That IT guy was Daniel Ravenwood.
It had been five years since he’d spent the best weekend of his life with Daniel Ravenwood. A weekend where he’d broken every company rule for the first time in his life.
But he’d been unable to resist the very pretty banshee. At his first sight of that lean body, regal face, and interested smile, he’d been hooked. He’d known what Daniel was right away from the clawed fingers and the lack of white in his eyes. Noel saw through the magical glamours that preternaturals used to help them blend into the human world. It was that ability that had led him to join a government agency that tried to police what went on in the preternatural world. Emphasis on the wordtried, because when it came to magic, anything was possible. And he thrived on that knowledge. It made his job always interesting.
Which was why his superiors had been shocked when he’d told them this was his last job. He was ready to do something else with his life. He had no idea what just yet, but he’d grown tired of the constant traveling, and at forty-five, he was ready to settle down with someone.
He was hoping that someone was Daniel.
So yes, he was excited to see him, but the nerves were also very real. He’d lied to Daniel, giving him a fake name. Then he’d gotten up in the middle of the night and disappeared, after three days of mind-blowing sex, intense beyond anything Noel had experienced. And their time together had gone so much further than sex. Real intimacy had happened. They had shared stories of their lives, their hopes and dreams. Noel had felt a connection deeper than anything he could have imagined, and he wanted that back.
So he’d spent the last two days in Seattle looking around for a place to live. He’d actually flown in early for that very reason. He hadn’t found one; he was just too wired with both worry and anticipation of seeing Daniel again to give any place the perusal needed. He’d ended up spending a lot of those two days pacing in his hotel room.
And now it was happening.
Daniel Ravenwood was right now inside that building, and Noel had no idea what his reception was going to be like.
He could only hope the banshee would be happy to see Noel. After…or ratherif…he got past the lie.
Stepping out of the car, Noel strode into the building. Because he’d been able to see through glamours his entire life, he easily kept his features schooled as he saw demons, an ogre, elves, and more. There was a receptionist at the front who directed him to the third floor, where the main offices of Protective Solutions were. It seemed a lot of the employees hung around the first floor as well.
Once on the third floor, he couldn’t help but look for that head of silky, black hair as he passed between cubicles on his way to the office, which was up a short flight of stairs. But he didn’t spot Daniel, and disappointment filled him.
He knocked next to the open door, and Xavier looked up from his desk before he stood. It was surreal to be looking at the sorcerer who caused so much speculation at his own office. And as Noel walked into the room, he felt a wave of powerful magic.
Yeah, they might have estimated the age and power of Xavier, but none of their guesses were even close. Noel had always been able to sense the approximate age of preternaturals, but where this one was concerned, he had absolutely no idea. Old was all he knew. Very, very old.
Though he didn’t look it, and in fact looked younger than Noel by about ten years. If he hadn’t had his experience withpreternaturals, Noel would have guessed him to be about thirty-five. He was also very attractive, though still nowhere as pretty as the banshee Noel hoped to see.
He held out his hand. “I’m Noel Banner. Thanks so much for meeting with me.”
“The appreciation is mutual. I’ve been running into mentions of your agency for several years now. I’m intrigued to find out what it is about this particular case that made you reach out.” He waved a hand at the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat, and I’ll get you something to drink. Coffee or tea?”
“Coffee would be great, thanks.”
Noel used the time Xavier was gone to look around his office, which was all sleek gray, black and white lines. Very modern feeling except for the walls of old books, which provided a stark contrast. There were candles and gemstones—all things he’d expect to see when it came to wizards, witches, and sorcerers. But otherwise, the room was painfully neat. And said a lot about the sorcerer who worked here. A mix of old and new.
Xavier walked back in and handed him a steaming cup of coffee and a handful of creamers and sweeteners. Since Noel drank it black, he set those on the desk.
“Thank you,” he said, then sipped it. “It’s very good coffee.”
“There are a lot of coffee snobs here.” Xavier took his seat and folded his arms on top of his desk. He said nothing—just waited for Noel to speak. His stare was hard, keen…and Noel got the feeling this sorcerer didn’t like him for some reason.
But whether the sorcerer liked him or not didn’t matter.
Noel leaned back in the chair and held onto the warm mug. “We’re reaching out to you because we feel it would be of mutual benefit to collaborate on this investigation. As you are probably already aware, several very powerful magical items have been stolen, but one of those in particular is alarming. An amulet thatgrants the holder control over minds and, we believe…magical abilities. Have you heard of such an amulet?”
“I have, and I hadn’t heard that it had actually been stolen.” His frown was fierce. “I don’t see how that could have been taken. The sorcerer who protects it had it in a very secure location, and in fact, it was his main job to make sure it never got into the wrong hands. He would have had powerful wards surrounding it.”
“We believe the thief is a jinn, so he or she was able to get into that secure location. How they broke the wards is a question we haven’t yet figured out.”
“Just what is it that your company does?” Xavier asked.
“Are you asking because you really don’t know, or do you know and just want to hear my answer?” Of course, Noel knew. And while he knew he needed to get through this conversation with all his faculties intact, a part of him was still humming with impatience to see Daniel.
The corner of Xavier’s lips went up. “Arcane Intelligence originated fifteen years ago, put together by Robert Hamm and Dillon Springs, two humans who have the ability to see through magical glamours. They believe they can actually police situations that happen in the magical community, but I must say, that would be impossible. Not without having their own magic to counteract. But then, you also have three preternaturals on your payroll.”
Noel gave a slow nod. “I’m impressed. But not surprised. You know, you’re kind of a legend in my company.”
