“Spit it out. I am only on the verge of infiltrating enemy territory, exactly the right time for a heart to heart.” I curl my lips in my version of a smile. Most men would have given me a wide berth.
This fucker ignores it. He saunters over, then sniffs the air over my shoulder, “From the whiff of frustration that clings to you, I’d hazard a guess that there’s a woman involved, except, well…you…” He snickers. “We all know you like females for only one thing, and it’s not for affairs of the heart.”
“Ha…fucking…ha.” I draw myself up to my full height. “And here I thought the worst part of having you along on a job was your ugly mug; I was so wrong.” I flick fake tears from my cheek. “It’s your lame sense of humor; it’s so bad that you should use it to cringe people to death. It’d be more effective than zapping them with telekinetic energy.”
“Hey, when you have your life on the line…which is most of the time in this dream job”—he scratches his chin— “the least I can do is keep things light.”
“Right.” I lean back on my heels. The band at the head of the crowd strikes up their music. “That’s the sixty-minute countdown for the ceremony to start.”
He doesn’t take the hint. “You need to keep your wits about you.”
“Don’t preach to the converted.” Anger bubbles up in my veins.
“And yeah, you’re welcome.” One side of his lips turns up in the semblance of a smile.
“Not that I don’t appreciate your concern,” I mutter. “Actually, nope. Strike that. I can do without it.” I set my jaw. “You forget that I’ve done assignments like this before.”
“You’ve never been this distracted.” He holds my gaze.
“Right.” I roll my shoulders. “Go on, get out of here.” I chin jerk at him, then turn around and stalk away.
“Rendezvous back in Singapore in three hours?” His voice is low but pitched at that high octave sound that only Faes can pick up.
I raise my thumb over my shoulder.
“Get your ass back in one piece so I can trash it in our next Dare.” He alludes to the weekly friendly—or on occasion not that friendly— brawls that the Fae Corps indulge in.
“Keep dreaming, asshole.” I lower my thumb only to flip him the bird.
The air around me thins. I don’t need to look back to know that he’s already teleporting out.
I join the queue waiting to enter the palace on Red Square where the swearing-in is set to begin.
The wind blows, and I huddle into my jacket. It’s cold in Moscow even at the height of summer. I run my fingers over my short hair, wishing I’d thought to bring a cap.
I’ve never gotten out of the habit of the crew cut, a hangover from the days I’d served in the Fae Corps.
Every man and woman on the tiny island of Singapore has to complete four years of military service. It pays to be prepared when you are the only place in the world with a majority population of Faes. A race that everyone seems to hate.
Not surprising, given Igor had terrorized the entire shifter race. He’d rebelled against the Fae Elders and taken over Moscow, a vital gateway to the Eurasian countries.
And now I’ve been sent to take revenge.
I stamp my feet to stay warm.
Security personnel from the Bureau of Shifters walk around, scanning the crowd. One of their recruits, clearly a wolf shifter by his scent, stops in front of me. “Step aside, sir.”
I break file.
He scans me from my toes up to my face with his security device, then waves the scanner in front of my eyes and around my head.
“Interesting security protocol.”
He grunts.
“Expecting break-ins today?”
The soldier’s face doesn’t change expression.
I return his scrutiny. He finally angles his head. “Proceed.” His forehead furrows.
I shove open the double doors then walk toward one of the seats at the circular balcony that overlooks the hall.
There’s a platform at the far end where the ceremony is going to take place. Someone tugs at my sleeve. I swivel around, all my senses on edge.
There’s no one in front of me.
I look down to find a little girl staring up. Her eyes gleam with intelligence.
“You can’t hide from me. I have the sight.” She taps her temple. “I can foresee.” Her curls flow around her shoulders.
“Is that right?” A smile tugs my lips.
“I am not joking.” She folds her arms over her chest.
“Didn’t think you were.”
She goes on as if I hadn’t spoken. “I can tell that you are going to play an important role in the future of this city, you know—”
“Akasha.” A woman races down the stairs. Her mane of hair streams behind her as she comes to a halt next to the girl. “The way you keep disappearing, I am beginning to think you have the ability to teleport along with everything else.”
The girl winks at me, then turns to the woman. “I had to see him, but my work here is done now.”
“You speak in riddles, child.” She tosses her head, then trains her gaze on me. The whiff of dominance from her is unmistakable. Clearly, an alpha dragon shifter.
She eyes my close-cut hair, then her gaze drops to the dog tags which must peek out from above the collar of my T-shirt. “I take it you are part of the Bureau of Shifters?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I fold my arms behind me.
“Chief Logan needs to teach his soldiers better ways of concealing themselves in plain clothes,” she sniffs.
I set my jaw. “Now, hold on a sec—”
She whisks around, her skirt swishing behind her as she strides away.
"That was my godmother." Akasha turns to me. “Her name is Eve.” The girl’s eyes gleam at me. “She’s the Leader of the Dragons."
“You sure like to talk, kid.” I crack my neck, wishing for a cigarette, for whiskey, for something stronger to help me find my composure. Oh! Wait. I gave up smoking a year ago. Bad for teleportation.
“Akasha, you coming?” The dragon leader's voice floats down to us.
The girl waves a fist, and I bump it.
“Our secret.” She holds up her pinky finger.
“What do you mean?” I stare, not sure whether to be amused or alarmed.
She winks.
“Right.” I huff out a breath and twine my little finger with hers.
“Behave now.” She grins; a naughty, filled-with-meaning grin. Then, pulling her hand away, she turns and runs after Eve.
I haven’t even started my mission, and already it seems I am being upstaged. “Damn females in this city.”
And I’ve come to take out the most prominent of them.
I had to get in the long way on foot to save the teleportation powers for when I really need them, like escaping from silver-eyed human females who smell like honey and taste sweeter.
I flick out my tongue and touch my lower lip.
I can still taste her essence. My head spins. My dick throbs. A man dressed in a formal suit steps on stage. He walks to the center of the platform.
“I am Logan, Chief of the Bureau of Shifters and the representative of the trinity factions of Shifters, the Council of Bombay, and the Immortals. It is my pleasure to welcome the person you’ve been waiting for, Amara.”