Cursed To Death

Clarissa whipped out her cell phone and began clicking photos and texting. “Screw the bad guys-we have technology.”

Sir Rodney met them at the castle gates just as Sasha’s cell phone started buzzing. Two valets rushed out, offering Shogun’s men clothes. Oddly, Sir Rodney greeted her with more than his normal Gaelic smile… He opened his arms and pulled her into an embrace.

“We were so worried,” he said, breathing into her hair.

Sasha pulled back, hoping that both alphas would take it as emotional relief and nothing more. “Thank you,” she said. “Were it not for your men, we’d have been left stranded in hostile territory.”

“We’re in your debt,” Hunter said, eyeing Sir Rodney.

“As are we,” Shogun said with a little extra bass in his voice.

“My human squad is at Tulane… I have to take this call,” she said and used the cell phone call to break the tension. But within seconds her shriek drew everyone in close. “Oh, shit! Look at this!”

Waving the cell phone, she showed Sir Rodney the pics that were transmitted, along with the text message-and then showed it to Hunter and Shogun. She dug in her pocket as though bees were in it and stinging her. She held out the crumpled pieces of paper for Sir Rodney to inspect.

“Sigils of darkness,” Sir Rodney said and spat. “But these are different than the ones we saw on Desidera and Penelope like Ethan had described, only maybe worse. Where did you find them?”

“They were under Desi’s body,” Sasha said. “I couldn’t capture the symbols exactly… They were in some foreign hieroglyphics that I couldn’t remember enough of to reproduce. But these were geometric shapes that vanished when the ashes were pushed aside.”

“Beneath the bodies?” Sir Rodney whispered, clearly revolted.

Rupert nodded. “Chaos magick is afoot, milord.”

“Our clan elder, a shaman, went on a spirit walk and discovered how they went after each person’s spirit with doppelgangers… That’s how they got the spell fused with each person’s etheric body,” Sasha said, spi

“This is important information, milord,” Rupert said, wringing his hands. “But we need to know how they’ve black-charmed an entire fortress and castle… or even Ethan McGregor’s bar.”

“They’ve blocked ye from the shadows, lassie?” Sir Rodney said, clearly appalled, and only focused on what Sasha had said.

“We were in a flreflght back there, ambushed by the Buchanan clan, and could not use the shadows or call our wolf.” Hunter received nods of assent from his men, but Sir Rodney frowned.

“What, for the love of God, would send you into that low-life brothel-tell me it was for the moonshine, man!” Sir Rodney walked back and forth for a moment. “I don’t understand. It was a clear ambush, or am I daft?”

Every man found a point on the castle wall to stare at, but no one spoke.

“I was following a scent,” Hunter said carefully. “The same feral trace that I picked up at the scene of the first crime, then at the young woman’s trailer.”

“That’s no doubt why Shogun went there, too,” Sasha said, trying to help Shogun save face.

“Vampires and some type of Were scent?” Sir Rodney said, his gaze narrowing. “How so? Can you be sure?”

“Vampires attacked Winters, the youngest, most vulnerable member of my human team, when he was ru

“Good for your da… I’ll have to remember he’s a man of action and a solid shot.” Sir Rodney smiled a smile that wasn’t wholly appropriate for the occasion. “Why don’t we go inside, eat, have some ale, and then figure out an anti-charm, shall we?”

“We only promised you access to them in a vulnerable state,” Kiagehul sneered, showing his pointed demon-like teeth and standing quickly. “You come into my hidden bayou coven battered, snarling, and reeking of canine sweat and then assail me with charges of reneging on a deal? I am offended! You knew what you were supposed to get out of this bargain. The trade was fair-I was to remove the wolves as a threat; you were to receive, in exchange, the revenge you seek against them. End of discussion.”

“The Bayou House is no more!” one Werewolf yelled, pounding his fist against his palm. “Our still, obliterated; our working girls, dead.”

“Butch is dead,” another argued, growling. “We demand recompense.”

A low growl filled the throat of Buchanan’s injured nephew. “This was not the outcome we paid for in the spell… Something went wrong and you need to pay for it!”

Several Unseelie Gnome bouncers circled the small group of Werewolves, causing a mild stir amongst the cauldrons. Kiagehul moved in closer to the disgruntled Werewolves only after the show of force was in place.

“Nothing went wrong with my spell,” he said, his eyes narrowing as his glamour faded. “Dark mist can show them the chain of events; we will use the war board and go back in time.

“Escort these disgruntled clients to my private chambers. Let us review the facts before we damage our delicate treaty or someone loses their head.”

Kiagehul nodded to his bouncers as he spun on his heels in an elegant turn and strode forward, his head held high with an aristocratic sniff of disdain while pulling on his midnight-blue sorcerer’s robe. Although haughty, he kept a cautious eye on the distance the Werewolves were from the security guards.

Opening his private chamber with a flourish, Kiagehul waved his hand at the available Louis XVI settees, Queen A

“Suit yourselves,” Kiagehul said, going over to a walk-in black granite fireplace. “Let us trace the past… We always place a trace on the black magick spells and dark deals we do or subcontract out, just for instances of buyer’s remorse like this.”

He waved his hand and an eerie black and blue fire roared up from nothing in an instant, the living flames licking the edges of the mantel until the black wax candles on it melted, popped, and sizzled.

Kiagehul smiled. “Give me a moment to tune to the right cha

The Werewolf retinue moved forward, their eyes fixed on the blaze.

“How do we know this isn’t more of your dark magick to trick us?” the leader said.

“You don’t,” Kiagehul said through his teeth. “But this is the only record of the events any of us has… You can go back to your broken pack and corroborate it with any eyewitnesses that are left.”

He snapped his fingers and the inside of the Bayou House appeared. All wolves fell silent.

“Seems the alpha leader of the Southeast Asian Werewolf Clan entered disoriented and in quite a state,” Kiagehul said with a smile. “His men are completely distracted, true?”

“True.” Buchanan’s nephew rubbed his neck and paced down the line of Werewolves that were in attendance. “Is that what you saw when he got there?”

“Yeah, boss. definitely,” one wolf henchman confirmed.

“And they each got picked off one by one, separated,” Kiagehul said, watching events play out. “The alpha is gone… totally consumed by need. The girl is pretty, for a Were,” he said, not caring that the snipe drew growls. “And, from the looks of things, quite talented.”