Wingless (The Lia Hunter Chronicles #1)

I surveyed Harry Lumbard’s bedroom with a discerning eye, carefully cataloguing every detail. It was a well lived in space, clutter placed on every available surface, clothing overflowing from the large wardrobe. Personal touches littered the walls: a wedding portrait, a child’s messy drawing, and various family photographs. The sight of them made the consequences of Harry’s abduction all too devastating and I steadfastly avoided looking at them.

“How could they have possibly taken him without his wife noticing?” Jake asked the room. I’d been surprised when Levi had brought along three members of the first fleet, sending the rest to watch over Quinn, a thought I was glad he had the foresight for. However, I soon learned that they’d been the ones working the case before the Seraphim had reached out to the PeaceKeepers.

“The other victims I can understand, they were alone or in separate rooms at the time of their abductions, but this,” Geralt broke off, scratching his head as he surveyed the room, “this is borderline impossible.”

Looking at the rumpled bed I couldn’t help but agree. How can a man who was sleeping soundly next to his wife, be taken without her noticing a thing. Putting aside the fact the killer managed to enter the house without breaking any doors or windows and escape with Harry the same way he entered.

“Well, it’s up to us to figure out how it was done and fast. A man’s life is on the line.” Levi snapped, his whole body bristling with tension. He turned his sharp gaze on me, “Agent Hunter, have you managed to notice anything my team has missed?”

Worrying my bottom lip between my teeth, I shook my head. “No, I’m stumped as the rest of you.”

Cursing Levi began to pace back and forth, his wings rustling with each step. Jake and Geralt looked around the room, a quiet desperation filling them. These people were being hunted, taken from their homes and slaughtered. My heart bled for them.

Walking over to the bed, I picked up the piece of paper with the purist symbol printed on it. My gloved fingers stroked over the crude picture.

How?

My mind strained for the answer to our conundrum, feeling it just out of reach. Soft sobs reached my ears, the sound carrying through the house. They were quickly followed by Riley’s gentle murmurs as she comforted Harry’s distraught wife. A human. Our killer clearly making their point that they didn’t believe humans and Jaxai should coexist.

A high pitched, ear piercing scream filled the air. Everybody jumped at the sound slamming their hands over their ears. My heartbeat picked up as I recognized the noise. I’d only ever heard it once before, the night before my mother killed herself. If one was lucky they went their whole lives without hearing a banshee’s scream. The Irish spirit’s bone scraping cry was said to foretell death. Hearing it now was not a good sign at all. Slowly the noise faded from the room and I surveyed the others pale faces. Levi’s brow was pulled into harsh lines and I felt the sudden urge to comfort him. Nobody mentioned the banshee but its cry hung over us heavily.

The ringing of my phone cut through the silence of the room and we all jumped again. I fished it out of my pocket. Seeing it was Hutch I quickly hit accept, raising the phone to my ear.

“Hunter,” I stated, aware of three pairs of burning into me. Turning my back I tried for at least the illusion of privacy, despite the fact with their enhanced hearing they would probably be able to hear Hutch anyway.

“Lia, another text was just sent to the phone,” Hutch said flatly. I felt the intensity at my back build higher.

I cleared my throat softly, “What does it say?”

"You were warned. The fake angels will be torn from the sky. Nothing can stop us.” Hutch recounted.

Growling curses started behind me. Anger vibrated through the room.

“There’s more,” Hutch added. I barely contained a sigh.

Of course, there was.

“The message came with a picture.”

My mouth dried up and I dreaded the answer to my next question. “Of?”

“Harry Lumbard. In it he’s tied to a chair, gagged.” There was a long pause before Hutch quietly added, “He’s not in good shape.”

Finally risking a glance over my shoulder my eyes locked onto Levi. His face was filled with such anger and devastation. His shoulders were hunched, the tips of his wings brushing the floor, this latest blow adding to the other burdens weighing him down. His eyes plead with mine, begging me to find this killer, to stop him from killing more of his people.

My own need to find this killer rushed to the surface, burning through me. I let it my determination show in my eyes, hoping to relieve some of his burdens by showing him my resolve. I would catch this killer, no matter what it took.

“Send me a copy of the photo,” I told Hutch. A thought pushed into my mind. “Were you able to track where the text was sent from?”

“It was sent from Times Square.”

I muttered a curse, “No doubt the killer already dumped the phone somewhere.”

“Most likely,” Hutch conceded.

“Thanks, Hutch.”

“You’re welcome kid and Lia,” he paused.

“Yeah?” I asked softly.

“Be careful.” He said firmly and a grim smile curved my lips.

“Always.”

Snorting, Hutch disconnected the call. After a few seconds it buzzed with an incoming message, I opened the attachment, forcing myself not to react as the photo of Harry appeared on my screen. Much like the other photos’, he was bound, naked and gagged in a chair in some basement. He’d been heavily beaten, bruises and blood marring the majority of his body. His face an unrecognizable, a tapestry of wounds.

I felt the presence beside me and wordlessly I handed over the phone. Levi’s hand clutched the device so tight I feared it would break. The phone made a solemn circuit of the room before finally returning to me. Tucking it away I looked around the bedroom, desperate for answers. Riley’s appearance in the doorway was a welcome distraction and we all latched onto it.

“Anything?” Levi asked her, the quiet desperation in his tone plain for all to see.

“No,” Riley said, shaking her head, “she says she slept through the whole thing despite claiming to be a light sleeper. When she woke up the next morning and found the note she was confused. Said he must’ve vanished into thin air otherwise she would’ve heard him leave the bed.”

My mind whirled, latching onto Riley’s words. Vanished into thin air...as if it were like magic.

The thought hit me with the force of a truck, almost forcing me to my knees in its simplicity.

How could I have been so stupid?

My thoughts must have shown on my face because Levi skewered me with his green gaze. “What?” he demanded. The others locked onto me as well, like sharks scenting blood in the water.

Not wanting to build up their hopes I slowly presented my idea. “All this time I’ve been thinking of the killer as a purist and therefore I assumed they were automatically human, meaning they were confined to what a human could do.” I surveyed the faces around me seeing if they understood where I was going with this.

Understanding slowly dawned on Levi’s face. “But if the killer isn’t human.” He said slowly.

“Or at least has the help of someone who isn’t human. Then it explains how they are able to kidnap the victims without leaving a trace.” I finished. The others glanced at each other uneasily, clearly torn over the idea of one of their own kind working for the enemy.

“It’s a sound theory,” Geralt said, his frown pulling his scars taught, “but how are we to prove it?”

A grin curved my lips, “That’s the easy part.”

Striding away from the bed, I positioned myself against the back wall of the bedroom, facing inwards so I had a clear view of everything. Closing my eyes I channeled my power, years of practice making it almost effortless. Snapping open my eyes I took in my new view, my vision filled with smudged blacks, grays, and whites. The finer details of the world lost, however, something far more important replacing them. A gasp came from my right and I knew my eyes had turned an all-consuming black, even the whites being swallowed by the color.

“You have second sight,” Levi said shocked his voice sounding as if it came from a great distance.

I understood his surprise, second sight was a rare gift, even rarer still amongst hybrids. It allowed the user to see magic, even if it were mere traces of it. The skill was part of what made me so great at my job. Having an inbuilt magic detector made solving cases a whole lot easier.

I turned to Levi’s shadowy silhouette, electric-blue tendrils writhed around him. My mouth dried at the sight of his magic. So much power radiated from him, the air faintly tingled with energy. Fascinated, I studied the pulsing magic for another moment before remembering my purpose.

Snapping my shoulders back I studied the magic floating around the room. Traces of light purple were everywhere, the older ones so faint they had almost vanished others, the more recent additions, glowed steadily. Those most likely belonged to Harry himself and I ignored them, instead focusing on the only other color present. A rusty orange cloud hovered around Harry’s side of the bed, its bright shine indicating that the magic had been recently used. Walking slowly towards the bed I spotted the piece of paper with the purist symbol. Picking it up I studied it carefully, satisfaction filling me as I saw the traces of orange clinging to the paper. Setting it down, I followed the trail of magic out of the room. It led a simple path to the front door, where more rusty orange glowed brightly on the lock. Opening the door I stepped outside, following the trail out onto the street where it abruptly vanished.

Closing my eyes I let go of my magic, the release triggering an instant headache. Using my second sight always left my head pounding but considering the results it was a small price to pay. Opening my eyes I had to blink a couple of times to adjust to the sudden wash of colors. Turning around I started at the sight of four Seraphim crowded close behind me. They watched me fixedly, eager for answers.

“Well?” Levi asked.

“Harry was abducted by a magic user,” I said simply.

“Can you tell who?” Jake asked, his voice equal parts excited and somber.

Shaking my head, I winced as the motion caused pain to pierce through my right eye. “No, it doesn’t work like that. Each person’s magic is different, like a fingerprint.” I tried to explain. “Right now I have their magic fingerprint so to speak, in order to know who the magic belongs to I need to see the person and check if the two match.”

“But it is definitely a magic user?” Levi demanded.

“Yes, their magic was all over the paper.”

A furious glare settled over Levi’s face like a thundercloud. Stalking away, he pulled out his phone, jabbing at it furiously before raising it to his ear.

“Well, things just got about a hundred times worse.” Jake groaned.

“What do you mean?” I asked confused. Sure the killer was a magic user but now we knew that we were one step closer to catching him.

“Don’t you find it strange that it’s only the Seraphim that are being targeted?” Geralt asked, his gray eyes holding an ominous resignation.

“I guess I hadn’t really thought about it.” I frowned feeling foolish. I’d been so consumed with catching the killer I hadn’t stopped to think about why they were only killing Seraphim.

“Now consider that the killer is a magic user or at least has enlisted the help of one. Most likely it is someone from one of the three other races.” Geralt continued. “Possibly even Quinn.”

Understanding clicked in my brain. “This extends beyond catching the killer.”

Geralt nodded grimly.

“For us,” Riley said quietly, her face pale, “this could mean war.”