"Anything I can do?"
"My camera is over on the table. You know what to look for. Can you start taking pictures of the entire room, starting from the perimeter, then moving closer to where they were piled?"
"Yup, you g
ot it." She went to the table and picked up the camera.
Ari placed a hand on her arm. "Are you okay doing this?"
She pointed to her uniform. "It's my job, Ari."
He sighed and gave a single nod. "I know, the reason I ask isn't because I don't think you're capable, but something like this can't be a normal scene for you. Hell, it's not even a normal scene for us."
His explanation made her feel better. He wasn't worried because she was a woman, but because the scene was that bad. "You're right; this entire room is horrid. It's very difficult to keep my emotions in check, but it's not their fault." She indicated to the dead. "They deserve us at our very best so that we can find their killers. Later, I may fall apart, but right now, I will do everything I can to help them."
Ari simply leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I'm so proud to call you my mate. I'll be with Aiden and Cam if you need me." He walked away, leaving her feeling even more confused. She had expected for him to put up a huge fuss over her work.
"Mate?" River asked, looking up at her surprised.
"Evidently."
He smiled as he nodded slowly. "You know, he may be the perfect match for you, Brie. He will not get his dick twisted because you are a badass the way your ex did. In fact, you being a badass is going to seriously work in your favor."
"How so?"
"He is a lion."
"Huh?"
He shook his head and went back to the small plastic bags he was organizing. "You will see."
She decided to leave the entire mating thing alone and focus on her job. She slowly made her way around the room, making sure to take extra care where River had left red markers indicating something was found there. As she worked, she couldn't help but think about who could have possibly done this and why. Why so many all at once? Why leave them here? If they were meant to be a statement, why were they left in an abandoned warehouse where the possibility of going unfound was high?
Before she knew it, the men had finished the transfers, and Ari was once again at her side. "It's time to go."
"Why do you look sick at the idea of going home?"
He just wrapped his arms around her, resting his cheek on the top of her head. She expected the caged in feeling to kick in at any moment, but surprisingly, it didn't. Not only was she taking comfort in his embrace, she also felt relief that she was able to soothe him.
"When we walk through the portal, we'll be going to the storage house for the dead in the city. Family members may be onsite to identify their loved ones and will, more than likely, demand answers from all of us—answers that we just don't have," he explained.
"The sooner we go through, the sooner we can get that dinner over with, and we can relax, right?"
He stepped back and smiled down at her. "I knew you'd be perfect for me. Yes, that's the plan as of right now."
"We're heading back to the station," Rathais said, walking up with River. "He needs access to his lab, and I'll be going over public records to start the process of getting their homes settled. That's a lot of property and personal belongings that need to be settled and transported to Éire Danu."
"What about me?" she asked.
Rathais ruffled her hair, the same as he always had done, but she blushed now that she could see how handsome he was. He tweaked her nose. "It's still me, Brie. I understand that it may be more difficult to see me as the father figure you once did, but that doesn't change how much I care. I'm just more like an older brother now."
"My mate," Ari growled.
Rathais ruffled Ari's hair much to the lion's astonishment. "And you just got another older brother."
Ari's mouth opened, then closed. He looked away but not before she caught his pleased expression. "Whatever," he murmured.
"On that note," Rathais turned back to her. "I know that right now you're focused on the job. You jumped in to help process the scene, mostly out of reflex. But who and what we are, your tie to Ari, none of that has hit you yet. You're about to go through a portal to an entirely different world, so please be easy on yourself. It's okay to get overwhelmed and upset. It will be completely understandable for you to ask for help." He pointed to the men standing around eavesdropping. "Brie, these men are now your brothers in arms. I trust them with my life and yours."