Page 21

VIOLET

T here was nothing quite like being yanked from the little beauty rest you’d allotted yourself at arse o'clock by AC/DC screaming about eternal damnation. Actually, scratch that. There was something worse. Getting that wake-up call when you're already losing your bloody mind over your magically talented twins gadding about at some mundie university while a power-hungry psychopath was picking off supernaturals like they were on a shopping spree.

I shot up in bed like I'd been shocked. My heart was doing the sort of gymnastics routine that would make an Olympian proud. The emergency go-bag I'd packed was sitting by the door. I’d stuffed it with enough magical firepower to level a small country. And here I'd been, thinking I'd collect the girls at a civilized hour. So much for best-laid plans and all that rot.

My mind wouldn't shut up about the grisly details they'd shared yesterday. Three practitioners drained like juice boxes. Their bodies had been arranged in those sodding geometric patterns that were so popular in home decor. Two weeks. Three bodies. Zero leads. Fiona had been the first to identify what we were likely dealing with. She always was the clever one of our little supernatural detective trio. Ever since she'd moved to England, the three of us had been thick as thieves, solving one mystical mess after another.

Now, here we were, Artemis's chosen hunters, with Fiona leading our merry band of chaos with her razor-sharp wit and even sharper intuition. We were meant to meet up at first light and sort out this mess. Well, technically, this was first light, wasn't it? Just not the sort any sane person would choose.

My mobile lit up the room like a bloody lighthouse. Ben's name flashed on the screen with all the subtlety of a neon sign. Next to me, Thanos stirred. His eyes caught the light like a predator's in the dark. It turned them into molten silver and gave me a glimpse of his ancient power. Being spawned from Underworld royalty had its perks.

"The twins?" he asked in a voice rough with sleep.

I nodded, already answering. "This better not be what I think it is."

The strangled sound that came through the speaker made my heart clench. Mother's intuition is a bitch sometimes. "Funny you should say that, Mum."

Shit. I was already rolling out of bed when I heard my son's voice crack with panic. "Henry is dead," Ben choked out before I could ask what had happened. "In the Maughan Library. There's... there's blood everywhere and there are octagons overlapping again. Plus, the magical residue..." He trailed off, but I felt what he meant. Someone truly psychotic was preying on supernaturals in London.

"Benjamin." I used my best mum voice. It was the one thing that could cut through his panic. "Breathe. Where exactly are you?"

"In the restricted section. Fourth floor." His breathing was coming too fast. "Mum, his skin... it's like all the color's been sucked out. And his hands..."

"Stay put. I'm calling in the cavalry." I yanked on my boots while grabbing my emergency bag. "Is your sister there?"

"Bailey's here now. She's doing something with the magical traces."

That was my girl. "Good. Use the diversion spell to keep the mundies away until we get there. We don’t want them getting another case that will raise more questions." I hung up and immediately dialed Fiona.

She answered on the first ring. "Please tell me we're not accelerating our timeline to stupid o'clock in the morning."

"Ben and Bailey found a friend, Henry, dead in the library and surrounded by geometric patterns."

"Dammit." Fiona paused, and the rustle of clothes echoed through the line. "I'll grab Aislinn from the guest room. We’ll be outside in ten."

“Thanks,” I told her and hung up. I turned to Thanos, who was already up and checking the Hellmouth wards. "I need you to-"

"Hold down the fort and keep our dimensional portal from spitting out demons?" He gave me a grim smile. "Already on it. The Hellmouth's has been surprisingly restless all night. It might be connected to whatever's happening in London."

I grabbed my jacket, mind already racing through possibilities. "If someone's messing with demonic magic near the university-"

"It could be resonating with our friendly neighborhood portal to hell," he finished. "Go. I've got things covered here."

I kissed him quickly. "Keep your phone on. If anything tries coming through-"

"I'll send it back with a strongly worded message." His eyes glowed brighter. "I’ve got Hutcoth and Roscock to help. Go, protect our kids." I went warm all over when he referred to them as our kids.

They weren’t his biological children, but he made it clear he loved them like they were. He had accepted it when I told him I didn’t want to have more kids. I hadn’t yet told him I’d changed my mind and wanted to share that experience with him, so I’d gone off my birth control. Shit kept happening and it never seemed like the right time. I wasn’t going to tell him when I was racing out the door, either. At this rate I would be pregnant before I told the man. Hell, I already could be for all I knew. Shaking that frightening thought off, I clasped his hand as he walked me to my car. He kissed me soundly before I took off for Pymm’s Pondside.

Fiona and Aislinn were already waiting in the driveway when I pulled up. Fiona was clutching a massive travel mug of coffee like it was life support. She'd been in England for a couple of years and hadn’t given up her coffee for tea, but I understood the tendency to solve crises with caffeine.

"The Hellmouth's going mental," I announced when I got out to help them put their things in the car. Thanos had no doubt been up half the night monitoring the bloody thing which is how he was aware of the activity.

"Any risk of demons gate-crashing?" Fiona asked through a yawn as she clutched her mug. None of us had managed breakfast yet—three a.m. emergencies weren't exactly conducive to proper meals.

"Thanos has it handled," I assured them. "He’s confident he can keep it under control."

"But if it's acting up now—" Aislinn started. She looked as knackered as I felt.

"Then whatever's happening in London is more dire than we thought," Fiona finished, her voice tight despite the early hour. "We should take my car. It's got better wards."

"Right, because you're such a stellar driver when you’re knackered," I muttered. "Last week, you nearly took out Mrs. Peterson's garden gnomes."

"At least I know what real biscuits are," Fiona countered. "Not these weird cookie things you dunk in tea."

"Says the woman who thinks tea should be iced," Aislinn countered. The familiar banter helped ease some of the tension as we piled into my car. It looked ordinary enough, but like everything else in our lives, appearances were deceiving. The boot alone contained enough magical emergency supplies to stock a small occult shop.

I filled them in on the details as I navigated the dark country roads leading to the motorway. "Ben found Henry on the fourth floor. Bailey's containing the magical evidence."

"That makes this victim number four," Fiona said from the backseat. She pulled out her laptop. She'd found a whole database of American magical crime patterns after we’d left the spa. "What is this killer after? Is it just a sociopath who enjoys killing? Or are they building to something?"

"It’s hard to say. The patterns feel too precise and intentional to be random. Aislinn, send a quick text to Gadross letting him know what happened. We will need his help on this case with the mundies.”

Aislinn nodded in agreement, and I saw her typing in the rearview mirror. “He can also help cleanup. I think someone's collecting power for a specific purpose. You don’t think Marcus had other family and they’re back to finish what they started do you?"

"That’s not possible,” I replied. “Gadross researched the Blackwood line. There are none left.”

“Besides, Ben and Bailey didn’t see any purple energy,” Fiona added. “This feels like a serial killer to me. A magical one, but the deaths feel like what I’ve read about those types of murderers.” She hesitated and looked at me with wide eyes. “What if this guy heard about us and is using your kids to bait us and get us there?"

The thought made my power surge, and the car's electronics flickered. "Oi!" Fiona smacked the dashboard. "Take it out on the bad guys, not your car!"

"Sorry." I'd lost control of my magic when I thought of my kids in danger. "But you might have a point. It sure seems as if someone's targeting practitioners working with the twins."

"Nothing is going to happen to your kids. We'll handle it," Fiona promised. "That's why you've got us. We're the Backside of Forty. We’ve basically become the magical A-Team."

"I understood that reference," I said dryly, "and I'm not sure whether to be proud or concerned."

"Be both," Aislinn suggested. "It's more efficient."

The drive to London took less time than it should have, thanks to a combination of my lead foot, the lack of traffic at the early hour, and a few strategic traffic-clearing spells. I was not going to mention the latter to my kids. They didn’t need any ideas.

The Maughan Library loomed ahead. Its brick and Portland stone facade rose like a fortress in the darkness. During the day, tourists would stop to photograph its neo-Gothic grandeur. The octagonal reading room, the massive arched windows, and the intricate stonework that made it look more like a cathedral than a library. Now, at three in the morning, the Victorian masterpiece felt wrong. The glass dome of the round reading room caught what little moonlight there was. It reflected it back with an oily sheen that had nothing to do with normal physics. And that was before you factored in the dead body.

"Jesus," Fiona muttered. "And I thought the Harvard library was pretentious. This place looks like it's waiting for Dr. Frankenstein to pop around. "

"Wait until you see the Reading Room," I said. "The round one under the glass dome? Something actually lives in there."

"You're joking," she countered.

"Wish I was. The twins had to deal with it last term after it started interfering with the electronic lending system." I smirked. "Turns out a nest of sprites decided the dome was prime real estate. They kept scrambling all the computers for fun, the little menaces."

"Only in England," Fiona sighed as we walked across the lawn. "Protection circle?"

Aislinn nodded as she lifted her handbag higher on her shoulder. "That’s a good idea. With someone killing like this, we don't want any residue following us home."

Fiona and I locked eyes and nodded. My magic rose first and tugged on my phoenix fire as I drew power from my core. Next to me, Fiona's magic sparked and danced. Hers was a wild blend of witchcraft and Fae energy that was stronger because she was a nicotisa. It always reminded me of lightning in a bottle. Where my power burned hot and fierce, hers crackled with barely contained chaos.

We'd done this dance a hundred times before. My magic reached out and wove between the electric threads of her magic until they twisted together in a familiar pattern. The barrier bloomed around us like a soap bubble made of fire and starlight. Our power worked together until her wild energy settled into place.

We found Ben and Bailey on the fourth floor in the North Wing. They were just past the rows of study carrels that lined the massive arched windows. Bailey was renewing her complex dispelling charm. She’d done a great job on it. No mundie would come anywhere near the scene. Ben was huddled against a bookshelf. His magical signature was so erratic that books were literally rattling on the shelves.

They were the medieval manuscripts section. The area technically shouldn't have been accessible at that hour. Apparently, I'd taught my children too well. Locks were just suggestions when you had magic and knew the right tricks. I wish that was the worst of what we encountered. My gaze continued taking everything in, and my breath caught.

The scene hit me like a boot to the stomach. Henry lay sprawled between the display cases. His body was twisted at an angle that made my insides go wobbly. His skin had that horrible grey-white color that screams 'bloody hell, definitely not breathing anymore.' Dark blood had spread out around him in perfect, overlapping octagons. It was the sort of precision that takes time and planning.

But it was a hole in his head that caught my eye. It was right at his temple, perfectly circular, about the size of a pound coin. Like something had drilled into his skull. It was clean, surgical, and utterly horrifying.

"Did the other victims have the same wound?" Fiona asked. She was staring at the hole with the kind of intensity that meant her scary-smart brain was connecting dots I couldn't see yet.

"What are you thinking?" I asked, though I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

She shook her head slowly and crouched down to study the body. "Not sure yet. But that hole is significant. It's too precise to be random."

"We will figure that out,” I told her as I rushed to my kids. “Oh, babies," I breathed and tugged each of the into my sides. “What happened?”

"We found him about an hour ago," Bailey said as she leaned into me. "We didn’t see anyone. There’s a Dark magic residue. It’s a lot, but I'm containing it."

"The octagons," Ben choked out in a shaky voice. "I was reading about them last week in a book we borrowed from Grams over break. I think they're meant to contain power and keep it from dispersing after... after it's taken."

"Bloody hell," I breathed as I crouched to examine the patterns without touching them. The perfect geometric shapes made various other ones when they overlapped. I had to look closely to see the individual octagons. "These are old magic. Really old. And whoever did this, had a precise purpose. But what was it?"

"Merlin's balls," Fiona muttered. She pulled out her phone to document the scene. "Knowing the purpose might help us find the killer. The precision here is nothing like what Marcus did in Hambledon and I can’t think of another case that even comes close." She paused, brow furrowing. "Wait. This reminds me of something. Those Beacon Hill murders last year?—"

"The ones the mundane police blamed on that serial killer?" Aislinn asked.

"Yeah, We've been going through cold cases," Fiona explained to the kids. “After you called, I figured we should look into the active murderers just in case it has happened before. Anyway, the crime scene photos from Beacon Hill showed the same overlapping octagons. The mundie detectives just thought they were some psychopath's signature. They never made the magical connection.And honestly, I wouldn’t have either if not for these new deaths.”

Bailey shuddered and blew out a breath. “That’s unsettling. I don’t like the thought this person is going to continue killing because it feels like the design was used to harvest Henry’s magic."

"The blood's still tacky," Aislinn noted. "Do you think you interrupted them before they could finish?" She asked the kids.

"No," Fiona replied before Ben or Bailey could open their mouths. "Look at how the inner octagons overlap. They've already collected what they came for."

A door creaked in the distance. "Security," Ben hissed.

"Hide or alter?" Aislinn asked quickly as Fiona and I prepared to hide everything.

"Gadross isn’t here yet," I muttered. "We have no one to handle the memory work. We'll have to?—"

The security guard's curse cut through our whispered planning. Poor bloke had come around the corner faster than we'd expected. His torch clattered to the floor as he fumbled for his radio. He began babbling about blood and bodies as he called for backup.

"Shit," Fiona muttered as she began weaving invisibility through our protection bubble. "So much for damage control."

Other campus police arrived within a couple of minutes. They were followed quickly by the local constables. We pressed ourselves against the stacks as the library erupted into chaos. Police sirens wailed as boots pounded all around us. More fluorescent lights flickered to life overhead. They were harsh and unforgiving and made Henry look even worse. Radio chatter filled the air as more bodies poured in. They were followed by paramedics who took one look at the scene and called for forensics.

"Well," I whispered as we carefully edged around a cluster of horrified police officers, "this is going to be all over the morning news."

"At least they can't see the magical elements," Aislinn murmured back. "Small mercies."

Fiona's snort was barely audible. "Yeah, but explaining that hole in his head's going to be fun for someone. Ten quid says they blame it on a drill. "

"Not the time," I hissed, though she wasn't wrong. We had bigger problems—like sneaking past the growing crowd of authorities without breaking our concealment. The whole bloody Met would be here soon. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get out of there.

Gadross arrived a few minutes later, looking as irritatingly composed as ever despite the ungodly hour. His glamour was perfect, as usual - just another detective in a rumpled suit. He spotted us behind our concealment and gave a subtle nod before speaking to the detective involved. After a few minutes of what looked like mind-numbingly boring police talk, he stepped closer to where we were lurking like really obvious spies.

"There are too many witnesses to handle memory work effectively."

"Brilliant," I muttered, fighting the urge to bang my head against the nearest wall. "So, what's the plan?"

"The magical elements are hidden well enough," he began, "but we need to ensure the investigation stays firmly in mundie territory. They already have three victims, which means their focus is on the serial killer aspect. You don't get many of those, so that is their biggest concern. You will need to act as if you're part of the case and talk to others to ensure they haven't picked up on anything magical."

The next few hours were a blur of statements, medical examiner visits, and trying to keep Ben from accidentally shorting out every electronic device in a fifty-foot radius. By the time we escaped, the sun was threatening to rise, and my caffeine levels were reaching critically low levels.

"Let's get you two home," I told the twins, already planning to raid their coffee stash. "Pack what you need. You're not staying in that flat until we sort this out."

"Mum-" Bailey started to protest.

"Not negotiable." I fixed them both with my best mum-glare, the one that had stopped supernatural creatures in their tracks. "Someone's targeting supernaturals. You two have a hybrid nature and are more powerful than most. You have targets on your backs just by existing. You’ll practically fall into his lap by staying here."

"She's right," Aislinn added in a gentle but firm voice. "Your wards are good, but whatever this is? It's beyond standard protection."

"Plus," Fiona chimed in as we cut across the campus green, "your mom's place has a literal portal to hell as a security system. Talk about your ultimate home defense." She suddenly stopped dead. Her head snapped toward the science building like someone had yanked it with a string. Her usual smart-ass expression vanished. It was replaced by the intense focus that meant serious magical shit was about to go down.

"Fi?" I asked as I reached for my power.

"Something's wrong." Fiona's gaze darted around. Her hands clenched into fists that were sparking with poorly contained power. That was never a good sign. The woman usually had better control than a type-A personality at a planning meeting. "Something just happened. It felt like someone took normal magic and twisted it inside out."

"Where?" I asked as I reached for my power. The campus was supposed to be safe, damn it. That's why I'd let my kids go to the university instead of keeping them locked up at home with the Hellmouth for company.

Fiona pointed toward the east side of campus. Her whole body had gone rigid. "There. It's definitely coming from over there."

"That's the science building," Ben said.

Bailey went absolutely still beside him. "Oh god." Bailey's face drained of color. "Rachel. She was supposed to be working on her experiment there last night. She texted me about it."

Before any of us could react, Bailey took off running toward the building. Because, of course, she did. Sometimes, I wondered if I'd somehow managed to birth myself. That was exactly the kind of stupid, brave thing I would have done. It was hard to be mad at her for running off when there was a killer on the loose.

"Bailey!" I shouted after her. "Wait for backup, you absolute- And she's gone. Fantastic."

"Teenagers," Aislinn muttered as we sprinted after her. "Why do they always run toward the danger?"

"Family trait," Fiona panted beside us. "Like mother, like daughter."

We burst through the science building doors just in time to see a figure in black darting around the corner at the far end of the hallway. They moved inhumanly fast. And the magical trace they left behind made me itch.

"Split up?" Fiona asked as she gestured to the arsehole running away.

A crash and a choked sob from one of the labs made the decision for us. "Bailey first," I said grimly. "Then we hunt."

We found her in the chemistry storage room. She stood frozen in the doorway. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead and cast harsh shadows that did nothing to hide the horror inside. Rachel's body lay sprawled amid scattered lab equipment. She was also surrounded by precise geometric patterns that made my magical senses scream in warning. This time, the drawing wasn’t perfect. It was messy and half-finished, as if we’d interrupted him. My eyes scanned her temple, and I grimaced when I saw the hole.

Ben caught Bailey when her knees buckled. He kept her from hitting the ground, but his power was fluctuating dangerously. The lights overhead started to strobe. I placed a calming hand on his shoulder and moved closer to them. "We interrupted him this time.”

"You’re right about that. There are elements that match the others." Fiona pulled up photos on her phone with hands that trembled slightly. "This is the same basic pattern, but..." She gestured at the scattered symbols surrounding Rachel's body. "This one's unfinished. We must have interrupted him."

"They’re sloppy," Aislinn observed. "And it looks like Rachel put up a fight. Why go through all this trouble and not finish? What were they trying to accomplish?"

I glanced at my twins. Their faces were ghost-white in the flickering lights. Bailey was sobbing silently against her brother's shoulder while Ben's power made the air crackle with uncontrolled energy.

"We could still catch him," Fiona said as she moved toward the door. "He couldn’t have gotten very far. If we split up-"

"No," I cut her off. "We're not separating. Not when we don't know what we're dealing with." I looked at the half-finished ritual circle, the hasty symbols. "This person took down four other victims without leaving a trace. The only reason this one's messy is because you sensed something wrong."

"Why is this happening?" Bailey choked out between sobs. "Why Rachel? She was just... she was just trying to finish her thesis..."

Before I could answer, Gadross appeared at my elbow, his glamour perfectly in place. "Morris is two minutes out. Security called him the moment they saw movement on the cameras."

Right on cue, Detective Morris burst through the door, his face thunderous. "You again? This is the fourth victim you lot have stumbled across. Want to explain that coincidence?"

I stepped forward, deliberately placing myself between him and my kids. "We were heading to the library for a late study session." I kept my voice steady and professional. "Given the recent murders, we were concerned when we saw the police activity. Bailey remembered her friend Rachel was working late on her thesis project, so we came to check on her."

"And the suspect?" Morris's eyes narrowed. "Security footage shows someone in black fleeing the scene right before you arrived."

"He took off right as we entered the building," I said. Unlike my children, I'd had decades to perfect my poker face. "We were more focused on finding Rachel than chasing after him."

Morris's jaw worked as he looked between us and the crime scene. I could practically see him trying to piece together a puzzle where half the pieces were invisible to him. "Detective," Gadross cut in smoothly, "I've got officers en route to review the security footage. Perhaps we should focus on the suspect rather than harassing witnesses?"

Morris turned to my kids. "I'd like to interview you in the office next door. Now. I want statements from all of you."

Ten minutes later, I watched through the office window as Morris interrogated the twins. Ben's hands were shaking so badly that his keys were rattling in his hand. Bailey's mascara was running, though whether from tears or sweat, I couldn't tell.

"Your kids need to work on their poker face," Fiona muttered beside me. "They're about ten seconds from causing a blackout." The overhead lights flickered ominously as if to prove her point.

"Right," I straightened up, my mom-mode battling with my hunter-mode. "Earlier plan stands. We need to move you two somewhere safe-"

"No." Bailey's voice was quiet but firm. "We need to stay here."

"Bailey-" I started, but she cut me off.

"Mum, listen. Fiona felt him tonight. If we hadn't been close by..." She gestured at the demolished lab, her hand trembling. "Rachel might not have been the only victim. And what if they try again? What if next time it's someone else we know?"

"She has a point," Fiona said as she examined one of the crystals. "That magical signature was distinctive. If they try this again, I might sense it before anyone else."

"And we can help protect the other students," Ben added, his voice stronger than it had been all night. "We can use the campus warning system to notify the others to get to safety."

I looked at my children - my brave, terrified, determined children - and saw myself. They had the same stubborn set to their jaws and the same fierce need to fight back against the darkness. Keeping them locked away wouldn't keep them safe. It would just make them more determined to sneak out and help anyway.

"Fine," I said finally. "But we do this smart. Aislinn?"

"I agree. It’s best to stay here,” she replied.

Fiona nodded. “I’ve already thought about modifications to their flat's wards. We can layer them with detection spells. It might give us an early warning system."

"I'll increase patrols around campus," Gadross said from the doorway, making us all jump. "Morris may be suspicious, but he'll be watching the wrong things."

"Alright," I told my twins. "You can stay. But we do this as a team. No heroics, no solo investigating, and no trying to avenge your friends on your own. Promise me."

They nodded solemnly, though I saw that familiar glint in their eyes. The one that said they'd follow the rules... right up until the moment they thought breaking them would save someone. God, they really were my children.

"Now," I said, "let me call Thanos. Because if you think I'm scary when I'm angry? Just wait until a demigod finds out someone's targeting his step-kids."