A Spell of Death

CHAPTER FIVE-2

THE SHADOW KISSED HER husband goodbye. But she wasn't a shadow yet. That came later. When she left the house, she was on her way to a rewarding if grisly job as a pathologist, puzzling out how people met their unfortunate ends. It was a career for which she was imminently qualified, one that couldn't be contested as unnecessary, and the work occurred in a place where even a spouse didn't just drop in for a surprise visit.

It was only after she drove away, after she turned a few corners and donned the ink-black garments, and slipped into the night that she became a shadow. It wasn't every night. Some nights she was just a medical examiner. Some nights she was a wife and mother. She clung to that truth to bury her guilt. That, and the fact that her real nocturnal vocation kept the bogeymen in the shadows. With her.

No, some nights she didn't lie. But not tonight. Tonight, she was a hunter. She pulled onto a quiet side street at the edge of downtown, parking in the shadow of a building, before throwing her bag into the back. As she started to crawl over the centre console to join it, her phone beeped. She paused, then shimmied the rest of the way into the backseat before pulling it out. It was her weather app, letting her know it was clear skies ahead. Lies, she thought, glancing out the window as she contorted into her dark uniform.

Too bad wasn't the reply from her contact in the Brotherhood that she hoped for. She trusted those mad monks about as much as she trusted a vampire, but they had resources she didn't. Despite her grandparents being better teachers, she'd gone through one of their training programs. She'd kept in contact, and this morning had asked if they any solid information to back up — or dismiss — the rumours swirling around yet another new creature stalking the night. Or knowledge of what had happened to the beasts of grey death that infested the underground just a short while ago.

Nothing. All was quiet.

Too quiet.

But that left her free to pursue her own plans. Find Mina Sun and figure out what the hell she was doing running around with vampires, werewolves and the one remaining creature of grey flesh and corded muscle.

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NESTLED UNDER AN OVERHANG, both to hide in the shadows and keep off some of the misting rain, she hitched her cowl up a little higher to cover her face below the nose. She felt naked without it on but knew pulling the mask on full would attract the attention she sought to avoid. As she leaned against the building opposite Mina's apartment, settling in to watch, her phone pinged. She cursed herself for forgetting to silence it. Glancing at the display, she saw one of the Brothers had indeed responded to her request. Her lips pressed together, but luckily it was a text, so she didn't actually have to talk to him. Flicking open the message, she scanned the details: new creature, new vampire, same evil.

She sighed then silenced her phone. The Brothers were being secretive. But then she'd been cagey herself, not wanting to reveal the nature of her hunt — to find Mina — given their suspect methods and brutal research practices. She'd have to share more details if she wanted to get anything useful out of them, a tit-for-tat she wasn't ready for yet. First, she wanted to figure out if Mina needed to die.

She glanced back at the apartment on the fourth floor. Having only been inside once, she still had an impeccable mental model of the space. The window that opened into Mina's bedroom was dark, as was the main room beside it. The blinds to the other room were shut, but she swore a faint glow escaped between the slats. Though it was hard to tell beyond the streetlights and signs. She shook her head. She'd already called the roommate and got no answer: asleep or screening.

She tapped her fingers on her thigh, considering her next move. Mina's sphere was small, being busy with school — which was closed at this hour — and work.

The boss. Sam. She'd met him a few times. He'd seemed a reasonable sort, despite the tattoos. The shadow looked up and down the street. She pulled out her phone again and entered the name of the shop. A couple of blocks away, and if the listing was correct, she had fifteen minutes. She snugged her backpack on and started off at a jog.

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THE SHADOW OPENED THE door to the quiet shop as a woman with kohl-lined eyes and dark red lipstick was leaving. Her gaze followed the woman for a few seconds, making sure she continued on her way, then she glanced around the shop, confirming the owner was the only person left inside. She put on her innocent face as her gaze travelled over the wall, perusing the examples of work that were displayed, easily pegging Mina as the artist for some of them. She returned her attention to the man behind the counter, who had his back to her.

"Excuse me," she said from just inside the door. The man spun his head over his shoulder, betraying his surprise at not being alone, before he settled himself and turned around properly to greet her.

"How can I help you?" He placed the pen in his hand neatly next to the sketchbook on the counter. "Shop's about to close." He peered at her through frameless glasses. Neatly trimmed blond hair gave way to grey at the temples, and tattoos covered his neck before disappearing under the collar of a properly pressed dress shirt. His tie matched his vest which matched the stripe in the shirt.

She took a tentative step into the shop and assembled her face into a mask of worry.

"I hope you can help me. I'm looking for Mina Sun. I know she works here." The man's eyes narrowed, and he tilted his head, exposing a faded tattoo on his neck. A vampire familiar. Reflexively her eyes tensed. She forced her expression to relax as her gaze went from it to his face. It might be harder than she thought to get information out of him, but she still had to try — she'd inherited her grandfather's tenacity. She took another step forward.

"We haven't heard from her, and we're worried." She formed her lips into a frown. "I'm Hana, Dale's wife."