“See you Tuesday, Raiven.”
“Huh? Oh, bye.” I waved to my co-workers as I slammed the hood of my trunk. I slid into my green Lexus and pulled away from the airport, my hands gripping the wheel tightly. It would be a good hour drive back home, and a thoughtful one. I had arrived back from NeoKansa after investigating another murder in my current case and while I enjoyed the chance to travel the country freely, I loved living in The Capital and being home more.
Besides, my current case was anything but enjoyable: always arriving too late to prevent the crime was frustrating for the whole team but especially for my boss. Any crime can be horrifying and difficult to accept but this was especially true of crimes committed by Supernaturals, which is why the case was deferred to my department.
Even before Supernaturals made themselves known a hundred years ago, they’d been committing crimes, so the FBI created a once-secret department to handle it: Division 11. Due to the large number of Supernaturals living in America, there had been a federal team and local subdivisions, each doing their best to maintain order in their area. While we weren’t really the federal team anymore, Division 11 had remained largely unchanged by the war and local teams still called us in if the case was too much of a mess to handle alone.
And this case was nothing but a mess. Bodies piled up in rooms with no signs of entry, and the perpetrator was able to bypass witch spells. The list of Supernaturals that could do that was small, and each was a rare species. We had no luck so far narrowing it down to that aspect of who our killer was, and I was beginning to get more and more frustrated with the case.
Before I could dwell on it further, my phone began to ring and I couldn't help my sigh. I knew who it was before I even began to dig around for my earpiece, the plastic heavy in my hand. It was only so long until my boss discovered the plans I had made for his Sunday, and I doubted he was happy about it.
“What Brandon?” I answered. He scowled on the other end, clearly sharing my sentiment.
“When was I going to learn about this meeting you set up between me and that…that thing?”
“First of all, Arkrian is not a thing: he’s your daughter’s fiancé and you should be happy for her, even though he’s a shifter.” I sighed heavily, knowing this would be an unpleasant conversation. “There are far worse things to be in this world.”
“Yeah, sure now he’s harmless, but what about when he shifts and attacks my daughter-”
“Okay, for one, that’s largely unfair towards shifters in general. They don’t turn into ravaging beasts when they shift.” I hated having the same argument repeatedly, and I’m sure Shannon was too, which is why she asked for my help. “We both know that. The animal is an extension of the person, not the other way around. I know-”
“Another thing, I don’t want that, that…thing sleeping with my daughter when he’s halfway shifted-”
“I wasn’t finished yet, Boss.” I growled through gritted teeth to keep certain words from spilling out. The fact that he was being unfair and extremely judgmental of Arkrian didn’t matter, there are certain things you don’t say to your boss. “Secondly, I know Arkrian personally, and he wouldn’t do anything he knows you don’t approve of. And for crying out loud, you haven’t even met him! That’s why I set up that damn dinner for you guys: so you could get to know him because whether you like him or not, Shannon will marry him.”
Silence on the other end. Brandon might not have liked it, but he knew I was right. Shannon had strongly voiced that if her father refused to give her away, she would have her brother do it, who was already a part of the Supernatural community thanks to his vampire bride. It was largely Mark’s secret marriage to a vampire that had Brandon upset about Shannon also marrying a Supernatural, and a shifter at that.
Brandon had lost the mother of his children to a vengeful shifter and it was something he had never truly forgiven. Although he swore that it wouldn’t affect his judgement on the job, it was obvious that he still blamed all shifters and Supernaturals in general for his wife’s loss. It must’ve seemed like a betrayal for both of his children to fall in love with non-humans, but I didn’t feel that justified his behavior.
“I’m hanging up on you now, Brandon. All Shannon and I ask is that you give him half a chance, because if you don’t, you’re going to lose both of your children. I’d rather not see that happen.” I hung up as I pulled into the driveway of my home, parking in my garage as the door opened automatically. I dragged myself out of the car, hoping to relax on my couch. As soon as I stepped into my home however, a tugging began in the back of my mind and I groaned aloud. The Overseer was calling me toward him but I did my best to ignore the command as I stepped into the kitchen.
Searching my fridge for anything to settle my thoughts and dumping out old food, I settled on a bottle of yogurt, not wanting to put in the effort to cook. Slamming the fridge with my foot, I made my way back to my living room, where my two cats, Lira and Xris, sat waiting for me. I knew I didn’t have time for them but couldn’t resist the desire to rest for a few moments.
My two pretties jumped into my lap as soon as I plopped on my couch, both begging for my undivided attention. Petting with one hand and eating with the other, I gave them both attention as best I could, but my mind was elsewhere and the constant tugging wasn’t helping either. Soon, both cats were meowing their disappointment in my performance, causing me to groan loudly.
“Well, you didn’t have me for long anyway. The Overseer is calling me toward him, and I have to go pick up someone.” I scoffed, pushing them both out of my lap as I stood. I wearily walked down the hall to my bedroom, groaning as I pushed the door open. Tossing my clothing on an ever-growing pile of dirty clothes, I searched through my closet, changing into a simple blue shirt and shorts. I considered doing something with my short afro, but decided against it, picking up my jacket from the bed. My cats followed my every step, begging me to stay with their purrs and meows.
Forcing myself outside and climbing wearily back into the car, I pulled away from my empty shell of a home and began cruising back toward Decver. Out of all the cities in The Capital, it was by far the biggest, but more importantly for me, it was the safest.
America had changed drastically after the 3rd World War: some argued for better, others for the worse. Gone was a centralized government, replaced by cooperating city-states each with their own human Governors and Supernatural Overseers. Governors created laws and rules that both humans and Supernaturals had to follow, while Overseers mostly dealt with keeping the needs of the various Supernaturals met. The drop from fifty-one to thirty-one states meant fewer Governors and Overseers, but also increased their responsibilities to their citizens.
The sound of my phone ringing forced me out of my thoughts and I groaned again once I saw the name. Although I generally made it a rule not to talk while driving, I had to make an exception for Lucius’ clan and my boss. Although I wasn’t high on the chain of Command, I had more freedom than most and part of my role was to be available to Lucius’ people in case he couldn’t be.
“Raiven speaking.” I tapped my earpiece as I switched lanes.
“Hurry Raiven, it’s already past eight.” It was Crispin, Lucius’ second-in-command. He had texted me as soon as I landed to come pick him up from his outing, since apparently Lucius wanted us for something. “Where are you?”
“On the bridge.” I felt the familiar bump as I got on the bridge, switching lanes to past the slow driver in front of me. “It does take a while to get there from my house.”
“I know, but can’t you just speed?”
“No.” I retorted. “If I get caught, I’ll get a bigger ticket because I’m in a sports car and I’m not risking a ticket for your ass.”
“Why, you finally made some illegal modifications to your Lexus?” he joked, and I ignored him at first. Technically, my whole make of car was outlawed: gas engines had long been replaced with electric cars and being caught driving a guzzler would result in large fines and an impounded car. However, this car had seen me to hell and back and I had brought it across the ocean with me: I would not give her up so easily.
“Of course, that’s why she moves so fast.” I answered sarcastically. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Just hurry.” Turning off onto the state road, I began to move my stuff from the passenger seat. I wasn’t used to having other people in my car, so any seat that I wasn’t in was fair game for papers, my gun, and a plethora of trash. I picked it all up and dropped it on the backseat except for my favorite gun. I designed it, and a friend of mine who specialized in firearms built it for me. My co-workers called it The Caw and I stuffed her in her secret compartment as I pulled up next to Crispin, his gold hair glowing in the sunset and his blue eyes shining.
“Thanks Rai,” he collapsed against the seat as I pulled back into traffic. “I owe you.”
“De rien[1].” I brushed him off as I headed toward our Overseer, annoyed by the ever-growing traffic. “Lucius was calling me too. Otherwise, you’d be stranded.”
“Good. It would seem weird if you dropped me off. I hope that Eve isn’t there.” he sighed, closing his eyes as he slumped further in the seat. His simple shirt was unbuttoned at the top and his dark jeans hugged him tightly, but I tried not to notice as I glanced him over. Crispin was being unusually polite for once and besides that, he never shortened my name for any reason. My eyes continued drifting over him and I noticed something shiny around his wrist.
“That new?” I nodded to the watch, and then grew worried when he didn’t answer. Afraid to take my eyes off the road, I reached over to touch it. The moment my fingers brushed it, I knew it was silver. I yanked it off, tossing it out the window. “God, Mikael, don’t you recognize silver when you touch it?
“Sorry, I meant Crispin.” I quickly corrected myself, cursing as I realized my mistake.
“No, what did you call me?” Crispin leaned over to touch my arm. I flinched ever so slightly at the touch, but with him so close, there was no way he missed it. His return to normal was unfortunately quick, and I was starting to wish I had left the watch on him. “Did you call me Mikael?”
“Sorry.” I muttered as we neared The Landing. I kept my eyes on the road and tried to pretend he wasn’t there. “It’s not like that wasn’t your name but whatever.”
“That was my name before I was turned.” He put emphasis on the before as he stared at me. I refused to look at him as I parked, but after I turned off the car, he turned my face to him. I immediately pulled back from his grasp, glaring. His eyes bore into mine and I met his gaze evenly as he spoke. “How do you know that name?”
“I know Lucius’ too.” I stated, willing to do anything to end his interrogation. “Sometimes I slip up with the name changes. I’ll try not to dead name you again.”
“Everyone knows his, but unlike him, I don’t tell everyone.” He tried to pull me closer, but I pulled away again, fighting the urge to slap him. He was right: under normal circumstances, I shouldn’t have known his dead name. However, the situation between me and Crispin was anything but normal, and only I knew why. Before I could say anything more, Kisten came into view, saving me from the vampire’s interrogation.
“There’s Kisten: let’s go before he gets the wrong idea.” I pulled away and climbed out, thankful for his perfect timing. Crispin was about to make it evident that he wasn’t done with me when Kisten stopped, staring at us. Kisten’s expression was blank as he looked at us, and he seemed a distracted, if not a little upset.
“Does Lucius know you were out, Cris?”
“No,” We answered simultaneously, then Crispin continued. “I went out on my own.”
“Oh.” he shrugged, his eyes lingering on me for only a moment before he looked away. A soft look flashed through his chartreuse eyes, but it passed just as quickly as it had appeared. “Well, Eve’s looking for you both, so I’d hurry. Especially you, Cris.”
“Where are you going?” I asked as he continued down the walk. I was surprised when he actually stopped to answer, glancing over his shoulder. His eyes softened again as they met mine and then returned to their sad and gloomy stare. My chest ached as he looked away from me again before speaking.
“Home.” He shifted as he took off down the walk, rushing to get away. I watched him disappear into the darkness of the night and turned to catch Crispin walking the way Kisten had come. Silently, I followed in his shadow and chastised myself for my earlier slip-up.
[1] French “You’re Welcome”
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