“It would be easy enough for it to travel around the town via the forest, since three sides are up to it,” Caitlin said.
“Well, I don’t intend to be its main course. If Danielle was the appetizer, I’m not interested in being the entrée. I value my guts. My innards give me the ability to stay alive. Without them, I’m not much use to anyone.”
We gathered up our equipment and, once again, were on the road to my house. This time we brought all our cars.
I was tired of being the subject of interest. Boring wasn’t bad. Boring could be really comfortable, given the option to being stalked by some carnivorous monster who liked to disembowel people.
Once we arrived, I took them around to the backyard, where I showed them the marks.
Hank took some measurements and nodded. “This fits the profile of the tree in Danielle’s yard. Do you think it’s hiding in the Mystic Wood?”
I nodded. “Yes, something dark has come to the wood, that imp told me. I’m pretty sure she’s talking about the Whatcom Devil. So if it’s moving through the town via the woodland, we have to put a stop to it. It’s a proven killer. If this were out in the wilds, I’d be tempted to let it alone. We’d have one hell of a time tracking it down there, but the Whatcom Devil seems to be settling into Moonshadow Bay. We can’t afford to let it roam.”
“What the hell do you think would kill it?” Tad asked.
Hank frowned. “From all my reports, nobody’s really tried to kill it. But then again, almost all of the reports concern deceased victims. And the few who have gone hunting for it either escaped with their lives or just never managed to track it down. Since it’s a very physical creature, I’m wondering—guns?”
“Maybe,” Caitlin said. “But what if we need silver to kill it? So many demons and devils seem to require silver to even affect them.”
I frowned, staring at the table. “Silver bullets? That would take care of two things at one time. Does anybody even have any silver bullets? Let me call Rowan. She might know.”
As I led them back to the porch where we gathered around the table, Rowan answered the phone.
“And how are you this breezy morning?” Rowan asked. “Can you smell the apples on the trees, and the pumpkins ripening in the patches?” She sounded cheery, which took me aback. I was used to her particular brand of brusqueness.
“We’re discussing the Whatcom Devil. I was wondering, do you know anything about it, and do you know where we might find some silver bullets?”
She snorted. “You aren’t hunting vampires or werewolves, you know.”
Werewolves were quite different than wolf shifters. The lycan virus was very real and most of the humans bitten by a lycanthrope—or werewolf in general parlance—ended up dead. The ones who survived were doomed to a twisted existence, changing without choice on every full moon, in a painful parody of true shifters.
Instead of changing into an animal, they turned into a demented beast, losing all sense of themselves while they were in werewolf form. Most of them had to either be committed and watched over carefully, or put down, because the disease gradually destroyed their minds and left them a shell of their original selves.
“No, but we thought perhaps the devil might be susceptible to silver like werewolves and vampires.” I held my breath, hoping she’d have some insight on the subject.
“The trouble is, just because somebody dubbed it a devil, doesn’t mean it is. It’s dangerous, all right, but it may not have any connection to the Underworld. Since it’s physical—or at least when it attacks—a gun may be your best bet. But I wouldn’t count on it 100 percent. Take along some sort of back-up weapon. A stun gun that you can set to kill, or if any of you can handle it, a sword.” She paused, then said, “I need to run, but call me later and let me know how everything works out.”
I said good-bye and relayed her message, turning to Caitlin. “I wish Ari’s friend Peggin was here. She’s a sure shot, from what I understand. I’ve taken target lessons, but I haven’t held a gun in a few years. Do you know how to shoot?”
Caitlin nodded. “Yeah, I learned early. My family is…was…intent on everyone knowing how to pull their weight should an apocalypse arrive. They’re not exactly conservative, politically, but survivalists? You bet. I know how to hunt and forage with the best of them. And though I don’t make it common knowledge, I have a couple guns. I can run home and get them.”
“Are they powerful enough to take care of the devil?” Tad asked, staring at her with open admiration. I knew that Tad had a thing for Caitlin, and I knew she had a thing for him, but neither had acted on it yet.
Caitlin nodded. “I have a Winchester SXP pump-action shotgun. It can bring down a grizzly with the right ammo, which I happen to have. It’s overkill for most of the creatures around here, but I keep it in case I decide to take a trip to Alaska, which I’ve been thinking about for a while. I wanted to go backpacking through the wild up there, and I sure as hell wouldn’t do it without a reliable shotgun.”
I stared at her. Caitlin could handle herself, that was for sure. “I don’t know my guns very well, but if it can bring down a grizzly, it can probably bring down this thing. I don’t have a sword, but I have a couple daggers. I’m not trained in fighting with them, though. Actually, when I think about it, the most I’ve ever learned in self-defense is to fight dirty—street fighting, whatever I can think of to get away from an attacker. I’ve shot a gun before, but only a handgun and not in a while.”
Tad sighed. “Caitlin, go get your gun and ammo.” He turned to Hank. “What about you, what have you got?”
“I’m a martial arts expert. I’ve got black belts in judo and karate. I’m also really good with nunchaku. I have a set made of ironwood, and I can bring down an opponent twice my size and weight with them. I’ll drop over to my apartment and pick them up.” He smiled. “It would be good to get a chance to use them again. I can’t use them against most training partners—one wrong move and I could kill them.”
Tad glanced at me. “I think you and I are the unarmed part of our force. Regardless of what Rowan said, maybe we should carry some silver on our persons?” He paused. “Now, we need to draw out the devil.”
“I think Rebecca might take us to him,” I said. “She doesn’t like him in the woods. If we offered to take care of him, I think she might cooperate.”
“Do you think you can contact her?” Tad asked.
I nodded. “I think she’ll come if I call her out.”
Caitlin and Hank headed home to pick up their weapons. “We’ll be here when you get back,” I said. As they left, Tad and I stretched out in the living room, him on the sofa and me in the rocking chair. Before I knew what was going on, he was waking me up.
“January, they’re on the way back. I just got a call from Caitlin.” He shook my shoulder. “We must have dozed off.”
“Yeah. That happens a lot in my house when people feel safe.” I stood, stretching as I yawned. “Okay, let’s get ready.” We decided to wait on the back porch. I left a note on the front door and then we stepped out into the chill of autumn.
The day was overcast, with clear patches of sky. The wind was gusting twenty miles an hour, sending a bracing chill racing through the air. I shivered as we stepped out on the back porch. It made me feel alive.
“I love autumn,” I said.
“So do I.” Tad joined me at the table on the back porch. “I love your house. You have the best backyard.”
“Yeah, actually, I have to say I do. Especially on days like today.” I paused, then said, “Tad, have you thought of asking Caitlin out? I know you like her.”
He frowned, glancing at me. “Why do you think that?”
“Because I can see between the lines. I’ve sensed something between the two of you since I first came to work. She’s no longer engaged, so there shouldn’t be anything to stop you.”
Tad was silent for a moment, then said, “Actually, there is something to stop me. I’m her boss. The who
le situation is fraught with potential bombs. I never want her to think I’m trying to take advantage of her. And if we broke up, things would be incredibly uncomfortable.”
I wanted to argue with him, but the fact was, he was right. I turned as a noise echoed from the kitchen. It was Caitlin, and Hank wasn’t far behind her.
“Do you realize how different the house feels?” Hank said.
“Oh yes, I definitely do.” I glanced into the kitchen. Everything was in its place, and I could sense no other presences in the house save for Esmara, who was watching over my shoulder.
Is it truly safe? I asked her.
She laughed. Yes, it’s safe now. Your home is once again your home. But the creature you seek is, indeed, out in the Mystic Wood, not far from here. It must have sensed the mark you wear from the shadow man, and targeted you because of that. That mark makes you far more vulnerable than other people. It signals you are desirable prey. The mark from Druantia may help deflect some of those eyeing you, but you carry a permanent target on your back.
I sighed. That didn’t surprise me. But at least I knew that the Whatcom Devil was where we thought he might be. I turned to Tad.
“The devil is out in the Mystic Wood. Don’t ask how, but I know.”
He laughed, sprawling on the sofa. “It wouldn’t have to do with the spirit I sense hovering around you, would it?”
I rolled my eyes. I had forgot that, even though he was human, Tad was extremely psychic on his own right. “All right, I don’t know if I’ve talked about her before, but my spiritual guardian is my great-aunt Esmara. In our family—from my maternal side—the women who have passed over guard those of us still around. They take us to task, smack us upside the head when needed, and give advice when they can. We call them our Ladies.”
“So if you had a daughter—”
“Yes, if I had a daughter, one of the Ladies would be chosen to watch over her. But that’s not going to happen. I’m not a maternal woman, Tad, and if I had wanted a child, I’d have chosen to have them while I was in my twenties or thirties.”
He snorted. “Well, I hope you’re doing something about it. You’re not out of the fertility zone yet, I assume.”
I waved off his comment. “Of course I’m taking care of it. No little accidents for me. And thank gods, Killian’s on the same page.” I paused, then asked, “Do you ever want children?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, to be honest. No way am I ready to be a father at this age. Maybe I’ll change my mind later, but I’m not worried about it.”
I glanced over at Caitlin. She was standing, her shotgun propped against her shoulder. Hank carried a cloth bag about eighteen inches in length. He slid a pair of nunchakus out of it. They were about a foot and a half long, and as he handed them to me, their weight and hardness surprised me. A good hit on the head could spell good-bye for a lot of people, and hopefully our devil.
“Well, we have weapons,” Tad said.
“I’m going to bring a knife,” I said. “Come on.”
I opened the back door, heading toward the library. My father had owned a bowie knife, with a twelve-inch blade. I got it from the armoire that he had kept it in, and I clipped the sheath to my belt. I also grabbed the switchblade that was next to it. I wasn’t sure who it had belonged to, but Tad might be able to use it. As I returned to the living room and handed him the blade, he shook his head, but took it.
“I’m not very good with blades, but this looks like it might come in handy if we need it.” He fumbled with it until he knew how to work it, then closed it and slid it in his pocket. “Hank, once we take care of the devil, I’m going to take you up on your offer to teach me judo. I think it would be good if we all learned.” He glanced around. “What else should we take with us?”
I motioned for them to follow me into the utility room. “I have some rope that might come in handy. And we should take flashlights. It’s daylight but you never know whether we’re going to be encountering a cave or whether we’ll still be out there come evening. I think…also, water would be good. And I have a hatchet. That might come in handy.”
Hank took the hatchet, which had its own sheath, and he fastened it to his belt. He also took the rope, coiling it up and attaching it to the other side of his belt. I found a first-aid kit and tossed it into a small tote. Even though we were near my house, if one of us ended up with a minor injury, we wouldn’t have to return all the way back to the house.
“I guess that’s all I can think of,” I said.
“I brought some silver chain from the office,” Hank said, holding it up.
“Okay, then, let’s get out there. Leave whatever you don’t want to lose in the house. It will be safe now.” As I led them back to the porch, I couldn’t help but think about the autumn. It was shaping up to be fraught with activity, and I had the feeling we were going to be inundated.
Chapter Seventeen
The wind had risen even more and it was blowing up a storm. Ozone crackled in the air, which meant lightning and thunder. I glanced at the sky, trying to gauge how far away it might be, but couldn’t get a clear grasp on just where the storm was right now.
“Smell that? Thunderstorm weather,” Caitlin said.
“Yeah, let’s just hope the downpour holds off until we’re done.” I closed my eyes. “At least we’ll have rain with it.” The moisture was hanging thick in the air, so much that it felt like we were breathing underwater.
“At least we’ll be under cover of the trees and not as likely to be struck by lightning,” Tad said. He pointed to the remains of my vegetable garden. “You had some good crops this year. I loved the tomatoes and zucchini you brought to the office. Dare I hope you’ll be growing more next year?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I will. Hey, we should go out to a pumpkin patch soon and pick out pumpkins! Killian and Ari would be up for it, I know that much.”
“That would be fun,” Caitlin said. She had her rifle slung over her shoulder on a strap, and a belt full of ammo. Watching her, I was starting to get a good sense of how she had grown up. She seemed comfortable carrying the gun, striding into the forest, and it made me wonder if all shifters had that side to them. But then again, some shifters were born to the cities—especially rat shifters and the like. They were innately connected with the city streets, and often made good lawyers and stockbrokers.
There were shifters of all kinds—though some species had far less of a population. And that thought made me jump to whether anybody had ever written a book on the differing shifter cultures. Each one was unique, and the innate traits were bred into their DNA.
As we approached the tree line leading into the Mystic Wood, I took a deep breath and held up my hand. “Let me see if I can coax Rebecca out,” I said.
They stood back as I walked up to the trailhead leading into the wood. “Rebecca? Are you around? Please don’t be frightened. I’d like to talk to you, if you wouldn’t mind.”
I waited, brushing my hair back as the wind whipped it around my face. After a moment, I started to call her again but a movement behind one of the huckleberry bushes stopped me. I waited. I could feel the presence of someone there and I hoped to hell it wasn’t the Whatcom Devil because I was too close to it for Caitlin to take aim. But after a pause that seemed to stretch out forever, Rebecca stepped out of the bushes.
She glanced beyond me to the others. “You brought friends.”
“I did. We wanted to ask for your help.”
Her eyes narrowed and that “little girl” look vanished. She snorted. “Why should I help you?”
“Because we’re hunting down that dangerous creature you told me about. We know what it is and we’re going to attempt to get rid of it. You see that gun that my friend is carrying? It can take down a grizzly and we’re pretty sure it can take down the Whatcom Devil as well. That’s what this creature is called. It’s already killed at least one woman in the town, and now it’s latched onto me. So it’s going to be prowling around out here with th
e rest of you, and I’m pretty certain it wouldn’t be above considering a nice young imp as an appetizer.” I placed my hands on my hips and stared at her, waiting.
She cleared her throat. “What do you want me to do?”
“Just tell us where to find it. If you can sense it, lead us in that direction.”
Rebecca shrugged. “All right. But if I do, then you owe me.”
“What do you want?” I dreaded hearing her request. I wasn’t about to hand over a child. Considering she had tried to lure me in when I was young, I had a feeling she wasn’t too picky about what she snacked on.
“Ribs. They smelled so good last time you were barbecuing. I want a huge slab of barbecued ribs. Pork. I prefer pork.” She squinted at me. “And roasted potatoes.”
I suppressed a laugh. That a demon was asking me for some of Killian’s special ribs seemed almost ludicrous, but it was a welcome relief.
“Get us there before dark and I’ll give you two slabs.”
“Deal,” she said, holding out her hand.
And we shook on it.
The forest was unusually quiet as we entered the shade of the canopy. I could hear some birds, but they sounded wary—almost hesitant. There was a feel to the Mystic Wood when danger was near. While I had only been back in Moonshadow Bay for nine months, I was falling back into the rhythm of the land around the bay.
Each day, I felt like I was being reabsorbed by the town, and I couldn’t for the life of me think of why I had ever wanted to move away. Maybe it had been because of Ellison, or maybe it had been that restless nature of youth, but whatever urge had spurred me onto Seattle was gone and I finally felt like I could sink my roots deep into the town and call it my own.
Sometimes, you need to leave in order to know you want to come home, Esmara said.
I suppose so. Is that why you waited so long to come to me?
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