Jonathan walked out into the living room, where Anya was comforting the sobbing vampire on a plain-looking sofa. He sighed softly. To be rid of an abuser was a good thing, no doubt about that. But the loss of someone who you were supposedly meant to spend your life with was still painful.

“Thank you so much… Thank you.” Madam Wright shook uncontrollably, her words barely comprehensible through the blur between her sobs and a unique-sounding Scottish accent. “I… I don’t know how much longer I could’ve taken his beatings… How can I ever repay you?”

“Well, you can always leave us a positive feedback at the supernatural hotline.” Jonathan grinned.

“You willingly revealed yourself by leading us to the evidence just so you could escape your husband. You were lucky we realised that the true monster was someone else.” Anya patted the woman gently. “That was very risky… and brave of you.”

Jonathan gave them a wry smile. “Anya, Forensics are almost done with the evidence collection. Shall we-”

A woman walked up briskly to the investigators, cutting him off abruptly.

“Detectives, Forensics have found something else in the backyard,” she said urgently. “Please take a look.”

The investigators followed her out.

Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows as he took in the sight before him. The ground had been dug up, revealing the mummified remains of a woman. For better or for worse, the majority of her corpse had been preserved, which only made it look even more repulsive.

“Well, that certainly put a twist in today’s events. Wasn’t expecting two cases on the same day…” he mumbled. “What do you think, Anya?”

“Whoever this is, she has magic.” His partner pointed at the warm glow around her body. “Light magic, to be specific. Could’ve been a witch.”

“You have a good third eye on you.” He chuckled dryly. “Light magic, huh? I suppose the lich couldn’t have been the murderer.”

“Indeed.” Anya nodded. “All that light would’ve torn his blackened soul into shreds.”

“No!” A hysterical scream cracked the humid air as a figure shot past both of them, falling to her knees.

“The deceased is Mylis Wright,” the forensic lead’s cool-sounding voice drifted by Jonathan’s ears. “Preliminary analysis shows that she has been dead for about sixty years.”

“Mylis Wright?” Anya looked at her incredulously. “Hang on, the missing witch in that sixty-year-old cold case?”

The Paranormal Forensics nodded grimly. “Yes, the very same. It seems we’ve finally found her body after all these years. Poor Morevia…”

Jonathan cast a look of pity at the bawling vampire who had to be dragged away from her sister’s corpse. He whispered a prayer of condolence, before bending down to examine the corpse.

Electrical sparks hopped between his fingers and the corpse as he hovered his hand over the sunken cheekbones. He turned its head to the side, examining a strange symbol branded on its cheek. The man tilted his head slightly, feeling a faint force pull his hand towards it. Curiosity took over.

For better and for worse, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish…

Jonathan gasped audibly and pulled his hand away. He shook his head, trying to clear it from the strange voice that had just spoken in his mind. Jonathan looked at his hand again, but nothing had changed.

“Jon, you alright?” Anya scurried over, kneeling beside him. “What happened? Why did you yell?”

“I… I did?” Jonathan mumbled. “I’m fine, I think.”

“Well, let’s not get in the way of our forensics.” Anya helped him up. “We have a new case on our hands. Come on, let’s discuss this somewhere more comfortable.”

The relic on her neck glowed slightly as she formed a triangle with her fingers. Red light fizzled around her fingertips before she broke the connection. An oval portal burst out from her hands immediately.

Jonathan followed Anya and walked through the portal.

~ ~ ~

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The air was saturated with the smell of coffee beans and Earl Grey. Thankfully, there weren’t many people sitting around at this time of the day, or the duo would’ve had a hard time explaining what kind of shining portal they had just stepped out of.

Ever since the incident involving Boris Lopez, Jonathan was lucky enough to be recruited almost immediately by the Immortal Association. The true one, that was. Led by the changeling Angus, its members were, thankfully, left to their own devices and simply enjoyed small personal benefits.

In Jonathan’s case, his ‘benefit’ was employment at the Paranormal Bureau, an inconspicuous department within the Metropolitan Police that handles paranormal disputes. It didn’t earn him a mountain of credits, but it was enough for him to live comfortably. And most importantly, it allowed him to be with his lover, Anya Sechina.

“It’s been a while since we’ve got to chat in a place like this, isn’t it?” Jonathan took a sip of his tea. “What’s it been, five years? Since we joined the Paranormal Bureau, that is. And it’s been non-stop work for us.”

“Is there a problem with that?” Anya gave him a wry smile. “We’re partners, aren’t we? We’re already spending so much time working with each other.”

“Partners? That’s what we are?” Jonathan’s voice faltered a little.

Anya had spent less than a year working as a full-time sheriff at the Scottish Witch Market before opting to join Jonathan in the Paranormal Bureau. Angus agreed in a heartbeat. After all, it was always better to have more people who actually know magic to be part of them. Normally, it would’ve been nice to be working side by side with the person you love every day. But Jonathan was anything but normal now.

The woman across from him looked away, using her cup of espresso as an excuse to avoid eye contact with him. Jonathan opened his mouth hesitantly.

“You know, I thought we were more than that-”

The cup clanged loudly on the table.

“Are we, now? Well, bloody act like it, then.” The disdain on Anya’s face was fully visible now, at least to Jonathan. “It’s been four years, Jon. Four years since we’ve been working together. But every time we talk, you always put up a wall between us. I thought you wanted to be with me.”

“But I do, Anya. I really do!”

Anya shielded her eyes for a brief moment. “What exactly is our relationship, Jon? Are we dating? Chasing leads, protecting the supernatural world… Is that what you call a date? Can’t we just go out like normal people?”

Jonathan shifted uncomfortably.

“I’m not normal, Anya. Not anymore. And we can’t be together forever; you know that.” He downed his tea as though it was a shot of whiskey. “I’m immortal now. We’ll never grow old together. There’s no point committing so much into a relationship.”

“You’re just…” Anya huffed for a few seconds while Jonathan braced himself for an outburst. Thankfully, it didn’t hit him.

“Forget it, we have work to do anyway.” She sighed, showing him a picture of the strange symbol branded onto the corpse’s face instead. “I don’t find that familiar. Do you?”

The man shook his head. “Me neither, but look here- three balls of gold. That’s a reference to Saint Nicholas. And judging from the way this is drawn on her face, I’d say this symbol is about eight hundred years old.”

“Another immortal?”

“Could just be long-lived,” Jonathan muttered. “Even centaurs can live up to thousands of years. I wouldn’t be surprised if whoever killed and branded the victim found a way to artificially extend his life. The question is, why kill Mylis Wright?”

“More importantly, who is Mylis Wright?” Anya mused as well. “I remember seeing this cold case back at the Bureau. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance were dubious. In fact, it was only brought to light because of the recent serial murders around her area.”

Jonathan paused for a moment, before looking at Anya warily.

“You know, there is someone who might know more about this…” he began slowly, hoping Anya wouldn’t react too badly.

“Lucy, right?” the woman said nonchalantly. “Good idea. You should go ahead and ask her.”

“You… You’re really okay with me looking for her?”

Anya’s expression darkened again.

“What are you implying, Jonathan Warner?” she folded her arms, clearly insulted. “Did you forget I know her too? And I know she’s like a Mom to you. Why would I stop you from seeing her? Do you really take me for that kind of woman?”

Jonathan flinched internally like a bunny in a thunderstorm. Damn it, why were women so unpredictable? One moment she complains about lack of commitment, and now she’s feeling insulted because he asked her for permission to talk to another woman.

“T-that’s not what I meant,” he stumbled over the imaginary loose laces on his tongue. “I just thought you’d be…”

His voice trailed away as Anya’s glare got more painful by the second. Her lips contorted into a snarl.

“You-”

A beeping sound interrupted the woman, saving Jonathan from whatever horror was about to spew out from her mouth. Jonathan fished out his phone as well, staring at the message flashing on its screen. He looked back at his partner, but she had left her seat.

“Anya, wait up!” Jonathan waved at the woman, who had already opened a portal to her motorbike.

“For what?” she said. “The location’s closer to my house, so I’ll be riding there. Go ahead without me.”

The portal closed.

Jonathan shrugged, looking around to make sure no one else was in the vicinity. Electricity danced around his body as he bent down like a sprinter about to begin his race. He kicked off the ground, feeling his body break the sound barrier in less than a second.

And the world smeared into a blur.