“Tonight, after the household settles. We can set up the scene so that it appears perfectly natural. It’s just so sad that sometimesour younger visitors just lose control… Oh, dear, how sad. Accidents happen. We can let the household staff find his body in due course, call in the authorities…”
“That’s usually enough. They barely investigate anything, and at least that way no one else will come around snooping for a missing man.” Edward was nodding now.
“Exactly, but if for some reason the Justiciary gets involved, well…by the time they get around to finding an investigator, let alone sending one all the way out here, my wards and the magic around this estate will have already corrupted any energies someone might try to read from the scene.”
“You really do think of everything.”
“Watch and learn, Edward. Watch and learn.”
The scene shifted one final time. Ant watched Claudius and Edmund enter Ronald’s guest room that night, with one other vampire. He watched Ronald look up from his financial documents, the surprise and fear flashing across his face. He watched Claudius use vampiric trance to paralyze Ronald completely, then feed on him until Ronald’s heart couldn’t keep beating.
But this time, anchored by Viktor’s presence, Ant could observe and remember every little detail. He noted the exact words Claudius spoke, and Edmund’s position by the door - watching with a hunger on his own face. He saw that Ronald had been writing notes about Raven Industries’ shell corporation structure when interrupted, and that the pen he’d been holding was a distinctive fountain pen with a silver clip - not the cheap ballpoint that had been on the desk in the crime scene photographs.
They switched the pen,Ant realized.Removed evidence that must have been Ronald’s handwriting and notes about whathe discovered, and replaced them with generic records which would’ve been of no interest to anyone.
As Ronald’s life drained away, Ant felt the ward-magic activate - fed by the energies surrounding a violent death. Whether intentional or not, that act alone meant any future investigator would be trapped in an endless loop of trauma. But Ant understood its structure now, and more importantly, he’d seen everything he needed to make a case and testify about it.
Carefully, deliberately, Ant began to sever his connection to the scene. The vision clung to him, and the wards were still trying to drag him back into the loop, but Viktor’s presence gave him the boost he needed.
Come back to me,Viktor urged through their bond.Follow my voice.
Ant pulled backward, away from Ronald’s death, away from Claudius’s cruelty, and more importantly, away from the grasping magical energies of the Raven Estate. The vision grew distant, and with Viktor’s mental presence to guide him, Ant followed that anchor point back toward his own body and the promise of Viktor’s physical arms.
Pop.The vision released him all at once. Ant collapsed backward, falling away from that cursed chair with its burgundy cushion, as his consciousness slammed back into his physical form with a lot more force than normal. Taking stock of his physical condition, Ant realized his lungs were burning, his head was pounding, and as he reached up to touch his face, his fingertips were bloody again.
Ant felt warm fur press against his side, as Able realized he was back and his hands reached for that fur automatically. Viktor’s mental presence still wrapped around his awareness, but he wasbecoming more aware of his physical surroundings, and after a moment, he managed to open his eyes.
“Vik,” he managed, his voice hoarse. “I ache everywhere.”
“I’m right here.” Viktor’s physical voice still sounded anxious. “Don’t move. Just breathe.”
Ant turned his head and found Viktor crouched beside him, still maintaining the careful distance Ant had previously demanded. His mate’s eyes blazed red, his fangs were visible, and it was clear his vampiric side was hovering under the skin, just bursting to come out.
“I’m just going to say this once, babe, and then I promise I’ll shut up about it,” Viktor growled. “But there are times when your need to do the right thing by victims is an extreme pain in the ass.”
Able whined and licked Ant’s face, as Ant shook his head slowly and tried to smile. “Thank you,” he said softly. “Thank you for walking into hell to find me.”
Chapter Fourteen
Viktor didn’t move for several minutes, just keeping Ant grounded in the present with his voice and presence. Able stayed pressed against Ant’s other side, a warm furry anchor.
Gradually, Ant’s breathing steadied. His fingers stopped trembling in Able’s fur.
“Can you sit up?” Viktor asked gently.
“I think so.” But when Ant tried, his arms shook. Viktor immediately slid an arm behind his shoulders, supporting him.
“Easy. I’ve got you.”
He maneuvered Ant into a sitting position against the wall, then grabbed a water bottle from their room. “Drink.”
Ant accepted it with hands that still weren’t entirely steady and managed several sips before lowering it. “How long was I trapped?”
“In the vision?” Viktor’s jaw clenched. “Maybe two minutes in real time, possibly five. Felt like fucking hours watching you seize.”
“It felt longer.” Ant’s voice was barely above a whisper. “The loop kept restarting. I watched him die at least twenty times. Maybe more. I lost count.”
Viktor’s hands curled into fists. “That bastard designed that trap specifically to break scene readers.”
