The Royal Occult Bureau

by Barbara Russell

  “I don’t follow,” Jessica said, wiping her hands with a cloth.

  “It seems that the incubus and the cryptid are working together,” I said.

  Evander grinned. “That’s what it looks like, except that Unnaturals never work together. They don’t think of themselves as a community. They don’t support each other.”

  “And bloody thank God for that.” Jasper’s voice sounded slow. “The day they develop a class consciousness, we’ll be crushed.”

  Evander waved a dismissive hand. “The cryptid’s presence might be a coincidence, but what if it was a cryptid that lured Asia out of De Luna House the other night?”

  I perked up. “Not Charlotte?”

  He gave a one-shoulder shrug. “You said Charlotte was weak, but that night she was running faster than you. Maybe it was a cryptid wearing her coat to trick you.”

  And he’d succeeded. I’d forgiven Charlotte for having lured me to a trap, but knowing that it hadn’t been her lifted a weight from my chest.

  “Stay here, Jasper.” Evander retrieved his gun from the cabinet and tucked it in the holster.

  Jessica gathered her things, including the leather pouch from my bed. “I have to go too. I need to examine some samples in the laboratory.” After casting a furtive glance at Jasper, she hurried away.

  Well. The good doctor was smitten with Captain Jasper.

  Evander paused on the threshold, a hand gripping the frame. “If anything happens, go to the bureau. You know the way.”

  “Of course. Don’t worry.”

  “I do worry about you.” His voice lowered to a husky tone filled with hunger.

  Was he remembering our kiss? Did he want to kiss me now? Or maybe I was just going mad with need.

  I inched close enough to bask in his warmth. “Stay safe.”

  He drew in a breath that strained the jacket and brushed his knuckles on my cheek. It was a touch as light as a moth’s wings, but started a skitter of butterflies in my belly. His gaze dropped to the floor, and he withdrew his hand, glowering.

  Jasper was watching us, a brow arched.

  “Good night,” Evander muttered.

  The door shut with a thud behind him, but my skin still tingled, and Jasper was still scowling.

  ~ * * ~

  TWO HOURS HAD passed since Evander left, and I’d done nothing but pace around the house. Jasper had fallen asleep on the couch, his brow furrowed even in his sleep. The man was silent when he was awake and even when he was sleeping. His breathing was so soft and noiseless I checked he still had a pulse.

  Despite the warmth spread by the fire, I shivered and draped a shawl around my shoulders. Worried that even poor Jasper might be cold, I took the quilt from my bed and went to tuck it around him. He bolted upright and grabbed my wrist while aiming a fist at my face. The movement was so fast and fluid, I didn’t have time to gasp. Only my heart gave a solid kick.

  “It’s just me.” I held up my free hand. “Asia.”

  “Sorry.” He released me and scrubbed the back of his neck. “You caught me off guard.”

  “So I noticed. How do you feel?” I sat on the armchair next to him. “Do you need anything?”

  His chestnut locks swished about his bruised face when he propped on his elbows and regarded me with a harsh stare. “Do you realise that once this is over, Sirius is going to remove every memory of us from your mind?”

  The brutality of his statement was like a slap.

  “It won’t be necessary. I won’t tell a thing. Besides, who would believe me?” I squirmed in the armchair. “And why are you asking me this? I was enquiring on your health, and you barked about my memory.”

  A gust of wind rattled the window, and I jolted. Dash it, I was a pot of nerves.

  “I didn’t mean to be rude.” He reclined on the couch and heaved a sigh, a hand on his chest. “It’s that, you and Evander seem . . . close.”

  Not as close as I wanted. “He’s simply protective of me. That’s all. And it’s none of your business.” I regretted my tone as soon as the words were out, but the damage was done.

  Jasper laughed, a gruff laugh that shook him. “Fair point well made, but I was merely concerned about you.”

  “I didn’t mean to snap.”

  He waved a hand. “I prefer honesty and a real talk to hypocrisy and a chit-chat.”

  I wanted to ask him a few questions about Evander, but surely, he wouldn’t say a thing. “How were you recruited by the bureau, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Another gust of wind howled like a possessed man, and the flames in the hearth flared up.

  “I was twelve,” Jasper said.

  “Twelve?”

  “The bureau recruits new agents when they’re young. I was sent to Sheltenham, an occult military academy, and lived there since my graduation. The training is long and extensive, and the sooner you learn, the more chances you have to survive a fight with an Unnatural.”

  “How’s the training?”

  Jasper smiled as if enjoying a memory. “They beat us, whipped up, and did all sorts of things to harden our bodies, and I have to say, the training worked. The lack of sleep was what annoyed me the most, or staying in the cold, naked for hours. If we woke up a minute late, they punished us. If our uniforms were creased, they punished us. Once, I couldn’t sit for a week after a particularly intense caning.”

  “Lord, that sounds brutal almost like growing up in the streets.”

  He shrugged. “My grandfather worked at the bureau, in the administration office. He suggested my enrolment. I wanted to quit a few times because of the constant punishments, but Evander was always there to support me. He always said I could do it.”

  If I’d been Jasper’s mother, I would’ve had a couple of things to say about that training. “Did Evander start so young as well?”

  Jasper flashed a knowing smirk as if to tell me: I knew you wanted to ask me about Evander.

  “No. Evander’s path was different. We met at Sheltenham when we were fifteen.” He smiled again, but in a more relaxed way, and scratched his chin. “Never seen a better boxer. Quick feet and quick mind. Punching him was bloody difficult. And I’ve never met a better friend. He’d give his life to protect those he loves.” There was a fierce intensity in his statement that charged the air.

  It was easy to believe that Evander would rather die than let a loved one suffer. A sudden flare of sadness pressed my chest.

  “I don’t want to forget,” I whispered.

  “It’s the law.” His smile vanished, and the slant of his eyes softened. “The world is dangerous enough without worrying about the Unnaturals.”

  The tone was kind, but I didn’t care. His words scraped me raw. When the moment arrived, I’d do everything to fight Sirius. I was ready to inject myself with the green vial if necessary, but I wouldn’t forget Evander.

  Jasper’s shoulders slumped. “Asia—”

  “I’ll put the kettle on.” I rose and headed towards the kitchen.

  “Asia, please, understand.”

  “I don’t understand.” I filled the kettle and put it on the cooking stove with too much energy. A metallic clang resounded.

  “Four little whores up for a spree, one drunk herself to death and then there were three,” a cold, vicious voice sang behind me.

  I turned so fast I hit the kettle with my elbow. Water sloshed over the stove, and the flames underneath hissed. There was no one behind me. The kitchen was empty. But the voice had been clear and close. The noxus’s voice.

  My heart was choking me. I gripped the table, scratching my nails on it.

  “Asia?” Slow footsteps approached.

  The scream I meant to let out died in my throat.

  “Three little whores want to cook a stew—”

  “Jasper!” The yell erupted from my mouth with enough strength to hurt my throat. I snatched a knife from the counter and spun.

  The noxus tower
ed behind me, his long crooked nose an inch from my face. “Hullo, little whore.”

  “Asia!” Jasper jumped over the table that separated us and landed a crushing punch on the noxus’s face.

  The sickening noise of broken bones sounded. I rushed out of the way, still gripping the knife. The noxus whimpered and staggered back. Jasper lunged again, pummelling him with vicious punches.

  Dark-red blood splattered on the floor. Jasper’s hand closed around the noxus’s neck, then he slammed the Unnatural on the table. With a quick swish, he unsheathed a dagger from a holster and went to stab the noxus.

  The table shook when the noxus kicked and smacked his heels while trying to bite Jasper’s hand. Leathery wings protruded from the creature and flapped wildly, shoving Jasper back. Talons as long as daggers flashed in the light. The noxus opened his mouth, showing sharp fangs. He pounced on Jasper. Despite the fear weakening my legs, I shot forward and threw the knife. The blade hit the creature’s shoulder. A feral yell ripped the air as the noxus grovelled on the floor, letting go of Jasper.

  “Cryptid.” Jasper grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the kitchen. “Well done.”

  We rushed along the corridor, Jasper still clenching my arm. He slid a key in the lock and flung himself on the door, but it didn’t budge.

  “What the hell.” He let me go and shouldered the door, groaning.

  Nothing.

  The noise of the cryptid’s talons scratching the floor echoed.

  “He’s coming,” I said, trying the damn key. It spun freely.

  “Dammit!” Taking my hand again, he dashed inside my bedroom and locked the door behind us.

  I pushed the dresser onwards to block the door. Jasper helped me, making short work of moving the heavy thing.

  The dresser jerked when the cryptid slammed against the door. The hinges screeched and groaned under the attack. They wouldn’t last long, like Jasper and me.

  Cold sweat trickled down my back. Baring his teeth, Jasper leaned against the dresser, shoving it back. Pain etched his face, and his chest was lifting and falling too quickly.

  “Did you have your shot?” I asked, pushing the dresser back with all my strength.

  “Not recently. The effect is wearing off.”

  Another shove made us jolt.

  “Wait.” I pulled the drawer of the nightstand and took out the syringe and vial. They turned out to be useful after all.

  Jasper didn’t ask how on earth I had them, but a deep frown settled between his brows.

  “I’ve never done this.” I handed him the syringe and the vial.

  Keeping his back against the dresser, Jasper injected himself with the green serum. He closed his eyes when the green glow spread along his arm and cast eerie shadows on his strong jaw. Emerald light radiated from his eyes, then a growl rumbled from his throat.

  “Step aside, Asia.”

  Every muscle in Jasper’s body pulsated with energy. His chest heaved, and the glimmer in his gaze was a promise of revenge.

  I did as told without missing a beat. Nobody in their right mind would mess with an R. O. B agent with all those bulging muscles and wrath exuding from him.

  He lifted the dresser and put it aside as if it didn’t weigh more than a book.

  The door cracked and shattered. Sharp splinters flew in every direction. I crouched next to the bed and covered my head. The noise of flapping wings overlapped to Jasper’s roar of fury. Then chaos exploded.

  Jasper punched the bat’s muzzle, or at least I thought it was the muzzle. He moved so fast all I could see was a blur of chestnut curls and a white shirt. The cryptid rolled back only to transform into the noxus I’d met, except that sharp talons grew from his fingers and fangs peeked from his upper lip. He’d haunt my nightmares.

  He lunged. Jasper met him midway and held him in a chokehold. They were entwined together with Jasper head-butting the creature without pause.

  “My dagger,” he shouted over his shoulder.

  I sprang up and snatched a dagger from the holster strapped in his thigh, avoiding a kick from the creature, or maybe it was Jasper.

  The cryptid struggled like an eel, scratching and biting Jasper’s arms. Blood trickled down Jasper’s body, but he his grip on the beast didn’t slacken.

  “I can’t move. If I release him, he’ll change again. Stab him. Hit the heart.”

  “Isn’t your touch supposed to make him fall asleep?”

  He glowered. “Well, my power obviously isn’t working.”

  I’d seen enough people stabbing others to know the technical part of the stabbing, but actually do the act was another matter. Besides, the dagger was heavy, and my fingers could barely close around the wrought hilt. A sour taste filled my mouth, and my knees trembled. Not to mention that Jasper and the Unnatural weren’t standing still. They shifted and jerked in a deadly dance I could barely follow. I might stab Jasper.

  “Asia!” Jasper’s eyes gleamed harder.

  Holding the dagger’s hilt with my knuckles up, I waited for the creature’s chest to be exposed. Gritting his teeth, Jasper held the creature in place. Sweat glistened on his forehead.

  I tiptoed around him. The beast’s chest was deuced small compared to Jasper’s. It was like trying to catch a hummingbird.

  “Do it!” Jasper groaned out.

  I sank the blade into the Unnatural’s flesh. It wasn’t different from stabbing a watermelon in terms of strength, but the squishy noise of the skin breaking and the spout of blood made me sick to my stomach. And dash it, the noxus form looked too much human. I twisted the blade and buried it deeper, resisting the urge to close my eyes.

  The noxus let out a soft gasp and stopped struggling, mouth hanging open.

  Dark blood dripped from the wound, not a large amount but enough to send a shudder of horror through me.

  “Go back now.” Jasper dragged the noxus away from me. “Walk away.”

  I staggered back, tripping on a large piece of wood that had exploded from the door.

  The noxus slouched, eyes rolling back, and his body turned into black smoke. The dagger clattered on the floor with a sharp click. I was wondering why Jasper had asked me to go away when the stench of burned sulphur singed my nostrils and the back of my throat. Tears welled in my eyes, and nausea caused my stomach to roil. I clamped my hands on my mouth and nose and rushed to the bathroom, nausea overwhelming me.

  I emptied my stomach in the bowl while my skin itched as if stung by stinging nettles. The sulphurous cloud burned my skin like acid.

  “Wash yourself,” Jasper said from behind me. “Clean your skin from the poison.”

  He opened the tap and scrubbed his bleeding arms and face.

  The moment the water washed over my skin, the itching stopped. Relief tasted sweet but not enough to stop the nausea. I groaned, rinsing my mouth.

  “I know. It’s awful.” He handed me a towel.

  “Does every Unnatural do that after you stab it?”

  “Cryptids are particularly nasty.” He glanced towards the door, muscles twitching as he scrubbed himself raw with the soap. “And I’m sorry. I tried to knock him out, but the poison messed with my power.”

  “How did he enter?”

  “He must’ve turned himself into something small and crept under a window or through the chimney. Then he did something to the door. Probably he stripped out the inside of the lock.”

  “How?”

  “Unnaturals’ blood can corrode metal.”

  “Hellfire.” Exhausted and with sore muscles, I sat on the edge of the bathtub. “So the noxus was a cryptid.”

  Jasper loosened the collar of his shirt. “I’m not sure. Maybe this damned Bertie has a real noxus and a cryptid at his service. Worrying.”

  “He thought I was alone, didn’t he?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you think the incubus didn’t go to the Fair Maiden then? That he was waiting nearby for the noxus to tak
e me after having lured Evander out?”

  He touched his swollen face. “That’s my guess.”

  “Oh, Lord.” I slid to the floor, not trusting my sense of balance while perching on the edge of the bathtub. “If you hadn’t been here—”

  “But I was here.” He squeezed my shoulder. “And you’ve been brilliant. You stabbed him right through the heart.”

  Oddly enough, his praise didn’t bring me any joy. A shudder rocked my body. My teeth chattered, and I accidentally bit my lip hard.

  Jasper knelt in front of me. I’d lie if I say that his massive body didn’t intimidate me, especially after having witnessed what he could do. The strange glow in his eyes was a dim spark. He took my trembling hand. The warmth of his skin was nearly feverish.

  “Listen, take a hot bath to clean yourself from the cryptid’s gas. The warm water will relax you. I’ll be right outside the bathroom. I won’t leave until Evander is here. I promise.”

  I nodded.

  He rose slowly, as if aware that his strength was scaring me. Before closing the door of the bathroom, he bowed, the gesture suddenly sad, like a goodbye. Then I was alone with the stench of sulphur and the cryptid’s blood in my hands.

  Sixteen

  JASPER HAD BEEN RIGHT.

  Lying in the bathtub filled with hot, scented water had a magic effect on my body. My muscles relaxed. The itching stopped, and even the nausea diminished. But every time I closed my eyes, a vision of the cryptid’s contorted face flashed in my mind.

  I’d killed a creature.

  Yes, he’d been a vicious, dangerous Unnatural that had been about to kill Jasper and me, but the cryptid had been in human form when I’d stabbed him, and the fear and pain in his widening eyes had been human enough.

  From the corridor came the noise of slamming doors, and I jolted. Footsteps padded, then male voices sounded. A thrill coursed through me when Evander’s deep rumble echoed.

  “What?” he shouted.

  Jasper said something I didn’t catch, but Evander’s voice lowered.

  Footfalls rushed past the bathroom. Surely, Evander was going to see the disaster in the bedroom.