Page 28 of Mystic Justice
‘Six,’ Grant agreed, lacing his fingers through Julian’s. ‘We have an announcement,’ he blurted, looking nervously at Mum.
They were already married, so there were certain expectations and the pause was pregnant in more ways than one.
‘We’re adopting!’ Grant blurted.
‘That’s lovely news.’ I beamed with delight, my weariness lifting in an instant. ‘How far are you into the process?’
‘A couple of months.’ Julian was still scanning Mum for her reaction.
She stood up and her eyes filled with tears. ‘I’m going to be a nanna?’ she whispered.
Jules’ eyes filled, too. ‘We hope so.’ His bottom lip was trembling. ‘We weren’t going to tell you all until we were further in.’ He shot a flat look at his unrepentant husband.
‘But we couldn’t wait to share it!’ Grant said happily. ‘Besides,’ his smile faded, ‘it’s a pretty tough process and there’s noguarantees. We’ll need your support. And you need to know that you’ll all be assessed. The Other Adoption Agency will be digging into our family and any…’ he eyed Krieg ‘…associates.’
There was a hint of trepidation in his eyes, just a hint, but it was enough to get my back up. Was he suggesting that I shouldn’t date Krieg in case it affected their chances?
I opened my mouth to say something curt and undiplomatic but Mum interceded. ‘This calls for a celebration! Tea and cake! Grant, help me with the cake, won’t you?’ She pulled him from the dining room.
Jules winced. ‘He didn’t mean any disrespect, Your Excellence.’
‘Robbie, please,’ Krieg said evenly. ‘I will not assume any disrespect within your family home. You should feel free to talk as you wish. There will be no reprisals.’
Rupert snorted. ‘Now you’ve given Stace carte blanche.’
Krieg looked at me. ‘She always has carte blanche.’
My cheeks warmed and I was relieved when Mum and Grant bustled back in with a huge cake and some side plates.
Cake was just what I needed.
We stayed entirely too late but it was fun to watch Krieg relax. He didn’t speak often but seemed to sit back and enjoy the atmosphere.
I was just getting ready to suggest we leave when my phone beeped with yet another grade-one alert. I hastily opened it to silence the shrill noise and my skin went cold as I read it.
‘I have to go,’ I said into the tense silence. ‘There’s been another murder.’
Chapter Fourteen
I had seriously contemplated not rousing Channing but, tired as we all were, I knew he’d be pissed if he missed the chance to examine the crime scene while it was fresh.
Channing had been introduced to the Other realm at sixteen, way later than the majority of us were shoved through the portal to claim our magic. I’d been introduced when I was eight like the rest of my family, but even before I’d walked through the portal I’d known about magic. Magical creatures were as real to me as our family dog, Gus.
Channing hadn’t had any of that. He’d studied hard after being introduced to the Other but he was always playing catch-up. Now that I was aware of that, as his mentor I was duty-bound to even the playing field – and that meant roping him in even when we were shit out of energy.
I looked up as he joined Krieg and me at the scene. He’d arrived promptly, before SOCO. Luckily there were no witnesses to wrangle, no minds to clear; there was just an unholy mess. And Jude Jingo.
The doppelgänger was visibly angry. A body dumped on your turf was a threat in the Other, a signal that you couldn’t keep out intruders, and the centaur had been dumped in the dryad’s grove. Jingo was the Al Capone of the Other: he couldn’t let such a slur on his reputation stand.
He pointed impatiently at the shattered body. ‘I want to know everything you know,’ he ordered me tersely.
‘I don’t answer to you, Jingo,’ I replied, just as sharply. ‘Tell me who found the body.’
He grimaced. ‘I was holding a grove meeting when one of the dryad’s trees grew distressed. I went to investigate and I found this.’ He gestured to the mass of blood and flesh that barely resembled anything that had ever been living. ‘Naturally, as it wasn’t an in-house matter I reported it to the Connection as any upstanding citizen would. And here we all are.’
Krieg leaned against a tree. ‘And not because you’re sweet on the Inspector.’
Jingo’s rage faded temporarily to be replaced with amusement. ‘“Sweet on”? How quaint, Your Excellence. And of course, I’m well aware that the Inspector is under your … protection. I wouldn’t dream of stepping on your esteemed toes.’
