Sparks burst from the forest, chasing the nocturnal birds away. Embers of silver melded into the fog and snowflakes as Sebastian navigated through the blustering wind. Protective lenses shielded his eyes. Yet he felt the particles of magic bounce off his feathery wings.

Curiosity drove him to find the source, but he was cautious not to be seen. The fog helped him hide. He lowered himself into the trees, sticking close to the thick branches as he fought through the suffocating residue of black magic in the air. It only intensified as he neared a small tent.

Sebastian stayed in bat form as he swooped down to the ground. He ebbed to the opening of the tent, peeking inside. Nobody was around. Sebastian couldn’t be sure it was their killer out there performing some kind of magic, as many magical creatures inhabited the forest.

Heavy footsteps made him freeze. Sebastian crept away from the tent, eyeing the male figure that emerged from the woods. Muscular, clad in a tattered green robe. But as he stepped closer, Sebastian detected a familiar, sweaty scent. He was a wolf walker.

Thick, coarse black hair covered every inch of the man. Sebastian flapped his wings, soaring to a lower tree branch to watch him. He’d known of wizards and mages cursed to live out their remaining days as those hairy beasts. Lycanthropy spread from black magic and cursed blood. Wolf walkers attacked anyone during their frenzied periods of hunger, seeking to devour any beating hearts they could find.

Unlike with vampirism, those who turned into wolf walkers lost their sanity. Sometimes, they could revert to their old self, but it never remained. That’s what sent them into a down spiral. Sebastian had witnessed tragic cases of cursed folks who ended up slaughtering their families, awakening in their blood.

Sebastian wondered if that wolf walker had been prowling away from the forest lately. Both the Supernatural Council and Sanguine Council knew of lone wolf walkers out there, but they were tricky bastards to catch. Wolf walks could sometimes outrun vampires in their true form, and they couldn’t devour any of their cursed blood. Not unless they wanted to spend weeks vomiting their insides out to purge their poisonous blood.

The wolf walker whipped his head toward Sebastian, perched on the branch. Its glowing, yellow eyes pierced through him. Many wolf walkers couldn’t differentiate a normal bat between a vampire bat, but a slither of fear crept through Sebastian as he fluttered up to the next branch.

It let out a throaty howl, and Sebastian took that opportunity to soar back up into the sky. Sebastian flapped his wings at an alarming speed, hoping the hairy beast didn’t try to follow him. Only when Sebastian reached his clinic did he return to his vampire form, letting the leathery skin fade.

Even away from the forest, Sebastian heard the beast’s wailing cries to the moon. He didn’t dare linger around and wait for that hairy bastard to attack him. However, he couldn’t help but worry about the poor little mage he left out there. Asher’s protective barriers were strong. He’d felt their potent power restrained him, and he had no doubt the mage would’ve set clever traps all throughout his cabin. A wolf walker wouldn’t be able to cross through, but part of him considered taking a risk flying back there, just to make sure he was safe.

With a soft groan, Sebastian ambled up to the entrance of his clinic and crossed the foyer. He couldn’t stop thinking about Asher. It wasn’t like he ought to care so much about a hunter. Those protective barriers should ward off a wolf walker, but if that thing was practicing magic out there, it might know how to deconstruct them. That was a stretch, but what if it happened?

Guilt weighed heavily in his heart as he thought of that poor little mage fending for himself against that monster. Surely, Asher knew how to take care of himself. He’d lived out in those woods for a while and he had his magic. If Asher slaughtered vampires in his past, a wolf walker should be as simple as cutting a slice of cake to him.

Castor rounded the corner with a bag of blood in his hand. “Did you get that mage home?”

“Yes.” Sebastian nodded. “But there was something weird that happened. I spotted a wolf walker.”

“Wolf walker?” Castor’s brows shot up.

“It was performing magic of some kind. I don’t know what it was, but it was suffocating,” Sebastian explained. “Looked like a silvery mist. It reeked.”

Castor rubbed his chin. “That could be almost anything. Very common in black magic spells. The suffocating part makes me think of a form of necromancy. With lycanthropy, it’s possible he’s working on something to help his curse.”

“Do you think he’d hurt Asher?”

“I mean, I’m sure that mage has protective barriers up around his house. Why do you care? The little shit came to kill you.”

“I don’t care.” Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m only telling you because you’re an official officer for the Sanguine Council. Do you want the Supernatural Council to blame us when the wolf walker eats him? They’ll insist we should’ve done more to keep him safe after leaving the clinic.”

“That’s a stretch.” Castor frowned. “If you’re really that worried, why don’t you just fly out there and check on him in the morning?”

“I might, if I have time.” Sebastian removed his cape, swapping it for his lab coat.

“Just be careful out there.” Concern crossed his friend’s face. “I don’t trust Asher. I know they attacked him outside the Last Drop, but it was because he was trying to get information about you. To hunt you down.”

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

Sebastian set out to make his rounds around the clinic. He needed to tread carefully. If it was the wolf walker that committed the murders, they might attack him next or his patients and employees.