Death Be Blue (The Terra Vane Series Book 1)

by Katie Epstein

  We were both used to the chase, or at least knowing what we were after. Pulling at strands and following leads was part of the job. But this haphazard method—one where we couldn’t dig in deep to the core to look at all angles—was annoying and constricting.

  If any other cases had come in, we weren’t being assigned to them. I assumed it was because Cole was fielding them out to the other agents. Usually, if we had a case this quiet, we’d be assigned a few others to juggle in the meantime. But this investigation wasn’t like any other. Not when the Consilium was involved.

  “Has Cole contacted you?” I asked Kaleb as we headed back around to Desire Street.

  “He’s tried a few times and I’ve had to answer him on the odd occasion. I told him we were following leads and I’d have something for him by tomorrow if it all panned out. It’s bought us a couple of days, because if I need to, I’ll say the same thing tomorrow. We need to speak to Rudolf before Cole catches wind of it. You know what shifter politics are like.”

  “Yeah. Don’t I just.” Shifter politics were as treacherous as they sounded. It made me wonder what Kaleb’s life had been like before he’d decided to become an agent, and why both him and Cole were so different to one another. “What was it like for you growing up at Totem Talamh?”

  “Are you asking because I picked at your scab before, or because you’re genuinely interested?”

  “A bit of both. I’ve got to get my kicks when I can. So, what was it like?”

  “What you would expect. Rules. Hierarchy. Pompous displays of said hierarchy. I never fit in.”

  His confession surprised me. Kaleb was the type of person who fit in anywhere. People flexed around him and embraced him into their circles readily enough.

  “How could you not fit into that?” I asked. “You’re like royalty, or so Rosie told me. And you love yourself enough to not let anyone else delude you.”

  He chuckled and pushed at my arm. “I was just different to them. Okay?”

  “Okay.” And I left it at that. I was happy enough to pay him the same courtesy he’d given me over the years. But then maybe a trade off wasn’t so bad after all. “Want to know what my grandad used to say to me?”

  “Sure,” he replied, and he walked a little bit closer to me to comfort me from the contact.

  “He would say I was the spawn of the devil himself, like my dad was, and that Satan had possessed me. He often told me I should be burned at the stake to purify my soul. He had his pastor attempt an exorcism on me.” I shuddered. “That’s a scary thing to have done to you when you’re only nine.”

  “Bastard,” Kaleb muttered, and I looped my arm through his.

  “Deluded. Ignorant. And a well-respected member of society. There are many who share his views on Earthside. And he had the nerve to call me evil.”

  “Did your mom ever stick up for you?”

  “No. She would never stick up for anyone. Not even herself,” I let out a sigh. “She tried once. When she found out she was pregnant with me. She ran away with my dad and tried to make it work. But by then, his gift was getting stronger and he had no outlet for it. He thought he was going mad and didn’t know how to control it. They thought it best they return home to my grandparents so I could at least have a roof over my head. Bad move.”

  “Why?”

  “My grandparents fed my dad’s paranoia about his gift. From what I could gather, my dad had the same abuse and petty comments from my grandad that I did, and they tried the exorcism thing on him, too. Only my dad was all for it. He was devastated when it didn’t work.”

  “What happened after that?”

  “From what my mom told me, he waited until I was born before he went and put a bullet through his brain. She told me that he said his goodbyes to me, to her, and then walked out into the night to save his soul with my grandad’s rifle. I wouldn’t be surprised if my grandad had put it into his hand. Do you know what my mom said after she told me that?”

  “What?”

  “At least he was now at peace, and we could all pray for his soul to be saved.” I laughed humorlessly, hating the recollection. I’ve only ever seen one photo of my dad. One. And I’d felt closer to him at that moment more than I can ever remember feeling with my mom.

  “Your dad only needed help,” Kaleb said with venom. “He just needed to learn how to use his gift properly, like you do.”

  “I know. That’s what’s sad about it all. But so many on Earthside don’t understand. It’s easier for them to believe in what they see, even if what they see is a delusion. And I get why my dad put a gun to his head, Kaleb. I get it.”

  “What?” he asked in disbelief. “Why would you think that?”

  “I believe being young and innocent protected me from a lot of pain. But the voices, the feelings, the emotions, they get to you after a time. You pick up on so much, like a strong antenna, and you can’t stop it. You don’t know what feelings are yours, or that of another. You don’t know that you’re feeling angry, or hateful, because you’ve just stepped into someone’s energy with no protection. The fear was confusing because I didn’t know if I was picking up on the energy of a creepy spirit setting my teeth on edge. Or if my instincts were warning me about something. And I knew nothing of energies or echoes, you know, stains of energy left behind, so it all became this big ball of horrifying confusion. Every day people around me acted as if there was something wrong with me. And soon I started to believe it myself. But I was lucky. Dan found me and showed me a different path, and Mayra taught me how to protect myself. Many don’t get that chance.”

  “Dan’s a good guy. There should be more like him out there.”

  “You know they like to control the population of Portiside,” I reminded him. “Immigration numbers from Earth are highly regulated. And there are many who have gifts like mine or similar on Earthside.”

  “It still sucks.”

  “It does. And you’re a great shifter for thinking that. Many wouldn’t.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ve put up with you for long enough, and you’re not so bad.”

  “Thanks,” I said with a laugh. “You really know how to screw up a compliment.”

  “Made you smile though, didn’t it. I don’t like it when you’re sad.”

  “I’m not sad. I’m relieved. Like I said, I was lucky.”

  He squeezed my arm in a tender gesture. “And you got to partner up with me. You’re like the princess of lucky.”

  “You’re the one who’s royalty, Wolf Boy.” I looked up at him. “What’s it like being a son of an Alpha? Is your dad treated like the King of Totem Talamh or something? Oh, oh,” I tugged on his arm playfully. “Do you get a princely crown so people can bow at you and shit?”

  He rolled his eyes as his lips tilted with a smile. “I’m not a prince. And my dad isn’t a king. He’s an Alpha. And there are many different places in Totem Talamh. It isn’t just a piece of grass with sections that the leaders preside over. The lands are vast and very different depending on the pack or clan who live there.”

  “What are they like?”

  “A lot of the wolf shifter packs live in the forested areas that the Fey have nurtured over time to provide us all with the right eco-system. I grew up on a grand estate called the Chamaya Moon Fields, named after one of the first wolf shifters who settled there.”

  “Pretty.”

  “If you say so. But there are other wolf packs in the eastern parts of Totem Talamh. Many who respect my father purely because he has the largest pack. No other reason I can think of.”

  “So where do the cheetah shifters live?”

  “They live in the west of Totem Talamh, in the cat plains, and no, not all cat shifters live together in one place,” he said before I could speak. “Each clan has their own piece of land. Same with the bear, bird and other mammal shifters.”

  “Do the cats get a jungle?” I asked him, and he nodded.

  “Pretty much. The shifters have land allocated to them that best suits t
heir animal half. That’s the benefit of the Fey’s power, I guess.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  He blew his hair out of his face and glanced over at me. “Not as much fun with a dad like mine. But it’s Cole who I feel sorry for.”

  “Why?”

  “He’s the next in line. The Beta. Everything is on him. Once dad is ready to retire, Cole will have to give up his role as Enforcer Chief to take the pack on as his own. He’ll have an arranged union to a mate who has a perfect bloodline, and he’ll be forced to live by the order of his people. All I have to do is stay out of my dad’s way, and we’re all happy. He’s already said that I’m not fit to be Gamma. And yes, that is an official wolf title seeing as I’m currently second in line after Cole.”

  He chuckled and I tried to stay on track with him. But another kick in the gut had been served my way about Cole.

  I knew a little how the packs worked. Over here, they handed down their Alpha spot to their eldest son. And Cole was an eldest son. How many warnings did I need for my emotions to check themselves regarding him? He was not for the taking—even if he wasn’t my boss—so why couldn’t my heart understand that?

  I coughed to clear away the emotion that had become lodged in my throat. “Yeah well. Shifters are weird. But so am I, so we’re all good.”

  Kaleb didn’t reply straight away. But then he took my hand and relaxed his stance before saying, “Look up ahead.”

  Two men wearing blue uniforms had rounded a corner and they were walking in our direction. “Looks like the boys in blue have arrived,” I murmured and we fell into our usual cover of your average couple taking an early night stroll. They may not know who we were from looks alone, so it was best to keep it to ourselves until we knew for sure if they wouldn’t recognize us from any descriptions their GP buddies may have given them.

  “Good evening,” one of the officers said as he walked by. Kaleb growled in response and the officer snapped back, “Excuse me?”

  We turned around to see them heading back our way, and I was happy they’d walked right into the trap of conversing with us. But the other officer, with the military hair cut and a jawline that would make GI Joe proud, was stupid enough to grab hold of Kaleb’s arm. Kaleb snatched his arm away and growled again.

  “You need to watch yourself,” the officer told him. “This is a manned territory and you’re growling at an officer of the Ground Patrol.”

  “Like I care,” Kaleb said as he shrugged his shoulders. He urged me to follow him and I played along. He was prodding them on purpose.

  “Hey,” the officer who’d bid us good evening demanded. He had dark, gelled hair that he’d preened to perfection and a cute set of dimples in his cheeks. Not that he was being very cute right now. There was anger set in his eyes that defied his easy-going body language. “You had better show me your citizen badge and tell me what you’re doing around here. We don’t want any trouble.”

  “I’m not making any trouble,” Kaleb snapped. “But you look at my girl like that again and I’ll rip your head off. Got it?”

  “Are you threatening us?” the GI Joe wannabe sneered. He snatched a weapon from his belt that looked like a taser and then stood toe-to-toe with Kaleb. “I’ve gotta say, that’s a bad idea.”

  They glared at each other, each daring their opponent to make the first move. Kaleb had to look down as he had the height advantage, his shoulders hunched with tension. But neither one of them would dare to drop their eyes first. I decided it was up to me to act. “Look, we don’t want any trouble,” I stated, as I pushed myself into the middle of their game of testosterone ping-pong. “My boyfriend is a little overprotective. That’s all. I take this route home sometimes, and he’s been on edge ever since that girl was ripped apart by something in these parts. He’s on high alert. You know what shifters are like. He’s just protecting me.”

  The calmer man nodded his head. “I understand that, ma’am. But we weren’t on duty that night. We are now. There is no need for your boyfriend to be so defensive.”

  Kaleb growled again. The officer he was facing off with growled back.

  “Kaleb, calm down.” I put my hand on his cheek and urged him to look at me. “Kaleb, baby, come on.”

  Something in his eyes changed when he looked at me after saying the word ‘baby’ and he softened. He finally took a step back. He was getting too good at this role-playing, and I hated that, for a moment, I was taken in by it.

  “You think I trust you lot with her,” Kaleb said, talking to the calmer one of the two. “You can’t just choose when you go on shift. That’s not how Ground Patrol works. You can’t pick and choose when you protect your citizens.” He looked at me. “You are so not paying these guys when you move over here. I mean it. I’ll protect you.”

  “Hey,” the more forceful one said, “that’s not up to you, you piece of shit.”

  “Riland,” the nicer officer said, “take it down a notch.”

  Riland. I remembered that name. Rita from the teashop had said that Riland was the officer who hadn’t been very nice to her.

  Officer Riland gave us a distasteful smile, then stepped back. “Yes, Officer Wiles,” he replied. “But it’s safe to say that this shifter is speaking out of turn.”

  “He’s entitled to his opinion.” Officer Wiles turned his attention to me. “When are you moving over here?”

  “I’ve been thinking about setting up shop in Whisper Street as I read cards. But I prefer things up this way.” I gnawed at my lip. “Or at least I did. Until that girl …”

  “That was a one-off,” Wiles said. “We were pretty thin on the ground that night and our officers were patrolling the park. But we’ve put in measures to make sure that doesn’t happen again. And we’ll be hiring more staff soon. We’re one of the best Ground Patrol firms in the city. I guarantee it.”

  It looked like Officer Wiles played the part of the charming salesman out of the two. It wasn’t a strange way for Ground Patrol to act. Many solicited for their services this way. But there was something in Wiles’ tone that was a little too pushy, a little too demanding, with a hint of sugar sprinkled on the top.

  “How come you don’t watch over Whisper Street?” I asked, knowing it was a different firm operating in that area where Mayra’s shop was.

  “Over a bunch of witches and frauds?” Officer Riland sneered. “Give me a break.”

  “Really?” I asked, not having to act offended. I damn well was. His attitude belonged over on Earthside, not in a place where having a witch as your neighbor was a regular occurrence.

  “Officer Riland’s view is his own,” Wiles assured me as he gave what I assumed to be his winning smile. “We are willing to take on the needs for any area and their protection requirements. Why don’t you give us a call when you’re settled? Whisper Street is covered by another firm but they’re not up to code. Or so I’ve heard.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Just what we hear on the ground. We’re hoping to expand into that territory once we can convince the majority of citizens in that area to change over. It’s a work-in-progress.” He took a white card out of his pocket and handed it to me. Embossed with a bright blue font that screamed SQR, their tagline about protecting the innocent stood out underneath. I had to flip it over to find their transmission code that I could contact them on. “We’re SQR,” the guy explained to me, as if the bright blue font wasn’t enough. “Star Quality Rangers, at your service, ma’am.”

  “Thanks.” I shoved it into my pocket. “I’ll think about it.”

  “You’ll think about nothing,” Kaleb told me. “I’ll not have you looked after by these cowboys who think it’s okay to leave a paid territory unmanned. It’s unprofessional and it’s stealing. They offered these people a service and didn’t deliver. There is no way in hell I would be leaving you unprotected like that. Come on, let’s go.”

  “Wait a minute,” Officer Wiles said to me. “Just think about it. Our rates are good and we’re con
tinuously investing. No territory will be left unmanned in the future. I can guarantee that evening was a one-off.”

  “Have territories been left unmanned by you before?” I asked, trying to look suitably terrified at the prospect of not having the GPOs looking out for me every second. I was lucky that he bought it.

  “Never. Like I said, it was an unusual occurrence and one not to be repeated. The officers who were supposed to be on duty have been—”

  “Supposed to have been on duty?” I let my mouth fall open in shock.

  “I mean, who were on duty,” he glanced over at Riland. “My mistake. Where are you heading tonight?”

  “I work at the Wicked Cauldron. He’s taking me to my shift. It’s a temporary job until I set up shop.”

  Wiles took a step closer and I saw the glimmer of interest in his eyes. “Really? Maybe I’ll see you in there sometime?”

  “I don’t think so,” Kaleb said, stepping between us. “Back off.”

  “I’m only speaking to the lady. And I don’t like your tone. Riland?”

  Officer Riland smiled with glee and grabbed onto Kaleb’s arm again. Kaleb snatched it away, so Riland lifted his arm to taser him, but no way was that happening on my watch.

  I swung low and swiped my leg hard and fast against Riland’s shin, taking him down to the floor. Officer Wiles decided to intervene at that point, so I came up and grabbed his arm to yank it up behind his back. He yelped and struggled, but these guys weren’t trained to take on an EFA. I pushed him to the ground and pulled out my badge.

  “We’re with the Portiside City Agency, idiots. We’re undercover in this area to make sure it’s safe after the attack. Keep still.”

  “PCA?” Officer Wiles gasped while trying to turn his head to look at me. “Why didn’t you say so?”

  “It was need-to-know,” I yanked him back up onto his feet, “and you were a bit busy putting the sell on me.”

  He pulled his arm away once he was steady and then glared at me. “That’s my job.”