Banewolf (Dark Siren Book 2) by Eden Ashley

his fingers through the soil.
    “Orrin, come here.” As Orrin kneeled next to him, Rhane explained, “Notice there are flies—but no maggots have migrated to the surrounding area.”
    “Yes. I see,” Orrin answered tightly.
    “At this stage of decay, those insects should have already reached the soil. This body was recently moved.”
    Orrin nodded but still looked confused. The waves of nausea that washed over him blocked his mind from absorbing a lesson in forensics. “What would be the point in moving a decaying corpse all the way out here?”
    “And why did they wait until all of us got here to attack?” York added.
    Rhane stood up. “Good questions.”
    Orrin moved away from the body, needing to put distance between his nose and the awful stench. His stomach quivered again, forcing him to yank his mind toward a different direction. Rhane had more questions. That helped.
    “After your arrival, at what point did the rogues get here?”
    He’d been out in the woods for a long time in a stand-off against the creatures. “A few hours…I believe they were already close, waiting for the body to be discovered.”
    “So, they brought the body here for the sole purpose of being found? It doesn’t make sense.” Rhane paced away. Retrieving Bellefuron from its earthen scabbard, he rubbed the metal with a handful of sand and polished it with a cloth kept inside his back pocket. As soon as the blood was cleaned, the bluish-green glo w disappeared and a natural metallic sheen returned.
    “Perhaps they did not want just anyone to find it.”
    Rhane looked up. “Go on.”
    “As York has already observed, the creatures waited until all of us were here before taking action. They could have attacked me, but they did not. Neither did they allow me to leave.”
    “Do you think this battle was staged?”
    River spoke first, shaking his head. “It felt real. We killed many, but dozens more were out there who never joined the fight.”
    “Let’s start with the connection between King and these rogues…other than the fact that they murdered him.” Rhane folded his arms across his chest. “York, what did you find from asking around on campus? Give me something to help us.”
    Before York could answer, River interjected. The action earned him a dark glower from York. “If there was some connection via King’s school, I have faith even you would not have missed it. Where did the boy work?”
    York waited for Rhane’s nod before answering. “Clever Dust Book Sellers,” he said.
    “Mothers be damned.” All heads jerked to rigid attention. Rhane had uttered a curse on their foremothers, a shocking oath only used in the direst of circumstances. “They wanted the ledger,” he said and backed away. “After that fight, our DNA is sure to be all over this area. Clear the scene. Then reconstruct it. Move the body to somewhere this kid will be found by the proper authorities.” He took a folded leather parcel from the inside pocket of his jacket shoved the item into River’s accepting hands. “Get this to the manor and compare it to the map. Call me when it’s done.”
    “Where are you going?” York called as he dashed off, but Rhane was already too far away to answer.
    At the parking area, his pickup was a ruined mess. Both were doors ripped off. The leather seats were in shreds. The dashboard dangled from the truck’s frame. Rogues had done this. No doubt shaded Rhane’s mind. It was the ledger they sought. Checking under the back seat confirmed the book was gone.
    So, it was York’s truck that carried him down the state park road at an Indy 500 practice pace. Thirty minutes outside of High Falls, he was about to hit the ramp for the interstate when a dark mass ran into the road a hundred yards in front of the pickup. Rhane stood on the brakes and steered the vehicle through a controlled skid. Then he threw open the driver’s side door. “Get in.”
    Bailen didn’t waste time. A nimble jump lifted him inside