Page 35 of Investigation of a Quest

“Ewan?” Bel finished for her. “Yes.”

Olivia opened her mouth to respond, but a hand around the back of Bel’s neck silenced them both as Eamon pulled his girlfriend into his protection.

“Ewan has the witch.” Bel pointed to the woods before he could ask what happened, and as if to confirm her words, a roar echoed below the soundtrack of haunted houses. Eamon raced after the sound, and as unwise as it was, the detectives bolted after him. The trio followed the battle cries, but just as they closed in on the fight, Ewan’s bear absorbed a bolt of magic. His body flew backward as if he were a feather and not a monster. His skull collided with a tree, the wood splintering upon impact, and his mass carved a deep wound in the earth until his animal slid to an unconscious halt at Olivia’s feet.

“I’ve never…” Olivia’s voice faltered, but Eamon didn’t give her time to recover.

“Watch her.” He shoved Bel at her partner and bolted after the vanished witch.

“I’ve never seen his bear,” Olivia whispered. “Is he okay?” She released Bel and bent for the unconscious animal.

“I don’t know,” Bel said. “His bear is pretty resilient, though.”

“I don’t… Oh my god.” Olivia jerked backward as Ewan’s body convulsed, and Bel recognized the movements. She’d witnessed this transformation before, and she wasn’t sure her partner was ready to experience the violent nature of his shift.

“You don’t have to watch,” Bel said. “It’s a difficult sight.”

“No.” Olivia stood her ground. “I need to see this. I need to know why he hid this from me.”

“Okay.” Bel took her friend’s hand, and together they stood guard over Ewan as his skin and bones broke apart to morph fur into flesh. The night air echoed with the cracking and tearing, and after sickening minutes a naked man lay below the wide-eyed women.

“She got away.” Eamon’s voice sounded beside them, and both detectives flinched at his sudden appearance. “I don’t know how she does it, but she keeps escaping me.”

“Black magic?” Bel asked.

“No, but she’s clearly powerful. Why were you alone with her?

“I don’t think she was⁠—”

Ewan’s groan interrupted her as his human came to, and for a disoriented second, he stared at the trio hovering over him. “You didn’t catch her,” he finally said, and when Eamon shook his head in confirmation, he cursed. “How long was I out?”

“Few minutes,” Eamon said.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what she hit me with.”

“You split that tree open when you fell,” Eamon said. “You all right?”

Ewan stared at Eamon as if he suddenly realized his head hurt and slid his fingers through his hair. They came away bloody, and while he didn’t seem fazed by the crimson stain, Olivia couldn’t restrain her gasp.

“Liv?” Embarrassment flushed his features as he finally registered that his ex-girlfriend stood pale and grimacing over his naked body. “Are you okay?” He scrambled to his feet, his powerful form even more on display, and Bel grabbed Eamon’s wrist. Ewan was conscious and in control of his motor skills. They could check on the shifter later when he wore more than moonlight.

“Tell me what happened,” Eamon said as they left the exes to their privacy, and Bel explained how the cheap plastic Halloween decorations had appeared to her as flying monkeys strung up and bleeding above the lawn.

“It was a trap, I know that,” she finished, “but before you yell at me for going off alone, I don’t think this witch wanted to hurt me. When you sensed her outside your house, Cerberus didn’t so much as bat an eye. He always reacts when danger is near, but he didn’t make a peep. And right now? I don’t know. It felt like she was trying to warn me about something.”

“Warn you?” Eamon pulled her to a stop. “Maybe that’s why they keep coming after you. They know I kill first and ask questions later, so they’re attempting to send me a message through you.”

“But what kind of message?”

“If we have a witch war being waged in our town, the last thing they’ll want is a dhampir getting involved,” Eamon said. “My guess is they’re using my power to hide theirs so other covens don’t intervene, but using me as a shield comes with risks. If I get involved, I won’t pick a side. I’ll destroy everyone, and they don’t want that. So she was possibly trying to warn you to stay out of it. If they’re using black magic, they need these bodies to continue to pile up. They don’t want you stopping the murders, so the more you investigate, the bigger a target it’ll paint on your back. Hurt you, though, and I’ll stop being the civilized man you love. I’ll let the Impaler out, and that won’t be good for anyone. Maybe she doesn’t mean you any harm. She just wants you out of the crosshairs.”

“But I can’t let a murderer go free,” Bel said, “and I won’t let witches wage war in our town.”

“Which is why you aren’t supposed to go anywhere alone.” Eamon nudged her chin with his knuckles before planting a quick kiss on her lips.

“I know. I know.” She rolled her eyes. “I couldn’t help it. The monkeys looked so real, and I thought someone had driven wires through living animals. I should’ve known it was a trick, but in the moment, all I saw was pain.”

“Powerful magic can have that effect. In hindsight, flying monkeys strung up over a suburban home is ridiculous, but under the right spell, it feels real. And you love animals, so of course you rushed to help. The witch probably saw you with Cerberus and predicted that would be the quickest way to trap you.”