Siren's Secret

7. Secret Assignment

The morgue was one of Rieka's least favorite places to go.  It had nothing to do with the bodies. being a wolf and a homicide detective made her desensitized to gore and death.  Rather it was the smells that bothered her sensitive wolf nose. 

Formaldehyde and bleach are offensively strong for human noses- add in the stench of decay and amplify the smell by about 20 times and that was it was like to be in a morgue as a wolf. 

Rieka took one last breath of air before opening the doors to the morgue. Georgia was standing between the bodies looking at a test tube full of some sort of liquid.  With her curly dark hair, blue blazer with fitted dress slacks, and her honey colored eyes looking curiously at the vial in her hand, she was a spark of beauty in an otherwise sterile, stark white environment. 

"I have news for you!" Rieka announced. 

Georgia smiled as she looked at her friend, "Great! Because I have news for you too. The normal medical tests and autopsies turned up nothing on our first victim, which I expected because of his time in the water. However, I did find some hair on our security guard that wasn't his." She lifted up a small evidence bag with a few strands of hair in it and handed it to Rieka.

Rieka looked at the hair closely, "It's blonde!" Georgia nodded, "Yep. Unfortunately even shifter hairs show as human if they fell off while they were in their human form."

"That's unfortunate. Anything come up on your...other tests?"

Georgia shook her head, "nothing so far.  I used blood from each of the victims to conjure their spirits to ask them what they saw or heard at the time of their death. Both said that they were blissfully happy. The happiest they had ever been and then woke up in the after life."

Rieka nodded with a smile and handed the evidence bag with the hair back to Georgia, "Yeah. that tracks with what I found." 

Georgia took the back and catalogued it, "Why? Did you figure out what creature we're dealing with?"

"Yep. Sirens." Georgia's eyes went big as she snapped , "Sirens? Like the half bird half human monsters that sang so beautifully that they enchanted sailors to crash themselves on the cliffs?"

Rieka nodded, "Yep. They haven't been seen in almost two centuries and now we have two bodies from a supernatural creature we thought was extinct."

Georgia's brow furrowed, "Then what are they doing here?"

"That's what we need to figure out.  Apparently, they had a treaty with the succubi empress and it was never nullified.  A demon gave my mother a name of a club here in the city that is secretly run by a succubi duchess. If anyone can get me an audience with the empress to see if they know where I can find some sirens, it's her." Rieka explained.

Georgia grinned mischievously, "So does that mean we're having a girls night at the club?"

Rieka's aqua eyes gleamed, "I guess so."

Georgia did a little excited dance as she sashayed over to a small syringe. She picked it up and faced Rieka, "your arm please." 

Rieka looked at her friend questioningly, "Um... Why do you need my blood?" 

"So I can make you a specialized defense enchantment for you! Succubi and Incubi feed on the lust of any and all creatures. No one other than Gorgons and spirits are immune, so unless you want to be caught up in a succubi orgy without realizing it until tomorrow, then you're gonna need a way to protect yourself," Georgia said putting on gloves, "Now hurry up and let me take a sample before someone walks in and catches us." 

Rieka sighed and rolled up her sleeve just enough for Georgia to find a vein and take a small sample. The puncture wound healed instantly thanks to her wolf blood. 

"Okay, you're good to go. Now would you prefer a bracelet, earrings, ring, or necklace for your enchantment?"

"Umm.. probably a ring. Less noticeable and it won't get in my way if something goes sideways."

Georgia nodded, "Sounds good. I'll meet you at the club at 9:30 tonight. Meet across the street so I can give you your ring and finalize the enchantment." 

"See you there!" Rieka said walking out of the morgue.   She looked at the time. It was already almost 5 pm. She walked briskly over to her desk and grabbed her things so she could head out and get ready for tonight. She prayed a silent prayer to the moon goddess that everything would go smoothly tonight.  She sighed and realized she smelled like the morgue. She silently sent another prayer that she could actually get the smell of formaldehyde out of her hair. 

Traffic was terrible. When she got home Rieka rushed into her apartment and showered.  She scrubbed her skin vigorously and shampooed her hair 5 times and she still smelled faintly of the morgue.  Sighing, she relented that it was probably about as good as she was going to get, so she took one last rinse and got out of the shower. 

Wrapping her blue oversized towel around her body, Rieka walked over to her small closet.  She rummaged through dozens of blazers, suit jackets and her formal police uniform.  There were jeans, hoodies and superhero t-shirts but nothing suitable for an upscale club.

Rieka sighed and pulled out her cell phone and called her mother who answered immediately, "Rieka! What is it honey, are you ok?" 

"I'm fine mom, I just need a little help with something."  

"Sure thing. What do you need honey?"

Rieka looked at her disheveled closet and at the time: 7:40 pm. She was running out of time before she had to meet Georgia. She sighed, "So a witch friend and I are headed to Club Crimson tonight and I- um.. I don't have anything to wear." 

Raziel's melodic laugh rung on the other side of the phone. After a few seconds, Raziel's laughing slowed, "I'm sorry dear. I just never in a million years thought that after you turned rogue, I'd ever have the joy of having a normal mother/daughter dilemma like this again.  Don't you worry. I'll be there in a flash. Start on your hair and makeup and I'll fly over." 

Rieka hung up the phone and begrudgingly walked to her bathroom and started blow drying her long dark brown hair.  As she was finishing up drying her hair a gust of wind blew into her apartment and there was her smiling mother in dark jeans and a white sweater holding a large black garment bag in her hand. 

"I always forget how fast you can actually move," Rieka said taking the garment bag from her mother and laying it on the bed. 

"Well I am an archangel honey. Besides, it's not everyday I get to help my daughter make a good impression on a succubi duchess."

"And I appreciate the save mom, truly." Rieka replied giving her mother a brief hug before unzipping the garment bag. 

She gasped as she looked at the pile of outfits in the bag for all kinds of events: three formal gowns, three little black dresses, 2 clubbing outfits, five sun dresses, and something special caught her eye in the very back of the bag.  It was a black leather bodysuit that was specially made for wolves and enchanted by witches.  It allowed the wearer to shift while clothed and when they shift back, they are still clothed. The fabric was flexible, and slash proof for any hunter knives or non-enchanted blades.  It was rumored that they were enchanted from finely ground high dragon scales which is why they were so durable. 

"Mom! How on earth did you get one of these?" 

Raziel beamed, "I'm glad you like it. An old friend on the Lycan council owed me a favor and I also agreed that you would help him with something that needs... outsider assistance and the utmost discretion." 

Rieka rolled her eyes as she picked up one of the little black dresses and started getting into it, "So something that the Lycan Royal Family or Lycan Council need help with, but doesn't want anyone else to know. Why me?"

Raziel got serious as she helped zip up the back of Rieka's dress, "Because you might be the only one strong enough and with the right skillset that's not under the thumb of the Werewolf Council since you're a rogue."

Rieka turned to face her mom, "What on earth is so serious that they are needing so much secrecy?"

"The Lycan crown prince is missing, and they want you to find him."