1.

A KSEL

“What exactly are we walking into here?” Ramses Salem, one of the witches from the Mereu coven and a man I’d known for well over a hundred years, asked as we got out of the SUV I’d rented at the airport. “What do the cops know?”

“Obviously nothing, considering they’re letting us walk all over their crime scene,” Ivan Dryga, a shifter who was also from Mereu, said as he squatted down and inspected a print on the side of the road. “That’s a bear.”

“What kind of bear?” Ramses asked.

“I’m going to assume it’s one with big teeth.”

Ivan ignored my sarcasm and said, “From the size of the print, I’d have to say it’s a black bear, which makes sense because they’re all over the state.”

“This close to a town?” Ramses asked.

“You do realize there are towns all over the place in this day and age, right?” I asked.

“Where I come from, they were few and far between, and even then . . .”

“Were you a pharaoh in Egypt?” Ivan asked.

“I was talking about Maine . . . It’s a state. You might have heard of it,” Ramses said drolly.

“Do they have bears in Egypt?” I asked.

“Do you know how long it’s been since I was in Egypt?” Ramses asked. “For your information, we did have one bear species, but it died out in the 1800s . . . well after I left.”

“Well, there’s a bear here, so that’s what we should focus on,” Ivan said, drawing our attention back to the paw print.

The wind changed direction, and I shook my head. “Do you smell that?”

Ramses took a deep breath and then gagged. Ivan cleared his throat and said, “Something’s dead.”

“And it’s close,” Ramses agreed.

“It’s human,” I informed them. “Perfume. Female.” I took another deep breath and then said, “But there’s a vampire near.”

“Right now?” Ivan asked.

I shook my head. “It’s faint, but it was here recently. Which one of you are going to go look for the body?”

“Not it,” Ramses said quickly.

“You’re a dog, right?”

“I’m a witch,” Ramses snapped.

“But you can turn into a dog,” I pointed out. “Dogs smell things better than humans . . . or witches . . . and can probably pick up a scent quicker than any of us.”

“I guess I can try,” Ramses agreed. He saw that there were still quite a few people mingling around the area and walked back over to the SUV. “Give me a second, and then open the door.”

I followed him to the SUV and waited until I heard a bark before I opened the door and a sleek Doberman gracefully jumped to the ground. He sniffed the air and then took off to the south, and I laughed softly.

“What’s so funny?” Ivan asked.

I pointed at the carrion circling above us and said, “We’ll find the body if we just follow them, and he went the other direction.”

“I’ll never understand the elderly sense of humor,” Ivan muttered.

“Elderly?”

“You do realize that I’m like a third of your age, right, Grandpa?”

“I’m not sure I’m cut out for this line of work.”

“Why is that?”

“Because we’re supposed to be hunting for dead bodies, and I’m considering creating one.”

It didn’t take long to find the source of the smell, and by the time we arrived at the crime scene, or at least the dump site, Ramses had realized the error of his ways and joined us in his witch form. Of course he’d been highly irritated at our good-natured teasing, but he took it better than some people would have and laughed at his ‘city folk’ ways.

Lucky for us, he cast a spell to mask the smell of the body so we could inspect it before we called in a tip to the authorities so they could transport it. What we found didn’t shock us because this wasn’t the first body found in this condition. However, there were clues that pointed to the same killer for several of the victims that we’d found after we were alerted by the authorities that this might very well be a supernatural committing such heinous crimes.

Of course, the local authorities had no idea what they were dealing with as they tried with their narrow-minded view to “figure out what sort of cult or monster” had done such damage and experimented on the poor person before their death. The government, of course, knew much more than they were willing to admit and had contracted Cassius Durant’s company to aid in the investigation, meaning take it over and find the culprit, then end him or her in a way that would ensure they never rose again.

“Do you feel that?” Ivan asked as we trekked back to the SUV.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” I answered. When I looked over at him, I saw him rub his chest and then look at his hand as he flexed his finger. The look on his face was complete confusion mixed with what seemed like happiness. “What are you feeling, Ivan?”

“I don’t know,” Ivan admitted.

“Is it physical or supernatural?” Ramses pressed.

“It’s . . . a pull. Magic.”

“Are you losing your faculties? Should we restrain you?” I asked.

Ramses scoffed before he asked, “What? Like Frankenstein?”

“Do you think that all of these victims went to their death willingly? What if they were pulled in somehow?”

“Let’s get him to the truck,” Ramses said urgently as Ivan’s face paled, and he stared at his still-flexing hand.

“You two go ahead but call out if you need me,” I ordered. I picked up the camera Ivan had dropped and said, “Give me a few minutes to document the scene for Cas.”

Ramses agreed, but all Ivan said was, “Take too many pictures rather than too few. We’d rather sort through a lot that amounts to nothing than not have everything.”

“On it,” I said simply as I started snapping pictures with the digital camera.

Even though I’d literally grown with the times and been witness to millions of inventions that made life easier, from the toaster to the cell phone and everything in between, digital equipment still baffled me with its magical ability to focus and hear things and then save them to recreate later. I logically knew that it was science, but the superstitious man I’d been before my change wondered if there might be some dark magic deep inside stealing pieces of our soul with every click of a button.

I found more bear tracks and what I thought might be prints from a large wolf amidst the human footprints that were almost the size of mine and made note to take pictures of the tread on the boots the three of us had been wearing today to rule them out. Once I’d taken more than a hundred pictures of every possible angle, I started taking photos of the woods around us, going in a slow circle and pushing the button every foot or so to make sure I captured every bit of this area.

When I was finished, I met Ramses and Ivan back at the SUV and was surprised to see Ivan laying on the back seat.

“Is he unconscious?” I asked.

“Meditating,” Ivan grumbled.

“Well, I guess now is as good a time as any,” I replied. “I think I got all the shots we need, and I pinged Cas with my phone’s location while I was standing next to the body for the map he’s keeping of the dump sites.”

“Now what do we do?” Ramses asked.

“Take me back to the hotel so I can lay down,” Ivan ordered. “The feeling is gone, and my body aches something fierce.”

“I’ll call Clarisse,” I said as Ramses put the car in gear to drive away. “Maybe there’s something she can do or someone she can send to help you.”

“There’s no help for me,” Ivan said sadly. “Just death.”

◆◆◆

STASSI

I arrived at the hotel within thirty minutes of my aunt’s call, carrying a backpack full of potions and herbs that she suggested might help the shifter who was in distress. As soon as I stepped onto the curb, I felt an electric pulse go through my body. I’d felt it before, years ago when I was young and then again a few times here and there, and knew exactly what it meant.

Aksel Nilsen was nearby, and considering that I was about to go to the aid of a Mereu shifter, I had to assume that he was inside the building with him.

That was exactly what I didn’t need today . . . or any day, for that matter.

My history with Aksel was turbulent to say the least. At the root of it all, the attraction between us made no sense considering our major differences. However, there was something about him that made all of my senses come alive - and by senses, I meant the warmth deep in my belly that made me yearn for him in ways I tried very hard to ignore.

Fortunately . . . or unfortunately, since that meant I knew exactly what I was missing, Aksel and I had fallen victim to that yearning many times over the years. However, those encounters, as wonderful and fulfilling as they were with hours and hours of wild and crazy sex, always ended with Aksel saying something so dumb, it made me wonder how the man was able to tie his own shoes. Of course, that would set off my temper, which his own temper seemed to feed on, and then it would end with a fantastic screaming match - some of which had been known to cause tremors in the surrounding area.

Of course, that was all my fault, and we both knew it, but we left it unspoken and pretended it was just a natural phenomenon. While the scientists and their equipment blamed it on the natural shifting of the earth, Aksel and I knew that our sex and arguments were earth-shattering and intense. When I was angry, strange things seemed to happen nearby.

Luckily, I had been working on that issue for the last hundred years or so and had found ways to control myself - the most effective being to stay as far away from Aksel Nilsen as possible. At other times, it was important for me to be in Colorado near my aunts who could help me when I was vulnerable and likely to lose the ability to control my powers, like I would be in a few months.

The trip home to Mereu was already scheduled as Clarisse, Vivienne, and Maribel were living there now. Over the years, I had spent time with them in many different places, depending on where one or all of them might be during my weakest time. My aunts had their favorite locations to go to when they needed to establish a new identity - Maine, Maryland, Louisiana, and even overseas now and again. I tried to look at my time with them like it was a vacation of sorts, scheduled for the spring of every even numbered year like clockwork . . . or nature, if that word could ever be used to describe a being like myself.

The elevator took me to the top floor of the building. I shook my head as I took in the fact that Aksel was staying in the penthouse suite. Of course he was. The man was born to live a life of luxury and had developed even more expensive and sophisticated tastes, as demonstrated by some of the fine wines he’d introduced me to over the years.

Unfortunately for him, I was more of a beer and margarita girl.

I knocked on the door like I’d seen cops do it in the movies because I knew it would startle the men inside. I did it because I wanted to walk into the situation with them off-balance, not because it would irritate the shit out Aksel. I would never.

When the door opened, I felt every cell in my body come awake at the sight of the handsome man in front of me.

“Must you announce your presence like a lumbering oaf?” Aksel asked.

“Must you talk like you’re royalty speaking down to the peasants?”

“When I’m in the company of them I do.”

I pushed past him, making sure to slam my shoulder into his chest on the way. I wasn’t a delicate woman by any means. Even in my other form, I was larger than average. It had taken decades to become comfortable with the size of my body and even longer to appreciate it. For instance, a smaller woman without as much weight would have bounced off the vampire's chiseled frame, whereas I knocked him into the door and caused that frosty facade to blurt out what I assumed was a string of Norwegian curses.

I glanced around the room and saw Ivan’s prone form on the couch and a gorgeous Doberman I recognized sunning himself in front of the balcony door.

“Afternoon, Ramses,” I said cheerfully but only received an eye twitch from the animal. “You’re looking as beautiful as ever.”

That comment got me a nod from the dog and a growl from the vampire behind me.

“Do I need to tell you that you’re pretty too, Aksel? Did I hurt your tender feelings?” I asked as I turned to face him.

“Ivan needs your help, Stassi, and none of us need your attitude.”

“He’s sleeping soundly now so I’ll be able to painlessly assess him.”

“Assess him? Just look at him. He’s pale, his breathing is erratic, and it’s obvious he’s in excruciating pain.”

“From something other than your company and the sound of your voice?”

“I don’t know!” Aksel snapped. When he realized what he’d just done, he glared at me and said, “Of course it’s something else.”

“We’ll see,” I mumbled as I sat on the edge of the couch at Ivan’s hip. I could tell instantly that he was in excruciating pain and the only relief he was getting was from the deep sleep I’d induced the second I sensed it after getting out of the elevator.

“How are you planning on getting back to Mereu?” I asked.

“I thought we’d walk,” Aksel barked. “We’re going to fly, obviously.”

“Commercial?”

Aksel scoffed.“No.”

“You have your jet here?”

“I do.”

“Of course. Well, in that case, I’d like to hitch a ride back to Mereu with you.”

“We’re not planning to leave for a few days because we’ve still got some things to take care of here.”

“Ivan has taken a drastic turn and needs more help than I can give him. He needs Clarisse and maybe even the entire coven to get him through this.”

“There’s nothing you can do?” Aksel asked.

“There is, but it’s going to require that you take us to Mereu.”

“I mean, is there nothing you can do for him here?”

“Why do I try to talk to you? Ramses, I’m in need of intelligent conversation, and it looks like you’re up to bat because, as usual, Aksel has struck out.”

“Baseball analogies? You haven’t grown up at all, have you?”

“The rules of baseball and the nuances you don’t seem to understand can be applied to everyday life, not that you can appreciate that because you still don’t understand the game after all these years.”

“Or your fascination with it,” Aksel muttered.

“Again, I’ll ask, do you have the means to take us to Mereu? A simple yes or no will suffice.”

“Yes.”

“Okay then,” I said before I got down on my knees beside the couch. I rested one hand on Ivan’s chest and the other on his forehead and concentrated on the source of his pain. I felt it morph into a ball of energy that slowly started to get larger and larger until it couldn’t be contained in its original vessel, so I poured it out slowly hoping that I wouldn’t overfill the space I had inside me.

But, as I’d been doing my entire life, I underestimated my own powers.

◆◆◆

AKSEL

“I’ll carry her in,” Ivan said as he opened the passenger door of Ramses SUV.

“I’ve got her,” I said as I got out of the truck, letting Stassi’s prone form slowly slide down onto the seat. I reached in and picked her up before adjusting her limp body so that I had a good hold on her before I shut the door with my foot and turned around to face the women waiting for us on the porch.

“What in the blazes is wrong with that girl?” Vivienne said angrily.

Clarisse observed her niece and I and then went to Ivan before she asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m better than I have been in months,” Ivan admitted. “Take care of her, and I’ll come by after I get settled in at home and debrief Cas about what we found.”

“I’ll take him home. Do you need me to come back?” Ramses asked.

“No, I don’t think so. There’s not really anything we can do besides let the spell wear off naturally.”

“How long will that take?” I asked as I strode up the walk.

“It seems like we’ve been in this situation before,” Vivienne said as she held the door open for me.

“At least she’s not smoldering this time,” I muttered as I stopped in the hallway. “Where would you like her?”

“Her suite is to the left,” Clarisse said as she rushed past me, deeper into the house. I walked into the great room and saw the usual clutter - books scattered around, crochet work in a basket by the hearth, and a mug of tea cooling on the table next to a threadbare lounge chair and ottoman.

This was the house that welcome friends saw when they came to visit the sisters. Strangers and newcomers saw a well-appointed formal area. I remembered that scene well even though I hadn’t seen it in years, not since we’d become friends after I delivered their niece to them the first time.

I followed Clarisse down a long hallway and watched her open a door that led into a large sitting room with comfortable furniture. She passed through it into a bedroom and threw the bedding back so I could lay Anastacia down.

“What exactly has she done this time?” I asked no one in particular.

“From what Ivan described, I believe she took his pain as her own, and it was too much for her body. She’s going to be miserable when she wakes up.”

“What kind of spell does something like that?” I asked as I brushed her tangled hair from her face. Her skin was pale and there were dark circles beneath her eyes that weren’t disguised by her long eyelashes. “Why didn’t she just cast a spell to relieve his pain?”

“I’m not sure how she did it. Apparently, she’s developed a new skill,” Clarisse said as she pulled off Stassi’s shoes and lined them up beneath the edge of the bed. I stepped back to get out of Vivienne’s way as she tucked her in, while, at the same time, Maribel pulled the curtains closed and shrouded the room in darkness.

“You can’t fix her?” I asked.

“I’ll see what I can do, but right now, the answer is a resounding no.”

“Stassi has been a work in progress for years,” Clarisse said with a sad shake of her head. “The girl is going to be the death of us all.”

“As long as you keep her away from me, I think the town is safe, however, I don’t know about the well-being of you three.”

“Oil and water, you two,” Maribel said sadly.

“The woman is infuriating.”

“Only to you,” Vivienne argued. “Everyone else loves her.”

“I can’t even pretend to understand why.”