by Theda Vallee
The room erupted in a confused clamor. How could we stop working on our current cases? That would leave a lot of bad guys to continue whatever criminal activity they wanted to, with no repercussion. How could that possibly be the best choice, especially right now?
Pietro raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to quiet down again. “I understand this is unusual. However, we find ourselves in uncharted territory. For the first time in almost two hundred years, we’re facing the possibility of exposure to the outside world.”
He turned, slowly surveying the collection of people listening raptly, his face the perfect picture of a concerned parent. “As you know, we can’t let that happen. We have upheld our laws vigilantly, to ensure the next generation would live in the same peace we’ve had the privilege of being born into.”
“Maybe it’s time we came out of hiding!” a slender blonde woman shouted from the middle of the crowd.
“That would be unwise, Savannah,” Desideria said, her voice cutting through the air like an iron stiletto. “That kind of thinking is precisely why we’re implementing emergency protocols organization-wide. It’s also why we’ve suspended all casework until we’ve dealt with this threat. There are many reasons for us to remain hidden. The council has agreed that there may be a point in the future when we can explore integration, but now is not that time.”
“Can you at least explain why? We deserve to understand the council’s decision,” Savannah demanded. “This is our fight as much as it is yours.”
Desideria’s iridescent wings twitched in agitation. “Are you questioning the wisdom of the council? Do you feel you know what’s best for the entire supernatural community?”
Savannah glanced around the room, searching for support. Defying a council member was never a smart idea, but right now, it seemed suicidal. Still, she raised her head regally, meeting Desideria’s stony glare. “I don’t think I know better, but I believe our council owes us an explanation. We voted you in. You work for all of us, and if we’re being asked to cower in fear of the humans, we should understand why.”
“Guards, can you please escort Savannah to one of the holding cells?”
Three armored guards jumped at Desideria’s command, pushing through the crowd with force. Savannah turned in terror, looking for someone to stop this from happening. No one dared to meet her pleading eyes.
“You can’t let this happen. I asked a question, that’s it. Since when is that a crime? Please. Don’t let them do this. Help me!” She pushed against the crowd surrounding her, desperate to find an escape route. No one moved. If she escaped because they’d moved, it could look like they’d helped her.
The guards grabbed her lithe frame, twisting her arms behind her back. They clamped iron cuffs on her wrists before injecting a syringe full of a transparent liquid into her. Her face was a mask of defiance as they brusquely marched her from the room, her head held high as everyone’s complicity sank in. Some of these people had known her since she was a child, yet no one uttered a word in her defense.
“You might think that was harsh, but it’s too dangerous for that kind of thought right now. To protect the future of our community, we won’t tolerate integration rhetoric. During this crisis, we need your loyalty. You can show that loyalty by doing exactly what’s asked of you,” Desideria said. “You’ll receive new directives shortly. If you defy your orders, discuss integration, or take part in any activity deemed to interfere with this organization’s ability to protect our people, you will be jailed and brought before the council on charges of treason. If you’re found guilty, we will show no mercy.”
Brady grabbed my trembling hand. Vee grabbed my other hand, her tight smile telling me she felt the terror swirling inside me. Small waves of calming energy spread through me. I usually hated when Vee used her magic on me without asking, but I was grateful for it right now. Her magic would keep me from going into full-blown panic mode. If that happened, Stella would get involved, and no one wanted that.
Part of me understood the council’s decision. If we didn’t come out of hiding the right way, it could be disastrous. A lot of us might die at the hands of terrified humans. Those of us living in the human world would have to fight people who were our friends, neighbors, and even family. It would be devastating all around. However, I couldn’t condone the way they were strong-arming us. Why did the Osservatori always have to go about things in the worst way?
“We don’t want to arrest anyone else. It’s as unpleasant for us as it is for you,” Pietro said, forcing his Botoxed face into a frown. “I’d like you each to disperse to your team areas and await further direction, except for Squad Tredici and Trenta. Please remain here for your briefing.”
A tremor of fear shook my body despite Vee’s powerful soothing magic. We were team Trenta. Why the hell would Pietro want to see us? Brady squeezed my hand, while Vee amped up the juice, almost overdosing me with her calming waves.
“Be cool, baby girl. Be cool,” Brady whispered into my ear.
“I’m fine,” I said softly. For once, I actually meant it. Leontyne was watching me from across the room, so I had to stay calm. If I sneezed wrong, she’d probably report me for treason. “Can someone explain how we keep ending up with Leontyne and her motley crew?”
“Use your inside voice, darling. I realize yours is a few decibels higher than normal folks, but we don’t want her royal bitchiness to hear you. We have enough to deal with,” Brady said, no quieter than I’d been.
“I think we need wine,” Vee said. “Perhaps, we can find a bottle in the cafeteria?”
If Vee wanted wine, things were bad. I’d never seen her touch alcohol. Then again, my family could be rubbing off on her. Luc emerged from the parting crowd, waving at us to join him. I sighed, wishing we didn’t have to deal with him, too. Whenever we were in front of his parents, he behaved like a supreme dick-cheese. Brady pulled me through the thinning crowd, weaving through the stragglers until we stopped in front of Luc.
Luc watched Pietro and Desideria as they whispered to each other in the front of the room. “We’re to wait here for further directions.”
I rolled my eyes. Didn’t he realize we’d been in the same room? I wanted to say something bitchy. It was on the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t. I’d been learning the art of restraint and now seemed like an excellent time to practice it. We were all on edge. Watching them haul that girl away had only heightened our tension. Anything I said right would lead to a fight. He was my boyfriend, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t let them haul me off like Savannah. Hell, for all I knew, he was trying to figure out how to break up with me, and an arrest would solve all his problems.
I let go of Brady’s hand, wrapping my arms around myself. A chill settled in my bones, scattering goose bumps across my skin. Stella stirred sluggishly, finally sensing the anxiety bouncing around inside me like a pinball. As soon as Vee had stopped pumping her juju into me, my fear shot through the roof. We’d watched the guards march that girl out of the room and done nothing. I’d been too afraid to risk myself, so I’d stayed silent like everyone else. I felt like a damn coward.
I felt a tingle along my neck that meant someone was watching me. Since embracing my magic, some of my senses had become enhanced. I was still a total disaster in a lot of areas, but, my intuition and other soft skills were shaping up nicely. Glancing up, I met a pair of beautiful violet eyes. Easton was across the room talking to someone from Leontyne’s team, but his attention was squarely on me. He smiled and winked at me before turning his attention back to his conversation. What the hell was that about? I couldn’t imagine he’d flirt with me so openly. Maybe he was trying to offer moral support? Or he might have something in his eye.
“Flirting when your boyfriend’s right next to you is bad form, in case you were wondering,” Luc whispered in my ear. His warm breath tickled my neck, sending another cascade of goosebumps skittering across my skin. The scent of trees and warm earth rolled off of him, making me feel relaxed.
“For the record, he flirted with me. Not that I owe you an explanation,” I said. It was sinful for any man to smell that good. I’d thought my hormonal surges were over since I was getting laid regularly, but here I was quivering from just the smell of him. It’d been a few days since I’d spent the night. I needed a booty call before I resorted to humping his leg in public. It pissed me off how easily my nether regions took control of me.
“Eyes up here, please,” Pietro said, once the room had finished clearing. “In the past, you’ve shown yourselves to be some of the most effective agents we have, especially when dealing with dangerous suspects. Knowing this, I’ve selected you as our street team. You’ll work together to start surveillance on our suspect list, and to question anyone we believe has information about the attack.”
The last time we’d been responsible for interviewing people in the field, we’d let the guy get away the first time. I’d had to fight a damn demon because of that mistake. A lot of people had died. Brady had been broken into so many pieces I wasn’t sure how they’d stitched him back together. My sister still crawled into bed with me at least once a week because she’d almost been a demon snack. There was no way in hell they’d chosen us because we were the best for the job. Something was rotten in Palermo Bay, and it started with Pietro DeFiero.
“Doesn’t it seem weird to you?” I asked, pacing back and forth in the kitchen.
Brady had settled in at the table with a steaming pile of carbonara. “Not really. I mean we solved that case, and no one else had been able to.”
I stopped in front of him, frustrated he didn’t see my point. “We solved it on accident. There was nothing skillful about what we did. What could they possibly gain by sending us out? Unless they’re hoping we fuck it up.”
Slamming into a chair, I laid my head on my arms in frustration. Something about this wasn’t adding up. My witchy senses were tingling off the chart. We were a squad of bumbling idiots, and that was being generous. Leontyne’s team was competent, maybe they thought our blind luck and her team’s skills would equate to a dream team.
“Brady!” Nerina’s ear-shattering squeal echoed through the kitchen.
Leaping up from his seat, Brady pulled Nerina into a giant bear hug. “Mio Polpetto!”
I lifted my head from the table, scowling at them. “You know the literal translation for polpettto is ‘Little Meatball’? If I called you a little meatball, you’d be pissed.”
“You’d say it to be a jerk. He says it because he loves me,” she said, tugging on my hair. “Now, tell your little sister what has you all super sadsy.”
Brady set Nerina on the ground before seating himself across from me with a wicked grin. “She’s mad because she splooshed her panties big time flirting with Easton today.”
“She barely tolerates her boyfriend, so it makes sense. Her vaginas on the lookout for the next best thing,” she said.
“My vagina isn’t on the lookout for anything. Easton winked at me. I’m sure it was just a friendly gesture.”
Nerina looked unconvinced. “Etta, you can’t let yourself get involved in a love triangle. That’s super cliché, and it would also make work awkward. I get it. Easton is an eleven on the smoking hot scale. Luc comes in at a strong eight, which makes an eleven tempting. It’s not worth it, though. As someone who gives out love advice for a living, this is one area you’d better listen to me about. Love triangles never turn out well.”
“I heard you don’t have to choose nowadays. Can’t you have more than one man?” Brady asked. “If so, does it work for me, too? I want a harem of toned, sexy men to spoil me rotten.”
“No one in this room should have a harem. Our lives are already too damn complicated,” I said. “I’m not upset about all that, anyway. The Osservatori has gone into lockdown mode from the Tarantella attack.”
Nerina shrugged her shoulders. “Which means what? They were already giant pricks. How much worse could they get?”
“A girl at the meeting asked why we couldn’t come out of hiding, and they arrested her. They used to be like Castro, and now they’ve gone Kim Jong whoever the current one is. They told everyone dissenters would be killed.”
“You let them arrest that girl?”
“Did you want me to share a cell with her?” I asked.
“Of course not, but they can’t just arrest people for asking questions. Can they?” she asked.
Brady let out a small bitter laugh. “Honey, they can do whatever the hell they want. They’re holding all the cards. Peons like us just have to do what we’re told.”
“Hopefully, they’ll go back to their normal dick selves once we find out who the hell is responsible for this,” I said.
“Speaking of normal dicks, Luc wants us over at the beach house, so we can strategize over the suspect lists,” Brady said, licking his plate clean between words.
I hunched down in my chair, refusing to get up. “You’re disgusting. Tell him I have food poisoning from watching you eat and can’t come. Better yet, tell him I have cramps. Guys never ask questions when you hint at the mysterious world of lady stuff.”
“Sorry, princess, Mr. Bossman waits for no one. Not even a girl who’s pretending to have cramps, so she doesn’t have to work,” Brady said, lifting me from the chair.
I made my body go limp. I’d heard dead weight was hard to carry. Brady tossed me over his shoulder, his damn wings smacking my face. Fairies were such cavemen. Usually, I’d have a fit about being carried around against my will, but the joke was on him this time. Now, I didn’t have to walk to the car.
Chapter Seven
My mind wandered as I stared at the stream of water flowing into the Jacuzzi tub. The relaxing scent of vanilla chai filled the room. Luc had stocked up on all my favorite scents when he’d found out I was obsessed with baths. It’d been years since I’d been able to soak in one properly. After my last growth spurt, I didn’t fit in our prefab combo anymore. I’d tried to make it work, but I could never get all of my body in the water at the same time. It wasn’t relaxing when you were scrunched up like an accordion and freezing. Dating a guy just for his big tub was nothing to be ashamed of.
When we’d arrived, Vee had announced that our meeting was postponed. Luc was locked in his office with Leontyne, their raised voices could be heard through the entire house. Figuring it might be hours, I’d snuck up here to enjoy a few stolen moments of serenity.
I tested the water when it reached the right height. It was the perfect temperature, somewhere between hot and the scalding fires of hell. I stripped down, eager to slip into the cocoon of warmth waiting for me. With a sigh of pleasure, I slid into the water, sinking down until only my nose rested above the surface.
The events of the last twenty-four hours wouldn’t leave me alone. Everything kept replaying in an endless loop. Acting as the FBI, the Osservatori had issued a statement attributing the deaths to an airborne chemical. That had done nothing to calm the public. When that many people died, humans needed to know why. Were they safe? Was this an isolated incident? Who would do this? All questions we’d left unanswered. A timer had started when the world found out about the deaths, and it was ticking down fast. If we didn’t have any answers to offer soon, people would demand them. It already felt like an insurmountable task, but the Osservatori compounded it by threatening to kill us if we fucked up. It felt like someone had thrown us into a pressure cooker to see if we’d explode.
“Can I join you?”
It took everything in me to keep from kicking my feet in frustration at the sound of Luc’s voice. I’d wanted thirty minutes to myself, was that too much to ask for? Was it wrong to kick him out of his own bathroom? I kept my eyes closed. Maybe he’d go away if I pretended not to hear him. My ears were mostly underwater, that was a legitimate excuse, right?
“Come on, Etta, I know you can hear me.”
Giving up the battle since it was clearly lost, I cracked open one eye. Luc sat on the lip of the tub in his bl
ack boxer briefs. Lord help me those underwear didn’t leave much to the imagination. I saw him half naked almost daily, yet I still drooled like he was a ribeye every time.
“Are you going to be nice to me?” I asked.
“I promise. If I don’t keep my word, you can drown me,” he said, scooping up a handful of bubbles.
Despite his perfectly sculpted physique being on display, I couldn’t help but notice how tired he looked. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and a layer of golden stubble covered his chiseled jaw. His hair was disheveled from running his hand through it constantly, and he looked pale. Seeing the signs of stress made my resolve waver. The responsibility he was carrying was enormous. None of us had to report back to Pietro or the council. That had to be nerve-racking. Besides, I wasn’t a superwoman. Sitting there with a handful of bubbles, he looked like a centerfold. Golden hair lightly coated the tops of his well-muscled thighs. The same light smattering of hair traced up from his belly button and spread out in a soft fan across his perfectly sculpted chest. It was a body that begged to be caressed with long leisurely strokes. My vagina had joined forces with my empathy, and they were conspiring against me.
I sat up to give him room by my feet. If he acted like a prick, I could easily crush his man bits with a well-placed kick. “Get in. If you say one thing I don’t like, I’ll fry you like a catfish.”
Without shame, I watched him drop his underpants. The sight of all that sexy flesh made my clit stand up and applaud. As he slowly lowered into the water, I happily enjoyed the show. There was something sensual about the way he let his body sink down into the water. It made me want to straddle his lap and ride him like a wild horse. My magic hummed across my skin at his proximity, increasing the urge to cowgirl his ass into oblivion. I’d grown accustomed to the magical response of our bodies and had learned to push it down to a low simmer most of the time. If we were both fully clothed and had things to distract us, it worked like a charm. When he was buck naked, smoldering like a sex God, there wasn’t much I could do but ride the wave.
