by Paige Orr
Saying that though he hasn’t seemed this up-tight over the last month, no matter how many reports landed on his desk regarding our people going missing. This leads me to think that something had to have happened when he disappeared earlier, but what could have put him in such a strange mood.
“If you have something you wish to ask me, Morph, then just spit it out. You of all people know I don’t have the patience for people who beat around the bush.”
“Alright man, there’s no need to get your panties in a bunch. I was just wondering what was on your mind, that’s all.”
“Oh nothing really, just a little songbird in a red dress who was in the right place at the right time.”
The grin that split across his face tells me it’s something more than that, especially since he’s not known for letting a piece of skirt turn his head. Luckily for me, I’m about the only person that he’ll let question him about things like this without removing their head from their shoulders.
“You're not exactly one to have your head turned so easily, old friend. So what’s so special about your new prey?”
“Well, it just so happens that my little songbird is an investigator who was skilled enough to sneak into the Seelie Prince’s home and steal from him, which is a feat in itself.”
My jaw drops as I sit there waiting for him to drop the punchline because surely this is just another one of his poor attempts at a joke. But when he does nothing but sit there, his grin getting impossibly wider, I know that he’s serious.
“No fucking way! Was she one of ours or was she Seelie?”
At this, his grin falls away to a deep frown, and he runs a hand through his shoulder-length black hair, leaving me even more confused. Surely he knows which side she belongs to, so why is he so hesitant to answer me?
“Well, she was neither actually.”
“Then what was she? A Witch? Vampire? A wolf maybe?”
He falls silent again, this time causing me to tense up with worry. What the hell could this little thief be? If it was anyone else that was so hesitant to answer, I would worry that their minds had been messed with, but Zaphyr's mind is too strong for anyone to get inside so it can’t be that.
“Come on, Zaph, you’re making me nervous. Surely whatever she is can’t be so bad that you can’t tell me.”
“It’s not that it’s bad, Morph. It’s that I don’t know what she is. When I first saw her I thought she was just a human which made me confused about the fact that she managed to get into a supernatural party, and that she seemed to know what surrounded her. So I followed her and watched as she took whatever it was her client sent her after and realized that she was something more.”
“But that’s impossible! There’s no group of supernaturals that you wouldn’t know by scent. Sure your nose isn’t quite as good as a wolfs, but it’s good enough! She must have been using something to conceal what she was, that’s the only thing that makes sense.”
He looks at me with annoyance, his knuckles turning white as his rip on the steering wheel tightens.
“Don’t you think I thought of that! I detected no spells or wards on her! If you don’t believe me, that's fine, but you will see for yourself when we go to her office tomorrow.”
When he finishes speaking, he digs around in his pocket for something before chucking his phone at me, which I easily catch. I look down at it in confusion before looking back at him with a raised eyebrow, causing him to tut.
“The last number she called was her friend. I need you to call her and ask for the address of her office. I’m sure by now she will have called her friend and filled her in on our deal, so hopefully, she won’t mind giving you the address.”
I can’t help the groan that escapes me when he tells me this. Zaph never really liked technology, which makes trying to explain how it works to him like explaining it to a pensioner. He would never understand how easy it would be for someone to find out every detail about his life, just by gaining access to his phone.
“You do realize that if your little songbird's friend is a wiz with technology, then she could track us right now. Why do you never listen when I tell you not to give anyone your phone?”
“What does that matter? It's not like I use the thing for anything important. If it will put your mind at rest, you can dispose of it once you make the call. It’s not like you don’t have a collection at my place for this exact reason.”
I let out a huff at his blase reply before doing as he asked. Pulling up the last dialed number, I press call and wait patiently for someone to answer. The phone continues to ring and ring and just as I become impatient, someone finally answers.
“Well, if it isn’t Mister Mysterious. My friend filled me in all about you, but that leads me to question why the fuck you’re calling me?”
“Well, that was quite rude coming from the friend of a thief. I’m calling on behalf of the Mister Mysterious as you called him. Since your friend has filled you in, that means you know that she’s agreed to help us. So if you would be a doll and give us the address to her office, that would be great.”
“Fine, I suppose I could do that. You’ll get a text with the location in a few minutes. You should know though that if your Prince lays a single finger on her to harm her, then I will do everything in my power to kick his ass. Mel is only human, she may know about our world, but she’s powerless to defend herself.”
Nothing could stop the laugh that bursts from me at her words. How anyone thinks they could hurt Zaph is beyond me, but the woman has balls, that’s for sure.
“I’ll be sure to pass on the message, although I wouldn’t hold your breath. I’m sure your little friend will be perfectly fine since my Prince seems to be quite taken with her. Ciao!”
I hang up the call, chuckling to myself, and turn to Zaph to find him suppressing his laughter as the phone buzzes in my hand with the incoming text. I open the text to find an address in one of the rougher parts of the city and a sassy remark about knowing who I am too.
“Well, it seems I was right again. Her friend is savvy enough with technology to have hacked into Cailean’s security and find out who we are. There’s not much point in getting rid of the phone, I’m pretty sure she would just hack something else anyway.”
“You never know, it’s always good to have a number for people who could help us in the future. Everyone has their price and I’m sure she wouldn’t turn down the chance at money, not many people do.”
Sometimes I hate how uninterested Zaph can be when it comes to his safety, but if I know anything about him, then I know there’s no point trying to lecture him. Deciding to do a little investigation of my own, I type the address into my phone, pulling up the website that it’s linked to.
I’m greeted with a site to a small private investigation firm. Scrolling through the information on the site, I come across a picture of who I assume is our little helper and my breath catches in my throat. She’s certainly a stunning woman, and I can see why she caught Zaph’s eye. Continuing through the site, I find a section for reviews and my eyebrows raise when I see that most clients have hired her for small-time gigs.
Surely someone that is best known for finding lost pets or proof of cheating spouses wouldn’t be the top pick to hire when you need something stolen from the Seelie Prince. Which leaves me to wonder what her client hired her for, and why? The only reason I can think of is that the client didn’t want word of what he was looking for getting out to everyone. Plus, he must have known it could be dangerous for her, meaning that it was less likely for people to care about a small-time PI.
That thought causes me to bristle for reasons unknown to me. All I do know is something about Miss Melissa Greene intrigues me.
The Next Day
We pull up in front of Crimson Investigations in our Aston Martin Vanquish and for some reason, I’m more nervous than I’ve ever been to meet someone. There’s already a car out front that is as out of place as you could get. I’m not being a snob or trying to jud
ge the neighborhood, but with the street being lined with Toyotas and Fords, a Mercedes sedan doesn’t exactly fit the picture.
I can only guess that the car belongs to our little PI’s client and with the conclusions I came to last night about him, I decide to take a note of the license plate to do a little digging on my own. I’m probably being overly suspicious, but something just seems strange about someone who can afford the best in life, choosing someone so out of the way to do a job for them.
We both slip from the car, making our way towards the entrance to Miss Greene’s office. For being in such a rough part of the city, the building is in surprisingly good condition and you can tell that it’s only been refurbished recently. Not wasting any more time, I open the door, holding it for Zaph to make his way inside first and shortly follow after him.
The office is warm and inviting, making me relax a little as we walk over to the door where we can hear muffled voices coming from. I strain my ears trying to hear through the door which is strange in itself with my enhanced hearing. After speaking with the little hacker friend though, I’m guessing that she must have soundproofed the place against supernatural eavesdroppers for Miss Greene.
That fact may frustrate me but I have to admit that it was a smart move. It’s obvious that Miss Greene cares deeply about her client’s confidentiality. That’s always a good thing to find in someone that you're hiring to deal with sensitive issues. I guess Zaph made the right decision when he made his deal with her.
Zaph obviously doesn’t have the patience to wait until Miss Greene is finished with her client. So it doesn’t surprise me when he swings the door open without even knocking. I shake my head at him before following him into the office where we find a sleazy looking human who is quite obviously past his best days and the most breathtaking woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. Her picture on the website doesn’t do Miss Melissa Greene any favors, but seeing her in person is enough to steal my breath. The man swings around to us with a look of indignation on his face before he turns back to Miss Greene with a scathing remark.
“I thought you pride yourself in confidentiality, Miss Greene! If I hadn’t already paid you, I would rethink it for this intrusion.”
Melissa turns her head from the man, rolling her eyes before turning back to him with a placating smile.
“I apologize about this Mr. Sullivan. It seems that my next clients have arrived early. I can assure you this doesn’t happen often. If we’re done here, I’ll just give you your item so you can be on your way.”
With that, she pulls open the top drawer of her desk, pulling out a velvet bag, and getting to her feet. She motions for Mr. Sullivan to follow suit and he does, grumbling under his breath the whole time. She shows the bastard to the door, thanking him for choosing her before shutting the door behind him. She turns back to us, anger rolling off of her in waves.
“What the fuck do you think you’re playing at! Don’t you have any respect for other people’s business? I may have agreed to your deal, Prince Zaphyr. But that doesn’t give you the right to just barge in here whenever you please.”
I do my best to hide my growing grin behind my hand at the shocked look on Zaph’s face at the way she has spoken to him. No one apart from me has ever gotten away with speaking to him that way and walked away unscathed. But something about the woman in front of us has both of us wrapped up in knots.
Zaph clears his throat looking rather sheepish and I can’t stop the chuckle that slips free causing him to turn to me with a frown. He turns back to Melissa, giving me the chance to fully study her, and what I see doesn’t disappoint. When I say the woman has the most amazing curves, it would probably be an understatement. She reminds me of my days in Greece when they looked at supernaturals like Gods and Goddesses.
She could put my bitch of an ex Aphrodite to shame, not that I’d ever tell the psycho that if I want my balls to remain firmly attached. The sun coming through the window causes Melissa’s skin to take on a radiant glow and causes bronze highlights to shine in her midnight hair that hangs to her waist. The thing that surprises me though is her eyes. With one amber eye and one ice blue eye, you can’t help but be drawn into her gaze.
I’m not usually one for waxing poetically about women, but everything about Melissa draws you in, refusing to let you go. We’ve only just met and already I can tell that this woman will either damn me or redeem me. Only time will tell which, though.
Chapter Nine
Melissa
I am absolutely fucking fuming that this asshole thought it would be okay to just burst his way into my office. He may be a Prince in his world, but in my office, he’s just another client. I can tell that my outburst has shocked him, as he stands there staring at me in astonishment. His friend on the other hand is obviously struggling to hold back his laughter.
I really hate being around the Fae with their otherworldly, ethereal good looks, I can’t help but feel insecure in myself standing across from them. I’m as average as you could get, and these men look like they belong on the cover of GQ. Since I’m still waiting on whatever excuse, the Prince may have for his rudeness, I tut and make my way around the desk.
Taking my seat, I motion impatiently for them to sit across from me as I lean back, crossing my arms over my chest, which I seem to be doing often around the surly Prince. They both take their seats and I take the time to look at them properly. Last night I was too caught up in the fact that my fate lay in the Prince’s hand to fully take in his looks. To be perfectly honest, I’m glad that I was otherwise preoccupied. Or else, I would have been far too distracted with the mouthwatering sight in front of me.
Zaphyr is certainly eye-catching, with his skin pale as moonlight and his jet black hair that seems to shimmer with midnight blue undertones in the light. His cheekbones are sharp enough to cut, and his cobalt eyes seem to pierce right through me. My eyes catch on his full lips that look perfect to bite on. If I wasn’t in the same room as the man I would fan myself.
Next, I turn my attention to the man beside him who is like his complete opposite. His hair is white and cut short at the side, long and messy at the top. It stands out against his stunning caramel skin tone that I struggle with the urge to run my tongue along every inch. His scarlet eyes shine out at me, dancing with mischief that causes my lips to tip up in a smile. My eyes continue their path down to his strong jawline and to his wonderfully plump lips that tip up in a roguish smirk making me realize that I’ve been sat here staring for far too long.
I flick my eyes away and clear my throat, feeling heat spread across my cheeks at the fact they know I was quite obviously checking them out. I take a moment to compose myself before turning back to them both, hoping that we can forget my staring and get straight down to the issue at hand.
“Alright, why don’t we get started. With you guys needing outside help, I’m guessing whatever is going on is rather serious.”
At my words, all sense of playfulness and cheer disappear, replaced with a somber attitude that has me on edge instantly. The more time that I spend trying to figure out what could be happening, the more worried I get that this could be the most dangerous case that I’ll ever work on in my career. Zaphyr still seems hesitant to speak about the issue, which leaves his friend to be the one to address me.
“Well Miss Greene, what you’re about to hear has to be kept between us and your little hacker friend who helped you out last night. You need to understand that we have already tried everything available to us to solve the situation ourselves with no luck.”
“Look, Mister…?”
“You can call me Morpheus kitten.”
I roll my eyes at his flirtatious tone before getting back to the matter at hand.
“Morpheus, I don’t exactly shout about my cases from the rooftops. Most clients prefer confidentiality; hence why I was so pissed at your intrusion, and I do everything in my power to keep whatever they say between us.”
“Alright. Well, I’ll start by filling you in on th
e simple stuff. There are approximately forty Fae who have gone missing in the last month, twenty from each side. That itself wouldn’t usually be a worry, but the Fae who are missing aren’t the type to go gallivanting around without telling people where they will be.”
“Okay, I can see why that would be worrisome. But surely with the magic you have at hand, you are far more equipped to handle this than a human PI.”
“So you would believe, but that's where things get rather tricky. You see, we’ve tasked our most talented trackers with finding those who have disappeared, but they aren't able to find anything. It’s like every part of the person's presence is completely wiped, making it look like they never existed in the first place.”
For fuck’s sake! If their people, who are highly skilled at finding people can’t find anything, what in the world makes them think that I’ll have better luck. My non-corporeal stalker chooses this moment to appear behind my guests, causing me to tense up, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Prince Zaphyr who questions me.
“Are you alright, Miss Greene? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I can’t stop the very unladylike snort that escapes me as I note that I’m okay. I swear this ghost deliberately chooses to pop up at the worst of times. When I stop to think about it though, maybe he could be helpful with this investigation. Plus, if he’s out searching for the missing Fae, then he won’t be in my hair making me look like a crazy woman.
“I’m sorry about that, it’s just that this case seems to be a lot bigger than anything that I’ve been hired for before, and I don’t know what makes you think that I’ll do any better than your people."
“Simply put, you achieved something last night that few people could. First by getting into Cailean’s home and then stealing from him. It takes guts to do something like that and we need someone who isn’t afraid to go the extra mile for us.”
