“Oh stop, you’re too kind.”
God, he was so weird when he sense of humored back at me. Almost like a real boy. But we were partners. And we werebothresponsible for all our issues. We worked together for months on several cases and nothing indicated any deceitful motives on his part. A person sent to spy would act the same way…so would any regular person.
Yeah, he played things tight-lipped, but I wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy and open to sharing myself. Trust went both ways or no ways.
Plus… he worked so well with Lucas. Lucas respected him. That had to count for something, right? I decided to offer an olive branch.
“Hey, Bolton’s still here for questioning.”
Temple smiled for just a second. “Let’s go.”
We swung by our desks first and started crossing the bullpen to the elevators when a stern voice barked out, “Slate, rookies fill out paperwork better than you.”
“Go without me,” I told Temple. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Think again, buddy,his expression said, though he only nodded. "Godspeed and good luck."
"You really care about quibbling over paperwork today?" I wondered when I found Stone lurking in the bullpen like she didn’t have her own cushy office.
"Quibbling, did you even learn how to write—” she forcibly stopped her complaints, casting a quick glance around the room. “Everyone’s in quite a hurry today. So much so nobody would notice if I shared…something I really shouldn’t."
"Stone?"
"You have a right to watch your back and know who’s watching yours."
She showed me a page of a file for only a few seconds. It was enough. Just last week somebody had tried to access the protected files about Hodge’s case. They’d tried to hide their identification, but it had been traced back to Temple’s desk and his login information. It was Temple.
20.Showdown the Sequel
Lucas
The office where I met an expert for a consultation about my still hidden fox side was a random office, I suspected. The man stood right in the middle of the room like he had no connection to it. The people in the pictures on the desk did not resemble him. The man, however, was familiar.
Our last meeting happened a lifetime ago, or at least my whole life had changed between then and now. Meeting a supposed celestial being would typically have caused endless questions and speculation. Yet Agent Frost completely slipped my mind until we met again.
“Are you really…” Though nothing changed, a sudden warning echoed in my mind.Don’t say it, don’t say angel.“An expert?”
“Yes.”
"…In this?"
“In everything.”
While not totally sure about that, I also wasn’t about to challenge him. “Should we get started?”
“We already have. I’ve been with you all day.” Oh god, had he seen—“Since you left the house.”
He added it like he read my mind…couldhe read minds?
Frost studied me while I studied him. Angels were surely grand, glorious creatures. His features were classic and elegant, handsome though not particularly noteworthy. Some detectives wore more casual suits or even street clothes to blend in. None of them were wearing cargo pants, so he took casual a step farther than the rest. And his violet eyes just kept staring, so bright compared to his darker hair, almost unnerving and hypnotizing at the same time.
He reached a verdict before me.
"The magic suppressing your shifter qualities still clings on, and a full shift is impossible with it still in play.”
"And as long as I’m not a fully realized shifter, I’m valuable to this group,” I filled in. “Can you remove the suppression?”
“Only as a last resort. With the suppression damaged and your efforts to connect with your fox side, it should unravel naturally. I suspect it hasn’t because some part of you is hesitant to let go of your defenses and fully embrace the fox.”
