Someone in the division was usually on the receiving end of Damons anger, since it was his task to keep the ragtag group of alpha-male hunters in line. Shane just wasnt accustomed to that person being him.
Damons voice remained eerily calm, easily filling the Rochester divisions small underground control room as he spoke. You mean to tell me that the two of you allowed yourselves to be cornered by the Rochester PD, leading to the possibility of your faces being identified, just to dig up a grave with no body? He examined them with blue eyes so cold they could make a mans balls shrivel just by staring into them for too long. The tension in his stance indicated to Shane that the man would transform into a ballistic missile in about ten seconds if they didnt manage to explain themselves first.
Yep. Thats bout how it went down. Ash crossed his arms over his chest and his legs at the ankles as he leaned against a desk.
Clearly, Shane thought, Ashs balls were not quite as shriveled as his own at the moment. He couldnt decide whether that was courageous or stupid. He was erring more on the side of stupid. Pissing Damon off was never a good idea, and part of being a good hunter was choosing your battles wisely. This battle was not wise.
I think what Ash is trying to say is that there was no avoiding it. We took every precaution, and it was simply bad luck that the police showed up in the middle of us digging up the grave site. Since we were already so close to uncovering the body, once the officers were subdued it made sense to continue digging so we could complete the task. Nobody could have anticipated the missing corpse.
The stiffness in Damons spine slackened ever so slightly, as if Shane had managed to placate his anger for the moment. Shane was thankful for small favors.
So when you say no body, do you mean no casket, or there was a casket without a dead woman? Trent Garrison, the divisions resident hunter of shape-shifters, asked from above the massive pile of papers on his desk and beneath the brim of his Red Sox cap. The Jersey native was purportedly an ardent fan, but Shane often thought his constant sporting of the cap had more to do with hiding his very obvious facial scar than his love of baseball.
The casket was intact, Shane said. There was just no corpse.
Nothing about this situation sat right with him. Dead bodies did not just get up and move on their own, nor did piles of bones. Unless...
It was like shed stood up out of her grave and moseyed away, Ash said, his thoughts mimicking Shanes own.
Like a damn zombie? Shit. I dont know whether thats awesome or fucking horrifying. Jace chuckled to himself. Now that Frankies too pregnant to run the pack and Alejandros filling in, shes catching up on The Walking Dead. Wait until I tell her she really better prepare for a fucking zombie apocalypse. As the divisions werewolf hunter, it had been more than a little perplexing when Jace McCannon had fallen in love with Rochesters first female werewolf packmaster. It had created one hell of a mess and a shitload of paperwork. If anyone was a thorn in Damons side, it was Jace. He was a hothead and played by his own rules in a way none of the other hunters dared. But Jace was damn good at his job, loyal to his friends and family to a fault and had calmed down considerably in the past several months with his girlfriend now expecting twin girls. Despite all Jaces vices, Shane was proud to consider him a friend.
Man, I love that show. Trent grinned from ear to ear. The scar beneath his eye puckered and wrinkled.
Just as Damon opened his mouth to say something, the answer hit Shane like an oncoming freight train.
Black magic. The answer was black magic.
He had been racking his brain trying to figure out what would cause Mrs. Foleys remains to go missing, and that was it. When he had read about Mr. Foley reportedly being haunted by his wife before his death, his first thought had been a poltergeist. That was where Ash had come in. His area of expertise was ghosts, including poltergeists, basically any spirit crossing over from the great unknown or who just hadnt headed that way yet. But ghosts didnt take their corporeal bodies with them, so once they had found her body was missing, the pieces no longer added up to a haunting.
Aside from the disgusting possibility of plain old human necrophiliahe shuddered at that thoughtthe only reason Shane could think of for the body being absent was if someone was using it for black magic, and that particular specialty ran right up his alley. If he was right, this case had just turned into something altogether different.
I think I know why the body is missing, he blurted out before he could stop himself.
All eyes turned toward him.
He stood just the slightest bit straighter, like he did when he was teaching a lecture hall full of undergraduate students. I think its black magic. Thats the only reason I can think of for someone taking the time to dig up her body, even resealing the coffin to hide what theyd done. That could potentially explain why Mr. Foley thought his wife was haunting him before he was murdered, as well. It couldve been a spell.
His fellow hunters remained silent, but none of their faces registered disapproval.
Damon spoke first. If you think thats likely, the case is yours.
Shane blinked several times, uncertain if hed heard Damon correctly. This case, a major case involving a murder, was his? Really? The moment he said it he wanted to whap himself in the head for not coming up with a more eloquent response.
Damon nodded. Youre likely smarter than everyone in this room combined, so I dont doubt your judgment.
Jace huffed. Hey, I get the kids smart and all, but I resent that comment. Are you calling the rest of us idiots?
Damon swiveled his chair toward Jace with a scowl. Youre damn right, I am. The words came out almost as a growl.
Shane ignored the ensuing bickering between Jace and Damon. That kind of background noise was always there when it came to their meetings. He couldnt help but feel a little stunned. Originally, he hadnt expected to be involved much, aside from bringing the issue to the divisions attention. Murders were rarely something he dealt with in his particular role in the division, at least not as the head hunter on a case. He went over crime scene photos, assisted his fellow hunters in research and DNA analysis and provided general tech-support, but his fellow team members hunted down the killers.
His role as a hunter wasnt like that. When it came to hunting witches, there was subtlety involved. Unlike most supernaturals, witches werent known for killing humans outright, at least no more often than murder occurred in the general population. It happened occasionally, but for the most part witches either kept to themselves or stuck to more bloodless crimes. In Shanes mind, he liked to think of it as hunting white-collar supernatural criminals, while his fellow hunters took care of the less savory killing machines.
His job was more challenging than his fellow hunters jobs, but it was different. Their positions required calculated force, whereas his relied more on quick wit. They dealt with two different consequences, too. While they cleaned up dead bodies, he monitored the underbelly of Wall Street, making sure witches werent casting spells to let them embezzle money undetected or commit other sorts of unsavory crimes. He didnt want to think about the numbers of big bankers and corporate executives who were practicing black magic.
His job was more challenging than his fellow hunters jobs, but it was different. Their positions required calculated force, whereas his relied more on quick wit. They dealt with two different consequences, too. While they cleaned up dead bodies, he monitored the underbelly of Wall Street, making sure witches werent casting spells to let them embezzle money undetected or commit other sorts of unsavory crimes. He didnt want to think about the numbers of big bankers and corporate executives who were practicing black magic.
Shane glanced toward Damon and Jace as they argued like two old womentwo very large, muscular, hairy old women. Im going to need the official crime scene photos.
Damon shot one last glowering glare at Jace before turning his sharp eyes toward Shane. Done. Whatever you need. He glanced around to the other hunters. If thats everything, youre free to leave.
Trent raised his hand. Wait a second. Wheres David?
David Aronowitz, their resident demon hunter and exorcist, was surprisingly absent from tonights meeting, which was unusual for him. The motorcycle-riding Rochester native really had a talent for frying demonic spawn, and he rarely missed a day on the job.
He asked for the night off, Damon replied.
Jace grinned. Having known each other since high school, he and David were sometimes more like brothers than friends. He told me hes taking Allsún out on a date. Im damn glad those two are back together after all these years. David was a miserable son of a bitch without her. Jace shook his head. Dont get me started on that shit he pulled in Ireland. Damn if I couldnt still wring his neck for that.
I hear ya on that one. Ash nodded, real slow. No surprise. He did most things real slow. It was just the Southern boy in him.
Damon waved a hand at them. All of youout. Do I need to tell you twice? Get to work. And dont forget, we have a hunter from Detroit coming in for a consult in the next few days. If you cross paths with him in the meantime, play nice.
The hunters exited one by one. Usually Shane was one of the last to leave, hanging around to use some of the divisions equipment to complete his tech work or look up some obscure fact for one of the other hunters cases, but today he was the first out the door. He felt as if there should have been a little spring in his step after being handed such a major case, one that was far outside his usual duties. He enjoyed his job. The thought of taking down a group of black-magic practitionersor even just onethat was playing with fire as dangerous as raising the dead should have invigorated him, but it didnt. A ball of dread bundled in the pit of his stomach.
White magic was benign, gifted to witches through birth, and was of no interest to the Execution Underground. Black magic was its evil counterpart, practiced both by those born as witches and those who chose to follow dark magics evil path.
Until now, there had been no signs of black magic brewing in Rochester, and he could only see things getting worse from here. Black magic bred nothing good, and to make matters worse, he could only think of one person who could point him in the right direction of the underground occult groups in the area: Vera Sanders.
The thought of asking for help from the gorgeous, troublemaking witch, who also happened to be one of his students and, oh, yeah, who worked in a fucking strip club to make matters even worse, made the head on his shoulders scream in agony and the one beneath his belt buckle sing in praise.
Shit, this was not going to be good.
CHAPTER TWO
THE VIBRANCY OF her green eyes haunted his memory. Hed seen that face before. He knew he had. Nathanial Weil recollected the womans features as he tried to recall where hed seen her, where he knew her from. Shed said she wasnt any relation to Johnathan, but he knew better. She had some connection to him, whether familial or not. He hadnt seen her since hed relocated to Rochester, of that he was certain, which meant he must have known her from back in Detroit. But how? The question clawed at the back of his mind, slowly irritating him. What do you think of that girl we saw tonight, Trista?
What was her name again? She paused for a moment, staring off into space before returning her gaze to him. Vera. That was it. Vera.
Vera. He rolled the name around in his mind. Everything about her, her name included, seemed so familiar. Still, he couldnt place her. Those eyes...hed seen those eyes before, and he intended to find out where. So what do you think? She might be a good choice.
A coy smile crossed Tristas lips. I dont know, Nathanial. Shes clearly addicted but isnt far enough in yet to really know what shes doing.
He nodded. And thats what makes her perfect. Shell be easily manipulated, dont you think? That was exactly what he needed, someone he could bend to his will, who wouldnt expect what he had in store for her, someone he could control. He could use her to his advantage and satisfy his own aching curiosity in the process. All too perfect.
Trista shrugged. Im not so certain. She may be an addict, but I dont think her heart is really in it. Shes just here for the high. I doubt shell agree to it.
Well force her heart into it, then. She doesnt have to be willing, now does she?
Trista shrugged her shoulders again. I really dont know, Nathanial. She seems strong-headed, full of opinions. She doesnt seem to know much, but I doubt shes the type of girl who would fall for...
Do you doubt my judgment? he growled.
She stopped what she was doing and turned toward him then. No, I dont doubt you, but...
He stood and launched himself across the room until he was nose to nose with her. But nothing! he roared.
Her eyes widened as she cowered beneath the enormity of him. She shut her mouth and looked to the floor, refusing to meet his gaze.
Thats right. Learn your place, you dumb bitch. He was sick of these insubordinate witches challenging his every move. He was in charge, and the sooner they learned that fact, the better off they would be.
But is exactly the word you need to drop from your vocabulary. There are no buts when I give you an order. Understood?
She nodded once, continuing to stare at the floor.
Good. Youll go ahead with the plans, then. Send your familiar to her. It will work. He snaked his hands up the smooth skin of her upper arms until they rested on her neck. Look at me, he ordered.
She raised her gaze to meet his. Cupping her face in his hands, he pressed his lips against hers, pushing his tongue into her mouth. He released her face, groping for her breasts and giving them a good squeeze.
He pulled back. Is that a new bra I felt?
She smiled, her lips still full from his kiss. Yeah, I thought you would like it. Its...
He slapped her. Stumbling back from the intensity of his blow, she clutched at her cheek. Tears poured down her pathetic face.
I didnt ask you to think, he snapped. You dont do anything without my permission. Understood?
Whole body shaking, Trista nodded, refusing to meet his gaze again. She stood like that for a moment, not moving. He watched her with the eyes of a hawk. If she dared to look him in the eyes, to challenge him, he would end her. After she collected herself, she inched toward him, eyes still downcast and arms out as if to offer an embrace.