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  It wasn’t unusual, people normally did. Especially in a morgue. There were still people who could raise the dead with magic. No one wanted to be around them.

  I walked around the table, looking at the arm. It looked like a normal arm. There were no runes carved or burnt into them. It did have a sense of magic, but it was fading, which meant that it wouldn’t hurt me. I put my bag on the table next to it and looked at where it’d been severed. Right at the elbow, perfectly clean. So much so that it reminded me of a Halloween prop.

  Simon stood there with his arms crossed as he watched me. “So now what?”

  “Now I use my magic and see if I can trace the spell. I’ll make a tracking item.” If I had the talent of scrying it would have been easier, but nope, not me. I pulled out a silver pendent. I knew I had to keep the silver away from Simon with him being a werewolf and all, but it was the best thing to use for this spell. I laid it on the table and pulled out a needle and vial.

  “Step back?” I asked and Simon backed up until he was leaning against the wall. I closed my eyes and summoned a protective circle. I heard Simon whistle.

  “Damn, I knew you could do that, but seeing you do it is completely different.”

  When I opened my eyes, I met his gaze through the purple around me. “Yeah, most of my magic is like that. In the case that I collapse it’ll fall and you can come to my aid.”

  He nodded and stood straight.

  I took the needle and used it to draw blood from the arm. I was thankful there was still some there. It slowly came up through the needle. I put it in the vial and tried not to gag. Closing my eyes, I let the words for the spell fall from my lips. My magic caused a soft wind to swirl around me and I could feel it flow through me and into the blood. I opened my eyes and picked up the silver pendent, continuing to chant. My words ended and the wind died around me. I opened the vial and dropped the pendant in it.

  The red liquid swirled and moved around it and in a burst of magic the blood disappeared. I clicked my tongue, hopefully this worked. The circle around me disappeared at my will and Simon walked up to me.

  “So now what?”

  I smiled. “Now we find a map. I should do this at Levi’s in the chamber, just in case.”

  “Just in case what?”

  “Just in case these people are smart. I’d hate to have this backfire.”

  I swore Simon’s eye ticked. “The chamber didn’t protect you last time.”

  “It protected everyone else though.” I pointed that fact out and went to string the pendant on a chain. It slipped out of my hand and on the skin of the arm.

  A hiss of smoke rose from where it landed and I looked down at the burn mark. “This person was a werewolf.”

  “If he’s a werewolf, there’s a chance he’s still alive.” Simon’s brows drew together. “Do you know the victim’s name?”

  I shook my head. “No, Detective Mason never said, just that someone’s wife had put him into missing persons.”

  “There’s no one in my pack missing right now.”

  “Your pack?” I chuckled. “You haven’t stepped up to alpha yet.”

  He shrugged. “You know it’s basically mine.”

  “Yeah, I know. Come on, it’s a long drive to Levi’s and I want to see if this works.”

  He followed me out. We both smiled at Dr. Lambsburg as we walked out. I hoped he wouldn’t be too upset about me burning the arm. We turned our badges in at the reception desk, the woman not even bothering to tell us goodbye. I suppose that someone doesn’t have to have a lot of personality to work at a morgue reception desk.

  We stepped outside and a sudden pain wove through my body, taking me to my knees. My breath rushed out of my chest and the world started turning around me. The first thought that came to mind was ‘I’m going to pass out.’

  I put a hand to my heart, trying to calm the beating, but it didn’t work. My fingers wrapped around the pentagram and the panic lifted. I could breathe again, but the pain was still there. I expected it to be worse than when I did the spell for Simon. Bigger spell, more magic, more energy, but not this much.

  Simon squatted in front of me and put a hand on my shoulder. “Abby?”

  I nodded. “I’m okay, just…just the hex.” I gave a half crooked smile, but I knew I was faking. “Just give me a minute.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The pain in my chest faded and I could breathe easier. I stood slowly, with Simon’s help. “I think I might sleep on the way to Levi’s.”

  “Yeah, I think that might be a good idea.” Simon said. His voice sounded concerned and worried, but I couldn’t focus on that right now.

  Simon helped me to the car and I got in. Leaning my head back, I tried to think of the best way to approach this hex. Using the location spell took much more energy than just creating the item. If I was going to do it with this hex on me, I was going to suffer and it was going to suck. But I had a job to do and a possible living victim to find.

  I pulled out my phone to update Detective Mason and frowned as his number flashed on the screen. I answered it. “I was just about to call you.”

  “What did you do to the arm?”

  I blinked a few times and looked at Simon as he got in. “Um, I dropped a silver pendent on it and burnt part of the flesh.”

  “The doctor at the morgue called to bitch me out about it.”

  “It gave us a clue, so you can thank my clumsiness later.”

  He growled and it made me smile. I loved to irritate him, it was almost a game between us. “What clue, Abigail.”

  “The man is or was a werewolf. What’s the man’s name?” I held my breath and waited for an answer. I hoped it wasn’t someone that Simon knew personally.

  “Matthew Drops. Know him?” Mason sounded less than pleased, but I let it go.

  “Matthew Drops.” I glanced at Simon and he shook his head. “No, name doesn’t sound familiar. I’ll see if I can’t get a meeting with the local pack just to check.”

  Mason grunted. “And the tracking spell?”

  “I made the item, I’m off to a safe place to do it.” Assuming that it didn’t try to kill me.

  “Let me know.”

  “I’ll call you as soon as I have a possible location.” I disconnected the call and leaned my head back. “To Levi’s place.”

  “Yes ma’am!” Simon said and gunned the engine.

  I slept most of the car ride, waking occasionally when a song on the radio changed or when Simon cursed at another driver. I felt much better when I woke at the front of Levi’s mansion. I got out of the car and stretched. Simon got out as well and followed me up to the entrance. I scanned my hand and walked in when the door opened.

  “So what do we tell him?” Simon asks.

  I shrugged. “That I found the information. I’ll look through it all once I finish the tracking spell. If Matthew is alive, then we need to find him now before our criminals decide to leave us another body part.” I hated to imagine what they would leave next time instead of an arm. I shook my head to clear the thought.

  I had other questions for Levi, but they would wait until Simon wasn’t around. He shouldn’t have to be dragged through my dark and dirty past if he didn’t want to. Hell, I didn’t even want to touch on it, but there were too many things that just didn’t add up at the house. “You can go home and get some rest if you want.”

  “Nope, promised I wouldn’t leave you alone. So show me your chamber.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I wanted to punch him for his stupid pun.

  “Right-o. Follow me.” I didn’t see Levi on my way to the chamber, but I assumed he’d pop up. He had a way of knowing I was there. I always blamed security cameras, but I was sure there was some type of weird vampire crap that helped him know.

  I led Simon down the stairs to the chamber and I went to the desk. I had a map that I had used many times for tracking things. It used to be training and then I honed the magic enough to actually use it in work situations. I pulled it out and l
aid it on the floor. Grabbing my ceremonial knife I walked to the middle of the room. There was a chance that the Hex could screw this up since I wasn’t trying to protect anything, but find something. The hex had a piece of the magic as well; if I was lucky it would help strengthen the spell since they were related.

  I conjured a circle and looked directly at Simon. “Here goes nothing.” I cut the top part of my arm with the ceremonial knife and then cursed when the blessed steel hit my cursed blood. I ignored the stinging pain and put the knife on the ground. I pulled out the pendent and let my blood drip on it. I muttered the words and then hung the pendant over the map.

  My blood dripped on the paper and slowly started to spread over the streets. It showed me the paths the spell caster had taken while in the city. The blood faded on the older areas and stayed fresh on the newer points. It stopped at two places, the city library and somewhere in the foothills. I noted the longitude and latitude of it and wrote down which library before my blood turned black and disappeared. I dropped the circle and collapsed on the floor.

  I tried not to claw at my body as it felt like fire moved through my veins. The pentagram heated up against my skin and I screamed as it felt like it burned into my chest. Simon rushed to me and held my arms to my sides as he cradled me.

  I couldn’t breathe, I gasped for breath and my heart tried to climb my throat. Blood, energy, and hexes did not mix. I closed my eyes before I could start crying. My body thrashed around of its own free will and Simon held me the whole time.

  I finally opened my eyes to find myself cradled against his chest and listening to his heartbeat. I wiped the drying tears off my eyes. “Thank you. I’m sorry.” I sighed. “Priority tonight is to find the words of this hex and start working on reversing it.”

  “I think that’s probably a good idea.” Simon let me go. “And no more spells that take that much energy.”

  I nodded. I was still too shaky to stand, but I reached for my notes and texted Detective Mason the findings. The door to the chamber opened and Levi walked in. He looked at us sitting on the ground together and raised a brow. “Did I miss something?”

  “No. I just did a spell and collapsed. No big deal, it’s the hex taking a toll on me. Simon was making sure I was okay.” I looked up at Levi. “I found a notebook that had the runes in it. Tonight I’m going to figure out the words to the hex and see if I can’t fix it. Or maybe if Clarissa can.”

  It was probably better for her to spin the spell than me at this point. “The pentagram keeps most of it at bay, but every time I work a spell the pain hits me again. The stronger the spell the worse it is.”

  Levi nodded. “Go back to Simon’s for the night, I want someone with you at all times. No magic until you figure it out.”

  That was easier said than done. I nodded. “I’ll do my best. Trust me, I don’t like this anymore than you do.”

  Simon stood and helped me up. Levi gave me one last look before he left the room. Sometimes I wondered what was going through his head. Other times it was better to not know. He shut the door behind him and I sighed. “I don’t think he likes me very much.” I joked.

  Simon snorted. “He threatened to cut off my balls and feed them to me if I let you get hurt.”

  “Oh well isn’t that charming…” I tried not to imagine it. I knew Levi could be violent, I’d seen it once or twice when he was trapped against a wall, but he made it a point to keep his powers and his anger hidden.

  He shrugged. “You get used to threats. He likes me too much to do that.”

  I didn’t want to know the reason why Levi liked him so much, so I let it go and gathered up my stuff. Shoving it into my bag, I sighed. The notebook barely fit…I was going to need a bigger bag one day.

  “Let’s go.” I swung it over my shoulder and left the chamber. I had research to do and I was getting tired already.

  The first thing I did when we got to Simon’s house was take refuge on the couch with the notes. We passed the two-hour car ride with small talk. I’d have him for company tonight and today, but tomorrow night he’d go run with the wolves and I’d have Clarissa. Unlike Simon, Clarissa was a sucker for me. I’d get away with a lot more around her than I would around Simon. Mostly drinking coffee late into the day and forgetting to eat.

  As if proving my point, Simon set down a plate of cheese squares and crackers. “I know I’m not a warlock, but I know magic takes a toll on you. Eat up.”

  I glared at him over my papers and drawings, but in the end I sighed. “Thank you.”

  “I assume it messes with your metabolism. Kind of like shifting.” He plopped down in a chair near the couch. “You find anything yet?”

  I shook my head. “I’ve just been staring at words and symbols. My father’s notes are all jumbled, but I know the answer is here somewhere.”

  “What did you expect?” He asked honestly.

  “An encyclopedia of the runes.” I grumbled and flipped the page. My eyes scanned the words. Most of the words ran together until my gaze caught something. “Oh, listen to this. These runes were found at a site of a mass grave. The coven they belong to claim to be decedents from Ra and do the god’s bidding.”

  Simon leaned forward on his chair. “His bidding? Like, zealots?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean we all believe that we are born from the Goddesses and gods of our beliefs, but it’s rare to see one of ancient times pop up. Many of us just say the Goddess.” I pressed my lips together as I continued to read. “‘They believe that the earth should be cleansed of false covens and those who have strayed from the original meanings of the craft.’”

  “I didn’t think Egypt had a coven.” Simon shook his head. “That’s a dead religion.”

  “It doesn’t sound like they follow the old religion, just worship the gods. There’s a difference. This sounds like a very dark path to be going down. But I would assume that meant their mission was to wipe out someone. Possibly the person in the barn, maybe the werewolf just got in the way?” I flipped the page and found what I was looking for. A guide to the rune bases.

  I moved and dug in my bag for the piece of paper that had caused the hex in the first place. I matched up the runes with the bases. It allowed me to figure out the base of the word, from there I’d have to figure out what they mixed base words with to create the spell. My fingers danced across the book as I wrote down what I found and then continued to translate the note.

  I stopped when I finally had it all on paper and looked at it. Though runes didn’t really translate into whole words or sentences, I got the idea. And it wasn’t a pretty spell.

  “Abby?”

  I didn’t know how to undo this. The panic started to set in. The end result would kill me if I continued to work magic with this hex on me. What was I supposed to do?

  “Abby?” Simon tried again.

  “I need to call Clarissa. Now.” I reached for my phone and I couldn’t stop the shaking. This was bad magic, black as black could get. Killing with magic tinted one’s soul forever, but I guess these people wouldn’t be worried about it since they’d already killed someone.

  I punched the numbers for Clarissa. I held my breath and willed her to answer as the phone rang.

  “Abby, it’s two in the morning.”

  “I know, but I…I didn’t know who else to call. This hex is a death spell, Clarissa. I don’t know how to undo those.” I could hear the panic in my voice and saw Simon reach for his own phone. “Don’t you dare call Levi.” I snapped at him.

  “Abby,” Clarissa started, “First off, you’re going to calm down. The coven can fix this.”

  “The coven hates me.” I started to shake. “They aren’t going to want to help me.” I tried to keep the panic out of my voice.

  “They don’t hate you, they just don’t agree with you. Please. I’ll gather the priests and priestesses tomorrow night and we’ll take care of you.” She remained calm and tried to soothe me.

  “And until then? I have a job
to do, I have to find these people!” I glared at Simon again when he tried to raise his phone to his ear. “I swear to my Goddess Simon, you call him I’ll be the one to feed you your balls.”

  I heard Clarissa chuckle, but when she spoke all humor was out of her voice. “You just have to go one day without using your magic. Stick to the research. Do you know who they are?”

  “Some coven that worships Ra.”

  She went silent. “Clarissa?” I asked after a minute.

  “Oh, Abigail.” She said and I knew she was hiding something. “Honey, you need to back away from this.”

  “I can’t, they blew someone up and took an arm from a werewolf.” I sighed. “There’s no way I can just let this go.”

  “Honey, they are a dangerous group. Just…do what you can for the case, but do not go after them. I’ll see you when I pick you up.” She disconnected.

  I dropped the phone in my lap and just stared at it. What was I supposed to do? I found myself tearing up. I had a feeling that this went deeper than I wanted to admit.

  “I texted Levi.” Simon broke the silence.

  “You ass.”

  “To be fair you said that I couldn’t call him. He doesn’t want you touching the case until you see Clarissa.”

  He was right, I didn’t tell him not to text. “I won’t. I can’t.” I shook my head. “The good news is that I know they are at least the same coven that blew that barn up.”

  “I suppose that’s good news. What can you do with that information?”

  Not a whole lot since I knew nothing about them. “Research. I need to see what or who they consider to have gone against the original craft.” I took a cracker from the plate he’d brought me.

  I flipped through the binder as I munched. There wasn’t a whole lot in my father’s notes on them, but there was a name that kept popping up. I’d have to get to my office to actually research the name, but that wasn’t happening tonight. No, Simon wouldn’t let me leave the house and honestly. I couldn’t blame him in any way for that. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to leave the house.