I took a deep breath. When I opened my eyes, I was steadier. I was about to step back inside when Candice came onto the small porch.
I turned to her. “Did anyone shift and try to find a scent?”
“Jovie did, but he lost them at the back road,” she explained.
“Well, get more wolves out there and try again. They may have dumped him if he bled out,” I ordered as I walked away from the door and back towards my car. The others got moving around the back of the house to get started. Jerking open my trunk, I dug through my forensics supplies, pulled out swabs, labeled plastic vials, a pen, then closed the trunk. I headed back to the porch and slipped on my gloves.
Stepping inside again, I looked around with hunters in mind. I looked closer at the door. It was riddled with holes around where the dead bolt should have been. Shotgun, close range. It was most likely Ben who broke the furniture, possibly with a human even.
I stepped around the blood splatters. Most of them looked like human, but I’d have to have it tested to be sure. It wasn’t well known, but werewolf blood was darker than every species but vampires. And most of this blood was dark. The projection spatter told me that they must have had knives. I eyed the wall and the length of the elongation tails. Maybe machetes. I squatted down, took out a swab, and soaked up a spot that was lighter than the rest. After sliding the sample in the long vial, I screwed the top down, pulled out a pen, and noted the location.
“So, you do get to use your forensic science degree.” Ranulf’s voice had me jumping and almost dropping the clean swabs.
I turned and shot him a look. “How’d you know where I was?”
The veins in his neck bulged. “Ya remember those handy find my phone apps? Well, lass, I remembered the password for yers.”
I eyed him. He called me lass… “You’re pissed.”
“Aye, I fucking am.” He moved into the room. “The high demon is out here and ya took off alone.”
I gestured at the destroyed room. “There’s a wolf missing.”
His bootsteps had me getting to my feet and turning to him.
He stopped as he towered over me. “Never again,” he bit out between clenched teeth. “Do ya understand?”
His voice sent heat pooling at the junction between my legs; my breathing deepened. My wolf woke up to his order and began to pace inside me. I eyed him and wondered what would happen if I pushed him.
A car door closed. He quickly moved away from me to the hallway and out of the blood splatter. I went back to collecting samples.
“Hey, Astrid, I thought you’d be here,” Jeffery Hobbs called from the door. “Has anyone found him yet?”
“Not yet.” I started labeling another blood sample. “They’re all heading back towards the road if you want to give them a nose.”
“I’m sure they have enough noses; I figured I’d give you a hand.” Jeffery’s voice was slightly strained; it was probably the blood.
“Do you have a degree or training in forensics?” I got to my feet and moved to the wall with blood spray and began to take another sample.
“No, but I’m great with instructions.” The way he said it had me looking over my shoulder at him. Jeffery was a good-looking male, light-brown hair with a good-guy smile. The works. And he was looking at me as if I was already naked. I ignored it and went back to what I was doing.
“Are you working at the bar tonight?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“Yep, and tomorrow, and the night after that, and the next, and the next,” I sighed. “When you run your own business, you don’t have time for anything else, really.”
“Sounds kind of lonely.”
I rolled my eyes.
Ranulf stepped out of the hall and into the living room. “Nothing in the back. All the damage seems to be in here.”
“And the sliding glass door.” I gestured towards the broken plate glass. “Looks like Ben took it outside. Probably so he could shift.”
“Who the hell are you?” Jeff asked. There was an edge to his voice that hadn’t been there a minute ago. The change in Jeff ruffled my fur. If Ranulf were a wolf, Jeff would have backed down right away. All of my friends and packmates should be overjoyed that I had finally found a mate, but Ranulf wasn’t a wolf. And looking back between the two, I finally realized just how hard it was going to be to keep things between us a secret.
“That’s Ranulf; he’s giving me a hand,” I explained before Ranulf could rip his head off.
“He’s a gargoyle,” Jeff bit out. “Where’s Evelyn?”
I sighed and looked over my shoulder at him. “She’s unavailable at the moment.”
“We don’t have a treaty with the gargoyles, only Evelyn,” Jeff reminded me, his wolf slipping into his voice, making it deeper.
“Fuck off,” Ranulf snapped.
“Get lost, Jeff.” I turned back to what I was doing. “I’m too busy to cater to your bullshit.”
“You’re backing a gargoyle over a packmate?” Jeff bit out, making my wolf growl deep inside our chest. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
“Shut it, Jeff,” I snapped over my shoulder. “Right now, it’s about finding Ben. And you’re most useful out there trying to track the possible killers.”
Jeff stalked out the door as my phone rang. Cursing under my breath, I answered. “What?”
“This is Dahlia, head of the Witch’s Council,” a polite voice sounded in my ear. “I’m looking for Evelyn; she’s not answering her phone.”
“She’s unavailable at the moment,” I sighed. “This is Astrid. What do you need?”
“One of my witches is missing,” she stated.
I cursed and looked around the scene. I didn’t have time for this. “One second.” I turned to Ranulf. “Can Zahur do a job for Evie?”
Ranulf nodded. “What do you need?”
“His number.”
3
Rina
As Falk rented a car, I watched the dark-gray storm shelf clouds roll across the sky, moving like tidal wave. Lightning flashed in the mass as it moved closer. It was strange. I’d never seen clouds like that before. Whatever kind of storm it was, it was strong enough to ground every flight out of Richmond, Virginia, leaving us to drive to Jacksonville.
Voices murmured in the background of my head, making it start to pound. I rubbed my temple. My barriers were thinning, and I couldn’t figure out why. We needed to get out of town fast. Falk’s image reflected off the window. I turned and waited for him to make his way through the crowd to me.
They’re out, he signed.
“I didn’t know that was possible.” I adjusted my backpack. “We’re going to have to take the bus or a train.”
There’s a bus and train station in town.
“We’ll have to figure out which is faster.” We left the rental terminal and made our way outside of the airport. As Falk opened the door to the outside, a clap of thunder cracked overhead.
His gaze ran over my face. Are you feeling all right?
“I’ve got a headache.” I took one last look at the sky and started out. The wind blew my hair all around as the sky lit up. He reached down and took my arm as the first drops of rain hit the walkway. Everyone hurried towards the taxi line as the clouds broke open. Sheets of rain poured out, soaking us instantly. I cursed and prayed my laptop would be all right in my backpack. The cold wind howled as it swirled around us, taking my body heat with it. By the time we reached an available taxi, we were soaked.
I slid inside, cursing as I pulled out my hearing aids and shut them off. The world became muffled, everything a mild jumble. Great. Falk didn’t even pretend not to watch as I tucked them into my pocket. Please work when you dry out. Stupid freaking rain!
Tell the driver to take us to a store, Falk signed.
“A store?” I shook my head. “We need to go to the transport station.”
Do it, he signed.
Irritated, I sighed and leaned forward. “Could you take us to a store,
please?”
The driver turned and said something. I turned to Falk.
He said there are several stores near the transport station.
“That’s perfect, thank you.” I leaned back against the seat and shivered. The heat radiating from him had me wanting to curl up against him. Yeah, curl up with someone you don’t know and had already watched kill someone today. Good idea. I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to stop my teeth from chattering.
Falk turned to me. I need to pick up some gear and supplies. But we don’t have long.
I nodded. “Let’s split up. I’ll pick up some food and drinks. Anything you don’t like?”
I’m not a big fan of fish.
I snorted as the taxi pulled up to the curb. “I’m not bringing fish into a cramped space with a bunch of people. That’d just be rude.”
His lips twitched as he paid the driver, then climbed out of his side. When I stepped out, the wind hit me, chilling me to the bone.
I headed for a grocery store while he started for the chain store
I got a small basket and started for the deli. Thankfully, there wasn’t a crowd. I hurried through the store, picking up sandwiches, drinks, and snacks.
When I was done, I headed outside just as Falk was coming out of the other store. He made a beeline for me. Without a word, he took the grocery bag and handed me a bag from the other store, along with a pack.
“Did you find everything you wanted?” I asked.
There are some dry clothes in that bag for you. I’ve also picked up some weapons. Nothing great, but they’ll work in an emergency. He focused entirely too hard on looking in the grocery bag. I had to guess your size.
Oh. I hadn’t expected that. It was sweet. “I didn’t even think of that. Thanks.” I quickly opened the bag and found soft fabric and jeans. “Dry clothes!” I did a little dance.
Falk’s brows drew down as he watched me as if I was some puzzle he was trying to figure out.
“Let’s check the schedules and get tickets, then I’ll change.” I started for the bus and train stations.
Turns out the fastest way to Jacksonville was the train and we had some time to kill. Falk had us sit down on a bench. Your bag is soaked. You should switch it out.
I sat down and started going through my still wet bag. I transferred my laptop and found all of my clothes drenched. I sighed, got up, and threw them away, along with the bag. There was no point in keeping them; they’d just get everything else wet in the new bag. I sat back down and looked to see what else he’d picked up. I found a collapsible baton; it wasn’t as great as what I had used in New York, but it would work. Grinning, I pulled it out of the package and slipped it into my pocket. Falk did the same with several knives.
“Didn’t you get clothes for yourself?” I asked as I found pepper spray and a stun gun. Wow, he had gotten everything…
A couple shirts.
“Aren’t you going to change?”
I’m fine. He began putting first aid supplies into his bag. I grabbed a few snacks I’d bought myself and put those in mine.
“There’s a couple German beers in there that I thought you’d like,” I said as I handed him the bag. “We’ll have to sneak them on, but it’s not like we’re driving.”
He went still and watched me with a raised eyebrow.
“You’re German, right?”
He nodded. Thank you.
“No problem.” I smiled. I turned back to my bag and hesitated. Screw it. I pulled out the small, colorful gift from my mom. Hoping the rain didn’t get to it, I took the paper off and opened it. Two brand-new, behind-the-ear hearing aids sat in the box. Along with batteries. Sighing, I opened each aid and put a battery in before closing them back up. Very aware that Falk was watching me, I slipped the hearing aid in my ear and settled the rest of it behind my ear. I did the same with the other. It was odd. They felt heavy, and blaringly obvious. I ran my finger over the top and heard the swipe of my finger in my right ear. I did the same to my left, to be sure they were on. It was surprisingly loud.
“I’m going to go change.” Not looking at Falk, I picked up the bag of clothes and headed back into the bathroom. Thankfully, there wasn’t a line, but the door was locked.
A brunette man came out and smiled. “Enjoy,” he said on his way by.
Okay… I headed in and locked the door behind me. I pulled out the clothes and smiled. How did he know my size? I didn’t really care; I was just grateful. I stripped down to my skin and pulled out a pair of underwear and a bra. When I pulled them on, I paused. They fit perfectly. How the hell had he known my bra size? Was this a superpower he had? Picking out the perfect size?
I pulled out a pair of dark-blue jeggings and slipped them on. I went through the bag and pulled on a white, long-sleeve, scoop-neck cotton shirt and a thick, olive knitted cardigan that reached mid-thigh. I started pulling on my boots, surprised they matched the outfit. Was Falk into fashion? Could he be gay? My heart sank; I really hoped not.
I was throwing out my soaked clothes when the lights flickered. What the…? My pulse picked up as the temp seemed to drop. Okay, that’s unnerving. Shoulders tense, I picked up my clothes bag and went to open the door. Only the door didn’t budge. I checked the lock and tried again. The knob wouldn’t even turn.
The lights began flickering again, only this time, they didn’t stop. My skin broke out into goosebumps as my heart pounded. What the hell was going on? The mirror on my left began to glow slightly. My pulse pounded in my ears as I slowly turned, not really wanting to look. The bathroom was reflected back. My image just as I was, with my hair in a messy braid over my shoulder. Same clothes. Same everything. I let out a deep breath. Something caught my eye. In the mirror, it was slow and hard to notice. But my reflection changed. Her smile started off a quirk of the lips, then grew and stretched across her face until it was a terrifying smile I never even knew I was capable of. She turned to fully face the mirror. Cold terror tore through me as I watched her. Those cold eyes met mine; that smile grew bigger than physically possible. My breathing grew faster, my hands shaking.
Not knowing what else to do, I lowered my barrier a little and I reached out. I found him and skimmed over the surface of his mind. “Falk?”
Surprise and caution colored his thought as he reached back. “Rina?”
My reflection’s hand moved out of the mirror to grab the faucet.
“Something is crawling through the mirror in here.” I swallowed hard as my reflection began to climb through.
“I’m coming,” he sent, fear lacing his thought. “Don’t let it come in!”
Don’t let it come in? The temperature dropped again. My heart threatened to leap out of my chest as her head moved through the glass. Think, Rina! Her hands braced on the sink. The lights continued to flicker.
Stop it from coming in… I was moving before I knew it and slamming my fist into the surface. It cracked. Something large hit the outside of the door as I pulled back and hit it again with my hand as hard as I could. It splintered. She grabbed my arm, her grip freezing-cold. She pulled back into the glass, her grip taking my hand with her. I slammed my hand against the glass, bracing myself as my arm dipped into something burning cold on the other side. I cried out as I braced myself against the sink edge and pulled hard. My muscles burned as I struggled to pull my arm back. “Falk!”
Something slammed against the door again. I braced my foot against the sink. Grunting, I pulled with everything I had. My hand finally cleared the glass. I lifted my other foot off the floor and stomped onto the surface of the mirror. The glass shattered, cutting the hand off. I dropped to the tile as black oil splashed into the sink and onto the floor. The door finally broke open.
Falk’s eyes were blazing as he found me on the floor. His gaze took in the oil and shattered mirror before he came to me. As he reached down and pulled me to my feet, his grip was oddly careful. He immediately began examining me. My heartbeat started slowing back to normal. His touch sta
yed careful and as far from groping as possible as his hands moved down my body looking for injuries. He took my arms and pulled them into the no longer flickering light.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, my voice shaking. “It looked exactly like me!”
His eyes were dark and hard when they met mine. He picked up my pack and began pulling me back through the train station.
The train was almost done loading. I was shaking when Falk pulled me back into a row and made me get in on the inside. Falk shifted so no one could see me as he pulled my hand to him. The train began to move.
“What was that?” I whispered.
He clenched and unclenched his jaw as he glanced at me before reaching for my other hand. He pushed back my sleeve from my still shaking hand. A handprint wrapped around my wrist, most of it was red, as if lightly burned; but it was obvious already that it was bruising. Falk gently cleaned my wrist as I tried to keep from demanding answers. He pulled my cardigan sleeve back down over my wrist and started to put everything back in his bag. When he turned to me, his face was hard. That was a barghest; it was trying to take you, or tag you.
My fingers grew cold. “What?”
It’s hard to explain; but it trying to take you is the problem. It looks like a hellhound is after you. He clenched and unclenched his jaw.
Hellhound? I signed. My heart sank. My lungs grew tight.
Demonic bounty hunters. They usually have a pack of barghest working for them.
“Falk. Muggle words,” I snapped, starting to get irritated that I couldn’t understand.
He met my gaze. A barghest is a demonic, shapeshifting dog. Hellhounds are bounty hunters for hire. They usually have a pack of them to acquire their target.
“Tell me you’re joking.” It was starting to get hard to breathe through my tight chest.
Run (Books Of Stone Book 2) Page 4