Chapter One
Daniel
Daniel Ravenwood’s clawed fingers tapped on the keyboard as he followed another digital thread into the depths of the internet.
He loved digging deep into the dark web. It was one of his favorite parts of his job, and he was damn good at it. He’d worked at Protective Solutions for more than eight years now, and he inevitably got lost in the thrill of searching out answers only he could find. Only twice in those eight years had Daniel not found what he was looking for, and he was working on one of those now.
A twist of painful nostalgia gripped him at the thought of the other.
He swallowed back the lump that had gathered in his throat. As a banshee, he never let his emotions get the best of him. He couldn’t. Too much of a buildup, and his sonic scream would be busting the million windows this office building held. So he buried the heart-wrenching memory deep inside and got back to work.
He’d be taking the memory back out later, continuing the fruitless search for Aaron that had consumed him for the past five years.
For now, though, he needed to focus on a string of magical item thefts that had been happening in Seattle as well as in a circle of cities and towns around his city. Some of those items were extremely dangerous and needed to be found.
His gut told him the perpetrator lived in this area, and after digging deep into the internet, he’d found a message board where someone was posting before an actual theft, looking for the location of a particular item. And this item they were looking for was one of the most dangerous ones.
But whoever had posted knew how to hide their tracks with anonymizing browsers.
A lot of his job was reading through endlessly boring conversation to find the nuggets of treasure. It was also about following trails, which was what he was going to focus on today. And when those trails got deep enough, he had wicked tech tools he’d created himself. It was just going to take a little time and heavy concentration, but Daniel would trace the thieves.
He dug in.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been hunched over his computer when Xavier walked into his office.
Daniel swung his rolling chair around, eyeing his employer with appreciation. The man was drop dead gorgeous with his long, sable hair and his svelte but muscular body. Today, he wore slim black slacks and a heavy burgundy cable-knit sweater that emphasized his lean strength. Daniel had a real appreciation for that form, but that was all he felt around Xavier. No chemistry.
Not like he’d felt with Aaron.
He scowled as, once again, Aaron intruded on his thoughts.
“Is that scowl for me or work related?” Xavier asked as he walked farther into the office.
“Neither,” Daniel replied, quickly rearranging his scowl into his usual smile. “I was caught in the arcane twists and turns of your sweater. Looks warm and toasty.” He flapped the collar of his own shirt. He was comfortable today in his thin blue button-down and jeans.
Xavier smiled faintly. “It is.” He usually dressed warmly, as he kept the temperature in the office lower than most human workplaces, for the preternaturals who naturally ran hot.
Daniel was one of those, so he appreciated the thoughtfulness. Xavier tended to brush off gratitude, but an occasional subtle jibe about fashion got the point across just as well. And helped to distract Daniel from his own thoughts. Just like work did. “What did you need?”
“It seems there is another group searching for the thief, a government group. I knew they existed, but this is the first time they have reached out to me. They know we are also looking, so they’re sending someone here to compare notes, so to speak. I want you to work with this man. A Noel Banner. I’ll be meeting with him first thing tomorrow.”
“Another digital investigator?”
“No, he’s a field agent.”
Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Why? Do they think you wouldn’t have a takedown covered?” He couldn’t imagine how a human field agent, however skilled, would be anything but a hindrance in a magical investigation.
“I’m not sure, but it is what it is.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened instantly with a pang of resentment. “Can’t you just tell them we don’t need him?”
Xavier gave an elegant shrug. “It would behoove me to foster a positive relationship with this organization.”
Surprise filled Daniel at Xavier’s casual acceptance. It was so out of character. “What’s the organization?”
“Arcane Intelligence.”
Daniel whistled. “I’ve come across them a time or two and wasn’t able to dig into them at all. Whoever they have doing their security is seriously good.”
