Page 89 of Mystique of the Fallen
“What? I’m just saying he should be glad he’s not a Daray. He’s a Valerius. He’ll be fine,” Arvandus retorted.
“I would like to discuss what has brought us here tonight,” Brynnius stated primly.
“Sorry, B, we’ve gone off on a tangent,” Samson told his mate. “You and Albie should fill us in on what you learned.”
“As I feared, not everything we learned is good,” Albrecht intoned. “Be prepared for that, Grant.”
Grant’s brow furrowed. “That’s slightly terrifying.”
“Keep in mind that human Grant is not you,” Brynnius suggested. “That will help.”
Arvandus’s mouth twitched. “Yeah, think of it like this. Human Grant was a plain muffin that sat out on a shelf so long that he grew stale and maybe even moldy. You, on the other hand, are a cupcake rich in flavor.”
“And covered with sprinkles,” Albrecht added with humor in his rich voice.
“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Grant asked. “Muffins and cupcakes? What?”
“Never mind,” Brynnius grumbled. “Albie still has yet to accept that he is a sprinkled cupcake, despite the many, many years that have passed since he woke up with his body intact.”
“I don’t know if that’s true,” Arvandus responded, his blue eyes glinting with humor and appreciation as his gaze landed on Albrecht’s cloaked form. “I spend a great deal of time kissing his sprinkles, and he’s grown fonder of them. Haven’t you, Apple?”
“I want to discuss human Grant, not my sex life,” Albrecht told his mate. His tone was abrupt, but he lifted a hand to caress Arvandus’s cheek. To Grant’s surprise, Albrecht pushed the hood of his cloak back enough to expose part of his adorably freckled face. Albrecht leaned closer to Arvandus and kissed him softly.
“Wait. It just hit me. Are his freckles the sprinkles?” Grant asked. “Why don’t you like your freckles?”
“Because he is the only sentinel with them,” Arvandus replied without glancing away from Albrecht. “They pride themselves on their conformity, and he stands out.”
“But every other sentinel likes your freckles, Albie,” Brynnius protested.
Albrecht tugged his hood forward to cover himself. “I have no issue with my freckles now. And my mate is fond of them.”
“I’m fond of all of you, Apple,” Arvandus assured him as he put an arm around Albrecht.
“And I love you too, Van, but we are here to discuss human Grant,” Albrecht stated firmly. “Brynn and I have learned a great deal. But as I mentioned, not everything is positive.”
“Okay, let’s talk about it. What did you learn?” Grant asked.
Brynnius scowled. “We thought to explain our process first.”
“Yeah, sure, go for it,” Grant replied, suddenly afraid he’d piss off his new team. “Tell me everything.”
“Albie and I discussed it this morning and decided our best option was to start with the lawyer,” Brynnius said. “We lacked human Grant’s last name, so any search for him would be nearly impossible.”
“That makes sense,” Grant replied. “Tell me about Reginald Bradley.”
Albrecht pulled out his phone and tapped on the screen. “Grymmie taught me to use an app on my phone where I can take notes.” He growled low in his throat at the device. “Arvandus, my notes are not here.”
Plucking the device from his mate’s hand, Arvandus fiddled with it and returned it to Albrecht. “It opened with a blank note for you to use. But yours are there.”
“Thank you,” Albrecht replied. “Reginald Bradley. What we learned is that he works for his father’s law firm in Washington, DC. The humans consider the company prestigious, and they have worked on many large cases. They are often in the news.”
“On the website, they have some biographical information about their lawyers,” Brynnius added. “Reginald Bradley is married with children.”
Grant’s brows flew up, and his shock was mirrored in Roman’s blue gaze. “Married with kids? Then why was the asshole telling me we were in love?”
“I do not know, Grant,” Brynnius said. “As Albie mentioned, the law firm is often in the news. But most links for Reginald Bradley were related to a former cop named Grant Calisto.”
“That has to be me,” Grant responded, giddy that they had already found him on the Internet. “Former cop. Okay, that makes sense. I’m a fallen knight now. So, I was a cop that became a private investigator. I wonder why I chose that route.”
