“He’s a nurse,” Carol proclaimed proudly. “He’s working as a nurse practitioner right now, but if he gets a sorcerer, he’ll have to quit to accommodate whoever pairs up with him, at least for the year and a day.”
“That’s...encouraging.” Lessa sounded intrigued—a good sign. “He’s not paired at the moment?”
Carol shook her head. “He’s a lion. Not many sorcerers are willing to approach us.” She frowned thoughtfully. “Although, if you’d rather have a scientist type, you might like my friend Brent. He’s gone on arctic expeditions investigating claims of lost magical artifacts.”
“Really?” Lessa drawled. Now she seemed thoroughly intrigued. “Tell me more.”
As Carol spoke of her friend, Jonah watched curiously. By the time his mother returned with his father they were exchanging phone numbers, something they hadn’t done previously. Carol was promising to contact Brent about meeting Lessa.
Interesting. Already Carol was changing his family’s lives, and he’d only had her a few weeks. He hoped that, over time, she’d lose her fear and truly become a member of his family.
In fact, he was counting on it.
Chapter 25
Carol was slowly starting to relax. It helped that Rose made sure to sit next to her, with Jonah on her other side. Across the table were Lessa, Benjamin, and Tanya Sound.
Benjamin Sound had the same dark hair Jonah had, with the same dark blue eyes. Jonah’s features were more like his mother’s side of the family, however, sharper and slightly sinister, just enough to intrigue without turning someone off.
Benjamin held out his hand, taking the mashed potatoes. “What is it you do again?” He spooned some onto his plate and passed it to Tanya.
Carol was waiting for everyone else’s plates to be full before she dug into the fantastic smelling pot roast. “I’ve got a bachelor’s in law and, if things work out like I hope, I’ll soon go to the police academy.”
“You’re well-matched with Jonah in career aspects.” Tanya’s cheerful voice piped up. She wasn’t very predator-like. She was more like a sun parakeet, talkative, friendly, and eager to make friends. “You’re already working together, right?”
Carol nodded. “Yes. We’re working a case right now.”
“No cop talk over dinner.” Lessa shuddered. “I still haven’t recovered from last time.”
“Oh, the Crispy Critter case?” Jonah chuckled. “Yeah, that was a doozy.”
Carol and Rose laughed as Lessa gagged. She threw a dinner roll at her brother. “Asshole. I still can’t eat barbecue.”
“How many other sorcerers have you been paired with?” Benjamin began to eat, signaling the beginning of dinner.
“None.” Carol moaned at the taste of the roast. “This is so good.”
“Thank you, dear.” Tanya smiled broadly. “I’ll email you the recipe. After dinner, give me your contact information.”
“I’ll get it to you,” Jonah responded before Carol could. He pulled out his cell phone and began typing.
“Uh, Jonah?” Carol was willing to give his mother her info, so why was he doing it?
Tanya’s question distracted her from finishing her question. “So, Carol. Tell me about your family.” Tanya’s grin was still wide, but now it was a lot more predatory.
Guess it was time for the Mommy Inquisition. “I grew up in an orphanage with my brother, Sawyer. We’re both predators, and my parents didn’t think they could handle us.” That was an understatement. “Our lives weren’t too bad, but we didn’t have a lot of things, and it was pretty much us against everyone else.”
“That’s horrible.” Lessa’s expression was one of disgust. “Who throws away their children like that?”
“Some parents do, others don’t, when it comes to the larger predators. Most of us were tossed away if their parents weren’t also predators.” Carol shrugged. “At least I had my brother.”
“True. Family can make any struggle easier.” Tanya’s face was also a picture of disgust. “Still, I’d like to get hold of your parents and peck their eyes out.”
“That’s carrion birds, not eagles, dear.” Benjamin patted her hand. “Pick them up, fly really high, then drop them on rocks.”
“That’s for turtles, Dad.” Jonah had finally put his cell phone away and picked up his fork. “Besides, she’s got me now. She doesn’t need her parents. They can go die in some horrible accident involving hornets and fire ants.”
“Ooh.” Rose grinned. “Why not include lava while you’re at it?”
“I like how you think.” Jonah grinned at Rose. They both had reasons to hate the prejudice surrounding non-humans.
Carol covered her ears. “I hear none of this.”
“Don’t worry, sweetie.” Rose patted her knee. “We’re talking acts of God, not murder.”
“Lalalalalala,” Carol sang loudly. “Sorcerers can’t kill people with hornets, fire ants, and lava. Nope, nope, nope.”
“Yes, we—”
“Lalalalala!” Carol shouted, interrupting Jonah’s amused reply.
Everyone laughed, and soon the talk turned to idle chatter. She learned about Benjamin’s job as a lawyer and Tanya’s work as a financier. Tanya also worked in familiar’s rights with Benjamin whenever possible.
Before she knew it, she’d relaxed completely, even telling stories of some of the mischief she and Sawyer had gotten into over the years. “There was this one particularly obnoxious sorcerer who kept coming to Familiar House. He’d eye all the female familiars but never managed to bond with one. One day he came in and decided that it was my turn to be leered at.” The man had been so skeevy all of the female familiars tried to avoid him. Since he wasn’t a blood sorcerer and he hadn’t abused a familiar, he couldn’t be banned, so they were forced to put up with his presence. However, that didn’t mean they had to present themselves to him like plushies on shelves. “My brother had had enough of his shit and, well...” She started to laugh. “Sawyer kind of, um...”
“What did he do?” Rose’s eyes had gone wide as Carol tried to contain her laughter.
“H-he pissed all over him.” Carol glanced over at Rose to find her mouth hanging open.
“I’m betting that pissed the asshole off.” Jonah was grinning from ear to ear.
“How did he manage that?” Rose’s voice was filled with amused awe.
“Let’s just say a certain polar bear distracted him while my brother took care of business.” Carol still adored Brent for that. “Man, that sorcerer was pissed. He tried to kick my brother, but Brent intervened and prevented him from laying a finger on him. Then he shifted to human and told the sorcerer that if he ever showed up at the House again, Brent would turn him into origami.”
“Um.” Benjamin was obviously trying to frown but wasn’t pulling it off all that well. “I’m not sure I can condone such behavior.”
“No matter how well deserved it was,” Tanya added. She wasn’t frowning at all. In fact, her grin was almost wider than Jonah’s.
“But I must say I’m going to have to arrange to meet these boys.” Benjamin finally allowed his smile free. “I think we should treat them to something nice.”
“As long as it’s not piss, I think they’ll appreciate it.” Lessa wiped her mouth with her napkin, but not before Carol caught sight of the Sound grin on her face. They all had a similar wicked smile, but Benjamin’s was eviler while Tanya’s was more wickedly delighted.
“Speaking of yellow substances, does anyone want pineapple upside-down cake?”
Everyone stared in horror at Tanya.
“What?”
“I swear, woman.” Benjamin shook his head in disgust.
“What?” Tanya shrugged. “If you don’t like pineapple, I’ve got brownies too.” She stared at her husband, her head tilted at an inquisitive angle only bird shifters could achieve.
Canines could do it, too, but it looked weird on the birds.
“Can Carol have chocolate?” Lessa stared at he
r with an amused expression.
“Yes, Carol would love some brownies, and some pineapple cake.” Carol stood, muttering in disgust. “I’m not a dog, people.”
Lessa, Rose, and Jonah followed her to the living room, where Tanya directed them. “And don’t come in the kitchen, I’m making out with my man for a few minutes!”
“Jesus Christ, Mom!” Jonah’s horrified was nearly drowned out by Benjamin’s laughter. He caught up to her and threaded their hands together. “So?”
“You win. Your parents are nice.” Carol did her best to sound begrudging, but she was telling the truth.
“Told you.” His smug response made her want to tickle him, so she did, only to find Jonah wasn’t ticklish at all. He just stared at her like he was bored out of his mind. “If you want to paw me, you should wait until we get home. I’m not an exhibitionist like my parents.”
“Oh my God,” Lessa moaned, dropping onto the sofa. “Do you remember Dad walking up behind Mom and grabbing her—”
“Nope.” Jonah settled into a chair and pulled Carol into his lap. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Rose, who’d sat next to Lessa, winked at Carol. “Ben has a fascination with Tanya’s ass.”
Jonah’s whole body slumped. “Ugh. Gross.”
Lessa shuddered. “Please don’t talk about my mom’s ass.”
“Why? She has a great one.” Benjamin came into the room, carrying a tray filled with steaming mugs of coffee, some half and half, and sugar. He set it on the coffee table, ignoring his children’s groans. “Best one I ever felt up.”
“Mom!” both Sound children shouted at the same time, nearly deafening Carol.
Carol giggled and snuggled closer to Jonah. She couldn’t wait for Sawyer and her friends to meet the Sounds. She’d bet it would be one hell of a party.
Chapter 26
“Sound! Matsumoto! Voss! Get your asses in my office now!”
Jonah jumped at the harried bellow from his captain. What the hell was she so upset about that she’d call all three of them into her office?
Jonah strode in, doing his best to maintain his calm. He was the senior in their trio, so if they’d screwed anything up, he’d take the heat no matter who’d made the error.
“What’s up?” He settled in front of Cpt. Ford’s desk, his gaze traveling over her desk for any signs of what might have made her call them in.
“Take a look at this.” She turned her monitor around, displaying a live video feed from one of L.A.’s news organizations. “I’ll turn up the volume.”
The newscaster’s voice became audible as Cpt. Ford clicked her mouse. “...and sources say that the presence of these dangerous predators on the force could have potential impacts on ongoing homicide investigations. Already, allegations are being made that Detective Jonah Sound may be involved with one of these creatures in a romantic sense. One he works closely with.”
Jonah scowled as the newscaster prattled on. He leaned closer, his anger rising as the newscaster mentioned incidents of shifters who’d gone feral and committed heinous crimes, obviously trying to connect his familiar with the likes of Robert Berm and Lionel Theodore Geyn, both feral serial killers. “The fuck?”
Ian waved toward the monitor. “This is bullshit. You know this channel’s guys are always harping on shifters and magical dimens being a danger to society.”
The channel the captain had tuned into was a conservative yet mainstream news channel. “If they’ve gotten my name, that means someone in the force put this out there.” That betrayal stung, but he’d been forewarned that something like this could happen. Thanks to that he knew just who to blame. “Wheeler and Ridgely.”
Carol and Anne exchanged a wincing glance.
“You two were aware this could happen, then?” Ian sat back, whistling softly. “Why wasn’t this story gagged?”
“Because I couldn’t gag it,” Anne replied. “I did my best, but it still slipped out.” She shook her head and muted the sound. “Jonah, Carol, this is going to hit you two the hardest. Be prepared to be mobbed.” She leaned forward, elbows on her desk, that direct stare of hers making Jonah want to squirm even though he was innocent of any wrongdoing. “How do you want to handle this? Some of this has to do with your personal life.”
Before he could respond, Carol answered. “I don’t want any of this to impact either Jonah or Ian.” Her expression started out completely miserable, but slowly morphed into determination. She matched Anne stare for stare. “If needed, I can be sidelined.”
“What are you saying?” Jonah was aware that his tone had become deadly quiet. “You know we can’t be far from each other, not for a while yet.”
“I don’t need to be a cop right now,” Carol responded, never once glancing his way while she spouted her bullshit. “I just need to follow you around. I can do that by just showing my mark.”
Jonah tried really hard not to grit his teeth. God damn Wheeler and Ridgely for doing this. “You’re not quitting.”
“Damn straight.” Ian was leaning back in his chair, his expression still easygoing, but there was a hardness around his eyes that showed he was not unaffected by the news story. “Who else will talk anime with me? That guy?” Ian hitched his thumb toward Jonah. “Pfft. He doesn’t even know the difference between Akira and Sailor Moon.”
Jonah shook his head. He had no fucking clue what Ian was talking about.
Ian continued, his smile bright and easy, his eyes still hard. “Besides, I hate the idea of letting those assholes win. If you back out, that’s exactly what you’re doing.”
“I’m not backing out,” Carol retorted, shooting Ian a black look. “I’m following my dream, just...in the correct order. Get sorcerer? Check.” She held up one finger. “Become a cop? Eh, I can wait the year and a day and start over as a beat cop. I can learn from you guys the whole time too. Win-win for the department and me.”
“But not me.” Anne stood, coming around her desk to stand directly in front of Carol. “I’m the one who agreed to you having not just a familiar badge, but the detective’s badge you’re wearing. Be honored. I haven’t done that for any other familiar, but you’re from the academy. This is your dream, just like you said. You throw this chance I’ve given you away, and you’ll never work in MCU again. No one will trust you as a partner if you abandon your sorcerer when the going gets tough.”
“I’m not!” Carol’s skin had paled so much her freckles looked far too dark.
“Then pull up your big girl panties, because you’re gonna need them.” Anne set her butt on the edge of her desk. Beside her, the screen still showed the newscaster talking, but now the image was of some accident on one of L.A.’s freeways. “You’re going to face this again and again, especially if you and Jonah become life partners as well as work partners. If you can’t handle it now, what will you do in five years? Ten? Back down again?” Anne shook her head. “No. We’re a team, and you’re not leaving without a fight.”
Jonah began clapping. “Thank you. I couldn’t have said it better.”
Carol bit her lip. “Then how do we handle it?”
“You get statements ready. You sometimes answer questions. Then, you let it die down until someone else brings it up again.” Anne gestured toward Jonah. “Jonah’s been around that block a few times. Listen to him, get advice from his parents, sister, and brother, but you stay the course.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Carol’s spine straightened. She even saluted, and Jonah was positive she meant it respectfully.
“Good.” Anne stood and walked back around to sit behind her desk. “Now. Tell me how the campus murder investigation is going. Any updates?”
Jonah filled her in on everything they’d learned so far, ending with, “We’re waiting on the Egpytologist’s reply, as well as the final cause of death from the medical examiner. We’re also setting up interviews with professors and staff at the university.”
“Update me on some of the other cases you’ve been wo
rking on.” Anne turned to her computer and began typing. “What about the Jones case?”
Between the three of them, they were able to catch the captain up on all of their cases, keeping things brief. At the end of their summations, the captain pointed toward the door. “Get outta here. Grab some lunch and discuss how to handle the press.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jonah saluted just as Carol had.
“I want Mexican,” Ian muttered as they left the captain’s office.
Jonah ignored the whispers and looks of the other MCU officers, both sympathetic and otherwise. He was too intensely focused on Carol, who kept wincing.
“She can hear you guys,” Ian called out. “If you got questions, just ask.”
The room fell silent.
“Thought so.” Ian thumped Jonah’s shoulder, almost knocking him over. “Tacos or enchiladas?”
“Neither,” Jonah replied. “Fajitas are all I need.”
“Pfft.” Carol shoved between them, trotting down the stairs. “Combo plate, bitches!”
“Ew.” Ian shuddered. “I don’t want enchilada sauce soaking into the bottom of my taco shell.”
“It adds spice,” Carol shot back.
Jonah chuckled as he followed the bickering pair out of the precinct. Unfortunately, there were already reporters waiting for them, rushing toward Jonah, Ian, and Carol the moment they were spotted. Shouts of “Detective Sound! We have questions for you,” “Miss Voss, a moment of your time!” and “Detective Matsumoto, how do you feel working with a dangerous predator?”
That last one got Jonah to stop. “Carol Voss is a graduate of the police academy. Before I met her, she had already been hired by the LAPD. If you have any questions about her suitability, I suggest you contact the chief of police.” With that, he grabbed hold of Carol’s wrist and began walking through the throng of reporters.
Ian was behind them, fending off reporters with “No comment” and “The number for the LAPD’s chief of police is 213...”
Jonah opened the passenger side door, shielding Carol until she was in the car. It was almost classic police work, keeping the press from a suspect until they had a chance to interrogate them. Except, this time, Jonah was protecting someone precious to him rather than some scumbag piece of work who deserved to rot in a jail cell.
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