"I heard I could find you here," a familiar voice called out.
She turned from watching her arm be wrapped in plastic to see her boss striding toward her. "Hello, sir."
He winced. "Can't you call me Cam? Sir, while is work appropriate, doesn't really fit anymore, does it? Unless you're planning on staying my deputy and taking over for me," he asked hopefully.
"Sorry, Cam, the queen has put me in charge of the taskforce leading the nationwide search for her people." She looked at Ari's aunts, then to her tattoo. "Even once that is done, I have a feeling there's a lot these women can teach me. I'd rather focus on what I can learn, not punch the clock."
"Congratulations on becoming an Eliana's Daughter. When it became apparent you were Ari's mate, I had a feeling you'd end up here." He pointed to the training hall.
"What has you swinging by, Cam?" Ari asked, wiping his face with his shirt.
Cam pointed to her. "I just needed to get her official answer before I could process her paperwork. Seemed like something I should do in person, rather than over the phone."
Brie would miss working with Cam and River, but not enough to divide a large portion of her time away from her mate, especially with how delicious he was looking.
"Gonna miss you guys," she said, looking up at the man who had taught her everything she knew about investigating and working with the public.
"We're going to miss you too," Cam heaved a huge sigh. "Now, I have to find a replacement for you." He frowned down at her. "Do you know how lucky I felt when I found you? A brilliant mind that I didn't want to strangle three times a day?"
"Emerson," she said and gingerly pulled on her shirt.
His eyebrows shot up. "Emerson? Really? Does he even know how to talk?"
She threw a wadded up paper towel at him. "Of course, he knows how to talk. He's just quiet." She smiled. "But he’s also very thorough and conscientious. Given some prodding, I think he'll make a perfect Sheriff."
Cam rubbed his jaw. "Emerson, hmm."
"Trust me on this. He'll be wonderful."
"I'll try him out and see what happens." He looked at his watch. "If I hurry, I might catch him before he leaves." He gave her a one-armed hug then jogged out the door.
Ari pulled her to her feet. "We have just enough time for a shower and maybe a quick nap before we have to head out to the palace."
She shook her head. "Let's head there now. If I take a shower and lay down, I'm not getting back up for anything less than Leo's cooking."
Ari thought about it a moment then nodded. "Good point." He leaned down and kissed Elysa on the cheek. "Thank you, Auntie."
Elysa stood then ruffled his hair. "Get on with you two. The sooner you can solve all these murders, the sooner I can start training Brie."
Brie gave a mock salute. "Marching orders received."
Hand in hand, they headed back toward the palace. When they had been on their way to the Lionhart estate to get her tattoo, she'd dragged her feet because she wasn't looking forward to the needle gun, now they were both meandering slowly because they were exhausted.
When Cord let them into the dining area, where it looked like a late lunch or early dinner, hors d'oeuvres were being served. At once, Brie noticed the heavy atmosphere.
"What now?" she asked, as they sat down.
Amelia turned to her. "Nothing really, well, yet."
"Huh?"
Amelia pointed to where Aiden scowled into his plate of french fries. "Meryn is still asleep," she explained.
"So, wake her," Brie suggested.
Aiden stabbed his french fry into his ketchup. "But she needs her rest."
"I no like," a tiny voice chirped. It was the sprite, Felix, that looked to Meryn. Brie had to suppress the urge to cuddle him every time he appeared.