I stepped forward and wrapped her in my arms. My little witch had come here, of her own free will and at her own suggestion. She’d allowed me to protect her, trusted me to keep both her and her sister safe.
“We will find out why they want her. I promise.”
“Any clues in the car?”
I shook my head. “The man who used cyanide to end his life was carrying an encrypted phone. My techs are attempting to decrypt the information now. Hopefully that will lead us to his employer.”
“He called her an abomination and worse.”
“I know.”
Her green eyes looked haunted, her face pale, and I leaned down, gently brushing her lips with mine.
“You’re so tired.”
“I know. I’m not ready to sleep yet. I just need…”
I studied her face. If she needed a distraction, I could provide her with one she would enjoy. Anything to remove the exhausted misery from her eyes.
“I have a surprise for you.”
Her eyes instantly cooled with suspicion and I felt my lips curl. Was it any wonder I was entranced by this woman?
“What kind of surprise?”
“A secret surprise. You’ll enjoy it.”
My phone buzzed and I reached for it, frowning as I read the text. “I need to go take care of something, but I’ll be back soon and I’ll take you to that surprise. Make yourself at home.”
She nodded absently. “I might take a shower.”
“Take a bath. Relax.”
She attempted a smile. “Maybe I will.”
The thought of her lounging in my tub made it almost impossible for me to leave, but I forced myself to stalk out to the balcony. I dropped down to the lobby, where I took the elevator down two more floors, underground.
The doors opened to the cool rooms we used as a morgue. Gloria stood next to one of the bodies, her hands over it as she muttered to herself. Vas leaned against a wall, eyeing the witch with a similar suspicious expression to the one Danica liked to give her whenever they were in the same room.
“What do you know?”
“Whoever is in charge of these men was using these to track them,” she took a knife and slit open the human’s neck to reveal a tiny silver bar. With deft movements of the knife, she pried the bar free and held it up to the light.
“What is it?”
“It would allow their masters to know exactly where each of these men were at all times. It would also likely provide information about their vital signs. It was inserted in a dangerous place, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that was deliberate. It could be that it can self-destruct or send out an electrical charge if the host is deemed no longer necessary. I’m unhelpful here, as the magical scent makes no sense— a mixture of wolf, fae, and something else. Your tech team will need to take one of the other bodies and examine the devices themselves.”
“The werewolf Alpha believes there is something in Evelyn’s neck.”
Gloria’s brows shot up. “In that case, I will need to search the grimoires for a way to neutralize it, and we will need an experienced healer on hand to pry it out. It would be prudent to also use a surgical team.”
“What are the consequences if the device is left alone?”
“They’ll certainly be tracking her, as evidenced by their attacks. However, these men must not have had access to her location in real-time, or they would have killed Evelyn while she was on her way back to the coven. Likely, they were simply pointed in her direction by whoever is pulling their strings, which is why they assumed the witch in her room was their target.”
“They may not have known they were being tracked.”
Gloria nodded. “Precisely.” She studied the device. “Whoever is after the witch has deep pockets indeed.”
