Ivan’s footprints led from my door to Nikki’s apartment, but his shoes sat abandoned on the mat. I hated to think he’d seen any of this.
Neither of us tried to step into the apartment. The forensics team already had a firm grasp on the space, dusting for printsand cataloging damage. I vaguely wondered if my insurance would cover any of it.
A detective held out two pairs of blue latex gloves and shoe coverings. “You’re the tenants?”
“I’m Agent Jude Holt, SED,” I offered. “This is my partner, Agent Angel Mao.”
“Detective Miller. Before you go in, I need you to suit up. We’re trying to keep the scene as contained as possible.” We complied, tugging on thin plastic booties and gloves. Miller led us just inside the doorway. “This may end up with the SED,” Miller admitted. “This is more blood than humans contain.”
I wondered about that. “Are there bodies? It would have to be a lot for all this.” And I wondered if it was human blood or something else, like a prank with pig’s blood or something.
“It’s human,” Angel said. “Smells human to me.”
Miller met his gaze.
“Shifter variant,” Angel offered without further comment.
Miller looked to me. “Don’t suppose your middle name is Alexander?”
“Yeah, why?”
He pointed a pen toward the wall splattered with blood, a white dot illuminating a section of deep gouges beneath the mess. But the jagged scratches spelled out:Jude Alexander Holt.
“Fuck me,” I growled. “Is it that changeling again?”
“Changeling?” Miller asked.
“We rescued a kid from across the Veil, but a changeling had taken his shape on this side to fool his parents.” I didn’t add that the kid’s parents had actually summoned it because they hated their own kid so much that a demon seemed to be a better option. “We caught the changeling at the SED, but somehow it escaped.”
“Escaped…” Miller said, his gaze returning to the mess.
Angel asked again, “Is there a body? With all this blood, there has to be a body. Maybe even several.”
Miller shook his head, a grim line forming on his lips. “No body or bodies. You’re pretty sure this is the changeling thing?”
“It’s probably worth calling the SED in on this,” Angel said, keeping me at his side just inside the doorway. I tried to block out the ranting of the apartment manager and focus on the mess, sorting through it mentally with a reminder that it was stuff. And stuff could be replaced. Ivan was safe. Peanut Butter was safe. Even Nikki was safe.
The shattered picture frames broke my heart, and I wondered if I’d be able to save Nikki’s art. But my gaze was drawn away from the blood to the far wall, opposite my bedroom door. A single sheet of sketchbook paper was pinned to the wall with one of my large butcher knives. Nikki’s drawing of Angel looking at me as we stood in the doorway. Down the center, a large scratch torn through Angel and me, a deliberate gash trying to sever Angel from me.
This wasn’t just destruction. It was a message, a personal and vicious attack aimed at the bond between Angel and me. The changeling wasn’t just back; it was enraged.
My gaze scoured the room, searching for the source of its entry, when a flicker of movement in the corner by the bathroom snagged my attention. It wasn’t a person, but a shimmer in the air itself, a distortion like heat haze, pulsing with a faint, sickly purple light.
“What?” Angel whispered, his senses attuned to my slightest shift.
“Something near the bathroom,” I murmured, squinting to define it. Not a ghost. It was a wound. “It looks like that door on top of Cassidy’s building. Only faded. Barely there.” A weak spot in the Veil, a scar left behind from whatever had come through.
“Don’t say that too loud,” Angel warned under his breath.
His gaze met mine, and in that shared look, a silent agreement passed between us. This was far beyond a simple B&E.
Angel turned to Miller. “Detective, this is definitely an SED matter. The suspect is a known non-human entity with a history of violence and interdimensional activity. SED will need to secure the scene and take over the investigation. I’d offer, but as this is Jude’s apartment, we will have to recuse ourselves from this scene.”
Miller sighed. “I’ll make the call. My crime scene techs will stand by until your people arrive.” He retreated out of the apartment, already pulling out his phone.
The moment Miller was out of earshot, Angel stepped close. “What the hell does this thing want?” he murmured, the words for me alone.
A cold knot tightened in my stomach. I was afraid I already knew the answer.
