“This is some fucked up shit.” Axel whistled through his teeth, taking in what could only be called a kill list etched on one of the walls.
Zane pointed to the Bishop line that had a large one written in red beside it. “There are four Bishop women still living in Salem,” he said, reading over the list. “We need to warn them and get them the hell away from here while we put this to rest.”
“What’s the plan, Sheriff?” Axel asked.
It was always a little odd when his alpha deferred to him, but Zane appreciated that his leader trusted his judgment enough to make these calls. It was why he was sheriff, after all. Zane knew one of his strengths was analyzing a situation to formulate the best course of action. In this case, whatever he chose to do, he needed to do it fast since Levi’s dad wasn’t in the house. That could only mean the man was preparing for his attack on the Bishops.
“You take one of the ladies, I’ll get another,” Zane pointed to two of the names. “I think we should ask some of the others to keep an eye on pack business while we deal with this.”
“I agree,” Axel nodded. “I am not letting any sort of anti-paranormal vigilante hunt near my pack.”
“Right,” Zane said. “We should get Blaze and Jett in on this. Those in the next town over could also be affected if the Order of Salem decides to chase down the witches beyond the city limits.”
“That’s a valid point.”
Axel grabbed his phone and called Blaze Spinner and Jett Arrowood, the wolf alpha and his enforcer, who had lands in the next town over. As Axel spoke to the other alpha, Zane stood back and stared at the wall.
If anything, it was pretty fucking clear the Order of Salem meant business. They wanted to kill witches, and they didn’t necessarily care to prove if these people were supernatural or not.
It seemed to Zane there was a bunch of lunatics who wanted to kill but were hiding behind a mask of righteousness. It made him sick. The majority of the targets were women who had done nothing. Innocents who just so happen to have last names tied to the executed witches.
“Blaze and Jett are heading out to take these two,” Axel pointed to two names, Astra and Selene. “They live on the edge of town, so those are the most likely to splash into their territory.”
“I’ll take the store, you take the house. Whoever gets to Raven and Cerise first, let’s keep in touch. But really, we should keep them all separate with the next family, the Goods, on the list under surveillance.”
There was a large number two by the Good family tree, indicating they were to be the next targets once the Bishops were taken care of. “If the Order of Salem is spread out, and they can’t find the first victims, they might not act right away. We will have time to formulate a plan.”
“How do you want to play this, Sheriff?” Axel asked. “Do we follow the law?”
“I think we need to for now. They haven’t hurt any wolves or any other living person. Let’s just get the Bishops out of Salem while we track the Order down.”
Zane looked around the room once more. He wished he could garner how many members were in the Order of Salem and how many weapons they had. It would also have been useful to find some kind of manifesto to understand why these people wanted to eradicate witches. Zane found that knowing the why usually made an investigation much easier. It also gave him ideas on how to deal with the guilty parties.
He’d deal with that later. First, he needed to find the Bishop women and save them.
Chapter Four
Raven
Raven walked down the center aisle of her small, yet filled, new age store. Gemstones were her pride and joy. She’d built a reputable and respected business with her sister. The store had been open for nearly ten years, but Raven still felt a zing of pride when she walked through the space filled with crystals, books, herbs, and various other witch paraphernalia.
Her wooden clipboard was tucked under her arm as she surveyed the shelves. This was one of her favorite parts of the job. Doing inventory might be boring and tedious for some, but Raven found it soothing. More than that, it gave her the store’s pulse. She knew exactly what was selling, what hadn’t moved in a little while. It helped her feel connected to the store and to her customers.
Oh, crap.
Raven jotted down that they were almost out of lavender candles and peppermint scrub. It would definitely need to be a rush order to make sure the good people of Salem had all of the relaxing and invigorating equipment they needed to get through their days.
As she made the note, she continued her progress down the aisle. The old wooden floor creaked under her feet, but it was a comforting sound. Like the history of the building was protecting her and her business. The weathered dark timber had been restored and was in great condition, but Raven could still feel the past thrumming through it.
Her eyes snapped forward at sudden movement, and Raven clamped her jaw in annoyance.
“Stop right there,” Raven said, using her most authoritative voice, pointing to the shoplifter.
The redhead was none other than her cousin Astra. Her family member had a proclivity for pilfering a few items here and there. Raven didn’t mind so much, but she had told her cousin time and time again that it was bad for business.
Astra turned to face Raven with a big grin on her face. She didn’t actually stop what she was doing, though, the silver gleam of the necklace’s chain sparkling in her hand.
“Put that back, Astra,” Raven demanded again. “You so did not pay for that.”
“Oh, come on,” Astra whined. “You know I need the boost the rose quartz gives me. It totally counteracts the negativity Mrs. Gellar brings in during her sessions. You’re basically doing a public service by giving me this. That’s a tax write-off.”
It wasn’t. Raven took a few more steps, intent on taking the necklace from Astra. She was too late. Her cousin closed the clasp of the necklace around her neck and spun it around so that the small pink stone laid against her throat. Raven sighed and rolled her eyes to the heavens.
“How are Cerise and I suppose to make any sort of profit if you’re always stealing our shit?”
Astra blew her a kiss, dramatically smacking her lips together.
“I gave you a soul-cleansing last week,” Astra explained. “I didn’t charge you, so think of this as my payment.”
“Hey, now. You insisted on doing that. As practice. You can’t charge me retroactively because you like the new pieces we have in stock. Besides, I know for a fact you already have a rose quartz necklace. You took it from that very display case last month.”
“Yes,” Astra said, walking toward the exit. “Because that was the last time Mrs. Gellar was coming in from an appointment. I swear she is an energy vampire.”
“You know you could just buy the necklace,” Raven called out. “Or I swear, I’ll let it slip to my mother that you’re playing the magpie.”
Astra stopped dead in her tracks and turned back to face Raven. Her eyes were narrowed, her mouth opened in surprise. Raven gave her a triumphant look. Astra was more of a sister than a cousin, and her threat had been nothing more than a good old sibling trick.