by TJ Nichols
Much safer to not use at all.
But when Edra had been gloriously naked—and human—on his hood, all he wanted to do was stalk over, drag him into a kiss, spread him, and screw him. If he ever got a place with a garage, he would. Until that moment he’d never thought naked people on cars was anything but a gimmick in the usual men’s magazines. He was revising his opinion.
If it hadn’t been for the security cameras, he wouldn’t have offered him his jacket. He’d have continued to enjoy the view. A smile formed as his computer got its shit together and started up. That little glimpse of Edra was going to stay with him for a while.
“Things going well?” David leaned on the cubicle wall.
Jordan glanced up at him. Was he behind the eyeliner? He didn’t like mythos, but David had never said anything anti-gay, and Jordan’s orientation was no secret. He had been in the pride parade—in uniform—several times.
“Reasonable.” After last night he had some new leads, in part because Edra had found what could be the truck.
David leaned over and lowered his voice. “I heard the mayor wants someone locked up for those two OD murders.”
“I’m working on it.” But he had a feeling the culprit was human. The mayor might be disappointed.
“Election is next week.”
“I know.” Timing. That’s what Edra had said, and he was right.
Jordan couldn’t afford to leap at shadows. When the dragon appeared on his hood, he almost died. He knew what people meant when they said their heart stopped. Adrenaline had flooded him and then his heartbeat was a rapid punch through his chest. There wasn’t a scratch or a dent on his hood, even though Edra was bigger in his dragon shape. He mustn’t weigh much more in his dragon form than he did in his human form. He was lithe and smooth and silvery, like some kind of delicate flying lizard thing.
Yeah, a flying lizard is a dragon, dumbass.
David was still there, leaning on the cubicle wall.
“Did you want something?”
“I heard you got someone looking for satyr dick.” Just saying it made David squirm.
“Yup.” The cop hanging out on the black-market site had been sickened at the trade in mytho body parts.
“You’re a real weirdo.” David scowled.
“Following a lead. And it would be nice to give a complete body to the parents for burial… er, cremation.” Satyrs cremated. It was all about fire and fertility with them.
“Still no perp?”
Was that a casual question, or was David in with the mayor?
“Nothing.” It was the truth and the safest answer. “But these things sometimes take time, and I’m not going anywhere.” He smiled. If the current mayor got reelected and wanted him gone for taking crimes against mythos seriously, then the mayor would have to work really hard to make it happen. Jordan didn’t buckle easily.
David stepped back and tapped the cubicle. “You coming to drinks on Friday?”
Once a month Jordan made himself socialize with his colleagues. “I’ve got other plans this week.” He hoped he still had other plans. He was hoping the plans evolved to include more than Bliss. “I’ll be at the next one.”
That got rid of David.
For several minutes Jordan stared at his screen and wondered what the hell he should write up about last night. The pro-mytho group admitted to using Bliss, but not how they got hold of it, and they denied robbing the den. Jordan had a feeling they were the reason Cassius had lost his tail. They weren’t stupid enough to inject it, and they knew it was supposed to be eaten and used under supervision.
But someone knew what they were doing. There had been on-campus clashes between the two groups. Usually, when Earth for Humans did something, the pro-mytho group showed up and read classical mythology or fairy tales.
The mythos had existed in the human world once.
He really needed to find out more about that, but it didn’t seem relevant at the moment.
Two of the students had recognized the other man Cassius pointed out. He was a member of Earth for Humans, and the truck that smelled of blood also belonged to him, but a dragon catching a whiff of blood wasn’t enough for a warrant.
But Jordan would be able to chat to him about buying Bliss. He was sure that Greg Holmes would assist him if he asked whether satyrs were supplying Bliss to humans. It was just a matter of asking the question the right way.
An email from Edra popped up, and he opened it immediately. It was a link to another Carlin Howard story, and Jordan really hoped it wasn’t about dragons in parking lots.
It rehashed the two ODs as though they were planned mytho operations and more deaths would occur. This time it mentioned Earth for Humans.
Jordan really needed to look into that group.
His phone rang. “Kells.”
“Barry here. You were right. That first OD victim injected the Bliss.”
“Was there some on her clothes or signs of a struggle?”
“Bruising visible under UV light. It never got a chance to develop. She may have been held down. The location of the puncture means it wasn’t self-inflicted.”
That didn’t make it murder either, but he could feel the strings starting to come together to form a case. “Thanks, Barry.”
It was time to speak to Greg Holmes.
JORDAN HAD missed three calls from Edra while he got information out of Greg. It had been far easier than he’d expected. Greg was happy to talk about Earth for Humans and how he and his buddy Andrew Campbell ran the meetings, and how the “stinking satyrs” were ruining the city and seducing women. His truck was parked out front, and Jordan had taken a moment to look at it. Nothing about it screamed that it was used to transport a body, and it was nice and clean. Forensics would need to pull it apart and look for trace.
He needed to get a warrant… somehow.
On the drive back to the station, he hit Edra’s number, and Edra answered on the first ring. “Hey, it’s Jordan.”
“Merfolk have found the rest of Darian.”
Jordan braked at the lights a little too sharply. He didn’t want to go to Alcatraz. He was almost certain humans weren’t allowed on the island, and most people gave it a wide berth by boat too. “Where is it?”
“I’m at Hyde Street Pier with Selena of the merfolk.”
The car behind him honked. He joined the traffic and turned at the next street to head toward Hyde Street. “Have you got uniforms down there to secure the scene?”
“I have a cranky mermaid holding a satyr dick. There is no scene. Bring something for Selena or you won’t have anything.”
“Why do I need to pay for evidence?”
Edra laughed, but it was dark and chilling. “Do not fuck with mermaids. Bring her something shiny.” He hung up.
Jordan swore. He called for backup, knowing that no amount of backup would actually help if Selena decided to no longer help. At Hyde Street he parked and walked into a tourist stop to buy the shiniest trinket he could, which was a rather large New Golden Gate bottle opener. He hoped it would pass inspection.
It wasn’t hard to find the mermaid—a crowd had gathered to stare. Jordan flashed his badge, and they parted to let him through. The sirens in the distance were getting louder. They could clear the crowd and secure the area so no one got hurt.
Jordan stopped near the water and held up his badge. “You need to step back, people.”
They shuffled a few steps, but no one wanted to miss what was going on. Some were recording it on their phones. Great.
Edra gave a deliberate cough, and Jordan turned to face him and the mermaid.
Edra was up to his knees in the water, his suit and shoes getting ruined. Next to him was the mermaid. Jordan glanced away for a moment, not ready to look at her pale, pearly eyes and gray skin. The fairy tales had lied and lied badly—a mermaid was more like a flat-faced dolphin than a pretty princess with a tail. Actually dolphins were prettier.
He clamped his teeth together and w
alked closer.
“Glad you could join us.” Edra gave a tight grin.
The mermaid had something that looked like a limp gray sausage in her hand. A litany of swear words rolled around Jordan’s head, but he forced a smile. “Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner.”
He was going to have to remind Edra that he could just call the station. Anyone could’ve collected the evidence, but now wasn’t the time for that conversation.
“Where did you find the body part, Selena?”
“Mistress Selena.” Her voice grated on his eardrums, the pitch too high for it to be anything but painful.
“Apologies, Mistress Selena.” He pulled a bag out of his pocket to take the appendage. Up close it was most definitely a dick—the head and severed end with wilted balls were clear.
“It was in the water,” she said as though he were an idiot.
Her gaze was unblinking, and he wanted to look away, but he remembered reading that you should never look away from a mermaid while you were talking to one.
Edra was in the water with her. He didn’t seem too worried, but then again, this wasn’t the first time Edra had met a mermaid. But Jordan definitely did not want to get his feet wet. He held the bag out to Edra without taking his eyes off Selena.
“Come closer, human,” she said.
Edra took the bag. “Don’t get in the water, Jordan. They have been known to eat humans, and even if she doesn’t, she’ll play with you until you are dead.”
“Don’t spoil my fun, Knight. If he is foolish enough to play, then we can have some fun.” Her voice held an allure that almost made him want to step into the water.
His toes curled in his shoes, but he didn’t move. “I’m not here to play. I’m here for the body part.”
“Pay or play.” She flicked her tail and splashed him with water.
Jordan winced as her voice pitched higher. He held out the bottle opener, and his gut tightened as she reached for him. He’d heard stories of people being pulled into the water, never to be seen again, of people who fell off boats and drowned. Accidents happened. But a few told tales of how they used their jewelry to bargain for their lives. No one had ever prosecuted a mermaid, or a merman, and no one tried to police them.
Selena threw the dick at Edra and then wriggled forward on her belly, using her fingers to claw at the sand until she was close enough to snatch the bottle opener from Jordan. It was only then that Jordan stepped back, well away from the edge, and let himself look at Edra. He had the dick in the bag.
Selena smiled and revealed her sharp conical teeth. With a toss of stringy gray hair and a splash, she was gone.
Edra waded out of the water and handed the bag to Jordan. “If you ever make me chill with a mermaid for an hour again, I will throw you into the water and hold you under myself.”
“Don’t threaten a cop.”
Edra shot a glare at him. “Don’t fuck with mermaids. They are psychopaths. I just entertained a psychopath for an hour so she wouldn’t swim away with Darian’s penis.”
“How did you know she had it?”
Edra glanced at him. “I have sources too. They call me when something is up.”
“So who actually found the mermaid? I need to talk to them.”
“I did.”
“But you just—”
“She swam up, and someone called Mytho Servo. The less people involved the better. Unless you want me to get Selena back so you can do a full interview?”
“I’m fine. I’ve got the… penis.” At least Darian would be cremated whole. “Not a trophy kill.”
“No… jealousy?”
“Most men would be envious.” Although at the moment it was more of a sad sea cucumber. “It does seem personal. Jilted lover?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t know him well enough outside of the den. No one knows if he was seeing someone.”
“I’ll go to the night school he attended and see what I can dig up there.” He nodded at the officers who’d cleared away the onlookers. “You need a lift home to get changed?”
“Yeah, thanks. I should’ve taken my shoes off.”
“And your pants.”
“You wish.”
Chapter 22
EDRA’S BUILDING wasn’t the worst on the street, but he was still embarrassed that Jordan was going to see where he lived. There was no way he would invite him up. “I’ll get changed and catch the train back to work.”
“I can wait. I’m heading that way anyway.”
Edra sighed. “No… though we need to talk about Howard.”
“It’s just shit. He’s pushing the anti-mytho agenda.”
“Easy for you to say. You aren’t mytho. He’s whipping up fear to get the mayor reelected, and it’s working.”
For a heartbeat he thought Jordan was going to deny it. His mouth opened and then closed. It was several seconds before he responded. “What do you want to do about him?”
“Feed him something false and trip him up. Can you make some kind of statement?”
Jordan shook his head. “No. The best thing I can do is find out who the killer or killers are. Truth is always the best option with those people.”
Edra snorted. “No it’s not. They just ignore the facts that don’t agree with their worldview.” He opened the car door. “Thanks for the lift.”
“Thanks for getting the dick.”
“That wasn’t for you. It was for Helena and Leonaris, so they can burn their son.”
“I’ll let you know when the body can be released.”
Edra shut the car door. His shoes squished as he climbed up the steps. They were ruined, but hopefully he’d be able to save the pants. He didn’t look back as Jordan pulled away.
It was only when he was inside and out of view that he let the fear take hold. He slid down against his door. His hands shook as he sucked in several deep breaths. He could still smell the salt, and his mouth was filled with the taste of rotten fish.
Humans didn’t understand mermaids at all.
No one truly did.
Few lived to ever talk about it. He’d fully expected to be dragged under and toyed with until he asked for death. With every minute that he’d had to wait, the fear had become more solid. He raked his fingers through his hair.
He was alive. They were both alive.
He had no idea which gods were watching over him, but he was grateful. Perhaps it was Pan and he wanted justice for his satyrs.
Slowly he pulled himself together. He showered and dressed, ready to go back to work and make a report. If Jordan wouldn’t feed anything to Howard, he would. While Howard always had an angle, he did research his stories. If he was given something plausible, then maybe he’d run with it. Usually Mytho Servo had nothing to do with journalists unless it was to make an official statement about something. This would have to go under the table, which was probably better. A jealous human lover who cut off a satyr dick was a good story, and Howard would twist it… but the important bit would be in there—a human had killed Darian.
THE STORY that Howard ran on Friday was about satyr men having human women as lovers—it should be banned as bestiality, and the women should be punished. As Edra read, his smile grew. It appeared that Howard had done some research. The dead woman had been Darian’s tutor, and he’d supposedly seduced her.
He flicked the article to Jordan, so he could chase that lead, and he got a call thirty seconds later, with a none-too-happy-sounding Jordan. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him nothing, but I know people who might have mentioned a jilted lover.”
“You can’t do that. The media can prejudice juries and can make the cops look useless.”
To the mytho community, they generally were. “If she was his tutor, then you have motive. Just find the connection.”
“I have the connection. I have been working my ass off to get all the details strung together so they stay together.”
“And?” Edra needed to know.
“
Will you give me breathing room?”
“Yes.”
“You need to learn to lie better to a cop.” Jordan exhaled. “There was a time she was Darian’s tutor and dating the mayor’s son. That all fell apart when Andrew joined Earth for Humans.”
“Did he join because his ex was sleeping with a satyr or was he always anti-mytho?”
“I don’t know yet. But I do know the truck isn’t his. It’s his friend’s, and both men are heavily involved in Earth for Humans.”
The little princeling would be untouchable. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “So it’s all going to fall over?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m doing what I can. Someone was selling Bliss to those students. They’ve been dabbling for the last two years, which means Darian wasn’t giving her Bliss in payment for being tutored. I don’t think he was doing the selling. Cassius was selling it, wasn’t he?”
“I can’t discuss that.” It sounded like a yes when it left his lips.
“It’s illegal.”
“We’re all very aware of that. That isn’t what this case is about. Strange how it’s only illegal for us to sell, but not for you to use or even possess. It’s almost like the law was designed to punish us and only us.”
“I’m not pursuing it.” He said slowly, as though forcing the words out. “Don’t let it happen again.”
“It won’t. Of course things can be gifted….”
Jordan gave a short laugh. “I’ll see you tonight. Don’t stir up trouble.”
“Wait… you don’t need me to watch someone?”
“I have people doing that.”
“I meant up close and invisible.” He wanted to actually do something to help catch the killer. He wanted the mayor’s son locked up, along with his truck-owning friend.
Jordan was silent for several seconds. “Whatever you see or hear wouldn’t be admissible. I need the trail clean or it will never get to trial.”
“You think it will?”
“I want the charges to stick. So it needs to be done right. The people involved have connections.”