Page 26 of Touch of Evil
Emme and me hit the beach and head to where Ted was found. On the way, I call Koda and spill the details we uncovered.
“Any chance there’s a species of wereoctopus we’re not aware of?” I ask.
“Don’t be a dumbass,” Koda growls at me. “The only species of marine life are weredolphins ’cause their mammals and weresharks cause they’re predators.”
“So, how do you explain the bruises and crushed bones, sugar tits?” I ask. “The only thing I know that could do anything close to what happened to Ted are weregorillas or something in the ape family. Ted’s condition tells me there’d have to be an entire troop, except Emme and the others insist there was only one creature.”
“Damned if I know,” Koda responds. “And damned if I know how these witches are involved.”
Emme wraps her arms around herself and curls inward. She’s freezing. I tuck my phone beneath my chin and pass her my flannel shirt.
One of the females who lives in the complex has a daughter close to Emme’s size. She lent Emme jeans to trade out for her skirt. The jeans fit her frame well enough, and initially Emme was warm. Now that we’re on the sand, and the wind is picking up, she’s probably regretting not borrowing a jacket.
“Thank you,” she says.
My shirt is huge on her. I watch her roll up the sleeves and lift her hair, so it falls against her shoulders. She gave up on keeping her hair up. That’s okay. Emme has the best hair around.
The wind lifts the strands like gold streaming waves that flow around her. She looks dab smack in the middle of a photo shoot. But Emme isn’t the model type. Her features aren’t chiseled nor can she strike a pose. That doesn’t mean she isn’t beautiful.
“Did you hear me, numb nuts?” Koda asks.
“No, bitch,” I fire back. “The reception is bad. Repeat, asshole. I said, repeat.”
Koda sighs. Even from here, he knows I’m lying. He passes the phone to Shayna, muttering something about what a waste of life I am.
“Hey, dudes,” Shayna chimes in.
“Tell him I’m asexywaste of life,” I instruct.
Shayna doesn’t laugh, like I expect, and her typical glee is absent in her voice. I hit the speaker button so Emme can listen in. “It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is,” Shayna says. “The witch parts we found all belonged to Lesser witches. Some have been dead only a few days. Others, well, it’s safe to say this stuff has been going on a long time, peeps.”
Emme huddles into the flannel shirt. “You said they were Lessers?”
“Uh, huh,” Shayna answers. “Not full witches nor were they still in school.”
“Were they ever in school?” I ask.
“Yes. One even attended Genevieve’s school, but she never graduated,” Shayna explains. “The other witches studied elsewhere, but also never achieved the title of full witch. Genevieve made inquiries with other covens by sharing their faces.” She groans. “Or what’s left of their faces. Like I mentioned, some of these bodies have been out here a long time. Four were identified by the head witch in the Tri-state area and two by a head witch out of Boston.”
“And none of them graduated?” Emme asks.
“Nope,” Shayna answers. “In fact, most didn’t make it past their first few years of study. From what Genevieve says, none of the ladies possessed much magic or skill.”
“So, they officially couldn’t belong to any coven,” Emme reasons.
“That’s right, and therefore didn’t have the benefits that come with belonging to a coven,” Shayna says. “Sure, they had head witches responsible for keeping them in line, but they weren’t considered ‘sisters’ or welcomed to their functions.”
I kick a rock out of my way as we continue forward, sending it flying into the water. “Without a coven, these Lessers were easy targets,” I mumble.
“Yes, and no,” Shayna says. “Witches are like vamps, andweres. Even if they don’t belong to a coven, clan, or pack, the big bosses are still responsible for their actions and their safety. The head witches in Boston and New York are angry with Genevieve for letting anything happen to them. Coven or not, they still had a connection to the deceased, and while they’re still technically residents on the east coast, witches are supposed to watch out for their own, no matter where they go.”
Emme rubs her hands. “Shayna, I can understand their anger, these women were brutally murdered. But they’re casting the blame on the wrong person.”
“Pfft. Tell me about it, Emme,” Shayna says. “One of the witches materialized while we were here and all but cursed Genevieve out. She’s demanding Genevieve make financial and magical arears. Koda told Genevieve she wasn’t obliged to. The witch told Koda to butt out. Koda became testy—you know Puppy doesn’t like being yelled at—and told her to eff off and to remove the broomstick she has rammed up her ass—I made him apologize, but you can tell he really hated doing it. Anyway, Koda made it clear that this waswereterritory and that we would handle it.”
“I did,” Koda agrees with a growl. “So, handle it, Bren. We’ve got this side. You have that side. Get this shit worked out.”