Page 10 of Mardi Gras Murders & Midnight Masquerades
"She knew," I realized. "She knew she was going to be killed."
"Look at her hands," Jeff said grimly.
Clutched in her right hand was a ring. It was the same design from the ones I’d seen at the club. But this one was broken. The metal was twisted as if rejecting the magic it was meant to channel.
"Whoever is behind this is vile," I complained. "He tested this woman for his ritual. And she failed."
My phone buzzed again. It was from an unknown number.Welcome to the party, little witch. Hope you're ready to wear your mask. After all, the show must go on.Some of us are born to lead the dance, others to be sacrificed for the finale. Choose your role carefully.
"We need to show the others," Jeff said.
I nodded, but something nagged at me. That magic from the club wasn't just similar to the crime scenes - it was evolving. Growing stronger. And that Fae woman's familiar face kept haunting my thoughts, like a word on the tip of my tongue. Time was running out to figure out why.
CHAPTER 4
Dahlia
I spotted Kota and Jeff approaching the cathedral steps. Their expressions were grim in the flashing police lights. Grabbing Dre's arm, I gestured to them. "Let's go see if they learned anything."
"I really hope they have something helpful," Dea added. "This is getting depressing. And we haven't even gotten to the death you saw in your vision, Lia."
Nodding in agreement, we headed over to our other sister and her husband. The acrid smell of dark magic hit me first. It was burnt sugar and copper mixing with something that made my stomach turn. The edges of my vision began to blur, and the familiar vertigo swept through me. I tried to brace myself, but my legs were already giving way.
"Lia!" Lucas's voice seemed to come from far away as his arms caught me before I could hit the pavement. The real world dissolved and was replaced by something darker and colder.
In the vision, I was moving through the French Quarter. The streets were bathed in an oily darkness that seemed to crawl across the cobblestones. A figure glided ahead of me.Its movements were liquid smooth, utterly inhuman. The thing wasn't walking so much as flowing between shadows. It left trails of that same dark oil in its wake. The air around it wavered like heat distortion while radiating a bone-deep cold.
It was tracking something. I could feel its hunger and its single-minded focus. Whatever it was hunting had left traces of gossamer threads of golden energy that wound through the alleyways. The killer's anticipation made my skin crawl. It wasn't just hunting. It was savoring the chase.
The vision released me with a jolt that left me gasping. I found myself clutching Lucas's arm so tightly my knuckles were white. The phantom cold of the shadow killer still lingered in my bones. My throat felt raw as if I had been screaming.
"Are you okay?" Kota asked as she and Jeff reached us.
Grimacing at the red marks I left on Lucas, I nodded. "I had a vision of a shadowy figure hunting someone. Aside from seeing some gold magical streams, there was nothing concrete or helpful. What about you guys?"
Kota looked over her shoulder before turning back. "The magic at the club seemed similar to what we found at the market, but it wasn't an exact match." She and Jeff told us about their encounter with Alexis and the other supernaturals at the club. The part about the rings was interesting. I couldn't see how this Society of the Masked might be connected to these deaths. We needed to know more about the group before we could conclude anything.
"We need to call Cami," I announced as I tried to ignore the body's position on the cathedral steps. "Her mother's grimoire might have information about this Society you encountered. We need to know more to determine if they're involved. I can't believe Kassandra would be involved in somethingso sinister."
"Wait, you said Society of the Masked?" Phi clarified as she pulled her tablet out of her bag. "That name just triggered something. I think I recall it from the historical database I've been building. There are references to a masked society dating back to the 1800s. They are always connected to periods of increased supernatural activity during carnival season."
Dre moved closer, her power unconsciously making the crime scene tape flutter like living ribbons in the night air. "Let's get back to the plantation. Whatever you found at that club, Kota, we need to compare it with what Phi's uncovered. And we need to do it somewhere Detective Payne can't overhear." She glanced meaningfully at the detective, who was watching our group with poorly concealed suspicion.
Lucas's attention was fixed on the shadows between buildings. His wolf senses had picked up something that set him on edge. "We're being watched," he murmured, just loud enough for our group to hear. "There are multiple observers. They're masking their scents, but I can sense their presence. They're magic I've never encountered before and creating void spaces. Seems like we have our photographers. Should Noah and I chase them?"
"They must have followed us from the club," Jeff murmured as his hand went protectively to Kota's back. Not that he could do anything if supernaturals attacked. Kota would be the one keeping him safe. "I bet they've been tracking us since we left. Although, I don't know why. It feels like they're deliberately letting us know we're being watched."
"No one goes after them. This a power play, and I’m not sure it’s connected to the killer. But I can guarantee it’s a trap we don’t have time to indulge," Dre suggested. "They want us to know they can get close whenever they want."
I studied the scene before us, considering everythingfrom the placement of the body on the cathedral steps to the alley we were being watched from. "Or the killer is moving pieces into position," I suggested. "Every action so far seems calculated. It's like he's arranging pieces on a game board."
“Keep your eyes peeled on your way home,” Dre instructed everyone as she started walking back to Lucas’s truck. Usually, I drove everywhere, but Lucas and Noah had driven us to the scene tonight.
Lucas pulled out practically the second all doors were shut. He was racing down Canal Street before I could blink. Through the tinted windows, I caught movement at the edges of my vision. Figures that moved too smoothly, too purposefully to be human tourists. They could be local supernatural citizens going about their evening, but given our previous watchers, I doubted it.
These individuals melted into doorways and slipped between buildings with practiced ease, as if they'd mapped every shadow New Orleans had to offer. I pressed my hand against the cool glass, extending my magical senses. The signatures I picked up were masked just like our stalkers.
"We've got shadows," I blurted. "At least three different people, all cloaked. If I hadn’t seen them, I wouldn’t know they were there."
