I was checking inventory for the shelves behind the counter when the old rotary phone on the wall started to ring. Other than the boys upstairs in their room, I was alone in the shop so I set the jar in my hand down and lifted the receiver to answer with my customer service smile.
“You’ve reached Dogwood Apothecary, this is Reyna. How can I help you?” I spoke in a false, even tone I’d picked up shortly after the shop first opened.
“Hey, Reyna.” I breathed an exasperated sigh and turned my gaze back to the inventory binder in my hand when I recognized Jesse’s voice, letting my customer service smile slip.
“Jesse, I’m pretty sure I’ve told you before not to call me on the shop’s phone,” I spoke knowing I should just hang up even as I wedged the receiver between my ear and my shoulder in favor of my pen.
“You did, but you weren’t picking up your cell.” I finished my note before pressing the pen between my lips like it was a cigarette so that I could fish my cell from my pocket. True to her word, there were quite a few missed calls and texts from her that I’d apparently ignored, but I wasn’t going to admit aloud that I’d been so hyper focused on what I was doing I hadn’t even heard or felt the phone go off.
“I’m trying to do inventory,” I continued as I slipped it back into my pocket and lifted another jar, “so did you actually need something or were you just calling because you were bored?” Jesse groaned a sure sign that my guess had been spot on.
“Why are you so cruel? No wonder Michael left.” I took a deep breath so that I didn’t snap at her because I’d set myself up for that one when I refused to tell her why he wasn’t with me when I got back from Maryland.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Jesse, but I really thought you’d already figured out by now that I’m an asshole,” I spoke matter of factly as I wrote out the numbers for a few more of the things on the shelf in front of me and I swear I could hear Jesse’s smile.
“Only on the outside. You’re a good person deep down.” I paused in my notes, trying to figure out by what reasoning “paid killer”—in massively oversimplified terms—constituted a good person.
“If I need to be.” I gave up when I couldn’t think of anything and returned to my notes. The bell over the door rang and I looked back over my shoulder to see who it was. “You’re brother just walked in so I’m hanging up now.” I hung up before Jesse had the chance to say anything, returning most of my attention to the inventory, “I thought you went back to England with your maíther.” Jack shrugged, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his coat as he prowled the shelves.
“I’m staying in the area for a while; you know me, I can work from anywhere.” He flashed me that annoyingly self assured smirk and I snapped my binder shut with a sigh of defeat, tucking my pen behind my ear because apparently, I wasn’t going to be getting any work done today after all.
“Apparently, I don’t know you. ‘People change’. Your words, remember?” He started to answer, but I stopped listening when I heard Loki start to cry upstairs. “He’s going to wake up Zevi, too,” I spoke more to myself than Jack as I moved toward the door into the back. “Make yourself useful and keep an eye on things out here for me, will you?” He started to protest, probably to point out that he’d never worked a retail job in his life, but I was already through the door and halfway up the stairs. I opened the door quietly and slipped through. “Hey now,” I spoke softly and lifted Loki from the pen before he could sink his teeth into his brother’s ear, “I know you’re bored, but let’s let him sleep a little longer,” I smirked, “I’ll take you downstairs so you can chew on Jack instead, how’s that sound?” Loki made a sound between a whimper and a growl and I laughed softly. “Yes, we’ll take Zevi, too.” I lifted Zevi in my other arm, careful not to wake him. I was slower coming back down the stairs, idly dancing my fingers in front of Loki’s nose to keep him preoccupied until I shouldered the door back into the shop open just as he caught one. “Ow!” I pitched my voice a little higher as he sunk his teeth in hard enough to draw blood, ignoring the shock in Jack’s expression as I passed. “Here,” I twisted my hand around to catch Loki by the scruff, “play with him for a bit.” Jack took the pup I held out to him a little hesitantly, the confusion clear in his amber eyes.
“Did that really hurt?” I smirked and shook my head as I popped my finger in my mouth to lick the blood off.
“Nah, but it’s better if they think it does.” I shifted Zevi in my arm so that he was more secure. “His name is Loki, by the way, and this little guy is Zevi.” Jack started to speak, but Loki chomped down on the meat of his thumb so it turned into an exclamation of pain instead as he pulled his hand away.
“Bloody hell, you’ve got sharp teeth for such a little guy.” He lifted Loki to eye level like he wanted a better look at his teeth and I couldn’t help my laugh. His amber eyes flicked to me, a seriousness in them I hadn’t seen there since we’d parted six years ago. “Haven’t heard that sound in a long time.” I reset, hiding behind the mask of bitterness I’d been wearing for so long it had become “me” before I started to speak. The bell over the door rang and I closed my mouth as I looked past Jack’s shoulder toward the door to find a detective, his wariness and fear dogging his steps like a second shadow. My gaze flicked to the patrol car outside where his partner was waiting with one hand on the radio as if he expected something to go wrong. Wordlessly, I handed Zevi over the counter to Jack, keeping my eyes fixed on the detective. Jack’s confusion was remarkably well hidden when he looked back at the detective and I set my hands flat on the countertop in one slow, deliberate movement.
“Reyna Wildes?” I nodded slightly.
“What can I do for you, detective?”
“There’s a warrant out for your arrest.” I opted to exercise my right to silence at least until I had more information. “You’ve been implicated in the murder of Annabeth Frank in Bar Harbor the night of February 17th.” I raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed because even if I was fairly certain I had no idea who this Annabeth Frank was, I had indeed been in Bar Harbor the night of the 17th, probably even had witnesses at The Looking Glass who could vouch for the fact I’d had enough to drink before storming out that the average human would probably be blackout drunk; whoever set all this up was a little better than an amateur.
Just a little though because I’m pretty sure I’d never met the victim.
“She was with me on the 17th, all night.” The detective seemed to hesitate at Jack’s protest, “There were at least two other people who can confirm it.” His gaze shifted to me again as his wariness and fear began to ripple into confusion. I couldn’t help but breath an exasperated sigh; even if this wasn’t an amateur, there was really only one possible group behind this and I was getting kind of bored with them… although a frame job was most definitely a new angle for them.
“Do you happen to have a picture of this Annabeth Frank person that I could take a look at?” I broke my silence, keeping my voice calm and even, “I don’t recognize the name, but I’m generally pretty good with faces.” The detective raised his hand in a gesture for “wait a moment” and turned to look through the window toward his partner while he radioed for a second opinion on how to handle this, so I leaned across the counter to Jack. “Text Jesse, let her know what’s going on just in case.” He nodded slightly, shifting both pups securely to one arm before fishing his phone from his pocket to send a discreet text while the detective was distracted.
“I’m going to need to take you both in for—" The detective trailed off when I shook my head.
“You can ask your questions here, record it or whatever you have to do, but I won’t leave the shop or those two,” I nodded toward the pups, “unattended.” He started to argue but I moved then, pulling my cell phone from my pocket, “You’re with the Bar Harbor Police Department, right?” I didn’t wait for an answer as I scrolled through the contacts because I already knew what he'd say, “I know Captain Whinery pretty well,” I found the one I was looking for and held the phone out to him, “you’re welcome to call him for the okay.” I flashed my customer service smile as I scanned his name off his nameplate, “Detective Sanford.” He seemed to hesitate a moment before nodding slightly, but he wouldn’t actually take the phone from me so I hit dial and the speaker button before setting it on the counter.
It rang once.
It rang twice and Sanford tensed slightly, anxiety taking over.
“Reyna Wildes, what can I do for you this fine afternoon?” I couldn’t help my smirk at the shock on his face when Whinery picked up.
“Well Tayler, one of your detectives seems to have gotten a little lost. He’s here at Dogwood asking about a case involving an Annabeth Frank.” There was a sound on the other end of the line like he was kicking his feet off his desk to sit up straighter.
“I know why he’s there, all of the evidence we’ve collected so far points to you. Was she one of yours?” I knew why he was asking, but I still couldn’t help but be a little insulted he had to ask.
“You know perfectly well I’m not that sloppy even on my bad days.” Papers were shuffled on the other end of the line.
“Then I’ll look into it for you and—" Sanford started to protest his confusion and alarm, but I held up a hand to stop him.
“Actually, I’d like to look into myself if you don’t mind,” it was phrased like a request, but something in my tone made it sound more like an order. “I have a hunch I already know who set this up, but I’m curious who they got to do the work if the evidence is that damning.” More shuffling papers.
“Sure thing, Lady Wildes, I’ll send over everything we’ve got and have our pathologist get in touch with Dr. Finch.” I flashed a satisfied smile that was a little forced thanks to his use of a title.
“Thanks, Tayler, tell Sadie and the kids I said hello.”
“Take care.” The call ended and the only sound in the room beyond our heartbeats was Loki’s playful growls as he and Zevi wrestled in Jack’s arms. I slipped the phone back into my pocket and looked up at Sanford where he seemed to have been struck dumb.
“Alright, now that that’s settled,” I waved him away, “you should get going. Bar Harbor’s a long drive.” His gaze finally rose from the countertop to me, the fear returning as he processed my exchange with his Captain.
“Who exactly are you?” There was a tremor in his voice when he finally spoke.
“Reyna Wildes,” I spoke as though I didn’t understand what he was really asking.
“You’re a monster.” He didn’t mean it the way people usually did when they called me that, but still, a smile tugged at my lips, a cruel sort of crooked flash of bared canines.
“Nawe sweetheart, you have no idea.” He fled then, hurrying out the door to his waiting and likely very confused partner and my smile faded to annoyed boredom. Jack watched the car disappear before looking down at the pups where they watched and listened curiously from his arms.
“And that, boys, is your mum: the shadow queen of the entire East Coast.” I glanced over at him briefly as I made my way around the counter.
“I prefer the term shadow king,” I mused aloud as I passed to lock the door and turn the sign around, “shadow queen allows for the possibility of someone pulling my strings.” Jack laughed at that, following me into the back room.
“Yeah, but, from what I’ve heard, they already call you that and the Bloody Red Queen of the East, it’s fixed at this point.” He made a good argument, but I wasn’t going to tell him that so instead I turned my attention to the shop computer and the email from Whinery with everything related to the Annabeth Frank case just shy of an autopsy report.
“Wow, he got all that scanned pretty fast,” I muttered to myself as I sent it all to the printer while I gave it all a once over on the screen. “Hey,” I spoke a little louder then, without really looking up from the files, “you can set those two down now.” Jack looked down at the pups still in his arms, apparently thinking it over for a moment before he did as I asked and set the pups down to play on the floor before he started to wander the backroom. I lifted the papers from the printer’s tray and started to check the drawers for my color filtered glasses to slow down the headache I’d felt coming on while doing inventory, but they weren’t there anymore. “Where the hell…” I checked the other drawers and the bookshelf next to the desk, but they weren’t there either.
“What’re you looking for?” Jack called my attention from where he was looking through the back stock.
“My glasses.” He pointed to his head when I glanced over at him and I frowned my confusion.
“They’re on your head.” I reached up and, sure enough, my glasses were sitting on top of my head.
“Thanks,” I took my pen from behind my ear before sliding them back down and turning my attention back to the papers.
Twenty minutes later, I’d spread the papers about the Annabeth Frank case across the desk and filled most of a notepad with notes that might assist in figuring out who specifically had ordered my framing. I paused in my writing to massage my temple, sliding my glasses up out of the way as I glanced over at Jack to find him laying on his back on the floor with the boys climbing all over him like a jungle gym, head pillowed on his arm while he read one of my books.
“Isn’t that uncomfortable? If you’re going to lay somewhere, at least use the sofa.” He lifted his head a little and raised an eyebrow at me as if he couldn’t believe his ears.
“I don’t want to hear that from the person who can and will literally sleep anywhere.” I scoffed at that.
“I think it’d be more accurate to say I can not sleep anywhere. Far too disturbed to really call it sleeping.” He wasn’t wrong though, I’ve woken up in some pretty bizarre places through my life.
“How’s that going?” He changed the subject, gesturing to the papers scattered across the desk and, now that I looked, the floor next to it.
“Well,” I lifted one of the photos Whinery had sent, a frame pulled from security footage in the area with a grainy person that looked a remarkable amount like me, “assuming that I don’t have a twin sister somewhere someone failed to mention to me,” I stretched out to pass him the picture, “my money’s on a doppelgänger.” Jack studied the picture for a moment.
“You always did have a knack for knowing the winning gambles,” he spoke quietly before sitting up to pass the picture back, shifting Loki to his lap in the process, “that was in Bar Harbor?” I nodded slightly.
“Yeah, not too far from The Looking Glass, but the time stamp in the security video it’s from is when you were driving me home,” I trailed off, leaning back in my chair and holding the paper up to block my view of the ceiling.
“Did he send you the security footage?” I glanced over in surprise at Jack’s question.
“Yeah, why?” He’d climbed to his feet then and now he was shooing me out of the chair so that he could take a look at the original file.
“You must be pretty tired if you didn’t already check if the footage had been tampered with.” Jack checked into the code before returning to the video to do what he could to clear the image up and zoom in, “It hasn’t been tampered with. That is definitely you, though,” I raised an eyebrow at him, but he continued quickly, “I mean that’s your gait, your posture, your looks, everything. I mean,” he gestured vaguely at the screen, “that shade of red is pretty distinctive.” He looked up at me with a frown, “If I hadn’t been with you that night, I’d probably think it was you, too.” I scoffed at that.
“I know I already said this, but I’m not that sloppy.”
“I know, I know, this is just a mildly impressive copycat.” I leaned over his shoulder to get a better look at the screen again.
“So it really is a doppelgänger,” I breathed a heavy sigh, “this is going to be interesting.” I crossed the back room in a few long strides to unlock one of the lockers beneath the stairs. “Do you mind watching the boys for me?” I glanced back at Jack briefly as he leaned away from the computer before turning my attention back to pulling a few magazines loaded with .45 ACP rounds from the cabinet and tucked them into my pocket for the moment, “Or call Jesse for me and ask her if she’s available.” I paused to shrug on my shoulder holster and leather jacket.
“Reyna, if this thing is mimicking you,” Jack trailed off when I closed the locker door a little louder than I probably needed to.
“It’s not me though, is it.” It wasn’t a question when I turned my sharp gaze on him, “At best, it’s still just a Raposa.” I opened the other locker and pulled a silver edged kukri from inside before closing that door, too. “Either way,” I flashed him a smile as I secured the sheath to my thigh, “I know how to kill it.” I slipped through the door into the shop to retrieve my .45 from its trick box on one of the shelves behind the counter. Jack followed me through the door a moment later, Loki and Zevi curled up in his arm again.
“I’ll take them with me to Jesse’s place, just…” he seemed to hesitate for a moment, “be careful, okay?” I loaded the pistol in my hand before tucking it into the holster with the safety on.
“I don’t know how long it’ll take me to find it or to get whoever ordered this out of it, but I’ll try to keep you guys updated at least.” He nodded slightly as I slipped past him into the back room again, “Thanks for taking them.”
“Good hunting.” I held the back door open for him and watched him leave without offering a reply before locking the door and climbing into my jeep. It was going to be a long drive to Bar Harbor.
Captain Whinery’s pathologist, a Doctor Eisen, had finished his autopsy and report by the time I got to Bar Harbor, but it was late and I’m not completely unreasonable so I spent the night in the back of my Jeep in the hospital parking lot, waiting to meet with him when he came in the next morning. I got impatient though, so I was in the building skimming the autopsy report when he came in around 0600.
“Who are you?! How did you get—" I cut him off by pulling my wallet from my pocket and holding it out to him to check the ID, not even looking up from the papers. “Oh, you’re the ‘Lady Wildes’ Captain Whinery said would be coming to visit.” I looked up at that, mild annoyance in my green eyes.
“I’m not a lady and I don’t like to be called one, thanks.” I looked down at the file in my hands, “The fatal wound you described, you don’t know what made it?” Doc Eisen shook his head slowly, as if he was still trying to wrap his mind around my sudden appearance in his morgue. “Can I see the body?” I nodded toward the covered slabs behind me and he seemed to snap back to himself.
“Ah, yes,” he moved quickly to uncover the body of Annabeth Frank and I followed, setting the file aside while I moved the light to get a better look and confirm what I’d been able to gather from the video last night.
“Gloves?” Doc Eisen handed me a pair and I pulled them on before lining my fingers up with the wound where the doppelgänger had ripped the girl’s heart out in a replica of my own “spur of the moment” MO. An amused smirk wrought its way across my lips when the size and shape lined up perfectly with my right hand and Doc Eisen’s eyes widened and the color drained from his face as the iron tang of fear began to permeate the air around him. “He missed something rather important when he mimicked me.” He swallowed hard.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
“What?” The word came out choked and small as I withdrew my hand.
“I’m left handed,” it was true, despite my being technically ambidextrous now, I was left handed until one of my foster families decided I wasn’t; it’s hard to break wiring though when instinct takes over. “Someone right handed ripped her heart out, you can put that in your report,” I turned on my heel and started for the door, “let Whinery know I’ll have it handled by tomorrow night at the latest.” Then I left, heading for the crime scene itself.
The street where Annabeth Frank died was remarkably clean, only the lingering scent of blood and death to tip me off that I was in the right place; I couldn’t say I was surprised, it was a fairly busy street and they couldn’t exactly shut it down for very long. I probably looked insane standing in the median and scenting the air, sorting through what I’d picked up until I found the one I was looking for.
It was blood and death, fox and madness—
It was me, but it wasn’t mine.
I closed my eyes and inhaled, rolling the scent over my tongue and focusing so that I could track it off the main roads all of the way to wherever he was hiding.
I found him in a storage unit and let myself in through the open door, closing it behind me. He turned quickly at the sound, wariness and confusion written in his body language and his scent when he found me leaned against the door with my arms folded across my chest as I discreetly switched off the safety on my .45.
“So that’s what I look like when I’m not crying blood,” I spoke in a pensive tone, “I’ll be honest, I’m so used to it that this almost looks wrong.” The doppelgänger’s gaze narrowed into a glare and I almost cringed at how expressive he was being with my face.
“Who the hell are you?” I can honestly say his question shocked me and it took a minute for me to come up with a reasonable explanation: Prosopagnosia.
Is he face blind?
“I’m the person whose face you’re wearing, asshole,” I growled the words, stalking closer with my pistol in the hand still unnoticed. “I want to know why the hell you thought you could get away with attempting to frame me for murder.”
“I don’t know you, I was just hired to match a photo and do a hit.”
“Who hired you then?” Change of plans, I had too many questions to just off him and be done with it.
“I won’t tell you,” he sneered the words and I flipped my pistol around in my hand, safety back on.
“You will.” I clocked him in the temple with the grip hard enough to draw blood and knock him unconscious.
I was perched on the edge of a table behind where I’d tied the doppelgänger securely to a chair, waiting for him to wake up. Then I got tired of waiting and found a can of gun oil in one of the cabinets, which I then pried open and splashed the entirety of in his face. He woke with a start, confusion, fear, and rage quickly flitting across his face.
“Fuck you! I’m not telling you anything!” There was a tremor in his words like it was fear keeping him silent rather than money or loyalty. That was alright; fear is easy to overwrite…
He just had to fear me more.
“You’re more afraid of this guy than you are of me?” Still, my reputation is well enough known that I couldn’t help but feel a little insulted.
“I’m not afraid of you at all.” It wasn’t completely true, even without being able to see it, I could smell it coming off him in waves. My gaze narrowed slightly and I cracked my knuckles as I stepped up to the chair.
“Did you know,” I didn't clarify, didn’t explain that I was the nightmare of every east coast supernatural that even considered breaking my rules, “you can bleed to death,” my voice was calm and even as I pressed the heel of my palm against his ribs over the spleen just hard enough to be painful, “without spilling a drop?” There was a crack as the bones broke, crushing the spleen and probably nicking a few other organs as well. I waited for him to stop screaming before I spoke again, “A little higher and you could drown in your own blood.” My tone was matter of fact and a smile tugged at my lips briefly.
“You—You’re a monster,” his voice shook and my smile widened, “I won’t tell you anything; I won’t break.” Something almost like a purr slipped past my lips as I circled behind the chair.
“Your mind will,” I settled a hand on the doppelgänger’s shoulder before leaning close enough to whisper in his ear, “and your bones.” My voice was soft and sweet and didn’t match my tightened grip, fingers now biting into flesh and I felt the joint crack. He screamed in pain and I couldn’t help the smile that flickered across my lips again. “I can’t promise you’ll live if you answer my question, but I can promise,” my grip tightened further and the bone shattered, “it’ll be far more painful if you stay quiet.” I withdrew my now bloody hand and circled before him again, watching him dissolve into pained sobs as I licked the blood from my fingers with eyes turned to red tinged gold.
It took a while, but eventually, the barely recognizable doppelgänger spilled that it had been a Council member who hired him. I didn’t need more than that, I could guess which had been stupid enough or arrogant enough to come after me so I put a silver round through his heart. When one of the Council retired a couple of months ago, I let them appoint the new guy because I didn’t want to deal with the paperwork. I can’t really say I was regretting the decision because I was more annoyed they’d appointed someone this stupid than anything else. I tucked my pistol away again and busied myself with using the doppelgänger’s stash to set up an “accident” while I dialed Captain Whinery.
“Wildes. I take it you found the guy?” I was ducking out from under the door when he picked up.
“One of them. I’m calling to give you a heads up about an accident here at the local self storage facility.” I checked my watch once I was outside away from the security cameras, “If I set it right, the fire department should get the call in 20 minutes, so expect a call.” I climbed into my Jeep and started it, “Do me a favor and call Captain Davies over in Cumberland, let him know I’m on my way there.”
“What should I tell him?”
“That some moron picked a fight with me.” I hung up before he could ask for details, pulling out onto the street to start the long drive to Cumberland.
The sun was setting by the time I reached Councilman Oliver Thorpe’s place in Cumberland, which was fine by me considering that’s when I was at my best. I parked my Jeep a long walk away, opting for the guaranteed silence of an approach on foot and let myself in the front door after pausing briefly to listen for heartbeats inside and pick the lock. I smiled when I found it empty, making myself comfortable in an armchair facing the door in something I’d seen in a movie once and always wanted to try. It didn’t take long for Thorpe to get home and I waited in patient silence while he kicked off his shoes and hung up his coat in the dark. Then he clicked on the light and jumped when he saw me watching from over tented fingers.
“Wildes! What the hell are you doing here?” My smile widened slightly.
“Why so surprised?” I leaned back, crossing my legs at the knee as if making a show of making myself comfortable, “You’re aware I am technically a member of the Council, of course I’ll come introduce myself to Edridge’s successor.” I spoke with false sincerity and Thorpe let slip a nervous laugh, “Have a seat, Oliver, we should chat.” He sat down, if hesitantly, on the edge of the couch facing me. “How’ve you settled in so far? Well? Met any interesting people, yet?” I couldn’t help my small smirk, “a doppelgänger with Prosopagnosia, for example?” The color drained from Thorpe’s face so I let my tone turn serious, “I’m honestly curious, did you really think framing me for murder would be enough to even slow me down?” He forced a smile full of confidence that didn’t make it past his face.
“Surprised? It took some doing to find someone willing to help me.” I didn’t point out that was because everyone else knew better than to piss me off.
“No, not particularly; you’re the only one on the Council stupid enough to ignore the stories and come after me, let alone think this little plan would work.” I breathed a sigh of boredom and climbed to my feet then, “I’m not going to ask why you did all this because frankly,” I spoke with a shrug as I drew the silver edged kukri from its sheath on my thigh, “I don’t care.” Thorpe shrank in his seat as if trying to become one with the couch.
“You can’t touch me, the whole Council will come down on your head.” I scoffed at that.
“You have heard them call me the Bloody Red Queen of the East, haven’t you? Do you know why they call me that?” I flashed him a cruel smile, “You must not or you would’ve known I have little patience when it comes to the Council, but at least the others are kind enough to send me someone to play with from time to time.” I paused, letting my words sink in and watching the fear darken the air around him, “The only reason the Council is still allowed to have some power here in the US is that I can’t be bothered with that much paperwork and bureaucratic bullshit.” He started to argue, to try anything to make me stop, but he didn't get a word out before I'd severed head from shoulders in one clean motion. I watched it fall behind the couch with a thud that seemed to echo in the bloody fog that hung heavy in the air and I moved to wipe the blade clean on his shirt before returning it to its sheath. I pressed a cigarette between my lips and struck a match to light it before whispering a spell in Lurakil and tossing the match onto his body. It caught like gasoline, the fire spreading quickly to the couch as the stench of burning flesh began to fill the air and I exhaled smoke before stepping outside. A quick text to Captain Davies and I was on my way back to my Jeep, leaving only cigarette smoke to mark my trail.
The madness has always had a way of sneaking up on me, ever since I first started showing symptoms in one of the foster homes at thirteen. It was just migraines then, a hypersensitivity to light and sound and strong scents that seemed to just creep out of nowhere to overwhelm until all I could do was try to sleep and hope it’d be gone when I woke up. I didn’t understand it at the time, that was before I knew what I was, before I’d ever heard of Soul Collectors and Alcaimynders and the Wild Hunt. It was when I started having problems with delirium and cravings I couldn’t satisfy that I remembered my faither having similar attacks and led me to run all the way to Scotland hoping to find some of his family there-someone who could explain to me what no one else could.
Pretty sure I cashed my entire lifetime’s allotment of good luck when I met Alix there.
It’s genetic, she told me, and there’s no cure as far as anyone knows, but I started managing it with her help and even though my reflection never stopped crying blood once it’d started, I manage to keep myself sane adjacent at least. It still gets bad sometimes, and to me, it almost seems as if the world has an edge I didn’t realize I was standing on until something grabbed me by the ankle and dragged me over into the depths of madness below.
It was like that today, at least.
I was feverish and barely coherent by the time I stumbled through the back door, even the sound of the lock turning behind me ringing and echoing painfully in my ears. It’d been a while since I’d had an attack this bad, bad enough I couldn’t hear the thud of my duffle and my jacket on the floor over the sound of my own heart pounding and the roar of blood in my veins. It was probably for the best I was alone in the shop as I curled up in the armchair, bloody clothes and all because I doubted I could make it across the room with the way my head was spinning, let alone up the stairs to the shower.
By some mercy, sleep came soon after I’d closed my eyes.
I woke to the sound of the back door, lingering either on the edge of sleep or the delirium, I couldn’t be sure. I could feel my canines slicing into my lip though, the madness still casting my world in a haze as I opened my eyes to narrow slits to see who’d come in, trying to ignore the overwhelming mix of scents that washed over me every time I inhaled from the back stocked herbs. Whoever it was spoke to me, but I couldn’t make out the words over the continued rush of blood and now two heartbeats, as if I was trying to listen from underwater, though despite the odd sensation of drowning, I felt no fear.
I should’ve, I was losing my mind, after all.
The dark silhouette disappeared out the door for a moment before returning with a box in his hands, probably a small cooler based on the scent of iron that managed to seep from its cracks. I could guess what it contained without having to see it and I didn’t hesitate when he pressed the heart I’d known would be inside into my hands; the craving had turned more instinctual bloodlust by then and I didn’t question where the heart had come from or care that the blood was dripping from my mouth and down my arm as I bit into the still warm flesh. My eyes drifted closed again after I’d licked my fingers and lips clean and the silhouette watched patiently as I drifted off again, his familiar voice echoing into my sleep now that the pounding had subsided some.
“Reyna…”
I woke up in the master bedroom upstairs in a clean shirt, my clothes from the night before spread out on the dresser with the scent of treatment lingering in the air around them. I wasn’t really sure how I’d gotten there, even more so when I listened quietly and found no heartbeats other than my own closer than the apartment above the small dojo next door to Dogwood. I rolled quietly to my feet and made my way to the bathroom shower in a bit of a lingering haze, using my fingers to tame my wild hair before I stepped under the icy water, using the shock to wake me up and wash the last of last night’s attack from my mind before I focused on scrubbing the last traces of blood from my skin. A few minutes later and I was towel drying my hair before losing myself in the usual after-job routine.
It hurt a little, having to lock the duffel away again so soon.
I was about to put my pistol away when I stopped, jarred out of my routine and lingering in the doorway between the shop and the back.
I wasn’t sure how to react; part of me wanted to turn around and leave, part of me wanted to pretend he wasn’t there. I couldn’t decide if I should’ve been happy to see him or pissed as hell. Finally, I settled on the same cold and calculating detachment I used when on hunts, thumbing the safety on my .45 off and chambering a round, balanced lightly on my feet as if waiting for a fight without looking as if I were hoping for one.
“You missed a Matlock family get together. Rajani asked about you.” Michael remained quiet at the disinterest in my tone, almost seeming to hesitate where he stood. The bell over the front door chimed before he seemed to be able to think of something to say and both of us turned to see who it was so early in the morning. I didn’t have time to question their sudden appearance before Jesse brushed passed Michael to wrap me up in a tight hug despite my warning growl.
“Oh thank Brahma, you’re okay.” She held me at arm's length after a moment to look me up and down with an appraising eye before her lilac gaze narrowed into a sharp glare. “What in the world were you thinking?! Why didn’t you say anything before basically going after yourself all alone?!” I gave her my best look of worry free boredom.
“I did say something, why do you think Jack had the pups the last couple days? Besides, I wasn’t going after myself,” I shrugged out of her grip, “I was going after what was basically a Raposa who just so happened to look like me, it’s not like he could mimic much more than my appearance and physical strength.” She didn’t seem keen on letting it go so I opted to change the subject rather than continue arguing. “Thanks for keeping on eye on the boys for me.” A smile appeared on her lips as if Jesse couldn’t resist as she looked back over her shoulder at Jack where he’d stopped dead in his tracks in front of the door, Loki and Zevi squirming in his arms. She moved back to whisper something with a small, broken smile to him as she took them from him, apparently picking up on the same… well, possessive paranoia is really the only way I can think to describe the scent I’d picked up from him almost as soon as he’d stepped through the door. “You too, Jack,” I broke my silence as Jesse set the boys loose on the floor, “thanks for your help.” The cold fire in his amber eyes thawed slightly and I could see the beginnings of one of his old smirks, a very different one that those I usually got now.
“What are you doing here?” Michael finally broke his silence with a bit of a threat to his tone, mismatched gaze still focused entirely on Jack and I glanced back at him with an eyebrow raised as I opened my mouth to say something I’d probably regret later if I could. Instead, Jack flashed one of the annoyingly self assured smirks that had become his new normal as the ice sparked in his eyes again.
“So you’re the Reaper, then?” He looked Michael up and down with a critical eye, “The one who couldn’t beat one small, half mad Soul Collector even when she was only running half cocked and already bleeding out?” I wasn’t really sure if I should’ve been insulted by his very obvious jab, but based on the glare Jesse shot him, I probably was.
“Had we fought till the end, I could’ve killed her.” Michael, to my mild surprise, actually took the bait and I almost laughed aloud at the quiet confidence in his words.
“It can’t have been good for your reputation, failing a job like that and then running away like you did.” Jack paused, “If they came for you now and said that they’d let you live if you finished it, would you do it?” He was turning on the Cambian charm, the scent of infernal magic starting to seep into the air around him as he continued, “Could you?” Michael was quiet for long enough I think I was a little bit insulted because honestly, he of all people shouldn’t underestimate me and I’d sat through enough movies with Jesse to have a pretty good idea of how he should’ve answered almost immediately. Instead, Michael seemed to be sizing me up.
“I could still do it.” I really did start laughing at that, despite the look of concern and borderline outrage Jesse shot me at his answer.
“Oh sweetheart, that’s adorable,” there was a cold edge of bitter sarcasm in my words when he met my gaze. “As fun as this has been, you’re not welcome here anymore,” I finally stepped away from the door, “and I really don’t feel like having to make a self defence plea.” The concern won out over the outrage in Jesse’s colors as Michael seemed to still be processing my reaction.
“Reyna,” he finally began, but I wasn’t in the mood to listen.
“Get out, Michael,” to my surprise, he started to go but something made him stop in front of the door and turn to Jack.
“Why the hell did you come here?” His tone was cold, a lot like it’d been the day we met, and Jesse glanced at me in alarm as if asking me to step in.
“Does it matter? I think she already made it quite clear that you could go to Hell and she wouldn’t even miss a beat.” Before I could decide whether or not to grant Jesse’s wish, Michael took a swing at Jack and Jack reacted, sending them both crashing to the floor and narrowly missing one of the shelves on their way down. I glanced up at Jesse, not bothering to hide my annoyance as I breathed a heavy sigh before I moved to break them apart.
“Why—?” I leveled the pistol still in my hand with Michael’s head when he started to protest, effectively cutting him off.
“I don’t want you here. I don’t want to see you, I don’t care what it is you came here to say. If something about that isn’t making it through your thick skull,” I flashed a cold smile as I cocked the pistol as if in emphasis, “a bullet may help things along nicely.” He seemed to hesitate, clearly wanting to say something before he thought better of it, nodding slightly and slipping quietly out the door. I took a deep breath, returning the hammer to position and the safety back on before I crouched where I stood, holding my head in my hands for a moment while I suddenly decided the floor was the most interesting thing in the world. Jesse didn’t agree with me, of course, I could smell the curiosity and the worry coming off of her in waves strong enough they almost overwhelmed everything else.
“Reyna,” she began slowly, like one wrong word would cause me to shatter like glass. I looked up to find her watching me, the concern written clearly in her expression almost as clearly as it was the air around her.
“Don’t give me that look,” my voice was more broken than I’d intended.
“You never told me what happened,” her voice was soft and for a moment, I thought about giving her an answer, but when I started to speak, I found that I still didn’t have one I liked, let alone one I thought worth sharing, so instead I only shook my head. I glanced over at Jack where he still lay on the shop’s floor and couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips when I saw Loki nosing his way under his hand and Zevi making himself comfortable on his stomach.
“You want help?” Jack shrugged as best he could.
“Nah, I think I’ll just stay down here for a while.” I exhaled slowly, leaning back until I was sitting on the floor and settling my pistol in my lap while a sort of breathless relief let me keep my smile for just a little longer.
“Reyna.” My easy, if somewhat delusional, smile ran away when I looked up at Jesse again and recognized the look she usually wore right before she started to nag me about something or other. “You need to deal with this,” I started to make some smart remark, “in a way that doesn’t involve shooting him.” I frowned and shut my mouth. “A good start would be talking about what happened.” I swore under my breath at that and Jack propped himself up on his hands, sliding Zevi carefully into his lap.
“Christ, you sound like a fucking shrink,” I muttered the words as I shook my head again because clearly, she wasn’t planning on letting this go. “We went to Maryland.” She nodded when I stopped to think of how to give her the bare minimum to get her to drop the subject.
“And you came back alone, tossed his stuff and burned his favorite painting, which happened to be of you.” My gaze narrowed as for a moment I found myself wishing to God that looks really could kill. “What happened in Maryland?”
“I don’t like being tricked,” I bared my teeth in something between a strained smile and a snarl, “I don’t like being lied to.” Jesse looked away at my very pointed comment so I continued, “I went for a walk and when I came back, there was some woman in our room and…” I took a deep breath, hesitating, “I left, I found a pub.” She looked up again at that.
“But you were sober,” her voice was soft and I shot her a look that said to drop it.
“Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t say anything at dinner.” I shook my head and went back to my summary, “When I woke up the next day, we fought and the long and short of it is that I left. I came back.” I pressed the heels of my palms into my eyes for a moment when I stopped, more tired now than I had been before I told her.
“I’m sorry,” she finally broke the silence with a gentle tone, but I only shook my head and forced a small smile.
“Well, love, he sounds like a complete asshole,” Jack finally broke his silence with an easy smirk despite the outrage in Jesse’s expression.
“Jackie, you’re being insensitive!” It was short lived though, because a few seconds after he spoke, I’d started laughing again, a real, honest, and completely sane laugh.
“Relax, Jesse,” I flashed her a real smile this time, one I hadn’t worn in what felt like a very long time, “it’s refreshing.” The concern didn’t fade so I took a deep breath, “Listen, if he comes back, I’ll deal with him,” she started to speak so I placed a hand over my heart and cut her off with exactly what she wanted to hear before she could interrupt, “without killing him. Until then,” I climbed to my feet and moved my pistol to the back of my waistband so that I could lift Zevi from Jack’s lap, “I’ve got more important things to take care of.” I didn’t wait to see if she was satisfied before I slipped away through the door into the back room with Loki tumbling after my heels.