“

  Excuse

  me

  ?”

  “Why would a sin eater refuse the ritual for someone?”

  Her gaze went from him to the double doors. She slid her hands into her black leather jacket pockets and stared into his eyes. “There can be many reasons…if a sin eater feels he’s arrived too late, he may forego the Final Rite. Or, if he believes for some reason that the ritual wasn’t

  needed

  —

  ”

  “She asked for it, so I assume she needed it.” His fists were balled so tightly that he felt his short fingernails cut into

  his

  palm

  .

  “I’m sorry, but since I wasn’t there…I just don’t know the circumstances.”

  “Does the name Edwin Kovar mean anything

  to

  you

  ?”

  She froze. Her deer in the headlights look gave her away. He swore that if she answered “no,” that he’d bring this entire house down on

  her

  head

  .

  “Edwin was my Shrivener.” She raised her hands defensively when he made a move toward her. “But I haven’t seen him since 1960. I swear!”

  He exhaled a long breath, trying to calm his trembling hand and his heart pounding in his chest. “It was Edwin. He showed up, refused to even see her, and I told him to leave and never show his face in this city again.”

  “Jacob,” she stepped toward him, with caution. “That doesn’t sound like the Edwin I know. Especially if there was a woman and child involved. There must’ve been a reason.”

  His jaw tightened. The anger within him flared. “Do you know what it’s like to lie awake at night hearing whispers of your loved one’s voice? Knowing you could never hold that person again? Sometimes I walk into this room, and I swear I catch the scent of her perfume.”

  “Wait, you’ve actually heard her voice?”

  “Yes, either that, or I might as well join Harry in

  Crazy

  Town

  .”

  She approached him, closing the gap between them and with a tentative smile on her lips. “I think the reason Edwin might’ve refused was because he may have sensed what happened when he stepped inside

  your

  home

  .”

  He crossed his arms. “What happened?”

  “Edwin is old. He’s way more skilled than I am, and his senses are more fine-tuned. I think your wife is still around.”

  “Like a ghost?”

  She nodded. “If she was stubborn enough, a sin eating ritual may not have really helped her. Edwin must’ve sensed that and decided to wait. Did he mention any of this

  to

  you

  ?”

  Hmph. The old man didn’t. Probably because as soon as he said he couldn’t help Karina, Jacob went into a rage and threw his ass out. “I…was a little emotional at the time. I didn’t give him a chance to explain.”

  She cast him a sympathetic glance. “I can

  understand

  why

  .”

  Heat rose in his cheeks. He had never stopped to consider there was an actual reason why the old sin eater did what he did. He shoved aside the momentary embarrassment. “So, you think Karina’s a ghost?”

  Aria nodded. “Hearing her voice, feeling her presence, and smelling her perfume…sounds like she’s sticking around. She’s probably worried

  about

  you

  .”

  He gestured toward the direction of the kitchen. “I was in there this morning, and I heard her tell me that she needed me to let go. I didn’t understand what she meant at first, but, I think I’ve been holding on so tightly that even she couldn’t leave my grasp.”

  She responded in a low, but confident voice. “I can help her find peace.”

  “How? Isn’t she weighed down by something?” Otherwise, why did Karina ask for a sin eater?

  “She may have been, or she may have simply been following her family’s tradition. You’d be surprised at how many people request sin eaters just because their forefathers did. The fact that Karina’s still around is a good sign. She just needs to know you’re okay and a nudge in the right direction. I can do that

  for

  her

  .”

  It almost sounded too good to be true. “Are you sure? You can help Karina?”

  “I

  will

  .

  Yes

  .”

  “I’m holding you to that.” His eyes stung with tears, but he held them back. He had endured enough soul bearing for today.

  They both turned to face the double doors when Harry came stumbling through. Jacob wondered if he still wanted to be called Jonathan. Harry wore a wide grin as he addressed them. “Your spell worked, Mr. Wolfe! Belagio is in the Astaroth Industries building in the business district.”

  Aria let out a low breath, as if whispering a prayer. “Thank goodness. Now can we please call the police and let

  them

  know

  ?”

  A heavy knock on the front door made the trio pause. Jacob had already instructed his personal security to meet him at his office, and he knew better than to invite anyone over when he knew Harry would be there.

  “Expecting someone?” Harry-Jonathan asked.

  “Wait here,” Jacob said to Aria, as he exited the study and headed through the living room. He frowned when he saw her follow him. Someone pounded at the door again, and he approached until he was almost touching the front door. He

  called

  out

  .

  “Yes?” Jacob tugged on the magical wards around the house, grasping their energy and readying to unleash an attack if needed.

  “Mr. Wolfe?”

  “Who

  is

  it

  ?”

  “It’s Detectives Erickson and Rosito from

  the

  MFPD

  .”

  He turned to face Aria. It looked like her wish had been granted.

  * * *

  Jacob remembered meeting Rosito once at a function with the mayor’s office. He still looked the same: dark hair and eyes, with a chiseled chin and a no-nonsense look about him. But Rosito somehow looked more burdened than he remembered; the skin beneath his eyes sagged and there were even a few sparse grays in his hair. Aria seemed to not like Rosito at all, but was friendly enough with his partner, Detective Erickson.

  “What brings you here this morning, detectives?” Jacob gestured toward the sofa, but both men declined

  to

  sit

  .

  “Tracking spell,” Erickson commented to Aria as he eyed the table and stroked his bushy, yellow mustache. “I used to think my aunt was playing around when she used to do those, until I finally understood what

  they

  were

  .”

  Rosito rolled his eyes. The guy didn’t seem to hate wizards, but he certainly didn’t love them, either. He addressed Jacob. “Mr. Wolfe, since you’re the mayor’s chief of staff, and a wizard, I think there’s something I need to pass along to you, maybe even get some insight from you

  on

  this

  .

  He nodded and faced Harry and Aria. “If you’ll

  excuse

  us

  ...”

  Aria quickly spoke up. “It’s okay, we’ll sit out here with Detective Erickson.”

  “Okay, right this way, Detective Rosito.” Jacob ushered him into the study and closed the double doors. He was almost hesitant to bring the man there. Would Karina try to speak to him again? Would he smell her perfume and break down and cry like a damn baby? For the first time in a long time, he was actually giddy. He was emotionally high on Aria’s promise to finally give Karina the help that had eluded her in life. And then, he would finally have peace.

  “Mr. Wolfe,” Rosito said, not wasting time with any further pleasantries, “tomorrow, the autopsy report will be released for the

  Campbell

  boy

  .”

  His stomach ached. He felt horrible for the parents, and his office had received many a phone call from angry wizards and political activists who had already decided the Watchers were responsible and needed to pay for what happened. Jacob sucked his teeth and steadied his voice. “And…what did

  they

  find

  ?”

  Rosito glanced around the room, as if expecting someone to jump out at them. “Something rather strange stuck out, and I want you to tell me what I should make

  of

  it

  .”

  Jacob grunted. “MFPD still can’t do their job? What do you need

  me

  for

  ?”

  Rosito glared at him. “Do vampires exist? Are there any alive?”

  His chest tightened at the question. “Vampire?”

  “Ethan Campbell had wounds consistent with what could be considered a vampire attack, although the perpetrator hastily tried to cover it up. Ethan wasn’t completely drained, but, I’m not closing myself off to this possibility. I may not be an expert with you folk, but I’ve seen some things over the years to make me not rule out the preternatural.”

  He recalled what Harry had said about the Perkins killer. “Detective, they’ve been treating the Perkins and Campbell murders as separate cases when it’s likely they’re connected. When you arrested Aria, you had to let her go because there was camera footage showing someone with immense speed and apparently the ability to control minds on the property that night.”

  Rosito ran a hand through his short dark hair. “So, how many vampires are in

  the

  city

  ?”

  Jacob paused, weighing the question. He had heard rumors of vampires still being around, but none had ever lived among him and his fellow wizards openly. After a major purging over seventy years ago, vampires were forced into the outskirts of society or hunted down to near extinction. If there were any alive today, they wouldn’t dare show their true face, even

  in

  2017

  .

  “Detective, I honestly don’t know. It could be one, or ten, I didn’t even think they were around anymore. They were supposed to have died out with the sin eaters in the

  1940

  ’

  s

  .”

  “And yet, we have our own resident sin eater in the city.” Rosito arched an eyebrow. He sighed when his cell phone rang. He pulled it from the clip on his belt and answered. “This is Rosito…” He began pacing. “Yeah, I know they found the boy’s body in the Astaroth…but I wanted…okay…not sure those names are supposed to mean anything to me, but a guy with that many aliases is hiding something for sure. We’ll go pay him a visit.”

  Jacob was already piecing together the information. “So they found Ethan Campbell in the Astaroth shipyard?”

  Rosito nodded. “I have a pal who works with the feds. I figured, why not check out the company, or the man, who owns the waterfront where a kid’s body was dumped and no one knows how it got there.”

  “I’m willing to bet that Dominic Belagio is on your radar. He’s at the Astaroth Industries building in the business district.”

  Rosito waved him off. “Not that shit again. Has the sin eater woman gotten to you too, with her stories?”

  He didn’t know why, but he bristled at Rosito’s words. So far, Aria had been telling the truth this whole time. “Hey, you said you’re open to all kinds of possibilities, right? Well, we just did a tracking spell, and Belagio is at the Astaroth building…and Ethan Campbell’s body was found on Astaroth property. That’s not mere coincidence.”

  The detective rubbed his chin. “My friend said he found some other names Cedric Astaroth, the owner, went by. It’s like the guy would recycle names and identities, erase his history when needed, and he’d always have the money and resources to make it happen. John Bates, Kyle Logan, Warren Bright…”

  Warren Bright—the wizard who had cursed Harry Storm with the Imperare.

  “Warren Bright’s the vampire. Belagio may be as well. Rosito, we need to get down to the Astaroth building, now. Call reinforcements.” Before the detective could respond, Jacob was already heading toward the double doors. He needed to tell Harry and Aria

  about

  this

  .

  He burst into the living room, his heart thumping in his chest. However, his muscles froze as soon as he took in the view: Detective Erickson, Rosito’s partner, pressed his gun to Harry’s head. The jovial, good-natured man who seemed to get along with everyone

  was

  gone

  .

  One of three masked men had a rifle trained on Aria, and the other two men had their guns pointed at him and Rosito. Though the men wore black tactical gear and concealed their faces, their sapphire armbands proclaimed their affiliation with the Watchers.

  Jacob launched into action, drawing upon his magical energy and commanding an invisible force to hit the two masked Watchers closest to him. They went flying backward and crashed into the

  opposite

  wall

  .

  A gunshot rang out. Erickson now held a cowering Harry by the scruff of his neck. He fired a second warning shot. “What’s faster, your wind, or my bullets?”

  Harry, or rather Jonathan, shuddered when Erickson pressed the barrel of the gun into his right cheek. He made a high-pitched squeal. “Please…don’t

  kill

  me

  !”

  “Shut up!” Erickson pistol-

  whipped

  him

  .

  Rosito slowly sidled up next to Jacob. His expression was a mixture of shock and hurt as he addressed Erickson in a level voice. “Mitch, what the hell are you doing? Who are

  these

  guys

  ?”

  Erickson gestured for his partner to surrender his weapon. Rosito hesitated and exchanged glances with Jacob. If the man was anything like him, he’d want to rush these bastards and give them a good beating. But, Jacob wasn’t willing to risk Harry’s or Aria’s life. Rosito exhaled a nervous breath as he slowly pulled his gun out of his holster and placed it on the ground in front of him. One of the masked men rushed over and confiscated Rosito’s glock. He then made a forceful swing with his rifle right against the side of Rosito’s head, knocking him unconscious.

  Erickson’s expression fell. “Sorry, friend.”

  Jacob held his hands up, palms forward, his stomach churning at the thought of Erickson deciding to put a bullet in one or all of them. When the other masked man yanked Aria toward him, anger churned in his chest. Aria protested as her captor pulled out a syringe and injected her with something. She went limp and

  passed

  out

  .

  Harry cried out again in his high-pitched, nerdy voice. “Help! Mr. Wolfe!”

  Jacob wanted to help. But before he knew it, the painful prick of a needle was jabbed into his left arm, and he felt a warm numbness take over. Everything went black.

  16

  Aria

  Where

  am

  I

  ?

  Aria’s mouth felt like cotton and her limbs throbbed. A stirring in her belly made her want to vomit, but she swallowed and forced it down. She groaned as she sat up, she fought off the sick feeling again when the scent of dingy cloth and piss assaulted her nose. It came from the cot they had tossed her onto when she was

  knocked

  out

  .

  The tiny room had only one window, which was small and way up high, but after fumbling around, she turned on a small lamp near the bed. It squeaked beneath her weight. Dread flooded her limbs and paralyzed her, as if she were being administered another syringe shot. Though fogginess still clouded her mind, she remembered the icy fear creeping down her spine as she watched Erickson pull his gun out on them, how he had let those three masked men into Jacob’s house and stared directly at her without remorse. She thought Erickson was sympathetic toward her—a good guy. But appearances were deceiving, and now she didn’t know if she would survive

  the

  day

  .

  Jacob’s wards around his house may have protected against enemies who used magic, but the man clearly underestimated that a non-wizard would be bold enough to challenge him. And now, Jacob was probably dead. And what of Rosito and Harry? She assumed the Watchers wanted her alive for some reason. Rather than feeling comforted by the fact that she was spared, it actually frightened her even more. She didn’t know who these people were or what they wanted to do with her. All she could think about was the Volgens hearing about her body being found on the waterfront like Ethan Campbell’s, or perhaps they’d make it look like she simply disappeared and

  skipped

  town

  .

  Her throat ached as she wiped her watery eyes with the back of her hand. Her heart pounded in her chest when the deadbolt from the outside slid back and the door opened. She thought it would be Erickson with a gun, or one of the masked men, or even Bruno Jones. But she wasn’t prepared to see the green eyes and crooked smile of Edwin Kovar.

  For a moment, she thought perhaps he had sensed she was in danger, that he may have tracked her and had come to her rescue. But when he slowly closed the door and gave her an apologetic look, any hope of escape seeped

  from

  her

  .

  “Edwin…” She couldn’t even get the question out. Why? Why would he

  do

  this

  ?

  He sat on the edge of the bed and faced her, looking slightly disappointed when she backed away and pulled her legs up. “It’s been a long time, Aria. I have a lot to explain.”