“Trafficking, maybe?” Kaderyn offered, pointing at another photo. “What the hell is that?”
I turned, focusing on the blurring image. Then, zooming in to enhance it, I peered at what looked like a streak of light on the monitor. The hint of amber made my heart race, causing a smile to play on my lips.
“Son of a bitch,” I whispered. “Can we can clear that image up?”
“Let me try something, Xari,” Forest offered, working his magic with the technology we had.
Luckily, our donors didn’t blink at donating a ton of cash to keep theirs and our existence silent. It allowed us to buy the coolest toys and gear that made it a lot easier to catch creatures that were brilliant at hiding from the outside world. Unfortunately, they didn’t like to remain hidden.
By the time Forest had finished, we had a partial image of the silver-haired male. Moving closer to the screen, I grinned.
“Gotcha ya, fucker,” I grunted, turning to Forest. “Great job, kid.” I smiled at him before placing my hands on his desk, and he flinched at my proximity. “I need you to go frame by frame and clean up each image. I don’t care if it’s a spec on the screen; we need to see it.”
“I can do that, but I sort of want to be at the ceremony tonight. My aunt was one of the unlucky ones that didn’t survive.” He fidgeted while stating his case.
“Of course you can be there. Everyone will be there, minus those who offered to remain behind to guard the guild. Can you finish up after the ceremony or tomorrow morning?” I asked, hoping I didn’t have to force him back into the seat when the funeral rites were complete.
“Right after the rites will be fine, ma’am,” he whispered, swallowing audibly, and relief washed through him as I backed up. Slowly, I shifted closer again, leaning against his desk.
“What is scaring you, Forest?” I questioned.
“You’re Xariana Anderson, and I am the one who has to count your kills every night. Most hunters bring in one or two kills a month, but you report several, if not double digits, ma’am. In all honesty, you freak me out a little.”
I blanched at the laughter that sounded behind me. Frowning, I turned, glaring at my team. Shaking off the kid’s terror of me, I snorted. “I earned my position here. Most people assume I gained my status from being the daughter of the creator of the guilds. I wanted to earn my rightful place based on my skills, not my name.”
“You did, ma’am,” he returned, nodding around the room. “No one here questions your skill or that you’re one of us by right. It’s just a lot of kills, and you’re young. You’re a year older than me, and you have more kills than anyone else, minus your father. It’s an honor to even be in your presence, honestly.”
I lifted a brow, then gave myself a mental shake. “That’s enough honesty for today, Forest. You can go prepare for the funeral.” Once he’d exited the room, I groaned as the others slow-clapped at me. “Stick it, assholes.”
“I thought you were going to have the poor thing pissing his pants,” Kaderyn snorted.
“He’s a strange kid,” I muttered absently, staring at the being in the image. “We need to find out why they took the women. Taking my father made sense if it was for ransom or a vendetta. This development creates an additional problem. I don’t think whoever took them was planning to traffic them. Look at the outfit on this male. It screams money. He’s wearing diamond cufflinks, dressed in an expensive suit, which doesn’t fit an assault team or the type of slimy creeps that traffic women. They want them for something, and we have to figure it out. The clock’s ticking.”
Chapter Seven
We arrived at the mansion after dusk. Fires burned brightly against the setting sun, and a light breeze filled the area with the earthy scent of sage and lemongrass. Priests, Pastors, and other religious leaders joined us at the behest of families, given free spiritual reign over their parishioner’s rites.
It was sobering to watch a mass funeral, knowing that so many folks I’d worked with over the years were gone. A sinking sensation filled my stomach, churning inside of me. Noah, Kaderyn, and a few others stood behind me during the ceremony, providing silent comfort to one another.
After the service, I’d remained at the ceremonial grounds until the bodies were salted and burned to nothing more than ash. This process prevented anyone from raising the dead from their afterlife, ensuring their eternal rest. It was the same procedure used while hunting, keeping the proof of the kill from human eyes or knowledge.
Music started, and Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd echoed through the valley surrounding the mansion. My phone chirped, pulling my attention to the message, and my eyes narrowed on the name. It was from Axton, a local bar owner that served Otherworld creatures.
“I’ll be back in a moment.” I slowly made my way over the cobblestone walk and past the swimming pool that had sat empty for over twenty-plus years.
Stepping into the house, I smelled the musty scent of dust and time. My gaze slid over the covered furniture, and I swiped at the wall, turning the lights on. My attention moved around the den, slowly taking in the pictures that hung on the wall, topped by a thin layer of dusty film over the glass.
Lifting my head, I noted the elegant, high vaulted ceilings and crystal chandeliers reflecting prisms of rainbows onto the walls. Moving deeper into the room, I paused at the bar to examine a single glass with red lipstick on the rim. I looked around, studying the areas where the dust had been displaced.
I walked over to a console table near the couch and picked up a photo that had been cleared of dust, staring at the original hunters. My mother and father had started the hunter guild soon after attacks on humans had become rampant in these parts. Sandra, my father’s sister, was one of the first to die. Hers was the largest memorial in the cemetery behind the mansion.
My gaze slipped over the faces as an eerily sensation of being watched crept up my spine, forcing me to glance behind me. Then, swallowing the unease, I turned back to look at the image of my mother. I was the perfect mixture of my parents, but where she was slender, I had curves, and her fair hair and skin contrasted with mine, which favored my father.
My phone rang, jolting me from my thoughts in the otherwise silent house. Sliding my finger over the screen, I held it up to my ear.
“Anderson,” I muttered into the receiver.
“Hey,” Axton’s dark, silky tone wrapped around me, soothing me immediately. The man had a voice that could warm your ovaries and twist them into a frenzied need. “I heard about the attack, Xariana. I’m sorry that I didn’t contact you sooner. Shit’s been crazy over the past few hours.”
“I imagine so,” I snorted while moving back toward the bar, running my fingers over the surface beside the glass. I lifted it, scrunching my nose in distaste as I inhaled the lingering scent of gin. “You said you had information for me?”
“Yeah, but I also expected you to call me when I sent you the text. You enjoy making men wait for you, don’t you?” he teased before pressing the receiver against his shoulder, causing static to fill the line. “Ana, no. Use the other one for tonight. He’s coming, and I intend to impress, not offend.”