whiskey witches 02 - blood moon magick (12 page)

“You just said he’s targeting your kind because of me. And you’re right.” Paige’s heart grew heavy with the weight of the responsibility of Sven’s actions, even though they weren’t hers to carry. It didn’t matter. He was from her world. If she’d had full possession of her gift years before, she might have been able to keep all of this from happening in the first place. “So, why would you help me?”

“Hell if I know.”

She needed something more. “That’s not an answer.”

He clasped his hand between his knees and rocked, still staring into her flame. “I am well aware of that.”

S
am didn’t have anything more to say by the time he and Paige arrived back at his cabin. Dexx and Tony pulled up at about the same time, so Sam waved her away and told her he would call once he figured something out.

Dexx stood with one foot propped on the car, his arms folded over the car door.

It might be stupid, but she felt better just seeing him. She was an independent woman. She could take of herself. Without him in her life, she’d be just fine.

But knowing Dexx
was
there? That when they got home, she could curl up in his arms and feel safe? That he’d probably do that thing where he breathed into her hair?

Yeah. All of that. It just made the weight of her reality a little lighter.

“Discover anything with Sam?” he asked.

She sucked in her lips and bit down on them as she passed him to get to the backseat.

He stepped out of the way so she could take his place.

“Thanks.” She slid into the front and fastened her seatbelt while Dexx shut the door to the back.

Tony looked at her expectantly.

She shook her head, glancing over her shoulder at Dexx who sat in the middle of the bench seat. “Nothing happened. Okay?”

“Dexx was filling me in on just how bad it could be if a demon got too close to you.”

She was well aware. Scared. No. Terrified. Frustrated. Pissed as hell. But what could she do? There was no cure for this because it had never happened before.

“If a demon possessed you, they would have access to your gift. They could summon any demons at will and there would be nothing you or anybody else could do about it.”

“Yeah, Tony. I fucking know. Okay?” She rubbed her forehead. “Back off.”

“Sam really seemed to think he could help.” Dexx’s voice was quiet. “Did he have ideas?”

She nodded, but the irritability swimming through her wouldn’t budge, and all the questions were only pissing her off more. “Find anything at the scene?”

Tony sighed and handed her another business card, this one slightly damp as though it had been in the snow, but not so wet as to think it had been in the snow overnight. “I believe this is for you.”

She took it. “Was this hidden somewhere?”

“Lying right in the middle of the spot Sam sent us to.”

Spearing him with her gaze, she said, “Could Sam be in on this somehow?”

Dexx grunted. “Demon.”

As if that should provide all the answers to everything.

In some ways, though, it did. Demons as powerful as Sven had the ability to control minds to a certain level. Not zombification, but gentle nudges in any given direction.

“It did appear as though Kevin stayed there, though,” Tony said. “He had an old deer stand.”

Deer stands were nothing more than treehouses for hunters. “So, someone was there recently? And he knew we would be going there?”

“Maybe not,” Dexx said. “Maybe he planted those at other locations all around, knowing you’d stumble across at least one of them.”

She flipped the card over.
Listen to him. He can help. S. PS. You haven’t kissed your partner yet, have you?

He’d signed this one. Great. It
was
Sven.

And what was his deal about her kissing her partner? Dexx? Or Tony? That didn’t make any sense. He’d been
courting
her in Louisiana. Granted, instead of flowers, he’d left her dead bodies.

One woman’s trash equaled another woman’s romance?

She wanted to reach through the card and wring Sven’s neck. Help? If he’d started kidnapping these shapeshifters before she’d even left for Louisiana, then he’d known he was going cast the spell onto her. The entire intent of Louisiana, the murders investigation, the call out there to aid in the investigation, had been to get her alone, cast the spell, and have a demon possess her.

Did the key even matter?

No. Because, now, she
was
the door.

So what did
this
mean? Why kidnap shifters in Colorado weeks before killing people in Louisiana, so that he could come back to Denver and start killing the shifters? None of this made sense. And what exactly was this helping?

“Well, let’s check that theory out,” Paige said. “He’s either watching me very closely, or he’s spreading a wide net, hoping to give me something. But what?”

“If that’s the case,” Tony said, starting the car, “then he’d be leaving clues for us to find on purpose. It shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Except he doesn’t like to make things easy, either.” She glanced at Dexx, recalling Louisiana.

“Okay,” Dexx said. “Who else should we talk to?”

“Elizabeth Harwood had a brother and sister,” Paige said. “I want to talk to them. See if there’s anything they might have seen that could help us.”

“What are we hoping to find?” Tony asked. “You know who’s doing this? Let’s go after him.”

“I can’t do that.” Paige popped her neck. “He’s a demon.”

Tony put his head back. “Then, what are we hoping to find?”

“A clue as to where the rest of the shifters are. What is he doing with them? What’s the deal with the chip? Are any of them in danger?”

“Well, Pea,” Dexx said, sliding back into the seat. “You need coffee because you are about to go super nova, and I don’t want to stick around for that. This is a small car.”

Tony nodded with a wince and put the car in reverse. “The man has a point. Coffee. Right away.”

The coffee shop was located in a wide two-story, wood-shingled storefront.

“So,” Dexx said, “vampires and coffee. How does that mix?”

Tony opened his door and smirked. “Makes me poop.”

Dexx’s face twisted in disgusted as he looked at her, his hands on the door. “Vampires poop?”

She had a disgusted face of her own. She shook her head, shrugged, and exited the car. “Seriously, though,” she continued, heading up the warped stairs beside Tony. “Do you eat? You know, real food?”

“I was born this way, so, yes. Though the more real food I eat, the faster I age. Also, the older I get vampirically, the harder it is for me to digest anything. I’ve heard of vampires that poop entire sandwiches at a time.”

Paige fought not to be revolted by that thought, then recalled some of the poopy diapers she’d changed in her short time as a mother. Nausea cleared as the pain marched in. The world might not see her as a mother, but she’d weathered her fair share of shit. Literally. “Vampirically? Is that even a word?”

“In paranormal society? Yes.”

They made it to the door of the coffee shop. Dexx stopped with his hand on the brass knob. “Should we be talking about this so openly here?”

Tony shrugged. “Nederland is a safe haven for paranormals in more ways than one. Everyone knows about them except the odd tourist. But they only get tourists who are drawn here somehow.”

Paige raised her eyebrows and moved Dexx out of the way to walk through the door. “Fine. Define ‘vampirically’.”

Tony followed her to the counter, smiling at the barista. “The drinking of blood. It really is just as simple as that. Each vamp is different depending on how often and how much they consume. Hey, Kris. How’s it going?”

Kris smiled, pushing her brown ponytail over her shoulder. “Regular?”

Tony nodded. “Always.”

“You could branch out, you know.”

He shook his head with a wry smile and took out his wallet. “Oh, and most places around here don’t accept plastic.”

Paige paused in pulling out her wallet. “I don’t have cash.”

Tony’s smile slid into a grin. “I figured.” He held up a twenty. “For the three of us and a tip.”

Kris nodded as she pumped black coffee into a paper cup. “You got it. What would you two like? We bring our coffee in direct from South America. It’s processed in a way to minimize the acidity in the coffee. You won’t get that bitter taste in your mouth and you won’t get the jitters.”

“No jitters?” Dexx asked, sidling up to the counter. “What’s your strongest coffee drink thing you got?”

Kris chuckled, snapping a black lid on the cup and handing it to Tony. “It’s a special mix. Also, you won’t get that horrible caffeine drop. That’s actually from the acid that comes from the roasting process.”

Dexx knocked on the counter and pointed with his finger. “The special mix, then.”

“As long as there’s a ton of milk and sugar,” Paige added. “He typically likes a little coffee with his contamination.”

Kris’ expression tightened around her eyes, though her smile never shifted. “So, you’re a black coffee drinker.”

“Normally.” The great coffee debate. “Though I have been known to indulge in a quad venti soy toffee nut latte once or twice.”

Kris glanced at her. “Lactose intolerance.”

Paige answered with her eyebrows.

“If you don’t mind being surprised, I’ll make you something you’ll really enjoy. Nothing like that Starbucks crap.”

Paige nodded. Oh, the joys of small coffee shops. Cute as they were, they really knew how to make a person feel small and stupid for enjoying the competition that was threatening to take them out of business. Time for some detective work. One of the missing persons, David Small, was the owner of this establishment. “We’re here to investigate the disappearances of some of your neighbors, the owner of this shop, for one.”

The smile disappeared from Kris’ face as she glanced at Tony.

It was time for Paige to take lead here. She was going to need Tony to chase the demon aspect. For that to happen, she needed to be able to traverse the paranormal waters on her own. “We just came from Sam’s place. He helped us with some information, but we could still use more.”

“Sorry. The sheriff’s already looking into it.”

Paige screwed her smile on straighter. “We know you’re paranormals. Tony’s a vampire and he’s the one who invited us in.”

“Who are you?”

Paige raised her chin. “Detective Paige Whiskey.”

The ceramic cup in Kris’ hand clanked with the metal grate of the espresso machine. “Witch.”

Paige nodded. “Yes. I’m not here to hurt anyone. I’m here to help. Tony told me that you typically don’t talk to witches out of fear that we’ll control you.”

Kris blinked rapidly. Something hissed. Her hands shook as she removed the milk from the steamer and wiped it with a rag.

“Also, I talked to Sam.”

“What did he say?”

Paige pursed her lips and swayed her head. “That if he had more information, he’d share it.”

Kris quirked her lips and turned her attention to the espresso machine.

“What will it take for you to trust me?”

Pouring the milk carefully into the paper cup, using a spoon to control the amount of foam, Kris visibly pondered that question. She brought over the drink and handed it to Dexx, her eyes on Paige.

“Oh, hey, thanks.” Dexx took the drink and stared inside it. “An owl? You made an owl in the—Pea. Look.”

Paige glanced at it. Sure enough. The barista had poured the shape of an owl in the foam. Paige brought her gaze back up to Kris.

She grabbed Paige’s wrist.

A breeze ripped through the shop, sending a stack of brown napkins flying.

Concentrating on nothing more than relaxing, Paige took in a deep breath. She couldn’t screw this up. She needed to not overreact. Kris wasn’t trying to damage her, wasn’t trying to kill her. She was simply obtaining information.

The soft fingers grasping Paige’s wrist morphed, becoming fibrous and hard, digging into Paige’s skin.

She looked down. Her breath caught in wonder.

Branches. Curling, entwining, shifting branches. Her mouth fell open. Leaves sprouted further up the arm.

Paige was struck dumb.

By the reality of existence. By the unexpected beauty of it. By the sheer fact that nothing that could shift into a tree could truly be evil. She met Kris’ eyes, which were now pools of cracked blue, as if lightning had laced a pool of water. “You’re beautiful,” she whispered, unable to think of anything better to say.

The branches released their grip and reformed into fingers. The shoulder that had begun to take on a wooden stiffness softened. The texture of her face regained its suppleness. Her eyes relaxed to normal, brown, human eyes. Kris smiled and belched softly. “You pass.” She turned away to make another drink. “For now. But understand that if you try to hurt any of my friends, I will end you. And I can.”

Paige glanced at Tony, taking in a deep breath. “Duly noted. So, back to the case. Did you see anyone weird or odd stop by in the days before Mr. Small disappeared?”

Kris nodded. “There was one man. We don’t get a lot of tourists around here, and we don’t get a lot of outsiders that I can’t read.”