Page 45 of Forensics of a Fable

Eamon extracted himself from her hold, handed her Cerberus’ leash, and retreated to a safe distance. Bel watched him pace, a battle waging inside his own head, and she let his mind fight in silence.

“The scent on your skin, the one that made me cringe when your father was here,” he said so suddenly that she flinched as he whirled on her. “I debated saying nothing because I don’t want to worry you more than your job already has, but another predator has entered Bajka. I also scented it close to your house a few times. It’s why I’ve been following you. It was in that cabin, too.”

“The hiker—or rather hunter that died?” she asked.

“No, he was human. This scent is something else.”

“The bear?”

“No, I don’t think so. It’s human as well, yet not entirely natural.”

“Like you?”

Eamon nodded.

“You should have told me.”

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Girls are dying on your property. My partner is missing, and now it looks like someone is hunting you!” Bel practically shouted. “I’m already worried, and hiding things from me only makes it worse.”

“Isobel.” He lunged aggressively for her and caught her face in his hands as if he meant to kiss her. “Everything I do is for you, and I didn’t wish to burden you if the predator had moved on. I lost track of it. The scent on your skin was faint, like it was in that cabin. Whoever it was hasn’t been there in days, and I’d hoped they left after the bear attack.”

“The predator’s scent you detected on me was in that cabin?”

“Yes.” Eamon nodded slowly, confused about why she was asking after he’d mentioned it twice.

“Why was the hunter in Bajka?” she continued. “That rifle is not a gun currently available on the market. That was a custom job; designed to kill someone like you. Is that why he was here? Was he trying to kill you?”

“I don’t—”

“Don’t lie to me.” She grabbed his wrists as he clung to her face. “Was he here to kill you?”

Eamon cursed and dropped his hands from her jaw, stepping back uncomfortably. “I don’t know. Maybe... Yes. It’s entirely possible. I’ve been hunted in the past. Unsuccessfully obviously, but it happens from time to time. There are those who wish to eradicate anyone like me.”

“So, a man came to Bajka hunting you only to be killed by a bear,” Bel said, the wheels in her head working overtime. “But the predator you’ve been scenting was also there. So, we aren’t dealing with one hunter, but two.”

“Possibly.”

“Two hunters trying to kill you, an alpha predator not even a witch as strong as Alcina could defeat.”

“What’s your point?”

“Eamon.” The blood drained from her face. “Olivia made an offhand comment, and I ignored it, especially after she was taken.”

Eamon froze impossibly still, his breath freezing in his chest, and she knew he didn’t want her to say another word.

“She said the victims looked like me. Both were brunettes with blue eyes and similar body types,” Bel whispered. She expected him to curse, to rage, and throw her over his shoulder and carry her to safety, but he simply stood frozen in the darkness, still not breathing. “Women that look like me keep dying on your property after a hunter dies in a bear attack. A hunter that appears to have been stalking you. Perhaps he and his partner knew they couldn’t kill you in a fair fight, so they don’t intend to try, especially since only one is left.”

“What are you saying?” Eamon spoke without emotion. His tone was cold and monotone; the emptiness far more terrifying than his rage.

“I thought the greeting card meant Gold was his right one,” Bel continued, mouth suddenly dry. “The others were brunettes, but the killer finally found his southern blonde. He had who he wanted, but there’s one thing I forgot to take into consideration. The night she was taken, I was supposed to leave early. I was supposed to be in the parking lot, not her, but I switched with Olivia. What if I was the target? What if he took her by accident, assuming it was me in the dark, so he mailed me the card to draw me out?”

Eamon stepped closer to her, still not breathing, and Bel felt like she was suffocating just watching him. She’d never seen a person so still, so tense with fear, and she wanted to reach out and grab him. To cling to him for security, but she was afraid to touch him. Afraid of the anger simmering below the monster’s surface at the realization that someone was threatening what was his.

“I think the remaining hunter realized he couldn’t take you on alone, so he’s drawing you out into the open. He’s murdering women on your property that look like me. You said it yourself. Your scent is on me. If you detected him, he might have caught you on my skin. He knows I’m your weakness, and so he started killing the wrong Isobels to taunt you. To ensure that when he took me, you would run into his trap without hesitation. What if my homicide cases were never about the girls? What if it was about you?”

The air rushed back into Eamon’s lungs, and in one swift move, he had her in his arms. He set a ruthless pace as he flung her over his shoulder, tucking Cerberus under his other arm. The trees blurred together as he ran, and Bel could barely see straight, let alone protest. All she could do was cling to his powerful back. His speed was unlike anything she’d ever experienced, and it took him only minutes to race through the darkness to his home. He didn’t put her down once they were safely inside, though. Instead, he carried her and her dog up the winding staircase.

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