“What?” He finally looked up at me before snatching the files from my hand. The air slithered around us, telling me there was more to him just being annoyed with work. “I’m not jealous, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he continued, much too quickly. Envy pulsed through him, laced with a thick ribbon of sugar. Lust.
“Your lips might be saying one thing but thatothersensation I’m getting from you disagrees.” I knew better than to mention the other one, though I’m sure he already knew he couldn’t hide anything from me. We’d been friends and colleagues—occasionally more—for over a decade now.
He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Can’t you turn that off?”
“No more than you can,” I stated, arching a brow at him.
“Fair enough.”
I knew that would shut him up. Not that it was what I wanted, but he wouldn’t tell me what was really going on tonight, not even when I’d let him use his gift on me to replenish his magic. It was rare Saros ever said exactly what was on his mind. Fortunately, we’d known each other so long that between my empath status and that foundation, I could usually piece it together myself.
My attention drifted to the board, trying to note if anything else on it had changed before I walked in. There were still a few key suspects on the list when it came to the disappearances: a rebellious group of shifters whose favorite full moon spot had been encroached on when this street was built; the Vivaldi Syndicate, a vampire mob with their fingers in many of the supernatural and mortal communities; and finally, a rival coven. There were three others in Celestial Haven housed on Sable Sky Street, Meridian Manor, and Astral Plains Place, not to mention the twenty-seven others spread throughout the globe, though their distance made it less likely with the power they would need to cast from so far.
As agents of SNO-OPS, Supernatural Neighborhood Order Operations, it was our job to handle intersupernatural community conflict. We’d been here a year and were no closer to narrowing down our list of suspects. The only thing we did know was that the disappearances always coincided with the new moon, when the sky was empty, as if the perpetrator wanted to make sure the Moon Goddess couldn’t see them casting from her midnight perch.
“Learn anything new?” I asked, changing the subject.
“You mean while you were off seducing the neighbor?”
Guess the subject wasn’t going to change.
“Oakley,” I replied with a frown, though I knew better than to let him get to me. “She has a name, Saros.”
“Look, I just don’t want you getting attached. What happens when we solve all this and the boss tells us it’s time to leave?”
“I don’t know.” Realistically, we weren’t any closer than we were a year ago, but he had a point. I couldn’t help how I felt when I was around her, and the way all her jumbled emotions both perplexed and intrigued me. “But I’m interested enough to see what’s possible.”
He let out an exasperated sigh. “Just be careful.”
The slight sweet dust of desire flavored the air despite the bristle in his tone.
“Are you warning me or reminding yourself?” I asked, pursing my lips.
His eyes snapped to mine as he began collecting up the files into a stack. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve seen the way you watch her.”And the way you feel, though if I said it, you’d only retreat more.
“And?”
“And you’re interested.”
He collected the folders, sliding them into the hidden panel of his nightstand before clicking it into place. Then he waved his hands, spelling the board into hiding beneath the floorboard.
“I’m interested because she could havecluesto help us solve this case,” he lied, the air becoming acrid. Taking off his pants and shirt, he headed into the bathroom and began brushing his teeth.
“Oh, I think you want to solve more than this case when it comes to her.” He bristled at my accusation but continued brushing. Spitting into the sink, he rinsed his mouth, then wiped it on the towel before coming back into the room. His glasses were on, right before bed was one of the few times he wore them.
They were sexy as hell.
I tipped my head at him. “When are you going to stop hiding behind the job?”
“When I’m not literallyhiding.” He climbed into the bed, grabbed his e-reader from the night table, and rolled to his side to face me before spelling the lights to turn off. His eyes darted back and forth between me and the screen. “We are undercover, Lynx. You’ve already told her more than you should, Goddess only knows how with the runes we’ve got.” He pointed to the one hidden within the constellations that traveled up his arm and across his chest. “What happens if headquarters finds out? That could tank our careers. Everything we’ve worked toward.”
“Like you said, she could have clues to help us solve the case. We’ve never had someone left in the house when the others disappeared. That makes her an asset.”
He raised a brow. “You sure you’re not focused more on her otherassets?”
“Oh, so you’re admitting you’ve noticed them?” I replied with a grin.
