by F. L. Jordan
Natalie scoffed, "You're kidding, right? Zach, did you expect me to go to work without a uniform? And what was I supposed to do with Slag? Leave her here in a home she’s not familiar with?"
Zach's fire died instantly and he gently tapped his spoon against his bowl, "I'm sorry, I just... I just thought you'd be there when I woke up."
Natalie sighed and he felt her warmth next to him before she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, "Next time I will be. I promise."
"Next time?" He smiled, "So you're already planning to spend the night again?"
"If you're lucky," she kissed him again and pulled out a chair to sit in while she waited on him, "Now hurry up before we're late."
He quickly ate and tossed the dishes into the sink. Copper took his spot on Zach's shoulders as he opened the apartment door for Natalie. The dragon was happy his human had forgotten about his interruption last night. The pair seemed to be adjusting well to each other, regardless of Zach’s poor mood.
As they rode to the station in comfortable silence, Zach held Natalie's hand. He could feel that she had a ring on her middle finger. It was a flat band with some raised lines. He ran his thumb over it a few times, trying to figure out what the design was. It felt like a five pointed star.
She squeezed his hand lightly then let go. He felt the car turn and then come to a stop. Zach heard Natalie put the vehicle in park then lean towards him. He felt her fingers gently press into his right cheek, turning his face towards her. She kissed him tenderly before pulling away and opening her door. Zach was surprised Copper didn't protest against the display of affection. He had certainly voiced his opinion the night before.
To their surprise, Captain Levit was waiting for them as they entered the station. He stood just outside his office watching the front door intently, calling to them the second he spotted Copper’s shimmery scales.
“Hail, Lock,” his authoritative tone startled both of them, “my office, now.”
Zach leaned into Natalie and whispered, “What’d we do?”
“No idea,” she shrugged and kept walking, “but we better not keep him waiting. He looks pissed.”
She quickly entered the door Captain Levit held open. Her concern heightened when she found three of the four precinct captains waiting inside. Something was wrong.
“What’s up?” she asked them. “This isn’t about Corvis, is it?”
“No,” Lidia spoke up, “and may I just say, I wish Zach had hit him harder.”
“Not the time, Lidia,” Levit scolded. “I just received a call from Commissioner McKay’s office. He was rushed to the hospital about twenty minutes ago, completely unresponsive and deathly pale.”
“Why are you telling us?” Zach placed his hands on his hips, trying to look nonchalant.
“The office called me because we have the highest rated precinct,” Levit stated matter of factly. “They want my best officers on the case. That’s you, Hail. I haven’t personally seen Miss Lock in action yet, but Lidia and Jeffrey have vouched for her abilities, and she is your partner.”
Natalie pulled her phone out of her pocket. She opened the screen to find a message from Eli, “He’s at LuRen.”
“Yes,” Levit looked astonished. “How did you know?”
“I told you, Mark,” Captain Jeffrey Parker laughed. “Natalie has eyes and ears all over the city. The woman is seriously connected.”
“We’ll check it out, but can someone tell me why you two are here?” Zach asked.
“Emergency meeting about Corvis’ behavior yesterday,” Natalie was surprised Captain Levit offered the information so willingly.
“The fact that he openly harassed you is disturbing, Zach,” Lidia chimed in.
“We’re also concerned he’s going to try and use the commissioner's sudden illness as a way to gain the position,” Jeffery added.
“Sounds plausible,” Zach stated, satisfied with their answers. “Anything else we should know about the commissioner?”
“You know everything I do,” Levit said. “If I get an update, I’ll call.”
“Alrighty then,” Natalie sighed. “To the Batmobile, Robin.”
“Fuck you,” Zach opened the door for her. “If anyone in this relationship is the sidekick it’s you, little miss meter maid.”
“Uh huh,” she laughed as they left the office. “Then why am I the one driving? Though technically, I suppose you’re more bat-like than I am.”
“I’m going to ignore that,” Zach said. He could hear Jeffery laughing as they left.
“This feels like a distraction,” Zach stated as they hopped back into the cruiser.
“I have to agree,” Natalie turned the ignition on and headed towards the hospital. None of this felt right. The dreamcatcher, the targeted curses, the encounter with Corvis and Agram, and now the commissioner’s sudden illness. Even her partnership with Zach felt like it played a part in whatever plan was being concocted. She decided to call Eli and let him know they were on their way.
He met them at the entrance, “He’s in the ICU, so I can’t let you in to see him. I can tell you that he is exhibiting the same symptoms as your sister, Mr. Hail, though progressing at a much faster pace.”
Zach’s eyebrows shot up, “That’s not good. If I recall, Emily had been inflicted with a pretty nasty curse. How did you fix her?”
Eli wasn’t able to stop his nervous glance towards Natalie and Copper saw it. The lizard examined her with quiet interest as the doctor spoke.
“A good samaritan offered their assistance,” Eli stated, his nervousness coming through in his voice. Natalie was going to kill him if he gave her away.
“The hospital allows that?” Zach didn’t know whether to be grateful or pissed.
“Only for severe cases,” Eli lied.
“Perhaps you should call them again,” Zach stated. Natalie heard the irritated tone hidden in his voice.
“I’ve reached out to them,” Eli finally composed himself. “I’m just waiting for their reply.”
“So if we can’t see him,” Natalie decided to interject, “why not tell me that when I called you?”
“Because I need you to see what’s in the morgue,” Eli’s eyes shone with an unspoken warning.
“And that would be?” Zach asked, the doctor’s worried tone had him on edge.
“Three girls came in this morning high on that shit that’s been circulating,” Eli sighed. “They all coded within seconds of arriving. There was nothing we could do.”
The look he gave her told Natalie that they were three of her coven sisters, “Girls from the Lower Heights red light district?”
“Yeah,” Eli pursed his lips and nodded.
“Fuck,” Natalie cursed. “That would probably explain why I haven’t heard from a few of my contacts. Show us.”
Eli led them through the hospital and down into the basement. Natalie’s heart sank as he pulled out the first drawer, the second and third brought tears to her eyes. These girls were the three youngest members of her coven, barely older than herself when she’d joined the sisterhood. They were good girls. Each of them opposed the drugs and sexwork, staying with the coven only to have a family. They weren’t users, this shouldn't have happened to them. This was a direct message to Natalie. Their initiation rings glinted coldly in the artificial light. How could Agram do this to three innocent children?
Natalie looked them over, each one had bruises on their mouths and wrists, “God damnit.”
Zach reached out to touch her, gently placing his hand on her shoulder, “You gonna be ok?”
“Yeah,” she lied. “These girls didn’t use, Zach. Someone force fed them that shit.”
“They had these on them,” Eli pulled a small sandwich bag out of his coat pocket, handing it to her.
Inside were three smaller bags, each with a single word written on it in large black marker. ‘I. See. You.’ Natalie quickly tucked the bag into her pocket, unaware that Copper had seen the note, “Great, more drugs for evidence. Maybe we can ge
t a usable fingerprint off the bags. I hope you used a glove, Eli.”
“What do you take me for?” he scoffed at her, closing the drawers. “I need names for them, Nat.”
“Tiffany Markwood, Eliza Chan, and Emelia Brelle.” Natalie listed them off sadly as she turned, “I have another contact that I’m still looking for, Zach. Let’s head out and see if we can find her.”
He followed her wordlessly, but several paces behind. He wanted to check on his sister, though he knew it wasn’t a good time to do so. He decided to do it anyway, “Natalie, I’ll be right back. I want to see my sister while we’re here.”
“Let me know how that works out for you,“ she laughed halfheartedly, “Blind Boy.”
“Real funny,” he said as he turned, allowing Copper to direct him to the elevator.
Natalie continued to walk in the direction they’d come, Eli falling into perfect step with her, “What do you make of that message, Nat?”
“She’s trying to expose me, Eli,” Natalie whispered. “I have to solve this case before she can, otherwise the department will think I’m the leak.”
“Do you know who the leak is?” he asked, worry evident in his voice.
“I have an idea,” she bit her thumbnail. “We can swing by tonight and help the commissioner.”
Eli nodded and walked her back to the hospital’s entrance.
~*~
Zach, Copper decided to voice what he’d seen, I hate to say this, but Natalie is hiding something.
We’ve known that from the start, Zach admitted, though such an admission made him highly uncomfortable now. What did you see?
A couple things, Copper sounded sad. That thing I slipped into your pocket this morning fell out of her purse last night, Eli looked directly at her when he mentioned the good samaritan, those girls in the morgue all have the exact same ring she does, and there was a message written on the drugs Eli handed her that made her panic. What he didn’t tell Zach was that he’d seen the ring somewhere else as well, he just couldn’t remember where.
You think she’s a witch? Zach said what he feared.
Zach could feel Copper constrict around his neck in discomfort, I don’t want her to be.
You think I do? Zach couldn’t help but snap at him. He’d found someone that made him feel alive again. He didn’t want to lose her. The pair fell silent as Copper guided him from the elevator and down the hall.
What the? the dragon sounded confused as they entered Emily’s room. That can’t be Emily. She’s too healthy.
Is she awake? Zach asked, slowly walking towards the bed, listening to the echo of his footfalls on surrounding furniture.
No, but she’s put on at least fifty pounds since we were here last, Copper observed the woman before them. Something odd is going on here. Even with the curse removed, she shouldn’t be healing this fast.
And broken bones can’t heal overnight either, Zach thought about Slag’s miraculous recovery as he reached out and touched the bed, searching for his sister’s hand. Her fingers felt nearly normal now. There was definitely magic at work here, but why couldn’t he feel it? Copper spotted something shiny at the foot of the bed and leapt from Zach’s shoulder. He dug out the small metallic tube of lotion and placed it into Zach’s hand. Copper watched his human open it and sniff, a deep frown forming on his lips.
He held the tube up to his dragon, Smell familiar?
Copper inhaled, a wave of different emotions rushing through him as he recognized the scent of strawberries, Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it’s hers.
We’ll see, Zach tucked the tube into his pants and reached into his breast pocket. He pulled out the small pyramid Copper had slipped into it as they’d left home that morning. As he gently examined the object he felt a small crack that ran through its otherwise smooth surface.
“Is it black?” he asked aloud.
Yes, Copper watched as he extended the small crystal towards Emily. The crack in its face deepened audibly and Zach jerked it away, tucking it back into his shirt pocket. The curse’s reaction to its previous host confirmed their suspension.
Well, fuck, he said as he turned to leave, millions of questions running through his mind. Had she charmed him? Was she the leak in the PD? If she was, why was she helping people? Why didn’t she give off a magical aura? Could he trust her? Should he report her? Why was he even questioning the latter?
Zach had never hated witches until after his curse. He’d been raised by one, and had grown up thinking the unfair discrimination against them was rubbish. There were many days where he himself had wished to possess the magic his father wielded so easily. The man had died trying to find a way to reverse Zach’s curse. He’d loved his dad. He was a good man, a good father, and a highly skilled white witch.
As he navigated the hospital Zach found himself wondering how powerful Natalie was and why he couldn’t feel her energy. This wouldn’t be the first time he’d failed to feel someone’s magic. He just hoped the result of the failure didn’t yield similar results.
~*~
There was a thick tension hanging in the air between Natalie and Zach as she drove. He hadn’t said a single word to her since they’d left the hospital. Something wasn’t right. He refused to hold her hand and leaned against his door as if trying to get away from her. His behavior change was drastic and alarming. Even Copper seemed to be mad at her. The dragon had been glaring at her with an intense angry gaze since they’d gotten in the car.
Natalie was about to ask him what was wrong when her eye caught the sight of a familiar head of green hair. She flipped the cruiser’s lights on, turning hard to the left. As the tires squealed Zach cursed, grabbing for Copper and bracing against the door.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Zach shouted angrily.
“I spotted the contact I've been trying to get a hold of,” Natalie spun the vehicle perfectly against the curb and put it in park. She opened her door and looked over to see that Zach was doing the same.
Natalie reached across the car and slammed his door shut, “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
“I’m not letting you go alone, are you nuts?” he was mad, every inch of his body radiated the emotion.
“Certifiable,” Natalie whispered, inches from his face, “I mean it, Zach, stay here. She won’t talk to me if you come along.”
“Whatever,” he folded his arms like a grumpy child and turned his face away from her. “Be careful.”
“I will,” she sat up and exited the car, jogging to catch up with the woman she’d seen.
Zach allowed a few moments to pass before he rolled his window down, Go check it out.
Copper took off, flying above buildings to the alley where he’d seen Natalie go. He landed quietly on a fire escape, looking down at two equally familiar women. His heart pounded at the sight.
“Oh stuff it, Starra!” his initial reaction was shock as he watched Natalie yell at the hooker. “What the hell is this shit?”
“What do you care? You’re not part of the coven anymore,” Copper felt sick when he heard Steffani’s words. Sure, he and Zach had just confirmed that Natalie was a witch, but hearing it from the mouth of one of her own left no room for doubt. No room for her innocence.
“I care because it’s killing people!” Natalie’s voice was harsh, authoritative.
“Oh, boo hoo,” Steffani quipped. “So a few humans die. So what? They shouldn’t take more than one at a time.”
“Starra,” Natalie took a few menacing steps towards the woman, “do you know what’s in this shit? Smell it! Where did Agram get the grave soil?”
“Grave soil?” Steffani sounded confused. “What are you talking about, Pent? It’s just ecstasy with a little Nightshade and Black Fennel.”
“The fuck it is!” Natalie was angry now, her voice a low growl, “You don’t even know what you’re selling! Fucking smell it, Starra!” She shoved an open baggy into the cheap whore’s face.
“Oh... Christ,” Steffani teetered, t
hen fell to the ground, struggling heavily to stand. “I... we... had no idea.”
“Who is Agram buying this shit off of? A little Ex isn’t a big deal, but this,” Natalie had switched to a calm, convincing tone, “this is a weapon, Starra. She is trying to kill people. To hell with the law, she’s betrayed the coven. How many of our sisters use? How many more need to die before you open your eyes? Tillian, Mortish, Aife, they’re all dead, Starra.”
“W-what?” Steffani’s head shot up, tears had begun to well up in her eyes, “No, that can’t be true. They wouldn’t touch drugs. I... I saw Tillian last night.”
“And I saw her this morning in the fucking morgue! Where do you think I got this? It was in her God damn pocket,” Natalie had returned to her menacing stance.
“I... I don’t know who Agram bought it from,” Steffani sniffed, “but I know her puppet is pulling the strings with the PD to keep the ingredients safe. They had to clear out a warehouse the other night because it was about to get raided.”
“Where is it being stored now?” as Natalie grilled the woman Copper tried his damndest to be invisible. His judgement of character was never wrong. Natalie was a good person, witch or not. He listened for more information. Who was this puppet? Did Natalie know them?
“I don’t know exactly,” Steffani was finally able to stand again. “Somewhere on the south side, I think. At least that’s where we have to go to pick up the product.”
“Thanks,” Natalie turned to leave, “tell the others not to use it.”
“Bring them back, Pent, please,” Steffani blubbered, reaching out as she stepped towards Natalie. “You’re the only one that can.”
“I can’t,” Natalie seemed as sad as Steffani. “It’s against the laws, human and witch, you know that. Besides, they ingested grave soil, there’s nothing left to bring back.”
“None of this would be happening if you hadn’t left. Why did you leave us?” Steffani shouted through angry tears.
“This shit!” Natalie spun on her, waving the drugs in the hooker’s face, “This is why I fucking left! The Imperial Coven used to be clean, pure. Then Agram brought this shit in and fucked everything up. None of you would listen to me, though. The money was too good. You used to despise the other covens for this type of behavior, Starra. You have brains, you could have been something! Now look at you, you’re just a two bit whore hooked on drugs and selling your body to pay your dues.”