Emma
The ding of my phone woke me the next morning a little earlier than was comfortable, considering how exhausting the previous day had been. With a moan, I rolled over to check it.
I did consider ignoring it, but what if it was another job? I wasn’t so well off that I could afford to ignore incoming money. We weren't hard up for cash, we could cover bills comfortably, but still, I was no spring chicken and wanted to be sure I was taking care of myself now as well as my future self when I was too old to go chasing water nymphs and fighting shifters.
A smile spread across my face when I saw the message notification. 1 new message from Daniel <3.
Tapping it, I raised the phone and squinted at the screen until the facial recognition did its thing. The app opened to Daniel’s message. Get ready. Eat a light breakfast. Meet me at Miller’s Cove ASAP.
That was it… Not much to go on there, but if Daniel said ASAP, then I would hurry. Why in the world had he told me to eat lightly? I fired off a quick text to ask. Since I’d showered last night I skipped that part, just washing my face and spraying my hair to revive it a bit. Dry shampoo was a miracle worker.
By the time I was ready to go downstairs, Daniel still hadn’t replied, so I grabbed a couple of pieces of toast with jam and, of course, an enormous cup of coffee before heading toward the beach. I needed the pick me up, that was for sure.
Miller’s Cove wasn’t within easy walking distance of the house, so I drove and sipped my tea. I’d finished my coffee and since Daniel had said light, I’d gone with tea instead of another cup of Joe. I didn't need to see the future or anything, just stay awake until my body caught up with my brain, or maybe it was vice versa.
I was fully awake and curious as I pulled into the parking area labeled for Miller’s Cove. Old man Miller had been gone for a couple of decades, but the family had lived there for so long the town had named this swathe of beach for them and put in a small parking lot.
It was a favorite spot for bonfires amongst the high school crowd. Though right now it probably wasn't used much as people moved their activities indoors bracing themselves for the cold weather and short days of winter.
After parking beside Daniel’s truck, I had another mouthful of tea before I got out and hurried toward the sand. The wind whipped over the beach and straight through my jacket, making me wish I'd gone for my heavy winter coat instead of something a bit lighter. Daniel didn’t notice the weather, thanks to his shifter heat. He wouldn't have thought to warn me.
There were more cars here than I would’ve expected for the early hour, some of which had an official feel to them as I passed by.
I shivered as I made my way across the sand, my boots sliding as I climbed over the dunes toward the ocean. It was considerably easier now than it had been even a few months ago. All the work I’d been doing with Beth had served me well, helping me tone up in ways I hadn’t been in years. I wasn’t complaining about that.
When I crested the dunes and stepped past the long grass, the blades flowing in the wind like the ocean itself, I stopped and gaped. Yellow crime scene tape marked off a huge section of the beach and people milled about everywhere. People in uniform.
This was a crime scene. I knew all the police in town, and yet somehow, I didn’t recognize anyone here. Except for Daniel as he rose to his feet. He’d been squatted down looking at a… oh, lovely. A body. I’d overlooked him as he’d been down low. It was amazing how he could fold up sometimes. He wasn't exactly a small guy to begin with.
Now I understood the light breakfast comment, though I wish he would have just come out and said what was going on instead of leaving me guessing. I mean I'd gone through everything in my head from a surprise brunch on the beach, even though it wasn't really the weather for it, to a sudden meeting with the siren queen. I hadn't been super worried about it, though I'd definitely been concerned that something had happened to him.
Hurrying over, I avoided eye contact with the other people there, but when I went to cross the crime scene tape an officer stopped me.
"Sorry, ma'am, this area's off-limits right now. Please return to your car."
"She's with me," Daniel called from behind the young officer. The guy looked over his shoulder and once he saw Daniel was the one who had spoken, he nodded and lifted the crime scene tape, letting me pass underneath.
I sidled up to Daniel. The body on the beach was covered over with a black blanket or maybe it was more of a tarp. “What’s going on?” I hissed.
Daniel bent over and uncovered the dead person’s face. I had to fight the instinct to turn away. I'd seen dead bodies before now, but that didn't make it any easier for some reason.
A man stared up at the sky with blank eyes. His hair was thick and black, messy and greasy on his head thanks to the water and his whole body was kind of bloated. His eyes were equally dark or would have been when he was alive, now they were just milky and empty.
The man's clothes were covered in sand and torn like he'd been tossed against the shore more than once, which matched the small cuts and nicks on his skin as well, though they were probably post mortem. The clothes he was wearing looked like they'd been pretty nice at one point.
“Do you know who this is?” Daniel asked.
I looked around at the other people, all of whom seemed busy on phones or jotting stuff down on a tablet, none of them paying attention to us. “No. Should I?” I asked.
Daniel released a low breath. “Yes, this is Quillan Laire.”
I gaped down at him. Holy crap. Quillan was the vampire who Turned Bryan. “Do you think—”
Cutting me off, Daniel pulled me closer to him. “I don’t know what to think,” he said in a loud register before lowering his tone. His implication was clear. Don’t say Bryan’s name. “What I know is that this man was a prominent leader of a local vampire coven, and now he’s been murdered.”
He looked toward a man who was writing something down, his expression intense.
I looked at the man more closely too. He had dark hair and dark eyes, which only accentuated his pale skin. It didn’t help that he was wearing a suit either, a nice one at that, one that was tailored just for him. He almost had the same vibe going as Lucifer from that TV show, with an equally dangerous air about him. I couldn’t help but wonder if he opened his mouth to speak would he have a smarmy British accent?
Okay, probably not, but I could almost bet this man wasn’t human. Vampire, if I had to guess.
“These people are all here to investigate. They take it rather seriously when one of their own is murdered.” Ah, okay, so they were vampires and Daniel was trying to get me to understand that them being here complicated things. Got it.
“Of course,” I murmured, taking in the crowd, but especially the man Daniel had eyeballed. He’d wanted me to notice him for some reason. Maybe because the man had what was almost a snarl fixed on his face, as though he was permanently angry or upset. Was he dangerous? Or just grumpy?
This time, when Daniel spoke, he pulled me close and breathed his words into my ear. “I’m afraid Bryan may be in big trouble.” He kissed my temple and pulled back. “Don’t get worried. We don’t have any current leads, but we will soon.”
"Good." I wasn't sure what else to say. I mean it wasn't like I could speak freely apparently, given the way Daniel was acting. Plus, I was a little irritated with Daniel at this point. If you're going to have someone look at a body you warn them, you don't just tell them to eat a light breakfast. Maybe I was a bit hangry, I don't know.
"You okay?" Daniel asked, clearly sensing that something was up.
"Why am I here?" I murmured, trying to keep my voice quiet.
"Let me walk you back to your car, I forgot you aren't used to this kind of stuff." His voice was loud enough that anyone hanging around us would know where he was going and that he'd be back.
Once we were over the hill of the dune and heading back toward the parking lot I stopped and looked at Daniel, waiting for an explanation. He frowned at me.
He tugged on my arm, and I walked a little further with him. Finally, he stopped and said, "I wanted you here to see the body and see who was working on the case so you would recognize them if you saw them around town. I don't know how much investigating they are going to do in Mystic Hollow, but it might be worth it for Karma to stay out of their way if you catch my drift."
“Okay, well, I can’t promise to avoid them. If they’re investigating something that connects to my friends, I want to be involved.”
He sighed. “Vampires are dangerous.”
“Thanks for the newsflash.” I realized I was being a little mean and adjusted my tone. “I know they are, but so is everything I investigate. My work is dangerous sometimes. It’s the nature of my work.”
He looked like he wanted to say something, then changed his mind. “I understand. I just want you to know that the vampires handle their own outside of our rules. If they find Quillan’s killer, chances are they’ll take his head, and the rest of us will stay out of it. It’s coven business.”
I swallowed. Hard. “What if it was Bryan? He doesn’t deserve to die for this.”
“It won’t be our choice,” he emphasized each word.
I nodded and paused for a moment. I appreciated the warning, but even if Bryan had done this, I wasn’t about to get out of the way and let the vampires murder him for it. Yes, I’d warned Bryan not to kill this guy, but if this Quillan had hurt Bryan, I understood his need to do something about it. Not that I’d tell Daniel all of that. He was, deep down, a cop, after all. "Next time just give me a heads up when I'm going to see a dead body, okay?" I sighed heavily.
If the dead man was the vampire that had been Turning people in Mystic Hollow under false pretenses, then I'm not going to lie, I was relieved he was actually dead now. I just hoped Bryan wasn't the one responsible because to me it seemed like those guys on the beach weren't going to give up until they had answers, and that could prove dangerous for Carol's high school sweetheart.
"I couldn't. I'm sorry. I was barely able to get that text off to you as it was without Inspector Acheron demanding to see it before I sent it. He's not exactly the friendliest person around and he's especially pissed about this since Quillan was his friend or at least coworker."
His apology soothed me enough. "Inspector Acheron is the Lucifer look-a-like?"
Daniel snorted. "Can't say I've ever heard anyone call him that before, but yeah, that's him. He is a vampire crime investigator. Quillan was a prominent member of their society, for him to be murdered sets an uncomfortable precedent. They are supposed to be untouchable."
"And you're worried that he's going to be poking around Mystic Hollow and possibly find things we don't want him to?"
"And find you."
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “Why would a vampire crime inspector be interested in me?”
"Everyone is interested in you. Plus, he might think you're responsible somehow since your magic is karma-based. I just—" he pauses and lets out a breath. "I want you to avoid him, avoid anyone you saw today, if possible, okay?"
"Okay. I'll do my best to stay out of his way. Promise."
"Try and keep the karma stuff to a minimum until this is taken care of."
"You know I can't always control it," I hissed, embarrassed that I was still learning my powers.
He sighed this time before pulling me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around his waist, reveling in the warmth coming off him, along with his scent. "I know. I can't help but worry though. I don't think I could take it if something happened to you."
Daniel's words melted my heart, and I couldn’t stop the feeling of overwhelming joy that we finally connected after all this time. That my ex was officially out of my life, and I was moving on and actually being happy with what I was doing.
I wasn’t the workhorse anymore. I was me. And my friends and Daniel care for me as such. I just hope that I don't attract the wrong kind of attention by being myself, even if this karmic witch was a newer version of me.