Ancient Protector

by Savannah Verte

  Ancient

  Protector

  A Federal Paranormal Unit Story

  USA Today Bestselling Author

  Savannah Verte

  Ancient Protector

  Federal Protection Unit

  Copyright 2019 Savannah Verte

  Published by MT Worlds Press, Inc.

  Winter Springs, FL 32708

  Cover by Suzanna Lynn, Funky Book Design, 2019

  Formatting by Celtic Formatting

  http://mtworldspress.com

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  http://mtworldspress.com

  Supervisory Special Agent Fedya Afanasi has a problem, and a secret. Unfortunately, he can’t solve his problem without revealing the secret, which could cost him his position, if not his job. Solving the case of the mystery plants and the explosion in the Back Bay Channel is only one piece of the picture. He’s hoping a survivor of the blast can offer some answers to what happened, and the solution to his problem, but she’s not talking.

  Marietta Gomez has a problem and secrets of her own. She might be able to aid the investigation, but she’s on the run and not sharing information. When her plan to escape is thwarted, she finds herself back where it all began.

  The stakes are high and climbing as the second mini-mystery in Making Waves reveals allies who aren’t and new adversaries to be investigated. Can the team find the answers they need, or are there too many questions yet to solve the puzzle? The best lead they have is beyond their reach and ready to weigh anchor for unknown waters. Time is running out.

  Dedication

  For those who charge forward.

  For those who hesitate.

  For those who wait for the moment is all becomes real.

  Your future is out there.

  Embrace yourself.

  Acknowledgements

  My world is a spinning top of crazy since I started back in Grad School. To everyone who helped keep me on track to get this done and out, there are no words for the gratitude. I’m running 220 with my hair on fire most of the time and I appreciate sincerely every person who has taken the moment to be encouraging as my days bleed together. Thank you.

  Other titles in Making Waves

  Paranormal Dating Agency

  Baiting a Berserker (Book 1)

  Grow Some Gills (Book 2)

  Kiss My Splash (Book 3)

  No Wake Zone (Book 4)

  Federal Paranormal Unit

  Elemental Protector (Book 5)

  ONE

  Fedya Afanasi sat with his head in his hands replaying the events in his mind as he tried to fathom where it had all gone so wrong. As a Supervisory Special Agent with the Federal Paranormal Unit of the FBI some of his thoughts went one direction, but as a Fire Elemental with the ability to see the future, the vast majority went another, and that was the part that would have set his inner fire to smolder, if there were so much as a spark of his element left within him. In truth, a truth he was loathe to acknowledge, he knew his ability had died shortly after the explosion in the Back Bay Channel. In fact, not too long after his newly minted FPU agent, and friend, Andrej Siminof had given up his own elemental abilities for the doctor whose life force had ceased with the blast.

  Truth was truth, even if he hated it. He knew exactly what had happened, the moment it had happened, and it was why he was sitting in the hallway of Mercy Medical, outside the ICU room of a woman whose name he didn’t know. His destined had been revealed. Unfortunately for both of them, she had been revealed as she cleaved for life from a spot on the water a stone’s throw from the Coast Guard cutter, thankfully, face up. It was a small positive in a string of events that were far more reflected in the negative column of the ledger.

  It had been weeks since the explosion but the cleanup in the Back Bay had only just begun. The salvage was going to take far longer than any of them were comfortable with, but each day brought new truths to the surface. Fedya had a job to do, but every spare moment was spent in the ICU corridor, his now familiar perch fitting him like a glove. Even the staff knew him by name.

  “Agent Afanasi,” a nurse sat down beside him, “when did you get back?”

  Fedya, well known for his habit of using too many words for the occasion, was uncharacteristically succinct. “Only just.”

  “I’m afraid there is no new development to report. She remains unreachable.”

  “Thank you for the update,” he replied, barely hazarding a glance up as he spoke.

  “Let me know if you need anything, I’ll be on shift until twenty-three hundred.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  The nurse, whom Fedya knew as Tawny, rose and disappeared around the corner. He tracked her with his peripheral vision from the corner of his eye with his head still down, making sure she was out of earshot before heaving his frustration in a telling sigh. There was nothing he could do but wait. Interference of any kind was expressly forbidden, not that he had the ability to change the present, even if he wished to do so. The last weeks had been unbelievably painful as he went about his assigned responsibilities, yearning every moment that he was away to be back at the hospital waiting for the moment the woman would wake up and tell him her name. It had not occurred to him previously, though did in the moment, that the extent of her injuries could preclude the revelation that he pined for. The new truth, as he considered it, stole his breath.

  Recounting the recent events that delivered her to him did nothing to clarify where she had come from, where she had been, or if there was any future to be had between them. One moment he was at the prow of the cutter, waiting for report from any of the searchers that the doctor had been located, and the next his vision focused, nearly spotlighted, on another body in the water and it was all he could do to remain where he stood. It was the flash of a moment that had no clear catalyst but a definitive outcome. The future he had watched with angst, hoping against hope that it would not come to pass, disappeared as soon as he caught sight of her porcelain skin and dark locks fanned out about her head like a halo. The truth leveled against him hard, nearly buckling his knees as he fought the tidal wave of emotion and urge to jump overboard.

  In his mind he could hear himself shouting to the searchers even though in the moment it had only been a screaming in his mind as he stood mute staring at the woman he knew beyond a doubt had changed everything. The conflagration of terror and euphoria at the development had left him shaking, and even now, dotted his flesh with bumps that raced his skin to change it all. He couldn’t.

  By Elemental standards he was already ancient, but the long minutes waiting for her to be spotted and retrieved made his ancient status seem a pittance. He aged a lifetime over again waiting in horror as she bobbed along the water, her face disappearing beneath the surface more than once. He had still been fighting to find his voice when she was finally spotted and a team dispatched to retrieve her. Only the sheer will to continue stayed him as the overwhelming urge to wilt came next as he waited for word of her status. He couldn’t fathom what it would mean, or what he would do, if she were already gone.

  “She’s alive.” He’d heard the pronouncement over the radio then, and loudly again in his mind now. Reliving it didn’t diminish the angst. Th
ough at the time, as he’d had to contend with Andrej’s recent decision and surrender, it was all he could do to keep himself under control. The fire within him had extinguished as successfully as a match underwater, but there was a fury in his blood. He knew then, as clearly as he knew now, that he had taken it out on his friend, but there was nothing to be done about the past. Andrej, as he had completed FLETC, could continue with the FBI if he elected to, but his status with the FPU was likely foregone conclusion. Fedya, his own abilities now doused, had to consider that his fate might be the same. The piece he didn’t know, and couldn’t reconcile, was if his abilities would return or not. He was ill prepared for the answer, thus, he chose to ignore the question.

  Beeping and rushing bodies pulled his attention back to present with a hard snap. More medical personnel than he had seen gathered together in days descended into the room he watched. Rising, he moved to follow as shades were drawn and the door was closed before he could enter. Wringing his hands, he tried unsuccessfully to hear what was happening. For all of the commotion, none of the comments or commands were registering or making any sense.

  Tawny emerged, turning to rush the opposite direction, but pausing long enough to give him a thumbs up. What the gesture meant or didn’t, he could not begin to know, but consoled himself with the knowledge that it wasn’t a thumbs down. Fedya dropped to sit in the chair he considered his own, left with no options but to wait.

  TWO

  Back at FPU, Arial Marcos was fielding calls and growing agitated. He wanted to be out with the salvage operations, hoping to learn more about what had happened. He hated being a desk or phone jockey, but with Fedya parked in the ICU, waiting for the sole survivor other than Dr. Scott, who was only just recovered enough but not yet cleared to be talking to agents, to wake up and give an accounting, he had no options and fewer choices. It was all he could do to keep his temper in check as the phone rang yet again.

  “Marcos,” he all but bellowed into the receiver.

  “Arial,” the caller chuckled. “Don’t sound so thrilled. It’s Jack Williams.”

  “ATTF Williams, how can I help you?” Arial replied, not bothering to mask his curiosity at why the task force director would be calling.

  “I saw the report. Is it true?”

  Arial shook his head to clear it. “Probably. What report are you talking about?”

  “Afanasi filed an inter-department about hemp plants. You know anything about it?”

  Arial shrugged at the empty room. “Yeah. Those I know.”

  “So it’s true?”

  Vaguely recalling the details that had been reported, he opted to summarize for clarity-sake. “We had, or may still have, marijuana plants under the water in the Back Bay Channel and at the ocean access. Growing or simply existing, I’m not sure if there’s been a ruling, but being there is true. They were gene mutated somehow to react and glow. It was being used as a landing strip for a submersible and small surface craft that we believe was involved in human trafficking. The salvage operations are only just getting started, so until that wraps, we don’t know what still is or isn’t. That what you need?”

  Williams whistled on the other end. “Yeah. That’s what I needed, thanks. Update me as you find out more, would you? We’ve got some odd happening too. I don’t want them to be connected, so information as it is available would be good.”

  “Easy enough. Will do,” Arial replied. “Marcos out,” he concluded and disconnected before realizing that he was on the phone not his normal Com device. He could almost hear Williams laughing at him through the dial tone that startled him to present.

  He debated if he should notify Fedya, electing to jot a note instead. SSA Afanasi was an odd duck on a good day. Lately, the senior agent had been downright weird. Arial decided he didn’t want to play twenty questions, or any other ‘decipher the meaning behind the message’ games with his superior.

  He made a snap decision. He knew he’d have to answer for it later, but flipped the phones to the switchboard, threw open the courtyard window, and climbed to the roof before shifting to take off. He needed to clear his head and there was no way that would happen between the insistent buzzing of the phone on the desk. He needed to fly and simply stop thinking for a bit. Too many things didn’t make sense. Somehow as his other self, he could see the pieces line up better than staring at them over a desk. If nothing else, the sense of freedom riding the updraft would help him shake loose from the pent up knots that were threatening to tie his thoughts soon too if they didn’t unravel.

  Labor law says fifteen minutes for every four hours, he thought to himself with a chuckle as he caught a gale force wind headed toward the ocean. We’ve been at it for days…I’ve got at least a couple hours coming.

  An hour later, he was coasting up the Back Bay Channel access, gliding over the salvage operations that seemed to be moving in slow motion. “Find something already,” he admonished to the work crews below who he knew wouldn’t be able to hear or understand him. Newly frustrated at the lack of developments, he turned for DC and the Hoover building to resume his duties at the desk, cursing under his breath all the way.

  He was just nicking the window closed and turning to sit as an unfamiliar, large male entered. “Can I help you?” he questioned, reaching for his sidearm, realizing in the moment that it was still in the drawer where he’d left it.

  “I’m looking for SSA Afanasi.”

  “And you are?”

  “Dr. Canton Emmers. I’m the director of Hydro Lab.”

  Arial studied the man for a moment before speaking. “How did you get up here without an escort?”

  “I didn’t,” the doctor replied. “I was deposited into the waiting room when they went to look for Agent Afanasi. They hadn’t returned and I heard noise in here, so I came in,” he thumbed over his shoulder to the outer office.

  Arial mashed his lips together to keep from speaking the words that jumped to his tongue. “You should have waited,” he finally countered. “Fedya isn’t here at the moment. I’m afraid I don’t know when he will return.”

  Emmers let his exasperation show. “I’ve been trying to catch him since Dr. Scott’s ordeal. Please have him reach out to me. I’d like to know what we are to do. With Dr. Scott still hospitalized, I’m afraid we won’t make much progress on the plants. I need to know if we should call in another Botanist, or if we are going to wait for her to finish the assignment.”

  “I’ll give him the message, though with all that’s happened, I doubt it’s crossed his mind. The only Sit-rep he’s waiting for is on the survivors and the salvage. Hold tight for now. We’ll get word to you as soon as there’s a decision on that front.”

  Emmers cocked an eyebrow at Agent Marcos, “So…stand down, shut up, and sit tight, that about it?”

  “Sounds about right. We’ll be in touch,” Arial countered, starting to turn away. “I’ll have an agent collect you from the waiting room to see you out,” he finished before grabbing the phone, finally sitting down, and spinning the chair toward the window. “Good day, Dr. Emmers.”

  He spun back once he heard the door snick closed. He hadn’t wanted to be rude, but something about the doctor was rubbing him six ways wrong and he didn’t want to tip his hand. Freshly frustrated from the day he’d already had, it was only a matter of time before his demeanor turned to interrogation mode, and he knew that would have accomplished nothing. Nothing yet anyway.

  There was a niggle of warning happening between his shoulders that wouldn’t stand down. He didn’t need to be caught unprepared for the confrontation, and other than the name, he didn’t know anything about Dr. Emmers. He would need information soon. More than the name, he needed to know who and what Dr. Emmers was, but also, where his loyalties lie. Arial had no reason to doubt them, but something in the depth of his gut said he’d be wise to do just that. Staring at the phone as the intercom sounded, he grabbed the receiver, tamping the growl that crawled up his windpipe. “Marcos.”

 
“Agent Marcos, it’s Stephanie. We have a dozen messages for you at the switchboard, would you like me to relay them?”

  Arial groaned. “Just email them, thanks.”

  “Are you taking your phones back now?”

  Arial fought not to snarl for her to keep them. “Yes, I’ll have them pulled in a moment. I had someone in the office. Thanks for checking.”

  “Sounds good,” she replied brightly.

  Arial decided he’d be calling in Siminof if someone didn’t relieve him of phones in the next hour. It didn’t matter to him that the rookie agent was probably not an agent anymore. Until that was made official, he could man the desk like a member of the team. Rumors aside, without a memo on it, it hadn’t happened.

  THREE

  Taylen’s eyes fluttered open. The room was exactly the same as when she had closed them, complete with Andrej seated at the foot of her bed watching her intently. She knew there were agents and others who wanted to talk to her, but to date, she and Andrej had been existing in her room like it were their own private bubble of protection from the madness. That island of sanity was going to be invaded soon, there was no way to prevent it for much longer.

  Her doctors had been amazing about keeping her sequestered, but there were few reasons left that could be given. She was awake, alert, and other than ridiculously sore when she tried to move, feeling better than she had in ages. In error, she believed that she and Andrej were the only ones who knew why, but that truth would come later. The circle of those in the know wasn’t large, but significantly larger than she believed it to be.

  She pushed the button to elevate her upper body, not wanting to stress the muscles that would be required to do it herself. It was a cop-out she knew, but comfortable was so much better than sore, and for the moment, she wasn’t in pain. Andrej was another story, and one she would need to deal with. He was patiently waiting for her choice. Even as she’d eluded to it days ago, she hadn’t said the words, and that seemed to matter to him. She’d never known anyone so literal before in her life.