by M. D. Grimm
Poe had gotten the tattoo years ago when he was promoted to Level 4 field agent. For him, it was a symbol and a binding contract. The three dominant species on earth, human, fae, shifter, depended on each other. The survival of one depended on the survival of all. They were all interlinked, a concept the Knights would never understand.
Poe turned off the water and dried quickly before yanking on his clothes. The steam clouded up the mirrors. He used his palm to wipe it away, clearing a diagonal strip that he could see himself in. He ran the towel roughly through his short hair and then used a blow dryer. It made him feel girly and overly fussy. But his gel wouldn’t work in wet hair―at least, not the way he liked to use it. Squirting a healthy amount of gel into his palm, he spiked his hair with ease that could only come from frequent repetition. It only took five minutes, and then he left the mirror, packing his things into his gym bag.
Knights were still out there―the remnants of an organization whose only goal was to destroy the shifters, to annihilate them all. Poe and most of the field agents had taken them down barely three days ago, and the amount of work they had left was obscene. Not only did they need to go through the paperwork and records of the Knights, they needed to help those shifters imprisoned by the monsters. Help them physically, mentally, as best they could. Their chief had sent requests to other Agencies around the world, begging for reinforcements. But it wasn’t enough to make a dent in all the work. Now Josh. Poe was being torn apart by all the things that required his attention.
The fact that he felt personally responsible for Josh’s predicament (Please, God, let him still be alive) didn’t help things. He didn’t want anyone else handling that investigation. He needed to do it himself, dammit. That fucking insane wolf shifter was his responsibility. And poor Josh had been left alone at the substation after Odin called Mac away because of the raid. Something that Poe always cautioned against. There should always be two people to watch the shifter. Because shit like this would happen!
He hoped there would be some sort of answer or cure or whatever in the Knights’ data that could help the wolf shifter. But where to look? He’d also started to wonder if there were more like the wolf shifter. More shifters made into weapons. A few of the knights rounded up had been on the Agency’s recruitment lists as young adults but had strangely vanished before the Agency could approach them. Those people, specifically, had their lives upended by vicious shifters killing or maiming family members. Poe didn’t believe in coincidences, though he had no hard evidence to his theory.
Poe walked out of the locker room and headed down the pristine hallway to the office and his cubicle. He had more research to do. Agents came and went out of doors, phones could be heard ringing, and keys on keyboards were clattering. The air was zinging with energy despite the early hour. Poe suspected that everyone was hopped up on coffee and sugar, trying to sift through all the data the Knights had accumulated over years of what they called “research.” It was torture to anyone who had a soul.
Poe wrinkled his nose as a strong and putrid scent hit him. It smelled like someone had let something rot in the community fridge again. Poe rolled his eyes―when were they going to learn? Eat the damn food or don’t bring any. Yuck.
“Hey, Poe!”
Poe turned his head but kept walking. Agent Pan, an man who looked like he was a Greek sculpture come to life―only clothed―jogged down the hallway to him. Pan’s hair was black and framed his finely-shaped face, cut just below his chin. His skin was olive, and his eyes were a deep, rich brown. He also happened to be a rangy six feet tall. Pan was positively drool-worthy. He was also one of the agents to look for intimate shifter company on the down-low.
“What?” Poe said.
Pan looked like Christmas had come early. “Agent Ignis just found six more knights.”
Poe was impressed. “She does nice work. Hope we have room.”
“Oh.” Pan laughed and slapped Poe’s shoulder. “We’ll make room. Promise.”
Poe smiled. “Get to it then.”
Pan kept grinning as he jogged down another hallway. Poe watched him for a moment, admiring his enthusiasm―and his ass―before stepping into his section of the building.
Agents worked in specific divisions at headquarters; some worked locally and others on investigations across states. Poe was one to hop states. He and a few others were the go-to Level 4 Agents when it came to trouble that was thousands of miles away. He shared the Interstate Division with Agents Genii and Isis along with Pan and Hecate, and a few others. The agents were broken up more-or-less evenly between Captain Odin and Captain Hera. Poe didn’t envy the captains―they needed to constantly monitor news reports and the Internet (or their aides did) and then needed to compile enough evidence to justify sending an agent to investigate. And, of course, some shifters and human allies called the Agency personally for help. Those were given top priority. In fact, it was one of those calls that had led Poe to infiltrate and disband the Knights.
The Agency had hundreds of aides, who were frequently assigned to substations around the United States. They rotated annually. That was how Josh got in such a predicament. He’d just happened to be assigned to the substation that held the wolf shifter.
Poe’s jaw clenched.
He walked into the office that held his cubicle and had to immediately duck to avoid a paper airplane aiming for his eye.
“Hey, Lila, what the hell?”
A petite black woman with bright hazel eyes bit her lower lip as she tipped herself out from her cubicle.
Poe glared. “I know it was you.”
Lila vanished back inside her little box. Poe hid a smile. Lila was a sweet girl but still needed to lose some of the green of a rookie. Or the immaturity of a child. She was a Level 3 partner to Agent Ignis, a Level 4 field agent. Level 3 partners were in their final years of training and got to be more hands-on in investigations with field work. Lila had apparently held down the fort while Ignis rounded up those knights. Poe had yet to be saddled with a partner, and he was quite happy to have it stay that way. He wasn’t one to train someone else. He didn’t have an aide assigned to him either, which worked just fine. He’d rather do his own research. But aides did have their uses―they did the filing and most of the data entry. They also answered the phones. Poe had great affection for aides, but only from a distance.
There were other Agency headquarters across the globe, but it was rare that the Agencies worked together, each being independent. There was, however, an annual meeting of the chiefs in Switzerland. But even before the raid on the Knights’ HQ, the US Agency had connected with the others because of the murderous bastards―they weren’t isolated to the States. Apparently, they were a global problem. That knowledge just made Poe anxious.
His cubicle sat right in front of Chief Anu’s office, and he’d never liked that. He had also never liked their new chief―Anu just seemed too… slick. Snake-like. His personality just seemed slimy.
“Any luck with Josh?” Agent Hecate asked as he passed her cubicle. Hecate was a Necromancer―a disgusting gift in Poe’s opinion, but he would never tell her. He respected her, though never wanted to see her ability in action. She was originally from New Orleans, and her dark skin made her silver eyes shine brighter from her face. He hadn’t yet had a chance to officially work with her during a case, but he’d chatted with her about cases before. She always lent a different perspective on something he might be stuck on.
Poe shook his head, and the hope in her eyes fizzled. Poe felt weighted down. He felt like a failure. He sat down heavily and dropped his gym bag on the floor the same time his cell phone vibrated with an incoming text. Poe sighed and slouched in his chair before reading the text.
“Dammit,” he muttered. He dropped the phone on his desk before straightening his shirt and walking to Chief Anu’s office. He smoothed his face to neutral as he approached the office. Shades currently blocked the windows that looked out at the bullpen, which raised his anxiety level. But the
door was open, and Poe stepped up to the threshold, grimacing inwardly at the medals and awards the chief had hammered into the walls.
The chief’s desk was situated in front of another window that looked out onto the skyline. The busy street was below, and other tall office buildings rose up, stretching toward the sky. The sky was blue, and the weather looked like it might actually be a nice day, instead of all the rain and thunder they’d had of late. The office was small with all the latest equipment. The desk had been hand-carved and polished. The room smelled of incense, and Poe instantly thought of home―his mother loved stuff like that and his father tolerated it. His heart ached, but he gave no outward sign of his homesickness.
Poe knocked on the doorjamb, and the chief, who was typing, his eyes focused on his screen, nodded to Poe without looking at him. Poe stepped inside the office, leaving footprints in the thick blue carpet.
“Shut the door.”
Poe shoved the door with his hand, and it clicked shut, blocking out all exterior noise. He said nothing, and the chief kept typing. Poe resisted the urge to sway with impatience and instead stood still, his hands held behind his back, his legs set firmly apart. He waited silently, because that was what he was trained to do.
Some might say that Chief Anu was attractive. Poe never thought so. His face was too pointed, his skin too sallow. His hair was long and black, pulled into a ponytail. Poe always thought he needed to wash that hair. His eyes were bright blue, cold, and he seemed to always be planning. Conniving, in Poe’s opinion.
Long fingers continued to type, and Poe suspected that the chief was relishing his power to make Poe wait in silence. Jerk. He also noticed the rather large bejeweled ring on the chief’s pinky and secretly wondered if it had been a bribe.
“Thank you for waiting, Poe,” Chief Anu said. He finally looked up at Poe and leaned back in his chair. “Let me just cut to the chase, shall I?” the chief continued. Poe said nothing. “I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but I’m afraid I must change your priorities.”
Poe’s jaw tightened, and his fingers flexed behind his back. “Might I ask why?” Poe said after he’d managed to pry his jaws apart.
“Of course.” The chief sounded delighted. “I have a mission for you, Poe, one that only an agent with your talents and skills has any chance of completing.”
“With all due respect, Chief,” Poe said. “I don’t think anything is more important than capturing knights and finding Josh.”
“I understand that, Poe,” Chief Anu said, appearing sympathetic. Poe wasn’t convinced. “But there are other agents who are working on rounding up the knights, and you can pass off the Josh situation to another agent.”
Josh situation? It took almost all of Poe’s training to keep himself from ripping Anu apart.
“Chief,” Poe said. “Josh could still be alive, and the wolf shifter is my responsibility. I’m the one who tracked him, captured him, and got monthly reports on him. And Josh―Josh is one of us. I have to find him.”
“Yes, a wolf shifter you didn’t inform me about until you were pressed.”
Poe had nothing to say to that, so he kept his mouth shut.
Chief Anu raised an eyebrow as his mouth curved into a gentle, sickening smile. “Have you ever considered the fact that Josh might not still be alive?”
Poe seethed. “I have considered it, Chief. But I must work under the assumption that he is alive. And the knights―”
“As I said,” Chief Anu said, pulling a folder out of his desk. “The entire Agency is working on the Knights. It’s time to be a team player, Poe. You can’t do everything.”
“But―”
“Enough!” Chief Anu snapped, his smile gone, his face sour. “This is not negotiable, Agent. This is an assignment that I am personally giving to you.”
And that was a strange thing―agents didn’t normally have much contact with the chief, and the chief never gave out assignments personally. He or she would always give special assignments to the captains, and then they would give them to the most appropriate agent. There was a chain of command. Poe’s anxiety grew―why was the chief subverting the chain?
“Does Captain Odin know about this?” Poe asked stiffly.
Chief Anu looked like he was sucking on a lemon. “I’ve sent him a memo.”
Liar. “Chief Anu, I do have another question,” Poe said as respectfully as he could. “I have vacation time coming up. I had hoped to find Josh before that time came. But now that I have a new assignment, well, I wondered if you had a deadline on this mission.”
A small, rather sinister smile graced the chief’s face. “There is no deadline.”
Poe wanted to scream. No deadline meant he might be on this mission indefinitely. He had no option―he needed to succeed because that was the only way he would be able to move onto anything else.
And―dammit―he’d scheduled his vacation years ago. He was going to spend one blissful month in Yellowstone with his parents. Parents he hadn’t seen in years. He’d been looking forward to it for a very long time. All three of them had. Now that would be pushed off for who knew how long.
Poe had desperately wanted to find Josh and get a good handle on the scattered remains of the Knights before he left. Now all his plans were flushed down the toilet.
“I do apologize for this, Poe,” Chief Anu said. “But this mission is very delicate, and once you have completed it, you will have your vacation. I promise.”
Chief Anu slid the folder across his desk and leaned back in his chair. Poe took a deep breath and grabbed the folder, flipping it open. His stomach dropped. Just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse.
“You have got to be kidding,” Poe said, his training slipping.
“Indeed, I am not.” The chief sounded like he wanted to laugh.
“You want me to locate and make contact with―” Poe whispered.
“Nordik.” Chief Anu smiled. “Yes, that is correct.”
“But―” Poe had just fallen into a black hole and simply kept falling. “Chief Anu, Nordik is a master shifter. Sanctuary is his home. He won’t be found unless he wants to be.”
“Then make him want to be found.”
Poe gaped. He couldn’t help it.
“Poe, you are the only agent we have that has any chance of finding Nordik.” Chief Anu had a notable tone of urgency in his voice. “You know how to survive in the wild, how to track. You need to find him.”
Poe shook his head. “Why?”
“Well, since the Knights are disbanded.” Chief Anu paused there, giving Poe a look that indicated he hadn’t forgiven Poe for keeping him out of the loop concerning the raid. “We need all the help we can get,” Chief Anu continued. “We need help from shifters to find other knights, to detain them. Having a master shifter on our side would be a vital asset.”
Poe felt a little dizzy. Nordik was a bear shifter and the guardian of Sanctuary, which was made up of several national forests in Canada, Montana, and Wyoming. He was also a master shifter, which meant he was nigh immortal. Nordik was already very old and exceptionally hard to kill.
Poe had never met a master shifter―they kept their locations hidden and rarely made their presence known. Nordik was one of two they actually knew by name and the only one with a definite location. As much as the massive, mountainous terrain of Sanctuary could be termed a “definite location.”
“And he might know where the other master shifters are,” Poe said softly, staring at Chief Anu with increasing dislike.
Chief Anu smiled. “Now you’re getting it.”
Poe gripped the folder in his hands, wishing he could tear it up.
“I want Genii to search for Josh.”
Chief Anu raised an eyebrow. “I will assign the agent for that job―”
“I know, sir.” Poe struggled to keep his voice calm. “But I am requesting that Genii take over for me. She is familiar with the case, and I would focus better on this mission if I knew she was on it.”
Chief Anu nodded. “I will consider it, Agent Poe. Now, I think you should get going. The sooner you find him, the sooner you can go on vacation.”
Poe wanted to leap over that gaudy desk and punch the chief in the face, but instead inclined his head, tucking the folder under his arm. He turned on his heel, opened the door, and left the office. He walked straight to Genii’s cubicle and leaned close to her.
“Find Josh, Genii. Even if the Chief doesn’t give you the task, find Josh,” Poe said in a low voice.
“What? What’s going on Poe―?”
“A wild goose chase,” Poe said. “The chief has something up his sleeve. Just find Josh.”
She opened her mouth again, and Poe gripped her shoulder. She nodded, still looking confused.
Poe returned to his cubicle and grabbed his cell phone and several other items before shutting everything down. Captain Odin was currently on assignment, but Poe would call him as soon as he was at his apartment. Odin would keep an eye on Anu while Poe was smack in the middle of nowhere searching for a ghost.
Chapter Two
Poe tried to pack light, but it was difficult when he didn’t know how long he would be gone. So he focused on the essentials: food that would last for months without going bad, water, warm and rugged clothes, sleeping bag, GPS, a compass, a satellite phone….
He checked off the list in his head and moved around his small apartment―which was sparsely furnished and used mostly for storage. There were only two rooms, the living room/kitchen and the bedroom with a connecting bathroom. The bed was barely slept in and the kitchen never used. He didn’t even have pots and pans. His fridge only held a pitcher of water, and the freezer was stocked with long-lasting food. He’d physically lived at the Agency in a communal bedroom until he’d been partnered with Odin. There were too many agents to comfortably house at headquarters, even with the substations offering extra room. He rarely spent time in this apartment, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to sleep at his desk, working late into the night.
