Thaumatology 06 - Hammer of Witches Read online

  ‘Table for three?’ John asked, smiling.

  ‘Right this way,’ Ceri replied, turning on her four-inch heels and heading back into the club proper. ‘What’s the occasion? I feel like it’s an occasion.’

  ‘Our wedding anniversary,’ Lorna replied. Ceri was glad they could not see her blink. Their anniversary and they had brought Kate along? It was almost as if the vamp could see what she was thinking. ‘We dragged Kate along because she needs to get out more.’ Well, it certainly explained why Kate was looking uncomfortable.

  Stopping at their table, Ceri waited for them to get seated. ‘Drinks?’

  ‘Champagne,’ John said. ‘Death in the Morning for Lorna.’

  ‘I’ll be right back.’ She headed for the bar and gave a nod to Alec.’ Bottle of champagne, two glasses, and a Death in the Morning.’ The latter was a champagne cocktail with a little added synthetic blood which let vampires absorb the alcohol. Ceri grinned; Lorna was cute when she got tipsy.

  ‘Wedding anniversary?’ Lily asked and Ceri nodded a reply. ‘And they brought Kate along? That’s practically cruel and unusual.’

  Ceri glanced at her demon. Succubi could sense the desires of anyone they looked at; well, almost everyone. Lily was no exception and she knew something about Kate’s desires. There was a time when Ceri had suspected that Kate had fallen for her new partner, but she had decided it was just worry. Perhaps she had been wrong. Lily would never volunteer the information, but she would probably reveal it if asked… Except that Ceri would not ask.

  ‘I’ll bring the bucket with the bottle,’ Lily said and together they strutted through the tables to the booth where the trio were sat. ‘Congratulations,’ Lily said, placing the bucket near John.

  ‘Yes, congratulations,’ Ceri said, placing the glasses down. ‘Just yell when you need more cocktail, Lorna.’

  ‘I will,’ Lorna replied, giggling.

  October 8th

  Kate emerged from the back rooms at the club and wandered over to stop beside Ceri and Lily. ‘Mind if I stand here for a bit?’ she asked quietly. ‘Lorna’s starting to get affectionate.’

  Ceri chuckled. Lily looked sympathetic and said, ‘Sure, pull up some bar.’

  The detective sergeant propped herself up on the counter beside them. Away from the glory that was Lorna, Kate’s mini-skirt and blouse combo together with her red hair, green eyes, and pale, slightly freckled skin were attracting more attention. She had good legs, Ceri thought, not for the first time. ‘Any news on that body on Clapham Common?’ Ceri asked to distract herself from the consideration of the aesthetics of Kate’s limbs.

  ‘The burnt corpse?’ Kate checked before going on. ‘The Chief’s taken that one in charge himself. There’s a cross-force factor to it, apparently. Something about a couple of deaths in the New Forest?’

  ‘There was one about the time you arrested Carter,’ Lily said. ‘That was a suspicious fire.’

  ‘There have been a couple of others, I believe,’ Kate said, ‘but most of them were kept quieter. Whoever’s doing it, they’re getting careless. The kills are getting more public.’

  ‘A serial killer then?’ Ceri asked.

  ‘It seems like it. Not my case though. The Chief has Laurel and Hecks working with him on it.’

  Lily glanced at Ceri, a slightly worried frown on her face. Ceri gave a slight shrug; having the Order of Merlin’s spy in the Greycoats working the case was not going to be a big issue. Well, she guessed it would not. She glanced across at John and Lorna. ‘I think we’re both needed,’ she said. ‘Lorna’s glass is empty.’

  Kate actually gave a little whimper as Ceri picked up her tray and they started across the floor.

  Kennington

  The mats laid out on the floor of the hall were the big difference. That, and Ceri and Lily sat on the staircase watching instead of taking a lesson from Ray, the muscular Metropolitan Police unarmed combat instructor. Today it was Ray taking the lesson and the sight of it had even brought Twill out to watch; the tiny nut-brown fairy was perched on the balustrade with an intent look on her face. It was more of a demonstration really. Well, Ceri reflected as he slammed into the padding on his back, again, it was more of an arse kicking.

  Anita grinned and offered the big man a hand up. Dressed in a mini-skirt and a halter top, she was hardly decked out for combat practice, but a lot of the Battersea pack had a limited supply of clothes and she was no exception. Actually, facing off against a half-dressed Amazon seemed to be having an effect on Ray’s skill. The werewolf Captain clearly thought so too. ‘Am I distracting you, Ray?’ she asked as he regained his feet.

  The instructor gave a short laugh. ‘Don’t sell yourself short,’ he said. ‘You’re good.’

  ‘You’re holding back,’ she replied. ‘Don’t.’

  Ray narrowed his eyes slightly, nodded, and dropped into a ready stance. With a predatory, fanged smile on her face, Anita slid one leg back, bracing herself, and waited. Ceri watched the display, her hands gripping the stair’s runner. Beside her she could feel the tension in Lily’s body as well. Then Ray moved and they both jumped. He led in with a leg sweep, but Anita just pushed her weight forward and took the blow. Ray was already turning, his weight shifting to the sweeping leg as he brought the other, heavily muscled, limb around. It was an unorthodox manoeuver and it caught Anita by surprise. Hooking his leg around her waist, he locked his heel into her spine and then put his entire weight into pulling her over. Feeling herself go, Anita pulled into a roll and the two figures tumbled across the mats. Ray ended up on top, his knees on either side of Anita’s chest, and his bottom parked on her stomach.

  His grin of triumph was short lived. Anita lifted her right leg, swinging it around and looping it around Ray’s chest. His eyes widened as he was slammed backward into the mat with enough force to knock the air out of his lungs, and get a wince from Ceri in sympathy. He grunted as Anita’s weight came down on him; she sat lower, her behind over his hips, and trapped his arms under her hands, leaning her weight on them.

  ‘Now I rip your throat out,’ she said, grinning and baring her fangs before leaning in to give him a nip on the side of his neck. She sat back, laughing. ‘You nearly had me there.’

  ‘She’s awesome,’ Lily commented quietly. ‘I should get her to give me some tips.’

  ‘She is, yes,’ Ceri said, grinning at her Captain as she sat perched on her martial arts instructor. To be fair, Anita taught wrestling and wolf-style brawling, Ray taught Ceri to use her staff. Right now he was looking up at Anita, his chest heaving from the sudden winding, and maybe something else…

  Anita’s eyes widened slightly and she looked… hungry? With a push of her strong arms she bounced up and turned so that she was standing beside Ray, her hand held out to help him up again. Ray climbed to his feet looking a little flushed.

  ‘Do you, uh, use the same moves in wolf form?’ Ray asked, straightening out his sweat pants and then adjusting his shirt. Normally he wore more formal, Japanese dress including a wide skirt-like garment for his sessions with Ceri; she was not used to seeing his legs, which were impressively well muscled.

  ‘Mostly,’ Anita replied. She was looking a little flushed herself. ‘I can rely more on sheer strength and I have teeth and claws, but I teach my people to rely on skill, not brute strength.’

  Ray raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re stronger as a wolf?’

  ‘Considerably.’

  ‘Well… damn! Could you show me some of those techniques?’

  Anita grinned at him and reached for the tie on her halter. ‘Sure, but not on you. I don’t want to injure you. Ceri, would you oblige?’

  Ceri had been half expecting this and Luperca’s collar was already in place around her throat. She undid her jeans and pushed them down her legs, a little embarrassed at undressing in front of Ray, but not much. Partially it was because she was fairly used to public nudity now, and partially it was because Ray was busy watching Anita.

  ‘Isn’t Ceri
a bit… small, compared to you?’ Ray asked.

  Anita dropped her skirt and stretched; Ray swallowed hard. ‘She’s a black-fur, by Luperca’s blessing. They’re typically stronger than greys and that makes up the difference.’

  Ray was about to say something else, but suddenly he found himself looking at a huge, grey furred wolf-woman. ‘Well… damn,’ he said again, and there was a hint of awe in his tone. He looked around to see another she-wolf walking across the mats, this one black. ‘Ceri?’ Ceri nodded to him, and he wandered over to the stairs to sit beside Lily.

  ‘Ceri makes a fairly impressive werewolf,’ Lily commented.

  ‘Yeah,’ Ray replied. ‘More muscle… and… well…’

  ‘Her boobs are bigger,’ Lily said, nodding matter-of-factly.

  Ceri rolled her amber eyes; though it was true, her breasts were bigger in this shape. And then she got down to being tossed around the room by her Captain. They did various exercises which Anita drilled into all her Guards. Throws, holds, claw strikes, and finally there were a few combo-tricks. Most of the latter involved Ceri ending up on her back with Anita’s jaws around her throat. When she had first started doing this with the pack, Ceri had been half-terrified, as well as bruised and battered after the sessions. Now she was used to it, and had certainly learned to fall with less personal damage.

  Ray actually clapped when they finally stopped. ‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘Really, I’ve learned a lot just watching.’ He stood up and grimaced slightly. ‘Uh, could I use your shower, I’m a bit sweaty.’

  There were rumbling noises from the two wolves, which Ray blinked at. ‘Anita says you’re welcome,’ Lily translated, ‘and Ceri said you could use the shower.’ She giggled. ‘Well, that’s the meaning if not the exact words. My wolf isn’t perfect.’ Ray gave a short laugh and turned to head up the stairs.

  Anita waited for him to be out of sight before growling, Man mated?

  Lily grinned at her. ‘No,’ she replied.

  The grey wolf was suddenly a woman. ‘I’m a little sweaty myself,’ she said as Ceri reached to her throat to change back, ‘do you think I could use the shower too.’

  Lily’s grin broadened. ‘I think no one will object. Especially not Ray.’

  ‘There are towels on the rail,’ Twill said. ‘Just try not to break the cubicle.’

  Anita started up the stairs. ‘Yes, ma’am,’ she said, and her grin was positively predatory.

  ~~~

  ‘Here it is,’ Ceri said triumphantly, holding up a form. She walked around from the side passage off the study where her parents had stored the filing cabinets and waved the sheet of paper at Lily, who was lying on the chaise. The half-succubus bounced to her feet and hurried over, peering at what Ceri had found.

  It was a registration form and Lily frowned at it, reading aloud. ‘The Ministry of Supernatural Affairs and the Intellectual Property Office have registered the symbol, glyph, rune, or design below to be the personal rune of Ceridwyn Brent of High Towers, blah, blah… And that’s it?’ Under the writing was a graphic, carefully printed onto the sheet in the middle of a black box. It had a solid bar across the top from which descended a tail of sorts. It was something like a capital letter ‘C’ with a bar cutting the top, or a ‘T’ where the descender was curled. In the centre of the curl was a single black dot. Lily contemplated it for a second before pronouncing her verdict. ‘I like it,’ she said, grinning. ‘It’s simple but elegant. Can I borrow that?’

  Ceri narrowed her eyes. ‘What are you up to?’

  Lily stood up straight, putting on her most innocent expression. ‘Nothing,’ she said, but the innocent look was not working, so she shifted into a melancholy pout. ‘You don’t believe me.’

  Ceri had been standing up to that pout for years now, but rarely was she faced with the full-on effect. She could feel herself caving. Then Lily’s bottom lip started to quiver… ‘Okay, okay! Here, take it, just stop pouting at me!’

  Beaming happily, Lily plucked the form from Ceri’s unresisting fingers. ‘Thank you. You won’t regret it, honest.’

  Ceri grimaced. Why had she had to say that?!

  October 9th

  Sunday at High Towers was, most assuredly, a day of rest. Well, it was a day of rest after bedtime, which was usually around six in the morning. It was now habitual for Michael to be waiting for Ceri and Lily to get back from work, and then there would be enthusiastic, succubus-powered sex, followed by a collapse into bed. That was when the resting began.

  Ceri almost always woke up first; usually around midday she would open her eyes and find herself sandwiched between a werewolf’s back and a half-succubus’ front. She would smile and lie in the warmth, eternally thankful that her mate and her demon lover got on so well. Then she would wake Michael up, and their activities would wake Lily up, and things would get hot and steamy again until they went through to the bathroom to shower.

  Twill almost always did a roast, which would be ready when they all came down to the kitchen, and she would sit on the table and drink honey thinned with alcohol while they ate. It was a family event. Admittedly it was possibly the oddest family event one could imagine, with four naked people, none of them entirely human, sitting around a table for Sunday lunch, but this was Ceri’s family now and she absolutely adored it.

  ‘We’ll have to prepare for your birthday soon, Ceri,’ Twill commented as they sat there on this Sunday afternoon. ‘Your twenty-fifth, isn’t it?’

  Ceri grimaced, but she chewed and swallowed before answering. ‘Uh-huh. Twenty-five years. Quarter of a century. I’m getting old.’

  ‘I’m twenty-five already,’ Lily said, ‘and I don’t feel old at all.’

  Twill smirked at them. ‘Are you inviting the North Hills pack down again this year?’

  ‘Well, I’ll send them an invite,’ Ceri said, ‘and the girls at the Dragon and the Collar Club, and Jenny and Tawni, um, Carter, Alec, Cheryl, John and Lorna and Kate…’

  ‘Kai and Tegan, if they’re free?’ Lily suggested.

  ‘Alexandra suggested you might like to come to the park the day before,’ Michael said. ‘The pack has to get together for Samhain, but she thought maybe you two could come over and have a little pack party.’

  Ceri glanced at Lily, who nodded enthusiastically. ‘We’d love to,’ Ceri said.

  Michael nodded. ‘I’ll let her know when I get back.’ He glanced at Twill. ‘The invitation applies to you too, Twill. If you wanted to come.’

  The fairy gave a pleased, slightly surprised smile. ‘Thank you, Michael. And please pass my thinks on to Alexandra. However, I’ll be busy making food for the party here. I’m sure I’ll see you here then.’

  ‘Oh yes,’ Michael said. ‘I’m the official Battersea delegate.’

  ‘Yes,’ Ceri said, ‘mustn’t forget Catherine and Stefan. I could invite Rhys, but I suspect he’ll be busy this year.’

  ‘Probably,’ Michael said, ‘but he’ll appreciate the invitation.’

  ‘It’ll be quite a houseful anyway,’ Twill said.

  ‘It’s not too much trouble is it?’ Ceri asked.

  ‘Goodness no!’ The tiny woman laughed, a sound like wind chimes filling the kitchen. ‘I rather enjoy having a full house and it’s only for one night.’ She tilted her head slightly, thoughtfully. ‘I think the house likes it too.’

  Ceri looked up and around the room. High Towers was a big place for two full-sized people and a fairy, but it always felt comfortable. Then again, it did seem to feel happier when it was filled with people. It had always been a happy place when her parents had held parties there, and it had been at its saddest when it had just been Ceri on her own.

  ‘Yes,’ she said, ‘maybe it does.’

  ~~~

  With the weather being overcast and damp, once Michael was out of the house and heading back to Battersea there was little for Ceri and Lily to do aside from sit around the house. A kind of sexual Brownian motion resulted in them drifting together every so often, as t
hough the sudden proximity and intimacy was a surprise. After a couple of hours of this, they had managed to arrange themselves on the couch in the lounge, Lily lying with her head on Ceri’s curled legs so that she could watch the TV while Ceri read.

  ‘That’s not work, is it?’ Lily mumbled. She sounded sleepy and contented; the sensations Ceri could feel from her through their binding link were sleepy and contented too.

  ‘No,’ Ceri replied. Her hand drifted down to play absently with Lily’s beautifully lush hair. ‘I can assure you that this is mindless pulp.’ She paused for a second. ‘Actually, that’s unfair, it’s quite good science fiction. Iain M. Banks, Scottish author. However, it’s not even vaguely like work.’

  ‘Good,’ Lily said. She giggled slightly and twitched her head as Ceri’s playing tickled. There was silence for a second, then, ‘I can’t believe I’m watching “Pride and Prejudice.” Again.’

  ‘I thought you liked the cleavage?’

  ‘Well, yeah. That’s some pretty awesome cleavage.’

  ‘Of course, it’s set back when girls would soak their dresses so the wet muslin turned translucent and stuck to their bodies.’

  ‘Only person in this with translucent clothes is Darcy,’ Lily grumbled. ‘Though he does look really fantastic climbing out of that lake.’ The half-succubus shifted slightly as a little restless shudder ran through her. She sagged suddenly as the titles rolled and then perked up again as she realised that the evening news would be next. Ceri allowed herself a little smirk at the child-like enthusiasm Lily showed for such things.

  Lily nudged her after a minute or so and Ceri looked up, wondering what she should be paying attention to. ‘…has been missing now for two days,’ the presenter was saying, ‘and police have been called in by her parents. Karen Mitchem spoke to Detective Inspector Radcliffe outside Greaycoat Street police station this afternoon.’

  The picture shifted from the studio to footage taken at the front of the Greycoat Street police station. John looked uncomfortable on camera beside the attractive TV presenter. Ceri had met the woman before in the summer doing an interview about an experiment at Stonehenge. She was nice enough. ‘Inspector Radcliffe,’ Karen asked, ‘what is currently being done to discover the whereabouts of Miss Shore?’