~ ISSA
I hated the way Yulia’s name rolled off his tongue.
I hated the familiarity he used to say her name. It was not like I was jealous. I just didn’t buy the entire idea of them being acquaintances.
“What makes you so sure that Yulia is the target?” I scrutinised him.
“The markings on the body are all ancient writings,” Jamal replied. “And trouble started the moment she showed up. It’s almost as if she’s a radar to all sorts of crisis.”
“What makes you think that this body is not a message to me?” I asked instead.
“Because you are not worth the trouble, but I don’t think that matters now. Whoever did this is showing you that he does not mind going through you.” He looked serious even if he just outrightly sidelined me.
Again, I asked myself what was so important about this girl. Why was trouble following her around like she was some sort of magnet?
“They can try,” I finally said. “But they won’t get to her. She is under my care.”
“Save the bravado, Issa. She needs to be protected at all times, they did this to a werewolf- a powerful werewolf,” Jamal curtly said.
Was he trying to piss me off? I ignored his tone and focused on the body instead.
The dead werewolf splayed on my lawn in the back yard had been severely tortured and had gone through so much pain before he had been murdered. His body was full of wounds from weapons that I didn’t even want to imagine.
His eyes were gone and two coins were taking their place. His chest was covered in wounds that could only be made from hot iron. He had been branded over and over again. I imagined his pain and shuddered.
“Sick bastards,” I muttered as I looked at the brand. “The wounds of the branding are words forming a sentence.” I realised upon closer inspection.
“Something is sticking out of his mouth.” Jamal opened the werewolf’s mouth and pulled out the branch-like thing only to reveal what was hidden within.
“A black rose,” I said as I recalled what I saw when Miles had been attacked back at that house. This was the third time that I had seen it.
Men in uniform silently showed up with a body bag and quickly put the dead man inside.
“I will let you know what I found out after the autopsy.” Jamal looked me in the eye for a split second before leaving without another word.
I watched him disappear with his men into the trees. I used my wolf tracker to see how far they had run. I was shocked to see that I could not sense their presence.
“That was fast,” I said to myself, impressed.
Jamal Khan was the current head of The Nocturnal Crime Division in my territory. It was a secret squad created to keep the peace. But their mission was mostly secret and know one knew what they were really up to.
His squad was the Night Wanderers. They had jurisdiction everywhere that werewolves and other creatures of the night gathered or thrived.
Which meant he did not answer to me directly.
Currently, he was serving at grade three detective rank and it pained me to admit it but he was a damn good cop. He had earned my respect- even if I was never going to tell him- for closing more cases than his former head of the division.
Jamal Khan was very thorough and dedicated but he still got on my nerves and I did not like him in any way whatsoever.
Two reasons why I disliked his guts was that as a Nocturnal Officer of the Werewolves and other creatures, he answered to no one. No allegiance to any pack, just the utmost pursuit of justice.
To a Nocturnal Officer, Noc for short, all that mattered to them was their job. To catch the bad guy. That is why they were very formidable werewolves and even more powerful than some Alphas.
Rumor had it that they have sacrificed something for their powers.
However, as law enforcement goes, he did follow a chain of command. To give a Noc an order, all Pack leaders would place a vote to summon him but these days with the TikTok and IOS, the public could care less. After all, he was doing his job.
That did not mean that I liked him being here.
Suddenly, I was stunned that I did not see any of the faces of his squad. They had all been masked and heavily armed with rifles. I remembered that Night Wanderers forsook their identity for their mission.
What a life.
My phone rang and I hastily checked who it was. Miles.
“Speak.”
“They are everywhere, man,” Miles said.
“Who?”
“The witches, it’s like a fucking comic convention, man, shit!” Miles chuckled and I realised he was enjoying himself.
“They are planning something big,” I said.
“Want me to go find out?” The desperation in his voice was evident. He loved going on adventures.
“Nope. Get the mountain ash, fast! A body was dropped here with hidden messages burnt on the body.” I hated being vulnerable like this.
“That’s just fucked up,” Miles said.
“It was meant for her, Miles,” I revealed while referring to Yulia. “They wanted her to see it.” Anger suddenly tightened in my voice.
I wondered why they wanted Yulia to see it. Was it meant to terrify her only or was she supposed to decipher their message herself?
“I will get as much mountain ash as fast as I can and then I am coming, hang tight,” Miles concluded, all humor gone from his voice. He had realized things were now serious.
I put that phone in my pocket and went back inside the house. I cursed silently as I headed to the stairs. Yet I caught their scents before I saw them.
The Craven Sisters. Now was a bad time for them to be here.
“The man himself finally decides to show up,” Leia, the youngest and the most mischievous, waved before giving me one of her flirty smiles.
“I can smell your new plaything,” Iris, the second said in a detached tone, like she was stating the obvious. “You should invite her to a threesome with us,” she added casually.
I looked around the room in alarm. Someone else was meant to be here.
“Where is Andrea?” I asked curtly.
“Upstairs, with your plaything, she is probably trying to introduce herself,” Iris answered.
Shit! That’s not good.