“I will?” Now I’m even more surprised. Between cleaning up my mess and wrapping up those delicate fae negotiations off-world, Ms. Stryker has only been in the office a few minutes at a time. Other than letting me knowshe confronted Eirian, the truth is we’ve barely said twenty words to each other after she interrogated me last Sunday.
She raises her eyebrows with a “that’s sure what it looks like” kind of expression, clearly not enthusiastic about assuming the role of a teacher, especially of children. I turn to Nicole, who’d had such an issue with Emma’s magic before, but her smile is broad, tears now fully shining in her eyes. She looks relieved.
“Emma told me what you did. How you got hurt, again and again, and kept on fighting. I don’t know what your big secret is, but you’re a good boy, Alvin. I’m so grateful you were here when I knocked on that door—and I’m glad you’ll be there to watch over my daughter.”
The heat of a strong blush rises to my cheeks, but I swallow hard and say, “Of course.” I look back to Emma. “I’m just glad to see you’re doing better. And if you need anything,pleasejust let me know, okay?”
That sparks a legit grin on Emma’s face, even if it’s a bit shy. “Okay. I will.”
Both mother and daughter gaze at me with warmth and gratitude. Two weeks ago, a moment like this—where anyone would eventhinkabout looking at me that way—felt completely out of reach. The real-life version feels better than I could have imagined.
Ms. Stryker startles us all by clapping loudly twice. “All right, people! Thank you for stopping by, but Alvin and I have important work to do.So…!”
She glares meaningfully at the door.
Taking the oh-so-subtle hint, the Brunos beat a hasty exit, Nicole giving my shoulder an affectionate (andperhaps evensympathetic) squeeze on the way out. I follow them to the threshold.
Just before she goes, Emma fixes me with a pointed look.
“That vampire said a bunch of things to us, right before the ritual. Some of it was about you. This is probably too personal and stuff, but if it’s okay, can you tell me… are youreallyqueer?” Her gaze is intense, like this is a matter of life or death.
“Uh… yeah,” I stammer out, completely caught off guard. Mom has implied that all incubi are essentially pansexual, but per usual, my experience hasn’t tracked with hers. I’ve only liked guys so far. Either way, I still qualify.
Her smile broadens. “Cool.”
She offers me a fist bump, and I don’t leave her hanging. Completely satisfied with my response, she trots down the hallway to join her mom.
Up to now, I’ve been thinking of all these kids as innocent victims who I helped save—which of course, they were. But I get the impression that I might have actually just made a friend—a normal, regular kind of friend—and somehow that feels even better.
I close the door. When I turn, Stryker is already popping off the cap of her Nitro Cold Brew.
“So…” I begin tentatively. The offer she casually dropped just a minute ago feels as fragile as a soap bubble. “You’ll, uh, be training me on the regular?”
She leans back against my desk and takes in a deep drag of her coffee before answering. “That’s right. I don’t yet fully understand how spellcasting works for paranormals,let alone incubi. But you have power, potentially dangerous power, and since I have decided to keep you a secret, that means you are my responsibility.” She takes another sip. “I suppose congratulations are in order—you’ve just been upgraded from intern to apprentice.” She glares up at me over the lid of the paper cup. “Don’t expect cake.”
“Oh, wow!” I take a step toward her. “That’s so awe?—”
Her palm immediately comes up. “I swear, if you try to hug me, I will bring you to the ground.”
“Right. Of course! Sorry.”
She rests the cup down on the desk next to her and folds her arms. “And don’t think you’re getting this training for free. You will be doing all of my grunt work from now on. Library research. Photo surveillance. And every face-to-face interview that does not involve something with fangs or claws. You seem to be good with people, and I intend to make full use of that. In addition, every single hour of magical training I provide will be coming out of your paycheck.”
“Right. Okay.” I tap the tips of my index fingers together, playing casual. “So, does that mean I’m getting a paycheck now, too?”
“A verysmallpaycheck,” she responds with a hint of a smirk. I think she’s actually enjoying this.
Well, I don’t care if it’s two cents an hour! I look to Collin and let myself full-on grin, eyes wide with wonder. “This is happening. I’m going to be a real paranormal investigator…”
Collin shares my excited smile, but doesn’t say anything. Like the fake version, the real Sarah Stryker alsohad concerns about me keeping possession of such a powerful artifact as the watch. She’s tentatively decided to allow it, but neither one of us wants to push things, so Collin basically just tries to blend into the wallpaper whenever she is around so I won’t get distracted.
She still follows my eyes. “What time is your friend coming over?”
It takes me a moment to realize she’s not talking about Collin.
“Oh! Rafa said he’d drop by in the afternoon. He’s, uh, really looking forward to meeting you.”
“Right. I’ll want to keep it brief, but I can see the benefit of having a Monster Hunter on call. And it would be good to hear how he’s coming along with the remaining vampires.”
