Both Ways

by Ileandra Young

  Can’t help but stop at the last picture—three women in a single frame, a mother and two grown daughters.

  A pang grips my chest.

  Rayne touches my shoulder. “She’ll come around.”

  I’m not sure about that, but I’m comforted to hear her say it.

  “I agreed to live with you, not be your live-in alarm clock.” Pippa nudges a mug across the coffee table.

  I sip. Mmm, more coffee. “I was awake.”

  “Do you want the lift or not?”

  “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the coffin tonight. Relax. It’s not like Jack can fire you.”

  Pippa pulls the spoon from my mug and flicks it across the room. It flies through the kitchen door and lands with a clink, probably dead centre on the sideboard. “We’ve got new tests to finalize today, but I need the human staff. They leave at eight.”

  Another glug of coffee, then I’m standing. “Is this the new blood synthesis?”

  She nods. “If we crack this, things will change, practically overnight. Can you imagine?”

  I want to, but after so long, it’s difficult. Vampires drink blood. Human blood. Anything else is a dream, something cooked up by those new TV shows springing up in recent months. Nice thought, though.

  Rayne walks through, shrugging her coat onto her shoulders. She hands mine over with a smile for Pippa. “You’re a great chemist and your team is wonderful. If anyone can do it, you can. Do you need more samples?”

  “Not now, but when we do I’ll send Wendy to pick them up.”

  I give a snort of laughter. “Don’t let him hear you calling him that.”

  Pippa deactivates the security on our reinforced front door. “I’m allowed to call him that.” The blackout sheeting rolls back and away for another night. “He likes me,” she adds, stepping onto the street.

  I follow, still struggling into my jacket. “He likes me too y’know.”

  * * *

  It’s not a long drive to SPEAR.

  Rayne sits with me in the back, her fingers entwined with mine. Pippa drives, occasionally sneaking a peep at us through her rear view.

  My reflection slides through the image of Angbec, just visible through the shadowed glass of our new car.

  It’s Angbec like I’ve always known it, but different. It’s brighter and more vibrant, livelier than I remember.

  Pippa drops us at the staff entrance like usual. “See you for dinner?”

  “You mean breakfast?”

  She grins and speeds away.

  Rayne opens the doors.

  Inside, there’s no immediate visible change to the headquarters of the Supernatural Prohibition, Extermination, and Arrest Regiment. Only when we pass security and reach the third floor do the changes start to show—chittarik flying back and forth carrying messages, agents in suits or tactical gear moving on about their business.

  And that’s the real difference. My field agent colleagues have diversified.

  A small red-skinned gargoyle waves hello from his workstation on the ceiling, while a trio of goblins chat beside the junk food vending machine. In the training area, more human newbies go through their basic hand-to-hand, though now they’re joined by the larger, furrier forms of werewolves in hybrid form. Link must be thrilled teaching students less prone to broken bones.

  I stop at my desk and cage a sigh behind my teeth.

  “Norma?”

  Fluttering wings. My little chittarik swoops in from her roost on the ceiling and lands on the edge of my desk.

  “How many times do I need to say it: use the tray.”

  She cocks her head. “Karson? Dan-Danika Karson?”

  “That’s sorry, right? I’ll take that as a sorry.”

  Norma pulls a message tube from the flap beneath her chin and drops it before flying away.

  Rayne snatches it from the air before it hits the fresh pile of droppings beside my phone. “She only does it to wind you up.”

  “It works.” Grumbling, I take the chair and drop into it, legs up and crossed on the desk.

  I open the tube. Read.

  “What?” Rayne’s eyes are bright and lively, a faint edge of silver creeping in around her irises. “Tell me. Your pulse has shot up and you smell like a kid at Christmas. What is it?”

  I wave the curled sheet of paper. “New assignment.”

  “All of us?”

  “Yep.” I look again at the paper and the thrilling words at the top: Special Ops Team: Edane Alpha One.

  Rayne beams and cracks her knuckles. Still smiling, she crosses to her own desk and pulls her utility belt from the top drawer. Into it she slides two knives, a gun, and her own off-white ID card. “Guess we should call the rest of the team.”

  “Damn right.” I loop my own utility belt into place. Check the gun. Ammunition. When satisfied, I leave my desk and stride across the office to the meeting room where my team awaits.

  I’ve got a briefing to give, and we’ve got work to do.

  About the Author

  Ileandra Young is one face of Da Shared Brain, who also writes erotica and romance as Raven ShadowHawk. This face writes urban and traditional fantasy, watching the moon at night and dreaming up new supernatural creatures to let loose on her characters. When not writing, Ileandra can be found LARPing (gleefully), snoring (loudly), or playing video games with her twin sons.

  Visit her website at www.ileandrayoung.co.uk.

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