Chapter Fourteen
I sit up straighter on the couch where I’d been trying to get comfortable. Not necessarily sleeping, which I suspect I might have been, even if lightly. Yeah, I’ll sleep when bored enough, and after nearly a week of watching this damn monitor, I was pretty much bored out of my mind.
Mark’s front door opens... slowly. I hold still, a worthless breath caught in my throat as he steps out and walks down the cement path to his car. He’s carrying a long case, the kind musicians or hunters favor, and it looks light enough to be empty.
He opens the back door, slides the case inside, and then moves to the driver’s seat. A moment later, the engine rumbles to life. Exhaust curls into the cold air.
No headlights; he’s definitely up to something.
He pulls away from the curb like a ghost drifting through the neighborhood... silent, unnoticed. Not a curtain twitches. Not a soul awake.
Except... there’s one vampire mama watching it all.
Where is he going in the dead of night, and what’s in the case? To me, it looked empty and weightless. Anyway, I really didn’t care where he was going or what was in the weirdly shaped case; after all, my intent was never to follow him.
I rise, stretching out the stiffness from waiting too long in one position. Then head quickly down the hallway to my bedroom. I flick on the light, and start changing into someone... unrecognizable.
Trench coat. Plain slacks. Scuffed black boots.
A soot-stained paperboy-style cap pulled low over a bald cap.
Oh, and a fake mustache so crooked it might be charming if it weren’t so absurd.
I look like a chimney sweep from yesteryear.
And yes, I just so happened to have the disguise available.
Disguising myself may not be necessary for most cases, but I think it’s needed for this one.
I grin at my reflection. He shouldn’t suspect I’m under this messy getup, no matter how high-tech his security equipment is.
Next, I summon the single flame. When it’s bright and erect, I see within it Mark’s living room, near the bookshelf in question. When the image comes into sharp focus, I mentally step toward as the image moves towards me... and away I go!
A rush of mild heat, silence, and I’m inside Mark’s house... the object of my desire these past few days.
The air smells faintly of burnt sage. The windows are shut tight. A fan hums faintly in another room. The book with the human skin sits on the coffee table, twitching like it’s having a nightmare. Then again, that could just be my imagination. I haven’t slept in five days, after all.
I approach it slowly, then crouch down.
“Easy,” I whisper, taking hold of it. I keep my voice super low, highly aware that cameras and mics are likely all over the place.
Even now, Mark has likely been notified of my presence, and might have even turned back from wherever he was going to confront this bizarrely dressed intruder who literally appeared out of thin air.
I slip the book into the canvas bag I brought, then hang the book and bag over one shoulder. I straighten and begin a quick sweep through the house. The kitchen is normal, if not a little messy. Bedroom, empty. Ah, the second bedroom had been converted into what looks like a crude alchemy lab.
Bingo.
A small desk inside is covered in beakers, crushed herbs, a bone mortar and pestle. The air is thick with the scent of dried blood and bone dust. One glass jar sits open, filled with a fine powder—off-white, slightly yellowed. I dip a finger in and sniff.
Bone, ancient, not human.
Dinosaur bone dust? Maybe.
I snap a few pictures. I don’t think the museum is gonna get their bone back, or if it even exists anymore.
For all I know, Mark here has been adding bone dust to his morning protein shakes.
A piece of paper with a spell on it sits on the desk, next to a cracked geode.
The text is written in Latin, but I catch enough of it to understand: it’s a summoning spell, one geared toward transformation magic: I see the word for moon and lycanthropy.
Oh, great.
My inner alarm pings once, twice. Time to go. Either Mark has come back, or he has a nasty surprise waiting for me inside here.
I summon the single flame, see a familiar red door, and make the jump...