Derek

Derek waited until Ever’s breathing evened out and her body relaxed against his before daring to move. Wanting nothing more than to stay curled up beside the woman he loved, Derek reminded himself that there was a monster on the loose and he had a job to do. Once this monster resided in P.I.T. custody, he could concentrate on Ever. Maybe take some vacation time.

Climbing the wall listening to Ever sob and then watching her as she pounded her fists into her temple had been heartbreaking. It was apparent to Derek now that whatever Ever was going through had nothing to do with them and everything to do with her. It seemed she wished to hide something from him, as if she were afraid he’d run screaming. But Derek Doyle had never run screaming from anything in his life, and he wasn’t going to start now.

Phone buzzing in his pocket, he slipped it out to see a message from Ricky. Popping the device back into his pocket, Derek cautiously untangled himself from Ever, pausing as she groaned in her sleep, tucking her legs up. After placing the duvet over his sleeping beauty, Derek slipped from her bedroom, boots in hand so as not to wake her. Once his feet were back in his boots, Derek strode down the hall and passed through her living room until he spied Erika lounging there.

“It’s 3 AM. Why aren’t you asleep?”

“I’m sorry, Dad. Didn’t realize I had a curfew.”

His teammate—and Ever’s new best friend—had a dislike for Derek that he couldn’t understand. But then again, he found it hard for him to trust her. There was something about this pint-sized woman that made him uneasy, and every attempt to find out about her had ended with nothing. It was as if Erika Sands had appeared one day out of nowhere.

“Is Ever okay?”

Derek nodded. “I think so. I got to go; another body’s been found.”

Erika leapt to her feet. “I can get changed, help out. I’m not sleepy anyway.”

With a shake of his head, Derek replied, “No, you’re grand. Stay and keep an eye on Ever, and I’ll call if we need you.”

With a look of disappointment, Erika folded her arms across her chest. “You sure?”

“I don’t want Ever to be alone if she wakes up.”

“Okay, sure.” A muscle ticked in her jaw, and for some reason, Derek felt his wolf rise as if challenged. “But call me if you need backup.”

Derek left after a mere bob of his head, fists clenching as Erika muttered under her breath. Derek caught it with his wolf hearing and bristled at the ‘Boyband’ moniker she’d not-so-affectionately given him. Ignoring the jab, he made his way out to Ricky, who’d been waiting for him outside.

Once inside the car, Derek shoved back his seat so he could stretch out his long legs.

“Sure, feel free to adjust the seat. Would you like to play with my radio now as well? And that’s not a euphemism for anything else.”

Derek looked at his partner, noticing the tired lines on his face and the shaken expression, as well as his crabby attitude. Ricky tended to be the life and soul of any party, and Derek wasn’t used to seeing him so off centre.

“What’ve we got?”

“Sloppy, that’s what we got,” Ricky grunted, his fingers emitting a faint, blue electricity before he dampened his temper. “Unsub was sloppy this time, like he got interrupted. Left the girl half husked. Well, he left her face intact, just husked her body.”

“Where did he leave her?”

“Alleyway beside Chester’s.” At Derek’s raised eyebrows, Ricky yanked the steering wheel sharply, causing Derek to grab hold of the dash. “Very public, like he wanted to be caught. Witness stumbled across him sucking her dry and when she screamed, he strutted off like he was invincible.”

His phone vibrated, and he read out the contents to Ricky. “Caitlyn and the big man are on scene interviewing witnesses. Caitlyn says the victim was a message to us, or maybe someone in particular. Won’t tell me why, says we gotta see it for ourselves.”

Ricky blared his horn and shouted at pedestrians crossing the road. He swerved around them without slowing down and continued to motor his way through the city centre.

“Hey mate, might want to consider the speed limit unless you gonna flash the blues and twos.”

His friend didn’t answer him, but he did ease off the accelerator. Finally, Ricky’s rage race halted as they pulled up behind several squad cars. Ricky got out and pulled his leather jacket on over his faded Nirvana T-shirt. Derek found his gaze wandering up to the moon, obstructed by harsh grey clouds. He never had to see the moon; he always knew where she was. He sensed it when she rose and felt it when she rested for the day.

Ricky locked his car with the press of a button, and they headed over to the crime scene. Caitlyn and Donnie acknowledged their arrival, Caitlyn shaking her head at the body. Having snapped on his plastic gloves on the walk over, Derek bent down to study the latest victim. Up to the curve of her neck, the girl appeared like all the other victims—drained to a husk of paper-thin skin. When he looked at the woman’s face, Derek almost jerked back; but the realization that this was not who he thought it was calmed him down.

Ricky put on his plastic gloves and shifted the victim’s hair a little. Eyes widening in shock, he let out a blue streak of swear words before he lifted his head to face Derek.

“Holy fucking hell, Derek. If you squinted a little and darkened her skin, this could be Erika.”

Caitlyn sidled up to Derek, the vampire’s face as grim as the scene. “I would very much like to rip off this monster’s head. And perhaps use it as a football.”

“Oh! Caitlyn made a funny! Did anyone record it?”

Donnie slapped Ricky on the back. “Sure. And they’ll post it on YouTube next to that video of you at HellFest.”

Ricky pointed up and said, “We swore never to speak of that again.”

“You swore. I didn’t.”

Ricky chuckled. “Good to have you back, dude.”

They all stepped off to the side, nodding to Anna, who ordered the technicians around so they could get a feel for things. Once Derek, Caitlyn, Donnie, and Ricky had a corner to themselves, they began to discuss where the unsub could have encountered Erika.

“Has to have been at the party.”

“I agree,” Derek said to Ricky’s statement, “but why her? I mean… this unsub goes after powerful supernatural creatures and sucks their energy from them. Not to swell his head any further, but Ricky had to have been the one with the most juice there last night.”

Donnie ran his hand through his newly thickened hair. “Or maybe whatever mojo Erika uses to shield her supernatural side doesn’t work with this creature. Maybe Erika beat Ricky in the power stakes.”

“This insults my manhood, guys. I mean, c’mon.”

“Only you would hear it that way, Ricky,” Caitlyn chided as she shook her head.

Derek folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall. “So, let’s say the unsub has decided on Erika. For some reason, our newest victim hadn’t as much juice as those he killed before her. He wants Erika.”

“Are you suggesting, Derek, that we do not inform Erika of this? How can she protect herself if she knows not what’s happening?”

“Caitlyn, I have a feeling that Erika can handle herself. Especially if she can hide what she is from all of us—and you and I are quite old.”

“Has anyone everyone told you it’s not polite to bring up a woman’s age? Like, Caitlyn’s smokin’ hot, and—hey!”

Donnie smacked Ricky on the back of the head, and Ricky glared at him, telling Donnie he had no intentions of that kind toward Caitlyn, but he still had eyes.

“Getting back on track,” Derek said after blowing out a breath, “I’m not saying we leave Erika to fend for herself. We give her every freedom to move about, but we watch her back. Reel in this SOB before he lays a finger on her. Take it in shifts.”

Caitlyn fidgeted with the collar of her jacket. “I still don’t like it, but I will go along with your idea. But if her life is ever in danger, I’m out.”

The vampire strutted away from them then, the sound of her heels echoing down the alleyway. Both Derek and Ricky looked at Donnie, who shrugged, telling them Cait was grand, just dealing with some bad news. When Derek asked if there was anything they could do, Donnie simply thanked them and said it was up to Cait how things went from here on.

“Someone’s going to have to speak to Chester.”

Ricky’s statement brought more doom and gloom to the situation. Donnie offered with a look of utter disgust, but Chester had already cornered Caitlyn. When Donnie noticed, he jogged over, placed a hand on the small of Caitlyn’s back, and Derek watched as she pointedly stepped away from the gesture.

“That’s not going to end well, is it?”

Derek scrubbed his hand down his face. “Who the hell knows, Ricky. I’ve known Caitlyn for almost thirty years. She carries a weighty burden around with her. I’m not sure if she has room for anything good in her life.”

“Pot, kettle, black. You and Caitlyn are more alike than you imagine.”

Rubbing his chin, Derek grinned. “Terribly insightful, mate. You hit your head or something?”

“Or something… gimmie a sec. I wanna ask Anna something.”

Leaving Ricky to his own devices, he went over to the squad car where the witness sat. A human woman, dressed in a sheer pink dress and wearing a beat cop’s jacket around her shoulders, was sitting sideways in the back of a squad car, her feet on the ground out the open back door. Crouching down, Derek handed her a cup of coffee and asked if she would be okay to answer a few of his questions. Once the girl, Jackie, had sipped on her coffee, Derek pressed her to tell him what she’d seen.

“I got separated from my friends and couldn’t hear them over the music. I went outside, and at first I just saw two bodies against the wall. I thought… well… you know what I thought was going on.

“I stumbled back, drunk,” Jackie continued, sniffling, “and I knocked over a beer bottle. They were under the light, and when he looked at me… it was like something from a horror film. You know in that film, The Mummy, where your man has the bugs crawling into his face as he feeds on human flesh? Yeah, that’s what he looked like. When I went on screaming, he just pulled out of the girl—what was left of her—and walked away buttoning his jeans. This is my first time in Cork and partying with supernaturals. Never again.”

Derek thanked her and got to his feet as Caitlyn beckoned him over. On his arrival, he noticed Donnie growling at Chester, the head vampire of Cork and all-out creepy bastard. Chester tended to bring out the worst in those around him, but something Donnie said made the creepy old vampire cringe. A slight shove later and Donnie came back over to them. Derek opened his mouth to question him, but something in Donnie’s eyes halted the words.

“The witness told me what she saw, described the unsub as a monster from the movies. Poor kid. First night amongst the monsters and she comes face to face with one of the worst.”

“Chester, the ever-helpful creep that he is,” Donnie snarled, “says for their customers’ privacy, there are no cameras facing that direction. Everyone knows that’s a camera-blind spot and the perfect place for a hook-up.”

“I doubt Anna can pull anything off the victim, either. Poor girl’s face was frozen in terror, like she tried to scream but couldn’t.”

“I think,” Caitlyn started to say, but she was interrupted by Anna calling Derek’s name.

“Derek,” she said again, “I examined the body and found this in her mouth. He must have slipped it in before he left.” Anna handed him a card inside a plastic evidence bag.

Derek whistled, calling Ricky to him. When he handed the bag over, the warlock smiled. “You always give me the nicest gifts.”

“Look familiar?” he asked his friend, who studied the contents of the bag before handing it back to Derek and pulling his wallet from his back pocket. When he pulled out a card identical to the one in the evidence bag, they nodded in agreement.

Anna said her goodbyes and moved towards a colleague who had called her over. Derek and Ricky watched as one of Anna’s crew lifted the victim’s body with a gesture of her hands, moving it through the air and softly setting her down on a gurney. They covered her lightly with a sheet and cautiously wheeled her to the M.E.’s van. It was only when the body was safely in the vehicle and being driven away that most of the cops turned back to work.

“Looks like Katherine Smyth is involved somehow,” Derek stated.

“And it looks like I’m going on a date with Miss Somehow-Involved-In-This-Murder. But the witness said the assailant was male, not female, right?”

“Oui, but from the background check on Katherine Smyth, we know she likes to travel with a crew… about twenty or so. Perhaps it’s someone on her staff,” Caitlyn suggested.

“That would explain how the murders have taken place in conjunction with ParaMatch’s tour schedule. Caitlyn, ask Melanie to check into the entourage and see of anyone sticks out—anything at all. If someone kicked a puppy, I wanna know about it.”

Caitlyn made the call a second later, murmuring the conversation down the line.

Derek turned to Donnie. “Can you take the night shift and keep an eye on Erika? If she sneezes wrong, you let one of us know; no heroics.”

“What about today?” Ricky kicked at a stone as he asked the question. “Want me to shadow her?”

“No, I’ll call her to the station and get her doing some grunt work. We can keep the girl's identity a secret for a day or two until he makes his move.”

With everyone knowing their orders, Derek and Ricky made to head out, walking in silence toward Ricky’s car. They were just shy of it when the warlock froze and groaned.

“Derek, get in the car and drive.”

“What’s going on, Ricky?”

“Well, I can’t be certain, but I think the phantoms have come to haul me in front of the council.”

Derek glared at his friend. “Whatcha do now?”

“Oh nothing,” Ricky smirked with a little shrug of his shoulders. “Just never disclosed my new influx of power, refuse to give up my job to take my seat on the council, and have been avoiding Samhain Chace like a bout of herpes for about a month.”

“Ricky! Goddamnit. Get in the car and we can get to the station before they arrive.”

Ricky tossed his keys at Derek, who caught them with ease as his buddy motioned down the road. Heading up the street was the council’s hit squad—their own form of justice. Cloaked in black robes with faces covered by oversized hoods, the phantoms marched as a cohesive unit, sleek and awe-inspiring. But Derek knew that if found guilty of breaking council rules, Ricky could be punished by death.

The crowds seemed to sense what was occurring, and the streets nearest to Ricky and Derek cleared out in seconds. Derek stepped in front of Ricky and growled. His friend grabbed his arm.

“Derek, don’t. I’ve done this to myself. I’ll be back, don’t worry. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

The phantoms’ leader held up a hand, and the rest halted. Ricky cracked the bones in his neck and gave Derek a wink and a grin before walking towards the group.

“Story, lads? Nice night for it.” Typical Ricky smart-ass remark. “What, not the chatting type? Pity. I’m sure all this can be resolved over a pint and a chaser.”

“Richard Spencer Ignatius Moore, you have been summoned before the council and have refrained from complying. We have come to deliver you to the feet of the council, where you will plead your case. Will you come willingly, or will you come by force?”

Ricky threw his hands up. “Jaysus, lad! What’s with the full name? I mean c’mon, keep it cool. I’ve got a reputation to protect.” With a glance over his shoulder at Derek, Ricky turned his attention back to the phantoms, ducked his head, and peered under the leader’s hood.

“Aww, shite. Should have bloody known. What, no hug for your disgraced big bro?”

The lead phantom drew back his hood, and Derek felt as if the rug had been pulled out from beneath him. Where Ricky was dark, his brother was fair, with short, clipped hair to Ricky’s wild length. But there was no mistaking they were related—both men had the same facial features and green eyes. Where Ricky’s eyes held life and laughter, though, his brother’s held no emotion at all. The other man tilted his head and smiled a very sinister smile.

“Hello, brother.”

Erika breathed in the smell of the ocean and relished the feeling of sand between her toes. Dressed in leggings and a check shirt, she stomped down the sand to the sound of metal against metal. Rounding the corner, Erika laid sight of her systir straining in the sand, and she was home.

Marya, still so much younger in years, caught sight of Erika first, dropped her sword, and raced toward her. Erika scooped the teenage Valkyrie into her arms and spun her around, the young girl squealing in delight.

The remainder of her sisters, Danae and Rebekah, came to greet Erika, each one embracing her and welcoming her home. They exchanged pleasantries for a few moments until Marya could not hold in her excitement any longer, the teenager’s dirty-blonde hair glinting in the sunshine.

“Has she agreed to see us? Is it time?”

Erika shook her head. “I’m sorry sweetheart, not yet. Things are… things are complicated.”

The teen stamped her foot in the sand. “That is bullshit. We are her sisters—that is all that matters.”

Erika raised an eyebrow at her other sisters, and much to her dismay, Danae let out a rumble of laughter. “I was not the one who taught her the glorious human language of swear words.”

After a quick bout of laughter, Erika hushed her sisters and said, “She has remembered some of her time on the shores of Valhalla, yet her most recent memory has brought some unwanted emotions and she feels betrayed.”

Erika explained what Ever had remembered, but she promised them she’d get them to Midgard sooner rather than later.

“Erika, come spar with me. Let me show you how much better I am.”

Darting after the girl as she ran through the sand, Erika felt her heart burst open and prayed to the gods that one day soon all her family would walk the shores of Valhalla together.

And no more innocent blood would be spilled only to be washed away with the tide.