The Question....
- Prolouge -
*************
I looked out at the streetlights as they went by, my windshield. I had gotten a call from Burke, about a murder in Old SanFransisco. Before I go into who Burke is maybe I should tell you who I am, My name is Serena Cain, I am a Detective of the armed forces, during the day at least. At night I am Serena Cain, monster expert extraodinaire and psyhic witch. I live in a world where Vampires, Werewolves and all the other creepy crawlies are real and the humans know about them. Infact we work with them, it wasn't always like that a few years back when I was in collage monsters were illegal and hunted by bounty hunters. Though the humans still knew of their exsistance.
Burke Rogers is my bestfriend and a Private Detective that believes there's only one way to see a monster. Dead and stuffed.... see why we're bestfriends? I shared his feelings about the monsters. Did I mention that I have a Vampire boyfriend and a faerie boyfriend?
Reason? I cuoldn't decided if I loved the corpse better or the faerie...good enough to fuck but not to marry eh? Two guys fighting for my attention... what's a girl to do, when she can't kill one or the other? Though I couldn't claim to be totally human... then again neither could Burke. Burke was a oddity even among the monsters... he is half human and half vampire. How you ask? Thats why he's an oddity, no one can figure out how a human and vampire could have a child.
Not that it hadn't happened before but in most cases the offspring went crazy and started killing everyone. Burke only sign of his mixed breeding are the exstreamly pointy teeth that fill his mouth and his unusually pale complection. But it didn't take away from the mans beauty... nope. As long as I have known Burke he had to beat the women off with a stick.
Maybe women went for the tall dark and quiet type..... naw.
I pulled up to the curb of the slum district business that Burke had given me directions to. The strobing lights of the police cars lit the way up the street, I had to walk two blocks to reach the club that Burke had mentioned. Yellow police tape surrounded the building and uniformed officers held the public back from the crime scene. I slipped the chain that held my badge over my head and ducked under the tape before looking around for Burke.
At 4'11 it was easy to me over looked in a crowd and a pain in the ass to find somebody in one. Since you couldn't look over their heads, all my life I had be mistaken for a teenager or in high school a little kid. I finally made my way toward Burke, my black boots spashing in the puddles that had been left by a late spring rain.
Burke stood 6'7 and had shoulder length black curly hair, his chest was wide and he had a gentle smile though Burke had never been know to smile showing his teeth in public. He was ver selfcontious of his teeth, of course when you had teeth that could rip through leather you would be self contious.
"Good evening Sere." Burke said looking down at me from his great hight.
I looked up at him a brow raised,"What's good about a homiside?" I asked then let him lead me into the club
The inside was much like anyother dance club you would see in any city, dark... loud music that someone had forgotten to turn off blared in the background and caused my headache to grow. I shot one of the uniforms a look and he scurried to do my bidding. I was good to be a detective not to mention a witch. The body if that was what it could be called was in the middle of the room covered by a table cloth that someone taking pity ont he deseased had put over it.
I moved past the photographers and gave them a small mental shove to move them away from the body, it earned me a look from Burke. I shrugged and knelt my black jeans just outside the blood circle and reached toward the table cloth and pulled it off, it had stuck to the body with a patch of dried blood, another tug revealed the body to me...
I wish it hadn't....
The body was a mass of blood and thicker things, the eyes a strange aqua color stared sightlessly up at the ceiling. I swallowed and glared up at Burke, he had know I wouldn't like this case. I could sense the old magic... the victim had been a witch... a powerful one at that if the aura I was still sensing off of her said anything. The woman had short cropped black hair and full lips or had once had full lips. The bottom one had been torn off.
I swallowed and slipped my hand into the pocket of my jacket, pulling out a pair od surgical gloves and put them on then pulled out my penlight and held it in my mouth while I examined the body. The womans abdomine was a shreaded mess, much like a lyncanthrope attack... oh lyncanthrope is another word for a werewolf or one of the other werecreatures. I leaned down closer to the body my nose almost inside the hole in the womans chest.
This close I could pick up the smell of blood and urine, upon closer inspection I could see that the woman had not been ripped open but cut. The edges of the skin were too smooth for it to of been a werewolf attack. I sat back on my haunches and sent a brief prayer to the goddess before shucking my gloves and handing them to a passing uniform then looked to where Burke was talking with a couple witness's and a plain clothes detective from my precinct, I noticed that the other detective was Zeke Carlsdale a sensitive which is another way of saying that he had ESP.
I walked up to them and sighed softly listening to their conversation, it seemed that Burke and Zeke were positive that it was a lyncathrope attack. I looked at them after clearing my throat. Both men looked down at me, seeing that they were both over six feet tall. It was Zeke that said something first,
"Yes Ms.Cain?" he asked giving me a scornful look that made me want to deck him... brownie point me.
Burke looked amused before he nodded softly to me so I went a head,"Detectives I know for a fact that the victim is not a lyncanthrope victim."
Burke looked interested in what I have to say Zeke looked like he was humoring me, of course when you walked around like you were the big bad wolf, stood six-four.... which would of been more impressive if he hadn't been standing next to Burke and had a sexest ego the size of texas...wouldn't you humor a short little girl?
"How do you know that Serena?" Burke asked pulling out a note pad and pen
I ran a hand through my hair and it came loose from the clip that was holding it back,
"Simple the cuts are too clean, if it had been a lyncanthrope attack it would of been jagged. And there's also the fact that all of the organs are still there, though you being the big tough men you were would of noticed that right? I forget is it Lyncathropes that eat organs or faerie?" I asked being my normal smart ass
Burke looked like he was going to laugh as he wrote down his notes, his pen flying over the pad as he wrote down all the stuff I had said. Zeke looked pissed and shot a glare in my direction. I raised a brow at him and grinned, before looking back at Burke,
"Also the woman was a witch, a Mother perhaps or a hag. If she was a hag... there's gonna be one pissed off coven of white witches knocking on the doors of the police."
Zeke raised a sardonic brow,"A hag? Don't you have to be old to be one? That woman can't be more than twenty-five."
I sighed and put a fake smile on,"It's a term Zeke... three stages of witches... maiden, mother and hag.... I would be a mother. A hag is usually the leader of a coven."
Zeke shut up then because he was called away, Burke stared down at me for a moment before asking in a soft voice.
"Do you want to work on this case? It touches pretty close to home doesn't it?"
I looked up into his eyes and nodded,"I want it Burke I have to find out who is killing witches or if this is just a one time thing."
Burke just nodded and walked away I stared after him for a few minutes then walked toward the door. I slipped out into the predawn and cursed I was supposed to see Artimis before the rise of the sun...I looked around at the crowd then slipped under the yellow tape and moved toward my junky dodge colt. I had to make it to DeMorte Sang before dawn and it was way across town.
I walked the two blocks back to my car, my baretta 9mm bared in my hand, I had learned long ago that you never walked into the night empty handed in my job. Too many creepy crawlies might want you dead. I saw my car a few feet away and went to holster my gun when I saw a shadow move to the left of me. The gun was out in a moments time and leveled in a teacup grip at the shadow.
"Come out come out who ever you are." I said my eyes adjusting to the dim light of the shadows, I caught a glimpse of a white dress and jumped back as the shadow moved closer.
A woman stood there with shoulder length black hair and dark blue eyes, she lifted a hand as if to stop Serena then a voice echoed within the confines of Serena's brain,
[ Fear not that changes that will come soon, all will be well Madam Cain, trust thy allies for they are your salvation.]
I stumbled and lowered my gun my head reeled and I felt as if I was going to be sick, a syren...singer of the water. But why had one approached me? What did her message mean? I looked up to ask her but she had vanished only a echo of her thoughts ringing through my mind. It was said that if anyone heard the voice of a syren they would go insane. I wasn't sure I wasn't... but then I hadn't heard the womans voice just her thoughts.
Shaking I holstered the gun and climbed into the car, leaning forward I pressed my forehead to the steering wheel. I was going to be sick...I slanted the clock on the radio a look. There was only another two hours of night left. I started the car and drove in the direction of De Morte Sang, the night club that Artimis owned and lived under. As well as a good amount of the vampires of the city. Artimis Dueveraux was my vampire boyfriend and the head hauncho of the vampire life in SanFransisco.
I pulled up to the club with thirty minutes of night left, and debated weather or not to go in. I sighed and walked in the front door nodding to Lita the head bouncer, a two-hundred year old vampire with long brown hair and a solid body though not overly worked. I tucked the silver cross under my shirt and moved through the club.It was the second dance club I had been in that night. I was remembering why I didn't like them, I moved through the door marked employees only and knocked on Artimis' door.
"Enter..." came a soft voice
Take a deep breath I walked into the office, Artimis sat behind the large mahogony desk, his hair was very straight and fine and fell over his shoulders to reach mid back. He had amber colored eyes, he was dressed in a black poets shirt that had ruffles that fell over pale slender hands.Over the shirt was a white jacket, I looked at him and felt my insides twist. Artimis was perfection in motion but I couldn't decided between him or Darien.
"You wanted to see me tonight?" I asked softly
Artimis focused his amber eyes on me, "Yes ma fleur I wanted to know if you were free friday night."
I looked at him like he had grown a second head, he had, had me rush over here so he could ask me on a date.... I was tempted to tell him to go to hell. Instead I sighed softly,
"I don't know Artimis... you will have to ask later this week... for christs sake it is only tuesday and it looks like I have a homiside case to work."
Artimis nodded and stood, I could see the rest of his outfit, his jacket instead of cutting off at the waist flowed to the floor at the back and his legs were encased in soft black leather knee length boots . He was wearing a pair of black leather pants that were tucked into the boots. He walked toward me and smiled taking me gently into his arms and placed a kiss on my forehead. I snuggled into his chest briefly before backing away, I never let anyone touch me for long periods of time, th exception to that rule was Burke and Darien.
" I am sorry I cannot spend more time with you ma fleur...I must retire to below. I will see you tonight." Artimis said
I nodded and watched while he moved to the far door in the room which led below ground. After Artimis dissapeared through the door, I stood in the middle of his office and stared blankly at the wall it had an original rembrant on it. I didn't know which one... maybe I would ask next time I was here. Maybe I wouldn't.... who knew? Who cared? I had a crazy person killing my sisters I might be a target of the person I wasn't going to stand around and wait for the person to attack me.
I finally left the office and instead of walking through the club walked down the hall to the door that read EXIT and walked out into the early morning sun. I wanted to get three hours of sleep before meeting Burke at the station, and facing Zeke again. I didn't know why but the guy rankled me. I didn't snap at him for it... brownie point for me. I didn't shoot him either when he asked ignorant questions... a bizillion brownie points for me.
I made my way back to my car and climbed in, soon I would have to get a new one. My old Colt sound like it was going to die soon. I didn't want to buy a new car. I hated new thintgs. My thoughts went back to the Syren that had appeared... I wondered what she had ment then let it go. I was going to go home get a couple hours sleep then go find a psycho that was killing witches. I left the vampire district and headed for my studio apartment that over looked the golden gate park, on one side and the bay on the other.
I pulled into my parking space that costed me an extra hundred a month and grumbled leaning against the car next to mine was Amy Gregerson, my partner... this wouldn't be good I could feel it now. Amy and Burke had been dating for two years now. She had to be my second bestfriend in the world. I didn't count Artimis and Darien didn't trust me not to kill everyone.
Amy was a short woman with waist lenth black hair dark purple eyes and a smile that seem to always be in place. Even though her eyes were jaded and could reflect the most coldest night into a persons heart. Amy wasn't human... I wasn't sure what she was but when I had first met her she had carried a cloud of dread around with her. But she was human enough to be able to catch Burkes attention and monster enough to be on my branch of the force.
I climbed out of the car and gasped at a chill on the wind from the bay, it was going to be a cold morning. I took a moment and looked at the park across the street, the early morning sunlight reflected off of the pine and redwood trees and turned them brillant shades of gold brown and green. I turned back to level a look at Amy,
"What brings you to my humble lodgings Amy?" I asked Amy was one of my bestfriends but her eyes at the moment told me nothing. They were as empty as the corpse I had looked at earlier.
" Sere, Darien called Burke.... there has been another murder...." Amy replied then looked past me to the park beyond.
I felt a cold hand of dread spread through me, Darien my Faerie boyfriend was the coroner for SanFransisco general hospital, he was also ex-FBI. " What aren't you telling me Amy?" I asked softly
Amy continued to stare past my shoulder silent.
I closed the distance between the two of us and grabbed Amy by her shoulders, my mistake if there was a person who more hated to be touched than me it was Amy Gregerson. Amy grabbed my hands and pivited on her heels then flung me over her shoulder into the hood of my car, I hit the metal with such force that it left a huge dent. I lay there gasping as I stared up at her.
Amy returned my stare and something slid behind her eyes that I didn't want to touch, something dark that I couldn't understand. We stayed that way staring eachother down. From a distance I heard rain start to fall, great just great... if the body was outside all evidance or clue would be washed away.
Amy was the first to break our staring contest, she turned her back to me and sighed I could see her composure break and knew that I wouldn't like what she was about to say to me. I felt the familuar dread that I experianced around Amy rush through me even before she began to speak.
"It was Mina, Sere. She was found in her home Tysen was crying next to her body when the call was made." she said so soft I could barely hear her.
I felt as if someone had decked me in the stomach, Mina Heartman was my cousin, Tysen was her five year old son. She was dead? What about Malcom? It took a great amount of strength not to break down as I rolled off the hood of the car and walked to Amy.
"Take me to them," I said softly
Amy nodded and hit the locks on her honda civic, we climbed in and spent the drive to my cousins house in silence. I looked at the yellow crime tape, my cousin had been a mother in the sister coven to my own. I slipped my badge on again and moved under the tape Amy following me like a silent shadow, I looked around in a daze before walking through the open door and into my nightmare. My cousin Tysen ran into my arms as soon as he saw me. I noticed to sheet covered lumps and shot a glance at Amy.
She turned away and moved toward Burke and my Faerie boyfriend Darien. Darien was the oppisate of Artimis, he was tall dark blue eyed and held a human beauty that Artimis lacked. At the moment he was in a deep conversation with Burke, Darien was the one that I wanted to marry. But I couldn't quite give up Artimis, and who said I girl had to choose? Like I said earlier good enough to fuck but not to marry... life sometimes really did suck. This looked like it was going to be one of those times as I moved toward Darien, Burke and Amy after handing Tysen over to one of the Uniforms and telling him to take Tysen outside.
I moved into Dariens arms and sighed snuggling against his warmth, I always felt safe and comfortable in Dariens' arms. My heart sped up as his scent engulfed me and I almost broke down and started crying. I never cried so that more than anything was what made me pull away from the comforting warmth of Dariens chest. I felt Mina's magic circle me then suddenly if pushed its way past my aura and latched onto mine. I screamed as flashes moved through my brain and power rode over me like a stampeding horse.
A man with short blond hair welding a katana blowing the door of the house off with out touching it. Attacking Malcom then me ... no Mina it wasn't me. I was seeing Mina's memories. It was her power that was trampling me, it was going to kill me... I screamed and suddenly it was like my magic sucked Minas into me. Became part of me, I came back into my body and blinked the edges of my vision were hazy. It was like tunnel vision, from a distance I heard Darien, Amy and Burke calling my name. I realized that maybe the magic could of killed me if I hadn't accepted it. My body felt light.
I wheezed out a breath and tried to tell them I was okay, that I would be okay. I closed my eyes allowly Darien to lift me into his arms, which told many people that I wasn't as okay as I seemed.... many many brownie points for them for not commenting on it. I opened my eyes and in the distance saw Zeke and tried not to groan. He was the last person I wanted to see at the moment. And a question I always asked myself since becoming a mother witch was,
How do you know when you stop being a Human and become a Monster?
Answer.... I didn't know yet, maybe tomarrow the answer would come.
- Prolouge -
*************
I looked out at the streetlights as they went by, my windshield. I had gotten a call from Burke, about a murder in Old SanFransisco. Before I go into who Burke is maybe I should tell you who I am, My name is Serena Cain, I am a Detective of the armed forces, during the day at least. At night I am Serena Cain, monster expert extraodinaire and psyhic witch. I live in a world where Vampires, Werewolves and all the other creepy crawlies are real and the humans know about them. Infact we work with them, it wasn't always like that a few years back when I was in collage monsters were illegal and hunted by bounty hunters. Though the humans still knew of their exsistance.
Burke Rogers is my bestfriend and a Private Detective that believes there's only one way to see a monster. Dead and stuffed.... see why we're bestfriends? I shared his feelings about the monsters. Did I mention that I have a Vampire boyfriend and a faerie boyfriend?
Reason? I cuoldn't decided if I loved the corpse better or the faerie...good enough to fuck but not to marry eh? Two guys fighting for my attention... what's a girl to do, when she can't kill one or the other? Though I couldn't claim to be totally human... then again neither could Burke. Burke was a oddity even among the monsters... he is half human and half vampire. How you ask? Thats why he's an oddity, no one can figure out how a human and vampire could have a child.
Not that it hadn't happened before but in most cases the offspring went crazy and started killing everyone. Burke only sign of his mixed breeding are the exstreamly pointy teeth that fill his mouth and his unusually pale complection. But it didn't take away from the mans beauty... nope. As long as I have known Burke he had to beat the women off with a stick.
Maybe women went for the tall dark and quiet type..... naw.
I pulled up to the curb of the slum district business that Burke had given me directions to. The strobing lights of the police cars lit the way up the street, I had to walk two blocks to reach the club that Burke had mentioned. Yellow police tape surrounded the building and uniformed officers held the public back from the crime scene. I slipped the chain that held my badge over my head and ducked under the tape before looking around for Burke.
At 4'11 it was easy to me over looked in a crowd and a pain in the ass to find somebody in one. Since you couldn't look over their heads, all my life I had be mistaken for a teenager or in high school a little kid. I finally made my way toward Burke, my black boots spashing in the puddles that had been left by a late spring rain.
Burke stood 6'7 and had shoulder length black curly hair, his chest was wide and he had a gentle smile though Burke had never been know to smile showing his teeth in public. He was ver selfcontious of his teeth, of course when you had teeth that could rip through leather you would be self contious.
"Good evening Sere." Burke said looking down at me from his great hight.
I looked up at him a brow raised,"What's good about a homiside?" I asked then let him lead me into the club
The inside was much like anyother dance club you would see in any city, dark... loud music that someone had forgotten to turn off blared in the background and caused my headache to grow. I shot one of the uniforms a look and he scurried to do my bidding. I was good to be a detective not to mention a witch. The body if that was what it could be called was in the middle of the room covered by a table cloth that someone taking pity ont he deseased had put over it.
I moved past the photographers and gave them a small mental shove to move them away from the body, it earned me a look from Burke. I shrugged and knelt my black jeans just outside the blood circle and reached toward the table cloth and pulled it off, it had stuck to the body with a patch of dried blood, another tug revealed the body to me...
I wish it hadn't....
The body was a mass of blood and thicker things, the eyes a strange aqua color stared sightlessly up at the ceiling. I swallowed and glared up at Burke, he had know I wouldn't like this case. I could sense the old magic... the victim had been a witch... a powerful one at that if the aura I was still sensing off of her said anything. The woman had short cropped black hair and full lips or had once had full lips. The bottom one had been torn off.
I swallowed and slipped my hand into the pocket of my jacket, pulling out a pair od surgical gloves and put them on then pulled out my penlight and held it in my mouth while I examined the body. The womans abdomine was a shreaded mess, much like a lyncanthrope attack... oh lyncanthrope is another word for a werewolf or one of the other werecreatures. I leaned down closer to the body my nose almost inside the hole in the womans chest.
This close I could pick up the smell of blood and urine, upon closer inspection I could see that the woman had not been ripped open but cut. The edges of the skin were too smooth for it to of been a werewolf attack. I sat back on my haunches and sent a brief prayer to the goddess before shucking my gloves and handing them to a passing uniform then looked to where Burke was talking with a couple witness's and a plain clothes detective from my precinct, I noticed that the other detective was Zeke Carlsdale a sensitive which is another way of saying that he had ESP.
I walked up to them and sighed softly listening to their conversation, it seemed that Burke and Zeke were positive that it was a lyncathrope attack. I looked at them after clearing my throat. Both men looked down at me, seeing that they were both over six feet tall. It was Zeke that said something first,
"Yes Ms.Cain?" he asked giving me a scornful look that made me want to deck him... brownie point me.
Burke looked amused before he nodded softly to me so I went a head,"Detectives I know for a fact that the victim is not a lyncanthrope victim."
Burke looked interested in what I have to say Zeke looked like he was humoring me, of course when you walked around like you were the big bad wolf, stood six-four.... which would of been more impressive if he hadn't been standing next to Burke and had a sexest ego the size of texas...wouldn't you humor a short little girl?
"How do you know that Serena?" Burke asked pulling out a note pad and pen
I ran a hand through my hair and it came loose from the clip that was holding it back,
"Simple the cuts are too clean, if it had been a lyncanthrope attack it would of been jagged. And there's also the fact that all of the organs are still there, though you being the big tough men you were would of noticed that right? I forget is it Lyncathropes that eat organs or faerie?" I asked being my normal smart ass
Burke looked like he was going to laugh as he wrote down his notes, his pen flying over the pad as he wrote down all the stuff I had said. Zeke looked pissed and shot a glare in my direction. I raised a brow at him and grinned, before looking back at Burke,
"Also the woman was a witch, a Mother perhaps or a hag. If she was a hag... there's gonna be one pissed off coven of white witches knocking on the doors of the police."
Zeke raised a sardonic brow,"A hag? Don't you have to be old to be one? That woman can't be more than twenty-five."
I sighed and put a fake smile on,"It's a term Zeke... three stages of witches... maiden, mother and hag.... I would be a mother. A hag is usually the leader of a coven."
Zeke shut up then because he was called away, Burke stared down at me for a moment before asking in a soft voice.
"Do you want to work on this case? It touches pretty close to home doesn't it?"
I looked up into his eyes and nodded,"I want it Burke I have to find out who is killing witches or if this is just a one time thing."
Burke just nodded and walked away I stared after him for a few minutes then walked toward the door. I slipped out into the predawn and cursed I was supposed to see Artimis before the rise of the sun...I looked around at the crowd then slipped under the yellow tape and moved toward my junky dodge colt. I had to make it to DeMorte Sang before dawn and it was way across town.
I walked the two blocks back to my car, my baretta 9mm bared in my hand, I had learned long ago that you never walked into the night empty handed in my job. Too many creepy crawlies might want you dead. I saw my car a few feet away and went to holster my gun when I saw a shadow move to the left of me. The gun was out in a moments time and leveled in a teacup grip at the shadow.
"Come out come out who ever you are." I said my eyes adjusting to the dim light of the shadows, I caught a glimpse of a white dress and jumped back as the shadow moved closer.
A woman stood there with shoulder length black hair and dark blue eyes, she lifted a hand as if to stop Serena then a voice echoed within the confines of Serena's brain,
[ Fear not that changes that will come soon, all will be well Madam Cain, trust thy allies for they are your salvation.]
I stumbled and lowered my gun my head reeled and I felt as if I was going to be sick, a syren...singer of the water. But why had one approached me? What did her message mean? I looked up to ask her but she had vanished only a echo of her thoughts ringing through my mind. It was said that if anyone heard the voice of a syren they would go insane. I wasn't sure I wasn't... but then I hadn't heard the womans voice just her thoughts.
Shaking I holstered the gun and climbed into the car, leaning forward I pressed my forehead to the steering wheel. I was going to be sick...I slanted the clock on the radio a look. There was only another two hours of night left. I started the car and drove in the direction of De Morte Sang, the night club that Artimis owned and lived under. As well as a good amount of the vampires of the city. Artimis Dueveraux was my vampire boyfriend and the head hauncho of the vampire life in SanFransisco.
I pulled up to the club with thirty minutes of night left, and debated weather or not to go in. I sighed and walked in the front door nodding to Lita the head bouncer, a two-hundred year old vampire with long brown hair and a solid body though not overly worked. I tucked the silver cross under my shirt and moved through the club.It was the second dance club I had been in that night. I was remembering why I didn't like them, I moved through the door marked employees only and knocked on Artimis' door.
"Enter..." came a soft voice
Take a deep breath I walked into the office, Artimis sat behind the large mahogony desk, his hair was very straight and fine and fell over his shoulders to reach mid back. He had amber colored eyes, he was dressed in a black poets shirt that had ruffles that fell over pale slender hands.Over the shirt was a white jacket, I looked at him and felt my insides twist. Artimis was perfection in motion but I couldn't decided between him or Darien.
"You wanted to see me tonight?" I asked softly
Artimis focused his amber eyes on me, "Yes ma fleur I wanted to know if you were free friday night."
I looked at him like he had grown a second head, he had, had me rush over here so he could ask me on a date.... I was tempted to tell him to go to hell. Instead I sighed softly,
"I don't know Artimis... you will have to ask later this week... for christs sake it is only tuesday and it looks like I have a homiside case to work."
Artimis nodded and stood, I could see the rest of his outfit, his jacket instead of cutting off at the waist flowed to the floor at the back and his legs were encased in soft black leather knee length boots . He was wearing a pair of black leather pants that were tucked into the boots. He walked toward me and smiled taking me gently into his arms and placed a kiss on my forehead. I snuggled into his chest briefly before backing away, I never let anyone touch me for long periods of time, th exception to that rule was Burke and Darien.
" I am sorry I cannot spend more time with you ma fleur...I must retire to below. I will see you tonight." Artimis said
I nodded and watched while he moved to the far door in the room which led below ground. After Artimis dissapeared through the door, I stood in the middle of his office and stared blankly at the wall it had an original rembrant on it. I didn't know which one... maybe I would ask next time I was here. Maybe I wouldn't.... who knew? Who cared? I had a crazy person killing my sisters I might be a target of the person I wasn't going to stand around and wait for the person to attack me.
I finally left the office and instead of walking through the club walked down the hall to the door that read EXIT and walked out into the early morning sun. I wanted to get three hours of sleep before meeting Burke at the station, and facing Zeke again. I didn't know why but the guy rankled me. I didn't snap at him for it... brownie point for me. I didn't shoot him either when he asked ignorant questions... a bizillion brownie points for me.
I made my way back to my car and climbed in, soon I would have to get a new one. My old Colt sound like it was going to die soon. I didn't want to buy a new car. I hated new thintgs. My thoughts went back to the Syren that had appeared... I wondered what she had ment then let it go. I was going to go home get a couple hours sleep then go find a psycho that was killing witches. I left the vampire district and headed for my studio apartment that over looked the golden gate park, on one side and the bay on the other.
I pulled into my parking space that costed me an extra hundred a month and grumbled leaning against the car next to mine was Amy Gregerson, my partner... this wouldn't be good I could feel it now. Amy and Burke had been dating for two years now. She had to be my second bestfriend in the world. I didn't count Artimis and Darien didn't trust me not to kill everyone.
Amy was a short woman with waist lenth black hair dark purple eyes and a smile that seem to always be in place. Even though her eyes were jaded and could reflect the most coldest night into a persons heart. Amy wasn't human... I wasn't sure what she was but when I had first met her she had carried a cloud of dread around with her. But she was human enough to be able to catch Burkes attention and monster enough to be on my branch of the force.
I climbed out of the car and gasped at a chill on the wind from the bay, it was going to be a cold morning. I took a moment and looked at the park across the street, the early morning sunlight reflected off of the pine and redwood trees and turned them brillant shades of gold brown and green. I turned back to level a look at Amy,
"What brings you to my humble lodgings Amy?" I asked Amy was one of my bestfriends but her eyes at the moment told me nothing. They were as empty as the corpse I had looked at earlier.
" Sere, Darien called Burke.... there has been another murder...." Amy replied then looked past me to the park beyond.
I felt a cold hand of dread spread through me, Darien my Faerie boyfriend was the coroner for SanFransisco general hospital, he was also ex-FBI. " What aren't you telling me Amy?" I asked softly
Amy continued to stare past my shoulder silent.
I closed the distance between the two of us and grabbed Amy by her shoulders, my mistake if there was a person who more hated to be touched than me it was Amy Gregerson. Amy grabbed my hands and pivited on her heels then flung me over her shoulder into the hood of my car, I hit the metal with such force that it left a huge dent. I lay there gasping as I stared up at her.
Amy returned my stare and something slid behind her eyes that I didn't want to touch, something dark that I couldn't understand. We stayed that way staring eachother down. From a distance I heard rain start to fall, great just great... if the body was outside all evidance or clue would be washed away.
Amy was the first to break our staring contest, she turned her back to me and sighed I could see her composure break and knew that I wouldn't like what she was about to say to me. I felt the familuar dread that I experianced around Amy rush through me even before she began to speak.
"It was Mina, Sere. She was found in her home Tysen was crying next to her body when the call was made." she said so soft I could barely hear her.
I felt as if someone had decked me in the stomach, Mina Heartman was my cousin, Tysen was her five year old son. She was dead? What about Malcom? It took a great amount of strength not to break down as I rolled off the hood of the car and walked to Amy.
"Take me to them," I said softly
Amy nodded and hit the locks on her honda civic, we climbed in and spent the drive to my cousins house in silence. I looked at the yellow crime tape, my cousin had been a mother in the sister coven to my own. I slipped my badge on again and moved under the tape Amy following me like a silent shadow, I looked around in a daze before walking through the open door and into my nightmare. My cousin Tysen ran into my arms as soon as he saw me. I noticed to sheet covered lumps and shot a glance at Amy.
She turned away and moved toward Burke and my Faerie boyfriend Darien. Darien was the oppisate of Artimis, he was tall dark blue eyed and held a human beauty that Artimis lacked. At the moment he was in a deep conversation with Burke, Darien was the one that I wanted to marry. But I couldn't quite give up Artimis, and who said I girl had to choose? Like I said earlier good enough to fuck but not to marry... life sometimes really did suck. This looked like it was going to be one of those times as I moved toward Darien, Burke and Amy after handing Tysen over to one of the Uniforms and telling him to take Tysen outside.
I moved into Dariens arms and sighed snuggling against his warmth, I always felt safe and comfortable in Dariens' arms. My heart sped up as his scent engulfed me and I almost broke down and started crying. I never cried so that more than anything was what made me pull away from the comforting warmth of Dariens chest. I felt Mina's magic circle me then suddenly if pushed its way past my aura and latched onto mine. I screamed as flashes moved through my brain and power rode over me like a stampeding horse.
A man with short blond hair welding a katana blowing the door of the house off with out touching it. Attacking Malcom then me ... no Mina it wasn't me. I was seeing Mina's memories. It was her power that was trampling me, it was going to kill me... I screamed and suddenly it was like my magic sucked Minas into me. Became part of me, I came back into my body and blinked the edges of my vision were hazy. It was like tunnel vision, from a distance I heard Darien, Amy and Burke calling my name. I realized that maybe the magic could of killed me if I hadn't accepted it. My body felt light.
I wheezed out a breath and tried to tell them I was okay, that I would be okay. I closed my eyes allowly Darien to lift me into his arms, which told many people that I wasn't as okay as I seemed.... many many brownie points for them for not commenting on it. I opened my eyes and in the distance saw Zeke and tried not to groan. He was the last person I wanted to see at the moment. And a question I always asked myself since becoming a mother witch was,
How do you know when you stop being a Human and become a Monster?
Answer.... I didn't know yet, maybe tomarrow the answer would come.