Page 66 of Investigation of a Quest

“Still fighting,” Dorothy said. “You humans amaze me. Don’t you know when you’re beat? The monster you believe is coming to rescue you is almost within my grasp. I can feel his presence just beyond my reach, so nothing you do will change today’s outcome. Nothing can stop what I’ve waited centuries for.” She paused as she studied Bel’s silent defiance. “Perhaps I should hurt you.”

“You already have,” Bel spat.

“Not like that.” Dorothy slinked closer, and Bel regretted taunting her. She had to die. She knew that, but she did not welcome the suffering this witch threatened.

“I should make you scream,” Dorothy continued. “I should make it impossible for you to stay silent. See how fast your dhampir steps inside my power.”

“He’s smarter than that,” Bel said through gritted teeth. “He won’t fall for your tricks.”

“Oh, Detective, I think he will.” Dorothy slid her blade beneath Bel’s chin. “You’ll make sure of that. You’ll try to stay quiet. I see the defiance in your eyes, so you’ll try… at first. By the end, you’ll be begging for death. I will pull screams so unsettling from your lips that he will never be free of them. He’ll come for you. In the end, they always come.”

A tear escaped unbidden from Bel’s eye, and Dorothy flicked her wrist, catching the single droplet on the blade’s tip.

“Tears. So full of pain, yet the power they wield.” Dorothy flung the tear at the candles, and the flames exploded, licking the air as they spat black smoke. But the second they surged to life, a violent wind blasted through the room, extinguishing their sparks and almost knocking Dorothy to the ground as it lashed painfully against both women’s skin.

“Morana?” She regained her footing, her attention abandoning Bel. “How did she get past my defenses? She isn’t strong enough to do that. I should have killed her along with her sister.” Dorothy’s voice faded as she searched for the source of the explosion, leaving Bel alone with her fear.

The minute the expansive room fell silent, Bel lost control of her dignity. She burst into tears, gagging and choking on the terror coursing through her, and she pitched sideways as far as the ropes would allow to heave nothing but air onto the floor. For endless seconds she sobbed, snot running from her nose as she gagged on her fate. It didn’t matter how dangerous life got. Eamon was always there for her. He always came for her. Only that was a lie now. He’d met his match. He couldn’t come for her. She would die alone and seal his fate. Or he would flee, and she would die as punishment.

Bel screamed through gritted teeth and thrashed against the rope. She was bound too tightly to ever hope of gaining her freedom, yet still, she struggled until blood ran down her fingers from where the fibers ripped into her skin. It was no use. There was no hope left. Today would end in⁠—

Bel stiffened as the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Someone was behind her. Dorothy had returned, and Bel clenched her eyelids shut as the tears doubled. Was this how her life ended? Her throat slit from behind as her blood heralded annihilation?

“Please—” A hand clamped over her mouth to silence her. She screamed into her attacker’s palm, but suddenly there were lips against her ear.

“It’s me.” The almost silent whisper uttered two inconsequential words.

Yet to a daughter, they were worth more than gold.

“Daddy?” she choked on the word, thankful that his palm concealed her breaking voice.

“I got you, baby.” Reese peeled his hand from her mouth. “We’re working with a witch who gave us a magic bomb. We hoped it would convince the witch who took you that her coven members had breached her boundary, but it’ll only buy us so much time. We have to go.”

“Can you walk?” a second man asked, and Bel whirled around to find Sheriff Griffin taking a knife to the ropes.

“Yeah…” Bel’s voice faltered when Olivia stepped in front of her, gun raised in defense. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Okay, because we’ve got to move fast. The minute Eamon gets our signal, he’s coming in hot,” Griffin said. “Can you run?”

“I…”

“I’ll carry her.” Reese scooped her off the chair. “This is my kid. I’ll get her out. Just get Eamon in here.”

“We ready?” Griffin asked, and when everyone nodded, they broke into a jog. Griffin led the way through the abandoned building, with Olivia bringing up the protective rear.

“How did you sneak in without Dorothy noticing?” Bel asked.

“Dorothy?” Olivia and Griffin asked.

“It was Dorothy the whole time,” Bel said. “She stood across from us this entire investigation pretending to help, but it was her.”

“You mean she’s been working with us for the last four days?” Disbelief polluted Griffin’s voice. “I let her into our station, and she’s the one who did this to you.”

“Freak out after,” Reese groaned. “Let’s just get out alive. Signal Eamon. Tell him we’re almost clear.”

“On it,” Olivia said.

“But how did you get through?” Bel repeated.