by Dana Archer
“He might owe a blood vow to someone.” Rick offers the suggestion teasing my mind.
“Blood vow?” Lyla’s studying Rick as if she can glean the information from his expression.
“A vow basically giving your free will to someone else. The vow itself has to be freely given, but it results in the ultimate form of ownership. Magic ties the giver and receiver together, literally making the one who gives up their free will a slave to their owner.” Rick shrugs as if he doesn’t know how else to explain it, though honestly, it’s a pretty good explanation.
“Maybe he was just trying to manipulate me.” Lyla scrunches her nose. “And I hate to say it, but Harry’s not exactly the smartest man in the world.”
“There’s one way to find out—talk to a powerful shaman. They can tell us if Harry’s bound by a blood vow or not. And lucky for us, a very powerful shaman lives in the city.” And owes me a lot more than one favor. Bryon owes me his life.
Twenty
Lyla
The lumpy sheet-covered body on the table in my lab will surely haunt my nightmares for years to come. Officer Eddie De Nola was supposed to be retiring at the end of the month. He was going to watch his twin granddaughters while their mom was working. He even got a pass to the local community center so he’d be able to take them swimming every day.
Eddie was not supposed to die.
He certainly should never have committed suicide. The running car in his home’s garage tells a different story, though. So does the suicide note written in his handwriting found on his person.
With a hand over my mouth, I choke on a sob. Both Ella and Uri suggested I call the Virginia coroner to conduct this autopsy, but I couldn’t hand this case over to someone else. I need to be the one to bring him justice.
Eddie was my friend.
I turn my back on the stainless steel table and the corpse on it. I’ve already finished my initial exam. There’s nothing more I can uncover from the cadaver right now. The large whiteboard on the far wall where my desk is set up holds all the information I need.
A deep breath settles me for the gazillionth time today. What does it matter if I keep breaking down? I made it through the worst autopsy of my life and collected the knowledge I sought.
I was right. The dealers modifying Elixir weren’t done. But they likely are now. Both my mother and Eddie tested positive for the same version of Elixir and neither showed any sign of the Elixir-induced organ damage that starts to show up even after the first dose.
I have no way to know if a Royal’s blood was mixed with this drug, however. There’s no available test that’s sensitive enough to pick that up. Not even a DNA screen. But the tests available give me a common link between my mom’s death and Eddie’s. That’s more than I had yesterday.
The pulsating lights above the door and the buzzing sound alerts me of my visitor before I can consider the implications further. I walk to the desk and press the button unlocking the door. I don’t need to check on who’s here to see me. Only the good guys are allowed in this building, and only a few of those would come down here where the crazy human cuts up dead bodies.
The sound of the door closing reaches me, but I pick up the microphone and officially record the cause of death for the autopsy report—contemporaneously, as per procedure—for later transcription.
“Officer Edward ‘Eddie’ De Nola died of carbon monoxide poisoning while under the influence of a hallucinogenic street drug I’m referring to as Elixir C from here on out. Elixir C has a nearly identical chemical makeup to the original version of Elixir but contains an unidentified thickening additive that appears to either slow or prevent the absorption of the drug into the user’s organs. This absorption has been shown to lead to organ decay and eventually failure in human users.”
Tapping a finger to my pursed lips, I consider the best way to describe what I saw. “The thickening additive in Elixir C, however, appears to coat the veins and arteries of the human user. I’m speculating that repeated use of Elixir C will amplify this phenomenon and eventually lead to heart failure or aneurysm in the same manner atherosclerosis narrows arteries which in turn leads to such outcomes. I have no indication how long a user would need to take Elixir C to succumb to either condition, but I suspect it’s dependent on the overall health of the user and whether heart disease is already a factor.”
With Eddie’s medical file open in front of me, I flip the pages detailing every test and office visit. “In Officer De Nola’s case, however, prolonged use of Elixir C is not suspected. Only one injection site is visible, and due to the location in the jugular vein and Officer Eddie’s documented severe shoulder arthritis, poor range of wrist motion due to a previous injury, and no previous signs of suicidal tendencies, I’m concluding this death a homicide.”
I lower the mic, then raise it as another thought grips me. “Personal note for further investigation and later memo: Since Eddie is a victim of homicide, his wife should be entitled to his retirement pension and survivor benefits. A detailed analysis will likely be needed to process this.”
“Hopefully you’ll be able to reach a similar conclusion for our second victim of the day. Our poor jaguar shifter has several surviving siblings who would find comfort in knowing their little brother didn’t take his own life. As it is now, suicide victims are stripped of all rank, funds, and earned awards. They’re basically treated as failures in certain circles.”
I pivot and take in Izzy’s image. Dressed in dark jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt, Izzy reminds me more of the girl I used to hang out with than the hooker we chased through the streets a couple of nights ago or even an agent, for that matter. She gives off the vibe of someone who belongs in the shadows.
“Did I shock you more with my announcement or my transformation from slut to agent?” Izzy spreads her arms out and looks down the length of her body. “I clean up good, don’t I? Just like a normal person.” She laughs and drops her arms. “And those who fall for this getup will only end up feeling betrayed when they realize what’s hiding in plain sight.”
Every shifter is a predator in lamb’s clothing. That includes the shifter I welcomed into my body and soul. I shake my head, casting thoughts of Uri and how right it felt to give myself to him aside and focus on Izzy. “Our other victim has been found?”
Izzy nods. “Hanging from a tree limb in the park outside town. A human female out jogging found him before our agents could and called 911. Luckily, Colin and Uri were the first to respond to the scene and managed to take control of the situation without more humans getting involved. Then Sam and I responded to their call for backup and got the body out of there.”
“You and Sam?” While not pertinent to the case, this piece of information sets me on edge. “You’re the special ops agent Sam’s been paired with?”
With a smile, Izzy nods. “The one and only.” Her features sour, turning her gorgeous face into that of a betrayed woman. “Though it’s looking more and more like our arrangement will be coming to an end thanks to your male.”
“Uri didn’t know you were an agent.” I stand taller, ready to take on my childhood friend. “It’s not right to blame him for what happened.”
“I know.” Izzy’s exhale visibly calms her. “I should’ve hightailed it in the opposite direction before he picked up on my presence. He was too busy loving you to notice little ol’ me, but I wanted to see the touch of my goddess.”
“The touch of your goddess?”
Izzy smiles. “All Alexanders carry a piece of her within us. Sort of like a stamp that tells all other Royals we belong to her. Honestly, I should’ve snuck a peek last year once I learned the Alexander pride moved to West Virginia.”
Silence stretches as I work through my memories and the snippets of conversations we’ve had. “The other night, you said this city was as good as any to sell your body, but the Gomez family was deported not long after it was discovered they adopted you illegally, and you just admitted to not knowing the Alexander
s were close by. So what family were you talking about when you decided to go undercover here?”
“My dad.” She drops her gaze. “I mean the man who’s acted like my dad. Blood ties aren’t everything they’re cracked up to be, you know? So far, mine to the Alexander pride is all about how I’m supposed to act, not what I’m supposed to get out of it. Seems a little one-sided to me.”
“The beginnings of any relationships are all about learning and adjusting. You’re literally taking two separate lives and meshing them together.” I interlock my fingers to demonstrate. “A family relationship isn’t any different. You can’t expect it to be perfect from day one just because you share a name or the touch of your goddess.”
“The Alexander pride thinks so.” Izzy leans forward. “Your male thinks so too. You were there when he gave me that little speech about how Alexanders are supposed to act. There was nothing in his lecture about getting to know each other or finding out how to grow into what they expect. It was do it this way or be shamed.”
“I think you’re reading into what Uri’s intentions were.”
“And I think you don’t understand what joining that particular family means, ’cause Uri’s right. The Alexander pride has a hefty reputation. A vow made is a vow kept. Doesn’t matter when or under what conditions it was made. And if the way Uri looks at you is any indication, you should make sure he’s good with loving the unworthy.”
I swallow hard. “Why is that?”
“Girls like us…girls who understand that breaking the law is sometimes necessary aren’t worthy or valued. We’re not honorable. We’re criminals. You and me both. We’ve cheated, stolen, manipulated, and lied to get by. I know you’d do it all again if you had to, wouldn’t you?”
I can’t deny Izzy’s words. “Yes. We did what we had to do, and I know I would do the same again if that’s what it takes.”
“Then make sure your male understands that before he makes things permanent.” Izzy softens her expression. “Once you share that sort of bond, there will be no secrets between the two of you. His innermost thoughts and opinions of you will be ones you can’t run from.”
I told Uri about my past. I told him what I had to do to survive. He’s still with me. No, I won’t let doubt cloud this thing between us. I set the recorder down and make my way to Izzy. “What is your case? And how does it involve Sam?”
After a long heartbeat where Izzy simply stares at me, she walks past me and heads in the direction of my desk. Once in front of my whiteboard where I scribbled notes pertaining to the Elixir variations, she crosses her arms under her breasts. “I know you hated your mom, but I love mine. Not my adopted mom. My real one. I was with her until I was about three, maybe almost four. She’s beautiful. She’s kind. And she’s ruthless. Really ruthless. My memories of her are either of her rocking me to sleep or freaking eviscerating the men who’d come into our cell if they so much as looked at me.”
My blood turns cold along with my skin. I wrap my arms around myself, but I can’t counter the ice in my blood. I can’t even begin to imagine what Izzy went through any more than I can relate to what my own sister experienced. While my life’s been hard at times, I’ve never been in a situation I couldn’t get myself out of. Even when I was younger, all it took was me going down to the library to find my safe place.
“You mom’s still alive?”
“Yeah. They keep hoping to break her, but she’s too stubborn for that.”
“Where is she? And who are ‘they’?”
Izzy shrugs. “That’s my undercover case’s objective: to find Nina Alexander and her current owners.”
“And Sam’s helping?”
“My mom took care of Sam when she was kept as a slave. Gave her blood to heal her injuries. Talked to her and brought her food. She even tried to break her out once.” Izzy glances over her shoulder, and her haunted look adds to the chill spreading through me. “And they took her away. That was the last Sam saw of her.”
“I’m sorry.” And realizing there’s so much of Sam’s past I don’t know is humbling. Even though I asked, she still sought to protect me. “But how is Sam helping?”
“The shifter who owned her told her things. Things about Nina, about the trafficking ring that’s plucking innocents off the streets, about the demented bastards who trade shifters as if we’re a commodity. Things our inside source has never been able to find out even though he’s been acting as a lackey for them for decades.”
“Who’s your inside source?”
“The man who tipped me off so I could tip off Shifter Affairs about Sam. He’s also the one who told me Sam’s owner is the one experimenting with different combinations of Elixir and is now selling what you’re calling Elixir C to the humans.”
I storm forward. “And you’re just now telling me about this?” Knowing my own sister kept this knowledge from me is even more infuriating. “People are dying!”
“People are dying in the trafficking ring my mother is trapped in too.” Izzy steps forward, her fists balled at her sides and the muscles in her arms flexing. “Are the homeless and drug-addicted humans more important than the men, women, and children who are being tortured and abused right now as we speak? They’re experimenting on them. Screwing with babies before they’re even born. Altering them without any care as to what their modifications are doing to them or whether they survive whatever experiment they’re being put through.”
Izzy invades my personal space and looks down at me. “My baby brother is broken! He’s going to turn feral if he’s lucky. Die if he’s not. Then there are my other sisters and brothers. They’re out there somewhere. Maybe trapped in cages. Maybe living as pets. So go ahead.” She points to the ceiling. “Tell me that worthless single shifter up there who was selling the syringes he stole is more important than my mom and my siblings. Tell me they’re more important than saving girls like Sam.” Izzy glares at me. “And I’ll tell you, you’re a selfish bitch.”
After living with Sam and dealing with her rages, I’ve come to understand sometimes you just need to scream and other times you need someone to bring you down from the all-consuming anger with calm words and a compassionate voice. I can’t say I know Izzy well enough to guess which reaction will defuse this situation. We’ve grown apart, but I can’t manage to muster any wrath of my own to yell back.
“I can’t tell you that. I’m not your goddess. I’m not their goddess either.” I lay my hand on Izzy’s shoulder once the tension drains from her muscles and leaves her looking as if she’s on the verge of tears. “All I can say is that I would do everything in my power to try to help your mom and siblings just as I would Harry or any of the human users on the streets.”
“Then you’re a better woman than I am.” Izzy snorts. “Of course, I already knew that. You stopped to help your mom when all I cared about was getting the bastard who took Sam all those years ago.”
My surprised gasp tightens my throat for a moment. I swallow against the tightness. “That was the man who hurt Sam?”
“Cedric Yuran.” Izzy nods. “I recognized his scent. He’s been around the city, different parts but—”
“And you didn’t tell Shifter Affairs so they could—”
“I am Shifter Affairs.” Izzy purses her lips to stop her smile. “And my goal isn’t capturing him. It’s to exploit him. He’s a top dog in the ring that’s spread my mom and siblings out across the country. Once he gives up everything he knows, I’m bringing my family together just like an Alexander is expected to do.”
Her demented glint hints at Izzy’s predatory side. I drop my hand. “Your cover is blown. Tell Uri and the others what you know about Cedric Yuran and—”
“It’s comprised, not blown.” Izzy smiles. “And like I said, even if it is blown, there are other cities, other players. This network is bigger than you can ever imagine. I’ll just start over.”
Nothing I say will sway Izzy now. She’s on the defensive. Besides, Ella’s the best person to get info
rmation out of her. As a higher-ranking agent, Ella’s got more clout than me. All I have is my persuasive skills and those are hit and miss. Look at the twisty and turny path Uri and I are taking to fall in love.
I step back, the full implication of my own thoughts leaving me unsettled. It’s not the right time to acknowledge them, but now that I have, there’s no escaping the consequences.
I’m falling in love with Uri.
The buzzer draws my attention. I look over my shoulder at the pulsating lights.
Izzy drops a few curse words as if doing so is second nature. “That’s probably Sam with the cleanup crew. I came ahead to give you a warning and see if you wanted to call a different coroner in for this one.”
Every muscle in my body locks tight. “Why? Who died?”
“Doyle Lynch, Colin’s baby brother.” Izzy scrutinizes me, no doubt wondering what my blank stare at her announcement means. “Sam said you know him. That he went to school near here and you two used to play poker and—”
“I know him.” I say the truth softly, respectfully, then I focus on the button to unlock the door as the mistake I just made leaves me feeling anything but respectful. “Not know. I knew Doyle. He was a good guy. Funny. Caring. He played a straight-faced poker game too.”
Izzy squeezes my shoulder. “I’m sorry. Cedric’s making this personal.”
“Then so will I.” I press the button and glance over my shoulder in time to watch my sister, followed by several shifters rolling in a gurney, walk through the door. “And he’s going to regret coming after me and mine.”
Uri will make sure of that.
Twenty-One
Uri
My true mate’s red-rimmed eyes speak of the tension she’s been under all day while I’ve frantically worked with the other Shifter Affairs agents who comprise the cleanup crew to contain the Category 3 scene that exposed our secrets to a human.