Page 77 of Mystic Justice
I pushed away from the table and busied myself cleaning icing sugar off the kitchen counter. Robbie might be a good cook but he wasn’t a tidy one.
I felt his presence before he touched me. His hands were soft on my hips as he turned me to face him. He reached out, tilting my chin so that I’d look into his silver eyes. ‘Who did that to you?’ he asked, his voice a low growl.
I swallowed past the rock in my throat. ‘It was a long time ago.’
‘Tell me,’ he demanded.
‘An enemy of my dad’s,’ I said finally.
‘Is he dead?’
‘No. He’s in Wraithmore.’ And the thought of him escaping that prison still made the sixteen-year-old within me freeze withremembered fear. I swallowed hard. ‘Can we drop this?’ I asked, looking somewhere over his shoulder.
‘For now.’ He kissed my temple and stepped back to give me space.
‘You’re a messy cook,’ I said in a clumsy attempt to change the subject.
‘Genius doesn’t come hand in hand with cleanliness.’
‘Well, it should!’ I shot back with a teasing smile. Needing to wash the dishes rather than use the dishwasher, I ran the tap and filled the sink with soapy bubbles. I cleaned the plates and with every surface I wiped I felt calmer. It was in the past; I had survived. I wasn’t the helpless girl I once was. Far from it.
Next to me, Robbie dried the dishes and set them on the side in neat piles.
Loki squawked loudly. ‘Mail!’ He was hovering by the door. Something had been slid underneath it. I opened it and looked both ways but couldn’t see anyone in the corridor. I shut the door and locked it then bent down to pick up the paper.
‘Just bend over a little more… ’ Robbie entreated, making me blush as I remembered how little I was wearing.
‘Behave!’ I shot back.
His teasing smile faded. ‘I’ll wait as long as you need, you know that,’ he said in all seriousness. ‘I’m not Radcliffe. I can be patient.’
‘I – I have baggage.’
Krieg shrugged. ‘Me too. We can unpack it together when we’re both ready.’ His eyes sharpened on the paper in my hands. ‘The Mystic Informer.What have they got to say?’
I turned to the sheet in my fingers.
Unit 13 Cracks Elemental Executions Case
Chester, UK —For the first time in recorded history, a cross-realm task force has been formed. Their first case? A triple elemental homicide with links to ritualistic necromancy.
Formed less than a week ago, Unit 13 is clearly an experiment to look at how the Connection manages its police force. Dwindling budget has meant that the Inspectors are stretched more thinly than ever. The Connection is currently pushing a huge recruitment drive to increase policing staff. Numerous significant disturbances have continued to rock the Other realm, including the recent showdown between the Anti-Crea – a human first hate-group – and Emory Elite, king of the dragon-shifters.
With tensions at an all-time high, we’ve never needed our police more, and yet the number of Inspectors on the roster is at an all-time low. Can the Connection turn this situation around in time? This reporter isn’t sure. It feels like too little, too late, but Unit 13’s formation is perhaps a step in the right direction.
Heading the unit is Chief Inspector Stacy Wise, one of only ten female Inspectors, and daughter of acclaimed Inspector Marcus Wise. Stacy Wise led the investigation, which began with the murder of a young female dryad and quickly spiralled into a race against the clock to save other innocent citizens.
Sources say Wise and her team quickly identified the killers and coordinated multi-directional sweeps of Grosvenor Park before locating the murderers and preventing another death. Reports state that Wise personally confronted the killers, a resurrected griffin once known as Harbinger, a legendary assassin who had recently been slain under mysterious circumstances, and a powerful fire elemental whose identity has not yet been released to the press.
Wise and High King Krieg of the Ogres – who have been romantically linked – faced down the zombie griffin armed with magic and steel, before bringing down the ultimate judgement on both killers.
The Mystic Informer will continue to monitor Unit 13’s exploits – and we suggest you do the same.
‘Oh boy,’ I murmured, passing the newspaper to Krieg. ‘You weren’t planning on keeping our dating a secret, were you?’
He scan-read the document and grimaced. ‘It’s not ideal. It’ll paint a target on you for my enemies.’ His eyes met mine, ‘Like your dad’s enemies did.’ I could almost see him recoil from me, the urge to draw away to protect me from his enemies battling with his urge to remain with me.
I stalked towards him. ‘I amnotsixteen anymore and I’m no longer an easy target. Far from it. You and I just fought an undeadgriffintogether. You’ve watched me kill vampyrs. Whatever comes at us, I’ll be ready.’
