Page 22 of Christmas Embrace

“Hey babe.” She gave him a warm smile.

“How’s it going?” he asked.

“It is what it is.” Sydney gestured to the body. “I had to see her.”

“Any more visitors to the party I should know about?” the doctor asked with a sardonic tone. “Kade Issacson. Haven’t seen you round these parts in a while.”

“I’ve been busy, doc. Prefer to get updates these days as opposed to working cases.”

“Keeping the vampires in order?”

“I’d like to think my vampires are upstanding citizens. At least they’d better be.” Kade turned to Sydney. “You almost wrapped up here? I told Dom we’d only be a few hours.”

“I’m almost done. Is there anything else, doc?” Sydney asked, anxious for more information.

Kade approached the corpse, his lips drawn tight. “No bite marks?”

“None from vamps or wolves. A few scratches, presumably from claws, but that’s not what made these huge lacerations in the tissue. No, whatever did this, did it with precision.”

“You’re looking at some kind of demon. Could be a fae,” Kade guessed.

“She had drugs in her, but they weren’t taken,” Sydney told him.

“There is just one more thing.” The doctor held up a clear specimen bottle. “It’s a scale of some kind. Still analyzing it.”

Sydney reached for it, inspecting the contents. Yellow and red flecks of light appeared to dance on its surface as if it was on fire. “It almost looks… alive. It is dead, right?”

“I’m a warlock,” Dr. Guillot revealed. “I have it sealed with magic just in case. Whoever this belongs to…demon, fae…could even be some other kind of creature…we’re not going to find out tonight. But I’ve got one more thing to show you.” He set the jar on the counter and refocused on the body. “It’s about her brain. Here, take a peek.”

Sydney’s stomach rolled as the doctor lifted the scalp exposing the brain cavity. Her jaw tightened, the stench of the rotting flesh intensifying.

“I’m not sure if you can see here but a good part of the brain is missing. Almost as if it was scooped out like ice cream. Left a bit of this green residue. I’ve seen this once before from hellfire. So that’s what had me thinking fae. But then there’s that scale, and fae don’t have scales. Leaning towards demon on this one but not your everyday run of the mill. This is probably a lower level demon. Maybe a reptilian. Something that likes brains.”

“Obviously, because who wouldn’t like a tasty treat around the holidays?” Tony choked back a gag, covering his mouth. “Jesus.”

“The brains…” Sydney began, stunned at the empty skull. “I didn’t see that at the scene.”

“Depends on the timing. Looks like it was cut open and sealed with this gooey substance. When she came in here, it took me a while to pry it open.”

“Sounds like a zombie. Didn’t Quint just mess with one of those?” Tony asked.

“Yes and no. That was a demon.” Kade sighed. “But it didn’t have scales. This looks like something different.”

“Hey guys, I know nothing says Christmas like an autopsy review but time’s getting short and we have a wedding tomorrow,” Tony told them.

Sydney looked to Kade who gave her a small smile. Tony was right. Nothing was going to bring back Trinity or answer all the questions surrounding her murder.

“Text me if you get any more info about the scale. I’d say check with the high priestess but she’s getting married and it’s Christmas so…yeah, no.”

“I’ve got a few colleagues I can check with. I’ll let you know. I still have to process the other bodies. Rizzoni’s still working the scene. If there’s anything that comes up, I’ll shoot you a text. Or she’ll get to you. If any of these wolves have an Alpha come lookin’ for them, the case might move up in priority. But for now, Logan said none of his wolves are involved, and we don’t have any other crimes tied to this one so…well, you know how it goes around the holidays. Folks are busy.”

“Not a priority. I get it. No worries. Thanks, doc.” Sydney turned to Kade. “You guys ready?”

“One hundred percent ready,” Tony said.

“Whatever it was, it seemed to be after these rogues. No other reports of paranormal murder in the city. Let’s hope it’s not after anyone else.” Kade opened the door, waiting on the others.

Sydney slowly approached the body and took one last look at Trinity, the mangled skin dangling from the wolf’s face. Emotion curled in her chest. This was the woman who gave her everything yet treated her child like nothing.