Fading Light: Shadow Born, Book 2 (5 page)

Chapter Five

Yellow, red and orange hues from the fading sun decorated the skyline, highlighting the snow-covered trail head as Brenna and Gray stepped out of the vehicle. Brenna’s breath danced in the wind as she moved through the calf-deep snow toward the crowd of hunters. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she recognized a familiar figure leaning against the black van in the far corner of the field.

Sam had a smug look on his face. His magic danced in the air, smelling of sex and power. “Took you long enough.” He handed her a flashlight then motioned for her to follow. “I put a magical barrier around the perimeter so no one would mess with the remains before you got here. I rigged it so you, Gray and Seraph are the only ones who can get through.” He gestured to the crowd of hunters who stood around the tree line. “They’re pissed. Said it wasn’t my call.”

“Thanks.” She flipped on the flashlight. “Seraph said a shifter found the bodies.”

He shrugged. “Looks that way.”

As they reached the tree line, Gray broke away and disappeared into the woods. Brenna turned to Sam. “Keep everyone back until we’re done. If they give you crap, tell them it’s on my authority.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a mock salute

Returning the gesture with a sedate smile, she followed Gray. This trail had once been a mountain pass. The name held, although the mountain was gone, destroyed by a tear in the Veil that had erupted during the Fall. Several of the remaining craters were now filled with forests of Aspens, but others remained barren, the soil scorched.

Humans rarely traveled outside the city limits. And when they did, it wasn’t to the craters. Despite years of peaceful cohabitation with deviants, ingrained prejudice left many of them afraid. Most of them never left the human-only sectors of the city.

Gray waited further down the trail. His black duster flowed behind him, the leather slapping at his legs. She moved to his side. “Let’s get this over with.” With both hands she pulled her copper curls into a tight ponytail and secured them with a broken rubber band.

“Agreed.” He motioned to the trail “It’s ahead a few yards. The bodies are mostly intact. The only blood is the shifter’s.”

Brenna followed Gray into the undergrowth, admiring the way his body moved through the tangled trees. Cat-like, he maneuvered through the overrun trail with lethal focus, every inch the warrior. His focus and power were a beautiful thing to behold. Cursing her own distraction, she tore her eyes away. Making goo-goo eyes at her husband on their way to a crime scene was probably grounds for termination.

It was several minutes before they reached the campsite. In the center sat a smoldering fire. Smoke danced through the air, twisting and swirling through the breeze like a pixie. It wrapped around the makeshift enclosures haphazardly strewn along the clearing. Made of metal piping and tarps, the tents were barely standing.

Gray walked to the first tent and unhooked the covering. The three humans had been in their sleeping bags when they died. They were unrecognizable, patches of dust smeared inside the thick lining. There were no signs of foul play. No magical stench drifted through the air. Brenna crouched beside the first victim and pulled on a pair of sterile gloves. She brushed a finger across the remains. “Same ashy substance as the bodies at the bar.”

“What did you expect?” Gray gestured to the dust spread across the perimeter. “Those must be the other bodies.”

Brenna stripped off her gloves. There was nothing here to contaminate. She took a long breath, sifted the dust in her bare hands, and released her magic. There had to be something, some clue as to what had done this. Whether it was magical or biological, as a healer she should be able to recognize the source of the taint. But the substance in her hands was empty, devoid of the things that had once made it human. All that remained were trace elements, no magic, no DNA, only dust. Even the residual stain that followed any type of magical use was notably absent. She allowed her magic to retreat then opened her eyes, more puzzled than before.

Gray knelt by what was left of the bodies, filling a small plastic bag with samples. “They haven’t been here long. The dust is still warm.”

“Only because of the fire.” Seraph stepped out of the tree line. “I’ll bet you a case of black market bourbon they died the same time as the others.” He paused as he took in the scene. “Same as before.”

Brenna considered. “I don’t know a single spell that could do this. Or even one which could cloak a perpetrator’s magical signature. It has to be a disease or a toxin.”

“Then why isn’t it showing up in the bodies?” Seraph stepped inside the glow of her flashlight, his features were strained.

Brenna shrugged. “No idea. All I’ve got are guesses and none of them good.”

“Whatever it is, it’s quick.” Gray stood.

Brenna walked back to the tent. There had to be something. Some clue. “Where is the shifter who found them? Why was he out here?”

“He’s a ranger. He didn’t see or hear anything. Said his eyes started to bleed when he got close.”

Gray shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. There’s no blood at any of the other scenes and plenty of people were around the victims.”

“Nothing about this makes sense,” Brenna said as she moved toward him. “His hybrid blood could have a byproduct which reacts differently. Ask Lucy. She’s the scientist.”

“Agreed.” Seraph stepped over the discarded tarp. “I had him quarantined and took a sample of his blood. Hopefully we’ll have some answers soon. I want one of you to stay here and the other to go back and question him. See if he’s telling the truth.”

Brenna studied Seraph. His gait was tired, his eyes dull. “This is getting to you.”

Seraph took a long breath. “All hell will break loose if the humans realize what’s going on. They’ll blame the deviants, and Adare will get a foothold.”

And all their work would be for nothing. Brenna blew out a long breath. It turned to mist in the cold air and twirled around her frozen cheeks. She wrapped her duster tighter as she turned to Gray. “Are you good here? I want to talk to the shifter.”

“Sure.” Gray replied. “But be gentle. You’re not known for your light touch.”

She rolled her eyes. So she tended to be a little aggressive. That didn’t mean she couldn’t play nice when necessary. Gray was worse.

When Brenna arrived at headquarters Lucy was manning the entrance. Feet propped up, potato chip crumbs stuck to her fuzzy pink sweater, she was playing cards with Hilda. The ghost was leaning against the side of the desk, a pile of moon pies in front of her.

“So you’re the reason those things are getting harder to find.” Brenna gestured to the dessert. “Thanks a lot.”

Hilda shrugged. “Lucy won’t play without them, and I need the practice. I always lose.”

“That’s ’cause you suck.” Lucy slammed down her cards. “Full house. Hand them over.”

Hilda tossed her three moon pies. “It shouldn’t be this hard to beat you. You’ve got to be cheating.”

Lucy snorted, her ears pressed back. “Want to say that again?”

Hilda laughed. “I’m dead. What are you going to do to me?”

When Lucy started to lunge, Brenna decided to intervene. “As fun as this is, where is the hybrid?”

After a few prolonged moments, Lucy met her gaze. Crumbs trailed the sides of her mouth. “In the infirmary.”

“How’s he doing?”

Lucy shrugged. “He was hemorrhaging when he got here. They stopped the blood loss, but he’s lucky to be alive.”

“If he dies, the shifters will blame us.”

Lucy snorted. It sounded like a mix between a screeching cat and an angry goat. “They can get in line.”

Brenna turned toward the long hall that led to the medical wing. They had housed the hybrid in an observation room on the far end of the corridor. She moved beside the guards and peered inside the room.

The shifter was young. She would guess early twenties. He had been stripped to his boxers. His lean muscular body writhed on the bed. Reinforced leather straps secured him to the gurney. Padlocks held the straps onto the metal grate beneath the bed. The belts had made purple welts on his wrists and ankles.

“Give me the keys.” She held a hand out to the guard. He was lucky she didn’t rip them off his belt. They had no right to treat an innocent kid this way.

“He’s unstable.” The guard backed away as she moved forward. “He’ll hurt one of us.”

“Leave.” She yanked the keys from his hand. “If you’re not strong enough to subdue a baby shifter, you don’t belong here.”

He threw up his hands. “If he kills you, it’s not on me.”

Brenna watched him leave. She needed to talk to Seraph about the quality of the help.

As she slipped through the door, she grabbed the metal folding chair lying askew on the side of the room and placed it beside the bed. She rubbed her hands together to warm them, then laid her palm on the shifter’s forehead. He was burning up.

“What’s your name?” She kept her tone calm as she stroked his clammy forehead.

After a few moments, he opened his eyes. Dried blood had caked in the creases of his eyelids. The coppery substance had dried on his cheeks like spoiled tears. “What’s happening to me?” He turned his face into her hand.

“I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.” She stroked his hair, her heart breaking for him.

“What’s your name?” she asked again.

“Aiden.” He closed his eyes.

“Aiden, I’m going to release the restraints.”

“No.” He jerked back. “I can’t control my beast.”

“Trust me. Let me worry about your beast.” She cast a healing spell and wrapped her magic around him like an electric blanket. His beast surged to the surface. Her magic subdued it, slamming him back onto the cot. His beast made a final attempt to break free, but her spell had given Aiden the ability to control it.

“I underestimated you,” he said.

She shrugged as she freed him from the straps. “It happens.”

He sat, rubbing the red rings on his wrists. “I checked the campsite to make sure the fires were out. I thought it was abandoned.” He paused, thinking. “I was cleaning when I noticed this gray thing in the middle of the field. I didn’t know it was a person until I got right up on it.”

“Did you hear anything?”

He shook his head. “No.” He lowered his gaze. “Do you think it hurt?”

“No idea,” she replied. She had wondered the same thing. “When did you get sick?”

“When I couldn’t get a hold of anyone at the station, I started taking pictures.” He rubbed at his wrists. “One of the bodies crumbled, and it covered me in ash. The next thing I remember is coughing up blood.”

“Where’s your camera?”

“The guy who brought me in took it.” He picked at the leather belt hanging at his side. “Am I going to die?”

She hurt for him, but she couldn’t lie. “We’re going to do everything we can to keep you alive.”

“Fair enough.” He lay down on the cot. “If I can’t have my clothes, can I at least get a blanket? It’s freezing.”’

“Sure. I’ll talk to Seraph about getting you some new clothes.” Moving to the window, she slammed her palm against the glass. It took a few minutes, but a guard appeared. In his arms was a tattered yellow and purple quilt. Apparently, they had been listening to the exchange in the control room. Not that she could blame them. She handed the blanket to the shifter then left the room.

Her mind was racing as she walked the narrow corridor to the locker room they used for decontamination. Stripping, she walked to the showers. The icy water took her breath away as she scrubbed her skin clean. Hot water was a luxury the IRT couldn’t afford. As a state agency, they counted themselves lucky to have running water, much less a water heater. Her freshly scrubbed skin shone red beneath the harsh florescent lights. Very few things could penetrate her advanced immune system, but most of the other hunters weren’t so lucky.

“What’d you learn from the shifter?”

Brenna shrieked, heart pounding. The damn man didn’t know the definition of boundaries. And, of course, there was no towel in sight. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” She twisted the metal shower nob to turn off the water then leaned forward to wring out her hair. His gaze settled on her body, warming her despite the chill.

He moved toward her, the thud of his boots echoing in the cramped space. She straightened, tossing her hair behind her as she rose. Taking the towel from his hand, she wrapped it around her body and forced herself to look at him. He merely shrugged and stepped back to give her space.

Irritated, she moved toward the lockers. “The shifter took pictures. His camera is here somewhere. We need to find it.”

“I already did. It’s in our office.”

“Good.” She pulled out a clean pair of jeans and a sweater and threw them on top of the wooden bench. She let the towel slide to the floor as she reached for her underwear.

He sucked in his breath, taking a step forward.

She tried to ignore him as she slipped on the black lace bra and panties, glad she had succeeded in throwing him off balance. “My shower is off limits,” she said as she slipped on her clothes.

“I needed to talk to you.”

“So wait until I’m done.” She sat on the wooden bench, leaning forward to lace her thigh high leather boots.

“You’re done now, aren’t you?” He leaned over her, his breath tickling the hair on the top of her head. “I’m not your puppy, Brenna. I won’t come only when you call.”

She raised a brow, wondering if he had meant the double entendre. “Are you sure?” she asked with a pointed glance.

“If you want that, love, all you have to do is ask.” Before she could blink, he had his hands around her waist and her back to the wall. She closed her eyes, the heat from his body sinking into her own, his distinctive scent enveloping her senses.

This time when he kissed her she reveled in the salty sweetness of his lips, their tongues meeting in a desperate dance. When he freed her arms, she twined them around his neck as he lifted her against his body.

Then both their phones began to chime. Brenna unwrapped her body from Gray, ignoring his long-suffering sigh. She jumped to her feet and straightened her clothes. Grabbing her phone, she pressed it to her ear.