Chapter Seven
CASIMIR
I’ve just woken up and already there is an irritant outside my door.
With a sigh, I wander over to it and pull the door open before looking out at Dan who I’ve seen more of in the past few days than I have in months.
It all started the night he wanted me to look into an area where tourists were disappearing, which led to us finding the abandoned building.
“What happened now?” I ask.
“Two vampires were found dead. You… you need to see this,” he says as he urges me after him.
“What do you mean two vampires were found dead?”
“That’s all I know. I was told to get you,” Dan calls as he heads for his car and I go for mine. It’s often quicker to just take a vehicle than continually making sure we wouldn’t come across any humans.
I feel like I should have a headache. While as a vampire, I can’t actually get a headache, it sure as fuck feels like one should be brewing. A massive one.
The drive is only ten minutes, but what that tells me more than anything is that someone obviously has no fear of me to kill only ten minutes from my home.
Or is that why they did it?
Dan pulls off on the side of the road where another car is waiting.
I recognize the car as one that belongs to a vampire named Ezio, who’s in charge of vampire and werewolf related disputes, crimes, and other things.
It’s not a legal position since the humans think we are nothing more than folklore, but Ezio has a knack for crimes and was happy to take up the position I’d given him.
Even if he is a bit annoying.
As I head toward the darkness of the woods, the moon shines down on us. It won’t be full for another week or so, which is the only good thing I have going for me. The last thing I need right now is some cranky werewolves roaming about.
Once we enter the woods, I don’t need Dan to even lead the way, I can follow the stench of blood and, before long, the yells of a woman.
When I come onto the scene, I realize that it isn’t just Ezio, but a whole group including two wolves in their human forms and a female vampire.
“Just in time, Casimir,” Ezio says with an exasperated look. Ezio isn’t exactly known for his phenomenal people skills. His “people skills” consist of flirting with anyone who moves and if he can’t flirt with them, he’s as good as useless.
“They killed them,” the female vampire screams as she points at the two wolves who give her incredulous looks at the conviction.
“We were kind enough to alert someone that we found them and now we’re being blamed? Do you honestly think that if we killed them, we’d have run off to tell you?” the female wolf growls.
“I told you to let them rot,” the male wolf says.
I walk past the disputing group as my eyes are drawn to the crime scene.
A male and female vampire have both been pinned to the tree trunk with a wooden stake through each of their hearts.
It tells me that whoever did this lifted them up and staked them there, where they either couldn’t get away before the sun rose or were dead when it hit.
Their skin has been charred black, like fire had eaten across it from their exposure to the sun, but I can’t tell what killed them first.
“There’s no way a vampire killed them that close to daylight! It had to have been a wolf!” the woman declares.
Ezio sighs at this accusation. “As I’ve already explained, oh, fifty-five times, it could have been an older vampire, it could have been a Hunter, and it could have been a wolf,” he says.
“She doesn’t listen. They don’t listen. No one listens.
Usually when I speak, everyone stops what they’re doing with enraptured attention. ”
I ignore him since it’s clear he really isn’t providing anything of use.
“I’m used to just Casimir not listening,” he mutters, like he must still chatter away to get the attention he deserves… or needs or something equally annoying.
“How long ago were they found?” I ask.
“These two were out for a run when they smelled the bodies an hour or so ago. They stumbled upon them and called Terrance, who contacted me. Knowing that Nikki here was turned by Geo, the male vampire who was killed, I called her. We have now wasted approximately half an hour bitching about who it could have been by pointing so many fingers! Fingers here and fingers there!”
“Hm.” I hate people.
“Ever since that wolf was attacked, they’ve been at our throats,” the vampire named Nikki says.
“There was a dispute yesterday as well, but no one was hurt there,” Ezio explains. “Someone did bite me, though! I was afraid I was going to get rabies!”
“You’re not helping,” I growl.
“Oh, right. I mean… this adorable mutt chomped on me like a feral beastie!”
How he possibly thinks that’s more helpful, I don’t know. So I end up ignoring him just in time for Nikki to lunge at the wolves. I shove her before she can touch them, and the look she gives me is one of shocked betrayal, like she really thinks I should just let this situation escalate.
“That is enough,” I snap, having had it. “Everyone but Ezio, leave. I will be in contact with all of you later.”
The three of them seem rather reluctant to leave, but with much hesitation, they finally do so. Dan, who I kind of forgot was there, scurries off with them, pleased for an excuse to not get involved.
“Well, seeing as weres have a better sense of smell than us, I was going to have them see if they could do some tracking, but now it’s just you and me,” Ezio says. “We could call Terrance.”
“I would rather set myself on fire,” I grumble.
Ezio thinks this is hilarious, which makes me decide that if I have to call Terrance, I’ll also set him on fire. It’s not like he wouldn’t heal just fine, but maybe it’d shut him up for a few minutes if I singe that hair of his off.
“The look on your face is kind of creepy,” Ezio says, reminding me that we have actual dead vampires to deal with.
Two attacks in a little over a week? Was the first attack really not a one-off? Or did someone in the community do this because tensions are getting out of control?
“You have access to the IDs of all weres, right?” I ask.
“I do!”
“I need the phone number for Julian Evans.”
Ezio’s eyebrow perks up. “Terrance’s son?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think he did it?” he asks. “How fun would that be? Prodigal son of the werewolf pack strikes in revenge!”
I stare at him until he caves and reads me the number which I call. The call is immediately ended, like he thought I was some telemarketer or something!
Me: Answer the damn phone.
Julian: Weirdly… the venom coming from these words makes me not want to answer even more. For some odd reason, I feel like this brightly shining star who has graced me with his lovely presence is none other than the Great Lord Casimir!
Me: I have changed my mind.
“Do you have a scale for irritation level on these wolves?” I ask. “Maybe we can pick one to help by using that scale.”
“They’re all irritating,” Ezio says. “But there’s that absolutely lovely human detective who knows about our kind, though. Let me try him!” His call doesn’t even last a minute before he simply puts his phone away.
“Didn’t you harass him into blocking you?”
“I sure did!”
Why he sounds so proud, no one will ever know.
My phone starts ringing, and I see that it’s Julian’s number, so I reluctantly accept the call.
“Well hellloooo, this is Julian speaking,” he says, sounding far too cheerful.
“Come. Now.”
“Ooh, are we going to play fetch?” Julian asks.
“Now.”
“I need an address.”
I hang up and text him the address.
Julian: I feel like you could have ordered me just as well through texting. Did I really even need to call?
Me: Yes, it felt much more enjoyable yelling at you over the phone.
Julian: Makes sense. Looks like it’s a fifteen-minute drive for me, so I’ll be there in twenty. I hope you found a good stick, although my favorite is a squeak toy.
I ignore the message and continue to walk the area until I hear Julian coming.
“As I was driving over here, I was like ‘This address seems to be in an abandoned wood somewhere. I sure hope he’s not plotting my murder.’ And now that I see your face, I find that I’m even more positive that you are.”
“I wouldn’t kill you without having you dig the hole first, so don’t worry,” I assure him.
“Splendid! Now… what is that smell?”
I start walking and he follows me before stopping, startled as he sees the vampires.
“Oh shit…”
“Are you too wounded to shift to see if you can get a scent?”
“No… that should be fine. This is awful,” he says.
“Did you know them?” I ask, confused about why he’d care.
“No, but if you permitted them in your territory, I have to assume they didn’t deserve this,” he says.
Ezio clears his throat. “I am Ezio since I apparently am being ignored like I’m no longer even here,” he says as he looks at Julian.
Julian immediately beams at him and holds out a hand to shake. Ezio looks a bit disgusted by it. While he obviously wanted attention on himself, he didn’t want to actually touch the wolf.
Julian is undeterred and soon enough, Ezio passes over his hand for a shake. “I’m Julian. It’s nice to meet you in person. I’ve seen you around. Last time I saw you, my father was throwing his coffee in your face.”
“Ahhhhhhh. Your father is such a charming man!” Ezio says, even though he told me he nearly threw the wolf off a bridge after that happened.
“Alright, I’ll shift and see what I can find,” Julian says.
Julian pulls his shirt off and folds it before taking his shoes, socks, and pants off.
The ground is pretty muddy since it rained recently, which seems to be why he’s stuck looking for a place to put his clothes before his eyes lock on to me.
With a smile on his face, he holds his clothes and shoes out to me.
Ezio proceeds to choke as he does so, which one hundred percent pleases the wolf.
“Can you hold my clothes?” he asks.
I glance down at the items being offered to me. “Absolutely not.”
“Why?”
“Does it look like I’m a clothing rack?”
“I don’t want mud on my clothes. Now hold them.”
I snap my fingers. “Ezio, hold his clothes.”
“Wait… but… I…” Ezio then deflates as he walks over to Julian and takes his clothes as I gloat, pleased by my ability to force others to do my bidding.
Then Julian pulls off his underwear and tosses them at me. I simply throw them at Ezio who looks quite disgruntled.
“Don’t look, I’m naked,” Julian says before winking at me and shifting.
His shift is quick and within seconds, he’s on all four paws.
Admittedly, I don’t pay much attention to wolves, but I don’t know any who can shift so quickly.
Is it because he was actually born with this ability?
It makes me wonder when he first shifted.
And how did they keep it quiet that he was born with it?
As a wolf, he’s tall, with rich black fur from muzzle to tail. He could truly disappear into the night. He trots over to the bodies and sniffs them before looking back at me, his blue eyes standing out against the darkness.
“ You’re not a wolf, but I can sense your mind, how peculiar, ” he says, words bouncing around my head.
The words startle me. How peculiar indeed. I’m aware the wolves can speak to each other through what they consider their pack link, but then how can he speak to me?
“ Have you joined my pack ?” he teases. “ Ooh, am I now your alpha? ”
And if he can’t hear my thoughts… how can I speak back? Or do I need to talk out loud? But if I do, Ezio will question what’s going on.
“Just… stay focused,” I mutter.
“ I am very focused. I’m focused on how cute it is you’re now in my pack.
Pack of two . I’m going to pretend it has nothing to do with the bloodletting you did all over my face and one hundred percent to do with the fact that you like me.
Being my fake boyfriend is sounding better and better, isn’t it?
You can buy me everything I ever wanted with your towering wealth, and I can look at the others and go, ‘We tight,’ which will make them trust you instantly. ”
Is he saying this shit because he knows that I won’t reply? I hurry over to him before kneeling down and grabbing his muzzle in my hands. “No.”
He leans into my hands and I swear his eyes are sparkling. “ I’m so glad you rushed over to tell me that wealth of information .”
“I need you to use your snout and sniff your way to finding the culprit.”
“ Here’s the thing, whoever did this had an idea that someone would be out here scenting them because I mostly smell… deer. ”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“ Unless a deer did this, someone likely removed anything that could leave their natural scent behind and covered themselves in the scent of deer to blend in. It does a good job because there’s a deer trail that passes through and they seemed to have followed it. ” And off he trots.
I breathe in deeply and realize that if he’s right, that’s why I didn’t pick it out before. While vampires’ eyesight and speed are generally superior to that of a wolf, their sense of smell exceeds ours.
Now that he mentions it, I realize that I can tell a difference, but it’s so minimal that I don’t know if I’d ever have picked it out alone.
Ezio, who looks confused while carrying the wolf’s clothes and shoes, follows along behind me as I trail after Julian.
“ They went this way. I bet they got in a car or did something to break off the scent so you can’t track them ,” Julian says as he moves through the darkness of the woods.
We go about two miles before he hesitates. “ Weird …”
“What is it?”
“ I think they went up into that tree stand… and didn’t come out…
but I have to assume the two staked vampires died last night or early morning, right?
The killer would have had plenty of time to flee the scene even if they hid out here during the day, since it’s now been dark for hours.
I don’t currently hear anyone, do you? ”
I listen, but I don’t hear anyone at all. That doesn’t mean there’s not someone there, though, so I step toward the tree stand that isn’t very well blocked from the sun. If it was a vampire who did this, they had to have remained under something to protect themselves.
“Wait here,” I order as I step toward it. The door is already open, so all I need to do is jump up and get a good look. But as soon as I make my way toward the stand, someone falls out through the doorway. They hit the ground on their hands and knees a moment before I hear an odd ticking sound.
Quickly, I grab the wolf and jerk back as the world explodes around me.