by B N Miles
“You can take her away, sir, but I’ll walk.”
Wyatt laughed. “You joking here, son?”
“I’m not.” Jared tensed, feeling his anger stoke. “You said it yourself. I’m your best agent, the only Magi you’ve got. You can dump more resources on this project and tap ten more agents to replace me, if you want. Or you can listen to my one demand and I’ll handle it.”
Wyatt went quiet. Jared didn’t know what his Captain was thinking, but he knew it couldn’t be good.
Jared had never pushed like this before. For years, he’d been quiet. He worked the day shift, did his paperwork, went through with his occasional prisoner transports, and kept to himself. He had a good working relationship with his colleagues and with his Captain. Sometimes, they even seemed to like him.
But now he was back in the field and beginning to return to himself. For a long time, he’d just wanted peace and quiet, a place in the world that allowed him to do something worthwhile, but also didn’t demand something extraordinary of him. He’d gone against the wishes of his family, broken ties that will likely never be mended, but he’s done with that.
He had Cassie and he wouldn’t let her go.
“We’ll talk about it,” Wyatt said, his voice flat. “I’m not going to say yes or no right now, because it’s not up to me. I told you, there are people in the department that want to make sure that girl gets to Max as soon as possible. Getting you a few days with her was hard enough. Stretching this out longer might be impossible.”
“Try,” Jared said. “In the meantime, we’ll move forward with the investigation.”
“Fine.” Wyatt let out a breath. “I should’ve left you behind a desk. I forgot how arrogant Magi can be.”
“It’s not arrogant to speak up for a friend, sir. And beyond that, she’s useful.”
“I’ll be in town soon. Sit tight.”
The line went dead. Jared shook his head and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He leaned forward on his elbows and looked out at the parking lot.
“Friend?”
He started and turned. Cassie was standing in the doorway, wearing a large white t-shirt and nothing else. Her smooth, pale legs were gorgeous, and Jared couldn’t help but smile at her. “Scared me.”
“Sorry.” She leaned against the door frame. “I only heard that last part.”
He shrugged and turned to face her, crossing his arms. “You’re useful,” he said.
She snorted. “I don’t know if I should be insulted or what.”
“I don’t just mean for last night,” he said, although he definitely meant that as well. “But everything else. I don’t think I would’ve gotten this far without you. And I’m not convinced you belong in Max.”
She met his gaze. “How can you be so sure?”
“I read your file.”
“Yeah? And did it tell you why they want to send me there?”
He hesitated. “No,” he admitted. “It didn’t.”
She seemed to struggle with something for a long moment. He knew she was hiding something from him, he knew it from the start. He didn’t want to push her into spilling her secrets though, because he knew how that could go. He’d been on the other end of that sort of treatment in his own life, and it always pushed him further away.
“Let’s just say, I don’t belong here,” she said. “They have good reasons for wanting me at Max. They’re probably not wrong.”
He tilted his head. “Should I be worried about that?” he asked. “Are you going to do something we’ll both regret?”
“No,” she said. “I’m not. Honestly, I was resigned to going back a while ago. I knew this was a long shot. I just…” She looked away. “Anyway, thanks for the coffee.”
He knew she was done talking and nodded. “Sure, no problem. You want first shower?”
She gave him a sly grin. “How about we do another tandem?”
He laughed. “Maybe later. Wyatt’s on his way to town and we need to get ourselves prepared.”
“Oh, you don’t think a little morning delight won’t clear our heads?”
“I think you’re going to do everything in your power to keep me in bed, and believe me, it won’t take much.”
She laughed. “Right, sorry. I’m such a succubus.”
“The worst kind of Meta. Feeding off my human weaknesses.”
She giggled again as they stepped into the hotel room. He shut the door and locked it.
“I’ll take first shower, you idiot,” she said. “Your loss if you don’t join me.”
He grinned as she skipped into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. As soon as the door shut, he sank down into a chair and leaned his head back, staring up at the ceiling.
The Marshal job was important to him, and he knew he might get canned for this. But he couldn’t bring himself to send her back to Max, even if she seemed to think she deserved it.
He had options, but they were options he didn’t want to use. Before he went that far and fucked up his life even worse, he’d have to see how this played out. Maybe he’d get lucky, and Wyatt’s bosses would see her utility and keep her around.
Wishful thinking, of course. But he had to have some hope.
18
Jared parked outside of the Pittsburg Meta Department office and climbed out of the car. Cassie got out and followed him toward the nondescript concrete building. It looked like any other police station in town, except this one didn’t have any information out front, no signs or anything, and the door was locked. He hit a buzzer, waited a long moment, and the door swung open.
He expected a uniformed cop to bring him back, but Detective Clyde stood there, head tilted. “Morning, Marshal,” he said, and nodded to Cassie. “I see you brought your convict.”
Jared did his best to smile, despite the annoyance. “I’m here to debrief.”
“Bet you are. Come on in.”
Jared went in with Cassie on his heels. The Meta Department was the spitting image of a police station, with a few glaring differences. There were wards etched all over the place. Some were runic in nature, simple power markings that were crude and effective, but most took the form of priori placements, visible as very, very light glowing lines. Jared could see and follow them better than most, because his body was used to dealing with the priori, but most people had some awareness of them.
Detective Clyde took them back through a series of offices, cubes, and holding cells. He noticed a few annoyed-looking people sitting in one cell, and he only realized they were vampires when one pretty girl flashed her fangs. He smiled back and nodded to her, which got him a grin.
They continued on and ended up in an interview room. Wyatt was there, folders and papers spread out in front of him. He stood and looked exhausted, probably from driving all night. “Morning,” he said. “I might as well fucking live here for a while.”
“Captain.” Jared slipped in and let Cassie take a seat. Detective Clyde walked around the table and leaned back against the far wall as Jared sat down. “So what’s the deal? Have you spoken with the suspect yet?”
“He’s in holding,” Detective Clyde said. “For now, we plan on leaving him there.”
“Let him stew,” Wyatt agreed.
“I want to talk to him.” Jared looked between the two men. “I know you probably don’t want me to.”
Wyatt grunted. “I may not be happy with you but I’m not an idiot. I think you have the best shot of getting that asshole to talk.”
“I disagree with that,” Detective Clyde said. “And he falls under my jurisdiction.”
Wyatt snorted. “Don’t pull that shit, Detective. My officer was ambushed, nearly killed.”
“That’s not how I see it.” Clyde tilted his head. “My partner was first on the scene. She said it looked more like your officer and his pet Shifter here did far more damage than those Dryads.”
“Did you count the fucking casings they dumped out?” Wyatt snapped.
“True,” Detecti
ve Clyde conceded. “There’s not doubt in my mind that those two acted in self defense. But that woman is a convict and she was allowed to run rampant.”
“I wasn’t rampant,” Cassie muttered.
Jared put a hand on her back for a moment. “Sir, with all due respect, you wouldn’t have lasted ten seconds in that fight,” Jared said. “And I only got through it because of her. These Dryads, they’re desperate, and that makes them dangerous. I’m afraid your squad isn’t equipped to handle them.”
Detective Clyde gave me a smirk. “And you are?”
“We found their safe house,” Jared pointed out. “They only got away because they got the drop on us. But that won’t happen again.”
“I’m sure it won’t.” Detective Clyde sighed. “I won’t keep you from the Dryad, Marshal. But you need to be careful. I can’t have more blood on my turf.”
“I’m not sure I have much control over that,” Jared said.
Wyatt put up his hands. “Okay, we’ve measured dicks, and we’re all long and beautiful. Can we shut the fuck up now and get to work?”
Detective Clyde grinned. “I’ll leave you gentlemen to hammer out the details while we get the perp situated. I won’t take a crack at him until you’ve had your chance. Scout’s honor.”
Jared nodded. “Thank you, Detective. I appreciate that.”
Wyatt grumbled something resembling a thank you as Clyde slipped out of the room. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. “Fucking jurisdiction,” he grumbled. “Gods, it makes it so much harder.”
“What’s the play here, sir?”
Wyatt glanced at Cassie. “First, let’s address the Shifter in the room.”
“Oh, so now I exist?”
He gave her a flat look. “You’re a pain in my ass, young lady. And I don’t like it when my ass hurts. Especially when it wasn’t a welcome pounding.”
She blinked at him in surprise. Jared just grinned. He’d heard Wyatt talk like this before. He got crude when he was tired and worked up.
“Problem is,” Wyatt went on, “Jared here seems attached to you, and thinks you’re an asset. So what the fuck am I supposed to do with you?”
“You could always let me go,” she said with a smile.
Wyatt didn’t laugh. “Understand something. I don’t find you funny or cute. In fact, I think you’re dangerous. I think Jared here is a fool to trust you. Maybe I’m wrong. I hope I am. But unfortunately, I’m getting it from both ends, and that puts me in a real bad position.”
“Sir—” Jared started, but Wyatt interrupted.
“I have permission to allow her a temporary position. She’s being given a reprieve, so to speak. Her sentence is being postponed.”
Jared stared at him. “What?”
“Postponed,” Wyatt repeated. “Not commuted, not removed. She’s still a felon and still going to Max. But you now have two weeks.”
“How?” Jared was stunned. He thought he would have to fight for this, or maybe even walk off the job.
“I made some calls,” Wyatt said. “You have no clue how much pressure I’m getting right now to recover that artifact. There are certain people that will allow just about anything to see it happen. Which means you have some leverage right now. But the more I use those people, the deeper in the shit I get, so don’t keep asking for more.”
“Yes, sir,” Jared said.
“Good.” Wyatt stood. “Two weeks. Then she goes back, artifact or not. And if we’re not the ones that recover it, some other agency will be, and I suspect the Marshal Service will go through some serious fucking budget cuts next year.”
Jared nodded. “I’ll do what I can, sir.”
“Thank you,” Cassie said.
Wyatt looked at her. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“I won’t.”
Jared stood. “We should go talk to that suspect.”
“Yeah, I think you should.”
Cassie got up and the three of them left the room. A uniform lead them down a few side halls until they ended up outside of Interview Room C.
“I’ll be next door,” Wyatt said, then paused. “Send her in first. I think he’ll get a nice scare out of that.”
Jared grinned at him as he disappeared into the observation room. He was sure Detective Clyde was in there along with Detective Mindy and a few others.
He took a deep breath. Cassie moved closer to him. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Fine,” he said. “Haven’t interviewed a suspect in…” He hesitated. “Well, ever, actually. I’m a Marshal, not a cop.”
She grinned. “It’s easy. We’ll ask him questions. You’ll be good cop, I’ll be big bad Shifter cop that bit off his hand.”
Jared laughed. “All right. You know what, let’s do what Wyatt said. You go in first, sit down, I’ll come in a second later. Okay?”
“Okay.” She looked up at him. “Thanks for standing up for me.”
He nodded. “Friends, remember?”
“And I’m useful. Don’t forget that.”
“Go prove how useful you are.”
She gave him a big smile then turned to the door. The smile vanished, replaced by a vicious scowl, as she opened the door and stepped into the room.
He heard a surprised grunt and counted to twenty in his mind before following her inside.
19
The Dryad sat across the table from them, pale and drawn. His stumped wrist was wrapped in white bandages that looked fresh and clean. Jared figured he’d been magically healed, which meant there was a strong Magi around here somewhere, or maybe a Meta with healing abilities. He didn’t know much about healing magic, just the basics. He could stop bleeding and stabilize a person, but beyond that, he was useless.
He sat down next to Cassie. She was sitting straight and staring at the Dryad. He was staring back and Jared could feel the man’s fear wafting off him. The Dryad’s aura was all over the room, barely contained and flickering with anxiety. He was thin, with a sloped nose and almond eyes. His skin had that greenish cast, but he was tanner than most Dryads. They dressed him in a prison jumpsuit of the most fashionable brown, just like the outfit Jared had first seen Cassie wearing.
“How are you doing?” Jared asked.
The Dryad looked a little surprised. “Doing? She bit off my hand.”
“Ate it too,” she said.
He blanched. Jared sighed. “She didn’t eat it,” he said. “She ripped it off and dropped it on the ground.”
That didn’t seem to calm him. “What’s she doing in here? Why is she…”
Jared leaned toward him. “You tried to kill us, remember? I think we get the ask the questions.”
The Dryad shut his mouth and looked away.
Jared reached out and opened up a file on the table. He frowned and looked up at the man. “Your name is Harry?”
The Dryad didn’t answer.
“Okay, Harry.” Jared glanced at Cassie. She was staring at the Dryad like she would shift and rip off his other hand at any moment. “Let’s talk. You understand your situation, don’t you?”
He shrugged.
“You tried to kill a MetaDept officer. Well, just a Marshal, but still.”
Another shrug.
“You know what that means, right? They’re probably going to throw you in some hole in Max. Assign some bored Magi to torture you twice a day. Something like that.” He leaned back and shook his head. “I don’t envy you, Harry.”
“That’s where I’m going when this is all over,” Cassie said. “I’ll be at Max with you. And when we’re there, the rules won’t apply anymore.” She gave him a wicked grin and he stared at her.
“Is she joking?” he asked.
“Oh no,” Jared said. “She’s the other prisoner we were transporting when you guys sprung Ferric. By the way, how’d you do that? Was it some kind of spell?”
“Human weapon,” Harry said. “RPG. Cost a fucking fortune.”
“Huh.” Jared glanced up at the right corner whe
re the camera was. If a human weapon popped a hole in the side of that transport, someone fucked up their enchantment. “Was it worth it?” he asked.
“Was what worth it?”
“Sacrificing yourself, spending that fortune. All to get… what’s his name again?”
“Ferric.” Harry stared at him. “It will be worth it when Ferric stops your people.”
Jared frowned. “My people?”
The Dryad looked away.
“We heard you arguing out there,” Jared said, changing his tact. “It sounded like not everyone was on board with killing us. You didn’t speak up right away.”
“Jessalene has her beliefs,” he said.
“Here I thought all Dryad clans thought alike.”
He snorted. “No. Do you little families all think the same?”
“I see.” Jared tilted his head. “So there are divisions within your clan?”
He didn’t speak.
“Can you believe this guy?” Jared said to Cassie. “Tries to murder us and then won’t have the decency to talk.”
“He’s pissing me off,” she said.
“I could turn the cameras off for a bit,” Jared offered. “Let you get some of that frustration out. I’ll heal him up when you’re done.”
Cassie grinned. Harry shrunk away but he didn’t fall for the obvious lie.
Jared sighed and leaned toward the Dryad. “Tell me about the divisions in your clan, Harry. What side is Jessalene on?”
“She doesn’t want war,” Harry said. “She’s weak and all those that agree with her are weak too. War’s coming, magician. Better get used to it.”
Jared frowned. “Magi,” he said.
Harry glared at him but said nothing.
“Where is the artifact?” he asked.
Harry stared.
“If you give us that, things can go easier for you. I’m sure you’ll still do time, but maybe not at Max. Maybe somewhere far from this very angry Shifter here.”
“Go to all the hells,” Harry said.
“Okay, that’s fair, but I still need the artifact.”
“It’s hidden and you’ll never get it back.”