**CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT.**
Minutes passed, though they felt like hours. The tension in the room was palpable, everyone too anxious to even say a word. Finally, there was a knock at the door, and when Hannah opened it, a figure stepped through. It was Drake.
Drake’s dark eyes swept over the group landing on Topper for a while before setting on Draken. “Who exactly is this shifter we're looking for?” His voice was low and calm, but there was an intensity there. It felt different from the normal Drake I knew as the devil spawn.
“My friend,” I said, earning his attention.
“Oh, hey, Eline. I didn't know you were here,” he replied, moving towards where me and Draken were.
Draken quickly filled him in on the details—Karina, Tyler, the moving tattoos and black bead. Drake listened quietly, his expression unreadable. Then after a while, he looked away from his twin and looked at Topper who was next to Brianna. “Can you come with me for a minute, Topper? To your bedroom.”
Topper looked abashed for a moment as he glanced over at his girlfriend who looked confused. “Erm…” he cleared his throat. “I thought you already got a hang of it?”
I was now confused alongside Brianna and others that weren't Draken, Killian and Topper.
“It would be faster if you're there,” Drake said quietly.
“Hmmm, what's happening here?” Brianna asked, clueless as the rest of us. If I wasn't already saddened by Karina's disappearance, I would have entertained the thought of her reaction if she found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her with the devil spawn.
“When Drake tries to harness his medium powers, he kind of needs someone to watch over his back,” Killian explained.
“Oh! Draken or any of us can do that then if Topper doesn't want to,” Betty chimed.
Killian shook his head. “No. It has to be someone he trusts with his life.”
“Oh!” Betty exclaimed.
“Go with him then, Tops,” Brianna urged her boyfriend with a smile. My heart broke for her. If she knew what they were doing behind her back, she wouldn't even want to see them both together. It wasn't any of my business though.
All I cared about at the moment was Karina’s well-being.
“Also, can I see a picture of Karina?” Drake asked me.
I nodded and immediately showed him her picture.
Topper left with Drake afterwards, leaving the rest of us in the living room.
After a while, the room felt charged with an unfamiliar energy, as if something otherworldly was happening. I knew the energy was pouring out from the bedroom. It was Drake's energy. I could tell he was trying to pinpoint Karina's location.
When Topper and Drake came out of the bedroom, Drake turned to me, his gaze piercing. “I’ve got a location.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Where?”
“There’s an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city,” Drake said, his voice steady but grim. “That’s where she is.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Kelvin growled, already moving towards the door. He opened it. “Let’s go.”
We all piled into two cars, one belonging to Draken and the other belonging to Topper. Drake, Killian and Hannah rode with us, while Brianna, Links, Betty, and Kelvin rode with Topper. The drive to the warehouse was tense and silent. I could feel the anxiety clawing at me, my thoughts a mess of hope and dread. What if we were too late? What if Tyler had already—
I shook the thoughts away. *Focus, Eline. We’ll find her. She’s going to be okay.*
Once we got outside of the city, we passed through a thick forest. The warehouse loomed ahead, a hulking, dilapidated building that looked like it had been abandoned for years. The air around it was thick with an uneasy stillness, and as we stepped out of the cars, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly, terribly wrong.
Drake led the way, his movements purposeful, as if he could feel the pull of the spirits — which he probably was, guiding him . We followed him into the building, the rusted metal door making a loud noise as it opened.
“We’ll stand guard outside,” Killian said, stepping back with Topper.
“I’ll stay with you guys,” Kelvin added.
“Me too,” Brianna chimed in, though her gaze darted anxiously toward the darkened interior of the warehouse.
Draken nodded. “Alright, the rest of us will go in.”
As we moved forward, Hannah wrinkled her nose. “This place stinks.”
“It smells like blood and rotting flesh,” Links muttered, his expression grim.
“Stop being pussies, the both of you,” Betty yelled at them with a roll of her eyes.
Inside, it was dark and cold. The stench of decay filled the air, making my stomach stir. I forced myself to push forward, following closely behind Draken as Drake led us deeper into the warehouse like he had a map etched in his brain.
Then, suddenly, Drake stopped. So did everyone.
“She’s here,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
My heart pounded in my chest as he turned, his eyes locking onto a door at the far end of the room. Without another word, we moved toward it, my legs trembling with every step. Draken reached for my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, but I barely felt it. All I could think about was Karina.
Drake pushed the door open, and the sight inside made my blood run cold.
There, in the center of the room, laid Karina’s body. Motionless. Lifeless. Naked. Her skin was pale, almost translucent under the flickering light. Her neck was in an awkward position and there was a deep, jagged, wound sliced across her chest and a stitch on her stomach.
I stumbled forward, my breath catching in my throat. “No… no, no, no. This can't be real.”
Hannah let out a strangled sob behind me. But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Karina.
I collapsed beside her, my hands shaking as I reached out to touch her. “Karina… please. No.”
Draken knelt beside me, his hand resting gently on my back. “She’s gone, Eline.”
The words tore through me like knives, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Tears blurred my vision, and I shook my head, refusing to believe it. “She can’t be gone,” I whispered, my voice broken. “She was just with me this morning. She was smiling, laughing, carefree…she can’t be gone.”
Drake crouched beside us, his face stoic as he examined Karina's body. “They really did a number on her. I think she was dissected before she was killed,” he took a swipe at her blood and brought it to his nose. “She's a weredog. A chihuahua. And now she's dead. What next, Eline? Are we taking her body to her parents because we can't involve the police.”
“Why?” It pained me that Karina wouldn't be getting proper justice. “She's currently human. Can't Tyler be trialed as a criminal? He's a murderer.”
Drake pursed his lips as he shook his head. He stood up. “It doesn't work that way, Eline. Tyler's a hunter. He's got connections, influence. He'll twist the story to fit his narrative, claiming it was self-defense. And if they take her body for an autopsy, it won't be long before they find out that she's not human. That'll lead to more questions and threats. Not just for us and other shifters, but her family.”
The room fell into a heavy silence, the weight of Karina’s death settling over us like a suffocating blanket. I could feel the despair clawing at me, but there was something else, too—something darker, deeper. Anger. *Tyler.* He did this.
Draken stood slowly, his jaw clenched, fists trembling at his sides. “We’ll find him ourselves and give Karina the justice she deserves,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Tyler won’t get away with this.”