“Ah ha. Sure. I hear you. That’s great.”
“Who are you talking to?”
Holding my hand over the speaker while a voice mumbled on and on.
I answered.
“My dad.”
“Why’s he ringing Shifters?”
I shrugged the phone still in hand while I flipped through a casefile.
“No idea. I stopped listening awhile ago.”
“For fucks sakes woman give it here!”
Seth snatched the phone out of my hand putting it to his ear.
“Mr Silver. Seth here. What can I do for you?”
I listened as my dad continued to ramble on about absolutely nothing of interest while Seth’s eyes scowled towards me.
After awhile my dad’s voice still prattling on Seth mimicked me with a hand to the phone.
“You tricked me!”
“Hey I didn’t do anything you’re the one with the grab tag. Now your it. Have fun.”
The last bit said with a sing songy voice while I got up to get coffee a flying projectile just missing my arse.
“Get back here.”
“Nope he’s all yours.”
“Rexy!”
Cackling like a witch on a broomstick I leaned against the bench far enough away from any more unidentified flying objects.
“Oh?”
Here we go.
No doubt my dad’s finally reached the reason he actually called in the first place.
Too bad it wasn’t an hour ago.
“Did they test the whole sample?”
“I see.”
“That’s unfortunate. Yes thank you Mr. Silver. I guess it’s back to the drawing board then.”
“If you find out anything new let me know.”
“Thanks again.”
Hanging up he growled under his breath.
“What’s wrong?”
“The scale sample. The results were inconclusive. Too much damage to the tissue from time spent in the elements.”
Well that sucks.
That was our only lead.
“At least we know it’s a reptile shifter. That’s something right?”
“I guess but that still narrows it down to hundreds of posibilities. Short of interviewing every reptile in the uppers we’ve hit another dead end.”
“So it seems.”
Seth’s fist came down hard on the desk top.
“Seth you can’t be too hard on yourself. There will be more leads it’ll just take more time.”
“She doesn’t have more time. Her family deserves to know what happened to her.”
“I get that, but Seth. Beating yourself up over something you have no control over won’t help you find answers.”
“I know it’s just. It’s not very often I don’t find what I’m looking for. It’s like I’m,” he’s voice trailing off at the end.
“Human?”
Blue eyes met mine.
“Is this what it feels like.”
“Being human? I’m not human Seth far from it.”
“You know what I mean.”
I sighed walking over I sat on the desk top next to him.
“If your refering to the feeling of hopelessness. Of knowing you can’t change things no matter how hard you try. Then yes. It’s exactly what it feels like. You could run through every possibility, every pathway. You could even try everything within your power to effect or influenece the outcome you want and still end up with nothing. It’s frustrating and annoyingly sad.”
My eyes took on a far off look like I was remembering each time I felt as Seth did now.
“It eats away at you little by little. With each failure to reach that outcome your hope dwindles more. When you run out of posibilities. When the hope is completely lost that’s when the despression sets in.”
“How do you still manage to be so,”
“Insanely sarcastic?”
He chuckles.
“Yes.”
I didn’t answer at first.
My thoughts from last night bubbling to the surface.
“It’s a mask. One worn to hide what’s really going on.”
My eyes met his.
One lone tear tittering in the corner of my eye.
One that I stubornly refused to wipe away.
“Don’t be like me Seth. Don’t hide what you feel. Once you start hiding it. You’ll end up hiding it forever.”
~
My conversation with Seth had me once again delving into the monolith that was the horrific equivalent of hells fire full of monsters and legends.
The book of death cultures that possibly dipicted my future as a murdering vigilanti hell bent on ridding the world of murdering bastards that kill with no remorse.
The text a dark spiral into what I was, could be or will end up being someday a haunting vision into my mysterous power of cold blooded atrocities.
“You’ll need a key for that.”
Looking up I hadn’t even realised the snake charmer had walked in.
“What?”
He pointed an unusually long finger that probably had the potenial to hit every girls g spot with the skill of seven sex gods at the book before me.
“It’s a tome right? You’ll need a key to open it.”
Looking down in confusion at the open book.
My eyes narrowed at the obsure text.
“It’s already open.”
He chuckles a sirens song the sound literally rubbing against your insides to lure you into his waiting arms only to be whisked away to some unknown destination of an undoubtly marathoned night of pleaser while he explored every orifice under the sun.
“No I mean to open it’s secrets.”
Secrets said like a promise of revealing what he had planned while you lay strapped up awaiting his eventual release inside you with an ever slow edging of, “only in my own time.”
“You know about this?”
“I’ve dabled in it. I was a curator in a museum. Most times tomes such as that require a key to understanding what’s inside.”
“What do you mean by key?”
“Well,” sitting down before me he reached for the book pausing.
“Do you mind?”
I passed him the object of my torture wondering if this was too good to be true.
To finally have found someone who actually knows about the demon scrible.
Flipping through the pages nodding like he was pleased with how well the object of his desires was being obediant to his commands.
“I’m sure of it. It’s not a language but a code.”
“A code? That must be why we couldn’t find a translation.”
“Yes. It’s unique to the creator. Only with the key can you unlock the code.”
“Where would I find the key?”
“No idea. It could be anything. A second tome, a phrase. It could even be a ritual. Who’s to say but the one who created it.”
Fucking great.
Back to square one with a million posibilities for what this key could be.
“Don’t loose hope. Most times these tomes have a way of finding the one destined to unlock it’s secrets.”
Getting up just as Seth appeared Zare passed the book back.
“These things have a way of revealing themselves when the time is right. I have no doubt you’ll figure it out when you need it the most.”
I ignored Seth’s scowl from the doorway answering with a greatful, “thanks Zare.”
“My pleaser.”
His pleaser being the all so inuendo that was the followed up wink of a man used to pleasing women with all thier pleaser needs while they screamed harder at the top of thier lungs in his ear.
“Zarethan.”
Voice full of warning met with an uncaring smile for said cobra to dial down the sex appeal around his territory.
“Shall we.”
Clearly not perturbed in the least with a resonance of, “let’s move to your office good sir.” So we can discuss this fued of warring skirts and see who rains victorious.
“I’ll be a minute you can just wait in my office for now.”
The door closing behind him Seth approached my desk.
“What did he say?”
“He said I need I key to unlock what’s inside.”
“A key?”
“Yes. Something the creator would have made.”
“So if we figure out who created it we might find out what the key is.”
That’s a good point.
Why didn’t I think of that.
“I’ll help you just let me deal with snake head and we’ll get stuck into it.”
“Thank you Seth.”
“Any time.”
Snake head ended up taking all day so by the time Seth emerged it was already home time.
“If you need any help with that I’ll be happy to look into it for you. I still have some contacts within the museum.”
One look from Seth his opinion on Zare’s offer clear.
“I don’t trust him.”
The silent conversation continued with my returned, “if he can help then that’s all that matters.”
A quiet growl, “what if it’s a trap?”
Rolling my eyes, “what could it hurt to just see where it goes.”
Sighing he walked away with a offhanded wave of his hand.
“You’re choice but know that I don’t approve.”
Turning back to Zare with a, “noted.” I smiled.
The silent conversation happening in the span of a few seconds.
“Thank you Zare that would be wonderful.”
“Sounds good. It’s the least I can do for helping me find out who murdered my brother. If you don’t mind can take a photo of the cover for my contacts at the museum?”
“If it’ll help find out who created it.”
“It’s a start at least.”
Zare pulled out his phone and snapped the shots.
He also took one of a few of the pages just so he could show his guy something to reference.
“I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”
“Thanks again Zare.”
With that done he left with a wave.
“I hope you know what your doing.”
Seth’s omious voice from his doorway a dark shadow in the room making the air electric with prophisied foreboding.
“Relax Seth it’s not like I’m going any where with the guy. He’s just making some phone calls.”
“I’m just saying. Be careful.”
“Don’t worry I remember what you said but I have to try.”
“That’s the only reason I’m allowing it.”
“Allowing it? Who died and made you boss?”
Poor choice of words but the point still stands.
A rumbling growl aimed towards me.
“Behave Rexy.”
Flashback shower moment.
Instant stand to attention triggered as my mind recalled the fantasies of that intimate posibility of a future real life encounter.
Sensing my arousal a smirk spreading across his lips approaching my frozen position.
Leaning forwards his mouth at my ear my eyes closed while he whispered.
“Don’t make me punish you.”
My eyes snapped open.
He was instantly standing back in the doorway of his office still supporting that tentilising smirk.
Did I imagine that last part?