by Deanna Chase
The fact that Maci was killed by a witch was going to be a huge scandal in the city. News reports likely had already started airing, and the papers would be reporting every tiny detail they could scrounge up.
“Great,” Dax muttered to himself. Investigating this one was going to be a bitch. The reporters were going to be all up in his business, probably fucking up his progress. He glanced at the details. The woman had been found just after sunrise, her skin ashen and leathery as if she’d aged eight years before taking her last breath. The death curse had certainly done its job.
He shuddered, trying to shake off the visual.
When he scanned the cataloged list of her personal items, he frowned. She’d still been carrying her designer purse. As far as he could tell, nothing had been taken from it. Her wallet, credit cards, cash, and even her eight-hundred-dollar phone were still present. This hadn’t been a simple robbery gone bad the way the media would speculate. This had been a full-on attack. And the killer was still out there.
But why? That was the question. What would a witch have to gain by killing the shifter? He didn’t know, but it was his job to find out. Pushing back from his desk, he rose from the chair and headed down to the Void’s morgue. The fluorescent lights illuminated the stark white halls, and his shoes squeaked on the tile floors. No one was around. The researchers were locked away behind their steel doors while the other agents were out in the city, hunting down leads.
Dax used his ID card to enter the cold room. A tall, thin, dark-skinned witch sat at his desk, rapidly typing. His hair had turned gray, but other than that, he didn’t look a day over thirty-five.
“Mateo, you got a minute?”
The paranormal examiner swung his chair around, a tiny smile making his lips twitch. “Marrok. I thought I’d be hearing from you soon. Where’s Kilsen?”
“Not sure. She might be taking one more day before she comes back in to work,” he guessed. “But we just got a new case and I’m hoping you can get me some information.”
“Sure.” Mateo rose from the chair, all six foot eight of the guy towering over him. Dax wasn’t a short man, measuring over six feet himself.
“I’m here about Maci Masterson. Do you have any details on her death yet?”
Mateo walked over to a table and pulled back a sheet, exposing a corpse.
Dax swallowed the bile in the back of his throat and followed him. The shifter had seen more than his share of death over the years. It was unavoidable when working for the Void, but it wasn’t every day that the victim was a young woman who’d had her whole life in front of her.
Blond hair splayed out over the table. There were diamond studs in her ears that had to be at least three carats each. And her expensive-looking lace cocktail dress was unmarred. However she’d died, there hadn’t been much of a fight. In fact, there wasn’t anything to Dax’s eye that indicated a fight at all.
“Do you have any idea what happened?” Dax asked.
“Sure do.” Mateo turned the woman’s head, exposing her neck to Dax. “See that brand right there?”
Dax squinted at the small burn mark in her neck. “Yeah.”
“That was where the spell hit her. If I had to guess, I’d say the witch used a cursed piece of metal, likely a ring, to end this wolf’s life. By burning the spell into her skin, she never had a chance. The spell would’ve hit her blood stream and killed her within twenty minutes.”
Unease settled in Dax’s gut as he stared at the vine pattern with a small fleur-de-lis right in the center. He’d seen it before. He just wasn’t sure where. “And this spell did what? Stop her heart?”
“More or less,” the examiner said. “It paralyzed her major organs, causing them to fail. It’s the type of spell that only really powerful witches can wield.” He glanced down at his notes. “We’re running some DNA tests to see if we get any hits, but so far it’s not looking good. I didn’t find any obvious evidence of a struggle, and that means there might not be anything under her fingernails to test.”
“That’s not a lot to go on.”
“We’ve given you and your partner less before, and you always seem to manage.”
“You’re right about that.” Dax pulled out his phone and quickly took a picture of the burn mark on the shifter’s neck. It actually was an excellent clue. If he could just place where he’d seen it before, he’d be in business. “Thanks, man. Will you let me know if anything comes back from testing?”
“You got it.” Mateo covered the girl and then shuffled back to his desk while Dax headed back to his office. When it was clear Phoebe still hadn’t arrived, he grabbed the file and took off. He needed to find his partner.
Dax didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he was worried. The events over the past few weeks had left him unsettled. All he wanted was to see Phoebe and make sure she was all right.
Frustrated, he put his car in gear and sped over to the house Phoebe shared with Willow Rhoswen and her husband Talisen. The house was dark, no cars in the driveway. He parked on the street and strolled up to the house. His knock went unanswered. He didn’t make a habit of just walking into her house unannounced, but she had given him a key and it was about time he used it.
The Greek Revival townhome was silent except for his footsteps on the old hardwood. The living room was tidy, as was Phoebe’s bedroom at the foot of the stairs. Her bed was made, indicating she likely hadn’t slept in it. She wasn’t one for making her bed every morning. After scanning the downstairs, he headed up to the second story, finding the kitchen empty. After a quick peek into Willow and Talisen’s room, it was crystal clear that no one was home, not even Link. He blew out a breath and headed back downstairs.
Dax had just intended to leave Phoebe a note to let her know he’d been there, but as he was searching for a notepad among the stuff on her small desk, a picture caught his eye. It was one of Phoebe and her brother. One he’d seen a dozen times before. But this time instead of admiring his girl’s good looks, his attention was riveted to the medallion around her neck. The one that had the exact same design as the brand that had killed Maci Masterson.
4
Dax stared at the medallion in the picture, dread settling in his gut. There was no denying the design was the same one, though that didn’t mean that Phoebe had killed Maci. And even if she did, he was certain she had a good reason. Phoebe wasn’t in the habit of killing anyone if she didn’t have to. She much preferred to haul them into the Void and let the powers that be decide their fate.
He took a moment to sift through Phoebe’s jewelry, looking for anything that had the same design. The pile was mostly costume jewelry he recognized from Phoebe’s many disguises. There was nothing of interest there, unless… He pulled open the bottom drawer of a jewelry box and found a tray of neatly displayed rings and earrings. They were all silver, some of them slightly tarnished, all of them with ornate designs. These were old, family pieces that had been passed down from her grandmother, the ones that held spells.
Phoebe came from a powerful line of witches. Spelled family jewelry items were some of her best defenses, but he hadn’t believed she ever used death spells… until now. The piece all the way on the far right was a ring with the exactly same design that had been branded into Maci’s neck.
“Fuck,” he muttered. That meant she’d come home if the ring was just sitting there. He frowned. Why would she come back to the house and leave again without contacting Dax or even Willow? It didn’t make sense. Not at all sure the ring wasn’t still spelled, Dax pulled out a pair of gloves and used them to remove the ring from the tray. He then wrapped it in a handkerchief he carried with him and shoved it in his pocket.
There was no reason to wait for her at her house. If she didn’t feel safe there, she was definitely in one of her safe houses she kept around the city. Dax knew of two but was positive there were more. Just in case she did decide to come back, Dax hastily scribbled her a note, left it on her dresser, and took off.
An hour late
r, he’d been to two of her safe houses, left two more notes, and was sitting in front of the shotgun double he shared with Leo, half convinced that Phoebe had been abducted by Maci Masterson’s friends or family. He had to find out what happened to Maci, and from there he was certain the investigation would lead him back to his girl.
Too impatient to even go into the house, Dax picked up his phone and texted Leo.
It’s investigation time. I’m waiting in the car outside.
The reply was instantaneous. On my way.
The door swung open and the light-haired shifter bounded out of the house. He was young, early twenties, with his whole life ahead of him. Dax felt like he should warn the kid of what a lifetime of working for the Void would do to him, but he knew he’d just be wasting his breath. The kid had lost his girlfriend recently because of a shitty vampire dealer. Leo had made it his mission to be on the side of good for the city of New Orleans, and for better or worse, that meant working for the Void.
“What’s going on,” he asked as he slipped into the passenger side of Dax’s Trooper.
“We’ve got a homicide to solve and a witch to find. If we find one, I think we’ll solve the other.” Dax put the Trooper in gear and sped down the street.
“Who’s the witch?” Leo asked. “Anyone we know?”
Dax tightened his grip on his steering wheel and nodded. “Yeah. It’s Phoebe. And she’s in trouble.”
“Shit. Again?” Leo asked, his blue eyes wide with disbelief. “But she just left the infirmary. Isn’t she supposed to be taking it easy or something?”
“One would think,” Dax said dryly.
But Leo didn’t answer him. They both fell silent as Dax sped through the streets of New Orleans and toward the scene of the crime. It would have been better if he’d had enough notice to check it out before the scene was cleaned up. There wouldn’t be much to see, but he needed a point of reference, and one never knew what the first-round investigators might miss. Plus he had the pictures and could get a feel for what might have gone down.
“Do you really think Phoebe did this?” Leo asked. “Seems like she would’ve called you at the very least.”
Dax nodded, trying to ignore the unease in his gut. “Yeah, she would’ve. Unless she couldn’t.”
“You mean…?” Leo visibly swallowed, clearly catching on. “You think someone is holding her against her will?”
“No idea, really, but it’s a possibility.” He didn’t want to think about the alternatives. If she was being held captive somewhere, at least she was alive.
“Okay, but who would do that? King is dead,” Leo said, referring to the shifter who’d tried to turn both Leo and Dax into supershifters just last week. “His pack is disbanded, and I heard Glacier is being taken over by the Barré dynasty.”
“Those East Coast vamps? The ones into solar and green energy? They’re the ones taking over King’s operation?” Dax asked, surprised.
“The very same. They saw opportunity here in the Gulf Coast and want to expand. If it works out, the Barrés will likely clean up that company, and it will be a very good thing for New Orleans.”
“Huh.” Dax hadn’t seen that one coming. “That’s good, I guess. Although Allcot won’t be pleased.” Not that Dax cared. He had an uneasy alliance with Allcot at the moment, but that didn’t mean Dax liked the guy.
Leo let out a grunt. “Nope. But the Barrés can take care of themselves. Whatever happens, the two can battle it out privately.”
“Famous last words,” Dax said, knowing that wasn’t how things ever worked. “The Void doesn’t stay out of anything. You should know that going in.”
“Right.” Leo frowned. “Well, if the Barrés are as upstanding as the rumors, maybe they’ll have a positive impact on this town.”
“One can hope.” Dax steered the Trooper onto Magazine Street in the Garden District. It was early summer, but the heat was already oppressive, causing the tourists to lie low. And considering it was just after noon, most of the paranormal community hadn’t poked their heads out either. Good. Dax didn’t need an audience. “Leo, grab the folder from the back seat and check the location of the attack.”
The other shifter reached behind him, grabbed the paperwork, and a second later rattled off the address. “Sixth and Coliseum. Near the cemetery.”
Of course. Dax nearly rolled his eyes at the cliché. He parked under a large oak tree and hopped out. Leo followed and they made their way over to the entrance. Maci had been found just to the left of the gates. Glancing around, Dax noted there wasn’t any obvious evidence that a woman had been killed there the night before. Why would there be? The pictures didn’t show any blood or even signs of a struggle. Maci had just been lying there, her eyes wide open with a brand on her neck.
“Doesn’t look like we’re going to find anything here,” Leo said.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Dax said as he crouched down and inhaled deeply. The vague, rotten scent of decay filled his senses along with something that smelled like a hint of jasmine. He glanced around, looking for the vine. It was a popular one in the city, but he didn’t see any in the nearby vicinity. Was it a scent Maci wore? He stood straight again and took a chance, walking up the sidewalk toward Prytania Street. The decay scent started to fade, but the jasmine was still there. “This way.”
Leo rushed to catch up with his mentor. “You smell something?”
Dax nodded, scanning the area, looking for anything unusual. The sidewalk was uneven in places with vegetation debris in the street near the curb. There wasn’t anything to see, nothing out of the ordinary, but then he spotted just a glimpse of red fabric poking out from beneath an old VW Bug with a flat tire that looked like it hadn’t moved in weeks.
When Dax bent down to grab the fabric, the jasmine scent intensified a tiny bit, but it was also tinged with what he could only describe as fear. Like it had soured or something. He picked up a knitted sweater, the short kind that only covers the top of a woman’s torso, and pressed it to his nose. The jasmine, the fear, they were both there, but he also smelled something else.
Phoebe. Her scent signature was all over the sweater. He glanced at Leo. “Phoebe was here.”
“You’re sure?” Leo asked, taking the sweater from Dax.
“I’m sure.”
Leo took one whiff and grimaced. “Now what, boss? If someone snatched her, we need to alert Director Halston, don’t we?”
“If she was snatched, yeah. But if she wasn’t…” Dax let out a low growl, hating his choices. “If she’s hiding out, she has a good reason, and I don’t want to alert anyone who might be looking for her. But if she was taken by someone, then we need all the help we can get in finding her.”
“We can look for her car, right?” Leo said. “Report it as stolen or something? At least get an idea of where she left it last?”
Dax mulled Leo’s suggestion over in his mind. It was a good one. Phoebe would’ve probably tried to leave it somewhere where it wouldn’t be noticed. He didn’t think finding it would lead him right to her, but there would be valuable clues as to where she’d gone or what might have happened to her. He pulled out his phone and placed a call to the Void. When he was done, he led Leo back to the Trooper.
“Now what?” Leo asked.
“Time to meet the family of the victim. Find out why Phoebe felt she had to kill this girl.” The words were like ash in his mouth. Phoebe wasn’t a shifter killer. For her to end this girl, she must’ve feared for her life. But the lack of evidence of a struggle weighed on him. He knew there had to be an explanation, he just couldn’t see a path to a reasonable one.
5
“Ready for this?” Seth asked me.
We were sitting in a nondescript black SUV a few blocks off Frenchmen Street in the Marigny. The neighborhood was almost identical to the world I’d left behind, with century-old homes that were painted every color of the rainbow. Allcot and his vampires were already out casing the neighborhood. We were waiting for his signal
.
“Not really. But if it means saving a bunch of women from a life of forced sex work, then you know I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Thanks,” he said and glanced out the window. After a moment he turned to me, his dark eyes piercing me. “I’m glad you’re here.”
I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes. I wasn’t at all. “You know my friends back home are missing me, Seth. I can’t even imagine what they’re thinking right now. Willow, Tal, Dax.” My voice cracked on my partner’s name. “What if my doppelgänger is pretending to be me? What if she’s taken my place and I’m never going to get home?”
“You will,” he insisted.
Something struck me that I hadn’t considered before. I’d been too freaked out by the sudden changes to really think it through. “Are you and the other Phoebe close?”
He shrugged. “Not especially.”
“But in this world, she’s your sister. That must mean something to you,” I pressed.
“Yes and no.” He shook his head. “You’re my sister, Phoebe. The one I grew up with, the one I know inside and out, my real family. The Phoebe in this world… She’s different. She looks like you, but who you are as people… your experiences have been totally different. They mold who a person ends up being. If you’re asking if she replaced you, the answer is no. She never could.”
A pain in my gut eased at his words, and I couldn’t help but feel slightly stupid for worrying about how he felt about me when my entire life was turned upside down. But I had spent years looking for him while he’d spent years hiding from me and everyone else.