Page 8 of Crossing Between
Magic danced along my skin in a sharp sting that didn't give me enough time to stop it. Horror and fear raced through me as my eyes met those of Dr. Drajin's. They shocked me when they booped my nose with a grin that flashed a fang. "I like her, Varon. Keep her around this time, yes?" With that, they turned on their heels and strode toward the wall of storage where the bodies were kept and pulled out one of the middle ones.
I stumbled forward a step. They must have detected my hidden charmed spell but hadn't said anything about it. Why? If the amount of magic I had felt was any indicator, Dr. Drajin was powerful, maybe the most powerful I'd run into before. Even more than Varon whose aura was formidable.
"John Doe has given me more than our previous victims, yet nothing at all." The doctor beckoned us all forward with a finger. "Come look. I don't bite. Much. Well. Maybe. We'll see how the night goes."
Chapter 5: Varon
Quilith was energetic as usual. They kept looking over at Zoey with a glint in their eyes that I didn't know what to make of. When they scanned her, Quilith seemed taken aback about something, which just confirmed my suspicions about the Medium. She was hiding something besides her desire that I got whiffs of throughout our drive here. If I was a younger vampire, I might have taken a sip from her neck already, but I was a professional regardless if the strange, cute, and curvy Medium tugged at my monster like no one had in decades.
"Alright, Dr. Drajin, if you'll stop showboating and tell us what you found." Elias was gruff as he crossed his arms, his impressive muscles strained against his suit jacket. The Viking was usually the calmer one of the partners, but he seemed agitated after Zoey refused his healing spell. Couldn't exactly blame him. Zoey looked like she was in pain that she tried to hide and Elias was a healer. It had to be jarring to him to have someone say no to his calling.
"Oh, someone is in a mood." Quilith tossed their long hair over their shoulder before sliding on a pair of gloves that they pulled from a nearby box. "Alright. I'll stop playing since no one seems to want to play along." They made a dramatic sigh before pointing down at the body of our John Doe. "As you've already seen, this one is quite different from the other victims. The only similarities are that he had his organs removed, but unlike the other victims, all of his were removed, along with a few rib bones and a toe."
Frowning, I leaned forward, the smell of the chemicals used to clean the body making my nose hairs burn but I ignored it. "A toe? Why the toe?"
They shrugged. "A midnight snack for later?" Quilith lifted the right arm of John Doe while pointing out a long angry scratch from the shoulder, into the armpit, and down to the middle finger. "This is what interested me the most though. I don't know why, but this was left intentionally, but I don't think our killer meant to leave me a clue. They did." Quilith set the arm down while they picked up an evidence bag to hand over to me.
I held the bag up and grinned, my fangs coming out briefly to flash in the obnoxious lighting of the room. "A claw? We have their DNA." This could be the break we needed along with a statement from the dead through our Medium. I looked at Zoey. Her attention wasn't on the body, it was still on Quilith with a wary stare. "Anything else?"
Quilith removed their gloves, dropping them in a closed bin for medical waste. "Not anything more than you know already. No drugs or alcohol at all in the system, which I still think is strange considering where he had been before being killed." They poked Kenji in the arm. "Why, Kenji, have you been working out? Your bicep is even harder than last time." Kenji flexed while they poked his arm again and I cleared my throat, trying to get Quilith to focus again. They sighed before looking back at me. "I assume you want to try to summon him?"
"Yes." It was time to see how well Zoey could do the job we hired her for.
"Fantastic. My lovely, do you need any incense to assist in your focus?" Quilith stepped away from the slab, moving over to a storage cabinet against the wall. "We have some that are approved to be used in this room." They held out their hand to Zoey and wiggled their eyebrows suggestively. "I promise to behave if you come close, dear one."
The Medium ignored their hand but stepped up next to them. Her scent was wary. She didn't trust Quilith, which just went to show that she was smarter than I gave her credit for. "I appreciate the offer, Dr. Drajin."
"Darling, call me Quilith." They took her hand and kissed the top of it before abruptly turning to the cabinet and picked out a bundle of incense. "This one feels like it will assist you the best."
Kenji moved to stand next to me. "The doctor has never said this many words before to any of the other Mediums. What makes this one so different?" His voice was soft and quiet so that it wouldn't carry over to Zoey.
"That's the question, is it not?" I leaned against the wall. "She doesn't give off any ill will or dangerous scents. She lied about something during the interview but I couldn't detect anything hostile about it." Quilith said something outrageous and Zoey gave a surprised laugh. "I'm assigning her to you and Elias for now. If others need her services, you'll supervise."
Kenji nodded once. "You haven't done that with the other Mediums. It’ll be fun to mess with the others who need her help."
My fingers rubbed my temple and resisted the urge to sigh. "Kenji, you shouldn't say things like that in front of your boss, you know that right?"
"You won't hold it against me will you?" Kenji gave a booming laugh that filled the room, getting the other's attention.
"Is there anything that I can do to help you prepare?" Elias stepped in, drawing the attention of Zoey to him. "I've not worked with a Medium before, but I am a fast learner."
Zoey shook her head but gave a smile that made my monster purr. I straightened from the wall, pushing it down.
"I'm alright, but thank you for your offer, Elias." Zoey placed the incense on the side table that Quilith moved next to the slab where John Doe laid. She also set down her book bag as she pulled out several other items. "I can sense that John Doe's soul is still close by so I'll be able to summon them. I just ask for quiet for a few moments while I set up."
I wasn't the only one who focused on her. It was telling how interested Quilith was in her that they remained silent as they watched her every move with interest. Even Kenji, who usually couldn't help but crack remarks, kept his mouth shut at Zoey's request. Elias stepped back to stand next to Quilith as Zoey set up her things.
"May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields." Zoey's voice was quiet as she spoke the part of a prayer for the soul before beginning.
Chapter 6: Zoey
The clear quartz and amethyst crystals were set at the points of the paper spell I placed on the table. My power tingled under my fingertips, eager to be let out, even though I wouldn't be using it to its fullest. Letting it out when I could helped keep it under control.
After saying my prayer that wasn't necessary but helped me focus on the situation, I lit the patchouli incense before turning to look at the body of John Doe. My hand rested on his chest, over his heart, and let my magic out.
I was conscious of the fact that the medical examiner, Quilith, was watching me just as intently as the other three. There was something about them that made my back straighten. They hadn't given out my secret yet, so I had to hope they wouldn't say anything if they could tell that my magic wasn't quite the same as a Medium. I was also a little wary of Varon. I wasn't sure if his enhanced sense of smell would be able to tell either, hence why I had chosen the patchouli scent. It was good at covering up some magic.
John Doe's soul was still nearby, thankfully, along with many other souls seeking a way to the afterlife or to come back. I summoned John Doe, but instead of allowing his soul to go back inside his body, I pulled him into my own body. Most Mediums have to lock down on the soul that they do this with, making sure they can't take them over completely. I didn't have to bother with that. Souls became my servants as soon as my magic touched them, regardless of where I placed them, either in their bodies or a different vessel. I could even push a soul out of an alive body if I wanted to. Or so I had read when I was first learning about my powers. It hadn't been easy to get information, but our library had history books that had helped me learn.
