I stepped closer, careful not to draw attention to myself. Carefully, I placed my hand on the cool metal. My psychometry was picking up fragments of countless memories. It took me several seconds to sort through things. Finally, I caught fragments of the killer. His precise placement of the victim and twisted pride. "Whoever did this is proud of their work. They’ve practiced. Before they started all of this, they were killing others and practicing their technique to ensure they got it right."
"He’s also trying to obscure his identity. There are multiple layers to the signature we found," Kota added as she and Phi joined us. "Or maybe he is weaving different magical traditions together.”
“Some of it feels old,” Phi agreed, “but other parts are definitely modern."
Keryth made a noise, drawing our attention. I'd forgotten he was hovering nearby. His elegant features were pinched with what looked like genuine concern. "The elven magic woven through this is stolen." He shook his head. "It shouldn't be possible for someone without formal training in our arts to utilize our power. The techniques needed are closely guarded secrets."
"It's not just elven magic," Dre said as she probed deeper. "I'm picking up traces of Fae glamour, shifter pack magic, and even some vampire energy. Whoever this is, they've somehow gotten their hands on the secret practices of every major supernatural faction in New Orleans."
"That's... disturbing," I muttered, feeling the truth of her words in the layered magical signatures.
"More than disturbing," Dre continued, turning to face Keryth. "Every supernatural group guards their magical secrets like dragons hoarding gold. So, either we have multiple practitioners working together—which seems unlikely given how well these energies are woven together—or someone's managed to learn the sacred techniques of every major magical tradition in the city. And they’ve killed a lot more than four."
Before we could press him further, Keryth’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it, and his expression tightened. "I need to take this. Excuse me." He stepped away and answered the call.
"Well, that was convenient," Kota muttered, coming to stand beside me. "Did anyone else notice how he tensed up when I mentioned the layered magic?"
"Add it to the growing list of suspicious behavior," I agreed. "But something about his reaction feltgenuine. He's worried. More than likely, it's just about his masquerade being targeted."
We didn't have time to discuss Keryth because a wave of ancient power suddenly rolled through the area. Marie appeared on the corner. Her voodoo energy preceded her like an invisible tide. Even the mundane police officers felt it on some instinctive level as they unconsciously stepped aside when she passed.
The Queen of Voodoo's power rippled around her in dark currents that made my magical senses tingle. She was clutching a leather-bound book to her chest like it was trying to escape. The very air seemed to thicken with her presence. She was something else.
One of Dre’s eyebrows quirked as she looked at Marie. “This is unexpected.”
"I had to come," Marie replied as she joined our huddle. "What I found..." She opened the book, revealing yellowed pages covered in symbols. "I found out more about these ritual murders. The placement, the timing, the masks—it's all tied to a massacre in 1873. Lia was right. But what we didn’t find earlier was that it nearly tore the veil between worlds apart."
"The greatest massacre in New Orleans carnival history would generate enough energy to punch holes in ten-foot-thick steel," Phi replied.
Marie nodded grimly. "Forty-seven people died that night. Their power was meant to fuel a ritual to permanently thin the veil between worlds." She traced one of the symbols in the book. I recalled a similar one on the victim. "And now someone's trying again. I think they're being more methodical about it this time. They seem to have refined the process."
"The residual magic here is strong. It’s also layered," Dreshared. "The killer definitely excels at channeling and storing the energy they're harvesting."
I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the February morning. "There's more," Marie said, turning pages until she found what she was looking for. "All the victims had connections to carnival season. Puich sent me their backgrounds while I was researching. The first two were krewe members. The third was a costume designer. And this one?" She paused meaningfully.
"Let me guess," I sighed, already dreading the answer. "She’s got something to do with masks?"
"After getting her fingerprint for identification, Puich looked her up. She’s a restoration expert," Marie confirmed. "She specialized in historical carnival masks and accessories. She had been consulting with several krewes about authentic period pieces for their balls."
"Including ours," Keryth added quietly. I hadn’t seen him return to our group. "She was supposed to meet with me next week about providing masks for some of my VIP guests."
The implications hit me like a physical blow. "It’s a safe assumption this psychopath is planning to use our masquerade as fuel for the final stage of his ritual."
CHAPTER 3
Dakota
How long did it take shifters to check out the property? Kai or Aaron should have figured out where those photos were taken from very quickly. The fact that someone had managed to photograph all of us through the plantation's library window the previous day was highly disturbing. They’d gotten close enough to capture clear images of us poring over Marie's books. The thought of someone watching us in our own home made my skin crawl.
I kept hoping Dani would get a message as we left Marie and Keryth at the crime scene and headed back to Lia’s car. At this rate we would be back at the plantation before they finished looking around. Lia drove like she was just as anxious to find out how it had happened as me. Of course she was. We all were. The drive was tense with all of us processing everything. Per usual, it was a lot. The layered magic signatures, Marie's revelations about the 1873 massacre.That unsettling photo of us someone had managed to take through our own library windows.
The sun was climbing higher in the sky by the time Liaparked in the plantation parking lot. Noah and Lucas pulled in right behind us, having left the crime scene shortly after we did. Before any of us could ask about the property search, Kai and Aaron emerged from the tree line in their human forms. My heart sank when I noted their grim expressions.
"You're not going to like this," Kai said, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "We found where they took the photos from. They didn’t manage to get on the property. There's a spot across the road, just beyond the ward line. But here's the weird part. There's no scent trail. There’s nothing. It's like a blank spot in the world."
Aaron nodded in agreement. "We've never seen anything like it. Whatever magic they're using, it's powerful enough to completely mask their presence. Even from shifter senses."
Lucas thanked them and turned to Lia, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Do not get worked up over this. We'll investigate it while you guys look into history to find the killer. If there’s a void, you won’t be able to cast any spells." The shifter alpha lifted his gaze from my sister and looked at each of the rest of us before he continued. "Noah and I will take a team out there and see if we can find a trail to follow."
