I snort, knowing he definitely didn’t pull me in for that. “What’s up?”
“I need you to give him a chance.”
Not this again. “I gave him a chance. He runs like a grandpa and is annoyingly stubborn.”
Brooks shakes his head. “Finn could be a good addition to this team. He’s smart, he’s good at what he does, and he’s not as weak as you think he is. Just give him a chance.”
I grumble, “I will.”
“And do me one favor.”
I stare at him in mock surprise. “I… I thought I was already doing you a huge favor by not eating the pesky human.”
“Keep an eye on him.”
I let that sink in. “What’s that mean? Like… you think he’s up to something? Perfect! Can I eat him if he messes up?” I ask, even though I haven’t fed off a human since the equality act was put into place almost a hundred years ago. At that point, they began to work on creating blood programs for vampires where humans can donate their blood and get paid for it. I haven’t had fresh human blood in so long that it makes me yearn for it, just thinking about it.
“No, like make sure he doesn’t stick his nose somewhere he won’t be able to get it out of. He doesn’t need to end up dead at the end of this.”
“Fine.” But I’m not exactly sure why this has to be a concern of mine. He should have thought of that when he decided to join.
“Are you done for the day?”
“Yeah. It’s in the others’ hands until they get me some names to look into. See ya tomorrow, boss.”
“Have a good night.”
I head out and walk over to my desk. Briar and DeGray are gone already, but Karsyn is still at his desk which just happens to be across from the human’s new desk.
“This human thing is a joke, right?” Karsyn asks. When he’s annoyed or angry, his accent shows more.
“If it is, I haven’t found an opportunity to laugh yet.”
“A human… in a department that hasn’t seen a human in it ever? What the hell’s going on?” I don’t blame Karsyn for his hatred of humans. He’s never been treated kindly by them and grew up in a time when vampires were treated like feral animals by humans. But he also needs to understand that this kid wasn’t even alive during that time.
“We’ll just… have to see.”
He sighs as he rubs at his black hair. “I get dibs on eating him first.”
I chuckle. “Hell no, Karsyn, you can’t eat the human. Especially since he has to be my partner… I get to eat him.”
“How flattering! Both of you are fighting over me,” the human says as he steps up behind me. How the hell didn’t I hear him walking up? I guess with the noise of the room, I wasn’t focused on him.
“Is it really flattering knowing that we’re debating who gets to eat you?” I ask.
“You know what? When you get to my age and you’ve been alone for so many years you’re considering a profession in cat hoarding, yeah, it’s kind of nice,” he says as he grabs his coat off his chair. “At least someone wants me.”
I find it very unlikely that he has trouble finding a date. He’s a little short, but he’s attractive and constantly wearing a boyish grin that seems to make everyone else smile.
“Just know that my papa would get really upset if you guys ate me.”
“I’m sure we can handle him,” Karsyn says, not really sounding like he’s joking.
Finn snickers. “Good. I’ll let Orin know.”
I stare at him. “Your father is the Orin Wilcox?” Well, that’s concerning. Did he adopt him?
“He is, but I’ll let him know you guys want to eat me.”
Well shit.
“Can’t wait to annoy you two tomorrow!”
“Leave already, zanuda.”
“I’m just going to guess that means sweetheart,” Finn says with a smile.
He gives us a wave as he leaves us with the knowledge that one of the oldest vampires in the area is his father.
Karsyn shudders. “Just… interacting with him irritates me.”
I chuckle. “Seeing how fussy you get with him kind of makes me like him more.”
“You’re an ass.”
I grin at him as I grab my stuff. “See you tomorrow, Karsyn. Hopefully you’re not as grumpy.”
“Don’t count on it.”
I head out to my car and see Finn sitting in his car with the door open and his legs out. He’s fumbling with something on his leg as I watch him. As if realizing he’s not alone, he looks over, sees me watching, and quickly finishes getting in the car.
What a weird human.
It’s not that I hate humans. I just feel like they have a place and their place is not in my department. Humans and vampires should not work together in a strenuous job like this. There’s the possibility of him getting hurt that could distract us from our jobs. This is why humans and vampires can’t be in relationships. When a vampire is constantly around a human, there’s the risk of them getting hurt by the vampire. I’ve even seen cases where a young vampire has accidentally killed their spouse because they cut themselves while making supper. We weren’t meant to coexist, but here we are, trying our hardest to make it work.
I get into my black car and begin driving toward home. I live on the outskirts of town, away from the noise of the city, but only about a fifteen-minute drive from the department. When I pull into the driveway, I immediately see a face in the window that always makes me smile.
I get out of my car and head to the door before pulling it open. My Irish wolfhound greets me immediately. He’s a giant beast that seems to only love me and is reasonably wary of everyone else. He came from a bad situation that made him timid around others, so it took me a long time to gain his trust. It doesn’t help that most people are intimidated by him since he’s head level when they’re sitting down and isn’t afraid to use his height to his benefit.
“I’ve had a long day, Artemus,” I say as I rub back his ears.
But at least he makes my day better.
Chapter Three
FINN
My phone starts ringing just as I’m getting out of my car. “This is Detective Hayes.” I see that it’s Church and wonder if he’s planning on chewing me out for not being there sooner. I had to stop at my previous department to finalize a few things first and was just now heading over.
“Where are you at? I’m heading out and the boss tells me I have to take you,” Charming Church grumbles.
“I’m getting out of my car right at this moment.”
“Meet me at my car,” he says, then promptly hangs up. When I get there, I see Briar, DeGray, and Church heading out to the car. They’re all decked out in black. Black hood, black shirts, black gloves, dark sunglasses. I also have sunglasses on, but they’re a much lighter tint.
“Oh my god. Are you guys planning on robbing the place?”
Church grumbles at me. “It’s especially sunny today. DeGray and Briar are tagging along with us.”
“Ah, right.” While they won’t burst into flames or ash at the sight of the sun, it will burn them if they’re not old or cautious enough. If a young vampire went out into direct sunlight with no protection, they would probably suffer from third-degree burns within minutes. The older they are, the more they’re able to withstand it. And those who are extremely old actually heal faster than the sun burns them. They fix that just by covering exposed body parts, buuuut they still look like they are preparing to rob the place and it amuses me so much.