by AE Jones
Devin gritted his teeth and let the comment go. He was not feeling sorry for himself. This scare with Alex was a wakeup call. He needed to keep her far away from this investigation.
“Have we heard from Jack?”
“Yes. He wasn’t able to catch up with the simian. The demon had too much of a head start. Both he and Connor are checking the woods for anything they might have left behind.”
Devin scrubbed his head irritably. “We need a new plan to catch these guys.” He headed back into the building to check on Alex, Charlie right behind. He opened the door in time to see Alex pushing up from the couch.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Devin barked.
She jumped at his voice, jerking around to face him. “Getting up.”
Charlie’s voice sounded low behind him. “Dial it back, Dev.”
“Do you feel well enough to do that?” Devin asked in a calmer voice. She was still pale, and he didn’t want her passing out again. “Where’s Sheila?”
“I’m fine. Sheila went to get us some food and look for you.”
His heart slowed down. If she was fighting him, she must be feeling better.
Charlie walked over and draped his arm loosely across Alex’s shoulders. “It’s good to see you up and about, darlin’.”
She bumped him with her shoulder when he bent down and kissed her on top of the head. “Thanks.”
Devin gritted his teeth and interrupted their mutual love fest. “We need to talk.”
“Okay,” she said.
He studied her carefully. “Are you sure you feel up to this already?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I already told you I’m fine. Sheila saved me.”
His stomach twisted. “Yes, she did. You were lucky.” He took a breath. “Charlie and I have been talking. We can’t keep waiting for these guys to attack anymore. There are too many innocent people involved. We have to go on the offensive.”
“I agree.”
That was too easy. “You agree?”
“Yes. Sheila came up with a good idea. She thinks we should set up a sting during one of our supernatural weddings, preferably a high-profile one to draw these guys out.”
Devin was speechless for a moment before glancing at Charlie. It actually wasn’t a bad idea. Before he could respond, Charlie jumped in. “We could use Julian and Fiona’s wedding.”
Alex gaped at Charlie. “You know Julian and Fiona?”
Charlie shrugged. “I think everyone knows Julian Smyth—he’s the hottest producer in Hollywood right now, plus he and Devin are friends.”
If Devin had been standing close enough to Charlie he would have brained him for shooting off his big mouth. It wouldn’t take Alex any time to figure out…
“Julian Smyth! Is that how you set up the interview with Bradley Prentice? Here I thought you had to work really hard to set up our meeting, and all you did was call your pal Julian? I bought you dinner for that?”
Devin managed not to cringe, investing his energy in glaring at Charlie instead, who watched the interplay with barely suppressed glee. He was definitely getting a pounding as soon as they were alone. “The bet was whether or not I could get Prentice to talk to us. I didn’t have to explain how I was going to do it.”
“I’ll take you out to dinner, darlin’, if it makes you feel better.”
“Charlie,” Devin growled.
Alex turned to Charlie and smiled. “Are you seeing anyone right now?”
Devin clenched his fists. What the hell?
Charlie’s eyes widened slightly before he answered her. “If you mean romantically, no.”
“You’re a good-looking man, Charlie. But you already know that.”
Devin’s muscles tensed when Charlie’s eyes danced above his cocky grin. “I’m not bad to look at.”
Alex nodded. “I want to introduce you to my friend, Sheila.”
Sheila. Devin let go of the breath he’d been holding. She was trying to hook Charlie up with Sheila. Sheila could definitely take care of herself. But then his internal warning bells went off. Sheila’s powers let her channel nature. He had seen witches in the past with that power, but he didn’t think it could be that easy.
“Alex, did you ever find out what WN stands for in Sheila’s file? Is she a witch like you thought?”
“No.”
He pushed, although he already suspected the truth. “What is she?”
“I’m a woodland nymph.”
Shit. Devin turned toward the voice. Sheila stood in the doorway. When her eyes rested on Charlie, her smile changed to a grimace and her face went pale.
Devin took a step toward Charlie. Out of all the nymphs in the world, Alex’s best friend had to be woodland? Animosity blasted from both Charlie and Sheila in waves. If these mortal enemies decided to attack each other, Devin would be powerless to stop them right now.
Alex stared at the couple for a moment, her forehead furrowed in confusion. “Sheila, are you okay? Do you two know each other?”
Devin held his breath. Sheila would not expose Charlie as a supernatural, would she? It went against a major supernatural tenet to do so, but this was not a normal situation.
Sheila shook her head quickly. “Not really.”
“Then why do you look like you want to spit nails?”
“I met him downstairs earlier, and he tried some ridiculous pickup lines on me. I told him to take a hike.”
Alex shook her head. “Well, you two need to start fresh, especially if Sheila is going to help with this sting. Since she’s supernatural, she has connections the rest of us don’t.”
Charlie spoke up. “I don’t think we need another untrained person on the team.”
Alex snorted. “Sheila can take care of herself.” Her grin changed quickly to a frown. “Is that the only problem you have, Charlie?”
Charlie finally stopped glaring at Sheila and turned to her. “What do you mean?”
Alex set her hands on her hips. “Do you have a problem with her being supernatural?”
“No, of course not.”
Alex smiled and rocked back on her feet. “Great! Then it’s settled.”
Devin stared at her, speechless. How could one beautiful, stubborn woman wreak so much havoc without even realizing it?
Lorinda’s Wedding Tip: Compatibility is essential for more than just the bride and groom. If the wedding party is not compatible, a wedding can quickly turn into a brawl.
Chapter 20
Charlie grumbled angrily from the passenger seat while Devin drove. Devin had never seen him this worked up before. They were on their way to meet Alex at Bennett Bridal, and Devin had insisted on driving for fear that Charlie couldn’t keep a lid on his rage and they would end up bashing into a concrete embankment or telephone pole.
“Spit it out, Charlie.”
“What the hell are we going to do?”
“You’re going to keep your cool and work the case,” Devin responded.
“I’m a sea nymph, Devin.” He grimaced. “She’s woodland. Our people have been mortal enemies for millennia. How am I supposed to work with her?”
“You can do this. Think about the SEAL missions you went on where you protected people who were more your enemy than ally. Treat it like a mission.”
“Easier said than done,” Charlie mumbled.
* * *
“Sheila, enough with the foot-tapping!” Alex stared at her friend across the desk. “What is your problem today?”
“No problem.”
“Charlie and Devin should be here shortly.”
Sheila frowned.
“Why are you so down on Charlie? I think he’s adorable.”
She hesitated before speaking. “He’s a player. I’ve met enough of those in my life to know they’re worthless.”
“Well, you better put on your acting hat, then. He’s an important member of Devin’s team, and you need to be able to play nice with him.”
“I’ll live up to my end. I can’t speak for
him.”
“You don’t need to worry about me, darlin’,” Charlie replied from the doorway while bristling at Sheila.
Before Alex could say anything, Peggy stepped around Charlie and bustled into the room. “Glad you’re here,” she said to the two men. “Now we can get started.”
Devin followed Peggy into the office and said, “I want to go over what happened at the wedding in detail.” He turned to Alex. “Go through the events in the tent.”
Alex sighed. “I was in the tent when the shuck came in.” She stared pointedly at Devin. “Do you know why he was there?”
He shrugged. “I sent him.”
Her face heated. “To babysit me?”
“To watch out for you,” he explained.
Peggy interrupted before Alex could say anything. “Am I going to have to sit you two in separate corners? Go on with your story, Alex.”
“Sheila found me, and then the man came in with the canister.”
Charlie spoke up. “How did you know something was wrong?”
“I couldn’t believe the country club would have someone spray pesticides right before they were going to serve food. When I questioned him, he started toward us, but the shuck went after him.”
Devin picked up his phone and clicked on the screen. “Gizmo was able to analyze the contents of the canister. It was a form of hydrochloric acid. It would be particularly nasty if used on gargoyles.”
Alex shuddered. “The attacks are becoming more dangerous, maybe even lethal.”
“Which means it’s past time to stop them.” Devin turned to Sheila. “Was the guy in the tent supernatural?”
Sheila shook her head. “No.”
Alex stared at her in surprise. “You can tell someone is supernatural? How?”
“Higher level supernaturals can sense what we call ‘the other.’ I guess you could say it’s a sense of the power in the other person.”
“What do you mean by higher level supernaturals?”
“Nymphs, faeries, elves, vampires, and some varieties of demons.”
Alex tried to soak it all in, but the words jumbled in her brain. “So you can tell what type of supernatural someone is?”
Sheila shifted in her chair. “Most times, although not always.”
Devin cleared his throat. “Let’s get back to the case. What happened?”
Alex swallowed. “The man from the tent grabbed me and hauled me through the woods until we got to his van. I tried to run, but the other guy…demon…caught me.”
“Did they hurt you?” Devin demanded in a low, scary voice.
“No, he just threw me around like I weighed nothing and told me he was going to keep me as a pet.”
“Did he say anything that could clue us into who they’re working for?” Charlie asked.
“No.” Alex looked apologetically at each person in the group. “I’m sorry I didn’t learn anything to help us.”
Peggy rested her hand on top of Alex’s where it sat fisted on the table. “It’s okay, hon. We’re just glad you’re safe.”
Alex shot Peggy a grateful glance. “What do we do now?”
Devin placed a computer tablet on the table. “Gizmo has pulled together facial composites from descriptions Sheila and I were able to give him.” He turned the tablet toward Alex. “Do these look about right?”
She stared down at the screen and stopped herself from backing away. They both seemed to be glaring directly at her. It would be ridiculous to panic, now that they were long gone.
“Alex?” Devin asked.
“It’s definitely them.”
He nodded. “We’re running them through a number of databases, hoping to get a match. In the meantime, I think Sheila’s idea to set up a sting makes sense. We need a high-profile wedding, and Julian’s fits the bill.”
Peggy picked up the folder in front of her. “I think Julian and Fiona’s wedding will work. The added plus is that we have two weddings that day and Lorinda will be working the other wedding. I doubt she’ll have time to make an appearance at this one. I have the wedding plans here. I’m working on the wedding announcement write-up for the human and supernatural papers.”
“There’s a newspaper for supernaturals?” Alex asked.
Peggy smiled. “Of course. Sheila, do you think you could help me with some of the details?”
“Sure.”
Charlie scowled. “Why does she need to help?”
Devin intervened. “Because I don’t want our plans to leave this room. For all we know, there could be a spy working at Bennett Bridal. We don’t want to tip them off.”
Alex gave Charlie’s arm a motherly pat. “C’mon, let Sheila help. She doesn’t bite, you know.”
Sheila smiled, showing a lot of teeth. “Unless I’m provoked.”
Charlie smiled tightly in return. “Then I’ll bite back.”
Alex huffed, “Peggy, do you need my help?”
“No. I can referee these two.”
“Good. Devin and I need to run an errand.”
“Where exactly are we going?” he asked.
“If we’re using Julian and Fiona’s wedding as a sting, I think we ought to ask permission first.”
Devin nodded. “I was planning to talk to Julian today.”
Alex rolled her eyes at him while Sheila and Peggy chuckled.
“What?”
“If there’s even the slightest chance we could ruin their wedding, Julian is not the person we need to speak to.” Alex held up her pointer finger. “Rule number one of the wedding planning business. The bride is always in charge.”
* * *
Her reflection in the glass had a magical quality.
Devin moved closer behind Alex while she peered out the window into the dark garden. Now that the sun had set, they were waiting for Julian and Fiona to emerge from their bedroom. Julian’s mansion sat in the middle of a gated, multi-acre property with an enormous wine cellar, which he had converted into the master bedroom, since it provided them shelter from the sun.
Devin reached out and touched her on the shoulder. She jumped and let out a small shriek, whipping around to stare at him.
“I’m sorry I startled you.” He frowned when he notice she was truly scared. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She took a deep breath and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m fine.”
“Did you tell us everything that happened in the woods?”
“Yes. I guess I’m still jumpy after being grabbed. Honestly, don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
Easier said than done. Before he could respond, Julian and Fiona walked into the room.
“Goood eve-a-ning.” Julian announced in his best Dracula imitation.
Fiona punched Julian in the shoulder and Alex giggled. Alex amazed him. Her face lit up when she was amused, and her mouth was lush, especially when she smiled. He wished she smiled more often. She glanced his way and her eyes widened when she saw he was staring at her. He looked away and shook his head at Julian. “Cut it out, Count.”
Julian grinned, flashing his incisors, and gestured to the sitting area in the middle of the room. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself. What can we do for you this evening?”
“We need your help. You know I was called in to help look into Sydney’s wedding disaster.” Julian nodded and Devin continued. “Well, the issue is a bit more complicated than we first thought. Someone is sabotaging supernatural weddings.”
Fiona gasped. “Why?”
Alex answered her. “We don’t know. Maybe they’re trying to destroy my grandmother’s business.”
“Or they could be trying to expose supernaturals,” Julian added. “How can we help?”
Devin sat up straighter. “They attempted an attack on a gargoyle wedding, although we were able to stop them. But if we can work with someone before their wedding and help plan the details, we might be able to trap the saboteurs.”
“We know it’s a lot to ask,” Alex added. “But we were hoping you
would let us use your wedding. Of course, we wouldn’t expect you to pay for it.”
Julian waved his hand. “Money isn’t the issue. What do you think, Fi?”
She nodded. “If we can help make sure no one else is hurt, I think we should do it.”
“Agreed.” Julian grabbed Fiona’s hand. “What are the next steps?”
* * *
Fiona ran her hand lovingly over her wedding gown. After the four of them finished discussing the wedding, Fiona asked if she would like to see her gown. Alex was surprised by its style, expecting to find a more modern gown with a gothic twist. Instead, the Irish lace covering the bodice was delicate and feminine.
“It beautiful, Fiona. Is it an antique?”
“It’s my Mum’s.”
“I’m sorry you’re going to be involved in this. I shouldn’t have asked you to risk your wedding.”
Fiona pulled the protective covering over the dress. “If it’s a disaster, we’ll just get married on another day. I have been alive long enough to realize life can interfere with the best laid plans. A ruined wedding will not give me a case of the vapors.”
Alex cringed. If only she had embraced that philosophy two years ago. Time to change the subject. “Is it rude to ask you how old you are?”
“I have been alive for more than three hundred years.”
“Wow…I mean.” Alex clamped her lips shut to stop blathering, while heat raced to her face.
“It is a lot to take in,” Fiona chuckled.
“At least I didn’t pass out like before. Devin will never let me live that down.”
“I think you underestimate Devin. He is more understanding than you give him credit for.”
“So I’ve been told, but I’m still waiting to see it for myself. How did you meet him?”
“He’s a friend of Julian’s. Devin helped him out of a sticky situation a few years ago, and they’ve stayed in touch.” Fiona stared at Alex for an uncomfortable length of time, as if she was reading her mind. “Julian trusts him with his life. Don’t be afraid to get close to him. Devin is a good man.”
* * *
“What’s going on with you and Alex?” Julian asked while he handed Devin a drink.
