“I have to get to work. I’ve got a new case,” I said instead, trying again to focus on the documents in front of me.
The case. That was important. Not the wolf-ass. Not the way he’d ignored me. Not the way it hurt.
“What about? Is it scary?” Eva said.
“I think so. The Chief said I could work with anyone I want, so…”
“Don’t even joke with me,” Eva said, turning her head the other way.
“Oh, come on,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“We’ll help ya, Pink.Ifyou tell us more secrets,” Hunter said with a wink.
“Youhaveto help me even if I don’t tell you secrets.”
“Oh, so you admit that there are secrets.” Patricia put her hand under her chin and looked at me like a hawk.
“No! There are no secrets. Let me just…can I justfocus? Please?”
“You’ve been in a bad mood since morning, so okay,” Hunter finally said with a sigh, smiling at me like I wascute,and he was actually doing me a favor by letting me do my job. “We’ll give you a break.”
“Hurry up, though. I wanna know what it’s about,” said Patricia.
And I tried. I really tried to read the report. I tried to focus on the letters so hard that my head started hurting two minutes in. Instead, my mind kept tormenting me with images of him. My heart kept weeping for what I didn’t even want to acknowledge right now. And my hands kept on shaking, too, half my focus across the office, wherehewas, terrified that he’d come out again while I was still here, and I’d have to endure that torture all over again.
It was going to be a long day.
ChapterThree
Crackdown was no joke.The more I read about it, the more I realized it was actually very serious. The Chief was right—it was a suppressant. And what it suppressed wasmagic. I went over the description again and again because it sounded way too ridiculous to be true. Fantasy stuff. Magic was magic. You were born with it, and you died with it. Nothing could take it away from you, no matter what.
Except…now, apparently, something could. The ODP had no idea how Crackdown was made. It left no trace in the bodies they’d found—the ones who had OD’d on it and the ones who were killed after being exposed to it. It was injected straight into your bloodstream, and its effects would take over within the minute. Some heavy magic was involved, but what kind? There were no creatures out there who had the ability to take away someone’s magic. Other abilities had been used before—vampire blood was used to make goggles that could enable you to see perfectly in the dark, just like a real vampire could. Succubi scents were turned into perfumes that were the closest thing you could get to love potions. Maybelustpotions would be a better word, but as long as you had that scent on you, you’d be as sexy and as alluring as a real succubi, and you could literally have anyone you wanted.
But taking away someone’s magic? It just made no sense.
What made sense, though, was how it was being used. Basically as a weapon to take away someone’s defenses, practically make them human, and then kill them without making an effort. The ODP didn’t even know if it worked on every kind of supernatural, but so far we had dead bodies of vampires, werewolves, a banshee, and two nymphs. So, both Gifted and fae had been affected by it.
By the time five o’clock rolled in, I had half a plan ready, but I wasn’t going to get anywhere with it without an actual clue—which the ODP did not have. I would still need to check every single item that was found with the dead bodies in the morgue, and if that didn’t give me any ideas, I’d need to go downstairs and look at the bodies myself. Ugh. I’d killed three people—that I knew of for sure—until now, and it still didn’t get any easier to look at a lifeless body. I was starting to think it never would. Hopefully, the pictures and the reports would have something for me.
My friends left to go get a drink while I waited for the printer to justwork fasterand print out the reports from the archive, so when I left Headquarters, I was by myself. I couldn’t join the others for a drink, though God knows I could use some alcohol right now. I still needed to work. I was thankful for it, too, because it took my mind off…well,everything.
Until I stepped out of the building and into the street…and saw Derek Dane leaning against a lamppost, throwing what looked like a rock in the air and catching it again every few seconds.
I froze. There was only one reason why Derek would be here, and it was Dominic. Which meant Dominic was probably on his way out right now. I’d counted it as a blessing that I hadn’t seen him at all the rest of the day, and I needed that blessing to last if I was going to focus tonight.
Which meant I had to get out of here asap, before Derek even spotted me…
“Hi, Teddy.”
Damn. Too late.
I turned to the side, my body finally functional again, and I started walking as fast as my legs allowed. If my back was turned to the door, I wouldn’t see Dominic even if he walked out right now. It wasn’t fair that the thought of him terrified me like this and filled me with panic, but I’d get my shit together when I made it to my apartment. Just as long as I didn’t see him.
Except…
“Hey, Teddy, wait!”
Derek was coming after me. The street was crowded, plenty of people walking beside me, but I still heard his footsteps. I tried to hurry but he was faster, and he caught up with me in no time.