He cocked his head at me. “If someone was going to introduce you formally, what would they say?”
I sighed before giving him what he wanted.
“They would say, ‘I present His Most Blessed Excellency, Hamilton Xavier Darkwing Fawkes, Marquess of Innadore, Lawgiver of the Contestrello, Champion of the Watch.’ I’d be addressed as Lord Innadore or just Innadore. Most Americans who find out call me Lord Fawkes because they don’t know any better andit doesn’t matter here.”
Wiley crossed his arms and glared at me. “Why are you getting so testy just telling me something about yourself?”
My ire faded and I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my stolen slacks. “Because this is one of the things I wanted to talk to you about later. During our…date.”
“Oh.” He walked over, gave me a peck on my cheek, and then sat down in the chair. “We’re fine then. And I just realized that Liana wasn’t saying ‘lordy, Fawkes, where have you been,’ she was calling you Lord Fawkes all American and wrong.”
I shrugged. “Mermaids do royal titles differently, so she was addressing me correctly according to her people.”
“Do I need to be here?” Quillan said like he was sincerely confused.
“Yes, you do. Or we do.” I glanced at Wiley. “We can continue this later.”
“On our date,” he said with a grin.
I cleared my throat and focused on Quillan. Nothing I was about to tell him would be easy for me to say, or him to hear. I was bringing some of the worst possible news to his desk.
“Approximately six weeks ago, I was abducted from The Chop, a restaurant in North Parnell, and taken to The Barnabas Institute of Genetics where Doctor Edsel Barnabas is attempting to create genetically altered super soldiers for the American government.”
Quillan’s eyes got larger and a snout started to push out his mouth and nose. Fur began to sprout over his bare arms and his fingernails extended to claws. That was testament to how afraid the werewolf became at my words. I almost reached for him, wanting to reassure him somehow, but he blinked, swallowed hard, and shook himself to return to his fully human form before wiggling his mouse to wake his computer.
“Tell me everything,” he said. “Everything. I’m recording this as of now. This is Quillan MacLupine with Hamilton Fawkes and Wiley Winslow. Case number DW2356.9. Initial intake.”
Quillan gave me a nod, so I repeated what I’d said about being taken and then just kept talking about everything I’d experienced, sussed out, or been outright told by the arrogant Barnabas himself. The chemical that had been sprayed on me to keep me in my bat form. The numerous and invasive samples they’d taken. The men they’d given me to feed from…and that I wasn’t one hundred percent sure what had happened to them afterward.
At that point, Wiley silently stood and wrapped himself around me. I was usually the strong one, the one who protected and comforted, so it was startling to find myself in his arms and getting a kiss on my forehead. For just a moment, as I put my hands on his hips, I was going to push him back and carry on. But no, I could have this now. My mate had been moved to show me that I wasn’t alone, and I wanted to feel that from him.
I wrapped an arm around Wiley’s waist, leaned my cheek against his chest, and continued telling Quillan everything I knew. It felt like hours had passed by the time I was done, like maybe it was evening already. I wanted to sleep.
“When did you get involved, Wiley?” Quillan asked.
“I was taken from just outside the back door of Tony’s Diner in Irmaville where I work. Well, I probably don’t work there anymore since I never finished closing for the night. Anyway, the dudes in black tactical gear knew my name and had me confirm it. I thought maybe they were ICE and was about to throw down, but one of them stabbed me with a syringe and… I didn’t pass out completely, but everything got real fuzzy around the edges and I couldn’t make myself move the way I wanted to.”
I tucked my face against his chest and just breathed in the scent of him. The urge was strong to go back to the institute and see if I might be able to bring the whole building down. Not in retaliation for what they’d done to me, but for Wiley. He deserved to have his vengeance, too.
But I didn’t move because he was petting my hair as he talked. I couldn’t be sure which one of us he was comforting more.
“I don’t know how far they drove,” he continued, “when they dragged me into a room and stripped me. I remember one guy was pissed that I kept talking and left my socks on me, while another guy was like, ‘take his socks off’ and he was all ‘fuck that.’ Oh, you know what? I left those at the house. Oops. Anyway, then they shoved me into Hamilton’s room and he snatched me up.”
Wiley cleared his throat, and I looked up at his face. “Do they need like all the details of that?” he whispered.
I glanced at Quillan, who was shaking his head. He knew what we were to each other, and since weres also got a boost in strength and virility and everything else when they took their mate for the first time, I assumed Quillan could guess that was why I’d finally been able to escape.
“You can stop there,” Quillan said. “I’m launching an investigation right now. I know you said you never gave them your name, Fawkes, but I’m not going to assume your place is safe. I’ve got a room upstairs where we’ll keep you for as long as necessary. I’m going to need you available as the investigation progresses anyway. I’ll have someone escort you there now.”
Quillan stood, his bulk jostling the desk. I felt like I might fall off my corner of it, so stood straight. Wiley was suddenly in my arms, one leg around mine and his face pale and eyes huge.
“All is well,” I told him as I peeled his hand free of my back and then held onto it.
“Are we, like, being imprisoned?”
“Oh! No, not at all.”
“But he said there’s a room where we’ll be kept for?—”
