by Juniper Hart
Theo was suddenly embarrassed. I mean, what am I even going to ask her? This is ridiculous. He said as much aloud, hanging his head.
“It’s dumb,” he said quickly. “I-I don’t even know if you can help.”
“I’m sure it’s not dumb,” Lane said, closing the short distance between them and smiling at him with bright green eyes. “What’s up?”
You may as well ask her now that you have her undivided attention. Slowly, Theo pulled the amulet out of his shirt and showed it to her, still hanging from his neck.
“Have you seen anything like this before?” he asked. Lane’s brow furrowed, and she reached for it. Inexplicably, Theo felt defensive, and he drew his hand and the amulet back. Henry peered at him, a look of irritation crossing his face.
“Do you want her to look at it or not?” he demanded. Lane held up a pale hand to silence her mate.
“It’s okay,” she said gently, raising her eyes to meet Theo’s. “I have never seen that necklace before, but the design rings a bell in my mind.”
His heart leapt unexpectedly. “You know it?”
“I think I might’ve seen it somewhere. I’ll have to go through some of the books my grandmother left,” Lane told him. She didn’t try to touch the amulet again, but she didn’t step back either, her head cocked to the side as if she was trying to memorize it in her mind’s eye. “Where did you get it, Theo?”
Theo almost laughed as he tried to conjure the memory of how and when he had come across it, hundreds of years ago.
“I can’t remember,” he confessed for the first time. “I’ve had it forever, since before I stopped aging.”
“If you’ve had it so long, why are you asking about it now?” Henry questioned. “Why didn’t you ask one of the other witches about it?”
“It’s changed,” Theo muttered. “It’s alive.”
Oddly, an understanding fell over Lane’s eyes, even though Henry appeared even more confused by the information.
“Alive?” Henry echoed. “What does that mean?”
“It’s been glowing, heating,” Lane explained. Theo looked at her in surprise.
“I thought you’d never seen it before,” he said curiously, and she shook her head.
“I haven’t, but that stone? It can be activated by whatever element sets it off. I have a theory, though I’m going to save it until I know better.”
When Theo opened his mouth to ask more, another voice joined them, causing him to pause.
“What are you gossiping about over here?” Raven demanded, appearing before them, and Theo cast Lane a warning look. She seemed to comprehend that he didn’t want anyone else to know about it instantly and retreated to Henry’s side.
“Actually,” Theo said, turning to the demon leader. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“I’ll get back to you, Theo,” Lane promised. “Keep your Council phone on.” She and Henry shuffled away, leaving Raven alone with the werebear.
“You wanted to talk to me about something?” Raven asked, surprised. “Demon matters, I assume.”
“I—well, yes,” Theo answered, his eyebrows knitting. “How did you know?”
Raven scoffed. “Let’s face it, Theo, you’re not really one to call on me for a drink. What’s the problem?”
Guilt washed through him. It had never occurred to him that Raven might take his standoffishness personally. After all, she was a demon. He didn’t feel like she took anything to heart.
Do they all think I’m a prick for keeping my distance? He’d never considered it before. Theo knew some of the Council members got together. Miriam had always joined the others for a drink, and even Alec, who was exceptionally quiet, would sometimes go out with them after hours. And you wonder why you spend the holidays alone, Theo thought wryly,
“Well?” Raven insisted. “What did you want to ask me about?”
“I was wondering if you know Senator Trent Michaels of Colorado.”
“The Republican? Yeah, I’ve run into him here and there. Why?”
Theo dismissed the nagging shame in his mind and reminded himself what was important: finding Jackrabbit.
“What do you know about him?” Theo asked vaguely, causing Raven to snort.
“You’re going to have to be a little more specific than that. He’s a politician. What more do I need to say?”
“He’s a demon politician. What’s his deal? Does he have an agenda?”
Raven looked at him as if he had asked the stupidest question she’d ever heard. “Do you hear yourself right now? I just said he’s a politician. What the hell do you think? Of course he has an agenda.”
Theo waited for her to keep going. “And?” he grunted, realizing she was done. “What is it?”
Raven laughed. “How the hell would I know? Do I look like someone who cares about mortal politics? He’s a douche, though. I’ve heard rumors about his misconduct for years, but he tends to keep it within mortal limits, so the Council doesn’t touch him.” Her bright blue eyes narrowed with interest. “Why are you asking about him? Oh, please tell me you found a reason to bring him before Council. I would love to sentence that bastard to death.”
Theo eyed her, unsure if she could be trusted. After what had happened with Alec and Briar, she wasn’t the most emotionally sound Enchanted being at the moment. The bear knew that entire scenario had been a bad misunderstanding, but that didn’t mean that Raven wasn’t capable of flying off the handle at the wrong times.
“He hired me months ago to find someone,” Theo explained. “But I feel like there’s more to the story than he’s given me.” Not that the senator had given him any story; not really.
Raven lost the look of suspicion on her face and shrugged nonchalantly, apparently bored now that death was off the table.
“There always is more to the story, isn’t there?” she asked. “Especially with the likes of us.”
“Should I be worried about him, Raven?” Theo asked the question before he could stop himself, but as he heard the words aloud, he realized that he had been worried about that very thing all along.
Trent Michaels could kill me without blinking, he thought. I should be worried about him.
“If he finds out you’re looking into him,” Raven said reasonably, “you might give him cause to go after you. Demons are not known for their patience, Theo, but I don’t think I need to tell you that. Unless this is really important, I suggest you leave well enough alone and do your job. Or quit your job if it’s bugging you that much. Just don’t go nosing around our kind.”
Theo nodded slowly, heeding her advice very carefully.
“Nice pendant,” Raven said, her bright blue eyes falling on the necklace. “Is that the one you found back in the day?”
He glanced at her in surprise. “You remember that story?” he asked.
“There was a time when you used to talk more than you do now,” Raven offered, turning away. “We used to listen to you then. No idea when you became such a recluse.”
She was gone before Theo could say another word, and he stood alone outside the majestic stone structure as the rest of the Council reconvened inside.
Did I use to talk to them more? If he did, Theo certainly couldn’t remember it. He pondered what Raven had said. She’s not telling me anything I don’t already know. I need to let this go with Michaels before I find myself booted off this search for Jackrabbit… or worse.
“Theo?” He turned back toward Lane, who smiled at him from the shadows. “I wanted to get you alone for a minute,” she told him. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“No,” Theo replied quickly, his eyes darting about to ensure they weren’t being overheard. He had a feeling that whatever Lane was about to say was for his ears only.
“Everyone else is inside,” Lane assured him, but she stepped closer regardless. “I just wanted to tell you… the amulet…”
He looked to her expectantly. “What about it?”
“It belongs to a coven,
” she murmured. He looked at her curiously.
“You’re sure?” he asked. “But you said you didn’t recognize it.”
“I don’t,” Lane assured him quickly. “It’s not a design that I see often. Certainly not a sigil I’ve seen on a daily basis. It could be an obsolete order if you found it many years ago.”
Theo stared at her, a strange tingle forming at the base of his neck. “You’ll look into it for me?”
“I will,” she replied, nodding in response, but she cocked her head to the side as if she wanted to say something else.
“What?” Theo asked when she didn’t immediately say anything.
“Have you been having visions of my grandmother?” Shocked, Theo’s jaw gaped, and he nodded, not trusting his voice. Lane smiled wryly. “I see,” she mumbled.
“What does that mean? Why would I be seeing Miriam?”
Lane shrugged. “I don’t want to say anything in case I’m wrong,” she said. That answer wasn’t good enough for Theo.
“No, you can’t do that!” he growled. “If you know I was seeing your grandmother, you must know something! What does that mean? Is she warning me about something?”
“You are the last of the Council who hasn’t found your mate,” she reminded him gently. “I think this has something to do with the spell my grandmother put on you.”
Theo grunted, partially in disbelief, though mostly with annoyance.
“That is sincerely the last thing on my mind right now,” he told her. “And the amulet started glowing in a desert in West Africa. I’m pretty sure my mate isn’t hanging out in the Sahara.”
Lane laughed, genuinely amused by his response. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, my friend, but love doesn’t care if you’re ready for it or not. I have no idea if your mate is living in Niger, but the amulet felt some connection there, somehow. You should keep your eyes open now.”
Even though Theo wanted to scowl, he could not help snickering.
“You’re beginning to remind me of your grandmother,” he said, sighing deeply.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Lane chirped.
“We better get back in there,” Theo said, turning toward the back door. Lane reached out to put her hand on his muscled bicep.
“Has anyone new come into your life? A new woman?”
Theo didn’t even need to think about it. His life consisted of too many men, no women, new or old.
“Not one,” he assured her.
“The pendant was activated by something,” Lane insisted. “And I’ll bet you anything that it’s your mate calling out to you.”
Theo didn’t know what to make of her words. Henry, Landon, and Alec had found their mates, just as Miriam had said they would. Could it be his turn?
“As I said,” he repeated, “there are no women hanging around me. I doubt the amulet is related to anything like that.”
“I’ll see what I can find out for you,” Lane promised. Theo nodded his head. Suddenly, he was looking at the world around him with new eyes.
Am I about to chance upon my mate?
A rush of excitement coursed through him, but he willed himself to be rational. He’d been a lone bear for so long—maybe too long.
Don’t get your hopes up, he snapped to himself. You still have work to do.
4
A familiar bile rose in Simone’s throat as she looked at Cinnamon, all the doubts she’d had flooding back in a torrent.
“Oh, this place is so charming!” Cinnamon gushed while Everett led her through the offices of Harper-Morris. Simone turned her head back toward her computer screen, digging her fingernails into her palms to keep herself from screaming.
Just grin and bear it. She only needs to be here for a couple months, and then I won’t have to see her overdone face again. She reasoned that it was better to have Cinnamon where she could keep an eye on her, anyway. But to do that, I have to look at her wretched face every day.
“Oh, good,” Everett said, pausing at Simone’s desk. “You’re here. What did I tell you about the Lanthcomb data?”
“Hi, Simone!” Cinnamon chirped, her girlish voice seeping annoyingly into the younger woman’s bones like spurs. Simone ignored her and looked at her supervisor.
“What about it?”
“I told you to run the numbers again, not to lose the file altogether.”
Simone blinked at him uncomprehendingly. “I did what you told me, and I closed it out. It was fine when I left it on Monday.”
“Well, check your recovery box, because it’s gone. Lucky for you, I found it before Lanthcomb did. If you can’t locate the missing information, you’re going to have to go through everything again manually.”
“Wait a second!” Simone snapped, Cinnamon’s nearness pushing her nerves close to the point of breaking. “I had nothing to do with this. You screwed it up, not me!”
Everett gaped at her, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Toni’s shocked face peer around the corner. There was an element of glee in the blonde’s face, but at the same time, her cubicle mate was sending out silent warnings.
“What did you just say to me?” her manager hissed.
“Nothing,” Simone muttered, shifting her eyes downward and turning her attention back to the computer. “I’ll look into it.”
“Yeah,” Everett growled. “You better. Come on, Cinnamon.” He stormed away, and her stepmother cast Simone a sympathetic look, which only fuelled Simone’s anger.
“You on the rag?” Toni wanted to know when the pair stepped out of earshot. Simone looked at her in disgust.
“Do people even say ‘on the rag’ anymore? How old are you?” Toni ignored her and snorted.
“What was that?” she demanded. “I mean, all of that. What was it?”
“Cinnamon?” Simone asked innocently. “That’s my stepmother.” She relished the stunned silence that her words brought, but Toni was not one to let matters go.
“Oh, honey,” she sighed. “I cannot wait to hear this story. You’re still coming tomorrow night, right?”
Simone had no idea what Toni was talking about and said as much.
“You said you would come to our party!” Toni groaned. “I told Josh you were coming already.”
“Oh… your party,” Simone echoed. “I-I don’t know, Toni. I’ve got some things to take care of.”
Exams are coming up. It’s busy time for my side business, she added silently. Disappointment oozed from Toni’s face, and guilt plagued Simone.
“All right,” she relented. “But just for a bit. I really do have stuff to do.”
“I bet. Like hanging out with your plastic stepmother? Are those her real boobs? No, they can’t be, right?”
Nope. Daddy paid for those boobs instead of Mom’s chemo. Simone bristled, but Toni had already ducked back into her cubicle by the time Everett and Cinnamon circled back around.
“I hope you’re looking for the Lanthcomb file,” Everett growled when they walked past. Simone gave his retreating back the finger and moved her gaze back to the computer to locate the missing work. She thought about when she’d last seen the work, and she knew it had been the day her father had called.
Did I do something while I was distracted? The idea only made her angrier with her father and Cinnamon. What the hell was I thinking, getting her a job here? How did I think this could work out?
She looked through the recycling bin on her computer, to no avail. Then she did a search on the business, but she could find no trace of the company, as if the file simply didn’t exist anymore. With every click of the mouse, Simone was becoming more and more upset.
That’s BS, she thought. Even if I deleted the file accidentally, it has to exist in the backups somewhere. I need someone from IT.
She’d be damned if she would spend the weekend manually re-entering numbers from a spreadsheet, not when she could be making five hundred dollars an hour in her other enterprises.
“Any luck?” Toni asked. Simone sho
ok her dark waves without looking up.
“Is Rachel in today?” Simone replied. Toni snickered.
“Does she ever leave? And I thought I had no life. I’m eternally grateful I’m not a techy nerd.” Simone rose and grabbed her purse. “Where are you going now? You can’t screw off two days in a week—even if you did give Everett a busty, blonde present.”
“I’m not going home. I’m going to IT. Something’s not right,” she muttered, scooting away before Toni could press her for more information.
Simone found Rachel in the basement office, flipping through a magazine. The girl jumped to attention the second she heard the door open, and relief colored her cheeks when she saw it wasn’t a superior.
“Shit, you scared me, Simone.”
“I have that effect on people,” Simone offered dryly. “You busy?”
Rachel laughed and gestured around. “Apparently not.”
“Good. I need your help. Apparently, an entire financial file has gone AWOL, and I fail to see how that could happen.” Rachel tossed her magazine aside and straightened her back.
“I’m going to need more information than that,” she said. “Who? What? Where?”
“It’s the Lanthcomb file,” Simone went on. “I was doing data entry on this quarter’s financial, and suddenly, Everett is claiming that it’s gone—the entire history. I checked myself, but I can’t find it anywhere.”
Rachel’s brow creased, and she cocked her head to the side. “Lanthcomb. Why do I know that name?”
Simone shrugged. “I have no idea. They’re a small company who is stupid enough to invest with our funds. I don’t know what else to tell you.”
Rachel didn’t respond and instead turned to her computer screen, her pale fingers flying over the keys to input data that Simone couldn’t see.
“When did you last see the file?” Rachel asked, squinting as she leaned over her screen.
“Monday morning.”
“You checked your recycling bin?”
“Yep. They don’t get emptied until Sunday night, so there’s no reason it shouldn’t be in there if I did do something that stupid, right?”