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“Then I’ve got one that’ll blow your socks off.” Gwen perched on the arm of the sofa beside Kat. “The thing that is taking these kids is called a mara. It’s an ancient spirit that can enter houses by taking the form of a cat or vapor. It seduces men and eats their souls while they’re in the midst of passion.”
Benton stared at her for a second. “This thing is human.” His voice was harsh. “Your granddaughter saw it.”
“The fact that it can take human form doesn’t make it human,” Gwen said dryly. “As yet, we have no idea why it is taking these kids, but it is stealing their souls. And doing so while they are in great pain.”
“The first was drained of blood,” Mark said. “Six days later, the second kid was torn apart. How’s that related to this soul-stealer?”
There was very little doubt in Mark’s voice, Ethan noted. But then, Mark had seen the disintegration of the zombie firsthand. That would be enough to make anyone believe that something beyond the norm was going on in this case.
“The first kid was drained by a vampire who was working with the soul-sucker,” Gwen elaborated. “Kat killed it in the warehouse. You probably would have found a man-shaped black stain on the concrete.”
That explained the bits of humanity found among the soot. Ethan looked at Kat. “Is that why you were attacking him with stakes?”
She nodded. “White ash.”
Her voice was little more than a croak, and he raised an eyebrow, glancing at Gwen for explanation.
“Most stakes will damage a vampire,” she said. “But to ensure a kill, it’s best to use white ash.”
“And the mutant in the restroom this evening?” Though Benton asked the question, his expression suggested he really didn’t want to know. “How is that connected?”
“Ethan has already told you it was working for the soul-sucker. And it was a werewolf,” Gwen said, meeting Ethan’s gaze for a moment. “Not a mutant. Not a freak of nature.”
He had a sudden, unsettling feeling the old woman was beginning to figure him out.
The captain scrubbed a hand across his mottled cheeks. He looked sick, Ethan thought. Heartsick.
“You’re seriously expecting me to swallow this?” the captain said, voice flat.
“You have the werewolf, and I guarantee his bite will match those on the second kid’s remains. You have the residue of the zombie who tried to force Kat and Ethan off the road. You have the charcoaled remnants of humanity from the warehouse.” Gwen crossed her arms and studied Benton coldly. “What further evidence do you need that something beyond normal is going on with this case?”
“More than that,” he bit back. He glared at Gwen a moment longer, then resumed his pacing. “We know this … woman … is taking these kids. We don’t know the reason.” He glared at Gwen again, as if daring her to contradict him. “Why, then, is it killing the men?”
“Like all things, it needs to eat to exist,” Gwen said. Mark swore softly and she gave him an amused look. “Amen to that, Detective.”
“So the next question we have to answer is, how did it become involved with the werewolf and the vampire?” Ethan said.
“Kids,” Kat croaked. “The werewolf said part of his job was taking care of the kids.”
Ethan frowned. “The ones they kidnapped?”
She hesitated. “No, he said her kids.”
“Good God,” Gwen said. “If this thing is breeding, then that could certainly explain both why she’s taking the kids and why she’s killing the men.”
“How?” Benton growled. “What has one got to do with the other?”
“Breeding takes a great deal of strength. To produce young, she has to be at optimal levels herself.”
“But she’s not killing the young,” Ethan noted. “Her henchmen are. So why take the kids?”
“I don’t know,” Gwen said, her expression one of frustration. “We’re still trying to uncover more information about maras.”
Ethan glanced at Kat. “Did the werewolf say anything else?”
She nodded. “He said he’d been moving between Springfield and here for a couple of weeks. He also said they couldn’t leave until the kids were old enough.”
“If that’s true, why is it taking the children to warehouses to kill them? Why not kill them wherever it’s keeping its own kids?”
