To cast a tracking spell, one needed at least three high-ranking witches, a priestess or a priest, or maybe even a shaman. However, Lycans rarely work with witches.
Or at least that's what everyone knew from the outside.
Walking inside the house that Matthew brought her to, Ava quickly realized how wrong she was. The proof that Matthew was willing to reveal a secret about the Lycans revealed that her previous conclusion about them might not be true.
She eyed the large columns of concrete that formed a pathway from the window. Matthew and her used that pathway earlier. It led them to the humongous entrance of the mansion located outside of Anchorage. It was in a place called Laasia Wilderness.
As someone who grew up in Anchorage, she has heard of this forested place before. Surrounded by birch trees and hectares of man-made forest, the place should have been owned by the American government and occupied by a tribe.
But It looked like that was not actually the case here.
She turned her attention towards the grand interior of the drawing-room. Or at least that's what Matthew called this room earlier. Stunning floors, doors, and paneled walls made the room more attractive than it already was.
She expected the inside of the place to be gloomy, but it was the opposite. The warm hues made the place look brighter, dramatic, and very elegant.
"Do you dislike tea?" Matthew's voice came from behind her.
She shook her head in response.
"Not really a big fan of tea. I'm more of a coffee person." Except for the ones that Gabriella used to make her, Ava isn't really a fan of teas.
He chuckled. "And here I thought all witches loved tea and herbs and everything associated with nature."
She pursed her lips in disapproval, but said nothing in response.
A man wearing black-and-white clothing silently walked in and placed some refreshments on the table between Matthew and her. She spotted some cakes and other pastries. Its fragrance accompanied the smell of tea around the room.
"Let's start talking about business, shall we?" Matthew waited for the man to leave the room before he continued. "Just as I mentioned yesterday, I want you to work for the Lycans."
"And you are making it look like I don't have any other choice but to work for you."
"That— might be the case, yes."
And she didn't appreciate that. She doesn't like people who would order her what to do. However, Matthew's words the other day made her curious.
The conversation the other day about her 'secrets' ended with her telling him she would think about it. And she did think about it.
For a night.
Then she called Matthew and told him she would like to talk to him in private.
"Mrs. Amelia Jones worked for GD Pharma. She has information that could… change how the world views genetics and human evolution itself."
"So, that's why the Lycans want to work with Trillium," she stated. The information that she read the other day was about Amelia's work with the company. Amelia was working in Europe. She married Broody in Paris and the two decided to come back to Alaska after Amelia was about to give birth. Of course, she was still going to work for GD Pharma while she was in Alaska.
At first, she was honestly surprised. Amelia was the daughter of a priestess. Why would she work with Lycans?
Most witches that she knew hated shifters. Some were just plain scared of them. Even Amelia's mother, Patricia, immediately showed her fangs when Matthew barged into her house.
"You have to understand, Lycans cannot work with any witch. Especially when Patricia is an elder of the Wiccans. Her position alone would compromise Amelia's safety."
"And you think you can trust Trillium?"
"I don't trust Trillium." His answer was quick. Despite his words, the smirk on his face didn't vanish. "But I trust you."
"Because you know my… secret." It was practically blackmailed.
Aside from the fact that she was an Empath, he knew she could perform spells without incantations. This was something that she discovered when she started working for Trillium, and she had kept it a secret since then. It was a good thing that Matthew didn't mention dream walking or she would have no choice but to do something about him.
"Don't look at me like that. I had sent people to investigate you and Trillium but they didn't tell me about your abilities."
She knew he wasn't lying. Ava could feel it.
Actually, performing spells without incantations sounded overpowered, but that wasn't really the case. It only meant that she could use magic using her mind instead of using a certain set of words to activate Magick.
But the thing is… the spell would take a toll on her brain. Nosebleeds and headaches were just part of the aftermath. The fact that she couldn't control the size of the spell is another thing.
"How did you find out about it?" she asked and, just as she expected, Matthew shook his head.
"I would like to tell you everything… when the time comes."
"When— "
"For now, let's talk about the reward, shall we?"
That stopped her from speaking. When she was visiting Phil yesterday, Matthew called and told her he found something interesting. But he didn't really tell her what it was when she arrived at his office.
"What is it?" she asked.
"If you help us find Amelia, we are going to give you the evidence that we have… about the identity of the person who is killing witches. And I can assure you… it has nothing to do with the shifters."
"You— " Her eyes widened. One of the reasons why Trillium actually sent her, an officer, instead of a small agent to come here is because of the fact that someone was trying to hide evidence from Trillium.
In fact, Trillium has not heard of the second and third murder until a few months after they found the body. Because of this, they weren't able to get any good evidence about the culprit.
The higher-ranking witches in North America already told Trillium that this must be the work of the shifters and it had been tense for everyone since then.
Of course, she already suspected the shifters. In fact, the whole witch community already suspected the shifters. This somehow created fear in the covens.
Everyone was reminded of the Salem Hunt that was caused by a high-ranking shifter. That, too, started with the mutilation of a few witches before it had become a full-blown hunt.
Of course, this wasn't included in the history books–at least not the ones that were available to the public.
She gnashed her teeth in silence as she met his silver-gray eyes.
"I want everything that you have in the case," she said.
In response, Matthew got up. He closed the button of his suit as he walked in front of her. Then he held his hand and said, "Do we have a deal?" he asked.