Page 16 of Above Cursed Winds

Zia froze.

Chapter Eight

The instant the thought had left his lips, an indecipherable sensation tightened his gut. Horror painted Zia’s features, her wide, guileless eyes blinking as though he’d kicked a stool out from under her. While he understood that it was a disturbing thought, he couldn’t account for the fear that shadowed her expression.

What he’d thought had been a simple blue iris from afar was instead a dramatic blend of rich violet and periwinkle. The vivid hues burst outward, transitioning seamlessly to the gemlike indigo that circled her iris. The color, deep and transfixing, was unlike anything he’d ever seen before in a mortal or immortal. For a moment, Jeremiah felt like he was falling into her eyes, entranced by the otherworldly color.

“I—I didn’t think about that.” She visibly shook herself. “But that still wouldn’t account for how they snuck past hundreds of Raeths. Nero’s wards would’ve alerted him to the presence of another Raeth on clan lands.”

Jeremiah shrugged. “Perhaps they consulted Casper.”

“Casper?”

The corners of his mouth tugged upward. “The friendly ghost? Surely, you’ve heard of him?”

“I know who Casper is,” she hissed, those gorgeous eyes narrowing. “What I don’t understand is why you’re making light of the situation when you’re so keen to remind me of my failure.”

He lost his smile. “Outta the way, wings. Let me do what you’ve dragged me here for.”

Sitting down in her office chair, Jeremiah went to work. Running commands and prompts, he dug into the hard drive, confirming everything Nero and his second had said the day before.

But he went deeper, scanning through every file associated with the Accords and even those that weren’t. He sifted through the software installed on the computer, trying to detect what had been breached during their infamous slip.

What he found was a great, big, steaming pile of nothing.

The security truly was as tight as they’d said, and the computer was not even connected to the internet. No external breaches could’ve happened, which meant someone had been here, in this office, at the keys. Though Nero and Zia had hinted at this during the Accords meeting, he hadn’t put any stock in their words. He needed to verify the facts for himself before he admitted that this investigation had shifted from digital security to physical security.

“You’re going to make me say it, anyway, so here goes: you were right.” Jeremiah finally broke the silence between then, his attention shifting back to where he’d blocked her out.

The woman had glanced up from where she sat at her desk, her nose deep in paperwork that looked like building plans. “About what?”

“No one could’ve accessed this off site. Our culprit was here in person,” he confirmed, “which means you’ve got a gap in your security.”

He wasn’t saying anything she didn’t already know. Her lips thinned before she nodded. “It should be impossible. No one—Raeth or otherwise—should’ve been able to come onto clan lands without us noticing. If they could come here, they could go anywhere.”

Something about the breathless way she said it made Jeremiah withhold his snarky remark. If the Citizens had entered Paracel and come into his office, he’d react just as strongly.

“We shift the investigation to physical security,” he said. “We’ll need to go through your recorded footage with a fine-tooth comb, and then we can look into who might have access to your office.”

She nodded. “There’s nothing I won’t do to ensure the security of this clan. I’ll do everything in my power to help you figure this out. You have my word.”

Inclining his head, Jeremiah had to admire her tenacity. In the same breath, he realized why. Her previous incompetence was fueling her drive to make this right. It wouldn’t be the first time guilt had motivated someone. The fact that he could relate was of no consequence.

He dipped his chin and took a deep breath. In such an enclosed space, the scent of pineapple and mangoes that clung to her skin was impossible to miss. The sweet smell was as taunting as the woman herself.

“Let’s speak with Nero. He’ll be interested to hear about what you found and the shift in focus.”

With movements as graceful as a gazelle, Zia gathered up an armful of paper before twisting to catch one that’d sifted loose. On instinct, Jeremiah used his abilities to blow the paper into her hand without her having to reach for it. Her lips thinned as she straightened, paper in hand. A question registered in her eyes.

“Did you—” she hesitated, then asked, “Do you intend on lazing around all day, or can we go?”

“Lead the way, Z.”

“Stop calling me Z.”

She moved swiftly into the hallway, not waiting for a response.

He rose and trailed after her, passing by several Raeths in the main portion of the dome. Each suspicious gaze settled on him for far too long. Though he longed to snarl back, he knew their wary glares were there for good reason.

---