Luna's Sokjan (Book one) (4 page)

Matthew continued the
introduction around the room blah, blah, blah, and more blah. My
phone rang. I pulled it out and checked the caller ID, Adam. Here,
we go, time to find out if I was right about the mother.

“Sorry, I need to take
this.” I told them and walked out of the room.

“Hey, what ya got?” I
asked Adam, glancing around the perfect hallway.

“Hey, you were right. The
mother used the daughter’s computer and ID to enter the chat rooms.
I printed everything out, so you can give it to Ted.” Adam
confirmed my suspicions.

The first time I read
through the files containing the parent’s statements, Linda’s
information seemed off. She blamed Meg’s friends for all the
trouble; after all they had invited her to join the chat
rooms.

They probably had, but
Linda knew too much about the chat room stuff. When I read the
statements Meg’s girlfriends had given. They all said the same
thing, ‘when she was online, she sounded different’ and when they
talked about the conversations from the chat rooms at school. Megan
didn’t know what they were talking about.

“Good, and about the other
items?” I asked, turning to go back into the crowded
room.

“Soon, McKenna, very
soon,” he promised.

We said our goodbyes and
hung up.

When I reentered the room,
everyone turned to look at me. Apparently, while I was on the phone
with Adam, they had been talking, and I had been left out. Ah what
a shame.

“So, you’re telling me
that a monster killed my little girl. Not a man but a monster and
this woman will somehow capture it?” Linda’s voice had a high
pitched quality to it, she was scared.

Good, prey should be
scared.

“Yes, Linda that is what
we are saying. McKenna can find the beast and keep him from doing
this to another family.” Matthew spoke to her as if she were a
child.

I was disgusted over the
way he openly babied her. Help me Luna from stupid men!

“Make her prove who she is
then! I want to see her license or badge!” She demanded that same
high pitched voice. There was fear in Linda's voice, lots and lots
of fear.

Fear is good, very
good.

“Linda, McKenna is an
Sōkjan. She won’t have a badge or license to show you.” This was
from Thomas, “She’s from my world, not yours.” Was that scorn I
heard in his voice?

“You know who I am?” I
asked Thomas, he nodded. “Are you and Linda mated by our
laws?”

Just clearing up some
details before justice is served, makes it easier, for the ones
left behind. Not that, I honestly cared. Linda was going to die
whether they understood why or not.

“No, Linda and I were
married by human laws, not by pack.” He looked relieved. “We are
getting a divorce.”

“Do you have to bring that
up now? She doesn’t need to know what is going on between us. She
just needs to catch the man who killed my little girl, if she can.”
Linda was all but screaming at him.

“Do you want to see the
mark that proves I am an Sōkjan?” I asked, still clearing up
details.

“Yes,” from
Linda.

“That’s not necessary.
McKenna, we know who and what you are.” Thomas said.

“It’s not a problem.” I
said taking off my leather jacket and handing it to Ted.

“You don’t have to do
this, McKenna.” He said softly.

Ted had seen me show the
mark a few times before, he knew it would cause me some pain, but a
little pain never hurt anybody, right?

By requesting to see the
mark of an Sōkjan, the requester was officially signing a spiritual
contract between us. Linda had just signed her own death warrant,
and she didn’t even know it. Some days, I loved my job.

I approached Linda and
pulled up my shirt exposing the left side of my golden stomach to
the room.

“What the hell are you
doing? You just can’t take your clothes off in front of a room full
of people!” Linda yelled at me.

Her fear was growing. It
poured off of her in waves, and I loved the taste of fear. It’s
like a cold glass of ice tea on a hot southern day.

“McKenna, you don’t have
to do this. I will pay any price to see this creature brought to
justice.” Thomas said.

He looked nervous, and I
wondered why. So, it was because of that nervous look on his face
that made me ask my next question.

“You are willing to pay
any price?” I asked.

Did he know what she had
done? Did he know that she had hired the monster that killed his
only daughter?

“Yes, any price.” He
agreed.

The pact was
sealed.

Making sure that Linda and
Thomas could see the mark. I placed two fingers just below the ribs
on my left side.

“Seek what you hide from
all who need not see.” I bit the words out and pain lanced my
side.

The Celtic tattoo moved
and shifted to reveal a half-dollar sized sunburst. It was a bright
yellow sun with orange-red flames surrounding the solid yellow
circle.

My first mark and the most
painful, it had burned for days. I was chosen at the tender age of
four, which made me the youngest Sōkjan ever marked. Most Sōkjans
are chosen around puberty just before or right after their first
change. I remember abundantly clearly my mother’s reaction when I
showed her the mark. She had been terrified and cried until my
father had come home from work that night.

His reaction had been of
equal fear. We packed up everything we owned and moved to a
different city the next day. It was that day, my parents realized
that our lives had changed forever and not for the
better.

In the world of
supernaturals, Sōkjans are lethal killers trained to hunt and
destroy the criminals of our world. It is widely believed among the
werefolk community that the Sōkjan could be bound to the Alpha for
life and would become an infinite source of power for him. This is
one of the reasons why most Sōkjans never have a family or a pack.
It can be a terribly lonely life for some, but I like being by
myself. I enjoyed the freedom my life offered. I did as I pleased
and never had to explain to anyone why. I also loved killing
things. So far my life is working out just grand.

“The binding of the Sōkjan
is done. I am sworn by the laws of Luna, to hunt down and kill your
daughter’s murderer. I will also kill any other being involved in
her kidnapping.” I spoke the solemn words as I stared at
Linda.

I heard a collective gasp
from Thomas’s side of the room. I lowered my shirt. I walked back
to Ted, and from the inner pocket of my jacket, I pulled out a
contract. I always kept an extra copy with me, just in case.
Striding to Thomas I handed him the contract. The contract clearly
stated that I would fulfill my duties until all parties involved
were brought to justice, no matter how long it took. It, also,
listed the payment for my services, and I wasn’t cheap.

“Why didn’t you tell Ted
who you really are?” I asked and studied his face.

It’s hard to lie to
shape-shifters. We can detect changes in the body. Hear the heart
race with emotions. Smell the fear that people give off when lying.
It can still be done; it’s just supremely hard.

“We didn’t think that he
needed to. Meg’s room didn’t smell any different.” Thomas
stated.

I regarded Thomas’ father.
He was a stocky man with just a tinge of grey at the temples
blending nicely into the brown curly hair and brown eyes. He
favored Thomas a lot, and I shifted my eyes to the brother. He was
many years younger than Thomas but looked just like him.

I placed my right fist
over my heart.

“Greetings Alastair, Alpha
of the La Grange pack.” I said to him.

Normally when one greeted
an Alpha, you went to one knee with your head bowed or bowed at the
waist with your right fist covering your heart, acknowledging their
Alpha position. The power of the Alpha was absolute. He ruled over
the members of his pack with an iron fist, and his word was law.
Break any of his laws and you could die. This is the precise reason
I made sure to know who the Alphas were in every city and town I
entered. I also made damn sure that I was not found in their
territory, or I met with them, to explain why I was there, not that
I explained much to them, just enough to get by.

He nodded.

“Sōkjan,” his voice was
deep and laced with pain.

“I am truly sorry for your
loss, Alpha. Meg would have made a fine wolf.” I said.

“Can you find the monster
that did this?” He asked.

“Yes.” I told
him.

In truth, I already knew
that Linda had a hand in it, and I knew what kind of creature had
killed the girl. Not too many creatures have blood that glows
greenish-yellow.

“So, you are a werewolf
too?” Linda asked me, and I laughed.

Thomas and his father,
also, chuckled at her question. It was widely believed that all
Sōkjans were werewolves. We work for Luna after all the Goddess of
the moon, but I was the exception to the rule. Not that they knew
that. I went out of my way to keep my secrets, secret.

“I am more than just a
werewolf.” I replied.

Isn’t being a witch and
Sōkjan enough? I wanted to ask her, but then she wouldn’t
understand.

“Ted will contact you with
the details when I have found the killer. The payment should be
transferred to my account within twenty-four hours after I full
fill our agreement.”

“Why should we pay you
something extra for doing your job? My taxes pay your salary after
all.” Linda demanded as she rose to her feet.

I narrowed my eyes at
her.

“You have hired me to find
and kill the monster that took your daughter’s life. I don’t work
for your human law enforcement, I work with them. Even if, you’re
legal system did find the killer. They could never bring him to
true justice.” I told her. “I can and will.” I purred.

I felt the beginning of a
headache, time to go. I walked back to Ted.

“I need to leave” I told
him softly.

“We have another meeting
today.” He said looking at his watch. “If you have any more
questions, please give me a call.” He told the group, and we said
our goodbyes.

It had started raining
when we walked to the cars. The storm that was promised last night
was coming in and with it, another moonless night. My head was
starting to vibrate as I got in the SUV. I had told Ted bye, and I
would call him later. As I drove, my vision started to blur.
Finding a safe place, I pulled over.

The vision hit me hard and
fast.

Seeing something through
the eyes of a spirit is like being in a dream state.

I was walking behind a
tall man, nearly seven feet tall. He was built like a body builder,
and his wet jet black hair was long as my own. He glanced around
nervously before entering the house. Suddenly, I was in the house
with him. I gripped the steering wheel and tried not to throw
up.

The killer was pacing back
and forth in the living room. Like a drug addict does their trying
to figure out how to get the next fix. He grabbed the beer off the
coffee table and chugged it.

“Show me the address.” My
whispered words echoed in the SUV.

The room spun, and the
rapid movements made my stomach churn again. I saw today’s
newspaper and then a magazine, no address. The room spun again.
This time we were in a dirty kitchen, I wrapped my arms around my
stomach. Dishes piled up in the sink, on the counters, and garbage
covered the floor and stove. The spirit moved to the kitchen table
it was covered with more trash. It was here that the spirit finally
found a piece of mail with the address.

“Thank you, I will be
there soon.” I told the spirit.

Waking up from a trance is
difficult. Normally, I slept after such an event but not today.
Lightening arced across the sky as the rain pounded against the
roof of the car. The storm was in its full glory when I threw the
car door open and vomited. After rinsing my mouth out, I sat back
against the seat rubbing my face trying to shake off the lingering
effects of the spirit’s power. I thought over what I had seen in
the vision. He was jonesing.

Damnit, I didn't think to
ask the spirit if there was anybody else in the house, big mistake.
Programming the address in the GPS unit, I drove off.

My first stop was Mapco, I
needed Tylenol, coffee, and a Milky Way.

The storm was raging
strong when I parked four houses down from the killer’s house. It
was a typical middle class neighborhood, kinda reminded me of my
own neighborhood. I had driven by the two-story house a few times,
making sure he was still there. I called Adam.

“Hey,” I said when he
answered.

I took off my shoes,
didn’t want to lose them.

“Hey, where are you?” He
asked.

I gave him the
address.