Deadly Vows

by Arthur, Keri

  “It was never a risk, because death was my fate. Had it been otherwise?” She looked up at Gabe. Both their faces glowed. “I’m not sure what we would have done. Not had children, most likely.”

  “That won’t be my fate. There’s at least one child in my future—a little blonde-haired girl.” Whether it was Aiden’s or someone’s I’d yet to meet was unclear.

  “Then I’ll keep all things crossed that she is an O’Connor. I fancy being an aunt.” She paused. “Is there anything else you need?”

  “At this point, no.” I hesitated. “Do you keep watch over the reservation’s borders at all?”

  “No.” She studied me shrewdly for a moment. “I take it this is about the men who were in your café last night?”

  “Yes. I don’t suppose you know where they were staying?”

  “No, and I can’t say I felt their presence, either. Why?”

  After I’d quickly explained the situation, she added, “And you fear Clayton will take his anger out on Aiden as much as Belle?”

  “Yes. Are you—via the wild magic—able to protect him?”

  “My connection to the wild magic continues to grow, and it may one day be possible that I can use its energy to defend my own. For now, however, I’m limited.”

  “Define limited.”

  Gabe’s ghostly form shifted, and Katie glanced up at him. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but after a moment, her gaze returned to me. “I can prevent a magical assault—as I did when you and Aiden were attacked in the graveyard—but at this point I cannot prevent a physical assault or retaliate against a living person without your presence to direct the force of the wild magic.”

  “Why? Wasn’t the point of all this”—I waved a hand at the wellspring—“for you to become the reservation’s guardian?”

  “Yes, but there’s no certainty that I’ll ever fully command the wild magic in the manner you can. The spell binding a soul to a wellspring was an untested—and unfinished—theory. We have no real idea how deep the immersion will go.”

  Meaning I’d been right in guessing the spell’s origin had been Gabe more than some long ago forgotten spell, and that made it even more vital we kept this wellspring’s existence secret. If word got out about what he’d managed to do, it would bring half of Canberra here to interrogate him and to study Katie’s immersion. And while he and Katie had had nothing but good intent, that might not be the case with others. If a dark soul ever managed to merge with a wellspring, there was no telling how far the stain of evil might spread, especially given all wellsprings came from the one source deep within the earth and were ultimately all connected. Such an event could have dire consequences for any community situated near a wellspring.

  “Protecting him from a direct magical assault, even if only for a few minutes, might be all that’s necessary.”

  Especially if I wove a warning spell into the charm he was wearing. Unless Clayton got hold of something personal of Aiden’s, any spell he’d created to snare Aiden would have to be done in his immediate vicinity. A warning of incoming magic would give Aiden time to either run—or, knowing the man as well as I did—track Clayton down and stop him.

  “That I can do—shall I start immediately?”

  “No—I’ll send word via the wild magic.” I pushed to my feet. The tiny moonbeam threads immediately gathered around me, their song tinged with sadness at my leaving.

  “One day, perhaps, you might remain here permanently with us,” Katie said. “But that’s a way off yet.”

  “I long way off, I’m hoping.”

  She laughed, a soft sound that had the moonbeams dancing. “So am I, because three would definitely be a crowd.”

  I smiled and left. The moonbeams trailed us for quite a while but eventually turned and scooted back to Katie.

  “Well, that was interesting,” Belle said as the path became less treacherous again. “Although we didn’t really get that many answers.”

  “No, but it did give me some hope.” I flashed her a grin over my shoulder. “The future isn’t as set in stone as I’d feared.”

  “Perhaps, but I wouldn’t be pinning too many dreams on that comment just yet. Not when she also said Mia coming back is inevitable.”

  “I know—just as I know we’ll break up when she does and I’ll be a sobbing mess. But at least there’s now a possibility he and Mia won’t last.”

  “They might not, but what happens when the next wolf comes along? Or the one after that? Unless he decides to marry you, you’re setting yourself up for continuous heartbreak. You’ll be better off ending it cleanly with Mia’s return, because if he does marry you, he’ll have to turn his back on his pack, his parents, and his position as alpha-in-waiting. That’s a big ask, given he is, above all else, an honorable man with a deep sense of duty.”

  I scowled, even though I knew the truth of her words. “I’m not listening to you. I’m going to enjoy dreaming about future possibilities for the next few days at the very least.”

  She chuckled softly. “Good, because I’d rather you concentrate on your future rather than mine for a goddamn change.”

  I laughed, a sound that echoed across the stillness of the surrounding trees. In the distance, something altogether much darker responded.

  I paused, forcing Belle do a quick jump sideways to avoid crashing into me.

  “What?” she said, her voice hushed.

  “I don’t know.” I scanned the trees but couldn’t see anything out of place or unusual. And yet… my ‘other’ senses were stirring.

  It’s very quiet out there, Belle said. Unusually so, given dawn isn’t that far away now. Could it be our ghoul?

  Possibly. Whatever it was felt dark.

  Do you want to investigate?

  No.

  But you nevertheless will.

  Her mental tone was dry, and a smile tugged my lips. Also true.

  She made a sweeping motion with her hand. You lead, I’ll follow.

  One of these days that’s going to get you into deep trouble.

  I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  I chuckled softly and cautiously stepped off the path. Dawn was only just beginning to stain the sky, and deep shadows still haunted the trees. The flashlight’s bright beam pierced the darkness directly in front, but somehow deepened the ink on either side.

  Leaf matter crunched under every step and, like my laugh, it spun loudly through the silence. This time, there was no response. I wasn’t entirely sure whether that was a good thing or bad—especially given that wisp of darkness remained.

  The ground dipped sharply into a ravine that could only be described as wild. Blackberries were so thickly clustered along the ravine’s bottom that, although I could hear water, I couldn’t actually see it. It was the sort of place snakes and rabbits loved because so few predators dared risk the thick thorns. I was suddenly glad that it was winter—at least snakes weren’t going to be a problem.

  The path was another steep goat track littered with loose stones and treacherous drops. We followed it cautiously, but were little more than halfway when my foot slipped and I went down hard, bruising one knee and skinning the palm of the hand I threw out to save myself. I cursed loudly; the sound echoed once again, but drew no response from the shadows still haunting the brambles below.

  Fuck, are you okay? Belle grabbed my arm and helped me upright.

  Yeah, I think so. I brushed the dirt from my knee, then inspected my hand. The scrapes were minor, even if they stung like blazes.

  You were damn lucky you didn’t break your wrist or leg given the way you fell, Belle said. Do you want some water to wash those cuts out with?

  When we get down to the bottom. It’s pointless doing it before then, because I might just fall over again.

  Even you’re not that clumsy.

  Maybe not, but the damn path does get steeper.

  I picked a small stone out of one of the wounds and then walked on, this time concentrating on every single step ra
ther than getting distracted by the darkness still tugging at my senses.

  We made it to the bottom of the ravine without any further problems. I swiped at the sweat dribbling down my cheeks and scanned the nearby scrub and blackberry canes. Despite the fact they’d looked like an unbroken wall, there were quite a few usable paths meandering through the various clumps. Whether roos or werewolves had created them, I couldn’t say, but it did at least mean we weren’t in immediate danger of being scratched raw by blackberry thorns.

  We followed a path that meandered through the canes and crossed over the small, stone-lined creek several times. Though the sky was now a riot of color, shadows still lurked down here. With the growing dawn came life, and the noise of unseen creatures skittering away from our approach filled the air.

  The path crossed the creek one more time and then split in two—one track heading back up the ravine, the other moving into thicker canes.

  Left or right? Belle directed her light toward the path leading upward. I’m guessing since that track looks less forbidding, we’ll be going left.

  I grinned. I think you’re getting the hang of this.

  I’d rather not.

  What happened to that ‘you lead, I’ll follow’ sensibility you were spouting not so long ago?

  It got snagged on blackberry thorns and torn away.

  Amusement bubbled through me, but it didn’t last long. As the path led us into the thicker grove of blackberries, the canes closed in and their thorns were impossible to avoid.

  After multiple snags and scratches, I was just about ready to call off the hunt when the breeze sharpened, rattling the canes and bringing with it an odd, metallic scent.

  I knew what it was almost instantly, having smelled it on more than a few occasions since we’d set up shop in this reservation.

  Blood.

  I drew in a deeper breath, but there was little hint as to what else might lie up ahead. There was no sense of magic and nothing to suggest that anything living—or dead, for that matter—lay in wait. I nevertheless wove a repelling spell around my fingers and cautiously moved on.

  After a few more meters, the blackberries gave way to a small cleared area. The creek bubbled along one edge, and there were several small dirt pits to my right that suggested foxes or maybe even stray dogs had been making themselves at home here.

  In the middle of the clearing was a large bloodstained area.

  Belle stopped beside me. “The first thing that strikes me as odd is the fact that there’s no skin or bones. Even scavengers wouldn’t erase all evidence of a kill.”

  “I don’t think the blood came from a kill.”

  She glanced at me. “Why?”

  “Because it has the taint of darkness in it.”

  Her gaze shot back to the bloodied patch of ground. “Do you think it’s from the ghoul?”

  “Possibly.” I hesitated, remembering the weird images I’d gotten from the victim’s mind.

  “Even ghouls can’t break the laws of life,” Belle said. “If this thing actually tore itself apart, it would be dead.”

  “If it was a ghoul, yes, but we’re obviously dealing with something very different.”

  She rubbed her arms. “Do you think it’ll be possible to track this thing through its blood?”

  “Monty would probably know that better than I would.”

  “You want me to ring him?”

  I glanced at her, amusement lurking around my lips. “You’re volunteering to do that quite often these days.”

  She gave me a deadpan look. One that said ‘step no further’.

  My grin broke free as I raised my hands. “It might also be a good idea to ring Penny and see if she and Celia can open up for us. I’ll check out the blood.”

  As she got out her phone, I walked across and squatted next to the stain. This close, it looked surprisingly fresh, which no doubt explained why darkness still radiated from it. Droplets gleamed on the tips of the grass, and pools little bigger than a twenty-cent piece had yet to soak fully into the ground.

  I hesitated and then reached out to—but didn’t quite touch—the nearest pool of blood. My fingers tingled and warmed, and my psi senses stirred. This tiny patch of blood still held its secrets, but they were fading as fast as the blood was drying.

  I withdrew my hand and turned as Belle hung up and shoved her phone back into her pocket. “Monty and Aiden are on their way.”

  “What happened with the other murder?”

  “It was a family argument that got nasty and loud, but thankfully no one was killed.”

  That was at least good. “And the café?”

  “No problem. Apparently, Celia’s staying with Penny until she gets enough money for a place of her own, so she’d welcome the extra shift.”

  Celia was Penny’s niece and had only recently arrived in the reservation from Geelong after an apparently acrid split with her boyfriend.

  “You find anything?” Belle added.

  “As yet, no, but I think I can read the blood.”

  She blinked and stared at me for a second. “Seriously?”

  “You already know the answer to that.”

  “Well, yes, but… how is something like that possible? You’ve never been able to do it before now.”

  “It’s not like we’ve had a lot of opportunities—”

  “Since coming here, there’ve been ample,” Belle cut in. “Hell, the watch you found in the forest had dried skin attached, and you didn’t get any images or memories off that.”

  “Maybe because I was trying to pull something from the watch rather than the skin.”

  And even when I had touched the skin, I’d been unable to sense anything more than death simply because the watch had been in the ground too long. I glanced back at the blood. That was not the case here.

  Belle swung her backpack off. “If you’re going to do this, I’ll set up a protection circle. If that blood does belong to a ghoul then it might still be nearby. I don’t want it catching us unawares.”

  I waited as she set out her stones and then activated them. Once she was sitting comfortably on the other side of the stain, she dug her phone out of her pocket. “I’ll record what you’re seeing, but please remember to speak, otherwise Aiden will be annoyed.” She paused. “Or rather, more annoyed. You should have told him we were coming up here.”

  “He’s not my keeper, Belle.”

  “But he is a wolf, and they tend to get all territorial and protective over people they care about.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “We’re in Marin territory—nothing untoward is going to happen to us here. Besides, I couldn’t have asked the questions I did if he’d been there.”

  “Which doesn’t negate the fact that when it involves his sister—or anyone else in his pack, for that matter—you should have mentioned it. Ready?”

  When I nodded, she hit the record button. I took a deep breath to center my energy and then carefully placed two fingers into the small, somewhat sticky pool. I didn’t have to reach for my psychometry abilities—they surged to life the minute I touched the blood, and filled my mind with sensations: hunger, frustration, pain, and anger. The latter was a fierce, deep burning. I pushed deeper into the wave of emotion, not only trying to catch some reason for the anger but also some sense of who and what we were actually dealing with.

  “Lizzie,” Belle said softly. “Tell the recording what you’re seeing.”

  “Old hurt,” I said with a frown. “Old anger.”

  “Any reason why?”

  “No.” I hesitated as the shadows within the blood shifted, revealing vague images. “It’s something to do with a wedding—and being betrayed.”

  “Was she the bride?”

  I pushed more energy into the connection, trying to deepen it. I might as well have tried to catch a wisp. “I think so.”

  “What was she doing here? Why is there blood on the ground?”

  More indeterminate images stirred. “She was splitting.”
>
  “Splitting?”

  I nodded. “It’s what I saw in the victim’s mind—she can sprout bat wings, and in taking flight, her torso tears away from the rest of her trunk and legs.”

  “And this blood is the result of that?”

  “Yes.”

  I tried to catch more, but the images were now so vague—the pulse of darkness so faint—that there was little to see other than smoky wisps that held no form and made no sense. I withdrew my fingers and quickly wiped them clean on the dirt.

  “So if she separated, where’s the body?” Belle said. “Even if foxes or other vermin had discovered it, surely there’d be remnants left.”

  “Unless she’s also able to reattach. It’s possible if we’re dealing with something other than a ghoul.”

  “Anything else to report?”

  “No. But if we want to use the blood to trace this thing, I’d better preserve some pretty quickly. Its power is fading fast.”

  I swung my pack around and pulled out a plastic Ziploc bag and a pocketknife. While I was also carrying my silver knife, using it would erase any lingering remnants of darkness within the blood.

  I carefully cut out a good clump of soil that still held a sticky globule of blood and then carefully constructed a spell that would both contain and also ‘freeze’ the blood in its current state; hopefully that would make whatever impressions remained in the blood last until Monty got here. Once the threads of magic were tightly wound around the chunk of earth, I activated the spell and then carefully prodded it. The darkness that stirred lightly across my fingertips was no fainter than before. Hopefully, it would remain that way.

  Belle deconstructed her protection circle, then we moved across to the small creek and perched on a couple of handy rocks. As the red-and-gold fingers of dawn faded and the day became brighter, the faint sound of approaching sirens ran across the silence, growing sharper before abruptly cutting off.

  We heard Monty long before either man appeared—he was swearing like there was no tomorrow.

  “He’s obviously having a lot of fun with the blackberry canes,” Belle said, amusement evident.

  “Well, he’s broader than either of us, so he’s probably getting caught more often.”