The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death

[ladydeathfaerie]

Title: The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death
Chapter Fifty Five: Out Comes the Evil
Fandom: Anita Blake universe
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: graphic sex and violence, language, anything else i can toss in.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of LKH. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. the Sues are the sole property of their originators, Ginevra, Dazzledfirestar, Nanaea, SilverFoxChan and ladydeathfaerie. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from Dazzledfirestar.

Author's Notes: i'm going to add some serious warnings here. there is a crime scene in this chapter and while it may not be extremely graphic, it is likely going to be disturbing. because its me. so just be careful when you go in. the last part of the chapter is where you need to take care.

The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death - Index Link

Dolph was still hunched over his desk when Zerbrowski returned with fresh coffee for the both of them. Not the shit that they made in the break room. That stuff could peel paint off the squad cars at fifty paces. No, Zerbrowski had done the unthinkable and gone out for gourmet coffee. Unthinkable because he generally didn't leave work until he was off his shift. And because one was taking their life into their own hands if they went to get real coffee. The vultures tended to circle and threaten. Viciously. Fortunately, he hadn't been forced to run that gauntlet. No one wanted to risk the chance of getting on Dolph's bad side.

He'd been in a bad mood ever since they'd gotten a call about a potential kidnapping possibly involving the lycanthrope killers. The call had seemingly come out of the blue, but the tip had been solid. So Dolph and Zerbrowski and the rest of the RPIT squad had rolled out. Only to find there was no kidnapping victim. There was a great deal of blood, but no victim. There were no kidnappers, though evidence was found to suggest there'd been someone living in the abandoned home that they'd been sent to. And there was Marshal Aedan Kinkade, holding a knife and covered in blood.

She'd obviously been in shock. Everything Perry had told Zerbrowski pointed to the fact. But Dolph hadn't liked that she'd been at his crime scene and hadn't bothered to call him. And he hadn't liked the implications made by the bloody knife and the blood on her clothes. Zerbrowski was sure, had the lawyer not shown up and put and end to the interview, Dolph would have kept Aedan there and questioned her until she'd collapsed or admitted to murdering JFK. Dolph was positive Aedan had done something with the kidnapper she'd claimed to have chased from the scene. And ever since that evening, he'd been almost maniacal about digging up any information he could about the case.

Zerbrowski considered suggesting, again, that Dolph let it go. But he knew such a move would only be met with a pointed glare and painful silence. So instead, he set the cup down on the desk. "Coffee. Black. With a dash of sugar. Just like you like it."

"There isn't anything on this planet that could make the stuff Henning brews palatable. And calling it coffee is a crime," Dolph commented, head never lifting from the papers spread out on the desk in front of him.

"It isn't the tar Henning makes. Its from the coffee place that just opened up the street about half a mile. Real coffee. Made by real humans. For real consumption." That bit of news got Dolph's attention. He lifted his head to send the other man a look, giving Zerbrowski a chance to take in the exhaustion that was taking up permanent residence on his face, before reaching out to pick up the extremely tall cup. Even before he got it near his lips, a smile was pulling them up. No doubt he'd got a whiff of the heavenly smell rising up out of that paper cylinder.

The smile turned to a look of bliss after he had his first sip.

"Thanks. I needed this." There was genuine appreciation in Dolph's voice.

"Still trying to find the lycanthrope killers?" Zerbrowski asked, even though he hated to put Dolph on that particular path. He'd listened to the man rant and rave for nearly an hour after Kinkade had walked out of the office earlier in the week. He wasn't sure he wanted to go back down that path.

"Temporarily on hold," the other man responded, tone a bit tense. Which told Zerbrowski that someone higher up the office chain had told Dolph to not bother Aedan. Zerbrowski was pretty sure that the high fee lawyer who had shown up to put an end to everything had seen to that. He'd heard the woman's name before, knew she represented some big names with big money. He'd had no idea until the moment they'd stepped out of the office into the main area that she knew the Master of the City.

Maybe it was a good thing the bosses were telling Dolph to let it go. There was no proof that things hadn't happened the way Aedan said. So far, they'd been unable to find any bodies. They'd found lots of blood and prints. Hair samples and clothing fibers. But no bodies. Not a kidnap victim's body, not the kidnappers' bodies. Not a single body at all. He knew that Dolph thought Aedan was hiding something from them, that she knew more about the kidnapping and the kidnappers than she was letting on. Maybe she did. Maybe she'd done things that would see her behind bars. He didn't know.

What he did know was that Aedan Kinkade was little more than a kid who had been thrown into a very crappy position and she was doing the best she could. He'd seen in her face that night the toll that the whole strange ride had been taking on her. She'd been on the verge of collapse when she'd left here. It had been plain to see in the way the vampires had crowded around her. Hell, even Forrester had acted like a protective older brother.

The fact that Dolph hadn't been able to see it said a lot about his state of mind. So maybe it was a very good thing. For both of them.

"Then what are you working on?"

"Some of Miss Odon's friends at the FBI did some more digging at my request. I just got their results today, so I've been going over the files they sent," Dolph explained, turning back to the papers spread out before him.

"What kind of digging?" Zerbrowski asked, moving to take a chair across from Dolph.

"Remember our visit to Pure Heart Ministries?" The question came seemingly out of the blue. But Zerbrowski knew that there was definitely a reason for the question.

"Yeah. Weird as hell. The good reverend seemed too pious for my liking. And his wife... If ever there was a woman who hated her husband, it was Ruth Ann Solomon," Zerbrowski replied. Dolph nodded.

"Like the good reverend said, Ruth Ann's father developed that emblem. The heart surrounded by God's light. The one that was perverted by the lycanthrope killers. I couldn't figure out why they'd do such a thing. Why they'd take an emblem like that and use it in ritualistic murder. Especially not after altering it the way they did. So I had the Feds dig up as much information as they could on Carter Solomon and the Pure Heart Ministries. It was an interesting read."

Zerbrowski considered himself intrigued. No doubt Dolph was building to something important with his tale. So he sipped his coffee and waited for Dolph to go on. Because there was obviously more to this story than he knew.

"Carter Solomon married Ruth Ann Garner thirty years ago. At the time of their marriage, Pure Heart Ministries was a very small, salt of the earth group run by Ruth Ann's father. When Roger Garner kicked it, the ministry passed down to his son-in-law. Carter Solomon took a ministry that had a congregation of maybe sixty people and grew it to a congregation of nearly five hundred in about six months' time."

"Interesting," Zerbrowski murmured. "How did he manage it? What we saw when we visited him suggested that few people ever actually visit that church."

"Solomon's main ministry is actually here in St. Louis. He owns several properties around the city. Most of them are industrial spaces."

"Warehouses."

"Exactly so." Dolph shuffled some of the papers around until two specific ones rested under his hands. "So let's get to the interesting stuff. Carter and Ruth Ann had eight children. Six boys and two girls."

"That seems fairly typical for a religious family," Zerbrowski said, not sure why this was the interesting part. Not that he wasn't sure Dolph would enlighten him.

"It is," Dolph agreed. "Now. Before we go any further, allow me to show you a flier that one of the Feds managed to get their hands on. He said he got it from an anonymous source, and that he was told it was being circulated throughout the lycanthropic community."

Dolph paused and picked up one of the two sheets he'd shuffled to the top, handed it over the desk to Zerbrowski. The man took the piece of paper and stared down at it. It looked like the kind of photo that a family had taken for their Christmas cards, one with all the children clustered together in a small group in front of a fake Christmas scene background. This one held six boys. Two girls. Every single head in the picture was blonde. Every single eye was blue. It was like looking at Nazi party propaganda.

After ensuring Zerbrowski had plenty of time to look at the paper, Dolph handed over a glossy print of a photo. Zerbrowski frowned when he realized he was holding the photo that had been used for the flier. "The good Reverend Solomon's brood?" he asked, not really needing the confirmation.

"His children, yes. And the flyer you have? The two faces that have been circled are reported to be the lycanthrope killers. The FBI's source said that they were told those were the people they needed to keep an eye out for."

Zerbrowski blinked and let his gaze slide from one image to the other. The implication was impossible to ignore. "The good reverend has murdering offspring," he said quietly.

"He does. If the source is to be believed, at any rate." Dolph nodded his head and smiled. It wasn't a very nice look. "The minute I saw that, I did some digging into the Solomon clan. Seems the youngest girl, the one indicated on the flier as being one of the killers, ran away for a year. The family filed a missing person's report. Cops looked for her for some time. Then one day, she just up and comes home. Seemingly as if nothing had happened and no time had passed. But things weren't the same after that. There are reports from neighbors of strange things happening at the Solomon house. They think something happened to the girl while she was gone and her parents tried to do something about it after she returned."

"So have faces. And names," Zerbrowski remarked. "We can start looking for the two of them."

"Assuming they're still alive," Dolph returned. "I'd like to ask Kinkade about it. See what she knows. Because she damn well knows something."

"I thought you were told to leave Marshal Kinkade alone?" Zerbrowski reminded him. Dolph sighed and let his frown come.

"I was told not to call her in for any more questioning. But I wasn't told anything about not asking a few questions if I happen to see her at a crime scene. In the course of a continuing investigation. One cop to another."

Zerbrowski frowned at that. Blind siding Kinkade when they were dealing with a violent death wasn't very fair. Dolph shouldn't have even been considering it. But pointing that out would only make the other man mad. Zerbrowski decided to leave that alone and go back to the topic at hand. "So what's our next play?"

"Release their images to the media. Have the public on the lookout for them, on the off chance they're still alive," Dolph replied. The tone of his voice said very plainly that he didn't think it was likely.

"You don't believe they're alive," Zerbrowski commented.

"No. I don't. And Kinkade knows something about it," Dolph replied.

Zerbrowski sighed. This wasn't a smart idea, but the can was already opened. Might as well pull the lid off. "You're so sure of it?"

"She knows something, Zerbrowski. There's no way she could be covered in that much blood and the kidnapper have survived."

"The lab said they found three different people's blood on her. Isn't it possible that someone else was involved?" The look Dolph sent him told him the answer to that. He nodded and gave Dolph a speculative look. "Fine. Hypothetically speaking, say Aedan knows something about the kidnappers. Whether they're dead or not. What would you do with that knowledge?"

"If she had anything to do with their deaths, then I'd be bound by duty to put her in jail." There was a note of finality in his voice. He was actually serious.

"You'd condemn her to prison for the life of someone who murdered people? Who may have kidnapped someone with the intention of killing them, too? Even if they deserved it? Even if she did so in self-defense?"

Dolph's hand curled into a fist. "If it was self-defense, then she should have said something. Do you think I want to put her in prison?"

Zerbrowski looked at him and decided to take the risk. "Yeah, Dolph. I really do. I think you've wanted to put her behind bars since Anita died. You hate that she didn't do anything, despite being told that they were surrounded by an overwhelming number of people. You hate that she's associated with the Master of the City, even though her power makes it logical and understandable." Zerbrowski paused a moment and let Dolph chew on that before continuing. "And you hate that you watched Anita do the same thing. She gravitated toward the vampires and you couldn't stand it. So you got mad and shoved her away. Now you feel guilty that you didn't repair the damage done to your relationship with her. You feel guilty that you couldn't save her. So you're taking it out on Aedan."

He paused again, gave Dolph a moment to defend himself. But the man said nothing, simply ground his teeth together until his jaw was clenched so tightly that it had to hurt. After several moments of silence, Zerbrowski pushed on. "In case it escaped your notice, Aedan Kinkade is still wet behind the ears. She's making this shit up as she goes along. And she feels like she's supposed to know everything. Be everything. She feels like she's supposed to be Anita. Its a hard job, trying to fill someone else's shoes when its what you think other people expect of you."

"Youth or not. Experience or not. That's no excuse for committing murder."

"If she did commit murder. Based on what I saw, she was in a fight for her life. If she killed the kidnapper, then she did so in self-defense." Zerbrowski gave Dolph a hard stare. "If she did it."

Zerbrowski put the pictures back on the desk. "If you've got nothing else for me, I've got a couple of reports to finish up."

He exited the office and left Dolph alone with his own thoughts.

~*~*~*~*~

Janika watched as Aedan stared around her, eyes wide and mouth parted just a tiny bit in wonder. It was obviously the first time she'd been to The Hanging Gardens. Janika wondered if that's what her face had looked like the first time Asher had brought her. She sent an amused look toward the man with them, let him see the faint smile curling her mouth up. He returned her smile, then turned his gaze back to Aedan. "What do you think, cherie?" Asher asked.

"What do I think?" Aedan finally said, turning to give her attention to Asher. "I think this has to be the most amazing place I've ever seen in my life. And I also think I'm seriously underdressed."

"You look lovely, cherie," Asher assured her. He was right. For their evening out, Aedan had chosen a dress in black lace over a flesh-colored shell that clung to her torso and legs. The neckline was scooped low and the short sleeves rested on her arms well below her shoulders. She wore a simple silver chain that hugged her throat, a ruby red drop hanging from it. Matching earrings dripped from her ears, the single ruby red drops hanging at jaw level. She'd woven her hair into a simple braid, left a few tendrils curling around her face. The dress was paired with a pair of black velvet heels and a black velvet shawl.

"Thank you," Aedan replied, a blush rising to tint her cheeks pink. "You look very handsome. And you look beautiful, Janika." There was a hesitancy in her voice that suggested she was suffering from a case of nerves. Janika frowned at that.

"Are you nervous, Aedan?"

The other woman flicked her gaze Janika's way before reaching out to pick her up water glass. She was very careful about which glass she picked up. In fact, she'd barely touched the wine the waiter had poured for her. "Maybe a little," Aedan replied.

"What do you have to be nervous about, cherie?" Asher questioned, reaching out to lay one hand on her arm.

"I... This is the first time I've really done anything like this." Aedan motioned around them with her water glass, the gesture indicating the interior of the restaurant.

"Like this? Like what? Go on a date?" Janika asked her. She had a hard time believing that. Aedan nodded in reply and her gaze slid around the room one more time. It took Janika a moment to realize she was seeking out entrances and exits, looking for danger that might lurk in the corners. That made her wonder if Aedan had somehow managed to bring along a weapon. There were people who wanted her dead. Someplace public like this would be a perfect opportunity. And even though Asher was there, he was only one person. He might be able to hold off a few normal humans, but word was that he wasn't capable of holding off the group that was after Aedan.

Asher gave her a confused look. "I thought Jean Claude had taken you to The Grand Affair."

"He did. But it was just him and I. So it was a date, but it wasn't." She frowned, then shook her head as if whatever had occurred to her didn't matter. "There are people here and they'll see us together. Its different."

"Well, we'll just have to take you on a lot of dates so that you get used to it," Janika informed her. She almost laughed when Aedan gave her a startled look, but kept it to herself. After sharing a look with Asher, she decided to go another route. "You don't want to go on dates with us?" Janika asked.

"I never really thought about it," Aedan admitted. Her gaze shifted back and forth between Asher and Janika before she finally sighed. It almost sounded like she'd managed to screw up her courage. Curious. "I didn't think it was something that would happen. So I never thought about it."

Janika frowned at that. "Did you think that night we spent together was just for show?"

"I thought... I thought that it was..." Aedan trailed off and heaved another sigh. "Look, I know I was in really bad shape when you found me, Janika. I was drunk and crying and I don't think I was anywhere close to being in my right mind. I know I initiated the kiss because I thought it would distract you from your questions. I wouldn't have to answer them, which meant I wouldn't have to confront my own feelings."

"It was natural that you were hurt by what happened, Aedan," Asher told her. She gave a smile that was more self-deprecation than happiness and shook her head.

"Doesn't matter. He does what he wants." Janika could hear the unspoken and who hanging in the air. If Aedan thought she was fooling anyone, she was sadly mistaken. But she pushed on before anyone could point out that her feelings were valid, no matter what. "The point is, I initiated that kiss to distract you from your questions, Janika. And it did that. It also distracted us both from everything else."

"It was a really good kiss, Aedan," Janika told her, memory of that night bringing a touch of color to her cheeks.

"It was. And then Asher was there and we were climbing into that ridiculous bed and I lost all sense of up and down. All I know is it felt good and I didn't want to stop feeling good. But come the daylight, when I was sober and back in my own body," she paused there, cutting her gaze toward Asher to let him know she knew what he'd done. And why. "Well, I figured that what had happened was just a one time thing. A really fantastic one night stand. Because you two are so solid and so in love and..."

Aedan broke off, sounding wistful. Together, Janika and Asher both reached out to cover Aedan's hands with their own. "We enjoyed having you with us, Aedan," Janika told her.

"Janika is right, Aedan. You are a passionate, beautiful, vibrant young woman," Asher confirmed. Their words brought a soft flush of color to her cheeks. "We would enjoy spending more time with you."

"I wouldn't want to come between you," she said quietly.

"You wouldn't, Aedan. This is something Asher and I have talked out. We believe there was a connection there between us that night. I know I felt it. Asher felt it. We hope you felt it, too. And we hope you enjoyed our night together enough to want to see if it was more than just a one time thing."

She let her gaze shift between them, her cheeks darkening as she considered what was being offered. Janika thought it was cute that she could be so easily flustered by something so innocuous. But she supposed it wasn't that unusual a reaction, if Aedan had never gone on a date before. After a few back and forth glances, Aedan let her attention focus on the flowers that hung around them, her eyes unfocusing briefly. Janika wasn't sure if she was thinking about the offer or if she was mentally checking up on Jean Claude. The look only lasted for a few seconds before her gaze refocused and she offered the two of them a shy smile. "I think I'd like that. But I don't know how to do this," she warned, spreading her hands to indicate everything.

"We will take it one day at a time, cherie," Asher assured her. Then he lifted the hand he still held so he could drop a kiss onto the delicate skin of her wrist.

The waiter arrived then, bringing to the table a platter of fresh fruits, cheeses, and nuts. There was another tray with a trio of bowls set over warmers. They were filled with melted white, milk, and dark chocolate. It was an odd choice for an appetizer, more something one would order for dessert. But Asher had suggested it, said it was very popular with his patrons. The waiter left them without a word. Asher turned to look at Aedan.

"The chef is very talented. This is a new idea of his. Try it and tell me what you think," he told her. She nodded at that, then picked up one of the small forks set to the side of the platter. They both watched as she studied the offerings of fruit and nuts carefully before spearing a chunk of cantaloupe with her fork. Another moment of study saw her dipping the piece of melon into the milk chocolate. She made sure to shake off the excess dip before carrying the bite to her mouth. She'd barely gotten it past her lips before she was moaning in pleasure. Whatever flavors were exploding across her tongue, they made her eyes slide shut in bliss.

"The melon is salted perfectly," Aedan commented after she'd finished chewing. "And the chocolate... There's chili pepper in it, isn't there? There's heat that plays with the sweet. And they both bring out the saltiness of the melon. Oh, hello. There's a hint of alcohol there, too. Rum?"

Asher smiled at her. "You are correct. What do you think?"

"I think its amazing. Heavenly. Sinful. The chef is a genius. You were smart to hire him," she commented, already reaching for another chunk of melon. Her words surprised Janika. She hadn't told Aedan that Asher owned the restaurant. And a glance Asher's way said he hadn't, either. When they both turned looks her way, she gave them a knowing smile. "Guys, I'm basically a preternatural detective. Its my job to know these things." When they continued to stare, Aedan laughed. It was a soft, throaty laugh. A good laugh. A happy laugh. It did weird things to Janika's insides. "Okay. Seriously. When I first came to St. Louis, I heard people talking about The Hanging Gardens. They were raving about the food and the atmosphere. So I did a little looking. I found paperwork online."

"A very wise move," Asher complimented.

"Oh, wow. The nuts are smoked," Janika said, eyes wide as she finished chewing up the tidbit in her mouth. "The cashews are hickory smoked. And it works so well with the salt and the bitterness of the dark chocolate. I'm not sure what else I'm tasting. I think its cinnamon."

"There is cinnamon in the dark chocolate," Asher confirmed. "And just a touch of coffee."

"Pure vanilla," Aedan managed around a mouthful of almond and watermelon. "The almond was smoked with mesquite. And there's vodka in the watermelon. Seriously, Asher. Your chef should be making obscene amounts of money. This is... fucking fantastic." Aedan was already reaching for another helping. He smiled at her enthusiasm.

"I will be sure to let him know you think so," Asher said, pleasure making his words warm and golden. Janika saw, out of the corner of her eye, Aedan's shoulders give just the barest shiver. It was a sign that his voice had done things to her. When she looked up, her pupils had expanded a little, and her cheeks were pinking up with the faint touch of a blush.

"Jesus fuck," she whispered. "That was... If this is what it'll be like during dinner, I don't think I'll survive the night. And I'm not entirely sure I mind."

"Careful, hon, or I'll think you're looking for an excuse to get into my dress," Janika teased. Aedan turned a lustful gaze her way and one hand reached out to catch Janika's hand. Her breath caught in her throat when Aedan sucked a finger into her mouth. She had to bite back the moan when Aedan's tongue swirled around her fingertip.

When she let go of the captured digit, she simply gave Janika a knowing look. Then she went in for another round of appetizer. Janika watched as she got a few nuts caught between the fork's two tines, then speared a piece of honeydew. The whole mess was dunked into the dark chocolate, then carefully shifted over so that Aedan could slide the whole thing in her mouth. A thin river of chocolate dribbled down her chin. Janika didn't even think, she simply leaned closer to Aedan and kissed the chocolate off her chin, then lifted her lips so she could kiss the woman on the mouth.

Aedan tasted of the fruit she'd just chewed, the nuts and the chocolate. There was a touch of her gloss there, too, something that tasted suspiciously like pink bubblegum. It should have been out of place with the more sophisticated flavors of their appetizer. But it fit in. And it fit Aedan. Janika was tempted to deepen the kiss, but she had to draw back when something dark flashed against the back of her brain. She couldn't stop the frown, nor could she stop her mind from trying to figure out what it was she'd seen.

"Janika?" Aedan asked. She sounded concerned.

"Sorry. I think I might have a headache coming on," she told the other woman. She saw the look in Asher's eyes, felt him resting gently at the edge of her consciousness. She tried to find a smile for him, but it felt like her lips were frozen. Then Aedan was popping open her clutch and pulling a small, silver box from it.

"Here. I have some pain meds in here," she said, already popping the box open. Janika watched as her fingers dipped into the box to retrieve a pill. They came out dripping with crimson. Janika had to blink and clear her vision in order to rid herself of the image. Holy fuck, what the shit was going on?

"Janika?" Asher's voice was soft in her mind. "What is it?"

A vision. I'll tell you later. she replied, eyes shooting a meaningful glance toward Aedan. She felt his acceptance, then his presence faded into the background.

"I have some ibuprofen," Aedan said, holding her hand out to show a few different pills resting in her palm. "Plain old aspirin. Naproxen. Take your pick."

"Thanks." Janika offered Aedan a smile and picked one of the tablets out of her hand. She swallowed it down with a few sips of her water and tried to put the things she'd seen out of her mind. They would ruin the evening if she didn't. And she didn't want to ruin the evening.

"You're welcome," Aedan returned, then paused and gave Janika an intense stare. "You know, if you're not feeling well, we can definitely postpone this until later. I wouldn't want to make you sit through a meal if you're in pain."

"Nonsense, Aedan. There's no reason to end the night. I'm sure I'll be fine in short order," Janika managed, offering the other woman a smile. Aedan stared a moment longer, as if she didn't believe Janika. Then she shrugged and speared a piece of fruit with her fork.

"So tell me, cherie," Asher spoke, drawing Aedan's attention his way. Bless him for running interference. Janika owed him one. "I have seen little of you lately. What keeps you away from the Circus?"

Aedan gave him a look that plainly said he should already know the answer to that. They all knew she'd been avoiding pretty much everyone lately. Janika didn't know if it was because of the secret she was supposed to be keeping or if it was merely because of Jean Claude. Janika was willing to put money on the vampire because it was absolutely no secret that he drove Aedan up the wall on a daily basis.

"Work, mostly." Her words were accompanied with a shrug that could have meant anything. Likely what she'd intended when she'd given it. "Bert keeps selling me to the people coming through the door as Anita Blake's protegé. Its a giant pain in my ass. Because it means I have meetings with clients scheduled just about every night, from the minute I walk into the office to the moment my shift is up. I haven't done a normal zombie raising in weeks. And if it isn't Animator's Inc., then its consulting for Dolph on his cases."

"And you do nothing for fun?"

"Who has time?" she asked, one hand idly swirling the trio of nuts she'd managed to get caught between the tines of her fork through the dark chocolate.

"You must do something for fun, Aedan," Janika commented.

"Not really. Unless you count pounding the heavy bag." She gave a look that suggested she wasn't really as into the idea as she could have been. "Edward's got it in his head that I need to beef up on my hand to hand. In case I need it. Because the people who want me dead are going to challenge me to a fist fight."

"You sound so flippant," Asher murmured. Aedan turned a look his way.

"Anita's killers are not the first people to want me dead. They won't be the last. If I took every death threat to heart, I'd never come out from under the covers. Besides, people tend to kill that which they fear. Which means I must make a lot of people really fucking uncomfortable."

Asher reached out and took hold of Aedan's hand, pulled it toward him so he could press a kiss to her palm. The touch of his lips against her skin saw her falling silent. Janika hid a smile. Yeah. He had that affect on people. He tugged her arm gently, drawing her closer to him even as he leaned toward her. They met at the halfway mark and Asher laid a gentle kiss on her lips. It didn't last very long and it was fairly chaste, as far as kisses went. But it took Aedan a few seconds to pry her eyes open and right herself. Her moves were slow and careful, as if she wasn't sure she'd be able to sit back up without falling out of her seat.

Yeah. Asher had that kind of effect on people, too.

"You should finish your appetizer. There is a special meal coming after that I believe you both will enjoy. And, after dinner..." Asher paused, voice trailing off as his gaze slid from Janika to Aedan. The blue of his gaze darkened. Heated up. Janika found herself clenching her thighs together in response. "Dessert."

~*~*~*~*~

There was a small crowd gathered around the grave, each one of them staring at her as she carefully laid her circle. It had been too long since she'd gone through the soothing ritual of setting a circle in preparation of pulling the dead from their grave. It felt good to do so again, her body going through the motions by memory. Not that she needed the ritual to bring the zombie to the surface. She'd proven more than once that she could do it without all the trappings. But people expected a show. And she didn't want anyone to know that she could summon a zombie with little more than the application of her power.

It was a routine raising. The family of one Rodney Singleton had paid an extremely gross fee in order to have Aedan raise their loved one personally. Not that there wasn't an animator at the office who couldn't have done it. Rodney Singleton had been dead for less than a year. His will was being contested, one side of his family claiming that they were entitled to everything in the man's estate while the other side insisted that he intended for his money and possessions to be distributed equally between them. The judge in the case had ordered them to use an animator to settle the argument once and for all. And they'd wanted to best.

She hated that Bert kept using her tie to Anita, minor as it had been, as a means to more or less pimp her services out. People liked to know their money was going to hiring the best. Bert had everyone convinced that she was the best. Aedan didn't like that one bit. But there wasn't much she could do about it because Bert would do what Bert would do, regardless of how it impacted anyone else. One of these days, she'd love to shove his smug smile down his throat. Just to make herself feel better.

The last few drops of blood fell into place, closing the circle around her. She felt the power snap into place, felt the walls go up between herself and the family and their small contingency of lawyers. She glanced at them and offered a smile. "If you'll all be quiet now, I'm going to raise Rodney from his grave."

There were a few murmured replies that Aedan took to be agreement, then silence fell around them as she readied herself. She gathered her power to herself before casting it down into the ground. She could feel it sliding through the dirt, burrowing deep into the soil like the roots of an ancient tree. "Rodney Singleton, I summon you from your grave. Rise and present yourself before us. I'm calling you, Rodney Singleton. Rise from your grave and present yourself."

She felt it the moment her power touched Rodney's corpse. The people on the other side no doubt saw nothing, felt nothing, and they probably wondered if they were being played. But she could feel her power flowing through the pores in the wood of the coffin. Could feel it as it slid into Rodney's remains and filled them, temporarily, with life. She felt him make his climb toward the surface.

For several long seconds, there was nothing to see. Nothing to hear. She was aware of the eyes that touched her, the family's gazes heavy. The lawyers' gazes light and filled with boredom. And then the ground rumbled softly beneath her feet. She was fairly certain that the crowd of on-lookers felt it. And then there were soft gasps when the soil boiled up over the grave and spat out a fully formed zombie named Rodney Singleton.

He hadn't been very old when he'd died, maybe in his early fifties. There was a touch of grey at his temples that looked stylish with the deep blue suit his widow had chosen to bury him in. There was hints of green in the mostly blue tie that brought out flecks of the same color in hazel eyes that already held intelligence. The zombie stood and stared at her, waiting. The family stood and stared, waiting. The lawyers continued to look bored.

Aedan drew a small blade from her belt and used it to make a tiny cut across her fingertip. She offered the finger to the zombie. "Drink, Rodney. Drink and join us."

The zombie stared a moment longer, then took hold of Aedan's hand and sucked her finger into its mouth. She felt the pull against her skin as it started to suck at the blood beaded up on it. After a swallow, she saw the eyes fill even further with intelligence. He released her finger and stood still, once again waiting. "State you name for everyone present," Aedan instructed.

"Rodney Singleton," he replied, voice rich and cultured. It matched the man's looks. Aedan knew he'd been head of an international corporation that had made him a millionaire several times over.

She sent a glance toward the lawyers, who still gave the appearance of being bored. But they nodded their heads to let her know that they accepted the man's words. A court appointed representative had produced a video camera and was filming the interview. She gave her attention back to him. "Mister Singleton, you've been summoned from your grave in order to answer questions put forth by your family. Their lawyers are here to witness your statements and will relay that information to the judges. Do you understand what I've just told you?"

"Yes," he nodded. Brisk motion. Crisp voice. A man in control.

"You can ask your questions now," Aedan told the group. She motioned to the lawyers standing behind the grave. Singleton turned and gave everyone a look.

"Good to see you, Rodney. Wish it could be under better circumstances," one of the lawyers said, an older man who had spent far too much time behind his desk. The shirt he wore was stretched a little too tightly across his belly and his face had a jowly look to it.

"Me, too," Singleton replied. Aedan watched as his eyes shifted from one face to another, saw the way they narrowed when they landed on the man she knew was his son-in-law. Interesting. She had a feeling this interview was going to get really bad, really fast. "What was it you needed to ask me, Gerald?"

"Its about your will, Rodney. There are some questions as to how your assets are to be distributed," Gerald began.

"My will was very carefully worded to avoid just such a problem as this," Singleton commented, a touch of annoyance in his voice. "No doubt you read them the addendum at the bottom."

Gerald's caterpillar eyebrows crept together to meet in the middle of the man's forehead. "Surely you weren't serious about that addendum?" he asked, voice filled with confusion and surprise.

"Absolutely serious. Deadly serious," Singleton replied, voice pitched low. Gerald looked uncomfortable. Which was going to give the other lawyers a chance to try and run right over him. Aedan decided she could step in and speed the process up. She held up a hand to forestall any other questions and turned her attention to the zombie.

"What kind of addendum are you speaking of, Mister Singleton?"

The man's eyes turned her way, bright with anger and something stronger. Something deeper. Something primal. Something very much like revenge. "The one that states not a single member of my blood thirsty family gets a red cent if I die by anything other than natural causes."

Outraged voices started speaking all at the same time, creating a cacophony of noise that could do a good job of raising the dead. Aedan turned a glare toward the crowd. "All of you. Be quiet. Right now." They responded to the authority in her voice and fell silent. She took note of the son-in-law trying to edge away from the crowd. Singleton's son stopped him, one hand curled tightly into the other man's arm. Aedan turned back to the zombie. "Are you saying that you were murdered, Mister Singleton?"

"I am, Miss... I'm sorry. I don't believe we've met."

"You can call me Aedan," she told him. He inclined his head in response. "Tell me how you died, Mister Singleton. And tell me who did the deed."

"It was poison. Slow acting. Hardly noticeable at first," he said. "But my doctor found it when he gave me a physical at my request. I wasn't feeling my best and I was sure something was wrong. Of course he did blood work. He's thorough like that. And that's how he found out I was being poisoned. By the time he found it, though, there was little we could do to reverse it. So I went to Gerald and added a little bit of protection to the will. No one inherits my money."

"Not even me, honeybear?" Celia Singleton asked in what she probably thought was a cute voice. Aedan found it annoying. Based on the look on Singleton's face, he did, too. It was starting to look like he'd only married her because she looked like a million bucks in her slinky black dress. No doubt her version of widow's weeds.

"Not even you, Celia," he replied calmly. The woman stared at her dead husband in shock, face going white beneath her expertly applied make up. Then, as what he'd said really set in, twin stains of red washed the white out as anger beat down disbelief.

"You... asshole!" she snarled.

"Yes, well. You're the one who was screwing Randall." His words saw every eye turning toward the son-in-law who had been trying to sneak away. Singleton's son bore a very similar expression as the one his father presently wore. The woman at his side, Alana Singleton-Bishop, was gaping at her husband as if she'd never seen him before. Maybe, given she'd just met a new version of him, she hadn't. "And you were the one who plotted with him. He may have been the one who gave me the poison, but it was your idea. So you get nothing. Randall gets nothing. All of my money will go to a host of charities. My children have their trust funds, and that should be enough to see them through. I have no doubt that Aaron is already in control of the company. So there's nothing more to do. Is there? Does anyone else have any questions?"

Gerald and the other lawyers shared looks with one another before turning back to Singleton. "I think that covers everything, Rodney. So terribly sorry to trouble you."

The group looked like it was going to try and leave. Aedan shot them a glare. "No one is leaving until I say this interview is over. And before any of you decides that my word doesn't mean anything, allow me to remind you that my other job comes with the title Federal Marshal. So I suggest you stay put."

Singleton was watching Aedan with what looked like respect. She got the impression that he was the kind of man who valued authority and strength. He flicked an assessing gaze over her, likely not impressed with the old set of coveralls she was wearing to keep from spattering herself with blood, before returning that shrewd gaze of his to her face. "You are a force to be reckoned with, Aedan. I like that in a person."

Aedan gave him a look that let him know she was less than impressed with the come on. He had no chance in hell as a zombie. He'd have had even less chance when he was living. "I have one last question for you, Mister Singleton," she said, making sure her voice was loud enough for one and all to hear. The man struck her as the kind of person who planned everything and had a back up plan for his back up plans. "You've just accused your wife and your son-in-law of murder. Do you have proof of this murder?"

"I have a private safe in my apartment downtown. Gerald has the address in his files. The combination is there, as well. Inside, you'll find all of the evidence I have that will prove their duplicity. I assume pictures and video will be enough to condemn them?"

"I believe it will, Mister Singleton. Thank you for your time tonight."

"You're welcome, Aedan. Its a shame I didn't meet you before I met my wife. We would have made a good power couple." Aedan ignored the implication in his words that he would have collected her like a piece of art. It was the type of man Rodney Singleton was and trying to argue with him wouldn't do any good. She'd met people like him before. So she just smiled at him and reached into her bag for the salt she carried to complete the ritual. Singleton watched her with a sharp eye, as if he expected her to do something entirely different.

"Return to your grave and rest, Rodney Singleton," she intoned as she tossed a handful of salt at him. "The grave calls to you. Rest, Rodney Singleton. Rest and be troubled by the living no more."

She felt her power grab hold of the zombie. For a moment, it looked as if Singleton had a strong enough will to fight the power. But the look of intelligence faded from his eyes and the ground began to boil up over his highly polished shoes. In only seconds, the zombie was gone and the gathered group was left staring at the spot where he'd stood. Aedan broke the circle, smearing a bit of the blood with her toe to collapse the wall of power around her. Then she stared at the group.

"Celia Singleton. Randall Bishop. You're under arrest for murder."

~*~

Aedan had just stepped out the doors of the precinct where she'd dropped Rodney Singleton's wife and her lover when her phone chirped from the depths of her pocket. She tugged the device out and glanced at it, noting that it was nearly three in the morning and that the caller was Zerbrowski. She didn't like that he was calling her. Nor that he was calling her this late. It suggested that there was a crime scene she had to see. And it suggested that either Dolph hadn't wanted to call her. Or he couldn't. She didn't like what that suggested.

She thumbed the connection open. "Kinkade."

"Aedan. I know its late, but we have one hell of a situation here and we really need your expertise." Zerbrowski sounded... disturbed. That really wasn't a good sign.

"Okay. Give me an address," she said, already tugging pen and paper from her pocket. She considered trying to get him to tell her anything, but was pretty sure he wouldn't do it. So she let it go for now and dutifully wrote down the address as he rattled it off. Aedan clicked the pen once to hide the tip then tucked it and the pad of paper, minus the page with the address on it, back into her pocket. "Got it. I'll be there as soon as possible. I'm getting into my car now." She tried to sound reassuring. She was the expert on the big bads, right? So why did she feel like she was walking into the stuff of nightmares?

"I'll be waiting," Zerbrowski assured her. The line disconnected and Aedan returned the phone to her pocket. She took a deep breath, in through her nose and out her mouth, in an effort to center herself. Instinct told her that she was going to need it, that whatever she was facing when she arrived at the address Zerbrowski had given her was going to be the worst thing she'd ever seen.

Shoving that thought aside, Aedan climbed behind the wheel of her Jeep and turned the engine over. She took a moment to punch the address Zerbrowski had given her into her GPS unit. The map flared to life, a big red dot marking the spot where she was headed. She studied the roads and picked out the most direct route, then put the vehicle in gear and pulled from the police station's lot.

Her brain kept ticking over just how horrible the scene could be, kept trying to prepare her for any eventuality. She tried to push those thoughts aside, tried to concentrate on the road. Tried to think about anything else other than what was waiting for her at the big red dot on the map that was her destination.

Thinking about her destination reminded her that she had an escort. A glance at the mirror showed her that her Rodere body guards were keeping a distance, but were otherwise following her. She tugged her phone from her pocket and pressed a button. The line rang once and was answered with a clipped "Yes?"

She didn't know who her guards were and she didn't care at the moment. What she cared about was her destination. One that didn't include a couple of rats loaded for bear. "I'm on my way to a crime scene. I do not need you tailing me there. Break off in three blocks, please."

"Orders are..."

"I don't care what orders are. I'm going to a crime scene in an official capacity. I do not need babysitters. If you're worried about what Jean Claude will say, I'll deal with him myself. Just do not follow me to the scene or I'll arrest you on principle. Do you understand me?" Maybe she was being unnecessarily harsh, but she really didn't want to have to explain to Zerbrowski and Dolph and anyone else who might be listening why she had to have body guards. There was no way RPIT could handle the type of people who wanted her dead. Hell, she wasn't sure she could handle them.

That didn't mean she was going to make it someone else's problem.

Silence carried across the open connection for a moment, then she heard what might have been a soft sigh. Or merely a shift of someone's arm against their clothing. "Fine. As long as its your ass and not ours. We'll follow until you turn down the road its on. Then you're on your own."

"Thank you." She cut off the connection and dropped the phone back into her pocket. The rest of her trip was made in silence.

The roads were nearly empty at three in the morning. At least they were in this area of the city. Back in the vampire district, the streets would be packed with cars until dawn came. She supposed she could see the draw the mundanes felt to the vampire district. Head down to one of the many vampire owned businesses and maybe get lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one of the undead. And if you were especially lucky, you'd get to see the Master of the City himself. Most people didn't get to see the vampires that often. And certainly not for the predators that they really were. She'd seen one crime scene committed by a vampire too many to be enamored of their unearthly beauty. If people really knew what kinds of creatures walked the earth with them, they'd run screaming into the night.

The rats didn't follow her when she turned onto the street that would take her to her destination. She made a vague mental note that they waited at the end to ensure she got to the crime scene unmolested, but they made no effort to try and follow her up the road. She was thankful, because there was already a tight cluster of vehicles blocking off the road. Cops had come out in force, cars with their lights strobing parked everywhere. She could see yellow tape blocking off one house. It sat on a larger than usual lot, all fake stone and gleaming windows. Light spilled out into the night from those windows, painting the yard in front with golden squares. There were far too many cops loitering on the lawn. Aedan didn't know if that meant they were waiting for the rush of reporters that were surely already on their way to the scene or if none of them wanted to go into the house behind them.

A handful of uniforms were doing a damn good job of keeping the residents back. Many of them had been pushed to the opposite side of the street. The group was chattering loudly, pointing at the house, and staring around as if they expected something interesting to happen while they were standing there.

Aedan parked her car as close to the scene as she could and took a moment to clip her badge to her suit coat. Then she made sure she had her professional face on and looked like the big bad Fed she was supposed to be. She checked her weapon and made sure she was ready to go, then climbed out of the car and headed for the yellow tape barrier and the nearest uniform. Even before she'd gotten close enough to draw the cop's attention, she saw a figure break off from a small knot of people in the middle of the yard.

How she'd missed Dolph in the crowd, she couldn't say. He stood head and shoulders above most everyone else. But she'd missed him standing amidst his people and that worried her. Almost as much as seeing him outside did. She had to wonder why he was hanging out in the yard instead of towering over the crime scene. But she'd barely had time to have the thought before it was cut off. Dolph was already at the corner of the yard, one hand holding the yellow tape up to allow her entry into his crime scene. He gave her a look, gaze cold and heavy as it rested on her, then nodded and motioned for her to follow him.

Together, the two of them moved across the yard toward the house. The soft conversations being held between the groups of cops came to a brief end as every set of eyes turned to follow their progression across the grass. That could not be a good thing. Not at all.

They bypassed the house with its fake stone exterior to head for the backyard. It had been fenced with a tall, wooden privacy fence. A gate stood open, allowing a steady flow of cops and crime scene techs in and out of the yard. It was toward that opening that Dolph led her. The stream of people going in and out came to a halt as Dolph came into view, and eyes followed their progression as they stepped into the backyard. High powered lights lit up the scene so that it was almost as bright as midday. And even from the edge of the yard, what Aedan saw made her want to turn and run the other way.

There were three distinctive lumps hidden under white sheets. But that wasn't what bothered her. It was the sight of divers in the pool that had her heart slamming in her chest. A stainless steel grill was smeared with crimson streaks and spatters, as were several trees and plants that surrounded the inground pool. Towels were stained red, as were the deck chairs that they'd been left on. The deck around the pool was slick with red, almost as if someone had poured bright paint all over the place. Jesus fuck. She did not want to look. She did not want to see. She did not want to know.

But her feet followed Dolph to the edge of the pool, They stood in the one spot where there was no blood. Whether it was something the crime scene people had done or if it had been like that when the cops had arrived on scene, Aedan didn't know. Dolph said nothing, merely sent her a dark look before turning toward the pool. She could do no less than follow his lead. And it took everything in her to keep her feet when she did.

The water in the pool was so red. Almost like Kool Aid. But she'd never come across Kool Aid that had bodies floating in it. That had body parts floating in it. "Oh," Aedan got out, the sound choked in a throat that was dry and tight. She must have swayed on her feet or something because the next think she knew was that someone had a hand on her arm. She glanced at the hand, then followed it up the arm it was attached to until she realized that it was Dolph's hand holding her steady. And he was staring at her with a touch of concern in his eyes.

"You okay, Kinkade?"

"I..." she began, only to stop and clear her throat because there was almost no sound coming out. "I think so. I've never seen anything like this and it took me by surprise."

"Yeah. It did that with the entire squad," Zerbrowski commented from her other side. She turned to look at him and saw that he was barely past the horror himself. "I don't think we've ever seen anything this brutal the entire time we've been part of RPIT. I have no words. Other than wrong. And nightmare."

He was right. It was the stuff of nightmares. The longer Aedan stared, the more she saw. A pair of eyeballs were floating in the water near where they stood. They were two different colors, telling Aedan that two different children had... She forced herself to cut that thought off when Dolph's hand squeezed her arm. She sent him a weak smile in thanks and tried to find that place in her brain that she could send the emotions threatening to overwhelm her so she could look at everything with a detached, clinical eye.

Detached. That thought almost brought hysterical laughter bubbling up. She shoved the reaction down and began really studying the scene.

It was like some horror film come to life. Everywhere she looked, she found bits of meat. Pieces of flesh. Parts of what had once been humans. Children. Divers occasionally broke the surface, coming up out of the bloody water like creatures from the deep rising to consume the people who lived at the edge of the water. They brought with them the parts that hadn't floated to the surface yet, laid each piece out on white sheets at the edge of the pool as neatly as they were able. She saw and small arm. Part of a leg. Several fingers. A spine, still holding some of the muscle and tendons that had once been inside of a living body. More eyes. Parts she couldn't name. Didn't want to name.

"How many?" she asked, voice a whisper.

"Does it matter, Kinkade?" Dolph asked her. He'd let go of her arm once he'd been sure she wasn't going to go down on her ass, so she turned to face him, giving him a dark look.

"How. Many?" This time, her voice was stronger. Louder. It carried and several people turned to look at her. She wasn't sure what they heard in those two words or what they saw in her face, but they stared at the two of them, their eyes moving from Dolph to her and back again. As if waiting for someone to burst into flames.

"Best estimates put between six and ten children in the pool."

She felt the blood leave her face. Forced herself to remain standing. Forced herself to breathe and swallow and not fall into madness. "Oh gods."

"This isn't your fault, Aedan," Zerbrowski said quietly. She whirled to face him and saw that he meant it.

"Not my fault? How is this not my fault?" She motioned toward the pool with one hand, ignored how the extremity was shaking. "Its all my fault. If I'd done my job and caught the summoner before now, this wouldn't have happened!"

"You did not make the summoner call up a demon, Kinkade. And you sure as hell didn't have the summoner send a demon after a bunch of children. This isn't your fault. Blaming yourself won't change anything. And it'll turn you old real damn fast." Dolph's voice came from behind her, soft and steely and certain. Aedan shook her head and turned back to the pool. How could they say that this wasn't her fault?

"Aedan," Zerbrowski began, but Aedan shut him out and stepped away, picking a mostly blood-free path around the pool until she stood next to the first sheet-draped body. She squatted, a pair of gloves already snapped in place over her hands. She felt Dolph and Zerbrowski come, felt them loom over her as if to threaten her into listening to them with their mere presence. She had the edge of the sheet in her hands and was lifting the corner when Zerbrowski spoke again. "You don't have to do this. There's nothing you can tell us about the bodies that we don't already know."

Nothing she could tell them? Fucking hell, how bad was this scene? Why had they brought her here if not to have her look at the scene and give them her opinion? Ignoring Zerbrowski's words, she peeled the plastic sheet back far enough to have a look at what it hid. And almost immediately regretted her decision when the foul stench of perforated bowel reached her nose. It was strong enough to nearly bowl her over. But she forced herself to breathe through her mouth so that she could study the corpse.

A teenager, based on the looks. Torso shredded open and organs removed. Eyes wide and mouth open in a silent, eternal scream. The other two lumps were much the same. None of them could have been more than sixteen. By the time Aedan had checked out all three corpses, she'd nearly lost her lunch half a dozen times.

She stood back up on legs that felt far too shaky to hold her weight. When she turned to look at the two men behind her, it was to find that Zerbrowski was watching her with sympathy on his face. Dolph's expression was closed off, making him look as if he was trying to appear stoic. She was pretty sure that it was his cop face and he was using it to keep the screaming terror nicely locked away behind metaphysical bars. "Show me the rest."

"Aedan." This from Zerbrowski. She shook her head at him and then stepped past to where Dolph waited for her. There was no doubt that he was going to deny her. And she wasn't disappointed when he turned and started for the house. A patio door opened out onto the yard from the back of the building, and it was through this door that the two of them went. The interior of the home was darker than the backyard. And somehow, the dimmer lighting made it all so much worse.

The sliding door took them into a living area. The floor was sticky and red, and she counted no less than half a dozen sheet draped forms here. Some were too small to be anything but infants. Aedan made a point of showing just how tough, and fucking stupid, she was by checking each and every corpse. She found more of the same. Torsos shredded open. Organs missing. Some of the eyes had been torn out. Some had been left. Fingers and toes were gone here and there. Almost as if the demon had taken its time and just nibbled at its victims. As if they were little more than snacks.

She nodded at Dolph when she was ready to move on, incapable of speech because opening her mouth would see her vomiting all over the crime scene. If she was going to hurl, she'd do it somewhere else. Not here. Not where all the cops could see. Not where all these people had died.

The next room had ten bodies. These had practically been torn apart. There were limbs tossed around the room, some kind of den or game room, simply ripped off the bodies they'd been attached to. The demon had likely just tugged and pulled arms and legs off without even really trying. The only saving grace was that all of the bodies in that room were adults. Not that it was much of a saving grace. But it was almost easier to look at the adults than it was to look at the children.

They moved through the house, going from room to room so that Aedan could check out each and every one of the corpses. Some had had their heads pulled off their shoulders. Eyes were missing here and there. Bits of organs, obviously eaten fresh from the body, were found every where. Someone had had their head smashed open and their brain had spilled all over the floor. Squashed flat, as if the demon had stepped on the organ.

The last room they stepped into made Aedan's heart stop. It was a child's playroom. She could see the brightly colored wallpaper between smears of blood and bits. The room was filled with carnage. The demon had not spared a single soul in the house and the children in this room had been savaged in ways the rest of the people in the house had not. One of the toddlers had been bitten in half, legs and pelvis on one side of the room while the torso and head were on the others.

By the time she had inspected the last victim's body, she was numb. Couldn't think or feel or do much of anything but breathe. And that was only because it was an automatic thing. Everything else was suspended as she tried to simply cope with the ferocity of the killings. The utter violence visited upon those unsuspecting people. The absolute horror of it all. It was Zerbrowski who took hold of her arm and gently pushed her out of the room. Took her back through the hellscape that had once been someone's home, until they stopped in the kitchen.

It was the pristine nature of the kitchen that snapped her out of her stupor. There were bowls on the counters, filled with green salad and potato salad and macaroni salad and jello salad. Plates of buns for burgers and hot dogs. A platter that held grilled burger patties and hot dogs. Bags of chips. A pitcher of lemonade, slices of fresh lemon floating on the top of the pale yellow liquid. Piles of plates and bowls waiting for people to make use of them. Plastic silverware. Plastic cups. It was all so... normal. And it was all going to go to waste. Because every last soul who had been in the house for that party was dead.

"How many bodies?" she asked, voice flat and dull.

"Right now, we've estimated it at thirty. But it could be higher," Dolph told her. His voice was his version of gentle and she decided she had to look bad if he was going out of his way to treat he with kid gloves. "The people who own the house are Brad and Sharlene Horton. They're members of the coven that this demon has been going after. We're not sure but we think the other adults here were members of the same coven. We won't know for sure until we get confirmation of identities and can compare them with the list we have."

"They are. Everyone on that list who was still alive was here. And now they're all dead," Aedan said.

"How did it get in?" Zerbrowski asked. Aedan blinked and looked at him. "The demon. How did it get in? If all the remaining members of the coven were here, how did it get in? Surely they had enough magical ability between themselves to create some kind of barrier that the demon couldn't breech."

Aedan stared at Zerbrowski for a few moments. He was right. There should have been enough magic here to prevent the demon from getting in. The coven could have set wards around the entire yard and kept the demon out. And yet... Aedan thought about it and realized she hadn't felt any magic at all. Not even the kind of magic the homeowners would have used to set protective wards on the house.

"It just walked in through the door. They never cast a single spell," she whispered.

"But... why?"

She had no reasonable answer for that question. And, at any rate, it didn't matter because a uniform approached them just then, gloved fingers curled around a cell phone. "Detective Storr, one of the techs found this under the bushes at the edge of the pool. She said you need to see it."

Dolph took the phone from the uniform, who reached out and tapped her finger against the glass screen. Dolph shot a look at Aedan that saw her moving up to stand at his side. The uniform tapped the screen one more time and a video began playing.

It was kind of hard to see what was going on, because the sky was mostly dark, but there were torches burning around the perimeter of the pool that showed what the owner had been filming. Aedan caught sight of a flat face with eyes that seemed to glitter in the shadows. Large, wicked, curved claws slashed at a teen who was standing between the demon and a group of cowering children. There was blood on those claws even before they slashed the teen's abdomen open. The demon leered as its victim cried out and dropped to his knees.

Then the camera turned and showed a girl's pale, anxious face. "What the fuck is happening? What the fucking fuck is happening? Oh, my gods! Its eating Jeff! Why is it eating Jeff? Someone please help us. Its going to kill us all!"

The girl's words ended on a scream and the phone jostled and jittered as it changed positions, all the while still filming. The demon had taken the girl's body to the ground and her hand had remained curled around it. Dolph, Aedan, and Zerbrowski watched as the demon buried its face in her belly and ate.

Dolph stopped the video and handed the phone back to the uniform. "Have tech get that back to the lab and see if they can't pull something from that video that will be of help."

"Yes, sir," the cop nodded and hurried off.

"You okay, Kinkade?" Dolph asked, attention once more focused on Aedan. She blinked at him and gave the question serious consideration. Then she shook her head. Slowly. Because to do anything else would be inviting trouble.

"No, Dolph. I don't think I am. And I think I really need to go home because if I stay here much longer, I'll lose it."

"Escort her out to her car, Zerbrowski. See to it that she makes it okay."

"Yes, sir." Zerbrowski took hold of her arm and slowly led her from the kitchen. Once they were outside and nowhere near the bodies, he stopped and looked at her intently. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," she heard her mouth say. Honestly? She didn't think she'd ever be okay again.