Shifters of Grrr 2 (69 page)

"Soul mates are made, not chosen. Has no one ever explained that to you?"

She shook her head unable for the moment to talk. She'd heard of soul mates among the humans but not her kind. She'd been raised by a great aunt when her unwed mother had died in childbirth. It was rare for a witch since most had healing abilities but her aunt had told her she thought she died of a broken heart. Her aunt had done her best, but she'd been a cold and distant woman thrilled when Serena had turned eighteen and she was done with her familial responsibility. It seemed everyone was always glad to see the last of her. Was she so hard to love?

They'd argued and he'd told her he was leaving for good. She knew she had little left to teach him. The truth was he was better than her already. He'd taught her a few things she might not have learned otherwise. She was hurt and angry but he tried to be fair. He left money for her on the table because without it she would have been broke.

She considered throwing it back in his face, but she was too desperate not to accept it. He walked out of her life with looking back. She took the money and bought a modest home. Yes, he'd been generous but a broken heart couldn't be bought. She needed to support herself and she turned to the world's oldest profession. She was picky and took on only the most attractive and wealthy clients. Eventually she married one that became besotted with her. She outlived him and inherited a small fortune.

She had money of her own, but it wasn't enough. Now she wanted power so no one could ever reject her or make her feel less than she knew she was again. Eventually she'd found her way to Chief. That was just two years ago but he'd offered her a way to increase her magical strength. It was the one thing she couldn't refuse. He'd captured some witches and he had a spell that siphoned off their power and gave it to her. He left them enough energy to survive, though they were in a deep sleep. She didn't feel guilty, if she didn't benefit from their magic someone else would. It was a dog eat dog world and she'd learned that lesson from Zorth.

What she hadn't learned was what he really was and where his magic came from. He had more magic than her and she had four witches feeding her. How did he do that? She was dying to know. She was sure it was Zorth blocking her from his mate. She couldn't get to her magically so she would have to track her down physically. She hated to have to go to all this trouble for one otherwise unimportant human. It was just more blame to lay at Zorth's feet. He could have been a gentleman and just died when he'd come after his young associate. She almost feared she'd never be through with him completely. He'd overwhelmed her and she'd discussed it with Chief who'd denied any knowledge of Zorth's superior strength.

He'd called her right after the fiasco when she'd made it home. "How did it go?" he'd asked.

"I escaped with my life," she said. There was a long silence.

"What do you mean? You had the added strength of four and you let him win?"

"He overcame me like I was still a novice. He could have killed me easily had he wished it so. He's not a simple witch, he's much more and he hinted that you already knew that."

"He seeks to drive us apart, Serena. You know how things work. If he's something more, find out what and find his weakness. Every magical creature has one."

That's when it occurred to her. Every creature magical or not had a weakness. She laughed as joy rolled over her. She would find his weakness by finding his mate! Now she had tried but he seemed not only determined but well able to protect what was his. It only made her more determined to destroy it. It just wasn't fair that Zorth would claim his happiness with another when he'd caused her so much pain.

Her phone rang and it could be only one person. "Serena."

"Have you taken care of our problem?" Chief asked.

"I've had complications, but I'm working through them."

"You know I won't tolerate failure. I gave you the power you sought but I'm not getting the results I demand."

"You underestimated Zorth and I almost paid the price. You've had no success dealing with any of the team that is after you so you can stop taking that superior tone with me. They are all strong and dangerous. Rushing in will serve no one."

"You're lucky I like you Serena or I would cut out your tongue for speaking to me as you just did. I understand things come up, but this wasn't your first shot at him. Just remember no one is irreplaceable."

He hung up but she thought he should take his own advice.
No one
was irreplaceable and that included him. She needed another plan, a better one. She needed to go online and research to find the name of Zorth's mate. She'd cast a spell to enter her dreams but it hadn't told her anything but that this woman was his mate. She hadn't realized he had already found her. She'd hoped to find her first, kill her, and present Zorth with a dead mate that he'd failed to find and protect. That hadn't worked so now she needed to find the woman and kill her in person. It was much messier but at this point it would be more satisfying.

She realized she didn't have much to go on. She didn't know where the woman had been staying when she'd gone after her and she didn't know where she was now. All she had was a
dream
address that was blocked. She knew what the woman looked like but she didn't have a picture. Maybe she should get one of those sketches or drawing done. She could describe her in detail and the artist could do a picture for her. She went on line and pulled up a list of locals that did sketches but most of them required a picture.

She was finally lucky enough to find someone who did renderings from descriptions for missing persons and the like. They were retired but had worked with the police on many cases. She called the number and they were available. She told them she wanted a rendering of her deceased mother for her children so they would know what she'd looked like at her age. The sap thought it was sweet, how funny.

She drove to his house and sat at the kitchen table pointing to the examples of different parts of the face that most closely resembled her. He made slight altercations and then the picture was perfect. He stared at the picture thoughtfully.

"It's the strangest thing. This looks just like a friend of mine. She's an artist too," he said.

"Maybe she's a relative? What's her name?" she asked excitedly. Could she have found the one she'd been seeking so easily?

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart. I can give her your name and see if she wants to contact you if you'd like, but I can't give out her name without her permission."

She felt fury roll over her and she tried to unleash a painful spell but it wouldn't work. That's when she saw the charm over the door. It was a protective spell. "I understand," she said softly. The man must know a witch and he was protected. Lucky him.

It seemed that since she'd been on Zorth's trail her luck had been bad more often than anything. Unless it was just Zorth's typical good luck interceding on his behalf. She left the artist's house happy with the picture he'd done but unhappy that she hadn't been able to force him to give her a name. Knowing the woman was an artist might help her but researching was a tough job and it required patience. That was one virtue Serena had never had.

She made it home and scanned the picture to her computer. She had a program that would search the internet for pictures that were close matches. Tonight her program seemed to be messing with her coming up with everything but a close match. She was getting frustrated and considering throwing her computer at the wall. The only thing stopping her was the memory of how much trouble it had been to replace everything last time she'd done that.

She left the program to run while she fixed herself some food and a good stiff shot of whiskey. Witches weren't immune to alcohol and its effects like vampires and werewolves. Witches were slightly improved humans who lived longer based on how strong their magic was. The stronger the magic running through them was, the longer they lived. There were also artifacts that extended life and with the money her husband had, she'd been able to get one. It had worked beautifully preserving her beauty at the age it was the best. She drank her whiskey enjoying the slow burn as it went down. She didn't drink often usually preferring to be clear headed. The drink relaxed her and now she was ready to look and see what the program had found for her.

The first three pictures were useless. The fourth bore a slight resemblance, the fifth was closer. The longer the program ran the deeper it looked so even an obscure person who shunned publicity might be found. The sixth picture looked like a match. Arabella Turner was a local artist who owned her own art gallery. It showcased her own work but she also showcased other artists both local and national. This was a place to start. Serena went to bed with the anticipation of dealing with her problem thrumming through her. It was a bit sad that killing someone excited her more than a first date. It wasn't her fault, she blamed Zorth.

She woke up in the morning ready to take care of her problem. It was easier to think of Zorth's mate that way than as a person like her. After all, she wasn't a monster. She drove to Eureka Springs and located the gallery on the outskirts of town. It was a large building but that shouldn't have surprised her. The town had a large art community and from what she'd read, the mate tried to keep a variety of art, not just pictures, and have something representing every artist that asked. She cast a quick spell making her hair black and her eyes brown so she wouldn't get too much attention.

She entered through the main door noting the pottery set up on either side. Maybe she'd make a purchase before she left. If all went well, no one would ever realize someone had died here. There was a counter with tow ladies working, neither was the mate.

"May I help you find something?" an older lady asked.

"I'm just looking," she replied. She could always asked for help later if she couldn't find her.

She walked through the store and admitted that there was a wide selection from talented artists. She also gave up on the hope that the mate was here. She set a clay jar and a picture on the counter to buy.

"I noticed a lot of work was done by an Arabella Turner. I also saw that she takes commissions. How would I commission a work from her?"

The lady went on and on about how wonderful Arabella was finally winding down by answering the question. "You leave your description and your contact information with us and she'll call you before she starts on it to work out any details. She no longer meets with customers because she had a stalker last year. It was terrible!"

Maybe it was but the old lady seemed thrilled to talk about it. She was animated and her eyes gleamed with excitement. It was probably the best thing that had happened around this quiet place in ages. The one thing she'd become sure of was that this lady knew little more than a phone number. The mate must not give out her address which was very smart. It didn't matter because now that she had her name and her business, she'd find out everything in a matter of days. It was amazing what information you could find on the internet in tax rolls and government information. She grabbed a pamphlet that had information on the gallery and went out the door with her purchases in her hand and a smile on her face.

Her mood was good all the way home. Things were finally on track. It was sad that she'd have to destroy someone she didn't know but if it brought Zorth down it was all good. He'd suffer and his torment would bring her joy. It would also get that damn Chief off her back. She checked her messages and she saw Chief had called several ties. What the hell did he want now? She considered not calling him back, but then he might send someone to see her. His messengers were never pleasant and sometimes they delivered punishments.

She got no enjoyment out of that shit. She pressed the button and listened as he picked up on the first ring.

"About damn time you called back," Chief growled. He sounded more like a wolf than the vamp she knew him to be.

"I was out scouting my target. I don't have to ask you how things are going for you."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It's clear something has gone wrong."

"They almost got me this time. It's like someone is feeding them information."

"Who'd do that? Everyone loves you." He wouldn't appreciate her sarcasm. She didn't know why she did it but she'd not been able to fight the temptation.

"They don't have to love me to have the sense to fear me."

"You know I love living dangerously. It's why I hang out with you."

"It makes me wonder how dangerously." She felt a shiver run over her spine. Did he suspect her of informing on him? It hadn't been her, she'd been too busy.

"Not that dangerously. Just the hint of excitement carrying out your tasks gives me is plenty."

"I hope so, I've grown rather fond of you."

"That's nice to hear." She wasn't stupid enough to believe him. He'd kill her in a heartbeat without the slightest regret. "I'd best get back to my job."

They both hung up at the same time. She was sure he'd be watching her very closely. Damn! She didn't really need this right now with the pressure of taking out Zorth's mate already weighing down on her. She sat at the computer looking for information until she came up with an address. This had gone on long enough. Between the pressure from Chief and the long string of delays, it was time to end this now. She dressed in leather because it was tough and would protect her from accidental injuries. She was unfamiliar with the area, so she printed off directions for the house.