Jude glanced away. He needed to focus on the job. “Vampires don’t have claws, and they don’t like cow blood either.” They didn’t like any blood.
“Vampires don’t leave paw prints the size of my hands.” Mack held up his hand, fingers spread. He had big hands and long fingers.
“That’s not a small animal.”
Mack nodded. “I don’t think you should hunt it on your own.” His gaze dropped to Jude’s now dust-covered boots. “Or in those boots.”
“I bought these boots for this trip.” Farmers wore boots, and these had looked so good he hadn’t been able to say no.
Mack lifted an eyebrow and shook his head. “Where there're cows, there’s cow shit.”
Jude groaned. Another reason to hate nature.
Mack opened his truck door and got in. “Follow me and try not to get lost.” When Jude hesitated, Mack leaned out the door. “I said I’d help you, so you don’t get yourself killed or eaten, but I am not doing this on my own. You’re the investigator, so get your ass in your car.” He slammed the door and started the engine, reversing and driving off before Jude had even gotten in.
Jude smiled and started his car. His familiar still hated him, but he was helping. That had to be a good sign.
Mack kept an eye on his rearview mirror to make sure that Jude was indeed following. The last thing he needed was Jude getting lost on the many dirt roads that ran between farms. It would’ve been better to go in his truck and leave the little rental shoebox in town, but Mack didn’t want Jude in his car, or in his life.
Seeing Jude hurl lightning around had been amazing and terrifying. He’d never seen a witch using magic, and Jude’s display had been spectacular. He was glad he’d logged in to the Coven’s database and discovered what kind of witch Jude was before he’d gone to North. If he hadn’t, it would’ve been a shock. He’d been contemplating calling the Coven if the thing had kept killing the cows, but it was one of those calls he’d been putting off because he didn’t want the Coven poking around.
He’d never expected the stuffy, red-tape-tangled Coven to send a man like Jude. Having seen the power Jude could wield, maybe he was the right witch for the job. Mack was pretty sure nothing would stand a chance against one of those strikes. He almost hadn’t.
He hadn’t stood a chance from one of Jude’s smiles. His lips tingled, and he tried not to think about the kiss. It had tasted like magic, and ever since then every second thought had been about Jude.
Damn witch had believed he was the killer.
Not even his annoyance killed the lust simmering through his veins. No one had ever gotten their hooks into him like that, and he didn’t like it. Jude didn’t need a damn spell if he’d wanted a fuck. Now he wouldn’t get anything. Mack didn’t care if his balls turned blue and dropped off.
He turned into Morris’s driveway and sped up. Jude couldn’t get lost on a straight road up to the house, hopefully. He parked, and Morris came around the side of the house. A cigarette hung out of the old man’s mouth. He raised his hand in greeting as Mack got out.
“How’s it going?”
Morris blew out a cloud of smoke. “Cow’s rotting in the sun, and the rest are spooked. How do you think it’s going? Thought you had someone with you? Some wildlife expert?”
“He’s coming.” The little white car rolled up the driveway and parked next to Mack’s truck.
Jude got out, his hair still mussed but tamed.
Morris lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t look like a wildlife expert. Not one of those secret government types, is he?”
Definitely not government. “It’s an agency that investigates the odder animal sightings.”
Morris nodded slowly like he understood perfectly. “Things the government doesn’t want us to know about.”
Mack glanced at Jude. They were both things that people like Morris didn’t need to know about. “Something like that. He didn’t say much.” Which was the truth.
Jude put his hands in his pocket and walked over. He couldn’t have looked less like he knew what he was doing if he’d tried. Jude glanced at Mack then Morris. “Shall we get this done?”
“Yep.” Morris dropped his cigarette butt on the ground, and they followed him through the gate and across the field for about a hundred yards. Not that far from the house, really.
“Did you or your dogs hear anything?” Mack asked, because someone needed to ask questions.
“I heard nothing. The dogs barked for a bit then started whining. I went out with my shotgun but saw nothing. Cows were well spooked and huddling against the fence. I thought it might be a wolf or something so let off a couple of shots.”
They stopped at the blue tarp that had been put over the body. Flies buzzed around the edges. A backhoe sat nearby, waiting to dump the body in the hole.
Jude gingerly picked his way closer, doing a fine job of dodging the cow shit.
Morris lit up another smoke and muttered, “He doesn’t get out much.”
Jude shot them both a glare. “You could help by lifting off the tarp.”
Mack bit back the smile but did as asked.
“Try not to step on those footprints.” Morris pointed to a depression in the ground.
With the tarp off, the full extent of the damage was
