by Clara Cody
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Other Books by Clara Cody
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A Note from Clara Cody
All’s Fur in Love and War
An Arcane Affairs Agency Novel
Clara Cody
Copyright
All’s Fur in Love and War
Clara Cody
Copyright 2016- Clara Cody
All Rights Reserved
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Chapter 1
A knock came at Sarah’s door. She saved and closed the file she’d been working on so diligently for the past hour. She hated being interrupted, but there always seemed to be someone waiting, wanting something from her. “Come in,” she called, slipping her glasses off and storing them in the desk drawer.
A man in a dark gray suit opened the door. “Agent Hazelwood?”
She sat up straighter. “Yes. Can I help you?”
“Olson wants to see you, Agent.”
She stood, smoothing out her blazer. “All right. He’s in his office, I trust.” He usually was. Either there or the meeting room.
“No, he isn’t. He’ll meet you at the Shifter Affairs building. He’s en route from lunch right now.”
“What?” she gasped, breaking the calm demeanor she always worked so hard to maintain. “The Shifter…dammit!” The building housing the shifter department was clear across the Arcane Affairs Agency compound. It would take her twenty minutes to walk there. She looked at her watch. “Okay, if we take the cart I can be there in ten.”
He suddenly looked ruffled. “I have better things to do than chauffeur you around to—”
She grabbed him by the cuff of his suit jacket, dragging him from her office. “Oh, yes you are, Brian. You know why? Because I highly doubt that Assistant Chief Olson just informed you of this little meeting. No, I think you forgot to tell me, and now you’re gonna fix it, or I’m going to let him know who told the office about that accident he had with the photocopier and the engorgement spell. Got it?”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
They hurried down the hallway, passing several desks and dodging people with papers. She snatched a Starbucks cup off of an agent’s desk as she hurried by, making a mental note to buy her another one once the meeting was over. She had a feeling she’d need the extra energy.
“What’s this about, anyway?” Sarah asked, climbing in the passenger’s seat of the cart.
“I don’t know.” He started up the cart and took off.
She closed her eyes, saying a quick spell to make the cart go faster. She opened them, feeling slightly drained and took another drink of the terribly sweet coffee. “Why Shifter Affairs?”
“I don’t know,” he repeated, sounding annoyed.
“Ugh, never mind.” She took a deep breath. What the hell could this be about? And in the Shifter Affairs, no less. She’d barely left her own witches’ building in the past year unless it was to go to lunch.
The spell worked better than she thought, and they made it there in less than ten minutes. She was feeling it, though. She finished off the syrupy coffee and left it in the cup holder as she got out. “Thanks, Brian.”
“You owe me, Sarah,” he said with a glare as he sped off.
She found her boss, Agent Olson, standing in front of the elevator. She was relieved to see him. Shifters weren’t exactly welcoming to witches, and she was about to walk into the lion’s den. Having a higher up like Olson made it easier.
He stood with his hands clasped in front, wearing a dark black suit and blue tie. His hair was cut short and swept to the side. He wore thin, metal framed glasses and always managed to look proper and business-like. “Oh, good,” he said, somewhat disapprovingly. “You finally made it.” He walked quickly through the door, and she did her best to keep up with his long strides in a pencil skirt and heels.
“Um, yes. I got here as soon as I could. Sorry, sir.”
“It’s fine.” The elevator doors opened, and he gestured for her to pass. Two agents, a man and a woman, stepped in after him. Shifters. The man was tall with massive, broad shoulders and longish, light brown hair. God, he was gorgeous in a dangerous, don’t-tell-your-mother sort of way. Smelled good, too. The woman glared, looking Sarah up and down with obvious contempt. Sarah adjusted her blazer, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Even within the Agency, shifters and witches did not play on the same team.
The woman rolled her eyes, giving the man a smirk.
He grinned back. “Looks like some lonely heart upstairs needs her palm read.”
The woman tittered.
Asshole. Sarah glared at the back of both of their heads. “Looks like someone needs her palms waxed,” she muttered.
The woman sent a tense glare at her through the reflective elevator panel, her mouth pursed. The man, turned, and appraised her. Was that a smirk? Olson just shook his head. Luckily, the pair got off on the next floor.
“You’re really going to have to learn to be more diplomatic, Hazelwood.”
“I’m sorry, sir.” She looked down at her shoes. “You’re right.”
“Forget about it.”
They reached the sixth floor and walked out into the stark, white hallway. It smelled differently to the witches’ building. Not bad. Just…different. It looked different too. It had the same setup, the same paint, even a lot of the same crappy pictures on the wall, but it wasn’t the same.
Sarah followed Olson through the office, forcing her chin high, ignoring all the stares and dirty looks they got from everyone sitting at their desks. Things got quiet. The only sound was Olson and her feet moving across the floor. Out of nowhere, a roar sounded, vibrating through the walls. A lion.
She jumped, despite herself. A chorus of laughter rippled through the Agents on the floor.
She sniffed, tugging at the cuffs of her jacket. Witches were never this rude. That was the thing with shifters, they were so damn proud of themselves. If they came into the witches’ building, they would find nothing but polite, if perhaps restrained, smiles. Witches were dignified in their hatred.
“Forget it,” Olson said, picking up the pace.
“Yes, sir.”
They stopped outside the Supervisor’s door and knocked. Her stomach lurched. No
t only were they deep in the middle of shifter agents, but she was about to meet the Supervisor. At least it wasn’t a Council member. That would really have her knees knocking. Cut it out, she told herself. You got this.
A woman with long, full, red hair answered the door. She was older, but it took a minute to realize. The only hint was the fine lines around her eyes and mouth. “Good morning, Olson. Come in.”
“Thank you, Supervisor Kent,” he said. “This is Agent Sarah Hazelwood. She’s one of our best agents.”
“Good, have a seat.” She walked around to the opposite side of the desk and sat down. “I’m afraid we have a bit of a problem on our hands. There’s a town not too far away, Hill Haven. A human and shifter town. Co-existed for generations, not that the humans know anything about it. Anyway, I got a call this morning about Hill Haven at four o’clock. Seems like shifters have been losing their powers down there.”
Sarah’s eyes went wide. “Losing their powers?”
She nodded. “Yes. You can appreciate that we want this case solved quickly and quietly. If there’s something that’s taking away shifter’s powers, we need to know what it is, and make sure no one else gets their hands on it.”
“Yes, ma’am, I understand.” She chewed nervously on her bottom lip. “But, why not send a shifter to take care of it?” she asked. “Why me?”
“The answer is two-fold. One is that we think it may be witchcraft in the first place that’s causing this. A curse, perhaps? I don’t know. I have to admit, I don’t know much about the magical arts.”
Sarah nodded. It wasn’t unusual. She didn’t study up on shifters, vampires or the fae, either. She’d taken some classes in the academy, but that was it.
The Supervisor continued. “We need a witch there to help find out what’s going on. And, secondly, a witch will be less at risk. Any shifters we send will be at risk of losing their own powers. But not a witch.”
“Ah ha.” She folded her hands in her lap. It was a pretty straightforward mission, but it wouldn’t be easy. Not in a town full of shifters. Walking into this office would be a dream compared to Hill Haven.
The phone on the Supervisor’s desk rang. She picked up and answered, gesturing for Sarah and Olson to wait, while she stepped outside to take it.
“This isn’t just a case, Hazelwood,” Olson said, his elbows leaning on the armrest. “This is your chance to prove yourself.”
“Sir?” Her hands were shaking.
“Show me and the other supervisors that you’re ready for more responsibility. I know you were just promoted not that long ago, but I see great things for you, Hazelwood. This is your chance at another promotion. How does Level 3 Special Agent sound?”
She was shocked. She had not expected this, not so soon after her last promotion to Level 2. Before that, she had been the youngest agent in the department to earn the Special Agent badge. “I-I-I…I mean, great, of course. Thank you, sir.”
“Good,” he said clapping his hands together. “Great news. If you pull this case off, you can say goodbye to field work from now on.”
“Oh, really?” It had been months since she’d been in the field, anyway. Her parents were thrilled, of course. Less dangerous sitting at a desk most of the time. The only thing she had to fight off was boredom.
He went on. “You can look forward to lots of long lunches and talking strategy. It’s a bureaucratic nightmare, she’ll tell you that much,” he said, gesturing towards the Supervisor in the hall. “But at least you’re not in the field. Better brush up on your golf swing, Hazelwood.”
“Oh, um, yes, sir. I will do that.” Golf swing? She hated golf, but the rest sounded all right. Strategy was more interesting than what she was doing now, which was mostly running between departments and paperwork.
He lowered his gaze, getting serious a moment. “But you need to show me that you’re ready for this.”
“Of course, sir.”
“You would be leading your own team of agents, so you have to show me that you can handle people and the kinds of conflicts that arise. Are you ready to do that?”
“Yes, sir. Absolutely, sir.”
“Good.”
The door opened and Supervisor Kent came back in. “Very well. Is it settled, then?”
Olson answered with a curt nod.
“Good. Then, let’s meet your partner.”
Sarah’s jaw dropped once again. Partner?
Chapter 2
Worst part of the damn job. Reports. Dane sat at his desk, flicking the end of his pen against the stack of forms in front of him. It was worse this morning. He was even more distracted than usual. Who was she?
He tipped the coffee cup to see only a dribble left in the bottom. Jesus, he thought, rubbing his eyes. I’ve only been here ten minutes and it feels like hours. He was not cut out for riding a desk. At least his empty coffee cup gave him an excuse to get up and take a walk.
He went to the kitchen and poured himself another coffee, stealing some cream from the fridge. Hazelnut. With the name Janice scribbled across the front. Sorry, Janice.
He took a sip, leaning against the fridge.
“Who was she?”
“Huh?” Was it that obvious?
Peter, his partner, came strolling into the kitchen. “The guys said you left early last night with some blond. I take it that’s why you’re looking so haggard this morning.”
“Oh, right. The blond.”
“Who else would I be talking about?”
He shook his head, trying to shake the image of the beautiful, but tightly wound witch he’d seen in the elevator. “No one.” He crossed his arms. “Have fun at your little party?” Peter had gotten a promotion yesterday thanks to the case they’d just closed. Together. But Peter was the one getting the promotion, while Dane was left with the paperwork.
“Yeah, but we missed you. Amy’s still got her heart set on introducing you to her friend.”
“Pass.”
“She just wants to see you settled down. It’s not so bad, you know? Finding your mate.”
“Pass.”
“You’re not pissed, are you? That I got a promotion.”
“Nah, man.” He slapped him on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you. You deserve it.”
“I just…” A pained look crossed Peter’s face. “I know how your last two partners were promoted—”
“Let me stop you there,” he said. “I don’t care, really. Actually, I don’t think you’ve thought this whole promotion thing through completely. You’re not going to be making much more money, and you’re going to have longer hours.” He started counting the downsides out on his fingers. “With your increased security clearance, your missions are about to get a lot more dangerous. Try explaining that to Amy. Plus, now they’re going to be expecting a lot more from you. Toeing the line, taking orders. And the paperwork! You’ll be riding a desk more than you’re out in the field, now.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Peter said with a shrug.
“Sorry, man. I don’t mean to take the wind out of your sails. I’m happy for you, really. I’m just not up for that type of responsibility. But hey, you’re the guy with a wife, three kids, and a mortgage. Clearly, responsibility suits you.”
“Think I’m up for it?”
He clapped him on the back. “Brother, I know you are.”
Just then, Dane’s phone buzzed. He took a look at the screen.
Supervisor’s office, now!
Either he’d stepped in shit sometime between yesterday and this morning, or they had another assignment for him. Thank Christ.
“Getting called into the principal’s office?”
“Yup. Looks like you’ll have to take care of the rest of the paperwork, buddy.” He laughed, brushing past him. “Enjoy your new desk job.”
He took the elevator up a few more floors and got out. A couple Special Agents gave him funny looks, wishing him luck.
“Uh, thanks?” Whatever. He crossed the office to the Supervisor’s do
or and knocked before entering. The air was practically electrified. Even before he had the door completely opened, he noticed it. Everything just buzzed. Then, he saw her. The woman from the elevator. The one with the mouth.
She turned in her chair, sitting next to the Supervisor from Witchcraft Affairs. She had auburn hair, pulled back into a high ponytail. Just the kind that made Dane’s fingers itch, wanting to wrap it around his hand. Big, green eyes and a pouty little mouth. He felt his wolf take notice. Down, boy.
He forced himself to look away and meet his Supervisor’s eye. “You rang?”
The other guy stood up from his chair, buttoning his jacket. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Hazelwood, keep me in the loop, okay?”
She nodded. “Yes, sir.”
He liked the sound of that. She had a sexy voice, and though it sounded good when she was lipping off in the elevator, it was even sexier when she was being all obedient. Yes, sir, indeed.
“Have a seat, Agent Landon.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, sending the witch a wink. He could play the good little agent, too.
“This is Special Agent Sarah Hazelwood.”
Special Agent? She was what? Five years younger than him? Hazelwood took a deep breath, not looking at him. Maybe that was the cause of the electrified air. She was pissed about something.
“What can I do for you?” he asked, returning his gaze to his boss.
“There’s an assignment out in Hill Haven. Have you heard of it?”
He shook his head. “Should I have?”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s a small town, not very influential. But there’s a problem with shifters down there losing their abilities. You’re going to go down there with Special Agent Hazelwood and find out what’s going on.”
“Wait, what?” He sat forward in his chair. “You want me to go down there? With her?” He looked between them, trying to make out if they were serious. Taking a witch into a shifter town would be like bringing the road-runner to the coyote’s bachelor party. There was no scenario where that was going to work out well.
