I snatched it the second it was offered. Inside laid a syringe filled with yellowish liquid and a folded note showing familiar handwriting.
Had to rush this to you. Use it wisely. Only have one for now.
- From your amazing, gorgeous big bro
A sharp puff of laughter escaped me.Gorgeous?Gods, Cal has a big head.
Looking down at my skin-tight gear, I searched for a place to stash it without the risk of cracking or losing it. I only had fucking one.
“Here.” Zeth held out a gloved hand, palm open, steady. “I’ve got a pocket.”
I handed it over, watching him slide it into his right pocket, carefully, deliberately, while praying we wouldn’t need it.
Leaving the Rossey men behind, the four of us moved on foot through the forest shadows. This fucker was a slippery one, so I didn’t put it past this ‘Doc’ to have speed triggers setup, leading up to the bank. That way if any one supe used their super speed to try and catch them off guard, they’d be warned and could make a quick escape.
“Did Gil send the layout yet?” Conrad asked.
I thumbed my phone, checking for incoming messages. I’d texted Gil earlier for the old bank’s schematics. Normally, I’d just walk near the building and tap my watch. It could pull up a full magical layout showing us the walls, rooms, and holo-people drifting inside with their species tagged like floating labels, but that tech ran on air and rune magic. If they had an air mage inside, and I was betting they did, we’d lose the element of surprise the second I used it.
An email pinged. “Hold up,” I murmured, stopping as I opened the file. “Got it.”
The guys closed in around me, heads lowering in unison to examine the building plans glowing on my screen.
Deslen surprised me by speaking first. “Don’t think the front will work.” His finger hovered over the image. “Wall of glass. Too exposed. Even vampire speed can’t outrun that many sightlines.”
“Even if we made it through the door,” Conrad added, raking a hand through his hair, “the floor plan’s wide open. First step inside, and we’re lit up like targets.”
Zeth let out a rough, irritated rumble and threw up his hands. “Great. There goes our element of surprise.”
I studied the layout, deep in thought.Front was suicide. Back wasn’t much better, with blind entry into who-knows-what. Unless…
“What about the ceiling?”
Three heads snapped toward me.
I pointed to the blueprint. “Here. Large exhaust vent on the roof. Big enough to crawl through.”
Zeth and Conrad immediately turned to stare at Deslen like he was the hinge this whole plan rested on. He plucked the phone from my hand, studying the image before shrugging. “My jaguar form might fit.”
“That works.” I looked at the other two. Conrad gave a slow nod. Zeth rolled his eyes like he wanted to object but didn’t. I put my phone into my boot again. “Then that's the plan.”
As we neared the building, I saw exactly what Deslen meant. The entire front was a glass showcase. No way in hell that would’ve worked, but the sides and back were brick walls that led up to the roof. Ceiling it was.
The boys followed my lead as we slipped around to the rear, moving silently and keeping low as we checked for traps. My watch pinged faintly, showing tiny mines tucked into weeds and shadows around the building. Zeth crouched to disable each one in our path, his fingers quick and sure.
When we reached the wall, we scaled it in silence. Using claws and fingers to find grip holes in the brick, we pulled ourselves onto the roof. The vent sat near the back corner, the opening wide enough for a person if the individual wasn’t too broad.
I used a claw to loosen the screws on the grate. Metal gave with a soft groan. I pulled out the filter, revealing the dark drop within. One look told me Deslen’s human shoulders weren’t making it through.
“Yep. You’re going to have to?—”
I didn’t even finish before his body blurred, shifting in a smooth cascade of magic. Midnight fur rippled into existence. Pale yellow eyes lifted to mine, the same calm, steady gaze I’dcome to lean on. Fae sigils shimmered down his sides like liquid starlight.
He padded forward and lowered his massive jaguar head to me. My hand rose without thinking. Fingers slid behind his ears and down the back of his skull. His body melted into the touch, a deep purr vibrating through him.
Behind me, Zeth muttered, “How’s he making me jealous in his damn cat form?”
The comment snapped me back to the mission. I let my hand fall and gave Deslen a wink before kneeling at the vent’s edge.
