The Culler and Her Devil

Chapter 4—The Void-Iron Cage

The second body appeared in Sector Two, two days after the first one. It was dumped right on the marble steps of the Noxen Municipal Court.

I stood at the base of the grand staircase, my arms crossed tightly over my chest, staring at the horror displayed above us. It was a male wolf this time; he was massive, muscular, and stripped entirely naked. Just like the female in Blackwood, his eyes were gone, replaced by hollow, bloody sockets.

His hands were bound with industrial zip-ties, every finger snapped and severed at the knuckle. Across his chest, a single, deep incision ran from his throat to his navel, his ribcage forced open to harvest his heart and lungs.

Worse, the killer had used the victim’s own blood to paint a jagged, crude symbol on the white marble wall behind him.

"This is a political execution, Locke," Director Harlow’s voice cut through the quiet hum of the forensic team working the steps. I looked up as he walked down to join me, his hands deep in the pockets of his dark trench coat. His face was drawn, and I saw the dark circles under his eyes.

"Inside the city limits on a damn government building. The Mayor’s office is already panicking."

"It's the same killer, sir," I said. "The mutilation pattern is identical to the first victim.”

"The media is calling it a wolf pack turf war," Harlow gritted out, his jaw tight. "You need to catch this animal, Aria. By any means necessary."

"I’m already on it, Director," I replied. "And I know where to start looking."

I didn't need to scour the whole city. I knew how a predator thought. If Noxen’s Devil had taken something from the first crime scene in Blackwood, he wouldn't be able to resist inspecting the second body. He was an arrogant f**k, and he would wait until nightfall to come this far into the city.

I set my trap at the central DCA morgue, hours after the body was transferred. I cleared out the midnight shift personnel, killing the main overhead lights in the basement holding facility. The room was bathed in a low, eerie blue glow from the refrigeration units. I sat quietly in the dark corners on top of an iron beam, completely still, letting my breathing slow to a near-halt.

At 7:00 P. M, darkness had already befallen the city. The heavy steel vent cover near the ceiling clicked, and a shadow dropped soundlessly onto the concrete floor. He rose to his full height, and I saw his golden eyes scan the cold room. He wore a dark hoodie pulled low, but I recognized those broad shoulders and the thick scar along his jaw instantly. Kaelon. The Devil.

He stepped toward the steel table where the wolf's body lay beneath a white sheet. He reached out, his long fingers carefully pulling back the fabric to inspect the mutilated chest.

Now!

I dropped from the overhead beam, landing directly behind him. Before he could turn, I brought my arm around his throat in a tight sleeper hold, while simultaneously driving a spring-loaded metal cuff against his right wrist.

The metal clanked shut, and Kaelon roared in fury, his voice echoing. He threw his weight backward, slamming us both into the heavy steel morgue table. Trays of surgical tools crashed onto the concrete floor in a deafening clatter, and the force sent a jolt of pain through my spine, but I held on, wrestling his left arm behind his back and snapping the second cuff into place.

The moment the lock clicked, a sharp, buzzing hiss echoed through the metal.

Kaelon gasped violently. The golden glow in his eyes flickered, his pupils dilating as the Void-Iron laced inside the heavy silver cuffs immediately reacted with his blood. Void-Iron was a rare, black ore that violently disrupted a werewolf's magical physiology, shutting down their raw strength and halting their regenerative healing.

His knees buckled, and he collapsed forward onto the concrete, his chest heaving, sweat instantly breaking out across his forehead as the ore drained his physical energy.

"Fucking... culler," he choked out, his voice thick and raspy as he strained against the heavy chains behind his back.

I stepped back, smoothing down my jacket and breathing heavily, though I kept my sidearm trained straight at his head. "I told you to stay out of my city, Devil. You just couldn’t help yourself, could you? Had to come and see your victims one last time, you sick s**t!"

He lifted his head, his face slick with sweat, and a dark, dangerous sneer cut across his features despite his visible weakness. "You think..." I killed him? You think I'd butcher my own kind?"

"You were at both crime scenes. You took evidence from the first one," I said coldly, reaching down to grab him by his heavy collar. I dragged him up toward his feet, though he was heavy as f**k. "You're coming with me somewhere I can get some answers."

My private house on the outskirts of the residential district had a reinforced basement; it was a legacy of my father's old engineering days, fortified with lead-lined walls and thick iron bars. We drove there and I shoved Kaelon through the iron gate of the basement cell.

He hit the cold floor hard, rolling onto his side, his breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps. The Void-Iron cuffs were doing their job, keeping his formidable strength completely suppressed.

I locked the heavy iron door, putting the key in my pocket.

"Enjoy the accommodations," I said, staring at him through the bars. "I have a family dinner to attend. When I get back, you're going to tell me what you took from Blackwood Forest, or I’ll leave those cuffs on until your veins turn black."

He lay on the concrete, his face half-hidden in the shadows, but his golden eyes burned through the dark, tracking my every move with lethal intent. "Go eat your dinner, little Culler," he rasped weakly, a cold smile touching his lips. "I'll be waiting."