This week, I am blessed to be heading to a 5 day writing retreat where I will be finishing the first 2 books in a new series. I thought I'd give you all a 10,000 word sample below... This series is dedicated to my love for all things X-Files, Supernatural, Unsolved Mysteries, and Cold Case Files... with my own witchy twist, of course.
1) It's NOT edited and in its first draft! Please ignore all typos etc.
2) The cover is super preliminary and is likely to change.
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Unsolved Wytchsteries: Supernatural Cold Case Files
#1 - All Bark, No Bite
By Jamie Ocean
Chapter 1
Dru Graham…
My car rolled to a slow stop to the sound of gravel crinkling under my tires as I spied the driveway I was searching for, wondering if this was indeed the right driveway as it was almost hidden from view and only noticeable because of the dilapidated and paint-stripped sign: The Bellwood Grand Hotel, established 1844.
“I can’t imagine there’s more than one Bellwood Grand,” I muttered. Perhaps, there was another somewhere in the vastness of the world, but definitely not in the middle of nowhere northern Maine woods. According to my quick internet research, the hotel had once been a crown jewel that towered alongside a large lake and was accessible only by train—the end of the track—a final stop for wealthy patrons of a stylish and extravagant era long gone by.
They’d roll right up to their destination and get the five-star treatment available for that time. The lake wasn’t seeable from my current vantage point, and from what I recalled from my research, it was on the opposite side of the hotel from the driveway. Which I was assuming must have been dug out from the original train track as it wasn’t much wider and seemingly not meant for heavy traffic of any kind—not exactly normal for any busy hotel or business, as usually, they wanted to be found and accessible.
Like the road I’d been driving on for the last few miles, it was a gravel driveaway—to say I was off the beaten path was damn close. It was far off my normal beaten path, far from my hectic city life in Boston. This was not a road I would ever normally venture down, especially not alone or out on some whimsical travel adventure.
I puffed my cheeks and pushed out the anxious breath I’d pocketed.
“Here goes nothing.” I drove my car down the gravel road. I wondered just how traffic managed to get in and out without trouble, but I guessed that wasn’t my concern as long as I didn’t happen upon another vehicle trying to leave as I was entering.
My rolled down windows let in whiffs of pine from the thick grove of trees that lined the driveway as my car drove toward the hotel entrance. The air had a fresh crispness to it you never had in the city, one that was almost like the air itself had its arms outstretched in welcome. In this case, almost a bit like invisible tendrils almost pulled me in deeper and deeper, closer to my final destination like I was meant to arrive at this very moment.
The grove of pines began to thin and open as the driveway gave way to a parking lot and then the hotel. I was surprised to see numerous vehicles parked—so many signs of life after so many miles of no recognizable civilization. There was everything from old beat-up trucks to newer stealthier looking SUV’S, to camper vans and travel trailers.
But it was the Bellwood Grand that stole my breath away.
It towered upward over the tall pines, its turrets silhouetted against the swirls of dark clouds far overhead. Puffs of fog crept around the edges as the moisture off the nearby lake warmed. I counted four levels plus a likely attic type top floor, and a basement, from what I could see. The hotel expanded beyond my immediate vision, being much larger than I had expected. There were little peeks of the lake off to the side and in the distance through the trees.
I parked and got out of my car and took in the surroundings more closely. This place was alive with history. Hundreds of years of emotions and feelings clinging to every ring of the tree trunks, the leaves, or even the pebbles on the ground.
I’m sure the hotel had been a shining beacon in its heyday, but its current state showed its years in stripped paint, cracks of the aged wood, and the no longer straight lines I was sure once strengthened the original foundation. But even though rather eerily quiet, there was a silent hustle and bustle of energy that made me believe the place was still awash with life.
But even with the blast of agedness and history, from a place that from a picture would scream haunted or troubled, there were no creepy vibes. It was the opposite, actually. No shivers up my spine, only a warmth that welcomed me like I was, dare I say, home…
And this was my new living situation. At least, I hoped it would be. For how long? This I wasn’t sure about. But it was a hell of a lot different than city living. The town of Bellwood, Maine, consisted of the The Bellwood Grand Hotel—there were no other businesses or residents inside the town borders to my understanding.
It was only fifteen minutes from the Canadian border and about forty minutes to the nearest Maine town—in this case, town was a loose term for a few residents and a convenience store with attached gas station. The Bellwood Grand had once attracted wealthy customers from around the world who’d wanted to disappear from modern distractions and spend time in nature—fishing, hiking, hunting, or just seeking some solace and peace from the daily grind. But naturally, in a manner those wealthy guests were accustomed to—with the latest in luxury and amenities.
But not now. Today, it had been converted into a business of sorts, from what I’d been told when interviewing for this new job. A base of operations—which seemed ridiculous, that someone would base a business this far in the middle of nowhere.
I shook my head hoping I hadn’t messed up by taking this job. But I’d wanted a change. Rather, I’d needed it.
On the other hand, I really enjoyed having my food delivered and having groceries and supplies at easy reach. Out here… well, the closest real grocery store was about two hours journey back in the direction I came from. But I’d been told my needs would be met with ease and not to worry. And I supposed there wasn’t anything that said I had to stay. I’d give it a good serious try though, before deciding if this was the life change I was searching for.
That idea of actually finding that panged inside my chest for a few heartbeats. I’d been searching all my forty-four years for where I fit into the world and so far, had not succeeded. Seeing as my usual tactics were failing and becoming redundant, I’d decided to try on something new. The moment I’d made that choice, it was almost like the universe had sighed and said, finally, and shoved this new job opportunity smack dab in my face. And it had felt like there was no way to say no. Like, I couldn’t have stopped the change if I’d wanted to.
Honestly, I’m not sure why I spent so many years struggling to live and work in more heavily populated areas. As an empath, the constant bombardment of feelings and emotions was downright overwhelming and kept me in a constant state of anxiety and needing to find something, anything, to let me turn off for a little while.
But there was something easy about it too, in that it was easier to hide myself and not stick out so much in a crowd. Something I loathed, for the most part. And I was known to be a bit of a recluse as distance, quiet, and space was the only way to get a break from everyone else’s emotions. It was a rare moment of blessed reprieve that I broke free and had a little peace in my own mind. So, why not give a new lifestyle a try? See what, middle of the woods could do for me?
I hoped I didn’t stick out too badly, and I couldn’t imagine what sort of folks would choose to live in a place like this. It wasn’t a working hotel anymore, in that it didn’t serve guests looking to vacation on the lake, but rather housed tenants who worked for the organization I’d just been hired to work for as well.
I was surprisingly comforted by the agedness of the hotel. One might think the place cursed or haunted… but there was a rustic charm and calm that welcomed me. Almost a distant voice singing a hello and welcome home. No bad vibes or creepy tingles in my spine had me stepping up to the hotel in a confident search for the entrance to the bar.
This was where I was supposed to find my new boss, Nova Atticus, along with my mysterious new partner. Wherein I would finally learn more about the actual job I was hired to do. It had something to do with my empath ability and being able to tell if clients were being honest and whatnot… that’s all I really knew. It had been a tad vague—but I was used to that as an empath. People rarely ever wanted to admit they were hiring someone based on some often-believed fake gift.
Nova had claimed I came highly recommended, although, I struggled to imagine who would have done so seeing as most of the people I’d ever worked with were not so fond of my empathy and found me weird to be around.
Mostly because I didn’t like to be around people as their emotions sometimes acted a bit like having multiple personalities. I could be happy one minute and sad the next and pissed off or terrified the next… it was nearly impossible to keep my own true feelings at the surface and often subjected me to sudden mood swings.
I was admittedly curious as to what kind of business needed to know if their clients were lying to them – vitally enough to warrant hiring an empath – and one based in the northern Maine woods and not close to anything remotely civilized. But my limited internet skills had garnered me nothing useful in determining anything other than The Bellwood Grand’s long history… which, in the world of the history keepers, seemed to have stopped around 1944 when the original hotel closed down. Wherein, almost instantly, it was as if the world forgot the once world-famous hotel ever existed.
I walked around a bit and was grateful I didn’t run into anyone. I needed a minute to get my guard up before actually entering the building. This was always the way—steel myself for the onslaught of emotions. My mind walls were pretty thick at this point, but in moments of anxiety-like, a new job and a new place to live, there was always a chance my walls had some frayed edges or suffered some unwanted thinning.
I located the bar entrance—it wasn’t well marked, just some stairs leading down to the basement level and a small neon sign blinking open, hanging in a dingy window. I reached out to open the door and pushed out my nerves as I stepped inside, where I was met with not much fanfare at all—and that was a good thing. There were a few stares in my direction, but the atmosphere didn’t harbor any ill will or desperation or sadness, something many bars were full abundance of.
It had the appearance of an old dive bar—dark corners, aged tables and chairs, a couple of pool tables and the clientele was, to my understanding, the people who lived and worked here—so, my new workmates I supposed.
What put a smile on my face, though, was the bedazzled and beaming drag queen slinging drinks behind the bar—a bright ray of rainbows and sunshine sparkling up the dark joint that was otherwise filled with men and women donning various colors of black, camo, or flannel. And to be honest, I had a hard time differentiating the men from the women as some of the ladies in the bar were equally as rugged looking as their male counterparts.
For reasons not yet clear to me, I adored the mix of darkness, camo, flannel, and glam sparkle. Not that I’d be caught dead in either. I wasn’t a tee shirt or flannel kind of girl, but I wasn’t glitz and glamour either. I was more, comfort meets chic meets everyday function, as well as flattering to my middle-aged curves. Always a quieter chic, though, never anything that would make me stand out in a crowd.
I approached the bar hoping someone might know the identity of the person I was supposed to meet, but then I swayed a little as the inevitable onslaught of emotions caught me in their grip. It wasn’t too overpowering and fairly typical. Thankfully, nothing nefarious. Curiosity, and a little suspicion, and even a bit of expectation. Perhaps they’d been made aware of my arrival and this made sense to the fewer stares than I was used to or had expected.
And even though I was grateful not to feel anything untoward, the bar was more crowded than I expected and the sheer number of bodies emoting, weighted the air in my lungs. I took a quick second to breathe and push down the emotion, thickening the protection my metaphorical walls provided. I supposed they were not exactly metaphorical, but they were not a real physical manifestation either. But without them, whatever form they were, I’d not survive a day without their protection.
Being an empath had its pluses and minuses. Sometimes, when feeling overwhelmed, a beautiful energy might lift me up. And I enjoyed helping others. I liked when I could take away a little of someone else’s pain… only, I took it into myself and it was a heavy burden to drag around.
Those emotions were like walking around in a wet ass blanket that never dried out. And sometimes, the soggier the blanket got it would start to pick up debris and drag around my ankles ending up in emotional hangovers that would keep me not wanting to get out of bed for days. It didn’t make things easy when it came to everyday life, relationships, or working. And it didn’t make me the best of friends or company as I was always canceling plans due to not feeling up to it.
I felt a fiercely bright energy pull behind the bar from the drag queen serving up drinks and as I moved closer, the energy in the room shifted—don’t ever assume a heart or mind leans any particular way purely based on the clothing someone wore or their outward appearance. These people were no fools, and they were inwardly sizing me up and making sure I wasn’t a threat.
They had some purpose they served here. They weren’t just some random group of visitors. They were protectors. And all their energy shifted to protecting the bright ray of sunshine behind the dark bar. They cared for this person deeply. Not one of them moved, physically, it was a pure raw emotional move, but all were ready to pounce if needed.
But there was nothing hostile or that made me worry for my safety. If anything, I relaxed a little, as the people in this room might have looked like some serious ass kickers, and I’m sure they were, but they had kind hearts that drove them to do whatever job they did here.
“You must be Dru Graham,” the drag queen called out with a toothy smile. They glided around the bar with an outstretched hand in greeting. “I’m Nova Atticus. Owner, proprietor, and sometimes bartender,” Nova explained, when a grizzly voice called out from the bar.
“And always fabulous.”
“Damn straight, flannel pants,” she sang right back.
The bar erupted into laughter until Nova raised their hands to quiet them.
“Everyone, I’d like to meet the newest member of our team, Dru Graham. Empath extraordinaire.”
Many beers and heads nodded in my direction and I meant to respond in some manner, but the shock of the moment caught the words in my throat. Not that the gorgeous drag queen was my new boss, but they’d just publicly acknowledged I was an empath. What exactly was this place?
“Welcome to The Bellwood Grand,” Nova said, hand outstretched to me. I took it and finally found my voice again.
“It’s delightful to meet you.” I was also surprised the boss had been slinging drinks behind the bar. Just what kind of business was this exactly? It was getting stranger by the minute. “I was told I could meet my new partner…” the rest of the words tore out of my throat in a silent death as a door swung open near the back of the bar—a slim light flickered as the door swung closed and shut, leaving a glimpse of a silhouette.
A man, I thought. Broad shouldered. Wearing a dark trench coat. I caught a glimpse of stubble on his chin as his head turned in my direction. Oddly. I didn’t get any emotion flung at me, but even without that there was a dark aura around this man. Mostly, this darkness emanated from the others nearby and not the man himself—like, they felt bathed in darkness when close to this man.
And then he stepped a little closer and I had to stagger backward. Not at the sight of him, or his emotional baggage, but rather by the unusual lack thereof. And not only that, but the closer he got to me the wider that feeling spread—it was as if the emotions I’d been picking up were yanked out of me. Blood rushed to my ears and I got dizzy from the sudden pull and emptiness—and emptiness I hadn’t experienced before.
Everything in my mind went still and quiet. A sudden hush where only my own thoughts existed pushing out the plethora of feelings and emotions from the others in the bar. I suddenly felt so empty I swayed again, dizzy from the mere simpleness of having only my own emotions swirling in my mind.
Where normally I would feel pulled in many directions at once all the time, my body was anchored to the moment, like my feet had just grown roots that buried deep into the ground below my feet.
What was this?
I’d never experienced anything of the sort in all my life.
The man stopped a few feet away, something in his dark eyes seeming to recognize my sudden discomfort.
Was this him? Was he doing this to me? And what exactly was happening to me? This wasn’t something I had experienced before. Ever. Never once had I ever had other’s emotions pulled out of me, almost like something had suddenly decided they did not belong there.
“Good grief, Jack,” Nova’s voice sang out. “Shall we not burn out the empath before she officially even starts.”
He grumbled underneath his breath and kept his distance a bit, seeming worried he might actually burn me out, only, that’s not what I was feeling at all. Quite the opposite. And, wait! Was that a real thing? Had he seen it happen before? And it suddenly occurred to me I’d missed a big thing—I was to be his new partner, meaning, there had been an old partner. Why did he need a new one, exactly?
Oddly, this was completely my own anxiety and no one else’s. It was a strange thing to feel only my own emotions. It seemed this stranger was responsible for my sudden, blissful emptiness. But how? How was this happening?
I also didn’t want to appear rude or make a bad first impression so I extended my hand in greeting. He glanced at my hand somewhat apprehensively and I wondered if I’d crossed some unknown boundary. Not everyone liked to be touched. But just as I was about to awkwardly pull my hand back, he extended his own.
“Jack Darling,” he introduced himself. My eyes lifted quickly to meet his—this was my new partner. But it was what happened next that had me feeling like I was turned upside down.
We both made sounds and movements that nearly mimicked each other—not because I was suddenly picking up what he was emoting, but because when our skin touched, something even odder happened.
No one else seemed to notice, just the two of us. For me, I suddenly had this sensation come over me of feeling—well, like… me—was the best way I could describe it. Like, this Jack Darling had some way of peeling away all the thousands of layers building my protection walls and making himself right at home there, like they’d never even existed. His simple presence exposing the real me underneath all the layers.
I can’t say what he felt as I still couldn't read him, but something happened to him as equally strange. I could see the shock in his eyes and feel it in the slight tremble of his hand. It only lasted a moment because we hastily let go of each other, but it was of those passing moments that felt as though it lasted much longer than it did and would stick in my memory for a long, long time to come.
I tried to brush it off, but it wasn’t an easy thing to do. But with Jack this physically close to me, I suddenly couldn’t read any emotions in the room. I was suddenly a regular ‘ole human who had to rely on what she could see, not feel.
I shivered ever so little, not so much as there was a chill about the air, but in that Jack’s gaze scrutinized me in such a way that it left me feeling freakishly exposed—like, he was seeing – shudder and horror—me. Just me. Real me, like I might as well have been standing here naked in front of everyone. Except no one else could see me, just Jack.
The me that was typically buried behind thick walls to protect herself from the constant onslaught of emotions. The me I didn’t want anyone to see because she was unsure of herself and constantly questioning anything and everything. The me that had always wanted to be seen, and accepted, but had given up hope of ever having it happen.
We might have been standing in a somewhat crowded bar, but it was like we were the only two people that actually existed there. It was a bit unnerving as I had this overwhelming desire to shed a tear—not a good look for a first day on a new job—I ordered my teary self to get it together.
Perhaps it was just the shock of this new place and not Jack Darling at all? Maybe I was just tired after the long drive. I could come up with many excuses, none really making sense. It had never happened before, but I was also involved in something new and unfamiliar things often caused me great anxiety.
Nova seemed to sense the change in my more easy-going demeanor to something more guarded and gave me a little distance, as did Jack. The further away he stepped, the more the emotion of the room flooded back in. It really was him causing my empathy to go all wonky.
But it didn’t get past me that they were both familiar and accommodating to empaths. They understood sometimes I needed a little space and I admit, it made me fascinated by what this place really was, as I had a feeling I hadn’t been told nearly everything. I’d wager, only the surface of things.
I suppose it didn’t matter in the moment as long as it didn’t keep me from doing my job properly. Whatever exactly that even was. I’d been told I’d be a new partner for Jack Darling, a detective of sorts, who needed an empath to help him understand his clients better. Were they telling the truth and that sort of thing. But I was getting a suspicious feeling there might be a bit more to the job than just this.
I was used to being around people who only begrudgingly believed in my ability to read people’s emotional states and was cautiously optimistic when I’d gotten a call out of the blue for this job.
But having the typical flood of emotions removed from the picture for a moment had caught me off guard and now as the flood drowned me again, I found I needed a moment to fix my usual thick walls back in place.
I heard Nova order a few of the men and women in camo and flannel to unpack my car and take my belongings to my room. That was fine with me, less for me to lug around. Although. I only had a few boxes and suitcases. I hadn’t brought much as I really didn’t own much.
“While we’re getting you moved in, Jack will show you around a bit and get you more—settled—into your new job,” said Nova, who nodded at Jack. “I’ll be down shortly, Darling.” Nova blew him a kiss and winked, and Jack playfully returned the gesture by capturing the kiss and holding against his heart.
Even with my empathy a little off, I got the sense they liked to tease each other and were good friends. It set me more at ease as Jack motioned for me to head toward the door he’d come through a few minutes before.
Part of me wondered if I might be crazy to drive myself to the middle of nowhere Maine to live with complete strangers I honestly didn’t know if I could trust or not. But I typically relied on my empathy to know that. And as I got closer to Jack again, that mysterious emotional shutdown returned.
I wanted to ask how he was doing it? And if he was even aware he was doing it?
Perhaps this was some test? Or hazing the new arrival?
Likely, it was something more like this than anything truly odd.
But it was unnerving, and I didn’t want to admit my gift was off kilter day one on the new job. So, for now, I’d keep it to myself and see what came of things.
Jack took the lead once we were through the door at the back of the bar and I found myself looking him over curiously. He was around my age, I’d wager, maybe closer to fifty. He had an aged wisdom in his features but didn’t have the lines and wrinkles of a more maturely aged man.
He wasn’t particularly handsome or not, nothing that made him stand out so much—although, up close, there was a tension obvious in his features, maybe a nervous tick in the muscles of his cheeks. He had a tired ruggedness about him, like, he’d been fighting a long battle with something that had him set in a perpetual focused determination.
He led me down a thin corridor that stopped at an elevator. It seemed out of place to me, the technology appearing much newer than anything else in the Bellwood Grand. Jack stepped into the elevator and turned around with the slim outline of a sly grin.
I didn’t need my empathy to understand that look.
This was it, the final moment I could change my mind.
I swallowed a little harder than I wanted to. I’d never needed my empathy more than right now, and naturally, this would be the one time in my entire life it decided not to work.
Whatever waited when we got off this elevator was going to change me—it was going to change my life. It was one of those moments you realized your world was about to change in some way you’d never have guessed ever before.
“Shall we take a little ride?” he asked, lips thinning, trying to hold back some secret delight. I closed my eyes just for a second and sent a silent prayer to whatever powers that be that might be listening. Hoping I wasn’t making an epic mistake—and yet, like those powers that be were answering me, my feet moved and I was inside the elevator with Jack Darling heading downward to my new life.
Chapter 2
Jack Darling…
Dru Graham was the strongest empath I’d ever encountered. At first meeting, though, I got the impression she didn’t understand how powerful she was. But even I wasn’t prepared to meet her in person. When I first touched her hand to welcome her, I’d been caught off guard as some sort of energy had surged upward into my arm.
It wasn’t unpleasant. Or painful. Almost the opposite, like her energy was mingling with my own, almost like a greeting of some kind. But no other empath had ever had that effect on me. They hadn’t ever had any real effect on me.
I, on the other hand, had been told too many times to count that I was miserable to be around for an empath, and is the reason I went through too many partners. Too much time around me would, as Nova had said, burn them out, so to speak. Not literally, but enough that they could not work with me any longer because of the heavy burden my emotions were on them.
I was well aware my own emotions liked to hang out in darker places. I was also quite keenly aware of the new empath soaking up those dark spaces like she was pretty darn comfortable there herself. But when she’d touched me it was more like she was seeing my true darkness and wasn’t running away from it like most did.
But unlike others, it didn’t run her off. Meeting her and physically touching her hand was a strange thing I’d never felt before. Perhaps it was because she was such a strong empath? A real empath. There were plenty of fakers or people who thought they were empaths, or were, but their gift was weak compared to Dru.
Regardless of the reason, I’d hastily let go and nearly given away my surprise at the reaction of touching her. I’m sure Dru was feeling bombarded by the new people and place and job so I didn’t want to overwhelm her day one.
But the truth is, we’d been counting down her arrival. Well, I had… I’d spent months researching for the right person for this job and finding Dru had seemed a blessing. She was single. Middle-aged. No kids or close family. And the most gifted empath I’d ever come across. I felt like I’d won the empath lottery.
I didn’t know how much she was aware of when it came to the supernatural world, but she was about to get a crash course as we had a case that needed immediate attention. I’d have preferred to get her settled and moved in and introduce her more slowly… but doing that chanced losing some vital clues to a case we’d been trying to solve for years.
A cold case we’d been given seven years ago and only now had finally been handed some real clues that might solve the case. And an empath as gifted as I believed Dru to be, could really help us solve this case. I hit the button to close the elevator door and noticed Dru inching closer to me with a confused expression on her face.
She stopped herself as if forcing herself to inch further away instead. It wasn’t the typical reaction. All empaths I’d worked with so far wouldn’t have wanted to get into an elevator with me and would have preferred taking the stairs or waited for the next elevator.
Dru was a conundrum for sure. But perhaps her gift was different. She was the strongest empath I’d ever come across, so maybe her gift didn’t work quite the same.
Sadly, as happy as I was that she was here, I was also feeling greedy and rushed. I wanted to solve this case. I’d give closure to the victim’s loved ones and get a dangerous criminal off the streets. To be able to tell loved ones what really happened to someone they lost—that drive kept me going.
A painful twist corkscrewed my heart but I ground my jaw and tamped that shit show down hard. I had no time for that memory to surface now. I cast a side glance at Dru. If she’d felt that she didn’t show it. And it wasn’t a memory or conversation I needed just now. Or ever. But it was the thing that drove me. The reason I did this job. Because of the closure I was unlikely ever to have for myself.
But if I kept busy and kept working and got others the closure I’d never have… well, somehow, I lived with the belief this would be enough to sustain me until this human existence finally ended.
Ding. The elevator stopped.
Ding. The doors pulled apart.
Dru inhaled sharply at the sight of our operations bunker.
“Are we underground?” she asked, sounding a bit stunned.
“Is that a problem for you?”
“Oh, no, it’s fine. Just didn’t expect that with the giant hotel—above ground.”
I nodded, hoping she was telling the truth as I wanted her to be as comfortable as possible. Most empaths I knew had a tendency to accept less than ideal working conditions that made them miserable because they struggled to feel anything real, anywhere or any time.
Frankly, I could not imagine a life where everyone else’s emotions were mixing with my own. I considered that a personal hell. And I was sure my own darkness was the unwanted cherry on top of the emotional sundae empaths were already trying to stay at the top of—which was nearly impossible because they’d just slide right down the melting sides and get swallowed up in the melting mire.
“What is this place?” she asked as we stepped out of the elevator.
“We call it the office.”
She side-smirked and I chuckled.
“Our case files and archives are down here, as well our main base of operations. But we will spend a lot of time on the road too.”
“Yes, you mentioned traveling would be involved.”
I led the way and Dru followed. Our office was deep in the operations bunker which had been added below the main Bellwood hotel just over twenty years ago. So, aging, but far newer than anything else in Bellwood.
“I’m sorry to drag you down before you’ve even settled in,” I started—she stopped me.
“You warned me there was a job you needed me for right away. I came ready.”
“Yes, well, let’s get to it then.” I opened the door to the office and Dru let out an audible gasp at the unexpected size of the office—it was more warehouse like than an office. I’m sure she had expected a few desks and filing cabinets, maybe a few computers. “Welcome to the office, Dru.”
“It’s um—not exactly an office.”
“We just call it that for ease, but technically it is where we conduct a lot of our business. Ah, perfect.”
“Darling,” a younger female voice purred out.
“Piper, good timing,” I said upon seeing her.
“You’ve brought company. New girl.” She pushed her weighted coke bottle glasses up her nose and grinned widely.
Dru’s eyes widened in a humored response. “I am new, but I’m so not a girl. I mean, well, I am, but…” she shook her head getting that confused look on her face again. “I just mean, new girl is like I’m eighteen or something and this is definitely not high school.”
I gave a gruff chuckle and accidentally said aloud, “I’m quite glad you’re not eighteen.”
Dru side-eyed me again and I corrected myself. “I just mean I prefer to work with people my own age and energy. I don’t have patience for young people.”
“My feelings over here,” Piper pipped with fake annoyance.
“You know that doesn’t include you,” I teased. Besides, Piper wasn’t nearly as young as she appeared. But I’d get to that later once I got Dru more settled.
“Piper manages our archives,” I explained.
She snorted. “More like, I am the archives.” She twisted to Dru. “Ever need information about a cold case, just holler. Need an update filed, I’m your gal.”
And with that, Piper flitted away as if in a hurry to be anywhere else.
“Cold cases?” Dru aimed at me.
“And here we are at last,” I mumbled. Before I could fully explain the job I’d really hired Dru for, the elevator door dinged and opened and out strutted Nova.
Except, as Nova marched like on a catwalk toward them, their bedazzled and sparkly and boisterous clothing began to shrink into a bright pink colored and crisp looking suit. The wig replaced with a head full of brown curls, and the makeup dissolved into baby smooth, creamy skin that accentuated Nova’s golden eyes.
I was so used to the shift I momentarily forgot we had Dru with us. I spun to explain and sure enough, Dru had leaned back to steady herself on the edge of cabinet usure of what exactly she was seeing.
“Nova,” I grumbled.
“You said we didn’t have the luxury of time, Darling,” they drawled.
It was true, however, I’d hoped to ease Dru into the truth in a bit softer a manner.
“What is this place?” Dru whispered coarsely.
“Quick rundown,” Nova began exuberantly. “My name is Nova Atticus and I’m the money and the boss and The Bellwood Grand Hotel is where my Huntian’s stay when they are between jobs. What do they do, you ask? Well, they hunt down supernatural criminals. And what, pray tell, is the office? That, my dear, is where we work on solving cold cases for supernatural crimes we’ve never managed to solve, in hopes that someday we will. And Jack Darling, is my dark and broody cold case detective determined to solve every last one of them even though there’s no way in heaven, or hell, he will ever live long enough to do so. And as for me,” Nova grinned, “I’m a shapeshifter. Of sorts. You’ve seen two of my alter egos, but there’s a few more gems in the bag.”
Dru both nodded and shook her head at the same time if that was possible, as if her brain was trying to play catch up.
“Dru?” I asked her as gently as my gruff voice allowed. She met my gaze but said nothing. “There’s a larger world out there than most realize. You’re part of that world too. I’ve watched your career for a while now and you are the strongest empath I’ve ever met.”
“Me?”
“You’re like 99.99 percent accurate, my dear,” claimed Nova. “You’re basically the realest deal there is.”
“I doubt that,” Dru tried to argue. “I’m sure I can’t be right all the time. But, I mean, okay, if empaths are real, and I know I’m real, I guess why can’t there be other things that are real too?”
“One thing that’s quite real is the supernatural criminals we’re trying to capture as well as solve the crimes they commit,” I said to her.
“It’s a big, beautiful world, my dear, dear, Dru,” said Nova as if Dru and them had been friends for ages. That was their way. “But just like the human world, the supernatural world has its share of bad apples.”
“So, you guys are what? Like, supernatural police or something?” Dru asked.
“Or… something like that,” I responded vaguely. “I will explain everything.”
“But we’re under the wire for something,” Dru remembered. “This isn’t all some elaborate hazing or hoax or some bullshit is it?”
I almost chuckled at her accusation, but then I saw the hint of unsureness in her eyes and this gave me some confusion as her empathy should have proven we were telling the truth.
She stepped away from me and paced a bit as if pondering what her empathy was telling her, almost like she was getting her heart and mind to catch up perhaps. I could give her a break on that I supposed. Empathy or not, it would take a bit for the truth to sink in. And we’d just laid a lot of truths on her without any warning. I’m sure her emotions were overloaded.
“It’s no joke,” I said seriously. Inside, wishing for a moment it actually was. And there was that damn pang in my chest again which I ignored and ordered to fuck off.
“I’ll be with Audette,” Nova said a moment later, leaving me and Dru alone to give her a minute to process this new world she’d fallen into.
“So, um, what exactly is the job I’ll be doing?” Dru asked me.
“I need a new partner. I like to work with an empath because it’s handy to know when I’m tracking down clues and trying to solve cases, if people are telling me the truth. Or telling me everything.”
“I’m assuming this is the traveling part of the job?” she said.
“Yes. We do sometimes work cases closer to home and we do spend time at Bellwood, but this only is our base of operations. Safely hidden in the woods of northern Maine where we can go about our work in relative peace and safety.”
Her brow lifted at that. “Meaning, sometimes the job is dangerous?”
“I wish I could lie and say it’s always perfectly safe, but I can’t. I will promise that I will do absolutely everything I can to make sure you don’t have to face any real dangers. That’s my job. Or a Huntian’s job. But having an empath as a partner makes the job safer for us all.”
“Promise?” she responded with a half-smile.
“You’re invaluable here, Dru. That, I can promise.”
Chapter 3
Dru…
I was sure I had a gazillion questions, but my mind was reeling and misfiring. Between my empathy’s weird reaction to Jack’s nearness, learning quite ferociously that a supernatural world existed alongside my own—and that my new job was indeed a wee bit more involved than I’d thought, and potentially dangerous – it was a lot to sink in.
And yet, why couldn’t there be a supernatural world out there? More people like me? Maybe? I’d never considered myself supernatural, or anything other than human… but I certainly struggled to fit into to normal life situations that humans typically thrived on. I supposed part of me always suspected that something more existed. I’d just never had any proof or real reason to suspect until now.
Again, though, even with the Jack weirdness, when I got some physical distance from him, the truth rang true. It was all real and above board, and I could trust that. Which meant my job was to help track down criminals that had gotten away with a crime.
It wasn’t much different than what I did with human criminals. I was often called in to help “unofficially” as being an empath, even with a good record, my sensing things was not permissible in a court of law.
Supernatural or human, a criminal was a criminal. It was still helping chase down bad guys and solve crimes, and that was something I could get behind. I’d always been a bit of a sucker for unsolved crimes, wanting victims and their families to have justice and closure.
The universe had led me here. Practically pushed. And as odd and shocking as the realization was in the supernatural world being real, there was something that felt right about me being here. Could it really be the home I’d always been searching for? The perfect job, the perfect life, at last?
There was only one way to find out. I straightened myself. Ready.
“Okay. I’m in. What’s next?”
“Just like that?” Jack smirked.
“Just like that,” I nodded in a curt, business-like fashion.
“Okay, then.”
I had to say Jack looked genuinely relieved. It was still unnerving that I could not read him and his nearness messed with my empathy, which I hoped to get to the bottom of, but not today. It wasn’t a card I was ready to show. Not on day one of a new job, it was too vulnerable and showed weakness in what I could offer and I didn’t enjoy that even a little.
Perhaps, in some ways, I’d become a little too dependent on my empathy. I relied on it to make most life choices from simple to complex. But what else was an empath to do? I rarely ever heard only my own thoughts on things. So, I relied on my empathy to help guide me through my life.
“Follow me, Dru Graham,” said Jack.
So, I did. We left the archives, and I heard Nova’s boisterous voice before we saw them. We rounded a corner to see Nova laughing alongside a middle-aged black woman wearing a stark white lab coat.
“Audette Odell,” Jack told me in introduction. “Our resident magical scientist.”
“Welcome to the team, Dru.”
“Can I ask what exactly a magical scientist is?”
“It’s pretty much what it sounds like,” Audette explained. “I have multiple degrees in various fields of science, and I’m also a witch. Mix a little magic with a little science and…”
“We have the right tools for the job,” Nova added exuberantly.
“Another invaluable member of the team,” said Jack. “What do you have for us today?” he aimed at Audette.
“You’re going to like it,” she returned with a knowing grin.
“You figured it out,” Jack responded.
“Well, I am a genius,” she retorted with a humored wink. “But also, yes. I figured it out.” She grabbed something from a table and handed it to Jack.
“Are those bullets?” I asked. Knowing the job could be dangerous and actually seeing the evidence to prove it were very different things.
“Technically, yes,” Audette said. “But they only work on one creature. And they don’t kill, only stun. If you can capture the thing,” she aimed at Jack. “We’d be one big step closer to figuring out just what we are dealing with.”
I must have worn confusion all over because Jack’s gaze caught my widened eyes.
“You still with us, Dru?”
I cleared my throat. “I assume you will explain all of this.”
“I will. But time is against us, so I’ll explain on the way.” He grabbed a small box of the special bullets and nodded for me to follow.
“Good luck,” trilled Nova as I was suddenly following Jack through the office and into a short corridor which led to of all things, what looked to be a small subway car.
“I feel like I might be over the rainbow, or maybe fell into wonderland.”
“It’s a short ride,” insisted Jack with a chuckle. “But its how we reach the plane.”
“Oh,” I shrugged, like, of course there’s also a plane. “Oh, wow.” My breath cut off as the subway car took off—underneath the water, the lake, I assumed. There was some serious money invested in this endeavor. But Jack wasn’t wrong that it was quick as we pulled into a darker corridor and came to a stop just inside a tunnel exit. Just outside, a runway with a plane ready to take off.
“Um, where exactly are we going? Do I need to grab my overnight bag?”
“It’s already on the plane. The rest of your belongings will be in your room back at The Bellwood. As to where we are going? Let’s get on the plane and in the air and I promise, I will explain everything.”
“Okay.” But I wasn’t sure I was really okay. With Jack right near me I had no empathy to tell me what was true or real. But I saw it in his eyes… he was asking me for his trust. No, he was desperate for it. Funny, how even without my empathy working right, I had still picked up a lot of skills for reading people.
We got on the plane and got seated and within a minute the pilot had us in the air and a kindly steward had gotten us drinks. Seeing as Jack had ordered whiskey, I did the same. I needed something to calm my nerves.
Chapter 4
Jack…
I let Dru down her shot of whiskey. This was the kind of job where sometimes a drink made it better. I did feel bad about pushing her so fast, but we were up against the clock.
“Werewolves,” I said to her.
She didn’t say anything at first, only nodded at the steward for one more shot of the good stuff.
“I swear I’m not a lush and I don’t typically drink on the job.”
“You’ll start now,” I replied almost too darkly, like my words were an ominous warning. Lighten up I chastised myself. “Sorry,” I said. “And also sorry if my emotions are too much. I’ve been told I’m pretty miserable to be around for an empath.”
“Really?” she seemed genuinely shocked by that.
Another unusual response, or perhaps she just wasn’t good with sarcasm.
“Anyway. We’ve got a few hours until we land.”
“Hours? Where are we headed?”
“Minnesota.”
“There a lot of supernatural activity in Minnesota?” she asked.
“I know, one might think the dark and seedy city streets. But more often than not, it’s the deep woods. Small towns. Places supernatural beings can live a more hidden life.”
“I always found the city pretty easy to disappear in.”
My lip upturned in a near smile. She liked not to be seen. I knew the feeling.
“There’s plenty of activity in the cities too. But this is following up the first case we ever had. An unusual one.”
“Like, werewolves aren’t unusual enough?” she almost snorted. I think the whiskey was loosening her up a little.
“You’re not wrong,” I agreed. “But the case started seven years ago. Almost to the day. There was a series of attacks, wherein one person died. A young man. The locals thought the attacks were from a feral animal they couldn’t identify. We quickly identified the bites as from a werewolf.”
“Okay. So, a werewolf biting people, that can’t be good.”
“Never. Typically, it means the person bitten becomes a werewolf as well. But that’s the oddity of this unsolved case. Those bitten, never turned. Never even showed signs of turning. I’ve known about the supernatural world a lot longer than I’ve worked for Nova Atticus,” I explained. “I’ve never known a werewolf whose bite didn’t turn someone.”
“And one of the victims died?” Dru confirmed.
“Yes. Was viciously torn apart. Not bitten.”
“So, I imagine Audette would want us to capture this werewolf, if possible, so you guys can figure out why it’s bite doesn’t turn others?” Dru assumed. I grinned. She was good.
“But that’s not quite all of it. We found the werewolf in question. Already dead. The real mystery-- is how he became a werewolf, as there was no bite found on his body. And by the time we got his body to the lab for examination, any trace that he was a werewolf at all, was gone. There was no evidence remaining. He was simply a human male.”
“Almost like he took something to become a monster, just for a while?” Dru mumbled aloud.
“I like the way you think. I know your empath ability is picking up on my own feelings. Still, your mind is in the right place. You’re going to fit right in, Dru.”
She responded to the compliment with an anxious tug on her lip and a slight eyebrow lift as though she wasn’t actually sure about that at all.
“I think I’ve just been around enough crime scenes and looked over enough case files I get the general drift of things.”
And she didn’t have an ego. I was beginning to think we were a partnership made in supernatural heaven. If I could keep my own darkness in check and not burn her out.
“We’ve been waiting all these years for another chance to figure out just what happened,” I said. “We’ve had werewolf reports, but this is following a similar pattern as before. Attacks, people being bitten. No matching animal for the bites. And no signs of anyone bitten, turning.”
“You’re hoping to find this one alive. That’s why the bullets that stun and don’t kill.”
“Yes. If we can find this werewolf alive, we might be able to figure out why this is happening and how to stop it.”
“Before anyone else dies,” Dru gathered.
“Yes. Or does turn… it’s always still a possibility and it’s not a curse I’d wish upon anyone.”
“Theories?” Dru asked. “Why these werewolves are different from normal ones?”
“Like you said, I’m thinking someone is doing it to them. The how? And why? Are the questions I don’t have answers to. And are they willing participants? Unwilling test subjects?” I shrugged.
“Test subjects? That’s a rather macabre thought.”
One of many she was likely to have if she stayed with this job.
Chapter 5
Dru…
The two shots of whiskey helped relax my nerves—the surprising nature of my new job and being plunked right into the thick of it, and Jack being under the impression my responses were because of my empathy, which wasn’t working while sitting across from him on the plane.
Truth was, I didn’t find it hard to follow his thought line. It was clear he’d been working crimes for a long time. Me too, for that matter. It was a similar sort of story I’d seen many times, when it came to new drugs showing up on the streets. This werewolf story rang similar to me.
As the hours ticked by and Jack explained more about Bellwood and Nova Atticus and the job, I started to feel more and more at ease. I think focusing on the job helped and he’d given me the original case file and some time to look it over properly.
The more I read, the more straightforward it seemed. Someone was making werewolves, or werewolf like monsters anyway. And I was admittedly intrigued as to what the purpose of this would be.
But I was also getting more concerned about this strange reaction I was having around Jack. I needed to figure this out, by myself if possible, so I could do my job properly once we landed.
“I don’t suppose it’s possible to make a phone call?” I blurted out.
“It is. We’re well equipped. Follow me.”
“Hate to do it now but I forgot to tell my friend I made it to Bellwood. Don’t want her to worry.”
“Say no more.” Jack showed me to a small office nearer the back of the plane. “Just dial like you would any phone.” He left me to make my call in private. The minute he was more than a few feet away, the block he caused lifted. There weren’t many emotions to feel on the plane though, it was more a matter of his presence suddenly leaving me feeling eerily exposed to the outside world of emotions again.
I didn’t actually have a friend I needed to let know I’d arrived safely. And I hoped to hell the woman I needed to speak with was home. I dialed the number begging for her to pick up.
“Dru Graham,” she answered expectantly.
I laughed lightly. “Like I should have expected anything less. Of course, you were expecting me.” To anyone who thought I was the real deal of an empath, my mentor, Psychic Vianna, was the most knowing person I’d ever met. She’d helped me discover and understand my own true self.
“Well, I dreamed you were going to call. But I can say in all honesty, other than you have a pressing issue only I can help with, I have no idea why you’ve called.”
I chuckled again. “How are you, Vee?” I asked first, using her nickname.
“Well, as ever. Not much has changed since I spoke to you last month. Okay, enough niceties. What’s up darling?”
“Darling. Funny you should say that.” And I set in to explaining all about Jack Darling and my strange reaction to being near him.
“Good news,” Vee started, “is that I know what this is.”
“You sound like there’s bad news, too.” I let out a sigh.
“Depends on how you look at it. What you’ve found yourself, Dru, is a rare, rare thing. You’ve met a shield. Not just a shield,” she corrected. “Your shield. Shields are not automatically shields to all empaths.”
“What the hell is a shield? And how have I never heard of one before?”
“That’s how rare it is,” Vee explained. “It’s not normally brought up because it’s rare for an empath to ever meet one.”
“What is it exactly? Can I stop it?” I asked, unsure I actually wanted that.
“It’s an unstoppable force, Dru. It’s a connection that runs deeper than feelings or emotions. It’s almost—kindred. Soul level. A shield can be your greatest ally. Your protector. Once a shield and empath meet, it’s like a force of nature—electric. You’ll always be drawn to each other even if you never understood why.”
“Oh, it’s like that, eh. This shield happens to be my new partner.”
“Oh. My. I can see why that might be a wee bit of an issue.”
I rolled my eyes and Vee chuckled like she’d actually seen it.
“What exactly is a shield anyway?”
“I don’t think I need to explain,” Vee returned. “Because the truth is, you already know. You knew the minute you met him. The answers were already there inside of you. This is cell level information that’s implanted in your veins.”
“How can it be? When my empathy isn’t working? I don’t know anything.”
“Okay. Tell me this. When you first encountered this man…”
“Jack Darling,” I told her his name.
“Hm, Darling, I knew that came from somewhere. Anyway, when you first encountered Jack Darling, what did your instinct tell you?”
I said the words in my mind without even a second thought.
Safe. My safe place.
“I don’t… it doesn’t… I can’t…” saying the words didn’t make me believe them or truly understand what my safe place, even meant. “He’s a perfect stranger,” I sputtered. “I don’t even know if I can trust him.”
“Yes, you do. A shield is a gift, Dru. I promise. It may not seem it just now. And it will take time to figure out what the relationship means to you or could do for you. For both of you. Just—be open to it. Don’t fight it.”
“But how the hell do I do my job? When he’s near me I don’t feel anything.”
“You do though. You feel you.”
“Yes, but I don’t feel anyone else and that’s kind of my job.”
“You’re missing the bigger picture,” Vee said.
“I’ll focus on the bigger picture tomorrow.” How was I going to get through this task without putting us in some sort of danger? Apparently, I’d said that out loud because Vee answered me.
“You could try being honest?”
My least favorite thing when it came to anything personal. “That never works out in my favor,” I replied.
“Ah, yes, see. That’s it right there. The sore spot.”
“Ugh, riddles, woman,” I grumbled.
“You’re already afraid of losing it. Which means you need to stick around and deal with it.”
“How can I be afraid to lose something I don’t even understand?”
“Empaths fear being real. But it’s because you never get to spend enough time with your real self. A shield can let you do that. A shield can save you from burn out and destruction. A shield can let you actually be… you. Isn’t that what you want more than anything?”
She wasn’t wrong. But as much as I’d always wanted it, now that it was being handed to me, I wasn’t so sure.
“I guess I’m stuck with it if I want to keep this job,” I mumbled.
“I can’t wait until I talk to you again. See how your mind has changed.”
“I hope you’re right, Vee. I really do. But today, it’s an epic complication. But thank you, as always.”
“Anytime my dear. You’re one of my favorites, you know.”
“I bet you say that to all the empaths,” I joked.
“Touché, except in your case, I mean it.”
“Thank you. You’re my favorite too.” More like, Vianna was kind of a mother figure in some ways. “I’ll be okay. And I’ll check in again soon.”
“I know you will. Bye, now.”
I hung up and laid my head down on the desk and blew out a confused breath. Did I actually go out there and tell Jack? And what would I say when he inevitably asked questions? Ones I had no answers for. Never mind taking the chance he would think I was crazy, or fire me before we even started.
Nope. For now, this was between me and the universe. I’d figure out some way to manage the job when we landed. There was a knock at the door and I opened it to come face to face with Jack. Well, not exactly seeing as I was a good foot shorter than he was. But there was another of those long moments where we might as well have been alone in the universe while chaos circled around us.
“Um, we’re preparing to land,” he stuttered. “Better get back in your seat now.”
“Right. Of course.”
“Reach your friend?” he asked me, still not having moved, as if some invisible force was keeping him from doing so.
“I did, thanks.” Now that I understood what Jack was, not that I really got it, but having some basic understanding of what a shield was, I found myself drawn to his energy like I wanted to live there. But we couldn’t do this all day. I cleared my throat a little, feeling every curve of my throat as I swallowed.
Jack backed away wordlessly. We got in our seats and soon after we’d landed in some small town in Minnesota. I wondered how we were going to get around but that question was answered the minute we disembarked the airplane. The tail of the aircraft opened and an SUV drove down a ramp and pulled up. One of the flight crew for out and opened the door for me on the passenger side while Jack got behind the wheel.
“Where are we headed first?” I asked as he drove toward the airport exit. It was a small airport that looked like it was used by a few locals.
“Meeting up with our Huntian counterparts already on the ground.”
“Tell me more about them?”
“Hunters, really. They are the muscle. Some brave damn people who’ve all had the supernatural world mess with their lives in one way or another.”
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