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“The District of Drakon. Down on Foxheart.”

“By the lake?”

“That’s where we found the bodies.”

—

The Magical Protections Unit had pulled the rental car out of the lake with some difficulty. When the team had finally managed to tow it out, it had nearly crumbled into pieces. The front end was totally crushed, tires hanging in shreds off the rims. Every window was shattered, seats torn. The license plates were warped, the letters and numbers illegible.

The bodies were even worse. The limbs and faces were bloated, the flesh spotted with bruises and lacerations. Darien had seen more corpses than the average person, but the sight of these three men was enough to put him on edge.

Where he was standing with Finn a short distance from the crime scene, Darien said, “Any ideas?”

“I’m drawing a blank as to cause and motivation, but we do have a lead.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a photograph. “I’m assuming you’ve heard of this person?”

Electric-blue eyes stared through the screen, the same shade as the hair that fell in a blunt cut, the ends dusting her shoulders.

Darien said, “You think this girl is responsible for three dead men and a banged up vehicle?”

“From what little we know, it sounds like she was traveling to the city with them. We don’t know who they were, who she is, or what they planned on doing once they got to town, but finding her is the most logical step we can take from here.”

Darien wasn’t writing off the idea that Blue could’ve done this, but he couldn’t erase the feeling that she wasn’t in the wrong, no matter how horrific this looked. While a girl on the run made it look like foul play was involved, it might’ve been self-defense on her part.

Someone had put a tracking device in her arm. They’d wanted a better chance of finding her if she managed to get away, one that would serve as backup when—or if—the Sight failed them. He wasn’t about to turn her in, not until they had her side of the story in full.

“Any registration or insurance papers in the car?” Darien asked.

Finn frowned. “Nothing.”

“How’d you know it’s a rental?”

“The sticker on the bumper.” His attention went to the dark road, where a couple cars were pulling over beside the sign marking Foxheart Street. “Ah, shit. More meddling leeches—just what we need.”

“Not a fan of vampires?”

“Not when they interrupt my work. That reminds me…did you hear about Calanthe?”

“What about her?”

“She’s dead.”

Darien’s surprise wasn’t faked. Loren had told him she’d seen Calanthe the day the limousine had pulled up in front of her school. For her to have turned up dead, and so suddenly…

“Her death was ruled as murder,” Finn said. “We’ve been trying to talk to Emilie, but she refuses to speak. Hence the vampires all up in our business. They want answers, and I have to admit, three dead bodies on their territory is cause enough for them to come sniffing around. Doesn’t make me any more accepting of their presence though.” He grimaced.

“How’d Calanthe die?”

“The autopsy revealed that she was ripped to shreds.”

“Just like—”

“The other vampire, yeah. And now, all of the sudden Emilie’s half-brother is back in town. Coincidence?”

“I’m starting to believe there’s no such thing.”

—

As soon as Darien was back in his car, Finn no longer around to listen in on what he was about to say, he found Maximus in his list of contacts and hit CALL. He had the volume up as high as it could go, the device vibrating with every ring.