The Shadowhelm Wolves (The Moonlight Chronicles Book 1)

Chapter Eighteen: Total Eclipse of the Heart

Once upon a time, there was light in my life

But now there's only love in the dark

Nothing I can say

A total eclipse of the heart

~ Total Eclipse of the Heart, Bonnie Tyler

A short time later, the pair finished autopsying the unfortunate victim. Rex's mind returned to the eerie note that Angelique had found. "Hey, Angelique, can I see that note again?" he asked the coroner.

Angelique looked at Rex with a quizzical expression, handing him the note. "Of course," she replied as she handed him the note.

Rex grinned a bit as he took the note from her, looking it over. "I'm gonna have to make a call to someone. I don't have a damn clue what it means, but they might. It's a shot in the dark, though."

Angelique nodded once and continued to examine the body. Rex turned to grab his phone and make the call.

~

Turning his back and unlocking his phone, Rex took in a breath and called his younger sister. She had studied to be an expert in linguistics, specializing in old languages and riddles. That was, at the very least, how the two older Snow children perceived her job.

When she answered, he sighed happily. "Belle, thank God; I didn't know if you'd answer or not." He leaned against the nearest wall, smiling a bit.

Belle returned his sigh with her own. "Rex, you know you can always talk to me; don't be a stranger." She then paused for a moment. "Whatcha need?"

Rex crossed his arms and placed his cell phone in the crook of his shoulder, holding it in place with his ear. "I need help figuring out what the hell this suspicious note means. The coroner I'm working with found it on one of the bodies and I can't wrap my head around what the hell it means." He lifted the note up to his eye level and began reading. "'The king is back and will reclaim his throne. Heed not the false royalty you worship.' What in the sam hell does that mean, Belle?"

Belle was quiet on the other end of the line, which Rex knew meant that she was just thinking. As she put it, she was 'digging into her mental library of knowledge'. When she spoke again, she had a somber tone to her voice. "It's a warning note. Whoever wrote it is clearly possessive. They're coming back to reap what they perceive as being theirs to claim. This 'King' figure may mean someone who was either a) actually royalty or b) a king in their own mind."

Rex let out a huff. "You make a damn good point, sis." Then he looked left and right. "Can I tell ya something? You probably ain't gonna believe me, but... I think Brynn and I saw this 'king'."

Belle smirked a bit, but it was a little out of character for her to do so. This caused Roy to look at his sister during her silence and mouth 'You okay?' more out of concern than anything. A moment later, she replied to Rex, giving Roy a simple acknowledging thumbs-up while doing so.

~

Sometime later, a knock was heard coming from the other side of the main door leading into the morgue.

"Come in!" Angelique chimed.

A man in a perfectly tailored suit entered the building. The man himself, however, seemed austere, perhaps even macabre. His countenance was not sunken, as one would expect from someone who carried themselves as this man did. On the contrary, it was quite flush with color, the skin a healthy peach hue. And yet, this man, whom Rex did not yet recognize, gave the medical examiner an eerie vibe. It wasn't until Angelique spoke that Rex would finally know who this man was.