“We won’t be doing anything of the sort. As you keep reminding me, that’s Monty’s job, not ours.” I hesitated. “I don’t suppose they can tell us why they think it’s a skin walker? From the little I know about them, they’re a form of evil witch who can turn into, possess, or disguise themselves as animals. That’s not what’s happening here.”
Her gaze became slightly distracted as she listened to the other side. “No, but there are legends of skin walkers through many cultures, even if they are not known by that name. It is just a matter of finding the variation we might be dealing with.”
“Which means another search through your gran’s books, I’m thinking.”
“Possibly, although if skin walkers are as rare as the spirits are saying, then it’s unlikely she’ll have anything of note.”
The distant sound of sirens began to cut through the stillness of the night. The rangers weren't far away. “Do you—or the spirits—think the two skinning deaths are in any way linked to the quasi vampire attack from last night?”
Belle hesitated, and then wrinkled her nose. “If the skinnings are being done by a walker, it’s unlikely, as they don’t feed on blood. Why?”
I shrugged. “It just seems weird that we’re now dealing with three supernatural murders so close together.”
“Not really,” she said. “Not given the amount of time the wellspring was left unguarded. In fact, this sort of thing is likely to start happening more often.”
Which was exactly what I feared, and also something we could do absolutely nothing about.
The sirens abruptly cut out and the ensuing silence somehow felt heavier. “Who answered when you called the rangers?”
“Aiden. He wasn’t happy.”
“He never is when it comes to supernatural crimes.”
Belle snorted softly. “Well, he’s only got the damn council to blame.”
“He knows that.” I paused. “Did he say who he was sending out here?”
“No.”
The wisp’s light abruptly went out, throwing us into darkness. A few seconds later, Aiden stepped through the scrub and strode across the clearing.
“How did you get here?” I said. “I’ve got your truck’s keys.”
“Mac picked me up.” He stopped beside me, his shoulder lightly brushing mine, sending a wave of warmth rolling through the rest of me. “This looks like a repeat of what you found at the cold store.”
“Except this time we also found the skin.” I motioned toward the trees. “Monty’s keeping an eye on it while looking for energy spores.”
Aiden glanced at me, eyebrows raised. “The thing that did this has spores? Meaning it’s some sort of plant?”
I couldn’t help smiling. “No, but there are some supernatural beings who give off detectable energy patterns, and each one is unique to that particular demon or spirit.”
“So if he finds a spore, we know what we’re dealing with?”
“In theory, yes.”
“Good.” He glanced toward the trees, his nostrils flaring. “The skin in those trees smells older than this body.”
“Yes, although it doesn’t look as if it's in the process of decomposing.”
“I'm presuming, then, that there's some sort of magic involved?”
“If there's magic preserving the skin, I didn't feel it.” I shrugged. “But that doesn't mean Monty hasn’t.”
He grunted. “Do you and Belle want to head home? I’ll grab your statements when I drop by in the morning for my keys and breakfast.”
I nodded. Truth be told, now that the adrenaline of the hunt was drifting away, weariness was well and truly settling in. “Have you met Monty yet? Do you want me to do the introductions?”
“I’m a big lad—