Warlock Unbound: Heart's Desire, Book 4

by Dana Marie Bell

  “More?” She looked down and grimaced. “Shit. How many?”

  “From what Lillian told me, we have eight total missing.” Daniel’s head fell back wearily. “I can’t believe this. Eight. How did he get them?”

  “He’s been quiet, right?” Daniel frowned, looking confused, so Kerry tried to make her meaning clearer. “I mean, first you got Davis, then Hugh made himself known. Now Arthur pops up, and suddenly there are women dead and or missing. What does that tell you?”

  Daniel sat up. “He’s been working on whatever this is since Zach threw him in the river.”

  She nodded. “It makes sense, doesn’t it?”

  His golden eyes turned brighter, his wolf staring at her from Daniel’s face. “You’ll learn from Genevieve how to use your magic.”

  Well. That was a step up from grunt growl you stay safe grunt. “I am. I mean, I will.” She held her hand out to him. “And I’ll fry his ass if he tries to get to me.”

  “Good.” That golden color eased, toned down, back to his normal, human color. “Good.” He took her hand and raised it to his lips, brushing them over her knuckles. “Nothing can happen to you.”

  “I’ll try and make sure not to become demon food.” Kerry pulled her hand free. “We need to figure out who the next victim is. If we can do that, then we might be able to stop him.”

  “So we start looking for whatever ties them together.” Daniel got up and grabbed two sodas, handing her one when he sat back down. “We can—” His phone pinged and he reached for it. “Lillian sent me the pictures of the missing women.” He stood, taking his soda. “I’ll go print them out. Hopefully she got me more than the images.”

  “I’ll start making notes on the women we already know about.” Kerry smiled as Daniel walked past her, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. He couldn’t be near her without touching her in some way, and she was finding she liked that much more than she’d thought possible. She’d thought such affection would be stifling, but with Daniel it made her feel important, loved.

  Loved. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Neither of them had said the words, so she wasn’t sure exactly how Daniel felt. She knew the attraction had always been there, fast and brutal, driving them both insane with the need to be near one another, but time and time again he’d driven her away. Now that he’d given in to the desire, she couldn’t imagine her life without him in it.

  She shook her head. Daniel’s feelings weren’t what she should be concentrating on. She needed to work on the missing women. She drew a chart on the paper, noting which ones had links to council members, which ones were from the same area, and which ones had the same hair and eye color.

  While she was writing, Daniel returned. “I’ve got Lillian’s list.” He put the printouts on the table and sat across from her once more. He picked one up and handed it to her. “Gwen Nelson, twenty-eight, worked as an electrician for a company owned by Counselor Adam Mitchell. Blonde, blue eyed.” He picked up a second one. “Donna Page, blonde, blue eyed, twenty-four years old. She worked in the gift shop.” The third page, the third woman who was probably already dead. “Myra Burton, twenty-six, was the only one who was a wife and mother. She worked for the same company Gwen Nelson did, taking appointments for the electricians. Also blonde and blue eyed.” The last photo he picked up shook slightly. “Janet Hoffman, twenty-five, worked three blocks over in a clothing store owned by Counselor Rachel Jones.”

  “Also blonde and blue eyed.” She checked each of them off. “All of them except the one we couldn’t identify had connections to the Council.”

  “And had the same hair and eye color as you.” His eyes were gold, and his nails had become the black claws of his wolf.

  She had to think of some way to distract him or he’d try and wrap her in a giant ball of bubble wrap and duct tape her to one of the walls in his apartment. “What else? There has to be something beyond this. There are a bunch of blonde, blue-eyed women who are in some way connected to the Council. Why these eight?”

  He blinked, his claws receding, but his eyes remaining blindingly gold. “Easy prey?”

  “Maybe, for the ones who had steady nine-to-fives, but the coffee shop worker, the electrician, the clothing shop worker? Odds are good their work hours varied from day to day.”

  “Crimes of opportunity, then?” Daniel shook his head. “No. I think he researched these victims. He must have to know of their connections to the council.”

  “If he’s going after another victim, they’ll be blonde and blue eyed, between twenty and thirty, and somehow connected to the council.”

  “Wait right here. I’m going to grab the Registry.” Daniel got up from the table and started toward his workroom.

  “The what?” Kerry followed. She was fascinated by Daniel’s workroom. Everything was neatly in its place. Small items, like gemstones and runes, were in an apothecary’s cabinet, while larger items were in cabinets or chests. Each drawer or door had a carefully printed label on the front, with a list of items inside.

  A hand grazed her hip as Daniel moved around her, pulling a large, leather-bound book off the bookshelf. “This is the Registry of Wizards, Witches and Warlocks, the book of lineage for all of us who use magic. Maybe we can find the next victim in there.”

  Kerry leaned close as Daniel placed it on the table. “Am I in there?”

  Daniel smiled and flipped to the pages marked Warlock. “See here? Andrews, Kerry. Warlock, unbound.” He frowned. “Unbound. Huh. Never seen that before.”

  “What does it mean?”

  “I think it has to do with the way your magic was unlocked. When we removed the hex, we, well, unbound you.” He shrugged, looking aggravated as she began to laugh. “What the hell do I know? It’s what the book says.”

  She giggled. “You guys are my magical enema.”

  He glared at her. “Not funny.”

  “My probiotic cherry yogurt.” She gasped, still giggling. “You guys popped my cherry.”

  He growled and pulled her close. “You scared the fuck out of me that day. I thought you were going to die.” Daniel’s arms tightened so much she could barely breathe. “I almost lost you.”

  Kerry put her head on her mate’s chest. “But you didn’t. I’m here, and I want to kick Arthur’s ass for what he’s done to us.”

  His grip didn’t change. He was clutching at her like a man in pain, his nose buried in her hair as he breathed deep. Perhaps it was the wolf in him, but scenting her, holding her seemed to calm him.

  “I’m okay.” She wrapped her arms around his waist. “In fact, I’m better than okay. You’re here. I know you won’t let anything happen to me.”

  “Damn straight.” For one brief moment he hugged her so tightly she thought her ribs might crack, but then he eased his hold on her. He pulled back, his hands on her hips, his eyes pure, shining gold. “I can’t…” He took a deep breath as agony overcame his features. His gaze wasn’t on her, but the pictures of the women who had been slaughtered. “I can’t lose you.”

  She smiled. Perhaps there was love there, after all.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Daniel managed to get himself back under control, but barely. He kept picturing Kerry’s face in the place of the victims, screaming as Arthur stole her life, and her soul.

  “Kiss me, you fool.”

  He started, his gaze ripped away from the images of the victims to the image of Kerry, her lips puckered up and her eyes squinted closed. The woman was going to drive him insane.

  He pecked her lips and stepped away, waiting for her reaction.

  She stood there for a moment before one eye opened. “That’s it?”

  He chuckled. She was trying to speak through puckered lips, the sound garbled and muted. “I tell you what. Let’s finish here and then I’ll kiss you all night long.”

  Her eyes opened. “Promise?”
<
br />   Damn. Daniel’s cock went rock hard from just one sultry look from those pretty blue eyes of hers. “Promise.”

  She stared at the table, the heat dissipating. She stepped around him and picked up the pictures. “Then I guess we should get back to work.”

  He nodded, turning once more to the book. It was still open to Kerry’s entry, and one word caught his eye above all others: Godwin. He read the entry, swearing under his breath. “You’re related to the Godwins.” He pointed out the lineage, where one of the Godwins married a mundane. One of their children married a mundane, and so on until that particular line’s magic was all but buried.

  “Well. That explains a lot. I have magic because I come from a line of wizards and warlocks.” She tilted her head as though a thought struck her. “What about the others? Do they have Godwin blood?”

  “Good question.” Daniel rifled through the Registry, stopping with the first entry, that of Myra Burton. Already the word deceased had been added to her entry. He scanned all the way down her lineage, turning three pages before he found the end. “Nope. No Godwins in her line.”

  Kerry made a note on her pad. “Next is Janet Hoffman, worked for a clothing store owned by Councilor Jones.”

  Daniel opened her page, scanning the lineage. “Yes. She’s got Godwin blood. And it’s recent.” He pointed at Janet Hoffman’s grandmother, Liza Godwin. “Liza Godwin is the aunt of Vivian Godwin.”

  A check went next to Janet’s name. “Debra Mason, coffee shop employee.”

  “A Godwin, but way back in her ancestry, almost as far as yours.” Kerry was on to something here. “Let’s keep looking. I think you may be right about the Godwin connection.”

  “But what about Myra Burton? She has no Godwin connections.”

  “Not in her bloodline, but what if she was connected in some other way?” Daniel would have to ask Mac if he knew anything about young Myra.

  “Like dating or engaged to a Godwin?”

  He stared at her, smiling. “God, you’re so smart.”

  She preened under the praise, her cheeks turning pink. “It wasn’t that big a leap.”

  “But not one I would have made. I would have looked for some secret connection, like the victim working with Arthur for some reason or another, only to be betrayed.”

  “That’s equally valid. We should look into both possibilities.” Kerry tapped the Registry. “Next is Casey McCoy. Her parents worked for Councilor Padilla.”

  “Nope. No Godwin blood.”

  Kerry made a note on her notepad. “Gwen Nelson, electrician, worked for a company owned by Councilor Mitchell.”

  He shook his head, doubt rearing in his mind. “No Godwin blood.”

  “Hmm.” Kerry made a note. “Last one. Donna Page, worked in the gift shop downstairs.”

  He flipped to the last victim’s page. “Yes, there’s Godwin blood, and recent. Priscilla Godwin was her great-grandmother.”

  “So that leaves us with four victims with Godwin blood, and four without.” He leaned back, tapping his fingers on the work table. “If we’re right and the ones without Godwin blood still had connections to the Godwins, then…” He shook his head, trying to connect the dots.

  “How do we find out? These are so-called ‘lower court’ women.” Kerry made a face. “I doubt anyone here knows who they were dating.”

  “They definitely wouldn’t know if any of the victims was in cahoots with Arthur.” Daniel walked to his desk, where he researched his spells, and sat. He gestured for Kerry to join him.

  She did, sitting on his lap with an ease that made his wolf grumble in satisfaction. The rumbling half whine, half growl rumbled out of him, pleasing them both.

  Kerry stared at him for a moment before wrapping her arms around his neck. “So how do we do this?”

  He rubbed a hand along her thigh, the touch casual rather than sensual. “We could start with Mac. He might have some ideas.”

  “We could also talk to the families. They might know something we don’t.” She put her head on his shoulder. “We could say that the king is looking into the disappearances. That might open some doors we couldn’t normally open.”

  “Good idea.” He leaned forward, careful not to dislodge his mate, and grabbed for his desk phone. This phone was internal to the building only, and would connect him with Gareth, Mac, or the Council, depending on which buttons he pressed.

  He called Gareth. “We have some info on the missing girls.”

  “Gen and I are on our way.”

  In typical Gareth fashion, he hung up without a good-bye. “You hear that?”

  “Mm-hm.”

  He could almost hear the gears turning. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m a Godwin.”

  He tensed. “And you have blonde hair and blue eyes.”

  She nodded, shivering slightly. She jumped when Gareth walked into the room, followed by Gen.

  Daniel, irritated at the interruption, glared at his brother. “Don’t you know how to knock?”

  Gareth shrugged and settled his ass right on Daniel’s work table. “Sure, but it’s good to be the king.” He grinned, winking at Kerry. “So. What did you find out?”

  Kerry stood to allow Daniel up. “Four of the victims have Godwin blood.”

  “And we want to find out if the other four had ties to the Godwins, but we’re not sure how.”

  Gen held out her hand. “Show me the list.”

  Kerry handed it over, and Gen read it, nodding at times. When Gen was done she handed the list back to Kerry. “All right. Here’s what I can fill in. As far as I know, Myra Burton has been dating my cousin, Reggie, since high school. Rumor has it there was going to be a wedding next year.”

  “So that’s one,” Daniel sighed.

  Kerry marked it on her list. “What about Casey McCoy?”

  Gen slowly shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  “And Gwen Nelson?” Kerry stood, pen poised over paper, ready to make a mark.

  Gen’s brows furrowed. “I believe Gwen and Alicia Godwin were dating, but it was sort of hush-hush as Ali’s parents didn’t approve of their daughter being gay. I’m not certain if they were still together at the time of Gwen’s disappearance.”

  “So that’s almost all of them, except for the one we couldn’t identify.” And that one continued to haunt Daniel. “You think one of the older council members might know her?”

  “It’s possible, but they’re not exactly speaking to us right now.” Gareth rubbed his chin. “I could order them to answer, but I will more than likely get a run-around rather than the truth.”

  “Then we assume there’s a connection to the Godwins with all of the victims, no matter what.” Gen stared at the Registry, biting her lip. “We could also comb through the Registry and see if any recently deceased wizards match up with our victims physically.”

  “It will take a while, but it’s definitely an idea.” Daniel stood. “I’ll deal with that.”

  “Thanks, bro.” Gareth clapped Daniel on the shoulder. “I love it when one of you takes one for the team.”

  Daniel knew better. “In other words, you’re thrilled you don’t have to do it.”

  “Exactly.” Again, that huge Gareth grin appeared. Gareth stood, reaching for Gen. “In the meantime, we’re going to scry one last time for the victim’s name.”

  Kerry nodded, already flipping through the Registry. “We’ll make a list of those who match and see if we come up with the same name.”

  Gareth looked at Daniel, but Daniel merely shrugged. His mate was a nurse, a scientist as far as he was concerned. If she wanted to cross her t’s and dot her i’s he wasn’t about to stop her. If anything, it would allow them to show irrefutable proof as to who the missing woman was.

  She was flipping through, muttering to herself, but her pen neve
r touched paper until she was nearly through the wizards.

  “Irene Thomas, blonde, blue eyed, age twenty-two, a Godwin by blood, deceased.” Kerry looked up. “She’s the only one so far who fits the profile.”

  “Keep checking, just to be sure.” Daniel rubbed his hand down Kerry’s back as she leaned over the book once more.

  After a few moments of nothing but the sound of pages being flipped, Kerry shook her head. “She’s the only one.”

  “Then she has to be our unknown victim.” Daniel stared at Gareth. “Four with Godwin blood, four connected to the Godwins in some fashion.”

  “He’s killing his own. But why?”

  Gen stepped forward, the Own shivering as she clung to Gareth. “I think I know.”

  Before Gen could tell them, Kerry’s cell phone rang. “It’s my sister.” She waved her hand toward the workroom door. “I’ll take it out there. You guys keep working in here.” She absently kissed Daniel’s cheek and sashayed out, the phone to her ear. “Hi, Kelly!”

  Daniel smiled as he watched her shut the door behind her.

  “Your mating is going well?”

  He pulled his attention away from whatever his mate might be doing back to his brother. Gareth was holding Gen tight, her reaction to finding out all of the victims were associated with the Godwins all too obvious. She was pale, still trembling as she wrapped her arms around Gareth.

  “So far, so good. We still have to complete the mating.” And when they did, he would whisper the words that would place the shadow wolf on her shoulder, marking her as his. “Now.” He focused on Gen. “Tell us what you know.”

  She flinched. “It’s just a theory, but…”

  Chapter Twenty

  “You’re what?” Kerry stared out the window, amazed. There had to be some mistake, because this was proof positive that her brother-in-law, Dennis the Menace, was actually homo sapiens, not a Neanderthal. “No way.”