Rogue Fae, A Starseed Universe Novella

Rage

Robert parked his old, but well-kept and clean Mercedes on the side of the road. "They found Dan right down that alley. I swung by earlier and they took away the police tape this mornin' so you should be able to get a good read on the place."

Em nodded, and Rena grabbed her hand. Their skin melded together like yin and yang.

Gwenn smiled at the protective gesture. Some lovers would have been jealous over it but Gwenn found it sweet.

"Are you sure about this?" Rena asked Em. "You don't have to get involved. It's coven business. We can still leave. This is a murder site, you may see or feel things you can't forget."

Gwenn's heart clenched as Rena, a fresh faced twenty-one-year-old tried to shield a woman in her late thirties. Rena knew what it was like to deal with hard things. She had seen some rough stuff growing up in the less celebrated parts of Chicago. Then again, Em has been through some shite too.

Out of the three of them, Gwenn was the least prepared to be viewing a crime scene, but as the strongest witch of the three, she knew she could also help the most. With power comes responsibility and all that.

"I'll be fine," Em answered with a grateful smile. "Thank you for looking out for me. It's real sweet of you, but I could never forgive myself if I didn't at least try."

They exited Robert's car and followed him down the sidewalk.

Nashville was an adorable town. As I thought it would be. Gwenn inhaled the scent of flowers and fried food dancing on the air. She hoped they would still have time to explore a bit after their part in this tragedy was over. Gwenn glanced at Rena who was grinning and taking in the scenery. She too looked happy to take in a tiny slice of Nashville.

Emily, however, did not. With every step they took toward the alley the muscles in Emily's thin arms and shoulders tensed. Her face tightened and her breath grew shallow as her head swiveled on her neck.

Emily had already sensed something.

That surprised Gwenn. From her brief time with Emily she'd recognized her as a witch, then an empath, but certainly not a strong one. That this part of town was affecting her so strongly was significant. Then again, fae emotions are said to be more turbulent than our own.

"The police found Dan right down there. Against the fence." Robert gestured down a long, narrow alley between two brick buildings. "Are all y'all goin'? I was thinkin' Gwenn may want to stay and keep me company, so I'm not alone and all ya' know." Robert's beady eyes roved over Gwenn's long legs.

Gwenn repressed a shudder and bit back her indignation. The man lost his best friend, no need to assume that's what he meant. Maybe he truly doesn't want to be alone.

"Gwenn's coming with us. She's the strongest witch out of the three of us. What if we need her to do magic?" Rena's tone was level, though her eyes dared Robert to contradict her.

But Robert just nodded glumly, and the trio turned to make their way down the alley.

What a horrible place to die, Gwenn thought, catching sight of a rat scurrying along the edge of the building. She imagined Daniel, laying on the cement, covered in rats as a fae with long stringy hair and androgynous features hovered over him clapping it's hands together in glee.

"Do you feel it too?" Emily asked catching the motion.

"What? No, nothing like that. I have zero empathetic talents." Gwenn held up her hand creating a circle with her pointer finger and thumb.