Page 4 of Fallen
Chad’s voice cuts through, dragging me back to reality. “Dubois! Don’t think you’re off the hook!”
Rowan stiffens, a growl rumbling in his chest, and before I can stop him, he stalks toward Chad. The detective takes a step back, his hand hovering near his holster, but Rowan’s faster. He grabs Chad’s collar and lifts him an inch off the ground, his fangs making a rare appearance before disappearing. “You don’t talk to him,” Rowan snarls. “Ever.”
I should stop this but the fear in Chad’s expression is hilarious. When Rowan roughly shakes Chad, Avery reaching up to stop my mate, I realize that something worse is going to happen if I don’t step in.
“Rowan!” I yell, jogging over. “Put the idiot down. He’s not worth it.”
Rowan glares at Chad for another second, then drops him. Chad stumbles, his face red, and I grab Rowan’s arm, pulling him back. “Chill, snake boy. I can handle myself.” I pull him back toward the condo, waiting until we’re inside to spill the beans. “Okay, so we have a problem. I recognized one of the shifters in the pictures that Gerard brought over, right? Well, the guy in my truck was someone else I did a job for too.” The brothers frown as I drag a hand down my face. “I caught the unicorn’s signature, I think, but there was another scent. My ex from college. Silas. But it can’t be him. He was a panther shifter, not a unicorn.” I plop down onto the couch, Amand following.
Rowan sits on my other side, his arm brushing mine. “You sure? People hide shit, Lev. Especially shifters.”
I nod, but doubt creeps in. Silas was always cagey about his past. Could he have lied about his designation? “That’s what I’m worried about. Aside from the fact that I don’t really want to deal with him again.” Both Basilisks sit forward but I’m not entertaining that right now. No way in hell am I going to spill that Silas broke my heart.
So, I just stand and head toward the bedroom, throwing back at them. “You coming or am I sleeping alone?” The words arebarely out of my mouth before Rowan has me over his shoulder, charging toward the bed.
Chapter 3
LEVIATHAN
I’ve been in the lobby of Essence PI’s headquarters once or twice since I met Gerard, but this is the first official time where I’ll be working with his employees and not just shown around. The place is sleek, all black glass and steel, with glowing runes etched into the walls that hum with magic.
It’s a far cry from my dingy office, where the only magic was the coffee maker occasionally working. My beat-up jacket and unruly curls scream “outsider,” and I’m half-expecting someone to escort me out for not matching the high-tech vibe. However, having Rowan and Amand flank me adds to the ambiance. It’s almost like I have my very own scary dog privilege.
Scary snake privilege?
I don’t really know anymore.
I blow out a heavy breath as Amand leans down to whisper in my ear. “Relax. We’ve been here before. Why are you so twitchy?”
“This place looks like it’s one gadget away from launching into space. I’m a PI, not a sci-fi hero.”
Rowan smirks, his hand running up and down my back before possessively landing on my ass. “You’d make a sexy space captain, though.”
I elbow him as my cheeks heat, glass doors just ahead sliding open. Gerard walks out, a tablet in his hand, a wry smile on his face. “Leviathan. Welcome to the big leagues. Ready to officially meet the team?”
“Big leagues?” I scoff, crossing my arms. “I’m still waiting for my decoder ring and secret handshake.”
Gerald’s lips twitch, but he gestures for us to follow anyway. Thank fuck he isn’t as uptight as Vince was and actually cracks a smile at my awful jokes. “You’ll fit in fine. Just try not to fade into the furniture.”
One wrong emotion, and I’m ghosting out, which is super awkward in social situations. Or, you know, when I’m trying to make a good impression at a fancy supernatural detective agency.
We follow Gerald through a maze of corridors, passing operatives who look like they stepped out of a superhero comic. There’s a werewolf with a cybernetic arm, a witch juggling glowing orbs, and a guy who I’m pretty sure is a vampire, given the fangs and brooding stare. I feel like I’m in over my head, but I shove that thought down. I’ve taken down a dark witch and survived two Basilisk mates. I can handle a little corporate chaos.
Gerald leads us to a conference room with a massive glass table and holographic displays floating above it. I whistle, unable to help myself. “Fancy gadgets, huh? What’s next, a teleporter?”
“Working on it,” Gerald deadpans and I can’t tell if he’s joking. He taps his tablet, and the holograms shift, showing crime scenephotos from the unicorn case. Those quickly shift to reports and details that have been collected from Essence PI. It’s so much more organized than my heaps of paper and odd working hours that I’m not sure if I want to kiss Gerald or cry.
Maybe both.
Rowan pulls me back against his chest as the door opens behind us, three other people walking inside. Jace is one of the Alpha’s who helped and then there’s Lily who helped with the witch. The third guy, I don’t know but the magic humming off of him smells like a mage. While the other two wave, the third guy just grunts, not even looking up from the device he’s typing on.
“Team,” Gerald begins, introducing everyone—including Marcus, the mage, who still doesn’t look up. “This is Leviathan Dubois, our new Chameleon operative, and his mates, Rowan and Amand Petrov, Basilisk shifters. They’re taking point on the unicorn case.”
Jace raises an eyebrow. “Chameleon? Ah, so you’re the one our boss has been gushing over. You the one who sniffed out Ginny?”
I shrug, trying to play it cool. “Yeah, that was me. Nose like a bloodhound, minus the drool.”
Lily snorts as she pulls out a chair and drops into it. “Nice. But can you keep up with us, newbie?”
