Chapter 23

"Where is she?" Eamon burst through the front door, more monster than man, andevery living personin the building recoiled at the invading darkness.Ashadow,thick and oppressive,strangled the air, choking all who breathed the decay-filled oxygen of Bajka's morgue, and fear followed.The beast had come.

"Where is she?"Eamon's voice echoed off the walls so forcefullythat thelights flickered, and a distraught Reese lunged into the hallway.He'd beaten Eamon there, but the millionaire had anticipated that.He'dbeen too far to drive home, too far to run, and so he'd cursed both fate and himself as he fought to secure a return flight. For hours, he was alone with his grief, and its weight was suffocating him. He'd landed early that morning, andthe momenthe arrived in Bajka, he raced for the morgue. He needed to see her with his own eyes, to prove to himself that the woman he loved beyond words was dead. The endless hours had been agony, and by the tearing sensation in his chest, he feared he was dying. Not that it mattered. If Isobel Emerson was dead, then his life was pointless. He hadn't been there to save her. He'd left her to die alone, and his knees almost buckled as he stormed down the hall.

"Eamon, stop." Reese caught his chest and forced him to a halt, his haunted eyes bloodshot. He'd seen her. Eamon read it in his defeat-painted features. He'd seen her body. He had proof of Bel's death, and Eamon wanted to shout at him to stop lying. He'd spent the past day convincing himself the news was wrong, that Bel wasn't dead. For over twelve hours, the only way he stopped himself from getting sick was to trust this was a mistake.That thereporter had read the wrong name, but her father's despair told him all he needed to know. It was Bel on that table.

"Let go of me," Eamon growled.

"Eamon, please," Reese sobbed, shoving the much larger man as if he could stop him. "You don't want to see her. Notlike that. Remember her as shewas,because if you go back there, that sight will haunt you for the rest of your life. I identified her body, so Ihave tolive with that image, but you don't. Please remember my daughter how she was. I need someone to preserve the memory of how beautiful she was."

"I said let go of me." Eamon grabbed Reese and shoved him aside. He should be kinder to her father. The man's suffering was an ocean, endless and deep and treacherous, but Eamon couldn't function. He needed to confirm with his own eyes that his Bel was gone.

"Please, don't," Reese sobbed. "Please. You don't want to see her like that."

But Eamon was deaf to his pleas.

"Mr. Stone!" Lina Thum raced after him as he reached the back room. "You can't go in there."

Eamon turned his death-black eyes on her, and she froze in her tracks. Fear visibly coiled through her, and she silently retreated, allowing him the freedom to enter the exam room.

Thescent of decay assaulted his senses as he steppedtothe cloth-covered body.For a moment,he stood over the table, his hands shaking erratically, but then a ripple ran through his muscles.His flesh became as stone as he strangled his emotions, and with unnerving stillness, he dragged the sheet back.

"Oh god." He stumbled backward, his knee smashing the floor before he caught himself, and painunlikeanything he'd ever experienced ripped through his soul. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't see.He couldn't stand,andhecrashed against the far wall before sinking to the ground.He stared at the face on the table, unwilling to believe his eyes, and then, with a guttural cry that shook the morgue to its foundation, he roared. Raw, unfiltered agony poured from his lips, the sound more animal than human, and Eamon Stone lost all control. Tears flooded his vision as his body shook. Reese had been telling the truth. There was no mistake. Isobel Emerson was on that table, and she was dead.

Eamon lost track of how long he sat there on the floorchokingon hisownsobs. Eventually, he found his legs, and he stumbled across the room to her corpse. She was dead. The love of his ancient and eternal life was dead, and he knew his fate. He couldn't live without her. He would lay down beside her and end this miserable existence because there was no life without her.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you." He grabbed the sheet and tugged it off her bare body, gagging at how mangled her flesh was. Again, Reese had been telling the truth. He shouldn't have looked at her like this. He'd never be able to erase this image of Isobel's mutilated body out of his mind. The car accident had destroyed her lower half, somehow leaving her beautiful facemostlyuntouched, and Eamon collapsed over her, pulling her cold corpse into his arms.

"You can't leave me," he sobbed, his chest shaking with his tears. He didn't know he could cry, but pain poured from his tongue, his very pores. "Isobel, don't leave me. I love you. Do you hear me? I love you. Don't make me live without you." He pulled her limp form closer, burying his nose in her hair one last time. "Isobel, I'm sorry. I should've?—"

Eamon jerked to a stand and stared at the woman in his arms. The woman who looked identical to Bel, but…

He leaned down and shoved his nose into her hair again, breathing deeply, but he barely inhaled before he choked with a painful cough. He placed the corpse down on the table and studied it with a pinched brow, scrutinizing every inch of skin with a new perspective. The sight didn't match the scent, and staring at her abdomen's wounds, he realized there was only one way to becertain. He swiped his finger over her severed flesh and licked it, but the instant her blood hit his tongue, he gagged, his eyes watering at the putrid flavor.

He cursed, the sorrow eating at his chest instantly evaporating, and he raced out of the exam room to find a pale Sheriff Griffin and Lina comforting Reese.

"It's not her!" Eamon jogged to them. "It's not Isobel."

"Mr. Stone," Griffin said. "Trust me, I don't want it to be Bel, but it is. You saw her."

"Where's her dog?" Eamon scanned the corridor with an unhinged edge in his black irises. "Where's Cerberus?"

"Her friend Violet has him," Reese answered.

"It's not her," Eamon repeated.

"Please stop," Reese said. "Please. That's my daughter in there. Why are you trying to hurt me?"

"Because that's not your daughter," Eamon insisted. "That isn't Isobel."

"Mr. Stone," Lina started.

"It isn't her," he growled. "No one goes in there. No one touches the body until I get back." He pinned Griffin with a dangerous expression. "No one."

Without waiting for a response, he jogged to his car and broke every speed limit as he drove to Violet's apartment. Bel's friend was beside herself with grief, but she graciously relinquished the pitbull to his care, and he raced back to the morgue, guiding the dog to where the trio still sat in bewilderment.

"The dog will prove it," he said as he walked past them toward the exam room.

"Mr. Stone, you can't take an animal in there!" Lina shouted, but he didn't slow.

"Don't just sit there," Eamon growled at them as he disappeared through the doors. "Let's go. I'll prove it isn't her."

The trio raced after him, eyeing him as if he'd gone mad, but Eamon didn't care. That wasn't Bel on the table. It wasn't her scent. It wasn't her blood. Even in death, her taste would be intoxicating, so someone else lay on that table, their blood foul and old. He didn't understand what he was seeing, but he knew without a doubt that the dead woman wasn't his Isobel, and Cerberus would prove it.

"Go see Mommy," Eamon instructed as they entered the exam room, but Cerberus merely tried to play tug of war with his leash. They hadn't seen each other in days, and the dog wasclearlyexcited his buddy was back in town.

"Eamon, stop," Reese said. "He's just a dog."

"No, he's not. He's HER dog, and animals understand death," Eamon said. "They feel emotions, and they love their humans. Cerberus is obsessed with Isobel, yet he won't even look at that table because that isn't her." To emphasize his point, he scooped the pitbull into his arms and walked him over to the corpse.The doggave the body a good sniff, but he quickly forgot about her as he tried to lick the dried tears off of Eamon's cheeks.

"He doesn't care about this body," Eamon said. "He doesn't know this woman. It's not his mom."

"How certain are you?" Griffin asked, shifting to stare Eamon in the eyes. The men shared a wordless conversation as realization dawned on the sheriff's face. He understood Eamon's senses had uncovered the truth, and the pitbull was merely to prove it to Lina and Reese. Just like when Eamon inexplicably saved the Darling boys in their last case, he knew this wasn't Bel despite the identical features, and Griffin believed him.

"I'm one hundred percent certain this isn't my Isobel," Eamon said, emphasizing each word so that Griffin understood the gravity of his statement.

"Okay." The sheriff resumed control of Griffin's grieving body, and he exhaled an unsteady breath as he regained his professional demeanor. "We need more than the dog's reaction, though."

"Don't worry." Eamon hugged Cerberus close. The pitbull still smelled like Bel, and he buried his nose in the animal's fur with relief. "I'll get you proof."

"Wait?" Reese's gaze shifted between the men as if they'd gone mad. "Are you both going to disrespect my daughter's memory because the dog won't acknowledge her body?Thisis ridiculous."

"We aren't disrespecting her," Griffin said. "This isn't her."

"I'm looking at her!" Reese shouted. "That's my daughter."

"No, it isn't." Eamon stepped before Reese, letting his full power seep from his skin, and Bel's dad recoiled. "That's not Isobel, so dry your tears. Someone went through a lot of trouble to make us believe she's dead, which means she's still alive, and I will find her."

"I don't understand what's going on," Reese said.

"You don't have to." Eamon pushed Cerberus into the man's arms. "She isn't out of the woods yet, but your daughter isn't dead."

"I doubt the legal channels will offer much help, but I'll do what I can," Griffin said.

"That's okay." Eamon strode for the exit, leaving Reese with a gaping jaw and a squirming pitbull. "I don't need the law. I need a bear."

"It's not Isobel," Eamon said as he barged unannounced into Olivia Gold's apartment.

"Oh god!" Olivia flinched at his sudden entrance, her normally subtle southern accent more pronounced in her grief.

"Eamon?" Ewan rose from the couch and planted himself before his girlfriend, his stance protective as if he half expected Eamon's invasion to be a hostile one.

"The accident victim. It isn't Isobel." Eamon shoved his shirt sleeve in front of Ewan's nose, forcing him to smell where he'd come in contact with the corpse, and Ewan barely inhaled before grimacing.

"Oh god." He leaned back to escape the smell. "That's foul. Bel's scent is sweet."

"Intoxicatingly so, and her blood is even sweeter," Eamon said.

"Blood?" Olivia peered around her boyfriend to stare at their towering intruder. "What's going on?"

"Could it be the decay?" Ewan ignored her questions. "She's been dead for over twelve hours."

"Decomposition wouldn't alter a person's scentthat drastically, and I tasted her blood to be sure," Eamon said. "The body isn't her."

"What is going on?" Olivia leaped off the couch and sidestepped the men as her hand unconsciously grasped the phantom sidearm on her hip, and Eamon didn't miss the way Ewan shifted uncomfortably. "Why are you talking about drinking Bel's blood? What kind of lunatic are you?"

"Olivia," Ewan started.

"Get out of my house." She wiped her eyes as anger replaced her grief. "Eamon, get out before I arrest you for breakingand entering, or worse. I can't believe I left poor Bel with you, you psycho."

But Eamon made no move to leave as he glared at Ewan, who'd practically collapsedinon himself. "You didn't tell her?" His emotionless voice was more terrifying than his rage.

"I…" Ewan threw the panicking Olivia a desperate look. "I didn't know how to."

"Telling her was our agreed-upon condition," Eamon said. "The only reason I've allowed you to stay in my town is because I believed you told that woman the truth."

"Tell me what?" Olivia shouted.

"Alpha predators don't coexist, but I made an exception for you." Eamon stepped into Ewan's personal space, and the massive man cringed as Eamon's beast commanded the room. "Detective Gold is important to Isobel, and you are important to her, so I made allowances, but you disobeyed me. I've killed men for less."

"Please." Ewan collapsed to his knees as he begged.

"What are you doing?" Olivia shouted, her voice shrill at the sight. "What's going on?"

"I wanted to tell her." Ewan gazed up at Eamon with pleading in his eyes. "I was going to. I swear it. I wasjustwaiting for the right time."

"Tell me what?" Olivia's scream was so loud that both men finally acknowledged her.

"Sit," Eamon ordered Ewan. "You shouldn't have waited because this is how she finds out, and I don't have time to make this eloquent or comforting. Isobel is alive, but she's in danger. I need the bear."

"Bear?" Olivia repeated. "What are you talking about? Why do you keep saying Bel's alive? I was at the accident site. I saw how the car destroyed her body. My friend is dead, and now you're talking about drinking from her." She broke down sobbing. "Please go before I call Griffen."

"Olivia, this won't be easy to hear." Eamon shifted to block the door so she couldn't escape. "You can freak out later, but right now, you need to listen to me. For Isobel. I'm sorry this isn't coming from Ewan, but he failed to follow through, so you're stuck with me."

"Ewan?" She threw her boyfriend a pleading look.

"I'm sorry, babe. I should've told you. He is the alpha of this territory, and I disobeyed him."

"Ewan, you're scaring me."

"I know. I'm sorry." He sagged against the couch. "It'll be okay. I promise. Eamon has been kind to me. Most who are as powerful as him would've killed me for trespassing, but he's different."

"Killed you?" Olivia eyed the blocked door, calculating the best way to escape the apartment. "I'm leaving now. Don't either of you follow me."

"Ewan isn't human, and neither am I," Eamon said before she could move. "He's a bear shifter. During the Abel Reus case, a bear killed a hiker in the woods. Only he wasn't a hiker. He was a hunter on a mission to wipe out Ewan's pack. Ewan dealt with him to save his family from genocide and planned to move on, but I promised to coexist with him if he told you the truth. He swore he would, but that responsibilityhas now fallenon my shoulders. I am sorry, but for Isobel's sake, I beg you to listen. We might be monsters, but we are monsters that love you both, and there's nothing we wouldn't do for you." Eamon stepped closer to her. "Someone went through a lot of trouble to convince us the love of my life is dead, and I need Ewan to help me find her before something worse happens.I need you to believe me.To trust me when I say that I am evil, but I'm not the evil you seek."

"Shifters don't exist," Olivia whispered.

"They do, baby. I can show you," Ewan said.

"Don't call me that," she spat. "You killed that man. You're a murderer."

"It was self-defense," Eamon interrupted. "But you guys can fight later. We need to go."

"Stop!" Olivia sidestepped him and planted herself before the front door. "You do not get to push me around. I don't care that you own half the town or that you are so massive you could probably kill me with one hand."

"I would never harm a single hair on your head," Eamon said.

"Whatever," she shouted. "You don't get to push me around. Not in my house."

"I'm not pushing you around. I am trying to save your partner's life."

"Did she know?" Olivia asked. "Did Bel know what you are? Did she believe this insanity?"

"She does," Eamon answered, correcting Olivia's tense.

"How could she? Bel is the smartest woman I know. How could she fall for your psychotic delusions?"

"Because they're the truth."

"They can't be."

"They are. She's witnessed what we are first hand."

"Then why didn't she tell me?" Olivia asked.

"Because they weren't her secrets to tell." Eamon threw a glare at Ewan.

"So, Bel knew, and she still loved you?"

"I hope she loves me. She has yet to say the words."

"But she trusted you? You drank her blood, and she still trusted you?"

"Trusts," Eamon corrected. "She's alive. Treat her like it. And yes, she does because I would die for her. There's no life more important to me than Isobel's, and I hide nothing from her. She knows the truth and accepts me for who I am. So fight with your boyfriend later because she needs us."

"I can't believe you," she said.

Eamon stared at her with an unreadable expression as he weighed his choices, andthen without a word, he strode into the apartment's kitchen. "I apologize for this," he said as he grabbed a knife from the block on the counter, and before Ewan or Olivia could stop him, he thrust his arm over the sink and slit his wrist.

"No!" Olivia leaped for him with a string of curses, racing to grab a towel before skidding to a stop beside him. "Ewan, call an ambulance!" she shouted as she shoved the towel against Eamon's bloody wrist, but her boyfriend didn't move. "Ewan, what are you doing? Call 911 now before he bleeds to death."

"He's not going to call." Eamon slipped a gentle fist around Olivia's forearm and pulled her hand away from his wound.

"Stop!" She fought him to no avail. "We have to slow the bleeding."

"No, you don't." Eamon tugged the towel from her grip and tossed it into the sink. "Look at the skin."

"This isn't funny?—"

"Look at my skin," he repeated, and Olivia finally registered the already regrowing flesh.

"What?" She grabbed his hand and yanked it closer to her face. "How?"

"Because I'm telling you the truth." Eamon turned on the faucet, and pumping dish soap into his palms, he scrubbed the blood off both his and Olivia's hands, erasing all signs of the injury save for the stained towel. "Ewan and I aren't human, but we are Isobel's best shot at survival. And for now, I need you to accept what we are, because your partner is in danger, and I'm afraid she's facing something worse than death."

"I can't believe you," Olivia repeated.

"Griffin does," Eamon answered.

"What?" she glanced at her boyfriend. "He knew before me?"

"He doesn't know about Ewan, only me, and he isn't aware of the specifics," Eamon said, "but you can call him. He'll tell you I speak the truth."

"Oh, I will." Olivia pulled her phone out of her pocket. "But you swear Bel isn't dead."

"Yes."

"You're sure."

"Absolutely."

"Oh god." She ran her hands through her hair as the tears came harder. "I can't believe I'm saying this because you're scaring me, but I want you to be right. I want her to be alive… So, I'll help. She texted me the afternoon before the accident. She had a theory about Hyde's identity, and she was searching for proof."

"Alone?" Eamon asked.

"Her plan wasn't dangerous. We thought Anne Blaubart was Hyde, and she was planning to stop by her husband's practice and ask them to dinner."

"I know Isobel. Are you sure that's it?"

"Yes. Unless she made any last-minute decisions, all she did was visit a doctor's office."

"Well, it's a starting point," Eamon glanced at Ewan. "Let's go."

"I'm coming with you." Olivia grabbed her issued sidearm and shoved her feet into her sneakers.

"No," both men said in unison.

"You don't talk," she growled at her boyfriend. "You lied to me, but Bel needs help, so I'll work with you. But this is far from over."

"Okay." Ewan followed her out of her apartment. "Just know I love you."

"I don't want to hear it." Olivia stormed after Eamon as he unlocked his car. "So, if he's a shifter, what are you?" she asked.

"I'm something older." Eamon's black eyes darkened, and she unconsciously stepped back at the danger wafting off him. "Something worse."

Bel pried her eyes open. Why had someone glued them shut? And why was her bed so hard? She'd gone home… hadn't she? Her mattress was normally so comfortable, so why did it feel like she was sleeping on a metal slab? And where was Cerberus? His soft fur always kept her warm, but this bed was freezing. She felt like a corpse on an examination table, bare and stiff and frigid. Was she dead? Was Thum about to autopsy her body? She couldn't do that. Not yet. Bel was still here. Still inside her soul. Where was Eamon? He'd tell them she was still there. He would make them believe.

"Eamon," she whispered, only no sound came out of her mouth. She was silent as death. He couldn't hear her. How would he know she still inhabited her body if he couldn't hear her? "Eamon, please," she begged in silence. "Don't let them cut me open. Don't let them forget me."

But Eamon didn't answer her. He couldn't hear her. He wasn't there.

A tear slipped down her cheek, and Bel's head fell to the side as oblivion reclaimed her, but just before she dropped off, blonde hair caught her eye… Anne Blaubart's blonde hair. With a jolt of realization, Bel understood her situation, and fear flooded her chest as she lost consciousness.

"Pull over," Olivia said as they entered the Blaubart's neighborhood. Charles' office was in the city, but since it was a Sunday, the trio aimed for their suburbia mansion.

"What's wrong?" Eamon asked. The drive had been silent and tense, Olivia refusing to acknowledge either man as she sulked in the front passenger seat.

"Just pull over," she snapped, and Eamon understood why Bel was so fond of her partner. They were cut of the same tenacious cloth. "Get out," she said as he parked the car. "If Anne Blaubart is Hyde, she'll take one look at you and suspect us. She's met you, and she knows how protective you are of Bel. You're also terrifying. I always thought something was off about you, and I guess being some sort of ancient monster explains that, but your anger will spook her. If she's involved, it's best she doesn't see you."

"You need me inside that house," he argued.

"You had no problem entering my building and apartment without a key," Olivia said. "You'll find a way, but Ewan and I should talk to the Blaubarts alone. They'll assume I'm merely a distraught partner trying to make sense of her death for my own closure. Ewan will come with me, so it'll feel unofficial. Just me and my boyfriend—don't get excited." She whirled on Ewan in the backseat. "I'm not sure I'll ever forgive you for lying to me, but we'll get the most out of Anne if she thinks I'm a woman struggling to come to terms with a friend's death. Bringing my boyfriend will help this visit appear personal."

"That's smart." Eamon stepped out of the driver's seat so Ewan could take his place. "Speak clearly when you're inside the house. I'll be listening."

He watched the car drive off before following on foot. Security protected the Blaubart mansion, but the cameras only stalled his progress for a few minutes before he found an opening, and then he was scaling the outer walls of the home.

"Yes, of course," Charles Blaubart's voice drifted up the stairs to Eamon's ears as he slipped through a third-floor window. "Come in. Can I get you a drink? Coffee? Tea? Something stronger?"

"Tea," Olivia answered as Eamon moved silently through the upper floors of the mansion, his senses searching for any sign of Bel. He hadn't considered that Anne might be the mysterious Dr. Jake L. Hyde, but if evidence of her guilt hid in this house, he'd find it.

"Come into the kitchen," Charles said. "We can chat while I put on the kettle. I'm not sure how much help I'll be, though. Detective Emerson died in a car accident."

"I know," Olivia said. "And I'm sorry we're inconveniencing you and your wife on a Sunday, but Bel was my friend and partner. I was at the scene… I saw her body hanging out of the windshield." She burst into tears, and Eamon could practically picture her throwing herself into Ewan's arms. "Her death was so senseless, and I didn't get to say goodbye. I just want to know what happened to her. Maybe if I can understand her state of mind, or figure out where she drove after she left your office, I'll find closure about why she flipped that car so badly."

"That's completely understandable," Charles said, and by the sincerity in his voice, he'd bought her explanation. "And it's no bother to talk to you. My wife isn't home, though, so it's just me."

Eamon paused with his hand on the attic door. Anne wasn't home? Coincidence? Or was she cleaning up her mess?

"Bel told me she wanted to speak to you about her scars," Olivia continued. "Did you meet with her yesterday?"

"I did," Charles said. "But not for long. When she showed up, I was with a client. I left her in my office to finish my consultation, but by the time I returned, she'd left. My receptionist confirmed she ran out looking upset. I assumed she'd received bad news or was fighting with her boyfriend. Have you met him? He's… intimidating. I wouldn't be surprised if he upset her. Maybe they fought, and that's why she crashed. She'd been crying."

"It's possible," Olivia agreed, and Eamon smirked, satisfied the attic was useless to him. The detective had been right. His absence made for a looser tongue.

"I don't know Mr. Stone well," she continued. "He's very rich, though. Owns half of our town. I imagine he's a man who gets what he wants, but do you think that's it? Did he really make her so upset that she died?"

"She fled for no reason," Charles said. "I have access to the security footage if you'd like to watch it for yourself. Women don't leave my office sad. They leave sexy and confident, so her distress was probably from her boyfriend."

"I'll never forgive that man if he caused her death," Olivia said. "He rubs me the wrong way. He seems dangerous."

"I agree," Charles said, and Eamon aimed for the basement, thankful Gold was keeping their host occupied. Blaming him was smart, but the idea that he'd fought with Bel so terribly that her emotions hindered her driving enraged him. Olivia was playing a part, but he couldn't help but wonder if her words were to punish him for this morning.

"Would you mind if I viewed the security footage?" Olivia asked. "I knew Bel well. If she'd argued with her boyfriend, I'd recognize her expression."

"Of course. Let me grab my laptop." Charles left the kitchen, and Eamon traced the sound of his footfalls until he returned. "The cameras only cover the entrance and main areas for patient privacy reasons, but you see her come and go."

Eamon silently ventured into the basement as Olivia and Ewan watched the footage, but nothing stood out. This immaculate home was just that. A wealthy surgeon's home. It boasted all the latest designs and appliances, and nothing pointed to Bel ever having been there or Anne being Hyde. It was the only lead they had, but it was dead in the water. Further snooping was useless, and disappointed in his failure, he left the mansion to wait for his companions.

"We watched the footage," Olivia said when they finally picked him up from the shadows of a tree. "She was there yesterday afternoon, but as he said, she walked out on her own two feet. He was in a consultation, and he even fast-forwarded the recording to show us when he left his patient to return to his office. He never left the building, and Anne wasn't there, so whatever happened to Bel went down elsewhere."

"She wasn't upset because of me," Eamon said, needing to defend himself. He normally didn't care if people believed him the guilty party, but he would not be blamed for this. Not when it involved the only person he'd never hurt. "I spoke to her Saturday morning, and she was happy, but we never spoke after that. I didn't make her leave that office."

"I know," Olivia said. "I told Dr. Blaubart she was clearly bothered by something you said to confirm his guess. It was safer if he believed I suspected you and not Anne, but I meant what I said. I know Bel fairly well. I'm familiar with her expressions, and she wasn't upset about your relationship. She wasn't upset at all. Bel left that office because she was afraid."