The DarkWorld SkinWalker Series Box Set Vol II: The SkinWalker Series Books 4, 5 & 6: Blood Promise, Scorched Fury, & Fate's Edge (DarkWorld: SkinWalker)

by T. G. Ayer

  The children were the worst to see. The hardest to accept.

  I tried to keep my concentration on the details, like the splintered door frames and the blood spatter instead of the ruined bodies. But I soon realized that focus wouldn’t help. It especially wouldn’t be respectful to the victims if I pretended they didn’t exist.

  I forced myself to concentrate on one detail at a time. The shapes of the wounds, the existence or absence of any kind of paranormal ammunition or residue—of which there were plenty—how the placement of the bodies revealed the journey the killers made through the house.

  At last, we reached the attic door. It hung open and a child’s shoe lay at the foot of the open ladder.

  Logan looked over at me as I reached the ladder. “The techs have been up there. One body.” His voice held a note of warning in it. It was going to be bad. I suspected it meant the child was young.

  Logan climbed the stairs first. As I arrived at the top the air beside me began to shimmer gray and Nerina appeared, her expression apologetic.

  “I came as soon as I could,” she said.

  I waved a hand. “You came. That’s all that matters.”

  She nodded as she studied the attic space, her eyes falling on the little boy who lay sprawled in front of a giant silver mirror. His eyes were open, and the expression on his face was rebellious, as if whatever the intruders wanted, he’d never give. I could sense his bravery and wondered what he’d done that made him feel so resilient.

  I hunched down beside him, swallowing against the lump in my throat. “He’s so little.”

  Nerina’s skirts swished beside me. “He looks about eight.”

  “Goblin years or human?”

  “Human.” Nerina sank to her knees beside me and touched the side of the boy’s face. “He’s been dead about two days. He may have already passed over into the Graylands, which would make it harder to access his memories.”

  “They’d be fading, right?”

  Nerina nodded, her face a little strained. She looked angry and frustrated and I wondered if her reasons were other than the bodies littering the house. Had Kira chewed her out while she’d been at the estate? Or was she just tired and in need of rest?

  I’d bet on Kira. But I didn’t probe. She seemed too focused on the child as she leaned over him.

  “Let me try,” she said. “Anything is better than what we have right now.”

  “I agree,” I murmured as I studied the room. Pulling on my panther sense of smell I scented the air, hoping to catch a sense of the killer. Or killers.

  What I did scent was a shock in itself. So much of a shock that Logan sensed it.

  He was at my side in an instant, his eyes filled with concern. “What’s wrong, Kai?”

  Even Nerina was looking at me, worried.

  I shook my head and touched my finger to my lips. Then my attention shifted to the large mirror leaning against the wall beside us.

  I pointed the finger at the mirror, mouthing a single word.

  Silver.

  Logan’s eyes widened as he gave me a short nod, then navigated to the other side of the mirror. I strolled the opposite end, finding my way blocked by a stack of old boxes.

  Logan moved closer, then grabbed the mirror and swung it away, revealing a narrow space behind—a space containing two shivering little children who stared at us, terror in their eyes.

  Chapter 33

  ALTHOUGH I COULD SEE THEY were whimpering we couldn’t hear a sound.

  “Glamors?” I asked, thinking out loud.

  Nerina shifted closer and moved to the little boy while I bent toward the girl. They looked no older than four, but seemed smart enough to know they ought to keep their glamors tightly wound around them.

  “It’s okay,” I said, holding a hand out to them. “You’re safe now.”

  It didn’t seem to impact them at all. They just stared at me, as if unable to understand my words.

  “The glamor isn’t theirs,” Nerina said. “It’s been placed on them by someone with a stronger power. Probably so they wouldn’t hear what was going on in the rest of the house.” She waved her hand around the children. “I can try to remove it, but I can’t guarantee success.”

  Neither Logan nor I said anything as Nerina continued her work. At last we heard the little girl’s soft sobs.

  “Hey, sweetie can you hear me?” I asked gently, kneeling on the wood floor.

  She huddled over, peering up at me through tear-filled eyes. She sniffed but didn’t answer, but I knew she’d understood my question. She was just too scared to respond.

  The little boy, on the other hand wasn’t afraid. “We don’t want to go with you. Leave us alone.”

  “Please don’t be scared. We are here to help you.” Nerina spoke softly, and the boy, despite his bravado, hesitated, as if he really wanted to believe her.

  It must have been something in Nerina’s voice because the boy finally relented, his stiffened hands relaxing, the strained muscles in his neck relaxing.

  The girl, seeing him giving in, moved closer toward me, and then she was in my lap, her arms tight around my neck.

  When she sniffed my neck, I stiffened and she giggled in my ear. “I know what you are,” she whispered. “But I won’t tell.”

  I didn’t want to scare her, but I did want to keep her talking. “So, what do you think I am?” I asked smiling at her. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Logan waving at someone behind him to cover up the body of the older boy.

  “You’re a cat,” she whispered, a smile in her voice.

  “And you are so very clever,” I said, tapping her nose with my finger. “My name’s Kai. What’s yours?”

  She grinned. “Alina Longford. That’s my brother Alix. He’s my twin.”

  She pointed a thumb in the boy’s direction and a glance at him showed me Alix was a glowering little ball of fight. He wasn’t playing nice at all, despite giving in to Nerina’s coaxing, and I wondered what had happened.

  At least Alina seemed relaxed and comfortable and we were desperate for information so I figured I would give it one try.

  If she became upset or agitated then I’d stop.

  I cleared my throat and asked, “Alina, do you think you could help me figure out what happened here?”

  She gave a sad nod. “We know what happened. We saw it. And then Nathan came to take us away. Then Papa threw the glamor and we didn’t hear anything after that.”

  “And can you tell me what happened?”

  She nodded and her smile no longer lit her face. “Two men came,” she said, an edge to her voice that implied the men themselves were different.

  “Men?” I urged softly.

  She blinked, staring over my shoulder at the men moving behind me. I shifted around so she wouldn’t be able to see the removal of the boy’s body.

  She nodded. “Human men.”

  Her voice, though soft, rang out in the attic and movement around us stilled.

  “How do you know they were human?” I had to ask.

  “I smelled them. Just like I smelled you.”

  “Ah, yes. Your clever nose.”

  She wrinkled said nose. “It’s not clever. It’s just a goblin nose. You know that.” Her smile faded.

  I laughed softly. “Yes, I do. And even if your nose isn’t clever, you are still a very smart young lady.” She fell silent at that and I wondered what I’d done wrong. Maybe she was tired? “Do you want to take a break? I know this must be hard for you, honey.”

  Alina shook her head, her dark red curls swinging around wildly. “I want you to find the men.”

  “Can you remember what they looked like?”

  “I only saw one of them. The blond one.”

  Chills went up and down my spine and I glanced up at Logan. He met my eyes for a brief moment then looked away and I felt a tug of concern. Why was he evading me? Was he worried that he may have been wrong and that maybe he really did know Blake?

  I refocused
on Alina. “Do you recall anything else about him?”

  “He was tall, and his arms were big.” She lifted both her arms and blew out her cheeks to indicate bulging muscles. “Funny hair.” She made pulling motions with her fingers on the top of her head.

  Yes. This was pointing directly at our friend Agent Blake. He had spiky hair too.

  “Anything else about what happened that you want to talk about?” I asked, leaving the question open to Alina. We’d gotten the information we’d come for— Blake was the perpetrator, which meant this incident was officially linked to the other killings.

  Alina’s voice was high as she spoke, breaking into my thoughts. “Do you know why their guns were so soft?”

  “Soft?” I frowned. “You mean they were quiet?”

  She nodded. “The shooting. We didn’t hear it until they were banging down the front door. Daddy didn’t have any time to save anyone. Just me and Alix.” Her voice quivered. “Not even Nathan.”

  Her gaze drifted over her shoulder again and though she didn’t look directly at the body I knew she knew that the little boy who’d saved them had been killed while doing so.

  She settled against my shoulder, and I stayed where I was as the Omega team hurried around, logging evidence.

  A bustling at the stairs to the attic indicated a new arrival.

  An Omega agent popped his head into the attic and said, “Sentinel’s here.”

  Logan nodded. “Send them up.” He seemed to have no problems with inter-agency cooperation.

  Seconds later a square head and bulky shoulders appeared at the top of the stairs and I groaned silently as Paulson climbed into the attic and headed to Logan. Even Cassie bringing up his rear didn’t make me feel better.

  “Paulson.” Logan gave him a cool, impartial nod.

  “Westin.”

  A brief handshake later, Paulson scanned the room and caught sight of me. The look he gave me said, What the hell are you doing here?

  I lifted my chin. I belong just as much as you do.

  In the dusty silence of the attic, Logan gave Paulson a brief rundown and—on a tablet handed to him by one of the passing agents—pointed out the locations of the main evidence bags. He focused on areas where most of the paranormal ammunition had been discovered.

  Logan’s gazed flicked in my direction a few times, his eyes going from Paulson’s stony features to mine, his expression curious and a little amused. It wasn’t hard to tell that Paulson wasn’t a fan of mine.

  “Hey,” said a subdued voice beside me.

  I looked up and gave a parody of a smile at Cassie as she hunkered down beside me.

  She studied the now sleeping child, whose dark red curls framed her little face.

  “Survivor?” Her eyes looked bleak, even more faded than her usual pale gray, possibly a result of her being shot in the chest. But, I could do with even a hint of brightness right now.

  I nodded. “One of only two.” That reality stabbed my heart with its vicious blade every time my mind went to the children and what they’d experienced at the hands of ‘the blond man’.

  “Where’d you find them?” Paulson called from where he stood with Logan, his voice shattering what little calm I’d drawn over myself.

  I glanced up and inclined my head at the mirror. “Behind that.”

  He slapped his hands on his hips, his posture accusing, as if I was spinning extravagant nonsense from dreams and stupidity. “How the hell did the killers not find them?”

  My jaw tightened. “I’m guessing the silver hid them.”

  The tone of my voice dropped a few degrees, enough to extract a hint of a smile from Logan who watched me from Paulson’s side.

  I continued, “And that means it’s likely that the killers used some sort of detector, maybe something that can read energy waves to identify species.”

  “And what makes you think that?”

  The challenge lashed at me, his sharp tone a whip, and at my side Cassie groaned.

  Gritting my teeth, I said, “Because we all know silver acts as a protector. It’s also a ward against magic so it makes sense that it would hide magical energy too. Of course, that’s just my assumption. I’ll leave it to you smart agent types to verify.”

  I lifted my chin as I watched him process the information. His face revealed how little he liked the fact that I’d come up with something smart and worthwhile.

  He gave a short nod. “Very well.” He turned to Logan, dismissing me instantly.

  I made a face as he continued his conversation with Logan. “Chauvinistic bastard,” I muttered, realizing too late that the kid was still on my lap. I breathed a sigh of relief when I looked down and found she was still fast asleep.

  Cassie echoed my sigh. “Times may change, species may evolve, but men, they stay the same.”

  I snorted. Wasn’t that the truth?

  Chapter 34

  WE’LL BE LEAVING SOON. SALEEM will be back in a few minutes.” Logan’s voice broke through my concentration. He stayed a few feet away, eyes focused on his phone as he read through something, a dark scowl wrinkling his features.

  I was sitting on the forest floor, in a quiet clearing about a hundred yards from the house, the early evening sun too weak to warm the icy in my heart. Nerina had left to bring Lady Kira up to speed, while Logan and Paulson oversaw the final cleanup. We’d decided it was best for the kids to get them away from the house while Sentinel and Omega wrapped things up.

  Jess had left the mayhem and come to check up on us. She was sitting on a tree-stump, watching the two children who’d fallen asleep after having a small bite to eat. Thankfully, we’d found bread and cheese and smoked fish in the kitchen, and the two were satiated and resting. Not that I imagined for a second that they would come out of this experience undamaged.

  It struck me how unreal it was to find beauty and peace so close to carnage and mayhem. It did not seem right.

  And now it was time to leave.

  The closer it had come to leaving the more agitated I’d become. My gut churned, screaming at me that I couldn’t let the children end up with either of the agencies. Not when everything about the two organizations was so up in the air. Granted, Sentinel was the more reliable of the two right now, but I was hesitant to leave the children with Paulson, even though Cassie would be there to keep an eye on them.

  He didn’t exactly instill a great deal of trust in me, and I was pretty sure he’d end up rubbing the kids the wrong way too.

  I had a plan but there was one person I had to call first.

  Chloe Murdoch our mage with the magic touch.

  I shifted on the stump and faced Jess. “Do you think you could call Chloe for me?”

  Jess inclined her head. “Chloe would be perfect.”

  I cleared my throat. “Can we be certain Chloe takes the kids somewhere safe?”

  “You mean other than Storm’s care?” Something in her features tightened.

  I shrugged. I didn’t want her to think I’d begun to suspect Storm. Not yet. “I think they’re a bit young for Storm.”

  I knew they weren’t. Hadn’t Mel told me she’d been placed with him at a young age? But, no. She’d been around twelve or thirteen.

  Jess, however, didn’t challenge me. “Where else could you send them?”

  I swallowed, wondering if this would get me in trouble. “Tukats.” I cleared my throat. The walker town where my father lived would be the safest place for them. “Chloe can take them there for their safety and from what Alina said they seem to be fairly comfortable with walkers so the situation wouldn’t be too strange for them. You don’t have to worry about anything. Anyone under my father’s care is under the care of the entire colony.”

  “Even now?” asked Jess, an eyebrow curving gently.

  “Even now,” I responded, feeling a painful twinge deep inside me. Dad hadn’t spoken about it and I wondered now how much support he had within the colony after the High Council’s decree. I made a mental note to ask
him.

  “Very well. If you are certain they will be safe then Chloe can take them there.” Jess disappeared.

  I watched the children and listened to the birds calling in the trees, resisting the urge to transform and run free for the briefest time. Being caught buck naked by the infamous Paulson-with-no-first-name, wasn’t a comforting prospect.

  Jess reappeared soon with Chloe in tow, the mage shaking her head and blinking hard. “I don’t think I can ever get used to those jumps.”

  I got to my feet and leaned in for a hug. First reason was to greet Chloe because she was just that kind of loving person. The second reason was so she could take away some of my nerves and fear too.

  She held me tight. “My dear girl. Why do you hold so much inside?” She leaned away, but still didn’t let go of my hands. The warmth from her fingertips swirled through mine, searching and wending its way up my hands.

  I’d never known what drugs had felt like until Logan had used some super powerful concoction to knock me out once, but this throbbing, searching feeling very much resembled a drug. Quite the addictive buzz.

  I tried to tug away but Chloe proved stronger than I expected. “Oh no, you don’t. You need a little more, Kai. I can’t believe you aren’t taking care of yourself. A nervous breakdown on the job isn’t going to be good for you, or for your charges.”

  I glanced down at the kids, for a moment terrified that she expected me to take care of them.

  Chloe clicked her tongue. “I didn’t mean them, silly. All the people you help along the way. You owe it to each one of them to bring your A game.”

  I nodded. “I know. I just don’t have the time. Too much going on.”

  “Too much going on is not a good enough excuse.” Chloe narrowed her eyes on my face. “What else is going on that I don’t know about?”

  “Anjelo and Lily are missing,” I whispered.

  “Oh?” A frown creasing her brow. “But I saw them not too long ago. They were on a mission for Storm.”

  Ice washed over me, a cold dread that sank into my bones. “Oh? Where did you see them and when? I was with Storm a few hours ago and he said he hadn’t seen them.”