by Susan Illene
“It was Kristen, wasn’t it?” He narrowed his eyes. “I should have known. She is the only witch with an open invitation to Fairbanks.”
I’d pushed for that a long time ago, though she rarely used the invite.
“The DHS office needs a ward and you know it,” I said, defending the one and only friend I had who knew me back when my adoptive parents were still alive. We’d come into our abilities around the same time at fourteen years old. She’d loved that she could practice her spells around me without having to worry about me getting hurt. Then I’d had to move away after my adoptive parents died, and I didn’t see Kristen again until a couple of years ago.
“Take him.” Lucas thrust our captive toward me. “I’ll wait out here.”
I grabbed Ralph’s arm. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
Lucas ran his gaze up and down my body. “Yes, you will.”
I gulped. There wasn’t much I could say in front of an audience, so I opened the office door and hauled Ralph through it. Patrick followed and took our captive’s other arm. O’Connell stood in the hallway, speaking with a middle-aged man who had short brown hair and wore a gray suit. As soon as they saw us, they stopped talking and met us in the reception area. It was almost midnight, so I wasn’t surprised the secretary wasn’t here.
“Is this the firebug?” the DHS agent asked, gesturing at the man we held.
“Yeah, this is Ralph. You might want to put some handcuffs on him. We had a hard time keeping him from running,” I said, grateful Ralph held still for the moment.
“This is Detective Burks,” O’Connell introduced the man in the suit. “He is acting as the liaison between our office and the Fairbanks Police Department.”
“I’m Melena Sanders. Nice to meet you.” I shook hands with the detective, feeling a slight zing in my palm when we touched. Patrick greeted him as well, then darted a furtive glance at me.
He’d caught the same thing I did about Burks. The detective had a hint of elf in him—about an eighth. When a person only had a little fae in them, our senses wouldn’t register it until we came into close proximity of him or her. Burks probably didn’t have magical abilities, and he didn’t show any outward physical signs such as pointed ears, but I was willing to bet he couldn’t be compelled easily. He was also easy on the eyes, not that Lucas had to worry about any competition. I was happily married now.
The detective pulled out a set of handcuffs and put them on our culprit. “My superiors want me to question him first before we take any action.”
That didn’t surprise me. They were hardly going to conduct a big operation on my word alone. “Be my guest, but don’t take too long. If Ralph’s buddies figure out he’s been compromised, they’ll run.”
“Not to worry.” Burks patted the guy down, checking for weapons. I was glad to see he was thorough. “They always tell me what I want to know.”
That was an interesting way of phrasing it. Maybe he did have a touch of magic in him. I dug into my handbag and took out a Ziploc bag with the cell phone, keys, and other small items we’d found on Ralph before coming here. “Here’s everything he had on him.”
“Thanks.” O’Connell took the bag, then addressed Burks. “Use the interrogation room in the back that I showed you.” He pointed down the hallway. That was a new addition he’d set up while I was away in Purgatory.
“Thank you.” The detective guided Ralph away.
I waited until he’d shut the interrogation room door before speaking again. “So what do you think of Burks?”
“I’ve met with him a few times since he became liaison and found him to be competent and open-minded. He’s got a good head on his shoulders,” O’Connell replied.
The agent wasn’t the type who gave praise often. That piqued my curiosity. “Really?”
“I get the feeling he’s known about supernaturals a lot longer than the rest of the world,” the agent confided, speaking in a low tone.
“It’s probably because…” Patrick began.
“Not everyone was in the dark before this year,” I interrupted, hoping the sensor would take the hint.
More than likely, Burks knew all about his ancestry. He had just enough elf in his DNA that he would notice the subtle differences between humans and supernaturals. Plus, his family would have told him something since mixed-bloods weren’t always well accepted within the fae community. He had to be on guard as a result. As long as he proved useful, I’d never tell on him.
Patrick cleared his throat. “Melena is right. There have always been some humans who figure out the truth and choose not to reveal it for obvious reasons.”
When O’Connell glanced away from us, I shot Patrick a thankful look. He dipped his chin in acknowledgment. If he kept this up, maybe I would learn to trust him.
While we waited, I stepped out of the office and updated Lucas on the situation. He didn’t like standing around, but a hug and kiss seemed to settle him for the moment. By the time I went back inside, Burks had finished his interrogation and left Ralph locked in the room.
I caught the last rays of an enchantment he’d used. Yep, he had a natural talent for dragging the truth out of humans. It wasn’t through compulsion, but rather through magical pheromones he secreted that would loosen the tongues of anyone nearby. Our culprit wouldn’t have been able to fight it since the elixir he’d taken wasn’t designed to block that. I was going to have to get this detective’s business card for future use.
“He was more cooperative than expected and a little roughed up,” the detective said, giving me an inquisitive look. “Did you do that to him?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t, but my husband had to get physical with him when he wouldn’t stay in the vehicle. The guy took an anti-compulsion elixir, so it wasn’t easy to keep him from trying to escape.”
“Wait.” O’Connell held a hand up. “You mentioned on the phone you got married. When did that happen?”
“A few hours ago.”
The agent glared at me. “And you didn’t invite me?”
“Don’t feel bad. I didn’t get to go, either,” Patrick said, sighing.
I couldn’t resist explaining further. “The archangels made us get hitched—in a courthouse just outside Heaven. I didn’t get to choose the guests.”
“You’re joking.”
“Nope. There’s no way I’d make that one up,” I replied, then held out my hand for O’Connell to see the ring.
His eyes rounded. “Damn. You definitely weren’t wearing that the other day or I would have noticed.”
Burks had a mystified expression on his face. “Why would the archangels make you get married?”
“That is a long story that would take too much time to explain.” Which was true enough.
“What are you?” the detective asked, cocking his head. His fae blood must have given him some sort of vibe about me. I’d been told that since becoming immortal, I didn’t feel quite human anymore the way others of my kind did—at least not up close.
“I’m a sensor and my husband is a nephilim. Patrick here is also a sensor.” There was no point in hiding it since O’Connell would tell Burks anyway.
The detective opened his mouth and then shut it. Nervousness radiated off of him. He must have realized we could detect the elf in him and worried he might be given away. I gave a subtle shake of my head, letting him know his secret was safe with me. Relief filled his eyes.
O’Connell frowned, no doubt suspicious he’d missed something. “Right, well, we need to get the task force ready to go.”
“I’ve got the list of addresses we need to visit,” Burks said, holding up a piece of paper. That was going to save us some time. “I just need to call my superiors.”
I put a hand up. “Wait. Make sure they know Patrick and I have to take part in the raids. There’s a guy on the list who we need to find as part of a larger investigation.”
His gaze met mine. “No problem.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
>
Melena
It was early morning and we’d just finished raiding the final cult member’s house. I watched as a female officer handcuffed the suspect. He’d tried running out the back door, but several cops posted there put a stop to that escape plan.
Two raid teams had worked simultaneously, each taking half the addresses Detective Burks got from the guy who’d tried to burn my home down. Luckily, hitting the places in the wee hours of the morning allowed us to capture everyone on the list, and we discovered maps stashed in one of their houses marking the areas they’d targeted. We’d also found a lot of flammable materials that they’d stored.
It was a rare piece of luck, considering the way things usually went for me. With the evidence we had, we could put away the whole group—except we hadn’t found Harvey because I wasn’t that lucky. Patrick was off with another team checking out a potential lead on him. I could only hope it panned out.
“That makes the last person on the list,” Burks said, joining me. He looked as tired as I felt. “Not counting the guy you wanted.”
I shook my head. “These are just low level human members. The man I’m looking for, Harvey, might be second-in-command for the national cult and could provide valuable intel for us.”
“You say all the ones we caught are humans. What is Harvey?” Burks asked.
I expelled a breath, hating to admit once again that my kind were responsible for causing the problems. “He’s a sensor.”
“Like you?” He lifted a brow.
“No, not like me.” I ground my teeth, trying to keep my temper under control. My exhaustion was starting to get to me. “He’s a bad guy who targets innocent people. I want to stop men like him, regardless of their race.”
He let out a chuckle and patted my back, easing the tension. “Do not fear, Melena. Your reputation precedes you in this town so that even mixed-bloods like me know who you are. I was just caught off guard before because I wasn’t expecting to see you at the DHS office. As far as most of us knew, you disappeared a few months ago.”
It was good to know I’d been missed. “How much do you know?”
“About as much as anyone, I suppose. You’re immortal thanks to your nephilim mate and you’ve proven time and again that you’ll protect the innocent. As you said, regardless of their race,” he paused, and I caught a hint of respect in his eyes. “To be honest, it’s an honor to work with you.”
Well, that explained why he’d been so cooperative. I’d become used to most people being against me from the start and struggling to win them over. Had I finally done enough good things that the supernatural world had begun to notice? I could only hope.
Lucas walked up carrying a Styrofoam cup of coffee. “You might want to drink this fast.”
“Why?” I asked.
“It appears Patrick may have found Harvey.”
I stiffened. “Where?”
“They’re pulling up to Bambi’s shop now.”
Oh, crap. That was the last place I’d expected him to be.
***
Police cars surrounded the shopping center where the herb shop was located. Cori had her tattoo studio there as well, but at eight in the morning she wouldn’t have come to work yet. Bambi was a troll, though, and liked to be up early. Harvey had apparently taken advantage of that and decided to target her. She’d lost her husband to the plague earlier this year and nearly died from it as well. There was no way I’d let something else bad happen to her now.
I stood next to a police car, wearing a flack vest and waiting for permission to go inside. Agent O’Connell was across the parking lot, doing some fast talking. Other than him and Burks, no one knew I was immortal and not really at risk. The police were insisting on sending in one of their own guys to talk Harvey down.
“This matter could be solved in less than a minute if you allowed me to take over,” Lucas said, putting an arm around me.
“You know why it can’t be you.”
“What if I promise not to kill him?” he whispered in my ear.
“We have to make this look as legitimate as possible. Just because sups are out of the closet doesn’t mean we can start undermining the police. The only way to gain their trust is to cooperate with them.” He knew all this, but I suspected he needed reminding. We had missed our wedding night to capture bad guys, after all, and every minute we continued to be delayed only irritated him further.
Lucas rubbed his face, showing signs of the same exhaustion I felt. I couldn’t remember seeing him sleep since I’d returned and wouldn’t have been surprised if all he’d done was take brief naps. The damn man accused me of taking on too much. For the past week, he’d been caring for me, repairing damage to the house, watching over Emily, fighting fires, and working at the nerou compound. Lucas needed a break more than I did.
He gave me a wan smile. “I’d suspected you’d test my vows soon, but not this soon.”
“Trust me, I’m about five minutes away from saying to hell with it and going home. This has taken a lot longer than I expected.” I leaned against him.
He kissed the top of my head. “You’re still not at full strength yet.”
“Close enough.” I straightened.
Lucas sighed wearily. “We will rest after this is over. Our honeymoon can begin tonight after we’ve both had time to recover.”
“Melena!” O’Connell called, jogging toward us. “You’re on.”
“About damn time.”
“Be careful,” Lucas warned. “I do not want my bride recovering from gunshot wounds when I plan to consummate our union.”
“That was a visualization I could have done without,” Patrick said, walking up. He’d gone to grab coffee and donuts, which I no longer had time to enjoy.
I ignored him and gave Lucas a kiss. “Be back soon.”
O’Connell handed me a radio and gave me some last minute instructions. I listened with half an ear. All I could think about was getting in there, saving Bambi, and going home. At this point, I didn’t even know if I cared whether our suspect survived or not.
The tension in the parking lot ratcheted up a notch as I walked toward the herb shop with my hands up. To the sensor waiting inside, I made it as clear as possible I had no weapons on me. It was more of a show for the police. Harvey knew very well that I didn’t need a gun to kill him. I was amazed he’d agreed to let me come inside, all things considered.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled open the glass door. The shop was so dark it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. Shelves lined the walls on the left and right sides, full of various types of herbs that reminded me of a different time. A checkout counter sat in the back. Up until last year, I’d worked in this shop, but then Felisha—the previous owner and a good friend—was killed. It wasn’t easy to come back here again, especially under the circumstances.
The only thing that had changed was the fountain in the middle of the room had been removed. Bambi hadn’t liked it and got rid of it soon after taking over. Harvey stood in the spot where it had been now, one hand holding a pistol to the troll’s head and the other hand gripping her neck. He was at least two feet taller than her, so it had to be an awkward angle for him. I’d half expected a big tough guy, but his appearance was average. Neatly trimmed black hair, sensor-blue eyes, and a medium build. The kind of man you could walk past on the street and not look at twice.
“You can stop right there,” he said.
I’d only made it a few steps into the shop. “You know there is no way out of this.”
He pressed the pistol harder into Bambi’s temple, making her wince. “Not if you help me escape.”
“Why would I do that?” I asked, keeping my voice calm and reasonable.
“We know all about you, Melena Sanders. You’ve turned against your own kind and sided with the supernaturals. Even this troll who stinks to high heaven,” he paused to scowl down at Bambi, “is someone you would defend.”
I felt bad for her. He’d scared her so much she’d dropped
the glamour that usually covered her inhuman appearance. She had an overly large forehead, pudgy nose, and orange-red hair that stuck out from her head like pieces of straw. Her lips were squeezed shut, hiding her razor-sharp teeth.
How had he managed to catch her off guard? By far, trolls were one of the more difficult creatures to capture without getting seriously hurt. Harvey didn’t seem to have a scratch on him. Then I noticed a Taser gun attached to his belt and figured it out. Most supernaturals had a fear of lightning and some fae, including trolls, didn’t care for electricity all that much. No wonder Bambi didn’t fight him.
“I defend sensors, too. The ones who don’t go around hurting people,” I said, barely able to hide the anger simmering inside me. He would pick up traces of it, but hopefully not enough to set him off. I just needed to buy a little time and keep his attention on me.
“Like Patrick?” Harvey sneered. “I feel him out there, hiding behind all those cops.”
We’d already guessed he’d have detected Emily’s father. It didn’t matter in the scheme of things. “Why is it so important to kill all supernaturals?”
“Because they don’t belong!” he spit out.
I took a cautious step forward. “According to who?”
“Angels, humans…everybody who is not them.” His hand shook where it held the gun.
Please, God, don’t let his trigger finger slip, I prayed. Trolls were vicious and strong, but they couldn’t survive a bullet to the head. Despite her foul smell and irritating behavior, I liked Bambi. She had a good heart beneath all the layers of dirt and grime.
“If the angels really wanted all supernaturals dead, then they’d be dead,” I pointed out, scooting my feet a few more inches forward. The closer I got to him, the better.
“No.” He shook his head. “We have to meet the angels halfway, show them we’re willing to fight.”
I caught movement in the back storage room, but didn’t take my eyes off of Harvey. “Did they tell you that?”
“They don’t have to. It’s how it worked the last time we waged war on the supernaturals,” he said, squeezing Bambi’s throat when she shifted her feet. Her face was almost scarlet red, and she wheezed from being unable to take deep breaths. This needed to end very soon.