His terseness prompts a wide smile from Dima. The pointed canines wouldn’t draw a second glance if someone didn’t know the signs. “Straight to business. I respect that. My own business requires attention, too, so I’ll leave you to get started. Simon.”
Simon glances up, expressionless.
The air blurs, and Cody instinctively braces to move. But there’s no attack, just Dima suddenly standing in front of Simon. Bone-white fingers trail down Simon’s cheek.
“Do as the nice wolf says,” Dima orders. His voice, still warm, has an edge. “Don’t let your pride lead you into peril.”
“You’re one to speak of pride,” Simon answers softly.
Centuries of emotion echo behind the touch. Like he’s intruding, Cody looks away. He doesn’t like someone touching his new principal without warning, but this is none of his fucking business.
The air blurs again, and Dima is gone. The front door clicks shut, and Cody’s keen ears pick up the security system humming into place.
Simon looks over. The movement shifts honey-brown hair across his temple. Despite his apparent youth, his gaze is cold, ancient, a predator assessing a rival beast. “Let’s get things straight, wolf.” Simon swings to his feet. “I neither want nor need a babysitter.”
Five foot eight tops, he has to lift his chin to glare at Cody.
For the first time since arriving, Cody finds himself on even footing. The job makes sense. Simon isn’t a baby bird—he’s a spoiled brat. The centuries don’t matter. Cody’s familiar with the stubborn lips, the eyebrows knit into a dare. He’s worked with recalcitrant charges before. Simon is testing him, and Cody isn’t going to break.
Cody hooks his thumbs into his pockets, body language open and relaxed. Unthreatening but unshakeable. “I believe you. Looks like you have one anyway.”
“And if I’m not wrong,” Simon continues, in the voice of one who knows he isn’t wrong, “you don’t want to behere either.”
“I want to do my job,” Cody says. “The more you cooperate, the less I’ll bother you. The more you get in my way, the more I’ll be in your way. Understood?”
Simon’s hard to read, what with the barely breathing thing. Enough air to talk, and not a breath more. “Staying out of my way sounds perfect.”
Grudging agreement is a start. “Great. Now, can you walk me through the attack?”
He’d gotten barebone details from Tobias. The client hadn’t provided much. An attack by a human, suspected to be a hunter, who didn’t survive. Which frankly sounds suspicious as fuck—but if a vampire murders a human, there are better cover-ups than hiring a werewolf bodyguard.
Simon points at a chair. Cody sits, trying not to feel like a dog doing tricks. Simon returns to the couch, but perches on the rolled arm instead of the seat.
“I was at a friend’s club, looking for someone to drink from,” Simon starts. His pale fingers are stark against the velvet. “I found a man named Lawrence Baird—or he found me. My friend says he was staring at me all night before I beckoned him over.”
That’s alarming. Interest lifts Cody’s exhaustion. “You think this was premeditated.”
Simon pauses before answering. “Premeditated, but not personal. Lawrence wanted to kill a vampire, and I was unlucky. I opened a private room, then began to drink from him. But the blood was… wrong.”
“What do you mean?” Cody asks. The briefing hadn’t mentioned this.
“He’d drugged himself with something that poisoned me, leaving me weakened,” Simon says, then hastily adds, “Temporarily weakened. I’ve since recovered. Lawrence had a hunting knife, but I shot him in the head before he could saw off mine.”
Cody’s gaze drops, but there’s no sign of a holster on Simon now. “Do you always carry a gun?”
“Often. Is that a problem?”
“No, just tell me when you’re carrying, if it’s not obvious,” Cody says. “I need to know how many weapons are involved in the situation.”
Simon laughs with mocking warmth. “You’ve been fraternizing with humans too much, wolf. Wearethe weapons.”
Cody bristles at the word ‘fraternizing’ but forces down his anger. Not very well—Simon’s smile stiffens, as if noticing Cody’s tension. The bloodless brat is observant.
“Dima is handling the investigation into Lawrence,” Simon continues. “You’re just here to annoy me, apparently.”
“I’m here to protect you,” Cody says firmly. “Whether you want me to or not. Dima hired me, and I’m not cheap. That means he has reason to believe this isn’t random, and any information you have will help me do my job.” When Simon remains quiet, Cody continues. “But I’ll be honest—I’m not a detective. I’m trained to prevent known threats and react to surprises. That’s it. I’m keeping you safe, not solving the case.”
Simon shrugs. “Like I said, Dima is handling the investigation.”
