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"It's a possibility," I replied, glancing around the station where officers moved with determination and weariness.
"If the killer has supernatural connections, we can't rule out the idea that they might have eyes within the police force. We need to be strategic about this."
"Sheriff Callum," I began, my tone assertive, "we need to form a specialized team to handle this case. People we can trust implicitly. If there's a leak, we need to minimize therisk."
The Sheriff regarded me with skepticism, the weariness etched on his features. "You think one of my own is involved?"
"It's a possibility we can't ignore," I replied, my gaze unwavering. "We can't afford to take chances. We need a team beyond suspicion."
Sheriff Callum sighed, a reluctant acknowledgment of the grim reality we faced. "Fine, Evelyn. I'll give you a list of officers I trust with my life. But you better be damn sure about this."
I nodded, knowing the weight of the responsibility I was assuming. "I am. This killer is cunning and connected to the supernatural world. We need to be one step ahead."
Sheriff Callum gave me a list, a physical sign of his trust in those he considered utterly trustworthy. As I looked through the names, I realized the seriousness of the challenge ahead—the daunting task of untangling a web of darkness that connected both the ordinary and the supernatural.
****
I huddled over the desk with the rest of the task force that the Sheriff and I put together and tried to go back and forth just to find something out of place. The men didn’t have personal relationships with each other outside of the fact that they were vampires who belonged to the same clan and stayed in the same town.
The killer was taking them out because he was playing a psychological game with the Mayor. He knew what he was doing, and that’s why we were here looking for any mistake he might have made; that could be our only way of finding him.
Alexei entered the room, urgency in his eyes, and my attention shifted to him.
"Evelyn," he called, holding up his phone with a notification lighting up the screen. "Ana's tracker just activated. It's transmitting from a coven not farfrom here. I don’t know if it's still inhabited, but I think she’s there."
My heartbeat quickened, the seriousness of the moment seeping into the room like a chilling breeze. Ana, Alexei's missing sister, is essential to our investigation. Maybe we would finally get something to tie to the killer. Or perhaps it could be an ambush. Based on the expression on Alexei’s face, however, the ambush talk wouldn’t fly with him.
“I don’t think we should go alone, though, and if we are going to a coven owned by witches, I don’t think police officers would do us any good, either. How about a team of vampires just to be on the safer side?” I suggested, and he agreed instantly. I was glad that he was seeing reason, at least.Not to mention how frightened I happen to be at the moment.
We assembled a team of mighty warriors from Alexei's clan, their presence a tangible force resonating with strength and unease. The air crackled with anticipation as we prepared to venture into the heart of the unknown.
As we raced toward the coven, Alexei took the chance to offer me a glimpse into the longstanding enmity between vampires and witches.
"Harmony Grove was meant to be a haven, or it used to be until the great war," Alexei explained, gazing at the road ahead. "But history clings to us like shadows. The witches and vampires share a dark past, and my sister, a pure-blood vampire, is caught in the crossfire."
The coven loomed ahead, an eerie silhouette against the fading daylight. An ominous atmosphere enveloped the air as we approached, charged with a sense of impending tragedy.
The once vibrant energy of the coven now echoed with silence, punctuated only by the crunch of gravel beneath our feet.
“This place is way different than I remember it. It feels like I’m walking in a different place. It used to give off so much light that we watched it from a distance as kids. The lights didn’t go off until the last of them moved out, and we have never heard from them again,” Alexei explained further, and I took everything in.
We entered cautiously, the warriors flanking us like shadows, their eyes vigilant. The scene before us sent a chill through my veins—a tableau of destruction and desolation. The coven lay in ruins, the remnants of a brutal confrontation evident on every scarred surface.
Blood, or something resembling blood, coated the walls in disturbing patterns, a disquieting tapestry of violence. In the center of the devastation lay a shockingly large lock of hair, unmistakably belonging to Ana. My heart sank, and I glanced at Alexei, frozen in place, his features a mask of disbelief.
"Ana..." he whispered, the word barely escaping his throat. His feet moved automatically towards the gruesome altar, and I felt immense sympathy for him; nobody deserved to go through this. The weight of the tragedy hit, and the air seemed to thicken with sorrow.
Once embedded in Ana's earlobes, the tracking earrings lay beside the grim display—a haunting testament to the violence that had unfolded. Alexei stumbled forward, his hands reaching out to grasp the remains of his sister's essence. The anguish etched across his face mirrored the desolation of the coven.
I placed a hand on his shoulder, the moment's gravity weighing on us. "We need to find who did this, Alexei," I murmured, my voice a solemn promise. "We'll bring justice to Ana and end this nightmare."
“No, my sister isn’t dead. I can still feel her in my veins; they are taunting me. Ana would never cut her hair, she loved it so much. It was the only reminder of our mother that she had left. She would tease me about the mass of her hair. They have done things to my sister,” hemuttered, my heart breaking with each sentence. He looked dejected, almost like his entire life trajectory had been changed.
Whose wouldn’t be?
CHAPTER 16 | THE LUMINARA COVEN
EVELYN’S POV
