Fuck. Another dead body. People would think I was starting a collection. That’s how these things start: you’re given one frog figurine, you say it’s nice, someone else gives you a frog figurine, and before you know it you’re the frog lady with forty figurines.
‘To be clear, I don’t like dead bodies.’ I asserted.
Greg slid me a sidelong glance. ‘O–kay. I’m not sure many people do.’
‘Who is it?’
‘No one I know. We’d better move him off the road out of sight. I’ll call Liam to bring down a car.’
‘Then we’ll get more incriminating evidence in our car,’ I protested.
‘We’re not calling the police.’
I sighed. ‘No. I guess not.’
Greg called Liam, and moments later he, Noah and Archie rolled up in a pickup truck. Noah was driving, and the other two were riding shotgun. They were joking and laughing amongst themselves and it rubbed me up the wrong way. A man was dead and they were here to rubberneck. I frowned at them. ‘This is a crime scene, not a holiday jape.’
‘We just came to help, alpha,’ Archie protested, sliding out of the cab. Liam followed. Noah stayed behind the wheel, ready to make a quick getaway with the body if the authorities rocked up, I guessed.
‘Uh-huh. Sure,’ I snapped.
‘Let’s load him in,’ Greg ordered briskly.
Liam and Archie helped him lift the body, which was stiff; rigor mortis had already set in. It made me feel slightly better in a weird way that this man was long dead before he was dumped and there was nothing we could have done to save him. Rigor mortis sure didn’t make manoeuvring the body easy, though.
I closed the metal gates and made a mental note to ask Mrs Dawes to clean up any blood on the ground. There didn’t look to be much, but it was better to be safe than sorry. The last thing I needed was for the police to roll up with sniffer dogs that could detect blood. It was pretty darned unlikely, but still best avoided.
When the corpse was safely ensconced in the truck, Greg and I hopped in next to it whilst the boys rode up front. Greg tapped the side of the vehicle to tell them we were ready to roll.
The bumpy journey gave me far too long to study the cadaver. He was pale, with dark hair; his blue eyes were wide and unseeing, and his face was horrified. I was going to see that face in my dreams.
The cause of death was a very obvious wound to his stomach. To my untrained eye, it looked like a wound made by claws – dragon, griffin, unicorn or wolf. My money was on wolf; why else would he be dumped on my land? I wished people would stop leaving me messages via corpse; it was a very poor communication method.
The guy’s rough, well-worn clothes were stained dark red by dried blood. I examined him studiously as I tried to stop myself screaming in horror. His nails were bitten and his hands were mucky. His shoes were so worn that there was a hint of sock peeking through a hole. I would have bet good money he was homeless. What, if anything, had he done to incur his killer’s wrath?
You’re sad he’s dead,Esme stated.
Yes.
If you want we can eat him, then his death won’t have been in vain.Her tone was concerned and helpful, and it was enough to make me smile.
That’s kind, but I think I’d rather bury him.
There was a pause.Burying meat is strange,she said finally.
It’s—
Tradition. I recall. It is still strange.She muttered the last words to herself, like she didn’t mean for me to hear it.
When we arrived at the mansion, a small crowd had gathered. Shit. I needed to say something reassuring. I cleared my throat and used one hand to help me vault over the side of the truck. Being a werewolf is cool sometimes.
‘Hi, everyone. I know we’re all anxious. A body has been left at the gates. It isn’t Bobby or anyone related to the pack. I’ll let you know more as it develops. Please be respectful of this poor guy who has perished.’
‘Who dumped him?’ Tristan called out, challenge evident in his body language and his tone. He hated me.
‘We’re not sure yet,’ I admitted calmly, ‘We’ll let you know more when we can. Everyone inside, please. David, if you could stay.’
There was some grumbling but everyone left except for Thea. Her eyes were wide and staring, and she’d wrapped her arms round herself.