by Gina LaManna
“I hate when you’re right.” I shook my head and glanced around at the old, dusty shelves. “Though I can’t say it was absolutely her. I mean, I don’t get it—why would she want to kill me?”
“Maybe you were getting too close to the real reason Mason died, and she didn’t want you to know it.”
“I suppose,” I said. “I still... I don’t know. I can’t discount the possibility that it was someone else. Someone I didn’t see. Anyone could’ve slipped the spell in the book while I was down the corridor checking on Bleeker. They could’ve gone invisible or any number of things. We live in a magical world, after all.”
“True,” Grey said. “But I’ve learned not to ignore obvious signs of something fishy. If someone is showing you their ways, believe them.”
I pulled the tinfoil bowl of pasta toward me but felt my appetite slipping away as I stared at the noodles. I pushed them around in circles before looking up at Grey.
“You’re talking about the case?”
“I’m talking about whatever’s relevant to you,” Grey said. “Follow the signs people give you. It’ll lead you to the right place eventually.”
“What is the right place?” I set down the fork and looked up. “What if I don’t know how to get there?”
“You will,” Grey whispered. He leaned forward, his eyes locked on mine. “You’ll figure it out. In the meantime, just keep moving forward. You’ll get there.”
I felt my lips try for a smile and fail, instead quirking into a thin line before drooping again. “Thanks again for dinner. And for checking on me. Someday, maybe I’ll learn not to snap at you when you save my life. Next time, I’ll try to just say thanks.”
“Don’t worry, I speak Dani,” Grey said with a soft laugh. “Though I hope there isn’t a next time. Anyway, I should be going.”
He stood somewhat abruptly. I shot him a curious look, but it didn’t take long before I saw the reason for his quick departure: a tall figure sweeping down the hallway toward us.
“Just remember, Dani, you deserve the best.” Grey folded his hands in front of his waist. “Someone who’s here for you. Whatever that means.”
Before I could ask what Grey was insinuating, he turned around and strode directly toward Matthew. The two supernaturals exchanged a nod in passing. I couldn’t see Grey’s face, but Matthew didn’t look particularly happy.
I stared after Grey until he turned the corner, more confused than ever about what he’d meant. Surely he’d been talking about the case. Or had he changed the subject? Was he commenting on my personal life? Rob? My love life? Matthew?
“I’m sorry I’m late,” Matthew said, pulling a chair next to me and sitting in it, leaning forward until his face was inches from mine. Easily, he lifted my chair and pulled it closer without dragging it until I was practically intertwined in his lap. “Danielle. Who did this to you?”
I winced as Matthew raised a finger and dragged it along the purpling marks on my neck. Forcing a swallow and a weak smile, I gave a shrug.
“If I knew, I wouldn’t be sitting around here waiting for the next attack, that’s for sure,” I said with a dry laugh. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing.” Matthew’s hand eased away from my injured neck and drooped to my shoulder. He clearly needed something to touch. “A Strangler is meant to kill. Whoever used it on you didn’t plan on needing a second attack.”
“Then they don’t know me very well,” I joked. “I’m hard to kill. This isn’t the first time someone’s been after me, and what with everything going on, it surely won’t be the last.”
“You’re only alive because...” Matthew hesitated. “The wolf.”
It was my turn to pause, but for a different reason. Because I was embarrassed at needing help. I should have been more vigilant. I was in the middle of The Hex Files prophecy, and while there hadn’t been any developments recently, that didn’t mean whoever was behind the takeover had faded away. More likely, they were waiting, biding their time, building the element of surprise on their side. I was a trained detective. A Reserve, no less.
The thought startled me. I was a Reserve, and yet I hadn’t noticed any of the poisonous green Residuals clinging to the outside of the textbook. That had nearly cost me my life. Had the person attacking me gotten lucky with their placement of the curse, or had it been well-planned and purposeful? My gut, which didn’t believe in coincidences, strongly pointed toward the latter.
I froze. “Matthew, any word on that case you’re working on? Is it related to The Hex Files?”
“Why?” He sat up straighter. “Is this attack related to the files? I thought Grey said—”
“Grey said? When did you talk to Grey?”
Matthew’s face was stony. “He sensed you were in trouble and got word to me. I came as soon as I could.”
“That was nice of him.”
“It’s his duty.”
“It’s not his duty,” I said. “He doesn’t have to say anything to you at all. He just saved my life. Isn’t that enough?”
“We’re all on the same team, Dani,” Matthew said. “It’s expected we work together. For now.”
“I just think you could give him a little credit. He’s been looking out for me while you’re away; it’s not a job, it’s just something he’s doing as a friend. For both of us.”
Matthew snorted. “Right.”
I felt a bubble of frustration building. “Without him, I’d be dead, Matthew. I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. I didn’t see the curse Residuals. You weren’t here. I was alone, and somehow, Grey got lucky and sniffed out danger. Those are the facts.”
Matthew went still. “Would you like me to return to the Sixth Borough permanently?”
My mouth flopped open. “I don’t want to have this conversation now.”
“I do,” Matthew said in a low tone. “You mentioned it, which means the topic must be bothering you.”
“I never wanted you to leave Wicked in the first place!” I threw my hands up. “I haven’t had a choice in any of this, Matthew. You left because it was best for ‘our people’ or whatever.”
Matthew fell silent. “That’s what you think?”
“That’s all I know. It’s all you’ve told me. I don’t know what you’re working on, or why you’re still there. I thought you were just filling in for a short-term stint until they could appoint a new chief. But it’s been weeks, and there has been no talk of you coming back.”
“I’m needed—”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “I know you’re needed there. But I need you, too, Matthew.”
The upper level of the library had been quiet all night, but it went more silent than ever as Matthew and I watched one another. The vampire barely moved. I let out ragged breaths only when necessary.
“Sorry,” I said eventually. “I don’t think this is the best time to have this conversation.”
“You don’t have to apologize, Dani.”
“The only thing I’m apologizing for is starting the conversation,” I said with a helpless shrug. “I’ve got a big case, and apparently so do you. We can talk about our personal issues after we wrap them up.”
Something in Matthew’s face pinched in desperation. “There will always be something else. Another case, another assignment.”
“Maybe,” I said. “All I know is that someone just tried to kill me, and if I want to stay alive long enough to have this discussion with you, I need to find out who did it.”
“I don’t like this.”
“Like what?”
“Any of it,” Matthew said. “But I’ll respect your wishes. If you want to focus on the cases first, I will respect that.”
“Great. That sounds good,” I said. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to make a quick Comm.”
“To?”
I gave him a skeptical glance. “Primrose.”
Matthew’s face held a blank stare.
“Officer Primrose,” I said. “The one you bagged
me with for this case?”
He nodded in realization. “How is she doing?”
“Actually, very well. She’s been... a great help on the case.”
Matthew hid his surprise as he nodded and watched me back down the hallway and into the first available conference room. I hopped on the Comm and waited until I was connected with Primrose.
“Hey, I’m really sorry to bother you,” I said. “I know it’s way past working hours—”
“No such thing,” she said briskly. “I left a bit early today to take care of Woofie. If you have somewhere you’d like me to be—”
“It’s not that, though I appreciate the enthusiasm.” I caught myself smiling. In an interesting way, I realized I was already counting on Primrose to be there for me. “I’ve got a task I want you to handle tomorrow.”
“Anything.”
“I’m going to send you a copy of the class schedule Mason White had and a side-by-side comparison with the classes that most other Orientation students take.”
“They’re different?”
“They are,” I said and explained about my visit to the dean’s office earlier in the afternoon. “I want you to dig up anything you can about the classes that appear on Mason’s schedule but not the others. The class materials, handouts, homework. The students. The teachers. Especially the teachers. I’m talking background checks. Any weird tie-ins with The Faction, odd home lives... anything that sticks out to you. I know it’s a big assignment, but—”
“I’ll get started tonight,” she said. “I can do some digging from home. Woofie’s down for the count, and I’m bored and not tired. I’ll continue into tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Primrose. I really appreciate it.”
“Detective,” she said, a question tipping her words. “Do you have a hunch as to what I should be looking for? I will check everything, but if there’s something I should be paying extra attention to...”
I almost explained my theory to her, but I bit my lip at the last second to hold back. “You know what, Primrose, there’s not,” I said finally. “I trust your instincts. I don’t want to taint your search with my bias.”
“Understood. I’ll keep a running tally and update you first thing in the morning.”
We disconnected, and I returned to Matthew. He appeared more composed than when I’d left him. I probably was, too. Now that I was actively working to find my killer, I felt productive.
“What can I do?” Matthew asked when I returned.
“Nothing,” I said, easing into my chair and beginning to pile the books into a stack. As I moved, I realized my response sounded flippant, so I added, “I mean, you have your own stuff to worry about. We’ve got things covered here.”
“Really? Because if I’m not mistaken, you almost died tonight.”
“I didn’t die. Grey saved me. Primrose is looking up info. Felix is digging for trace evidence in the lab. Sienna’s got the body and is hunting for anything that could help us find the killer. We’ve got this.”
Matthew had been sitting stone still all evening, and if possible, he went even more motionless. “You’ve got it covered.”
I sighed. “I know it’s not what you want to hear, but Matthew—with you gone, we’ve had to figure out how to manage without you.”
His jaw tensed.
“It’s not ideal. We’d prefer you to be here,” I said. “Me, the department, everyone.”
“Everyone except Grey.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” I snapped. “He’s a good friend of mine, and friends want to see their friends happy. He knows you make me happy.”
“Do I?”
“Of course you do.”
Matthew sat back, crossed his arms over his stony chest. “I sure as hell don’t feel like it. I’ve been failing you, Dani. You, the department, Wicked—I thought my staying in New York would help things, but I can’t stop the invasion on my own. Maybe it’s best I—” He stopped, looked at me.
My eyes were wide. “The invasion?”
“I shouldn’t have said that,” he said. “Please forget I ever mentioned anything.”
“Who’s invading where?” I asked. “What’s happening, Matthew? Why aren’t you involving the department?”
“I’m involving the people who need to be involved,” he said in a stiff way that told me he had no control over who knew about the issues and who didn’t. “I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t have said anything.”
Matthew seemed suddenly overwhelmed by it all. His eyes flashed with concern, his posture went rigid. There was a sadness in his eyes that stretched beyond anything physical or superficial and plunged deep inside his black-blood veins.
It crushed whatever fight I’d had in me. The adrenaline, the anger at being attacked, faded to helplessness. Matthew and I were arguing because of the circumstances. The distance alone wouldn’t have been enough to make us argue. But add in attacks left and right, secrets we were forced to keep from one another, and the threat of total destruction, and it was enough to test the strongest of couples.
I reached for Matthew’s hand, squeezed the coolness of it. “You’re not a failure. Nobody thinks you’re a failure, I promise—least of all me.”
“I haven’t been here when you needed me.”
“It’s a season of life,” I said. “Hopefully a very short one. We both went into law enforcement to help people. We didn’t become cops so we could have passionate love lives and a blooming social calendar.”
Matthew gave a thin smile. “So, our passionate love life is just a side perk?”
“You could say that,” I said with a grin back. “Come on, King. You’re the best captain the precinct has ever had. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have been appointed temporary chief of NYPD. It’s an honor, and you were right to take it. If that’s what you want.”
“How do I know what I want?” Matthew asked, his eyes narrowed. “I want you. I want to help. I want to go where I’m needed, and I need to be by your side. What happens when those two things conflict?”
“I don’t know the right answers anymore, Matthew. Everything is all twisted up.”
“So long as we untwist it together, we’ll be okay,” he said, squeezing my hand with renewed hope. “You’ll untwist with me?”
I smiled. “I wouldn’t untwist with anyone else.”
Matthew leaned forward, pressed a tender kiss to my lips. “I love you, Dani. I hope of all things, you never doubt that.”
“I don’t.”
Matthew’s hands clasped against my cheeks as he pulled me deeper into the kiss. His touch said everything. Soft and malleable, the vulnerable side of the vampire that he reserved for me alone. I could taste his desperation, the immensity of the love we shared. His disappointment at not being there for me when I needed it, and the hope that we’d pull through this together as one stronger entity.
There was a push and pull between us as our tongues tangled hungrily, our fingers grasping for one another with much less decency than was required in a campus library. Only when my Comm buzzed against Matthew did he back away, giving me the chance to inhale a deep breath.
I felt jolted, hazy as I swam through the after effects of the kiss and fumbled for my wristband. “DeMarco.”
“Dani?” My mother screeched unhappily. “Where are you? What are you doing? What in the world did you say to your brother?”
“What are you talking about, mom?” I asked. “I’m working. I’m at the library.”
“Get over here this instant.”
“I’m sort of in the middle of something.”
“You won’t be in the middle of anything once I get my hands on you,” Rose DeMarco said. “I think you can spare five minutes for your mother. Is someone shooting at you?”
“Um, no.”
“Then whatever you’re doing isn’t that urgent,” she said. “Five minutes. Move it.”
I disconnected the Comm. Judging by Matthew’s smirk, he’d heard every word of the conversation.
>
“Uh oh,” Matthew said. “That didn’t sound good.”
I groaned. “I’m guessing it has something to do with Rob.”
“He’s causing trouble?”
“I’m not sure yet.” My gaze flicked down so I didn’t have to meet Matthew’s eyes. “That’s sort of what I’m trying to figure out.”
“Oh?” Matthew left his question hang.
I glanced up, met his gaze. “I’m sorry. I’d really prefer to not explain it until I’m sure. It’s a family thing, and...”
“Dani,” Matthew said softly. “Does it have anything to do with your case?”
I paused a beat. Then nodded.
“Have you shared this information with anyone else?”
“Not yet, but I will,” I added quickly. “Felix is running tests in the lab for fingerprints. If there’s a match with my brother’s, then I can’t protect Rob—nor do I want to.”
“I understand it’s a slippery slope, but Dani, if Rob is involved—”
“I know,” I snapped. I stood up and grabbed the few books I wanted to bring home with me. “Don’t you think I understand the weight of this, Matthew?”
“I’m just saying, we have to follow the book. The government is watching. We need charges to stick. If there’s even a hint of a rumor that one of our officers was covering for a family member...”
“Understood, Captain,” I said stiffly. “I’ve got to go. Sorry.”
“Are you sure it can’t wait? Maybe we can go somewhere and—”
“I’m really sorry,” I said. “But I’m working a case. I know it’s just my mom who called, but if Rob is involved, I need to know. If he’s skipping town, I need to stop him.”
“And,” Matthew said, “you can’t put your whole life on hold just because I swoop into town for a few hours here and there.”
“Matthew—”
“Sorry, that wasn’t fair.” Matthew stood. “Can I come with you?”
I frowned, wrung my hands together. “Normally, I’d say yes. But I think this is best handled alone.”
Matthew nodded. “Of course. Stay safe, Dani. Let me know if there is anything I can do—please.”
