Blood Witch (12 page)

She smiled. “The feeling is mutual,” she whispered.

“Let’s get out of here. I say a shower is in need.”

“Here, here,” she said slipping into the passenger seat letting him close the door.
She looked out at the darkness her thoughts drifting to Jonathan. Her eyes darkened
and for the first time in a long time she saw the world in red wanting to hurt Jonathan.
She wanted to slice him up and watch his blood run. That darkness in her wanted revenge.

Her phone woke her. “Hello?”

“Sorry Leslie, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Carlos said. “Hey, I wanted to let you
know that I am running the test on the drug. So far Mark has no idea what I am doing,
and I am trying to keep it that way.”

“Don’t get yourself in trouble over me,” she said rubbing her eyes and stifling a
yawn.

“Well I did find something on the sigils in the house.” That made her sit up and pay
more attention.

“How?” she asked as Nathan stirred in the bed.

“Meet me at the Bliss Bar on Main at 6,” he said now in a small voice.

“Okay, see you,” she said and put the phone on the side table.

“See who?” Nathan murmured behind her.

“Carlos found something out on the sigils at the crime scenes.”

“You’re not a Supervisor anymore, so why are you meeting him?”

“My blood was found in the newer drug so I am now part of this case. What if they
hold it against me? I mean I will have an instant death lein against me.”

“Tonight a few of us are running if you want to join?” He wiggled his eyebrows at
her.

“I don’t change, so I don’t see the fun of it. But I’ll see you after right?”

He propped himself up with one arm and his other trailed up and down her thigh. “Of
course. Our week is just getting started.”

She laughed getting out of bed. “Good thing I haven’t felt this…” she paused thinking
about it.

“Blood. Leslie, it is blood, magic and sex. We are born of these things, us monsters,”
Jonathan said as he walked across the room. His mouth covered in blood. Her blood.
Why had she forgotten this memory? He had drunk her blood before.

Nathan wrapped his arms around her. “What is going on in that head of yours?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking about things,” she whispered.

“What things?”

She shook her head. “Just things.” She turned in his arms so she could look at his
very handsome face. “I don’t want this week to end.”

He kissed her head. “Me neither, but think of it this way it can only get better.”

“I hope so,” she said laying her head against his chest.

****

Carlos was already sitting at the bar waiting for her. “The test result are back,”
he said sliding her the file as she sat down beside him. She opened the file and glanced
through it.

“Why me?” she asked.

“They were using were blood and what better than the blood of a half breed. Your blood
is crazy Leslie. I had never seen anything like this drug. It almost looks magical.
I mean it should not exist.”

“Is there anything in it that can lead you to the person responsible for making it?”

He shook his head. “Sorry, I am not that good.” Which made her laugh.

“So what about the sigil?”

“You will not freaking believe this, but I found this book.” He paused to pull the
book out of his laptop bag and lay it on the table. The book looked old. Her nose
flared and she leaned in, getting a better smell.

“What the hell, Carlos,” she whispered. “That book smells like skin.”

He looked around the bar. There weren’t many people there since it was still early.
It was a typical bar. Dance floor, tables, tinted windows, neon beer signs, and the
stale tinge of alcohol lingering in the air.

“I know. I should not have this book. This book is kept under lock and key by the
vault keeper.”

“You stole a book from the Dragon!”

“Borrowed. I am a rat, makes it easy to borrow things.” He flipped open the cover
and Leslie’s eyes widened at the ink and the language on the thin, yellowed paper.”

“By the way, it is official papyrus that the pages are made of and the ink, well I
guess you might know what that is.”

“Oh stars,” Leslie said as her hand itched to touch the book.

“I had to decipher most of it. At first I thought it was Egyptian because of the hieroglyphs,
but this is actually a were text.” He pulled out papers showing her the words and
the meanings. “This one right here is how I found out it was ancient were.”

“You knew about this ancient language?”

“There were rumors, and I love a great myth story. But yes, I knew about it. I had
never really seen it; I found a handwritten encyclopedia in the vault as well. I think
the Dragon has been keeping secrets.”

She gave him a look. “Of course he has. He is the Dragon. The rumors say that he is
an ancient weredragon.”

“Weredragon, yes, but really ancient?”

“Think about it. I mean, he let it slip about knowing Mr. Forever before once while
I was talking to him. I have a feeling those two know what they each really are,”
Leslie said.

“Maybe you are right. So, here is the most interesting thing I have found in here,”
he said flipping the pages. Sure enough she noticed the sigils she had seen at the
crime scenes. She reached out and placed her finger on one.

The world faded around her and the ancient book whispered in her mind.
Touch me. Play with me. Blood
. And before she snapped out of the magic hold, a name was whispered through her brain.

“Leslie?” Carlos asked concerned.

She had her hand cradled to her chest as if it hurt but it didn’t. “Wow, that was
weird.”

“What happened?”

“The book is old and powerful. My magic liked it.”

He frowned. “This here is the sign of a were goddess.”

“There is no such thing,” she said.

“There once was. It is said she created the wereanimals. Her lust ran more toward
the animal side and she bore children of many of the animals. Her husband did not
like what she did so he bound her and buried her under a great mountain. He made a
creed that no one was to say her name or think of her so she would lose her powers.”

“Who is this husband?”

Carlos shook his head. “It just talks about her. There are a few references of this
mysterious man. One said he kept an eye on the children, but resented them. But he
made sure that they never knew of their real mother.”

She stared at the symbol and thought of the memory of Jonathan she had seemed to have
lost. “Oh,” she whispered.

“What?” Carlos said.

“Jonathan has her mark on his arm,” she said looking at him. “How would he know about
her?”

“I don’t know...unless he is connected to the murders.”

“What is her name?” Leslie asked looking at the book.

“Lycanthia.”

“Lycanthia,” she repeated and wanted to reach out and touch the book again. But she
knew better. “I think I need to go talk to Mr. Forever.”

“Too risky. He asks for too much in repayment,” Carlos said, his eyes going wide.

“For some reason he likes me,” she said.

Carlos had to get to work so he packed his stuff and they said goodbye and left. Leslie
walked out of the bar as the sun was setting. She could feel the dark coming. Her
body held the residue of touching the powerful book.

“Leslie!”

She turned around but there was no one there. Main Street was starting to get crowded
as the after work crowd started to find a place for dinner or a place to drown their
sorrows. She started walking toward her car.

“Leslie!” The memory slammed her hard. She stumbled but regained her composure.

Jonathan and Rich were looking at a few younger girls who giggled at them. “A little
young, aren’t they?” she asked.

Jonathan smiled at her and winked. “But think of how tasty they would be.”

“Yuck,” she said as Rich grabbed her hand. “Carlotta has something she wants us to
see. Why?”

Rich kissed her, “It is a secret.”

“I don’t like secrets.”

Jonathan took her other hand. “This secret will change your life.”

“Can I get a hint?”

“Lycanthia,” Jonathan’s hot breath whispered into her ear.

She frowned. What the hell was happening to her? She didn’t remember these things,
but they had to be flashbacks. And it hit her. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed
a number.

“Yes,” a voice answered after the fourth ring.

“You piece of shit. I don’t know how you did it but you messed with my memories.”

“Leslie,” the phone beeped telling her someone else was trying to call her. “I don’t
know what you are talking about.”

“Let me refresh your goddamn mind. Blood and Lycanthia. I am going to find out what
you two did because right now I am beyond talking.”

“Just forget it Leslie,” Rich said on the phone.

“Nope,” she said and hung up and looked at the missed call. She groaned as she looked
at the caller ID.

She hit the call back button knowing this wasn’t going to be good. She had finally
made it to her car, and got inside when Fred answered.

“What the hell Leslie,” he said angry.

“How was your trip Fred?”

“We need to talk my office NOW!”

“I am no longer a Supervisor.”

“My office NOW!”

****

Leslie stopped just outside the door. She closed her eyes and calmed herself. She
knew this was going to happen. She knew her actions would cause anger, and she knew
Fred would be pissed at her decision.

“Lets' do this,” she whispered to herself and opened the door stepping into the small
office.

She walked in and went to the other door. But as she turned the knob a buzz sound
sounded making her look up at Angelina.

“Sorry, Leslie, you can’t go in there.”

“Excuse me,” she said crossing her arms over her chest.

“Please take a seat and I will let the inside secretaries know you are here.”

“I came to see Fred. He said he wanted to see me now.”

She shook her head. “You are not a Supervisor anymore. So you need to follow procedures
like all Opposites. Please take a seat and I will let you know when you can go in.”

“I can just reach out and make the door open.”

“I will have to report the threat Leslie.”

“Fine.” She humphed, and took a seat. She pulled out her phone and texted Fred that
she was stuck in the waiting room. Angelina finished talking to someone and she looked
over.

“You can go in and talk to the inner secretaries. There they will give you a visitor
badge.”

“Gee, thanks,” she replied, getting up. She walked over to the door and waited to
be let in. Angelina buzzed her through. She walked into a busy office as she started
to walk past the dispatchers she was stopped by the Ginger, the banshee she-bitch.

“Leslie, I need you to sign in,” she said in a sweet voice.

“Are you serious?” Ginger opened her mouth. “I get it, procedure. You should be very
proud of your daughter-spitting image of you.” She grabbed the pen and signed her
name on the visitor’s clipboard.

“Here is your sticker. Now if you will head into Mark’s office?”

“I am here to see Fred.”

She looked at a file on her desk. “Yes. Mark first then Fred.”

“I have no urge to see Mark,” she said and started to walk toward the offices.

A high pitch whistle made her and all the other weres in the room cringe. Leslie gave
a hateful look at Ginger’s assistant Kell, a siren. “Really, was that necessary?”

“Must be dating the werebear that makes her sensible,” Kell said tartly to Ginger.

“Bitches,” Carlos whispered next to her. He grabbed her arm and walked her to Mark’s
office. “They are baiting you. You have to keep your wits. If you get angry and let
loose they can have a death sentence slapped on you ASAP. Just take it.” He let go
of her arm at Mark’s door and knocked for her.

“Thanks,” she whispered to him as Mark told her to enter.

She went in and looked at him seated at his desk. “You wanted to see me?”

He nodded and opened a file on his desk. “Please sit.”

“Fred wants to see me.”

“Fred can wait. Take a seat, this will be quick.”

“What will?”

“I just wanted to let you know that since you are no longer a Supervisor you are now
under the supervision of the Supervisor. Because of your past before the Supervisors,
you have to be monitored like all liable Opposites.”

“Are you…”

“Can I have her now?” Fred asked at the door interrupting her.

“I am not finished with her yet.”

“She knows the procedures so if you don’t mind I will be taking her to my office.”

Leslie got up and followed Fred from the one office to the other. As soon as she walked
in she saw Collin and Patrick. Collin gave her a small smile, and Patrick looked ready
for a fight.

Fred closed the door and turned angry didn’t describe the magic that rolled off him.
“I leave for a week. A week! You guys can’t do anything right it seems.” He went over
to his desk and sat down. “This is how we are going to play this.”