by Trim, Brenda
Derek’s eyebrows slammed together, and his chest began rising and falling rapidly. The guy was a few seconds from losing his shit, and I couldn’t wait. I wanted to say something that would push him over the edge but kept my mouth shut.
The rest of the council vacillated between amusement and anger. He was one of them. They wouldn’t tolerate being belittled very long. I cleared my throat and clasped my hands in front of my body. “I asked Fiona to be here. There was a point during the encounter where the demon started attacking me, and Fiona was there to help me save Faye.”
“So, she was involved in your attack on a respected council member?” Derek’s cheeks were red, and his eyes shot hatred at us. “Then it’s a damn good thing she’s here with you. We can incarcerate both of you. It is illegal to summon a demon within the city limits. Cottlehill Wilds is a peaceful, safe community, and we want to keep it that way.”
I growled and clenched my jaw shut while I bit my tongue. Yelling at the ignorant fool would do me no good. My mind conjured images of me yelling at him and giving him a piece of my mind. More people in Cottlehill didn’t like him than those that did.
Seraphine leaned forward and pinned me with her piercing dark brown stare. “You should be careful with what you say back, Violet. There is evidence that you are responsible for killing Faye.”
My head reared back. “What? What the hell are you talking about? I didn’t try to kill Faye. Is she really dead?” My heart skipped several beats while a vice tried to squeeze it into submission.
Camille sighed and shook her head. “She’s still with us, but barely. We have healed her injuries, but she isn’t waking up. Many here are convinced you have her under a spell and are siphoning her power from her slowly. Despite having no outward injuries, she won’t live long without intervention. We need this spell broken.”
This argument was getting old. I rubbed my temples. “I have no idea what happened to her or why she isn’t waking up. I can’t give you what you want. But I think I know someone that might have some answers.”
Derek rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Let me guess. He’s got all the answers, but you don’t know where to find him. Save your excuses. You aren’t getting away with this.”
“Have you ever heard of the Underworld Investigative Services? Thanos is one of their agents and is hunting the demon responsible for attacking Faye. He located me because my power was thickest at the scene. Unlike you, he listened to me.” I couldn’t believe this was my life right now. How the hell did I go from minding my own business to being accused of attempted murder.
Jorock’s big body turned, so he was facing me. His seat was on the opposite side of the table, which didn’t give him a good view. The gargoyle narrowed his blue eyes. “You’re saying a UIS agent is in town investigating a demonic presence? That means someone summoned this being to our town. Did he indicate if he knew who did such a thing? If what you’re saying is true, we need to find this person and stop them from doing anything worse.”
Was he asking this because he was the one responsible? Whoever had done the summoning had immense power. But in doing so, it would change the summoner. Jorock was gruff, but he always had been. It was in his nature.
“I would have thought the council would know better. Even I know that a UIS agent doesn’t reveal their information,” Fiona interjected with disdain. “If you are ignorant about that fact. What else don’t you know? Speaking of, what is your evidence against Violet?”
A dozen pissed-off faces glared at Fiona while one fought a smile. I was with Camille. I wanted to laugh at the put down my bestie just dealt the council. Her question was valid. I wasn’t even aware there was such an agency until recently, but I wasn’t on the ruling board of our town.
“You’re just as arrogant as your grandmother was,” Derek snarled.
“Careful, Derek. Your insecurity is showing,” Camile chided. “And to answer your question, Fiona. There is a rune on Violet’s body that carries Faye’s energy signature. There is no denying what our magic revealed.”
I bobbed my head. “You’re right about that, Camille. But there’s no saying it wasn’t planted there. Mimicking another person’s magic is a simple matter for an experienced witch. And, according to Thanos, an experienced witch summoned the demon.”
“Of course, it takes someone with significant strength. Did he indicate who he thought summoned the demon?” I had dismissed Derek’s question the first time, but he was asking again. Perhaps he was responsible and concerned about being caught.
Seraphine sat forward and glared at Derek. “You never listen to those you deem lower than you. Violet already talked about this. She doesn’t have the answers.”
Fiona stepped forward. “Whose job is it to look into matters of this nature? You came across the rune, but did you do anything else? Did you visit the park to find possible clues left behind? Did you interview the last people leaving S&S that night? You didn’t talk to me, and I know you knew I arrived while the demon was still present. You didn’t talk to Sebastian, either, and he chased the creature out of the park. You have a fraction of the information you need and are jumping to conclusions. How has this town functioned with half-assed leadership?”
Derek jumped to his feet and leaped over the table with his hands out. He was aiming for Fiona. I shouted for him to stop and rushed to my friend’s side. I reached her and yanked her out of the way right as the council leader slammed into me.
His move tackled me to the ground. Before I knew what I was doing, I had the knife Bas had made for me in my hand and at his throat. “Get off me now.” I bit off each word and pushed the blade into his flesh.
My head hurt where it bounced off the tile, and my back was killing me. Fiona knelt by my side and ripped him off my chest before he could respond. Jorock and five other council members surrounded us. They looked torn about who to restrain.
“That’s enough of that,” Camille announced.
Derek was shaking. “You have no right to threaten me. I will have you arrested.”
“No, you won’t. You were the one that jumped across a table to attack Fiona,” Jorock said as he looked at Derek. His announcement was pointed. “That was out of line. She can press charges against you. I’m sure Gardoss wouldn’t mind conducting an investigation. It’s not like he has a lot on his plate. To answer your previous question. We had him investigate the park. We haven’t spoken to him or received word about what he discovered.”
“Derek called this meeting the second the rune was discovered,” Camille added from her position off to the side. “This has gone far enough. Nothing about this case is clear. We have a UIS agent in town and more than a killer to uncover.”
“You aren’t getting off that easy,” Derek spat at me. “I won’t arrest you yet. But you only have one week to bring us proof of your innocence. After that, I will pull you off the toilet if necessary. And, I will enjoy every second of it.”
I bit back a hundred snarky retorts. Telling the man that he shouldn’t flaunt his bathroom fetish wouldn’t earn me any points. My body sagged. This was all bullshit. We shouldn’t even be standing here arguing. There was a demonic creature out there somewhere and a Dark witch that had summoned it to this plane. That’s where our energy needed to be directed.
And this council had no intention of doing anything about the whole mess. They’d just put it on my plate. Why the hell was it up to me? They were the most powerful. I was tired. There was only so much a woman could put up with.
Fiona wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “At least you know your limits. It doesn’t help anyone for you to give the culprit the information they needed to get out of town and cover their tracks. Trust me when I say we will find out who did this and nail them to the wall.”
Camille chuckled along with Jorock and a couple others while Derek growled. I simply shook my head and headed for the door. Life hadn’t been easy lately, and it wasn’t going to get better any time soon.
It had to be the same witch responsible for summoning the demon. I’d bet a million dollars on that fact. Only someone that evil would curse an innocent person while also bringing creatures created to devour anything in its way to their town.
The question was, who hated me and this town enough to go to such lengths. I didn’t have enemies. My life had been boring until Fiona moved to town. Since then, we’d dealt with countless crises.
I wouldn’t allow them to get away with it. With Fiona and Aislinn helping me, we would uncover the culprit. If I was lucky, Thanos would be on my team, as well. No! You can’t spend time with the UIS agent. For all, I knew he was a demon himself. Demons and witches didn’t mix. No matter how attractive they were. I’d just have to avoid him like the plague. I had to clear my name and stop whoever had it out for Cottlehill and me.
Chapter 8
My resolve to never see Thanos again lasted all of three hours. Fiona and I went to see Aislinn and tell her what the council said and ask if she’d heard anything. Cottlehill residents walked on a fine line hiding their supernatural nature from the mundies that lived there.
The ratio of paranormal to humans was leaning in our favor as our population grew and spread each year. Only about thirty percent were mundies now, and those that lived here were used to the odd occurrence and dismissed most things.
What they wouldn’t ignore was us talking openly in Mug Shots about the town council and their allegations I tried to kill one of the witches on the board. The council was the entity that kept the peace in Cottlehill and acted as the enforcer of the rules established by the first paranormal residents that settled here.
I didn’t care for Derek and a few other council members as individuals. Still, I couldn’t deny how they kept chaos from destroying the entire town and revealing our existence.
No one wanted to deal with billions of terrified humans who would act out against us if they discovered magic was real. They wouldn’t take kindly to suddenly learn that creatures were living amongst them that could turn into animals and others capable of wielding magic like a weapon when the need arose.
My desire to get the council off my back was the reason I was walking into the bar Aislinn’s family owned. Phoenix Feathers was a popular hangout most nights because it was the only bar in the town.
It was the only place I could think of to find an agent of the Underworld. Fiona pulled up and jumped out of her Mustang. The car was a beater, but she loved the thing. Not that I had any room to judge. I knew next to nothing about cars and drove the old Mercedes SUV that my parents gave me when I got divorced.
Fiona’s light brown hair blew in the breeze as she shut her car door. The chill of Spring lasted until Winter, when it would get colder. I was used to the weather and loved it, but since we returned from Eidothea, I had a hard time handling the cold. Heat burned within me at all times.
It was like having a hot flash that never ended. Only these didn’t start in my feet and spread throughout my entire body. Flames coursed through my blood, heating me up as it went along.
Aislinn poked her head out of the bar. Her green eyes held her usual humor, and her red hair was in a braid over her shoulder. She used to be super skinny and typically wore crop tops, showing off her petite figure.
She’d taken to wearing loose tops that went to her butt. Fiona and I thought it was because she didn’t want us to see how much weight she had lost. She was sick when paranormals generally didn’t catch mundane illnesses. She assured us she had seen Zreegy and was taking care of herself.
Aislinn waved her hand at us. “You guys coming in or what? It’s a nice night and all, but I thought we were on a mission.”
I shut my car door and looked at Fiona. Fiona shrugged and glanced back to Aislinn. “Are there any new hotties inside?”
A smile slid over Aislinn’s face, and she waggled her eyebrows. It was such an Aislinn thing to do. It made me laugh at the same time tension drained from my shoulders. I wasn’t even aware I was carrying so much worry around until it left me. Aislinn was one of my best friends, so it made sense that I’d be afraid something horrible was happening to her.
After all, I was going through my own issues. Fiona didn’t give any hints that she wasn’t quite right since her return. She did mention something after her first visit. Perhaps it was a one-time thing when an outsider visited Eidothea.
“Does your UIS agent have that perfect yet messy hair? The style that looks like his date from the night before ran her hands through it before she left with a satisfied smile on her face?”
I shook my head at Aislinn’s description. It was frighteningly accurate and made me scowl when I thought of the woman he might have been with. You aren’t jealous of someone you don’t even know! I prayed I believed the lie. I had never gotten angry because a woman paid attention to the guy I was dating, or later Dathan.
Butterflies took flight in my stomach, making me light-headed while I followed Fiona to the door. My ears were ringing by the time we entered the dark bar. I couldn’t hear anything but my racing heart, but I could see several groups of people playing pool. Others at the dartboards and more sitting together at the tables.
The smoke in the air gave the establishment a hazy atmosphere. It amplified my fluttery stomach when my gaze locked with Thanos’ stormy grey eyes. Aislinn waved her hand in front of her face as we passed a table where three out of the four patrons were smoking.
The air cleared by the time we reached the long bar where Thanos was sitting. I cleared my throat and sat on the stool next to him. I didn’t stop to think about it until his eyebrows climbed to his hairline and his eyes traveled from my face to the chair.
I stood up so fast the stool fell backward. My cheeks flamed as I tried to catch it before it hit the ground. Fiona came to my rescue and saved me from thoroughly embarrassing myself.
“Fiona, Aislinn, this is the Underworld detective I was telling you about. Thanos is here to find the demon causing problems in our small town.” I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. I was babbling like an idiot but couldn’t seem to stop myself.
“Nice to meet you, Thanos,” Fiona said and extended her hand to the sexy agent.
Thanos shook her hand and released it right away. Aislinn said something to him, as well, and he shook her hand next. He didn’t linger over handshakes, but he tilted his head and considered Aislinn for several seconds longer than I liked.
I would not get pissed at one of my best friends because some idiot preferred her over me. The sudden surge of irritation helped me focus on what I needed to at the moment.
“We were hoping to find you here,” I told Thanos. When his attention shifted back to me, it sent heat coursing through my body. I crossed my arms over my chest. It was both a defense and a way to hide how he affected my body. I didn’t like that he turned me on, and I wasn’t about to let it distract me. My life was on the line.
“The council has evidence they say will prove I was the one to attack Faye. I need to know everything you can tell me about the demon you believe is responsible. I have to bring them proof of my innocence if I want to stay out of jail.” I hadn’t meant to share so much but was glad I did when his expression went from concerned to angry.
“Is there anyone on the council with half a brain? A scan of the scene will tell them your magic was tightly contained. At the same time, demonic energy surged unchecked throughout the area. At first, I assumed you had wielded it like a whip. After talking to you, I returned to the park and used some of the tools in my arsenal. I realized your spells were all defensive in nature.”
I sucked in a breath. I expected him to doubt me and refuse to help. Having him on my side threw me off. “That’s right. I had to react in
a hurry to save myself and try to save Faye. Did you find out what kind of demon we’re hunting?”
Fiona leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Or, better yet, what kind of demon we’re facing? I’m new to this and need to practice what spells I might need to use.”
Aislinn scanned the club and nodded at the guy behind the bar. It was her brother, Goren. “Can you shield our conversation, GoGo? No need to alarm the mundies.”
I knew better than to talk so openly when there were humans nearby. Thanos muddled my mind and made me forget myself. Goren smiled at his sister. “Be happy too. We miss you around here. When are you coming back?” Goren wiped the rag in his hand over the top of the bar as he responded. White light flashed for an instant then disappeared. A second later, my ears popped, and I knew there was a shield concealing our conversation.
“I’m happy at Mug Shots, but you’ll be the first to know if I change my mind. Thanks, brother.”
He bobbed his head up and down. “I’m here if you three need any help.”
Thanos set his beer down. “That won’t be necessary. These three are going to stay out of it and leave the investigation to me.”
My anger took the front seat, and I leaned forward, putting my face a few inches from Thanos’. I didn’t bother hiding the snarl in my tone. “Get this straight. I’m not some weak woman that needs a man to protect me. I’ve been set up, and I will be damned if I leave it to someone else to solve. I have no intentions of hunting the demon any further than gathering the evidence needed to prove he was the one to attack Faye.”
“Yeah. What she said,” Fiona parroted. Aislinn chuckled beside me but didn’t say anything else.
Thanos’ eyes darkened with appreciation that was quickly masked by frustration. “You’re playing a dangerous game here. This was a blood demon. They’re dangerous creatures that can hide their true face in your world. They wouldn’t be able to get away with feeding on the blood of others - specifically the power contained in supernatural blood - if they walked around with horns.”