“Rufus?”
“Among other problems.”
Takoma didn’t say anything more on the matters that were his alone to deal with. He slid his hand around the back of Spencer’s neck to pull him into a deep kiss. Spencer parted his lips, skin catching on Takoma’s fangs as the master vampire did his very best to suck the air out of Spencer’s lungs.
“Please don’t desecrate the living room. I need to sleep there tonight,” Wade said from behind them as he came out of the kitchen, digging into a bag of chips.
Spencer pulled back with a faint snort, lips stinging from the kiss. Takoma swiped his thumb over Spencer’s bottom lip before pulling his hand away and leaving without saying goodbye. Wade went to the door and locked it behind Takoma, grumbling under his breath.
“First Lucien, now him. I don’t know what you see in either fang face,” Wade said.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but—”
Wade whirled around and pointed his finger at Spencer. “Nodetails.”
Spencer rolled his eyes, moving the conversation along. “There’s a spare blanket in the hall closet. Make yourself comfortable. I need to start working.”
“Are you going to spend all night working? Does that mean we can’t have breakfast together? I promised Fatima pancakes.”
“She can fend for herself.”
He left Wade to his own devices and Fatima’s company, retreating to the bedroom for the long night ahead of him.
* * *
Spencer closed the lid on the warded containment box that Maricela met him with in the field office’s parking garage. The glint of the warped and damaged piece of the Ouroboros Mirror disappeared as the high-level wards activated, sealing it up. Maricela held the box with both hands, grimacing down at it.
“I was hoping whoever had the Ouroboros Mirror wouldn’t break it apart and sell off the pieces,” she said.
“I think we were all hoping for that. If it’s any consolation, I think the same people are using it.”
“They must not have been strong enough to handle whatever spell they were using it for.”
“Yeah,” Spencer said in a neutral voice. He’d doctored his report to keep Wade out of it, indicating the piece of Ouroboros Mirror had been overloaded with magic the sorceress couldn’t contain, and that was what had incinerated her and damaged the artifact.
Maricela jerked her head toward the pedestrian exit. “Let’s get this put in the vault. Even though it’s damaged, I’ll feel better once it’s secured.”
Spencer fell into step beside her, Fatima beside him, and took a long sip of coffee from his tumbler. He’d woken up to Wade making coffee and pancakes that morning, having somehow left the condo and returned with groceries more aligned with his wide-ranging tastes in the scant hour or two that Spencer had slept. Not that Spencer was going to complain about the meal he’d eaten. It had actually been pretty good, and Fatima had eaten a whole stack of the maple-and-bacon pancakes Wade had made for her.
Wade hadn’t come with them to the field office, catching a shared ride to the Seattle god pack’s location. He had plans to work with them on further warning the packs in Washington State about the hunters and demons. Some of that would entail officially warning the government about the threat, and Wade was better informed to help Mallory and Anil with that. Between the three of them, Spencer figured the SOA would officially hear from the collective god packs before sunset.
His excursion to Black Diamond was already in his report that he’d sent to Maricela well after midnight last night. This morning? Either way, Spencer was in need of some sleep. Since that was currently out of the question, he’d take a gallon of coffee.
“Ross is back. Legal is getting the search warrant signed and issued this morning. Your new report will help bolster our standing,” Maricela said as they waited for the elevator.
He’d signed his section of the probable cause affidavit regarding the risk of possession and emailed it back to the lawyer in question before even leaving his condo that morning. “Will the search happen tomorrow?”
“That’s the plan. There’s a meeting with everyone who will take part in about an hour.”
Spencer grimaced. “I’ll lose my cover if I participate.”
“I think it’s worth losing over something like this if you’re the only one on payroll who can find what we’re looking for and keep everyone else safe.”
They parted ways once inside the building, with Maricela heading to the vault on the premises, where the more dangerous evidence was stored. Spencer made his way to the war room, where the field team was furiously working. Everyone looked up at his arrival, giving him friendly nods or smiles. Spencer studied Levi as he took a seat at the long table, shifting aside a couple of reports so he had space to put his laptop down.
Levi had dark circles under his eyes that made him look as if he’d been punched in the face, but the other agent still got up and came around the table to offer Spencer his hand. “I never got to thank you yesterday.”
Spencer shook his hand and blinked at him. “No thanks needed. I wouldn’t have left any agent in that position.”
