Demon's Vengeance The Complete - Jocelynn Drake Page 0,16
of the potion in the bowl, I tried to identify the rest of the items. Woodruff was a common herb used as a catalyst for significant changes, while Saint-John’s-wort was used for invincibility. “I thought I smelled holy thistle,” I added, which was used for strength and protection. It was likely that Kyle had also thrown in a black market item or two such as werewolf sinew or ogre spleen, but I didn’t want to mention it and send Serah running after the black market vendors. I had no desire to piss of the guys from whom I still got goods.
“And to bind it all . . .” Trixie picked up a bundle of oak branches that had been bound together with twine. Kyle would have lit one end and let the ash fall into the mix. Not a good sign. Oak was a heavy hitter in the natural world. It was used for a burst of inner strength and power. It was the reason that oak was linked to powerful kings and conquerors through history.
“So, how bad is it?” Serah asked. Her pen was poised over her little notepad, ready to take down my opinion. She wasn’t going to like it.
“We’re fucked,” I said, pulling off my gloves and shoving them in my coat pocket.
“Why?”
“The ingredients were strong, assuming most were somewhat fresh, and the binding agent made it permanent,” Trixie said. “The person is now extremely aggressive and focused. Seeing as this isn’t the person’s nature state, it’s likely that it pushed their mental state off balance.”
“Kyle created a monster,” Serah said.
I sighed and pushed my fingers through my hair, sending it standing on end. “Yes and no. This person had to have the desire or . . . predisposition toward murder already. He probably just lacked the courage to do it.”
“Until now,” Trixie added. “The tattoo gave the killer that final shove over the edge and most likely unhinged his mind in the process.”
“And he’s going to keep killing,” Serah murmured, staring down at the notepad in her hands.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t already,” I said. Serah said nothing but I noticed her hands grip her notepad a little tighter, her knuckles turning white. “You think he has already!” I stepped closer and her head popped up.
She opened her mouth and I think she was going to deny it, but then closed her mouth. Her eyes darted thoughtfully from me to Trixie. “Kyle’s the first death, but not the last. I think the bastard has killed twice since leaving here. We found two women, one last night and one tonight, with their stomachs slashed the same as Kyle. Both were in their last trimester of pregnancy.”
Beside me, Trixie let out a horrible cry. I turned to see her knees buckle and she started to collapse. Catching her, I scooped her up and sat her on the only stool in the crowded little room. She gripped my arms with fierce, trembling hands and raised tear-glazed green eyes to my face. For the first time since I’d met her, Trixie involuntarily lost her glamour spell. Serah was staring at her in shock, but I ignored the human.
Cupping Trixie’s cheek with one hand, I kept the other on her shoulder to hold her steady. “Are you okay? Do you want me to get the paramedics?”
“No,” she said in a squeak. She cleared her throat and repeated it with more force. “No. I’m just overwhelmed. First, Kyle dying like this and then those women.” She paused and looked at Serah. “Did the babies survive?”
“No, I’m sorry,” she said gently.
Trixie squeezed her eyes closed. A tear escaped, slipping down her too-pale cheek. “I need to go home.”
“Agreed. We’re out of here,” I said, wrapping one arm around her shoulders as I started to help her to her feet.
Trixie pressed a hand to my chest as her head snapped up. “No! You stay. Help the police and TAPSS. You can help them.”
A frown tugged at the corners of my mouth. What she meant was that I could find the killer because I was a warlock. I wasn’t too sure what I could do using my special warlock powers with Serah on my heels, but I’d figure something out. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’ll get a taxi to take me back.”
“I can get a police officer to take you back,” Serah offered, her soft voice startling me. For a moment, I’d forgotten that she was even there.