To Hell and Back (Hellcat Series Book 4) (3 page)

“
And these wounds?” Gabi asked, pointing out several sets of
what appeared to be dual puncture marks along the Werewolf’s vital
arteries. “Are those what they look like?”

“
Well, it’s hard to be sure,” Teddy said, pulling a magnifying
glass with a light attachment on a retractable arm over to one of
the more prominent marks so that Gabi could take a better look.
Gabi didn’t tell him that she could probably see the marks better
without the magnifier than he did with it; she just leaned over and
peered at them obligingly. “At first glance they do look a lot like
Vampire fang marks, but on closer examination it seems they’ve been
made post-mortem,” he elucidated, “and by something a little too
perfectly formed to be fangs. You see, fangs, like any other teeth,
are shaped very individually, each with pits and grooves, and are
generally unevenly formed. These,” he pointed out the rim of one
particular puncture mark, “are just a little too precise to my
mind. I guess it’s not impossible for it to be fangs, but if it is,
these are some of the most perfectly formed teeth I’ve ever come
across.”

Gabi could see what the doctor meant. It strengthened the case
that it hadn’t been a Vampire who’d done this.

“
Anything else, Teddy?” she asked. “Any idea which was the
fatal wound?”

The coroner pulled the magnifier down to the small, discreetly
placed towel over the Werewolf’s hips. He moved the edge of the
towel away from the dead man’s upper thigh and singled out one of
the puncture wounds along the femoral artery.

“
This is the one that looks like it may have been the fatal
wound. It’s the only one that appears to have been made
peri-mortem.” He glanced up at Gabi as she processed the
news.

“
One fatal wound, not a pair?” she checked.

The doctor nodded.

“
Thanks, Teddy. You’re the bomb,” she told him, giving him a
resounding kiss on the cheek before reaching for her phone and
typing a quick text to Julius. They had their confirmation; unless
there was a single-fanged Vampire out there somewhere, this Lone
Wolf’s death was not due to exsanguination by Vampire. Not that
this solved the mystery of exactly how or why he died, but at least
it cleared the Vampires, and that should ease tensions between
Julius and the Werewolf Alliance.

Before heading back to the estate, Gabi stopped in at Byron’s
office, knowing he’d still be there under the circumstances.
Sunrise was just under an hour away, so Alexander needed to get
back to the safety of the Estate, but she had just enough time to
check in. She texted Alexander to meet her at the
Ferrari.

“
Hey,” she greeted the man she considered her second father,
before plonking down in one of the guest chairs in front of his
large desk. He was a lean, handsome man, one of those men who just
aged well. Grey touched his temples, and laugh lines creased his
face, but he still turned the ladies’ heads wherever he went. “Busy
night,” she noted.

“
Hello, honey,” he said, quickly finishing a scrawled note
before looking up at her. A smile lit his face at the sight of her.
She felt an immediate stab of guilt that she hadn’t made enough
time to see him lately. He must feel like they needed an emergency
to see her. “You spoke to Teddy?”

“
Yes,” she assured him. “I let Julius know so he could bring
the Alliance up to speed. Now that they can stop focusing on
Vampire involvement, maybe they’ll get somewhere trying to find the
real culprit.”

“
It’s still an unusual case,” Byron mused.

“
Very,” Gabi agreed. “How did it come to your attention in the
first place?”

“
By sheer luck, actually,” he said. “One of the new Hunters
stumbled across him on patrol this evening. The scent of
Lycanthropy was still fresh. If he hadn’t found him when he did, we
may never have known.” It didn’t take long for the essence of
Werewolf to dissipate after death; the Lycanthropy virus was
parasitic and protected its host fiercely because without a live
host it died within minutes. If the Hunter hadn’t found the body
before the scent vanished, the body would’ve simply been viewed as
a dead human, nothing for the SMV to get involved in. The Societus
Malus Venatori only got involved in cases that concerned the
supernatural community, ones the human police weren’t equipped,
either mentally or physically, to deal with.

“
Hmm,” Gabi mused, “it’s possible that’s exactly what the
killer had planned all along.”

“
I don’t know about that, Gabi.” Byron was thoughtful. “Why
then make it look like a Vampire kill? I think the killer, or
killers, wanted it to come to our attention. Possibly with the
intention of creating trouble between the Werewolves and the
Vampires.”

“
You could be right,” she conceded, “when you put it like
that. But it might still be worth checking with any contacts you
have in the coroner’s office if anything else similar has come
through there recently. This might not be the first
case.”

“
It’s on my list for tomorrow morning,” Byron said with a
smile, tapping the note he’d been writing when she arrived. She
grinned back wryly; she should’ve known he’d be one step ahead of
her in details like that.

“
How are things otherwise?” she asked before realising that
with so much going on, it was a broad question. “Are you getting
used to the extra security measures?” She narrowed the range of her
question. Since her return from the Princeps Court, it wasn’t only
Gabi who had to be extra vigilant against Vampires wanting the
secret of Dhampir creation; anyone who knew the details of her
birth was at risk, and that list included Byron, Ian and Gabi’s
mother. Though the Princeps had passed an edict sentencing anyone
trying to obtain this information to an immediate death, none of
them were naive enough to think that would stop all attempts
against them. Security details had been placed on all of them;
Byron’s and Ian’s with their knowledge, but her mother’s was being
done covertly, which made things even more difficult. While Gabi
agreed with the others having round-the-clock security, she didn’t
feel she needed the same protection.

Byron’s smile turned rueful. “It’s taking some getting used
to,” he admitted. “At least I get peace at home. Irene’s magical
barrier has been an enormous help, as I’m sure you
know.”

Gabi nodded knowingly. Irene’s barrier, actually a magical
ward, was the only thing that had kept her sane after a crazy
Vampire invaded her house with a small army of demons. Not too long
ago the ward had saved her and some friends from a plot by a
shape-shifting Doppelganger working for a deranged human, and it
was still the only thing that allowed her to sleep peacefully at
night. It was a difficult spell to cast, but the Senior Magus had
been only too happy to help protect Byron, whom she considered a
close personal friend.

“
But honestly, I’m not complaining. Julius’s staff are utter
professionals; I forget they’re there half the time.”

In truth there was only a very slim chance that any outsider
would know about Byron and Gabi’s close relationship, but both the
SMV and Julius’s Clan had been betrayed by insiders in the past few
months, so no one was taking any chances.

“
And the new Hunters?” Gabi asked. She had more than a passing
interest in the new crop of Hunters who’d been fast-tracked into
their positions. With her resignation from Hunter duties and the
recent increase in threats to the City, it had been imperative to
bolster the numbers of those SMV members who went out and did the
dirty work of eliminating or capturing supernatural threats to the
City and its people. Julius had encouraged Clan members to make
applications, as it made sense to have Vampires on the team when
there was the possibility of rogue Vampires at large. Also, her
close but emotionally unstable friend Derek was helping in the
training of the new recruits.

“
They’ve settled in well,” Byron said, steepling his fingers
in front of his lips as he considered her question. “We’re up to
eight full-duty Hunters now, an additional Werewolf and two
Vampires, with several more in training. It’s been a good thing to
have the Vampires on board; it’s helping bridge the gap between the
races. Now that the Hunters are at ease with them, the rest should
soon follow suit.”

“
I’m glad,” Gabi said. “It’s good to hear that.” She’d been
concerned about the personal dynamics that may develop if the other
races refused to warm to the Vampires, but it seemed her fears were
unfounded. “And Derek is handling the training?” A fairly recent
addition to the Werewolf ranks but a highly experienced stuntman,
he was well suited to the job, but the loss of part of one of his
legs had knocked him hard. Gabi felt that Derek’s mental recovery
hinged largely on his new role; it was his chance to redefine
himself, find his new place in the world.

“
He’s doing fine, Gabi,” Byron reassured her, reading into her
question. “He’s thrown himself into the work and has a true knack
for the physical training aspect. He could probably do with a
little more personal time, but I expect that will happen in due
course. He’s still working on re-creating himself; you know that
won’t happen overnight.”

Gabi sighed, she did know that, but that didn’t absolve her
from the responsibility she felt for his well-being. The horror of
recent events had led him down a dark path; his drugs of choice
were self-pity and antisocial behaviour. They were working on those
particular addictions. What had happened to him wasn’t her fault,
but he was her friend; she refused to let him fall off the
wagon.

“
And the Council?” she prodded. She knew she shouldn’t nag
Byron, he already had so much on his plate, but there was an issue
she felt strongly needed to be resolved. It was the main reason she
no longer worked actively for the SMV, and they’d agreed to address
it as soon as they could. She could tell by Byron’s expression that
they hadn’t made any headway yet.

“
It’s a tough ask, Gabi,” he said. “I promise we haven’t
forgotten. It is high on the agenda. We’ve just welcomed Julius’s
man Liam onto the Council officially, and as soon as we find the
right person, we’ll incorporate a human onto the Council as well.
But you know as well as I do that finding a Conscius who can also
fit in on the Council is a very tricky thing.” Byron had fallen
into the habit of using the Magi term for a full human who was
aware of the supernatural community, and he was right; they were
quite rare.

She hated putting pressure on Byron, but having a human on the
SMV Council was important to her and, she felt, the security of the
City. As one who straddled both the human and the supernatural
worlds, seeing the good and bad on both sides, she was better
equipped than most to see the big picture. And the big picture
required input from all races. Giving leeway to a human because
they didn’t have anyone to speak for humans on the SMV Council had
cost lives. Both human and supernatural. Without a Conscius
representative on the Council, they would never see fit to deal
with human threats to the City when it was beyond the domain and
understanding of human police.

“
Yeah, I know,” she reassured him, “just promise me you’ll
keep working on it.”

He smiled again, though a little more tiredly now. “Why don’t
you go and get a few hours’ sleep,” he suggested. “We can catch up
for lunch in a couple of days.”

Gabi yawned; sleep sounded like a champion idea right about
now. “All right, I’ve got to get Alex back to the Estate soon
anyhow. I’ll give you a call later, and we can make plans. Make
sure you get some sleep too,” she clucked. She wasn’t the only one
sporting dark semicircles under her eyes.

“
I will, sweetheart.” He smiled, coming around his desk to
give her a quick hug as she stood to leave. “You take care
now.”

She kissed his cheek and left the office, finding Alexander
waiting for her in the outer office instead of at the Ferrari.
Though his smile was bland when Gabi searched his face, she was
sure she could detect a hint of mischief. And feminine
perfume.

********************

“
My child,” the whiter haired man, calling himself Elder
Phobos, said in a conciliatory tone, “be at peace. We are not here
to harm you or make you feel uncomfortable.”

A plain-looking woman with straight, mousy-brown hair turned
from her pacing to glare at the old man.

“
What do you want from me?” she demanded rudely.

“
We understand you have been without companionship or guidance
for a long time, child, but that is still no way to address one’s
elders,” the grey-haired man rebuked her mildly. He’d introduced
himself as Elder Deimos. “We only want to offer you a family, a
place to call home, with others who understand you.”

The young woman curled her lip in a sneer. “What makes you
think you understand the smallest detail about me?” she asked
scornfully. “I have no need of a family or a home.” She almost spat
the words out, her voice dripping with disdain. “I had those
things, and I spurned them. I’m more than capable of looking after
myself.”

“
Yes,” Phobos replied, “you had a semblance of a home with the
Casti Magi.” He spat the term out with even more venom than the
woman had managed. “The pure and saintly. Those sanctimonious fools
could never understand your needs, your desires, your kind of
power. They would only seek to rein you in, teach you to subdue
your power, direct your talent in ways entirely unsuited to your
abilities.”