The Lion's Den (Knights of the Darkness Chronicles)

by D N Simmons

  “Okay, I’ll be home soon.” Sergio hung up. He and Daniel ate at a restaurant before returning home. He searched for Elise and found her with their two children, playing a board game specifically designed to help kids learn the basics. He sat down beside her, kissing her softly on her temple.

  “Hi Daddy!” his twins exclaimed at the same time, excited to see their dad for the first time that day.

  “Hey you little munchkins!” He scooped up both kids tickling them and nuzzling them as they cackled and squirmed, loving every moment of their father’s attention.

  “I love watching you with them. So precious,” Elisa said, watching her lover and children.

  Sergio smiled. “I love my family, I love being a part of your lives.” He continued to play with his family, including himself into their board game. “Did you speak with Xander?”

  “I did, he’s going to look into it.”

  “That’s good.” He bounced his son on his lap. “So, did you learn any colors today?” he asked his son, Caesar.

  The toddler nodded his head enthusiastically. “Yes! I did! I know blue, red, pink …” his son listed the colors he’d learned. He had a little trouble pronouncing “purple” and Sergio assisted him. Caesar was pleased with this accomplishments, as was Annette-Naté when her father asked her the same question. The four of them spent quality time together, teaching their children more colors, numbers and shapes. It was a great way to spend the early part of the day, especially when sundown seemed so far away.

  Chapter Four

  Warren closed his cell phone, disconnecting his cl from his Alpha. He looked at Matthew sitting in the passenger seat. “That was Xander, the heads of our groups are looking into lion Prides to see who’s missing a King or male member.”

  “That should be easy information to find out, right?” Matthew asked.

  “That depends if they’re willing to talk. Lions are the most secretive and territorial of all the shifter species,” Warren paused.

  Matthew looked at him. “Are you going to tell me more, or are you just going to leave it at that and hope I figure out the rest on my own?”

  Warren blinked, as if bringing himself out of a trance. “Sorry, just thinking about something. I’ve never met a Lion Pride, but I do know that the King of the Pride is both protector and provider. The women are the nurturers and homemakers. Without a King, they are extremely vulnerable. So, if one happens to be missing a King, they might not want to broadcast it. They’ll lose their territory, possibly. Other Lion Prides will seek to kill them or the Kings of other Prides might take the women for their own, expanding their Prides.”

  “But if they need a King to survive, wouldn’t it be in their best interest to broadcast it?”

  Warren shrugged one shoulder. “That depends. If handled diplomatically, so to speak, one could choose their King, instead of being forced under the ruling of a less desirable one.”

  “Do you think this shifter was a King?”

  “I don’t know. Unfortunately, my superior sense of smell, which far surpasses yours, is unable to tell.”

  “You think you’re better than me just because you’re some mangy wolf?” Matthew asked, playfully.

  Warren tossed a sly glance his way, shrugging one shoulder. “Well, one isn’t going to dispute such glaring and irrefutable facts.”

  “Fuck you and your entire mutt breed,” Matthew retorted with a wicked grin.

  Warren laughed outright. “Can I help it if we’re the shit?”

  “Full of shit, is more like it.” Matthew looked away, smiling to himself.

  “Don’t think I didn’t catch that sly-ass comment.”

  “Oh, I’m sure your super heightened wolf ears can pick up everything,” Matthew said sarcastically.

  “I see, I’ve talked myself into a hole. I’m going to stop now. Besides, we’re at the precinct.” Warren pulled their car into a parking spot closest to the door. The two men climbed out and entered the precinct. They walked to their desk, turning on their computers simultaneously.

  Matthew sat down and began sifting through the notes he took of the crime scene. “We caught the scent of a vampire on the victim, do you think it’s working alone?”

  Warren ran his fingers through his luxurious black hair. “Most likely it is. Although I’mnot willing to omit human involvement. For all we know, the vampire scent we smelled could have been another victim waiting to be disposed of. I mean after the way Annette died, puncture wounds and drained blood, I’d be foolish to not add humans to the list of suspects.”

  Matthew nodded. “Not to mention those rich assholes a few years back had no problem drugging shifters and a vampire, kidnapping them in the process. It’s easy to see why we can’t rule humans out. If one is involved, how are we going to begin tracking them down?”

  “Matt, right now, I have no idea. I haven’t slept in twenty-four hours. We’ve been up all morning at that fucking crime scene and all we have to show for it is that the body wasn’t thrown from the rooftop, that’s been ruled out. It’s frustrating.”

  “If we’re not going to cancel out humans, we need to check the air traffic control reports to see if any planes were flying over Chicago at that time, in that location.” Matthew began looking up the telephone number so he could call and get the report.

  “Good idea, no planes, no humans.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t go that far. It just means that no humans were flying over at that time. Doesn’t mean they aren’t involved. Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,” Matthew said. He found the number and looked at Warren. “Do vampires register on the radar when they fly?”

  “I don’t think so. If they see anything at all, they probably mistake it for a glitch in the system or a bird. The government doesn’t even know they can fly. The Council kept a lot of our secrets … secret.” Warren began reading over his partner’s notes.

  Matthew called the Air Traffic Control Center, using his federal S.U.I.T. status to get the report. He kept his fingers crossed, hoping to get some kind of lead. After requesting the information and getting the results, he was slightly disappointed. He stood by his fax machine looking at the total amount of aircrafts that were in the air for that day and their point of travel and destination.

  Warren came up from behind, peeking over his shoulder. “So what do we have?”

  “Jack shit. There weren’t any planes flying over the area at that time, let along, over the Eclipse nightclub.”

  “Well, It’s what we suspected. A vampire is definitely involved.” Warren walked back to his desk, sitting down. He began to brainstorm. “Xavier was strong enough to fly, even though he’s young by vampire standards. We also know that it was Darian’s blood that increased his strength. There’s really no way of telling just how powerful this vampire is or why he or she did what they did. I’ve got to tell ya, Matt, I’m not thrilled about working on this case.”

  “We should check in with Marshall, see if he’s found out anything more,” Matthew suggested.

  “Yeah, he should have something by now.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  The two detectives walked past a few dozen S.U.I.T. officers. With their superhuman hearing, they could hear many of the conversations as they walked by. A few of the officers were buzzing, spreading gossip and speculation about the current crime. Some were jealous that Warren and Matthew were chosen for the case. Many felt their captain gave a lot of high-profile cases to them because they were her favorites. Some of the other officers didn’t envy them, they were glad that they were chosen instead of themselves. High-profile meant longer hours, more media exposure and harder work. Ignoring all of the comments, the two men made their way to the morgue to speak with Marshall. They entered without knocking, which was one of the few pet peeves the quirky medical examiner had.

  “Sure, come on in officers. You’re not disturbing me,” Marshall said, jokingly.

  “I’m sorry, did you want us to knock?” Warren asked, pointing back
toward the door.

  “You two, and Marks and Julliano are the only S.U.I.T.s who don’t knock. It just wouldn’t feel right if you started now. I’ve grown far too accustomed to your ‘barge-in’ style entrance.” Marshall gave the two men a sly smile.

  “Everybody’s a fucking comedian today,” Warren mumbled as he walked closer to Marshall, who was still examining the body of the shifter, giving the corpse a full autopsy. “So what did you find out, please give me some good news.”

  Matthew came up beside Warren, standing slightly behind him. “Marshall, did a vampire do it?” he asked, his breath increasing slightly.

  “Oh, I have no doubt that a vampire did this. But not just one vampire, you’re dealing with at least four different vampires. I found what I think may be two male vampire bites and two female,” Marshall informed.

  “What the fuck?” Warren asked, hating the case even more than before.

  “The news gets better, so please try to contain your excitement, this is a morgue.” Marshall gave the two officers a crooked smile as he leaned over the ice cold body. “Look here.” He pointed to a set of puncture wounds. He placed a ruler beside the wounds. “The centimeters spacing between the punctures indicates, male.”

  Matthew leaned over, getting closer to the corpse. Without realizing he had begun to salivate, a low growl bubbled up from his throat and grew more fierce as he lunged forward towards the body. Instantly, Warren caught him, dragging him backwards away from the corpse as he snarled. Marshall had taken several steps backward, pressing himself against the stainless steel drawers. Warren used his strength to suppress his lover as he whispered for him to calm down. Several seconds passed before Matthew was able to regain control of his composer. A minute later, he nodded, letting Warren know that he was calm. His face reddened by embarrassment at the loss of control. Warren continued to monitor to him, making sure he wouldn’t try to feed again.

  “So … did you do that to him?” Marshall asked, looking at Warren.

  Warren turned sharply, looking at Marshall. “No! I didn’t turn himWait a minute? … You know about me?” he asked, shocked by the revelation.

  Marshall nodded. “I’ve known for some years. Perhaps he should wait outside then.”

  Warren turned to Matthew. “I think that’s a good idea, get some fresh air.”

  Without arguing with the two men, Matthew left, knowing he needed to get away from the scent of raw flesh. Breathing fresh air into his lungs was the best thing to do at that point.

  Warren watched him leave, then he returned his attentions to Marshall. “You’ve known about me being a shifter for years? How? I was being so careful.”

  “Don’t get upset. I’m a pathologist, it’s my job to pay attention to every detail. It’s also my duty to know everything I can about supernaturals. Their habits, instincts, et cetera. I’ve noticed you at crime scenes, I’ve seen your hunger growing. Human men usually don’t get that glazed over look in their eyes at the sight of blood, gore and body bits, you do. Then I noticed it when Matthew did, about a year and a half ago.”

  “How come you’ve never said anything?”

  Marshall shrugged. “Figured you didn’t want anyone to know what you were. By the way, which breed of shape-shifter are you?”

  Warren looked at him sideways, still in disbelief. “I’m a wolf.”

  “Ah, and Matthew?”

  “He’s a coyote, long story.”

  Warren took a few steps closer. Marshall did the same and the two stood face to face with the corpse between them on the cold metal slab.

  “So, how come you didn’t expose us?” Warren asked. “The S.U.I.T. is against supernaturals joining.”

  “Because you’re damn good cops. The best on this force, regardless of your species whether everyone would agree or not. As far as I’m concern, that’s just an added bonus. It’s why you get the high-profile cases, because you get the job done better than most. And if the entire S.U.I.T. Organization would get its head out of its bureaucratic ass, they’d realize that by hiring supernaturals and pairing them with their human officers would save more lives, and stop more crimes.”

  Warren was amazed. Here was a human who had kept his secret for years, and now he was keeping Matthew’s. Marshall had no inclination to turn him in, he respected them, acknowledge their contribution to the S.U.I.T. and the people they’ve protected and saved.

  “I’m still in shock here. You’ve never let on that you knew, you never treated me differently.” Warren smiled at him. “You’re a cool-ass dude, you know that?”

  “You’re just now realizing that?” Marshall adjusted the collar of his white lab coat, flicking it. “I’m cool as hell.”

  Warren laughed, feeling a bit more relieved to know that he had a human ally within the division. “I’m glad it was you who found us out.”

  Marshall nodded. “What you need to do is make sure Matthew doesn’t flip out at the wrong time. If he does what he did here somewhere in public, you two can expect a public execution.”

  “I know. We’re still working on his control. He hasn’t seen anything this … I guess the right term would be, appetizing since being turned. I’ll take care of it.”

  Both men nodded in agreement.

  “Okay, let’s get back to this here, what else can you tell me?” Warren gestured towards the body.

  “Right. I’ve sent a sample of his organs to toxicology to check for any foreign substances. If there is any sign of drugs in his system, we’ll know soon enough. I’ve also pulled a tooth and scraped a flesh sample and sent that to the DNA lab. Because this poor guy didn’t have any skin on his body, that killed any chance of us getting identification off his finger prints.”

  “The fingerprints probably wouldn’t have been on file anyway.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “He’s a Natural Born.”

  “I’m still unclear.”

  “If he was turned by another shifter, then he may have had a record. I know that in the States, they take your foot prints when you’re born.”

  “Yeah, our little antiquated tracking system,” Marshall smirked.

  Warren chuckled. “Yeah, well, shifters who are pregnant don’t go to hospitals to give birth. The birth of a Natural Born is very private and sacred to Packs and Prides, a special occasion and not for human scrutiny. The Matron in each community assist in the birthing procedure and most shifter communities have people they can contact to get the proper paperwork they’ll need to cover the newborn. That’s how it goes.”

  Marshall reflected on the new information he’d just heard. “That’s very interesting. Very organized.”

  “Yeah, and if my Pack Alpha knew I told you even that much, he’d kill me, figuratively speaking … maybe.” Warren had to think about the last thing he said.

  “So why did you?”

  “Because you’ve proven that you can keep a secret. I trust you with that information.”

  Marshall nodded. “Thank you for trusting me.” He looked back at the corpse. “Every bone in his body has been shattered, I believe the fall from the sky did that. It must have been from a very high distance, at least ten-thousand feet, but probably higher. I’m just giving you a ball park figure.”

  “What did the killer use to skin him?” Warren asked.

  “See, that’s what’s so interesting about this body. I couldn’t find one shred of evidence to prove that an actual weapon was used at all. There were no serrated engravings in the flesh to prove that a knife of some sort was used.”

  “What about a filet knife? I mean, the guy was flayed, that would be the an acon of choice and if done well, might not have left any signs?”

  Marshall shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Warren. Even a filet knife, as sharp as can be, still would leave some kind of engraving. That’s not the really, really fascinating part of this tale. Look here?” He pointed to a tiny puncture in the meaty mass towards the victim’s thigh. A sharp jagged piece of white bone j
utted through the flesh, causing that part of the body to look deformed and the muscles were twisted around the bone underneath the flesh.

  “What the fuck am I looking at?” Warren asked as he gazed down at the horrendous sight before him.

  “Well, the ‘fuck’ you’re looking at is this here.” He made a circular motion with his silver pointing pen around a partial moon-shaped puncture. “This wasn’t made by a set of fangs. It’s far too shallow. If I had to give a professional calculated guess, I’d say it was a nail mark. The curve of the wound isn’t comparable to the nail of a human, it’s sharper, pointier, but considering the supernaturals responsible for this murder, it’s not outlandish to assume they flayed the skin of this shifter with their bare hands.”

  “Jesus Christ!” Warren gasped.

  “I know. Never seen anything like it before since the Exposure. You’ve got some really sick vamps on your hands this time.”

  Warren looked over the mangled mass of flesh stretched out on the slab. “God, this is a real fucking mess, and I don’t even want to think about what they did with his skin.” He thought about everything Marshall told him, he had to tell Xander, right away. “Thanks for everything, Galen, I’ll get back with you if anything else comes up.”

  “Don’t you want to know how he died?” Marshall asked.

  Warren mentally cursed himself for forgetting such an important detail. He was so preoccupied with telling Xander the news, he’d gotten sidetracked. “Yeah, of course. I had assumed being drained of all blood killed him? What do you medical types call it, exsanguination?”

  “Yeah, but I haven’t come across a shape-shifter who’s died that way. Has a shape-shifter ever been killed from massive blood loss?”

  Warren nodded. “It’s rare, but if we don’t regenerate fast enough, it could happen.”

  “His neck was broken by the fall, that much I know. The lack of blood and the condition of his veins indicates that he was alive when he was drained once again before being dropped from the sky. Although, I’m sure he would have died anyway from the blood loss.”