Early evening had settled over Beacon Hills. The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving behind a sky streaked with deep oranges and purples that faded quickly into darkness. Streetlights flickered on as Stiles drove toward Erica's house.
On his way, he called his dad.
Noah answered. "Stiles, what's going on?"
Stiles kept his eyes on the road. "There's a blood fairy in town. She attacked Isaac and Boyd last night—they barely survived."
Noah asked, "What's a blood fairy?"
Stiles explained everything about blood fairies.
After listening to everything Stiles said, Noah was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was grim. "That explains the bodies."
Stiles's grip tightened on the wheel. "Did you find victims with drained blood today?"
"Yes. Three victims. Drained of blood. The coroner says they died four days ago. The only wounds on their bodies are slits on their wrists—neat and precise." Noah paused. "I'm heading to a new crime scene now. A woman called it in. Said her friends went to a party yesterday and never came back. She found them dead a few minutes ago."
"Where?"
"Woods near the old burnt Hale house."
Stiles said, "I'm picking up Erica. We'll meet you there."
Noah sighed. "Alright. See you soon."
---
Stiles met Erica near her house and left the Jeep behind. They used their supernatural speed to race to the crime scene, catching up with Noah at the edge of the woods just as he was about to drive off-road toward the old Hale house. They climbed into his cruiser, and Noah drove the rest of the way.
Soon they arrived. The crime scene was right in front of the Hale house, cordoned off with yellow tape. Three bodies lay near an extinguished campfire—two men and one woman. At first glance, they looked like they were simply sleeping. But their skin was pale, bloodless, and their necks bore small, precise scratches.
Noah ducked under the tape and approached the victims.
Stiles and Erica hung back—then Erica stiffened. She leaned close to Stiles, her voice barely a whisper. "Stiles. That old woman talking to your dad. And the two teenagers beside her. They're like me."
Stiles's eyes narrowed. "Werewolves?"
Erica nodded.
Stiles studied the group that was talking to Noah a little farther from the deputies and the bodies. The old woman was Asian, with kind eyes that didn't match the alertness of her posture. The two teenagers—a boy and a girl, about Stiles's age—stood close to her, their bodies tense and watchful.
Stiles took Erica's hand and walked toward them.
The old woman's gaze shifted to him and Erica immediately. The teenagers tensed further.
Stiles stopped beside Noah and looked at the woman. "Are you just passing through town?"
The old woman's voice was calm, measured. "No. I've lived here for years."
Stiles pressed. "Are you Satomi?"
Her eyes flickered with surprise. "How do you know about me?"
Stiles relaxed slightly. "So you are Satomi. A friend told me about you."
Noah looked between them. "What's going on, Stiles?"
Stiles kept his voice low. "She's an Alpha werewolf. The two beside her are werewolves too."
Noah's hand drifted toward his sidearm. "Is she dangerous?"
Stiles gently pushed his dad's hand down. "The pervert from our family told me about her. Deaton too. They both said she and her pack are peaceful." He looked at Satomi. "You know Deaton, right? He said you two are old friends."
Satomi's posture relaxed slightly. "Yes. I know him."
Noah gestured toward the bodies. "Were these three from your pack?"
Satomi's expression flickered with grief. "Yes. Liz, Steve, and Richard. They were my children." She looked at bodies, her voice soft. "They said they were invited to a party yesterday. That they would not return home. When I could not reach them this afternoon, I searched for hours. I found them here."
Noah's voice softened. "Do you know who—or what—killed them?"
Satomi shook her head slowly. "No. But whoever did this is very strong. My children did not even have a chance to fight back." Her eyes hardened. "I also caught three different scents. Two women and a man. They were killed by three different people."
Noah rubbed his forehead. "Great." He looked at Stiles. "I thought you said it was just one woman."
Stiles shrugged helplessly. "We only knew about one."
Satomi's gaze sharpened. "Do you know who killed them?"
Stiles nodded. "Probably. There's a blood fairy in town. She attacked two of my friends yesterday—they survived." He gestured toward the drained bodies. "And considering your pack members look like they've lost all the blood in their bodies, I'd say they were killed by the same blood fairy and her two companions."
Noah said, "Stiles, tell Cogman that there's more than one now. Tell him to find them as soon as possible. Six people are already dead, two attacked. If we don't deal with them soon, more will die."
Both their phones buzzed simultaneously. Stiles and Noah took out their phones and looked at the screens.
Cogman had sent three pictures. Beneath them, a message: [The blood fairy has two companions.]
Stiles said, "Looks like he already knows." He pocketed the phone and looked at Satomi. "Do you know what a blood fairy is?"
Satomi nodded, her expression dark. "Yes. They can control blood. They use blood curse magic to control their prey—stopping them from resisting, even making them enjoy having their blood consumed."
Stiles warned, "Then you and your pack should be careful until we deal with them. Supernatural blood is their favorite food."
Satomi inclined her head. She turned to Noah. "When can I take my children to bury them?"
Noah glanced at the bodies. "Once the autopsy is complete. Three to four days—maybe a week at most. We'll call you when you can take them."
Satomi nodded. She looked at the two teenagers. "Brett. Lori. Let's go. We need to inform the others and stay together." She led them into the trees, disappearing into the shadows.
Stiles watched them go, then turned to his father. "Dad, finish up here. I'll wait. Then we'll head back together."
Noah nodded and returned to work.
Stiles pulled out his phone and dialed Jacob.
Jacob answered on the second ring. "What's up?"
Stiles's voice was tight. "The blood fairies killed six people. Three of them were werewolves."
Jacob asked, "How do you know they were werewolves?"
Stiles said, "Their Alpha is Satomi. She was the one who called it in."
Jacob asked, "Did you meet her?"
Stiles said, "Yeah. She seems like a nice old lady."
Jacob replied, "She is. Alright, I'll talk to you later. I'm busy right now." Then he hung up.
---
Around 10 p.m., Cogman entered the gaming room where Jacob was playing with Malia and Kitty.
Cogman's voice was calm but urgent. "Sir, I found them."
Jacob didn't pause the game. "Where?"
"They just entered a movie theater, sir. The same theater that my ladies and their mothers are in."
Jacob set down his controller and stood. "I'll go right now and deal with them."
Cogman raised a hand. "Relax, sir. I don't believe they will attack my ladies inside the theater. They are sitting far from them, and I am monitoring them through the security cameras inside the auditorium."
Jacob's eyes narrowed. "Are they targeting Allison and the others?"
Cogman nodded. "I believe so, sir. They keep glancing in their direction."
Jacob frowned. "Allison and Lydia have concealment bracelets. Unless they attack, no one will sense they're supernatural. And Melissa, Victoria, and Natalie aren't supernatural at all. Why would blood fairies target them?"
Cogman tilted his head thoughtfully. "I suspect they are drawn to individuals with unusually strong vitality. My ladies, Natalie, and Victoria possess that—because of their supernatural origins and the serum you gave them."
Jacob considered this, then said, "If I go to the theater, will they target me instead? I could lure them into the woods and deal with them there. Or simply teleport them out."
Cogman shook his head. "Given how strong you are, they might sense you and flee. Do you plan to forcibly teleport them in front of normal people inside the theater?"
Jacob shrugged. "If I have to."
Cogman offered an alternative. "Perhaps Lady Allison and the others could lure them to a place where you can deal with them without causing a scene."
Jacob exhaled. "Fine." He reached out telepathically to Allison, Melissa and Lydia.
[Girls, we found the blood fairies. They're in the theater with you right now, and they're targeting you.]
Allison's voice came back calm. [Yeah, we noticed. Three weirdos in the back. They keep staring at us and smiling. What's the plan?]
[I want you to lure them somewhere I can deal with them. Remember—they can use blood curse magic. Don't get too close. If you have to fight, attack from a distance and go for the kill.]
[Understood.]
Jacob left Serendell alone and headed toward the theater. He didn't enter—he waited at a distance, watching, making sure his presence wouldn't scare the blood fairies off.
---
When the movie ended, Allison, Lydia, Melissa, Natalie, and Victoria exited the theater. The three blood fairies followed at a distance—two women and one man. One of the women and the man looked alike, both with red hair, while the third woman had black hair. They wore dark gothic clothes, their movements fluid and predatory.
The red-haired woman—Chloe—whispered to her companions. "How should we hunt them? They don't feel supernatural, but I've never felt such vitality in any human or supernatural creature in my entire life." Her hungry gaze lingered on Allison and Lydia. "Especially the pale one with dark brown hair and the redhead beside her."
The man—Caleb—kept his voice low. "Follow them for now. When they reach a place with no people, we attack."
The dark-haired woman—Kaitlyn—dismissed his caution. "Who cares if people see us? We should attack now."
Caleb's voice hardened. "No. We've survived this long by being careful."
Chloe nodded. "Caleb is right. This town has a Nemeton. And a Nemeton always has a guardian—or a powerful creature living nearby. We should be cautious." She watched the group climb into an SUV. "Follow them for now."
---
Allison and the others drove away. The blood fairies followed in their own car.
Allison glanced in the rearview mirror. "They're following us. And Jay is following them."
Victoria, who was driving, raised an eyebrow. "When did he get here?"
Allison smiled. "I felt him nearby about an hour ago."
Victoria drove out of town, heading toward the Beacon Hills Preserve. She parked near the tree line, and the group walked into the woods, stopping in a clearing.
The blood fairies saw the SUV pull over. They parked their own car a safe distance away and took to the air, red butterfly-like wings carrying them silently above the trees.
The moment Allison and the others stepped into the clearing, the three blood fairies descended. They landed not far from the group, no longer bothering to conceal themselves.
Their wings shimmered red. Their eyes glowed crimson. Blood-red energy swirled around their bodies like living smoke. They looked at Allison, Lydia, Melissa, Natalie, and Victoria with open, predatory hunger.
Lydia studied the red-haired pair, raising an eyebrow. "Allison, you think those two redheads are twins?"
Allison's voice was casual, as if she were discussing the weather. "Yeah, they look alike. I think they are twins."
Behind the blood fairies, Jacob appeared—but they didn't sense him. He watched them, noting their obliviousness. 'Seems my concealment ability is far superior to the bracelets I gave the girls. They didn't sense my power or vitality at all.'
Caleb took in the relaxed expressions on Allison and Lydia, the cruel smile curving Victoria's lips, and the pity in Melissa and Natalie's eyes—pity that made his skin crawl.
He tried to look at his twin sister beside him, but just at that moment, he felt a terrifying presence behind him. He also felt a vitality far superior to Allison and Lydia's. But to his horror, no matter how hard he tried to look at his sister, he couldn't move at all. He was frozen in place. He tried to speak, but his jaw wouldn't unclench. He tried to lift his hand, but his arm wouldn't respond. He couldn't even turn his head. The presence behind him was vast, overwhelming, pressing against his consciousness like a mountain bearing down on an ant.
Chloe and Kaitlyn were also frozen, equally terrified as they felt the overwhelming presence behind them.
Their eyes darted to Lydia and the others in terror. They wanted to speak but couldn't. Jacob had used his powers—his concealment ability dropped, and he locked the three blood fairies in place with his telekinesis. The only thing they could do was blink in horror.
Jacob walked out from behind the three blood fairies, kissed Allison, then Lydia, then Melissa.
"Lydia," he said, "can you read their memories without touching them?"
Lydia shook her head. "No. If I want to read someone's memories, I need to touch them. You know that."
Jacob sighed. "I know. I was just hoping you could do it from a distance. I don't want to touch them and get hit by a blood curse. I'd rather not lose an arm again."
Allison raised an eyebrow. "You could use a Phoenix Down to heal yourself."
Jacob waved a hand. "That would be a waste of resources. I'm not that interested in their memories."
He studied the three blood fairies, his gaze lingering on the two terrified women. 'They're beautiful,' he thought. 'It's a shame to kill them.'
He sighed aloud. "Did you have to feed on human blood? Couldn't you just drink animal blood? You could own or work at a slaughterhouse—you'd have more blood than you could ever need."
Victoria's voice was sharp. "Don't waste time talking to them. Just kill them."
Lydia's eyes narrowed. She looked at Jacob suspiciously. "Do you think these two evil women are beautiful? Are you thinking of keeping them? Fixing them?"
Jacob stared at her. 'What the… can she read my mind?'
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lydia pressed. "Did I guess correctly?"
Before Jacob could answer, Allison raised her hand. Two ice arrows shot from her palm and pierced both women through the heart. She smiled sweetly at Jacob. "There will be no blood-sucking evil women in our family."
Jacob shook his head, a helpless smile tugging at his lips. "You girls think too much. I'm a lustful pervert, but I have standards."
He opened his mouth and released a torrent of dragon fire. The three blood fairies were reduced to ash in seconds.
He dusted off his hands. "Let's go home."
They walked back to Victoria's SUV, and Jacob wrapped everyone—and the SUV—in his telekinesis and teleported them back to the mansion.
After calling Scott and Stiles to let them know the blood fairies were dealt with, Jacob turned to find the girls deep in conversation about the clothes they'd bought. They were eager to try them on.
Lydia looked at him with a sly smile. "Jay, do you want to see what we bought? And..."
Jacob held up a hand. "I'd love to, but I'm busy right now. See you later, girls. Love you." Then he teleported back to the gaming room in Serendell, where Malia and Kitty were playing Mass Effect 3, and sat down to join them.
Lydia stomped her foot. "He escaped again!"
Allison laughed. "Let him be. We dragged him to our girls' night yesterday."
Lydia huffed. "That idiot acted like he hated it, but he was enjoying every second. He was fondling all of us."
Allison snorted. "And if I remember correctly, you were all over him. You were making out with him every chance you got. We had to forcibly separate you two multiple times."
Lydia smiled sweetly. "You sound jealous."
Melissa changed the subject. "Alright, girls, don't fight. Let's go to Serendell and try on the new clothes."
To be continued… 😊