I hugged him back, then punched him in the gut for that little comment.
He doubled over, wheezing, with a grin.He knew.That was how we loved each other—through violence and sarcasm.
“E said the next meeting’s in a few days,” I said, walking them out of my office. “See you then?”
They nodded, and we made our way downstairs. A black car was already waiting to take them to the private hangar.
Nova waved before getting in, but Calix leaned on the door, looking smug as sin.
“I left you a little surprise under your chair. Even made it so you couldn’t accidentally trigger it. You're welcome.”
Remembering what he said about the ejecting chair, my eyes went wide. With one last chuckle, he got in the car and closed the door before I had a chance to ask any questions.
As I watched the car leave, a little pang bloomed in my chest. I was going to miss them. My family was crazy, and my siblings were annoying… but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Turning around, I stalked off toward the garage. My bike gleamed, waiting for me like a loyal hound, my helmet resting atop the seat. It was a beauty—metallic pink with rhinestones inlaid in the shape of a crown—and one of my prized possessions.
Off to the dump I go.
Right as I rolled up,red and blue flashing lights reflected off my bike. I cursed under my breath. Fucking human police.
I hated dealing with them. Always so damn hostile toward supes, like we were plotting to wipe out humans when, in reality, it was the other way around. Most humans soughtusout.
Vampires preferred supe blood since it regenerated faster. After the exodus of Faerie, it became obvious that supes carried more life essence than humans. We learned to extract and infuse it into drinks and food, as just a small amount was enough to keep us and our magic going. Mages’ magic drew from elemental power and rune work. Something to do about pulling from the life magic that was ingrained in the earth. Werewolves mostly wanted to be left the hell alone with their pack. Demons relied on Hellfire to keep their magic lit, and their days of fucking with humans for entertainment were basically in the past.
Point was, we didn’t need humans anymore, but theyalwayscame sniffing around us.
Especially in cities like this, where Syndicate bosses ruled. Everyone knew we handled supe issues.Ourway.
The stench hit me as soon as I stepped into the space, reeking of decay and weeks-old garbage. I wrinkled my nose, scanning my surroundings for my massive green troll mate. He should’ve been visible from space, for fuck’s sake.
Rounding the corner, I spotted him. Arms crossed, towering beside the chief of police, while Maso sorted through something on the ground, dropping pieces in front of Alic.
“Fancy seeing you here, Chief. Didn’t know we were dealing with human remains,” I said coolly as I stepped their way.
Both my mates looked up and smiled. The expression on the chief’s face, however, made it clear that he saw everything as my fault.
“Well, Miss Glovefox—” he started, but my lips moved before I could catch myself.
“Mrs.” I bit my lip to keep myself from saying anything further.
The chief squinted, confused. I immediately regretted it, wanting to punch myself in the mouth, but the looks on Alic and Maso’s faces? Fuck. You’d think I’d just handed them the moon.
“Mrs. Glovefox,” I repeated, squaring my shoulders. “I’m mated now.”
It still didn’t register for the chief, but I caught the shine in my mates’ eyes and the way their chests puffed out even though I didn’t specifically name them. Damn them for looking so fucking cute about it. Now I couldn’t even take it back.
“Well, then,Mrs. Glovefox,” he said slowly. “This…thingwas dumped in our landfill and found by a now-traumatized human employee. No one wants to come back to work. They’re scared this might be the start of something. Who’s going to take responsibility for that?”
Taking a breath, I ran my tongue over my teeth, trying not to leap on this man and start wailing on him just to knock some sense into him. I needed to think… HWEA.How Would Ezra Act?
Smiling through clenched teeth, I turned to face the chief.
“I understand,”you puny fucking idiot,“but bad things happen everywhere. If you think about it, the perp could’ve been human—maybe someone lashing out at a supe? Would explain why they used this place.”
His dull human eyes narrowed, fists clenching at his sides, mouth in a thin angry line. I almost rolled my eyes. Sure, it was a stretch, but not impossible.
Behind him, Maso tossed another body part onto the pile. I motioned toward it, trying to steer the conversation back.
