Page 2 of Flesh and Fury

“The infirmary,” Priest said, sighing. She pointed at the two warriors. “The Agency sent out a fugitive warrant for the one dressed in blue and when we got to its house, these two were fighting in the backyard. Acres made the mistake of stepping between them andpffft…there went the pinky finger on his left hand.”

Eoghan felt his eyes go wide as he glanced back at the small screen. The warriors were circling each other like predators with gloved arms raised in lieu of swords. Come to think of it, theylooked well versed in martial arts…praying mantis martial arts. He glanced at the chief.

“Hang on…you’re saying Ted Acres lost his finger? How?” He pointed to the screen. “That little bug dude cut it off? What the hell is he anyway?”

The chief turned to look at Night. “Night, please put up a picture of the weapons Marshal Brady confiscated after the encounter.” She turned back to the holographic screen and pointed up. “That’s what he used,” she said.

Eoghan looked up, and Ari craned his neck to look right beside him. On the screen were six perfect samurai swords…two gleaming, miniature katanas, two shining little wakizashi, and two petite Tanto knives used for close fighting. They appeared to be replicas of the traditionally made and deadly samurai swords Eoghan had seen in museums and movies. He glanced at Ari and noticed his frown as he pulled on his silky beard. When he turned to look at him, his eyes were dancing with excitement.

“What?” Eoghan asked.

Ari pointed at the hologram. “I don’t know what the hell those little samurai bug things are, but this is thecoolestjob I’ve ever had in my life!”

Eoghan laughed, watching the way Ari’s whole face lit with a light from inside. He was working with not only his best friend, but the man he was falling in love with. He finally dragged his gaze back to the screen, catching sight of the tiny warriors.

Eoghan grinned. “Yeah, Ari, I agree. This jobiscool.”

Chapter One

EOGHAN

“Sapphire…Brown…please wait in my office. I need a debrief on that last case,” the chief said.

The second Eoghan opened his mouth to ask what the hell she was talking about, Ari grabbed his elbow and pulled him away from the crowd.

“You got it, boss,” Ari said, directing an exaggerated eyeroll in his direction.

Eoghan frowned at him but he allowed Ari to tow him away from the others. When they were headed toward the chief’s office and out of everyone’s earshot, he stopped.

“What was that all about? We already debriefed her on the last case…at length, I should add.”

Ari rolled his eyes again. He tugged on his arm, getting them moving again. “Man, you really don’t know how to take a hint, do you?” They walked into her office and headed over to the chairs in front of her desk.

“What then?”

Ari turned and pointed at the desk, miming the listening device planted under it. When Eoghan nodded, Ari replied, “I’m sure the chief is going to fill us in on a new assignment.”

“That makes sense,” Eoghan said, sitting in one of the two chairs as Ari eased into the other. “I wonder if she hired any new marshals. I know she said she was going to try.” He knew making small talk to fill the silence until Priest came would be expected it anyone was listening in. And talking about workwas safe…anything to avoid a conversation about something of a personal nature.

“The chief said something about that,” Ari said, shrugging when Eoghan shot him an eyeroll. “Where do you think those little samurai insect guys came from?”

“Well, they’re definitely alien so, who knows?”

“You think they’re alien,huh?”

“That’s a joke, right?” Eoghan asked, only half kidding as he frowned at his partner. “You don’t really think there are twelve inch praying mantises on our planet who carry miniature samurai swords to fight each other, do you?” Both of them looked up as Priest walked into the office. “Oh, thank God,” Eoghan muttered under his breath.

They both started to stand but she waved them back down. “Keep your seats,” she said, walking around the desk and taking her own chair. “Thanks for making it in early. I hope you had a restful weekend. I know the driving is a lot.”

“We’re good, boss, thank you,” Eoghan said.

She nodded. “Good. First, I wanted to congratulate you two on a job well done. With Champayne back at Folsom, the vampire mating ceremony over with, and the Riversong Wilkins case dealt with, you two were very effective in Northern California. I’m only sorry you had to deal with Invictus and Severin. They are very unpleasant, but I thought as long as you were up there near Shasta, it might be good to drop in on them…as it were.” She cleared her throat.

“Yes, ma’am, they’re not the easiest shifters to get along with but once we broke the ice, they were forthcoming with the population numbers you were curious about,” Eoghan said.

She nodded. “Yes, well, at least where Invictus and Severin are concerned. I’m sorry you had to deal with them because they haven’t been forthcoming about anything with the Agency for many years. But I suppose some good cameout of it. We had no idea Invictus’ family was destroyed and knew nothing about a previously unknown dragon clan. An unknown shifter clan ofanykind which isn’t under the Agency’s purview is unnerving, but considering how dangerous fire-breathing dragons are, knowledge about them is critical. We’re going to have to figure out how to bring them into the fold.”

“Sorry, ma’am, but are you sure you want to do that?” Ari asked. “One of them attacked Invictus while he was carrying me in his claws. That doesn’t sound like a dragon who wants to cozy up to a human.”

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