“They went off the pattern though. Most of these women are Fae. So the body count is higher for the Fae then it is for the humans. Our Fairy knew her killer. She had let her inside her house. These women looked surprised, as if they never seen death coming, but unlike the Fairy they were not at their homes,” I scanned their feet, most wore shoes, expect the two who were currently footless. The others had either running shoes on, or dress shoes. I leaned down to examine a young female whose hands were held above her head in full rigor mortis. She had handprints on her wrist, her feet had been bound, but her eyes looked lifelessly at something in front of her. She also had those damn holes in her shoulders as if something had pinned her to the chair, but nothing inside the room was small enough to have been used.
“Two killers, or more,” I said horrified, it had been bad enough to be looking for one sadistic killer, but now we had two to find.
“You sure?” Ryder said coming over to stand next to Zahruk by the female’s body.
“Someone held her hands above her head, while someone else dissected her organs. She has hand prints on her wrist, with nail marks in the tissue, so we’re looking for at least one female. She had to have been taken a while ago, her blood stopped flowing about seven hours ago or so. She also has the same holes in her shoulders as the Fairy and all of the other victims do. It’s possible, that whatever the pins are could be what is sapping their powers.”
“So you are saying there are more killers then we originally thought we were looking for?” Ryder asked clarifying what I had just said.
“Yep, two sadistically twisted fucks—or more. To kill on this level? They had to have had help. I don’t see two people killing this many women in this little of time Ryder, we have three Fae and two Witches with an empty spot but a blood pool, so someone else was here before we were, taking their dead with them when they left.”
I watched Ryder nod his dark head once before he clicked open his phone and hit redial. I waited trying to figure if he was calling the Guild, or who it could be that he thought his people needed to be informed.
“Vlad, now.” He barked at his phone, “No, this cannot wait, put him on the fucking phone. Get him on the damn phone now!” He waited briefly and then Vlad’s smooth voice came through the other end loud enough for me to hear.
“What is it Sire?”
There was that title again.
“Did you remove a body from a crime scene?” He waited and then hung up, “It wasn’t a Vampire. Vlad hasn’t removed any bodies.”
“So it wasn’t a vamp, which leaves Light Fae. These are all Dark Fae.” I said scanning the room briefly before resting my eyes back on Ryder.
“I would smell it if they had a Light Fae inside this room.”
“We’re missing something. You said the dogs picked up nothing. Not even a trail, so what if the killer is using the body parts on him, or herself? It would confuse the dogs and why didn’t they put the bombs in…too many bodies maybe? But they could have gotten the same results using just one to destroy the crime scene,” I mused looking around and finding a picture sticking out from beneath one of the bodies. “Arianna, again.”
She was dressed in a business suit. Her blonde hair piled and pinned on her head. With a red X painted over her face. “This is the same picture we found at a different crime scene.”
“So it is, I’m glad she agreed to extra security,” Zahruk said as his eyes settled on the body the picture had been under. “She kind of looks like Ari, Ryder?”
Ryder was already squatted next to the body with his elbows resting on his knees as he examined the corpse. “She does, but so does that one,” he pointed to the body in the chair.”
“Think whoever is doing this has something against Ari?” I asked looking at the faces of the other victims.
“Hard to tell, she’s a gentle creature, timid at best,” Ryder replied as his eyes evaluated the other bodies, “I cannot see anyone holding a grudge against her, which was why we were shocked when news of the assassin’s interest in her came.”
“How did it come?” I asked wondering how they would know an assassin was trying to take out his future bride. It wasn’t like we posted it on the telephone poles and said “hey, by the way we plan to snuff out your life,” no we just got the assignment and carried it out silently, making damn sure no one was the wiser that we were coming.
“We got a tip, from one of Arianna’s people that someone was trying to kill her, someone highly trained and very deadly. We don’t take chances with our own.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “So someone just walked up and told them hey, we plan to kill the Light Heir and you believed them?”
“No we investigated it, but we couldn’t find any leads and since your Guild was the only one inside the city, we came to you. If the Guild Master offered to help, we knew it wasn’t from within your Guild. Marie sent me a letter a few years back claiming you were different than the others inside the Guild, better, faster and smarter. I made sure to ask for you. Alden was only too willing to give you to us for a price. So tell me Syn, if you had been told to take out my bride, what would you have done?” He asked watching me closely.
“I would have observed her movements for around two weeks or so, until I knew a time and location where she would have been more available and with fewer guards. Then I would have gotten the team together and taken her out before a single word of what we had been told to do could have gotten out, clean, simple, painless. I wouldn’t have told a single person who wasn’t on the hit about the target, when you take a mark, you don’t want retaliation and so telling anyone else would be off limits. A breach of contract, so let me ask you this Ryder…who would be so sloppy to get word out about taking down a target, unless your future bride placed it on herself?”
“Why would she do something like that?” He growled, obviously upset with where my mind was going.
“Because she loves attention and being targeted by assassins has only garnered the newly found Light Heir a truck load of it. I don’t know Ryder, the Fae are secretive and yet she seems to be loving the limelight of being on the front page of every fucking tabloid in Washington State, in fact Larissa brought in a copy of her having tea with the Governor. So if she was so worried about dying…why is she at the Capitol building having tea in a place easily accessible to an assassin?”
“Enough, she wouldn’t be that careless. You are forgetting that pictures are easily forged.”
“That’s true Ryder. But she’s incredibly excited to be the new Queen-In-Waiting of the Dark Fae and couldn’t ask for more in her new husband who is generous and handsome…her exact words she fed the press last week in Spokane at the Mayor’s settee where she had tea with him. Same exact thing she told the Governor.”
His teeth ground together as the tick in his cheek flared to life. “Enough Witch.”
I smiled, I was back to being just a Witch. Back where I knew what my job here was. “I’d like to try something if we can clear the room and get to a safe distance.”
“What do you have in mind?” He asked his eyes still narrowed dangerously. He was touchy about his future bride. So was I. I had forgotten that he was spoken for and yet I’d come close to losing myself in his arms. Easily done since he was Fae and they didn’t follow the same rules about marriage as we did.
“We clear the building and try to see if I can make it explode,” I smiled impishly crunching my nose at him as several cameras from the others on the scene were going off, taking in every detail of it.
“After the CSI team clears it, you think the dogs missed one?” He asked quietly as he tilted his head as if listening for something.
“If we missed them Ryder, the dogs could have. Something we did at the last two scenes set them off, if I’m right it was magic. Thing is, if I’m right, that means the Vampires have more knowledge of the crime then they are letting on.”
“It’s possible,” Ryder said as we waited for the crime scene unit to finish with thei
r pictures.
When they finally cleared the scene and we had moved a safe distance away, I put up my shield, but nothing happened. I closed my eyes replaying everything I had done inside the other scenes and smiled when I found what it was. Second sight, I’d used it moments before the bomb in the body cavity of the Fairy went off and I had been using it when the one at the Vampire’s sad excuse for a calling card went off.
I pulled in just enough power to use it and sent it seeking around the crime scene, nothing happened. I stepped a few feet closer, while Ryder talked to his men and sent it out with a force that would reach inside the house where the bodies lay mutilated.
The house exploded with enough force that I was thrown from the spot I had been standing in and ended up landing on something hard. I coughed as smoke took to the air, making it thick and un-breathable. Noise exploded as my ears started to work again, I tried to sit up but the once solid object gave in as my hands pushed on it and a deep growl sounded next to my ear.
“I hate when you’re right,” Ryder said inches from my ear as I turned over to find his face close to my own. I’d landed on him. It was becoming an irritating pattern. I smiled brightly. I didn’t mind being right, not at all.
“Thanks for breaking my fall,” I whispered not sure if he would hear it over the fire crew we’d called to be on standby as they rushed to stop the fire from spreading while we had waited for CSI to move from it.
He laughed, the sound pressing against my chest where our bodies were fused closely together. “Anytime you want to be on top, just let me know,” he said wiggling his eyebrows which was entirely out of character and made him boyishly handsome.
“Pervert, a building just exploded. We should be acting professional,” I mumbled already detangling myself from his limbs.
“True and you were right, which means I need to call a Vampire and find out what he knows.”
“If nothing else, they know the person who is creating the bombs and it could get us a lead on these sick whack-jobs.”
Twenty five
The next afternoon, I helped Larissa prepare her outfit for the Samhain celebration at the Guild. She had picked out a yellow corn silk dress that had an imperial waistline and would make her green eyes pop. She always looked good, no matter what color she wore. Her perfection and her smile were contagious.
“Syn, I wish you would reconsider and come with us tonight instead of going with him. Who cares about the stupid contract? I just wish he would commit to releasing you back to Alden after we figure out who’s trying to kill his fiancé.”
“What if he doesn’t, what if this was all just an elaborate scheme that we played into? The picture at the crime scene was the same one at the other that you showed me. All of the victims in the files match her description from the tabloids.”
“That’s a whole lot of what if’s Syn, without any hard evidence.”
I sighed dejectedly, she was right. I needed proof, something that was substantial enough to make people understand that something about these murders had to deal directly with Arianna. It could be as simple as the killer had an infatuation with her, but what didn’t make sense was, the fact that the Fairy had been killed, or where a woman would fit in to it, other than some creep being infatuated with the Light Heir.
Speaking of fairies, Malinda walked in with a stack of shopping bags. She smiled as Larissa and I jumped up to help her from where we had been sitting on the bed talking. “Oh thanks! Ryder sent me, told me to tell you he secured an outfit he would like you to wear tonight,” Malinda said grinning from ear to beautiful ear.
I bit my lip as Larissa’s eyes swung to me questioningly. I knew what she was thinking, hell I was thinking it! He’d bought me an outfit and there were bags filled with shoes and other things as well. “It’s not a date!” I blurted causing both women to turn around with beautiful matching smiles. “It’s not,” I grumbled.
Malinda tipped her head and examined me. She crinkled her nose at my sweat pants and tank top. I waited watching her mind work, yea good luck making me look beautiful—tomboy I could do, deadly assassin, in the freaking bag, but beautiful arm candy? I almost laughed at the thought.
“Ever considered cutting your hair into an actual style?” Malinda said as Larissa snorted from beside me. I tossed her a cool leveled glare.
“What’s wrong with the style I have?” I asked feeling self-conscious.
“Nothing, but I don’t think it has been cut in years…and I can see from here it is a few different lengths. I am very good at cutting.” Malinda said softly.
“Yeah, so am I,” I retorted meaning something else entirely.
“Can I trim it a little? I promise not to touch your bad girl image,” Malinda said with a mischievous smile.
I was about to put my foot down when Larissa caught my eye, she looked excited about this and the fact that I was doing something really girly. “Fine,” I said before I could think it over too much.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It took Malinda a few hours of primping, waxing and some very painful plucking before she had me stand in front of the mirror she had brought into the room. Larissa stood primped up perfectly herself, but I had done a full transformation.
I had straight hair that had been curled to frame my face. Malinda had put on a light blue eye shadow that made my eyes strikingly electric blue. She’d applied a light blush to my cheeks which gave my face definition and a touch of softness that was usually hidden by the tough exterior I hid behind. My lips had been glossed but she’d left them alone otherwise stating only that they were already perfect.
The dress Ryder had secured was an expensive designer work of art. It came to mid-thigh, leaving my legs and most of my thighs exposed. It had a sweetheart neckline and was sleeveless other than the two straps that flowed over my shoulders and crisscrossed around the back to meet the only other strap that held the back of the dress together. They also kept the dropped V-line back from showing off my rear.
“Syn, you look stunning,” Larissa said fanning her eyes to keep from messing her mascara up.
I smiled at her from where I still faced the mirror, I don’t think I came close to matching her beauty, but I was one hundred percent woman right now. I let my eyes drop to the stunning small heels and smiled. They laced up my ankles and had tiny ruby-like jewels that matched the necklace with the twin dragon pendant on it that he’d sent to replace the Celtic one he’d given me days ago.
“Wow Malinda, you managed to make Syn speechless,” said Larissa, “You’re amazing, simply amazing,”
A knock sounded at the door right before Adam walked in and stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes filled with love for Larissa. “Wow, you look amazing,” his eyes swung to me as I watched through the reflection of the mirror, “Holy shit bricks Syn, no way in hell are you going anywhere with Ryder looking like that.”
I smiled and crinkled my nose, “It’s not a date. It’s simply research so I know what to expect from the Fae for the ball.”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that and eventually you might buy it. I’m a guy Syn and I’m telling you straight up we don’t take women looking like that anywhere for just research.”
“Well it’s not like that,” I said wondering who I was trying to convince more, myself or him? My smile faltered with the reality of what I was doing and who I was going with came rushing back. I closed my eyes briefly, knowing I was making a mistake by going with him tonight.
“Adam! Get out. You always put your foot in that fat mouth of yours. She is going for research, who cares if she is the hottest damn thing in the club?”
I blinked as Larissa went off on Adam. She thumped her foot as she crossed her arms and waited for him to leave. I knew better, he wouldn’t walk out and leave her upset, he wasn’t built like that. “It’s okay, really.” I said when Larissa didn’t let up.
“I don’t like her going out with him, not without us as backup baby,” he said messing with the suit tie he wore.<
br />
Larissa’s sternness gave away to a huff of air as she rushed forward and threw her arms around Adam’s neck. “I know. Me either but she won’t change her mind. Looking like that she could have any guy inside the Guild and we could watch her back.”
I snorted, “I’ll be fine, if not I’ll call you. You two enjoy tonight. We need to let loose once in a while. Just remember not to make a huge show of your newly found feelings tonight, never know who might try and use it against us. Just be safe and have fun tonight.”
Adam smiled roguishly, “Right, so I shouldn’t grind my erection into her on the dance floor?”
“Ahh,” I held up my hands covering my ears making a show of it, “My ears!”
We all laughed, including Malinda who had been watching us. Adam released his hold on Larissa and stepped up until I had no choice but to turn around and face him. “Be careful tonight Syn, call us if you need us. We’ll come,” he said before pulling me in for a hug carefully as to not wrinkle the silk dress. “You look beyond amazing tonight, just remember, one call and we’re there.”
I smiled, “Considering I don’t even know where there is, you’re just going to have to trust that I am able to take care of myself for once.”
He swallowed and nodded, “We’re well aware that you can Syn that’s never been in doubt. It’s all this shit with Adrian coming back, it has to be driving you crazy knowing he was a few blocks from us this entire time and you’re vulnerable right now.”
It was my turn to swallow and nod. “You guys remember what I told you earlier about Adrian’s reason? I mean it doesn’t change what he did by leaving us, but you guys should know, he’s still tapped in to us, our power. I need to release him, just couldn’t do it yesterday.”
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