  Before I could admonish him again, he patted my hand. “I was worried about you.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was leaving. I wasn’t exactly in my right mind. I just needed some time on my own.”

  He nodded. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

  “No, which is why I’m here today. Have you been able to interpret any more of the Key prophecy?”

  His forehead crinkled. “Is Lieutenant Dalton in some kind of trouble?”

  I hesitated for a second. I had not told him I absorbed Dalton’s memories and, therefore, I might also have absorbed this mythical Key. “No, he’s fine. But I need to understand what the Key does.”

  He reached for his chest pocket and produced a small black book. He flipped through the pages until he found a folded piece of paper.

  “You carry it with you?” I couldn’t hide my surprise.

  “I don’t know where else to hide it. I keep it in my book of scriptures. Couldn’t think of a safer place.” He unfolded the paper and set it on the table between us. “When we last met, I had translated the first stanza and part of the second.” He read the stanzas out loud as a reminder.

  “‘Evil thrives amongst us

  Angels descend, preparing for battle

  Key of Knowledge in hand

  With it the tides turn

  And light will triumph.

  “‘The war will be long

  And fraught with treachery

  Lives will be lost

  And the Key will change hands’”

  When he finished I looked at him to continue. “And…”

  “And I have been able to interpret the last two lines of the second stanza.”

  My breath left me in a rush. I closed my eyes and he continued.

  “‘Only the true keeper will

  Save us from annihilation.’”

  After a moment of silence, I opened my eyes and found Father Brown staring at me. “Does any of it make sense to you?

  “Maybe. I don’t know for sure. What about the third stanza?”

  “Not yet. My prayers have not been answered.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I had been working on the translation of that second stanza for months and finally decided to pray that my eyes would be opened. Two nights later, the words came to me in a dream.”

  I swallowed. Who was I to doubt a dream? “Keep praying, Father.”

  Chapter 12

  I had just gotten back from my visit with Father Brown when Jason called. He was picking me up early since he had errands he needed to take care of before we went to the body shop. So I dressed in a pair of jeans, a black sweater, plus the black work boots I normally wore when working. Even in the summer they came in handy for those calls where slime or supe body parts were involved. This job was definitely not an open-toed shoes gig.

  I climbed into the cab of Jason’s truck, which was thankfully warm, and handed him a traveler’s mug of coffee.

  “Thanks.” He took a sip.

  “No problem. Where to now?”

  “I have to drop off some case evidence at the facility and then sort through some files.”

  My stomach dropped. “Oh. Will Doc be there?”

  He looked at me before starting the truck. “I don’t know. Is there a problem?”

  “No, no problem.” No problem…other than I had not spoken to Doc since I ran off without a word last August. Doctor Sabrina Miller was the only real female friend I had, and by now she was probably mightily pissed at me. Not that I could blame her. I was in for an earful when we did come face to face.

  We drove through a warehouse district to an abandoned-looking area. Which was the way the team liked it. We had even gone so far as to post biohazard signs to keep people from snooping around our storage facility. When Jason drove into the back bay area and it was empty of cars, I let out a sigh of relief.

  He picked up a box from the back of the cab, and we walked through the storage area where we housed anything supernatural that popped up in our cases.

  “What’s in the box?” I asked.

  “A dagger infused with demon’s blood, a couple of deactivated energy bombs some demon twins made for their school science project, and a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels.”

  “Chocolate-covered pretzels?”

  Jason didn’t answer me as we walked up to the lab door. Instead, he typed in a series of numbers on the touchpad and the door slid open. I always loved that. Misha said it reminded him of Star Trek. The lab looked much the same. Beakers, microscopes, empty—thank goodness—autopsy tables. We stepped in, and he set the box down.

  “So what’s the deal with the pretzels?”

  He sighed and turned to me. “They’re for Doc.”

  I smirked. “Really?”

  Jason’s face flushed slightly. “Yes, really. Sabrina likes them, and I owe her for sewing me up after those vamps attacked me last summer.”

  It was one of those memories I wished I could forget. “True. But I would think you would have paid her back by now.”

  He avoided eye contact. “Well she saved my life. I think I may need to keep her in chocolate for the next few years.” He picked up the box. “I’m going in the back to look through the files and shelve these. You okay up here?”

  “Sure.”

  I sat down and closed my eyes for a second. I was slipping too easily into my old routine, and I didn’t like it. There were people I would have to face sooner or later, including Nicholas, my old boss, and Sabrina. Would Sabrina forgive me for taking off?

  I took out my phone and searched the web…Thomas Wilson, Key of Knowledge, Joe Dalton…my OCD trifecta. Nothing new appeared.

  My search was interrupted when the lab door swished open. “That didn’t take you long.”

  I turned. It wasn’t Jason.

  Sabrina was one of the most beautiful women I have ever met. She reminded me of a Swedish supermodel, which made sense since she was a Succubus demon. Right now, she was a beautiful and mad woman. I stood up and shoved my phone into my pocket.

  “Doc. It’s good to see you.”

  “Kyle.” It was the extent of her response. She stared at me.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” She hung her coat on the
hook next to the door.

  She wasn’t going to make this easy, but I didn’t expect her to. “For running off and not saying goodbye or contacting you in the last six months.”

  “You don’t owe me anything.”

  Ouch. “All right, Sabrina. Lay into me, already. This cold shoulder routine isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

  She walked over and dropped her purse on the chair. “You’re right.” And then she grabbed me and yanked me into her arms. I gasped. Sabrina and I were not touchy-feely by any stretch of the imagination, but I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed hard. My throat closed while tears threatened to fall. I pushed back from her and smiled, blinking back the moisture.

  She smiled back. “Stupid bitch. Don’t ever do it again.”

  “Okay, I deserved that one.”

  “Let’s go in the back and sit down for a couple of minutes.” I followed her down the hall into her office. We both sat on the couch. “So how are you doing?”

  “I’m better,” I said.

  “I’m sorry about Joe.”

  “I’m just happy he’s well now.”

  Sabrina leaned forward. “If I had known what was going to happen, I would have never pushed you toward him.”

  “Don’t. None of us could have known. Yeah, he doesn’t remember me, but the alternative was worse.”

  “So Misha got you to come back, huh?”

  “You knew I was back?”

  “Yeah.”

  I cringed. “Sorry I didn’t call you right away. I was being a chickenshit.”

  She grinned. “Glad you said it so I didn’t have to. Have you found out anything about this case yet?”

  “We’re investigating the body shop where the poacher who kidnapped Trina worked. So far we don’t have much.”

  “I heard the transport got hairy the other night. Was anybody hurt?”

  “They used some kind of sound gun which incapacitated the shifters, but the effects were temporary. And Jason got banged up a bit.”

  Her eyes sharpened. “Is he okay?”

  “Yeah. He had to get a few stitches on his face, but he’s fine.”