The Witch's Angel Read online

  Luke maneuvered the car as close to the scene as he could get, groaning as he saw the collection of people lining the tape. He clicked the gearshift into park and climbed out of the car before he made his way through the crowd, flashing his badge a few times to streamline the process. The lumbering footsteps of his partner followed him. A small groan escaped him as he ducked his tall, well-built frame under the yellow police tape cordoning off the area.

  “Don’t anyone have respect for the dead?” Luke’s partner, Carl, growled as he stepped up behind the younger detective. Luke’s eyebrows drew together at the sight of what was left of the body. “Jesus. What a mess.”

  “Poor guy.” Luke agreed, his handsome face pinched in sympathy, his intelligent blue eyes taking in everything. The viscera lying in the mouth of the alleyway floated in pools of blood, more splattering the peeling paint of the bricks on either side of the scene, each meticulously marked by a small plastic flag.

  The click of a camera shutter and a brief flash of bright light drew Luke’s attention. Tracie, the crime scene tech, carefully stepped around what was left of the body and the puddles of blood, holding the camera draped around her neck. She looked up briefly, nodding, businesslike.

  “Boys.” She greeted.

  “Tracie.” Carl answered.

  “Any idea who could do something like this?” Luke asked her.

  “Something real determined.” Tracie brought the camera up to her eye and snapped another picture.

  “Anything you can tell?” Carl asked.

  “From this soup?” she said incredulously, nodding her head toward the victim. “I’m sort of sure it used to be a person.”

  “Scrape up what you can.” Carl grunted. “It would be nice to maybe have an ID for once this month.”

  Luke felt his stomach turn and he grunted softly. Carl spared a glance over in his direction.

  “You alright, Kid?” Carl asked.

  “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” Luke cleared his throat he crouched down over the body, trying to find some sort of pattern in the violence while pictures were being taken, vaguely hearing Carl order a couple of uniformed officers to canvass the area. Luke doubted they’d find anything. They’d found nothing at the other murders.

  Three impossible murders.

  Luke had not been a cop for long, had been a detective for even less time, but he had known violence in that short period. The gore wasn’t what was bothering him. A subtle tingle under his skin had put him on edge ever since the first body was found, feeling almost as if these murders were some sort of harbinger. A sign of things to come.

  What kind of things to come? He wasn’t quite sure yet. He kept his thoughts to himself.

  The faint ringing of his cell phone from his coat brought Luke from his wonderings. He pulled it out of his pocket and recognized the number of the police station on the caller ID. He answered eagerly with a clipped greeting of his name. A few short words were exchanged between the young detective and the caller. Carl looked over at Luke hopefully as the younger man hung up the phone.

  “We got a break.” Luke told his partner.

  “Yeah?” Carl perked up a bit.

  “DNA of the first victim was in the system. We have an address.” Luke answered, already walking toward the car.

  “Hot damn!” Carl followed excitedly with a clap of his hands.

  “I’ll let you guys know.” Tracie called after them.

  “Thanks!” Luke threw over his shoulder, ducking into the driver’s seat of the cruiser as Carl climbed into the passenger side.

  Chapter 4

  I think I might be working Patrick into quite a lather.

  “At least the knightmares won’t eat us.” I reasoned.

  “No, they’ll just kill you and leave your corpse for the animals.” Patrick said darkly.

  “One thing I like about you Pat is you really know how to have a good time.” I told him.

  “It is my duty to protect the Royal Family-“ Patrick started, his voice growing hard.

  “It is your duty to protect this world and the people in it. The Angels are our partners, not our protectors.”

  “My duties have become something more since I am now a married man, Princess.” Patrick admitted, his teeth clenching. I could tell even from my Cushy Chair that it took a lot for him to admit that; admit that he had something that he could hold above his duty, something that meant so much to him.

  Someone.

  “Theo is more than capable of taking care of himself, General. You know that.” I answered, hoping that answer would be the end to that particular vein of reasoning as I stood from my desk and walked around it to lean against the front.

  It wasn’t.

  “Perhaps you would understand if you had found-“

  A twinge pierced my chest even before Patrick cut himself off, staring at me with wide eyes. I tried to keep my breathing under control as I felt the familiar heat rise up in the back of my neck and the clench of my stomach.

  I should be used to this fucking conversation by now.

  “No, we’re legally related now. You can say it.” My voice was surprisingly even. “Heaven knows everybody else feels free to speculate as to why I haven’t found my Angel.”

  “Princess…” Patrick pled softly.

  “What reason will it be this time?” I asked, feeling my cheeks flush and wishing I could stop the feeling of shame heating my face. “Do I work too much? Or, shudder to think, does Heaven just not look favorably on me?”

  I’m such an asshole.

  Listen, I’ve tried, all right? It’s not like both my brothers were paired with born Angels that they both found before middle school. Oh, wait, that’s exactly what this situation is.

  I still remember the look of abject disappointment I received when I hadn’t found my Angel as a kid like I was supposed to.

  It’s become painfully obvious to me now that my Angel has been born human and that makes whomever it is roughly a million times harder to find so I can awaken their Angel DNA with my powers.

  Or maybe I’ll never find them and we’ll die apart.

  Or maybe I don’t have one.

  Or I could be killed by knightmares and left for the animals to pick at my corpse.

  At this point, I’m sort of rooting for that last one.

  “I apologize. That was out of line, My Lady.” Patrick whispered softly, his head bowed. “I’m sorry.”

  Jesus. Hell of a Princess I am.

  I felt the fire leave me, bubbling down to embarrassment at my outburst settling in my stomach. My cheeks flushed as I looked down at the floor, not meeting Patrick’s gaze.

  “I’m sorry for the flare-up, Pat.” I sighed back. “But I need you to get that we’ve been doing this awhile. I understand more than you think I do.”

  “The Queen is about to name a successor. The barriers are vulnerable to an attack, especially the large one the Beacon guards.”

  “We’ll have a new King soon enough.” I retreated back toward the comfort of my Cushy Chair.

  “Or Queen, My Lady.”

  I froze for a moment before plopping down behind my desk, the air escaping from my lips in a raspberry.

  Hell yeah. Queenly material. Right here.

  “Cale is the logical choice.” I stated simply, leaning my elbows on my desk.

  It’s true. Dude’s had a metaphorical King of Witches tattoo on his forehead since birth.

  I just work here.

  “Not from where I stand, Princess.” Patrick admitted. I looked up at him and he was having a touch time maintaining eye contact with me, which was really unlike him.

  “What do you mean?” I asked. I knew he wasn’t talking about Theo. He’s way more interested in his research than running this place. Not that I blame him.

  Patrick’s proficient eyes flickered briefly around my office, looking for a trace of anything that was off. I didn’t take it personally. If I had faced the amount of actual battles this guy had, I’d be a litt
le paranoid, too.

  “It seems as if Prince Calen is becoming less and less like the boy we all grew up with.” Patrick told me quietly. I leveled my gaze at him.

  Cale never really was much of a touchy-feely kind of guy. It was his ambition that pushed most other things out of the way. But he’d always found time when I needed him, when Theo needed him, when Mom or Dad needed him. I supposed that’s why I’d always thought he’d sit on the Throne eventually. But since Dad died, he’d been…different; I guess you could say. Not quite himself

  But then again, I think you could say the same for the rest of us, too.

  “You’re seeing devils in your breakfast cereal, Pat.” I answered, pushing that thought process out of my mind.

  “That’s what you pay me for.” Patrick answered so simply that I had to laugh. He snorted with a small upward twist of his lips. It disappeared before he continued, “I fear for what’s coming for you…for us.”

  I looked up at him. In the years that I’d known him, Patrick radiated power. The man could command attention just by walking into a room. The kind of fearless bravery that stood, untouchable within him is what made him such a trusted friend and advisor.

  The thought of losing Theo was the only thing that I had ever seen him afraid of. The kind of fear he was showing now.

  I wish I knew what to say to him. We all know it’s not safe, that danger lurks not just in our outer borders, but also right behind the tear in reality that this building was built around, literally just a few feet from where we were talking.

  Walking around in a bubble while the people we were meant to protect are dying is not an option.

  “I’ve made my decision, General.” I told him, straightening up. “The Royal Family isn’t the priority. Keep your troops on patrol. No new manpower around the Beacon.”

  I saw his jaw clench and I knew he wasn’t at all pleased with my answer.

  Tough titties.

  “As you wish, Princess.” He growled finally. I caught his eye and maintained the contact.

  “I understand more than you think I do, Pat.” I told him again.

  A knock on the office door drew both of our attentions.

  “Yeah, come in.” I called out.

  A familiar smiling face poked its head into my office. I felt my spirits lift instantly when I saw who it was. I walked over to Theo as he came though the door, wrapping me in a warm hug, squeezing me as my feet left the carpeted floor.

  “You getting any work done around here? Or have you been blowing everything off to go to the movies?” he asked, his voice muffled by my shoulder.

  “That’s rich coming from you, Mr. Fucked-off-for-weeks-being-all-happily-married.” I shot back as he set me back on my feet. His smile was wide and open, his posture relaxed. “You look good. Sunny.”

  It’s hard to imagine Theo lounging on some beach somewhere for a couple of weeks, much less Patrick. I’m not saying Theo is the same sort of disciplined soldier that Patrick is, but he has just as hard a time relaxing as the rest of us. He probably brought a stack of medical journals along to read.

  Nerd.

  “Well, the sun’ll do that to you.” He chuckled.

  “Shut up. No more compliments for you.” I quipped.

  “You burn anything down while I was gone?” Theo asked.

  “No, but the day is young.” I flicked him on the ear and retreated back to my desk before he could retaliate.

  “Mom wants a quick word.”

  Okay, I will admit to the smallest, tiniest groan that escaped my throat before I could stop it. I’m only human.

  Well…not human…you know what I mean.

  “You okay, Danny?” Theo asked, intuitive as always.

  “Yeah, of course.” I answered, rolling down my sleeves and grabbing my blazer from the back of my Cushy Chair. “I’ll just go there now. Try not to do anything gross in my office.”

  Theo wrinkled his nose at me while I walked across my office.

  “And don’t you dare touch my fucking chair!”

  Theo swore under his breath just before the door swung shut behind me.

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  Theo put his hands in his pockets after the Princess left, looking at Patrick with a curious expression in his green eyes.

  “So…what were you two talking about?” Theo questioned.

  “Small talk.” Patrick answered, his voice light as Theo made his way casually to his husband. “The weather, the birds in the sky, that sort of thing.

  Theo raised his eyebrows, obviously unconvinced.

  “I’m sure.”

  “I have the resources at my disposal that can provide better security to the Beacon and your family.”

  Theo reached out, dragging his finger along the knuckles of Patrick’s hand. Patrick relaxed a fraction, leaning into the touch.

  “That’s not what we’re here for. You know that.” Theo reasoned, watching as their fingers tangled together.

  “That’s what your sister said.”

  “Danny’s right. She cares about our people.”

  “Which leaves me to talk some sense into the rest of you.”

  “It’s your burden to bear, my love.”

  Theo watched as Patrick’s eyes grew more distracted, his eyebrows drawing together, his frown deepening. Theo used their hands to pull Patrick into his arms, watching his face soften as their eyes met.

  “What’s the matter?” Theo asked, his hand sliding up Patrick’s back, feeling the feathers of his powerful wings folded neatly along his muscular back. Patrick shook his head, sighing as Theo’s hand comforted him.

  “I have…I have the worst feeling.” Patrick admitted. “I can’t explain it.”

  “You always worry.” Theo reasoned, breathing in Patrick’s scent.

  “It’s something different. The Angels are restless.” Patrick said, allowing his body to move with the Prince’s.

  “There hasn’t been any real trouble in centuries, Pat.” Theo comforted.

  “That makes us about due.”

  Theo groaned out a chuckle as he rolled his eyes.

  “I love that you’re so easygoing.” Theo teased, smiling. Patrick felt the smile lighten his own mood, in a way that only Theo seemed to know how to do. The soldier relaxed even more into Theo’s arms.

  “I love you.” Patrick breathed into the shell of Theo’s ear as the Prince’s smile grew.

  Chapter 5

  It’s possible I took my sweet ass time going to my mom’s office.

  Listen, I can already tell what you’re thinking and it’s not like I haven’t thought it myself. My mom…she expects a lot from me. I’ve never really known why. But that’s a good thing, right? She cares about me. She just wants me to be everything that I can be. Be the best Witch I can be. Why would I dread going to see her? Why am I bracing myself as I stood outside the regal cherry wood door that led into her office foyer?

  Why does what she tells me make me feel so much worse about myself?

  I’m too old for this.

  “Frightened by a door?” a familiar smooth voice drifted down the hallway to scare the crap out of me.

  “Cale! Jesus!” I squawked, clutching my chest and whirling around to face him.

  Cale smirked as he raised an eyebrow from where he was leaning against the wall, his hands in the pockets of his suit pants casually, one highly polished shoe crossed over the other.

  “Must be some door.” Cale said, pushing off from the wall and approaching me.

  “Why are you lurking there?” I asked, getting my breath under control.

  “What’s the matter, Kid?” Cale asked, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion, his smirk never faltering.

  “Nothing.” I said quickly. He leaned his head back and stared at me in a way I knew he didn’t quite believe me.

  “Then whatcha doin’? He asked casually.

  “Admiring the architecture. Mind your own beeswax. Damn.” I defended. He laughed

  “She can be
a little hard to take lately.” Cale conceded. I sighed, somehow annoyed and relieved at the same time that he read the situation so I didn’t have to explain it.

  “I just…I come out of there and I feel… about this tall.” I explained, holding up my thumb and forefinger a few inches apart. Cale nodded his understanding and was silent for a few moments. I waited, waiting to hear what he had to say.

  “She’s gone though something none of us can imagine.” Cale explained. I felt my stomach drop.

  “I know.” I nodded, looking down at the ground, suddenly feeling as if my height assessment earlier with my fingers was entirely too generous.

  I can’t imagine the pain of losing your Angel.

  There’ve been many poor people that have tried to explain the feeling of losing your partner, from either perspective. Each explanation sounds more excruciating than the last.

  I imagine it would feel something like being torn in half.

  “It would be hard to see yourself moving forward after something like that.” Cale carefully explained. “I can see how it would be difficult for you to understand…”

  Boy, did I not feel like having this conversation again. I waved my hand to stop him from going further.

  “I know.” I said simply.

  “She cares about you. Remember that.” Cale reminded me as if I needed a reminder.

  “I do. I do remember that.” I nodded, feeling myself retreat. Of course she cares about me. I know that.

  I could still feel Cale looking at me thoughtfully, assessing the situation, calculating as he always did. I look up just as his face and body gracefully re-arranged themselves into the resemblance of my mother.

  Fuck, it freaked me out when he did that.

  He had figured out he had the shifting ability when we were kids, which is exactly the sort of power you want to give a vindictive pre-teen boy with innocent little siblings who freely give the name of who they have a crush on at school. That same vindictive little shit can then transform into that perfectly innocent little sibling and talk to said crush.