Page 38 of Autopsy of a Fairytale

“You drive me to madness, to oblivion,” Eamon growled against her neck, his lips brushing her skin reverently as he spoke. “I will always know where you are, my sweet, little Detective.”

He kissed her throat as his teeth increased their pressure, and every tether tying Bel to this earth snapped. She roared into his palm, curling her arm and slamming her elbow into his gut. Eamon grunted, and she pitched sideways, knocking his nose with her skull. He stumbled at the force, releasing her as he tipped off balance, but that was all the opening she needed.

She vaulted into a run, legs pounding as she raced down the hallway. She tripped on a few strewn boxes but managed to right herself as she careened off the wall.

The staircase!

It was so close, she almost tasted the freedom, and Bel practically threw herself down the steps. She was instantly grateful for Cerberus’ love of hiking. All those uneven trails and hidden rocks had prepared her for this.

She didn’t dare look back as she raced down the stairs so fast, she would have met the floor with her teeth if she hadn’t used the railing to propel her through the foyer. Eamon’s steps thundered behind her. He was taller, stronger, faster, and he was gaining on her by the second. One misstep, and he would capture her, so Bel ran for her life, picturing Cerberus in the car. She just had to get to him. He would protect her.

Bel exploded from the front door and raced for the hidden vehicle when something stepped out of the trees, blocking her path. The blonde woman lunged from the darkness, and stifling a scream, Bel skidded to a stop so hard her knees jarred. She ignored the pain and whirled on her heels, aiming for the woods.

At that exact moment, Eamon burst from the house, his gaze finding hers in an instant. Bel pushed harder, racing for the tree line’s protection. She was outnumbered, and he had her gun. Her only hope was to lose them in the forest. It was a decent hike back to her cabin, but close enough since she knew Eamon ran it often. If she could just get home, she could call the Sheriff.

“Detective, stop!” Eamon’s voice had changed. Gone was the menace, the seduction, the dominance, replaced by genuine alarm. Bel snapped her head around, noticing that the blonde had disappeared, but Eamon was hard on her heels, his demeanor entirely altered as he ran faster than she had ever seen any grown man move.

“Isobel.” Her name on his tongue was a beautiful warning. “Isobel, stop! Don’t go into the woods!”

Bel did not stop despite her confusion at his sudden shift in temper. She would not fall prey to his tricks, and so she plunged into the darkness, the moon her only guide home. She prayed they wouldn’t break into her car and harm Cerberus before she called the station. She hoped her dog would use all seventy pounds of his power if they so much as cracked her windows.

* * *

Bel’s heartbeatwas as erratic as her footfalls as she pounded through the darkness. She had lost all track of time, and she prayed she had not lost all sense of direction. She hoped she was still heading toward her cabin and not deeper into the woods. With the leaves in full bloom on the trees, the moon’s light barely reached the underbrush.

Her lungs screamed as she pushed them to their limit. Her toes ached from constantly smashing them into concealed roots. Her thighs burned white hot, but she did not yield. She embraced the discomfort. It meant she yet lived.

The forest had gone quiet behind her, but she didn’t dare slow. She couldn’t afford to stop, to give her enemy a single moment to gain on her. She ran until every muscle in her body bled pain, and then she ran harder.

A familiar tree caught her attention, and she almost cried as she realized how close she was to home. Her legs surged with new energy, and as she began the slight descent toward her cabin, she saw a figure standing among the trees.

“Vera?” Bel’s voice was hoarse, and her elderly neighbor looked up at her in surprise. “Oh, thank God!” she raced for the woman. “Please help me.”

“Bel, sweetheart?” Vera squinted in confusion as the younger detective flung herself into her arms. “What on earth is going on?”

“We have to go.” Bel thought she might throw up from that ungodly pace as she hugged Vera, pulling her toward the cabin. “I need to call the Sheriff.”

“There, there, I got you,” Vera soothed. “What happened, dear?”

“Eamon,” Bel blurted out of breath. “Eamon Stone is chasing me. Please, we have to get inside and call the station.”

“Eamon Stone is chasing you?” Vera asked. “Right now?”

“Yes, right now,” Bel repeated urgently.

“Good.” Vera’s body stiffened against Bel’s, and the detective froze, leaning her head away from the elderly woman to stare at her face. “That’s wonderful news. A good hunt usually buries his conscious.”

“What?” Bel tried to escape, but her neighbor’s arms tightened around her waist, holding her captive with the strength of someone much younger. “I’m sorry, dear, but we won’t be calling the Sheriff.”

And then, right before Bel’s eyes, Vera’s body began to mutate. Her skin disfigured as it shifted, stretching and pulling unnaturally. Her grey, curly hair uncoiled and lightened, and her hunched height straightened until Vera completely vanished, leaving the blonde Alcina Magus in her place.

Bel stumbledbackward in terrified disbelief.

“Vera…?” Her eyes shot to her cabin, calculating how quickly she could get home.

“Don’t worry. It will all be over soon.” Alcina said with a twisted grin as the detective bolted for the clearing. She felt sick, her mind spinning. Vera? Alcina? They were the same person? Dizziness overtook her, and her shoulder slammed painfully into a tree trunk. How was this possible? What was happening? Had Eamon drugged her? There was no reality where a woman could transform her appearance. That was magic, but magic existed only in fairytales.

“I’m sorry, my dear,” Alcina soothed, and suddenly Bel’s entire body went rigid. She screamed as her legs stopped working; her arms stopped flailing. “But I cannot allow you to leave,” the blonde continued as Bel’s feet left the dirt. She twisted and bucked as she floated backward, coming to a stop only once her airborne form hovered before Alcina.

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