"There is nothing like the sound of sirens and the smell of murder in the morning," chortled detective Slade to his new partner Eran.

It was the end of their shift, but something about the crime and the witness felt strange to the original detectives. There was a preternatural air to it. There was a dead naked man against a tree in a grassy open area. A witness reported it and waited until the police arrived. Her story was credible, but had several holes. When cases were like this, Slade and his group got involved to either take over the case or assist the lead detective.

Slade turned off the siren, as he parked behind the string of police vehicles. Eran and Slade got out and approached the detectives who stood in a group looking at the scene. The crime scene technicians finished their evidence collection and packed up their equipment. Eran carried her kit of forensic gear and started to examine the crime scene.

A uniformed officer walked to her and said, "What are you doing here, miss?"

"That is Detective Eran to you officer," she icily replied. She was the youngest detective in the police department's history. She earned that position by solving one of the most spectacular cases while still an intern working with Slade. The officer backed off and went back to protecting the crime scene.

Fifteen minutes later, she was done with her work and allowed the coroner to come in and take the body away for the autopsy to determine cause of death. Eran felt there was obviously foul play. The cause of death would help, but it was obviously an unnatural crime. Her mind thought, "Here is another case for the combined Human and Vampire coalition." She gathered her equipment and went over to where Slade stood with the other detectives.

"What do you think, Eran?" Slade asked.

Eran smiled and replied, "It's our case. There is something very strange here. No human did this."

"Okay," Slade said and turned to the other detectives. "We'll take it from here guys."

The other detectives left, as Slade walked to the patrol car where the witness waited. He opened the door and escorted the woman over to his car. He leaned against the front fender of his car and examined the witness's appearance. It struck him as very odd.

It was a bright spring morning, but still rather chilly requiring a jacket to keep warm. Yet the witness stood there clad in a lightweight tank top sans bra, short running shorts and nothing on her feet. She seemed not to notice the cold. She purposely stood with her back to the crime scene with her arms down, hands clasped behind her back, as if she were a soldier at-ease.

Slade got the following information from the other detectives. The witness's name was Gwen. She jogged this way every morning and never noticed any problem until this morning. She was twenty years old and a local college student. Her legs and arms had marks as if she ran through some thickets or bushes, which was unusual.

Slade called Eran over. She brought her camera and took several pictures of Gwen's arms and legs. Within minutes however, all the scratches and marks vanished. Eran saw this and noted it in her logbook. "Something was weird here," ran through her mind. She made notes that the marks healed quickly, put away her camera and logbook and returned to Slade.

Eran looked closely at Gwen. Something struck her as odd. Gwen had the legs of a runner, but her upper body was different. Her shoulders were broad and muscular. Her arms also contained bigger muscles. She had a strong neck too. Her eyes looked different too, more like an animal's eyes. As Eran watched, the eyes became normal human. Gwen was not completely human.

Eran walked to Slade and said to Gwen, "Can you excuse us for a minute?" Eran and Slade moved away from the car and spoke quietly.

"She is not human. I am not completely sure, but I think she is a shape shifter, maybe a werewolf," Eran told Slade. "That explains the fast healing, the body muscular shape and her not being cold in the morning. The moon was full last night."

"Does that mean she may know more than she told the other detectives?" Slade asked.

"She could, but she is afraid to tell us much out here," replied Eran. "Maybe she would be comfortable back at our headquarters."

Slade stood, walked to the back door of his squad car, turned to Gwen and said, "Would you mind going with us to our squad room?"

Gwen shook her head, 'no' and got into the back seat of Slade's car. Eran got in the car with Slade and they drove to the headquarters of the Vampire Justice System and city preternatural squad. As they approached the warehouse, the large overhead door rolled open quietly. They drove in and parked next to a black SUV. When they got out of the car, a burly young man in a VJS Security uniform approached the passenger door and helped Gwen out of the car.

He accompanied her to a large table in the dining area of the warehouse. Had she been a prisoner, she would be cuffed and in a more secure holding area. Eran joined them at the table and put all her equipment at one end. She set up her laptop and logged into the police computer system. As she took the photos off her camera and transcribed her notes, Slade went into the kitchen area.

"I'm hungry. Anyone else want something to eat?" Slade asked.

"I'll have my usual," replied Eran.

"Nothing for me," replied Kevin, the burly security man.

"Coffee, cheese omelet, hash browns, bacon and Danish would be nice," smiled Gwen jokingly.

"Coming right up," replied Slade as he put a pan of Danish in the oven. He took a rasher of bacon from the refrigerator and stuck it under the broiler. The coffee brewed, while the hash browns and omelets cooked. He laid out plates and brought utensils to the table.

When the Danish finished baking, he frosted them and put them on a serving dish. He took down four mugs and filled them with coffee. He put three omelets on plates with hash browns and bacon, which he served to Gwen, Eran and himself. He carried the coffee and fresh Danish to the table and sat down. Everyone ate breakfast not saying a word.

"Wow, this is some police squad. Do you always treat people like this?" asked Gwen.

"We are coming off shift and we are hungry. This squad is special and we are well cared for with everything," replied Eran. "You are our guest not a suspect or prisoner."

Kevin drank his coffee, but watched Gwen carefully. He was not sure about her, as she ate all her food quickly. He knew she was well fed, but her hunger seemed a bit extreme. Eran ate about half her breakfast and pushed her plate away.

Gwen immediately asked, "Are you done with that? Can I finish it?"

Gwen took Eran's plate and emptied it quickly. Kevin watched in amazement, as it all happened. He felt Gwen was not completely human, but she was not a vampire either. He thought, "What was she?" He would wait until it was time to talk to her and take her statement about the murder.

Eran looked at Gwen and sensed the girl's uneasiness. She turned to Gwen and said, "Would you feel better if you could shower and have a change of clothes? We are about the same size and I have a wardrobe of clothes here from which you can select an outfit."

"That would be marvelous. I feel so dirty and need to wash up. Where do I go?" Gwen asked.

Eran got up, took Gwen's arm and led her to Connie's sleep chamber. Gwen followed her curiously wondering where the shower was. When she entered the room, the first thing she saw was the coffin, which scared her. Eran opened the wardrobe, showed Gwen the clothes, including under garments and pointed at the large bathroom and shower complete with fresh towels. Gwen stood mesmerized by the opulence of the bedroom. She quickly removed her clothes and went for the shower.

After thirty minutes, Gwen emerged wearing one of Eran's sweat suits, with her flaxen hair piled on top of her head. She looked like a different young woman. She went back to the kitchen, poured a cup of coffee and joined the group at the table.

As she sat down, Slade turned to her, "Why were you out running in the dark last night?"

"There was a full moon last night and I had trouble sleeping. I got in my running outfit and set out on a short jog. Normally I would not run at night, but the moon was bright and guided my path." Gwen said, "As I ran, I noticed a few people milling about the tree when I ran past. I thought nothing of it. I kept running and looped back about fifteen minutes later."

She gulped from her coffee, took another Danish, took a big bite and continued, "I noticed as I neared the area, the crowd was gone and there were two people there. The man was against the tree and there was a tall, red-haired woman sitting on his lap facing him. She kissed him a lot and he moaned, but I saw nothing wrong. I kept running, but stopped when I heard a loud scream. I turned, went back toward the tree and saw the naked man there. The woman vanished. What was strange was, when I first ran past, there were no cars around."

Gwen paused, finished the Danish and her coffee. Slade stood, took the empty Danish plate and the empty cups into the kitchen. Eran continued typing Gwen's statement into her computer. Kevin sat sipping his coffee and observed Gwen's demeanor. Gwen sat comfortably, but held something back. Kevin sensed that from her.

Kevin stood up and brought his empty cup to Slade. He asked, "Do you sense she is holding something back from her story?"

"No, I think she may be in shock from seeing a dead body, which was alive, minutes before," answered Slade.

Gwen crossed her arms on the table and rested her head on them. Soon the sound of snoring filled the warehouse, as Gwen slept. Slade looked over and commented, "That is what Eran and I need right now. Maybe we can move her to Eran's bed and we can retire for the day. You are on duty today right?"

"Yes, I am on duty for twelve hours. I can watch this place and her. I expect that there will be reports coming about the dead man soon," added Kevin.

Slade finished cleaning up from breakfast. Kevin and Slade walked to the table, bent down, gathered Gwen in their arms and carried her to Eran's bed. Eran watched with mild amusement, while two very big men struggled to carry a sleeping young woman. She shut down her computer and locked it up in the safe. She walked into her room and pushed the men out. She took the sweat suit off Gwen, went into the bathroom and took a warm shower. When she came back, she slipped into bed beside Gwen and fell asleep.

Kevin left the room door ajar to make sure everything remained quiet and Gwen slept all day. Slade talked a little more to Kevin about the new case. Copies of the other detective's notes and photos would arrive later in the day. The coroner's preliminary report and photos might arrive too. He explained the nature of the crime and now the eyewitness account made the death of the man appear to be preternatural in origin.

Slade bid good day to Kevin, walked into Leona's chamber, took a shower and crawled into bed. He lay in bed, with his mind racing a hundred miles an hour. Who was Gwen? What was she? Was Kevin right about his feelings? He rolled on his side and looked at the simple coffin containing the body of the woman he loved. He hoped that when she woke, she would be able to get the answers he needed. He trusted her judgment and wanted to work on another case with her again.

The day ended and darkness covered the cloud-filled sky. Leona woke from her coffin, opened the lid, looked over at the bed and sighed when she saw the sleeping body of her human lover. She sat up, climbed out of her coffin and walked to the bed. She looked at Slade, as he slept so peacefully. She almost did not want to disturb him, but her love and need to feed took over her mind.

She crawled along the bed next to his supine body. She stopped when her head hovered over his upper thigh. Her fangs extended she dipped her head until her soft lips touched the tender skin of his inner thigh. Slade moved to roll his thigh to allow better and easier access. Her lips traveled along his thigh as she planted small tender kisses. She sought slowly what she wanted, what she needed of him. When she found it, her mouth opened and she took him in as she swirled her tongue coating him with saliva. She tenderly bit down and her fangs pierced his thigh. Blood swelled up and she sucked her much needed nourishment from her lover.

Fifteen minutes later she stopped fully sated. She kissed his thigh and softly planted kisses up his body. She stopped moving up his body when she found his lips and hungrily kissed him hard forcing her tongue between his parted lips. As the kiss grew in intensity Slade stirred and wrapped his strong arms around the woman he loved. The kiss lasted a long time as their tongues dueled fueling the fires of love in them. Slade's hands moved up and down Leona's back caressing her and pulling her tightly against him. Their kiss broke leaving them both breathless panting desiring more.

Slade looked at Leona and softly said, "Hello my sweet lover. That was the best wake-up call I ever had. I love you."

"I love you, detective Slade. Will you come join me in the shower now please?" She pleaded in a sultry soft sexy tone. "I desire to feel your hands wash over my entire being,"

Slade rolled off the bed, extended a hand and helped Leona out of bed. Hand in hand, they walked into the bath to take a warm sensual cleansing shower to start their work night. The two lovers stepped into the shower and softly washed each other. They stole kisses as their hands roamed with soap and wash cloth all over each other. Slade took a large amount of shampoo in his hands and gently massaged it into Leona's black long tresses. Leona moaned softly as his hands moved on her head sending shivers of sensual electricity through her body.

He took the showerhead and carefully rinsed all the shampoo out of her hair. She turned to face him, put her arms around his neck and moved her lips softly against his. The kiss grew in intensity and she moved her body tightly against his. As he slid his arms tightly around her, she lifted her legs and wrapped them around him drawing him to her. They held each other this way until their kiss ended leaving them breathless and filled with each other's love.

They got out of the shower, dried quickly, dressed and went into the warehouse. Kevin greeted them and pointed to a large package on the table. Slade and Leona opened the package and pulled out all the photos and reports from the first detectives on the scene of the early morning murder. When Eran awoke and came out later, she and Kevin would catalog and enter each piece, as evidence in the joint law enforcement catalog. Slade put down the reports and joined Leona as she looked at the photographs.

Leona scanned the photographs of the scene first and saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was a normal grassy area around the base of a tree. The grass was flat as if a crowd of people moved around the tree. Missing from the scene was any trace of blood from the victim. There were no marks showing that the victim died somewhere else and someone placed him at the tree. The scene offered no clues.

Leona looked at the body and noticed things that were a little odd. The body sat against the tree and was very pale. Instead of a contorted face from some kind of trauma, he had a face that reflected extreme pleasure. His body seemed relaxed and very at ease, not as if someone murdered him. Yet he was dead and with no identification, he would be hard to trace. Leona kept looking at the pictures of the body.

"We need to show these to Gustaf and Andrei. I have my suspicions, but they can verify it easily. Let's call them and see if we can meet with them," said Leona as she looked at Slade.

"Yes, we can call them. I would rather have them come here rather than go to them," replied Slade smiling at Leona.

Suddenly, the door to the other sleep chamber opened and Eran came out leaving the door ajar. She walked to the kitchen, took down the teapot, filled it and put it on to boil. She walked to the table and glanced at the pictures. She knew Kevin and she would be looking at them a lot closer later, so she looked at Leona and Slade. Leona looked up and wrinkled her nose.

"I smell dog, wet dog!" Leona exclaimed. "Do we have a dog in here now?"

Eran shook her head, "There is no dog here. Why do you say we have a dog?"

"I smell wet dog. There is a dog in here," blurted Leona, just as Gwen emerged from Connie's sleep chamber. Tension in the warehouse rose like the top blowing off a volcano.

A look of fear quickly crossed Gwen's face replaced by anger and a surge of power ran through her body. She moved offensively toward Leona. The women faced off as if a battle might erupt at any minute. They circled each other ready to fight. Slade and Kevin moved quickly to move between the women. Each man knew that when provoked the women could easily beat them up.

The presence of the men slowed the women and the tension abated slowly. Leona warily sat at the table next to Slade. Kevin took Gwen down to the end of the table and sat with her. The women glared at each other as if the fight might erupt again. Eran left the table to prepare tea for Leona and her. She also made a cup of coffee for Gwen.

"Gwen is the witness of the murder at the scene you saw in the pictures. We need to talk to her and get more information. I hoped you would help me with that," Slade told Leona.

Leona glared and reluctantly answered, "If she is a witness I will work with you and her, but I won't like it."

"Gwen, this is Leona. She is an investigator for the Vampire Justice System. She works with the police of the city in a joint organization that solves preternatural crimes against humans and other preternatural groups." Slade said as he introduced Leona.

"Ok, I will stay calm. We need to work together and I will be as helpful as I can." Gwen intoned.

Slade stood as Eran approached with the tea and coffee. "Who wants dinner?" He asked cheerfully.