Page 104 of Siren in the Rain

The ninety-minute drive from Malibu to Long Beach tests my patience. It’s bad enough that I’m starting to mimic Griffin; my leg is bouncing nonstop from too much pent-up stress and worry. Leaving Haku behind with Lucy probably isn’t helping either. I know why the drakes were safer staying at home, but I miss having my trusty companion on my shoulder.

As we speed south on the 405, Harper fills us in on the plan the two councils coordinated with the LAPD. “Here’s how things are going to go down. The human authorities will send a fifteen-person team to serve the warrant and process the scene. They’re going to handle the front entrance of the facility. However, we don’t want anyone inside to have time to get rid of evidence or start evacuating, so we’ve been tasked with breaking in from the back.”

“Fuck yeah!” Cal pumps his fist in the air. “Man, my adrenaline’s racing. It’s been way too long since we had an op like this.”

Dallas and Harper concur enthusiastically.

“Um, you guys do all realize that we’re not a SWAT team or anything along those lines, right?” I ask, starting to sweat a little.

Griffin gives me a sweet, unfazed smile. “It’s all good. Don’t worry, babe. With our trio of powerhouses, aka Harper, Cal, and Dallas, there aren’t many instances when we can’t take control of a situation on our own.”

I stare at him in disbelief. “These are humans we’re talking about. And this is America. They probably have a bajillion guns in there!”

Griffin laughs. “I don’t know about a bajillion…”

I growl at him, but it only makes him laugh more.

Why am I the only one who’s worried right now?

“We’re technically a unit of Otherkind law enforcement, so we can use our powers on a job like this when we’re being contracted to work with the LAPD,” Dallas explains.

Cal cracks his knuckles, his eyes sparkling with glee. “Any fool who points a gun at us will have to deal with me.”

“Only if I don’t get to them first,” Harper says.

He and Cal grin at each other as if in mutual understanding. It’s honestly a smidge creepy.

What. The. Fuck?

“Guns aren’t a problem,” Cal assures me.

I hit him with a look full of every ounce of skepticism I’m feeling at this precise moment—which is quite a lot.

He just seems to find that more amusing. “Trust me. You have your powers and I have mine.”

I arch a dubious eyebrow. “I thought your power was hacking other people’s magic. That won’t do much against a bullet.”

“Magic hacking is my specialty, but it’s not the only thing I can do. I can also use magic of my own.” He grins. “I have a particular talent for fucking with any kind of technology. Most fools are using semi-automatic weapons or higher grade than that these days. I can make ’em stop working, no problem.”

Griffin pats my bouncing leg. “I told you before. Cal’s totally one of the strongest mages in the whole world. He’s top class. Believe me, he’s got our backs.”

“That’s right, bro,” Cal agrees, ruffling his hair.

I blow out a frustrated breath. “There could be a lot of staff on duty in there. What if they overpower us?”

“Doubtful,” Harper chimes in. “We’re staging the break-in after hours, when most of them are likely to be out of the building. Plus, we’ll have an armed team of human law enforcement officers entering from the front to support us.”

“And you’re confident these humans won’t turn on us?” Anemone says, disbelief clear in her voice.

Harper turns around and flashes his impressive fangs at us. “Human LEOs may have no love for Otherkind, but they’re not foolish enough to make enemies of the Vampiric Council, whose money and power are old and run deep. If the LAPD were to even try it, they’d be making an enemy that would carefully and methodically destroy them.” His eyes glow red. “Besides, I’m more than enough to take down a team of them.” He hisses. “And if I had to, I’d make them wish they’d never been born.”

I shiver at his words. It’s the first time I’ve witnessed Harper’s more dangerous vampire side. He’s usually so calm, cool, and elegant. But I’m beginning to realize he’s quite terrifying all on his own. Definitely not someone to mess with.

“Harper’s a total badass,” Griffin says, his voice dreamy and full of pride. “He’s, like, a fighting machine. That and his vampire powers make him even cooler than Blade from the Marvel comic books.”

“Awww,” Harper coos. “Thanks, Griff. You’re a sweetheart, as always.”

I don’t entirely know what my mate’s talking about, but I take his word for it. The vibe emanating off Harper a moment ago was enough to make me understand how some people can piss their pants when scared enough.

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