Blood Magic by Laken Cane

Chapter Twelve

Somehow, a local TV reporter got wind of Sara’s death and when they dug up her body, it was filmed and on the late-night news—and I saw Remy Simon.

The clip I saw showed him standing in the shadows, as still as any vampire, but when they pulled his sister up, he strode forward and fell to the ground beside her. He was unaware he was being recorded. His face was unguarded, his emotions raw. There was grief and pain, but so much rage. So much. I was sure keeping his thoughts hidden was habitual and reflexive, because when the detective leaned forward to say something to him, he blanked his face so quickly it was disorienting.

I saw it. For a few seconds, I saw inside Remy Simon, the hunter. I’m not sure what the regular viewer would see, but then, they weren’t looking for death in a man’s stare. I was.

I was still watching when Moreno called me. “It’s done,” he said. “Simon isn’t happy, but he knows we have to keep her for the investigation.”

“I saw him on the news. That is one scary guy, Rick.”

He hesitated. “Kait, your name wasn’t mentioned, but with some digging, he’s going to find out who you are. I wish you hadn’t called him. If he gives you any trouble, let me know.”

“I’ll be okay. I can handle him.”

“Let me know.”

I gave in. “I will.”

He sighed. “Be careful, Ms. Silver.”

It wasn’t late—not for me—but I knew without a doubt that someone would be interfering with my sleep, so I decided to go to bed early. I had to take something to help me go to sleep, or else I’d just toss and turn and wish I were at the office talking to desperate people or in the middle of Jakeston chasing down bad guys.

Four hours later, someone did interfere with my sleep. My wolf. Once I came fully awake I realized I’d been feeling an itchy, restless need long before I’d opened my eyes. I understood what was bothering me. It wasn’t long before the full moon would make her appearance, and the lead-up to that magnificent event was causing an electric, growing energy inside me.

I would go to my new pack the night of the coming full moon—Halloween night—and I would shift and run with wolves who didn’t really want me. I had a feeling that night would be…interesting.

Plus, it was the first time in my life the moon would be able to force my shift. She’d tried before. She’d tried hard. But until Jared had freed my wolf, there’d been only excruciating pain. My entire body tightened and tingled with the realization of what was to come.

For the first time since I’d been freed, I thought I could shift on my own, and likely it was because the moon, while not full, was still affecting me strongly. I lay staring up at the dark ceiling, my need growing stronger, and finally, I gave up.

I wanted to shift.

I left my demon blade hidden in my closet—no way was I taking it to the woods and risking losing it—put on a loose top, a pair of faded old khakis, and my boots, and then, just in case, I stuffed an extra outfit into a bag, slung it over my shoulder, and crept from the house.

Ash was sleeping in Lucy’s room and didn’t bother coming to see why I was up. Probably, he didn’t even hear me. I was relieved. I didn’t want to have to explain to Lucy that I was off for a midnight run, though that was how I’d found her tied to the log. That was the night I’d tried to kill a powerful demon and had instead freed him upon my world.

He’d been quiet for a while now, which made me hope that he’d simply faded more quickly than I’d believed and had become a harmless spirit, doomed to wander the world forever without a body, a home, or the ability to possess or harm anyone.

One could hope.

My street was quiet at this ungodly hour, but I could still hear the sounds of the city as I jogged down the sidewalk and headed for the field behind the warehouses. From there, it was not far to the woods, and instead of trying to outrun my pain as I had the last time I’d been there, I would shift.

Funny how that thought, though it caused a streak of pleasure to shoot through me, also caused me no little amount of fear. There were various reasons for that, and perhaps the biggest one was simply the fact that though wolves had to shift, there was a huge risk in doing it. It was not our world. It belonged to the humans.

Part of me—the wolf part—wanted to call my alpha, but I would not call him. I was free. I could shift. I didn’t need Jared to hold my hand while I did it. And if something happened that I couldn’t manage, it was okay. The moon was coming. But deep inside, I knew that this was why I’d awakened. It was time. And I was going to shift. All on my own.

I picked up my speed and in seconds, I was racing across the field, faster than I should have been able to, faster than any human could have managed. I was exploding with energy, and the very second I reached the woods, I secured my bag low in a tree and began to shift.

I was too far gone to even remove my clothes. Good thing I’d brought extra. I couldn’t feel bad about my lack of control. Control would come. I was essentially a baby wolf—a pup—and control would come in time.

When my alpha pulled my shift from me, it was less painful, somehow, but with the moonlight bathing my body, I fell to the ground as I contorted, crying out in pain and agony and ecstasy, and I let my wolf out to play.

God knew she deserved it.

I shifted. All by myself, I shifted. I was proud, and I was happy. I would maybe shed a tear over it later, as this was a big fucking deal, but right then, all I could do was roll around on the ground, playful and energetic. I pulled in the scents of the night, I lifted my nose to the sky and howled to the beautiful moon, and then, I kicked off and ran through the night, not a care in the world.

My wolf wished the alpha were there to share in the perfection of that moment. I was not a lone wolf at heart, and I regretted that I had no one with whom to play. I gathered my feet beneath me, and I flew through the night with my unformed thoughts and my joy and my extreme hunger.

When my alpha had first freed me, it had been unimaginable. But this, shifting on my own, was a beginning that I had no words for. For the first time, I felt truly free.

I didn’t know how many hours I rushed through the night, playing and eating and being a wild wolf. But when I finally found my way back to my clothes and forced myself to shift back to my woman, I was completely exhausted.

I wasn’t sure I could make the return trip home—that was how very tired I was. I did make it back, but it took me a while. When I shoved my key into the lock and stumbled inside, I hesitated as the hairs on the back of my neck stiffened.

I turned and stared into the night, a night that was fast becoming dawn, but I saw nothing. No one stood on the sidewalk staring at me, no furtive movement caught my attention. There was simply the normal routine of cars starting as people left for early jobs and a couple of cars pulling onto the street as some people returned home.

But it didn’t matter. I felt something, and it reminded me of when I’d left the detective’s house. Someone had been watching me then, too. Someone with such a huge amount of bad energy that it blew across my skin, causing ice to slide down my spine and my gut to scream a warning.

I stood there for a few moments more, and then sheer exhaustion forced me to shut the door and lock it before hurrying to find my bed. I was too tired for a shower, even, and all I could do was fall atop my bed and yank the covers over my shoulders. Ash jumped into bed with me, turning around and around for what felt like three days before he finally settled atop my feet. He didn’t care if I was gross and dirty, and at that moment, neither did I.

I fell immediately into a deep, dreamless, amazing sleep.

I didn’t wake up until Lucy came home at lunchtime to take Ash out to potty. Even then, I would have gone back to sleep but a glance at my phone showed me that I’d somehow missed some texts and phone calls. I never slept through my phone ringing. I’d worn myself completely out.

“I left you some lunch on the table,” Lucy yelled on her way back out the door. “Gotta run!”

“Thanks, Luce,” I said, though she wouldn’t have heard me. I was so hungry I didn’t know if I could make myself take a shower first, but somehow, I did. Then I fell ravenously upon the food Lucy had brought from the bakery. I would have been embarrassed had anyone been there, but luckily, I had only Ash’s doleful stare to contend with, and he just wanted my food.

I didn’t check my phone messages until I was finished eating. The first voicemail was from Max. “Kait, are you planning on coming into work today?” He was slightly snippy but there was nothing unusual about that. “You have had two clients—potential clients—come in already. I told them you were a late sleeper and took their info. Come to work.”

The second voicemail was from the detective. “I just wanted to check on you. I visited Beth this morning and she wanted me to send her regards. I told her you had asked about her. She wants to have lunch when she comes home.” He only sounded a little sad. “I’ve dealt with Remy twice today already. He is a pain in the ass. A dangerous pain in the ass, though.”

I read my texts after he hung up. One was from Jared.

The other one was from Remy Simon.