The colossus had to be seventeen feet tall on its hind legs. Its bulk blocked out the moon as it bellowed at a redhaired Fae cowering on his knees, his hands raised in surrender.
The beast thudded onto all fours, shaking the surrounding branches and rattling apples across the dark grass.
Hunter was in the early stages of a shift, jaguar eyes burning brightly through the orchard’s shadowy labyrinth and fur poking between his cuff links. I held my own transformation back, relying on the Colt clutched in my right hand. But I had to be careful. My jaguar tat was pulsing and alive, its fearsome power solidifying my forearm into the magic hammer that had saved my life. If I squeezed my gun too tightly, the tat’s power might crush it or cause a misfire.
A few feet to the side of the flame-haired prick, the prince cradled Serenity’s upper back with one hand. She was mumbling, rubbing her eyes, as if waking from deep sleep. Osric tried his best to revive her and calm the raging behemoth at the same time, but when he saw his mate, he called, “Ceci, thank the gods. Placate him.” He spotted my gun and outstretched a diffusing hand. “Detective Pierce, don’t shoot. You’ll make him even angrier. And don’t shift or try to fight him. It’s suicide.”
My aim was quivering, my jaguar heart pounding with the hackle-raising trepidation that was the closest thing to fear my animal could feel. It was an unusual sensation. One I hadn’t felt since my childhood. Everyone seemed scared shitless over what this fucking bear monster might do. Aaron was a bear shifter, right?Was this him!?
“You take one more step closer to my mate,” Hunter shouted at the bear, “I’m coming for your eyes. And your fucking balls too.”
“No. Don’t you dare. And don’t shout, please. Don’t make himangrier.” Ceci stepped toward the beast gingerly, her tone feathery. “Hey, over here.”
With surprising speed for such a big fucker, it swung round to see Ceci in her bare feet—the high heels discarded so she could run. Her slender arms outstretched, beckoning. “Come here. It’s okay.” She knelt and repeated the soothing mantra.
It lumbered toward her, lying on its belly like a tabby cat. Stroking the giant, she crooned her reassurances, the words a melodic lullaby that rapidly calmed the creature resting its head at her feet. “There, it’s okay, no need to be angry. You did such a good job. Saved Serenity. Now calm, calm. There you go, close your eyes.” She continued to soothe him. “It’s all over now. I’m so proud of you.”
The bear started to shift back into—I’d guessed it—Aaron, that softly spoken professor I’d met at the funeral. Me, Hunter, and Seb all ran to Serenity, but Hunter shoved to the forefront, pulling her into his arms. “I can take it from here,” he told the prince.
Osric obliged, standing to yank the dirtbag Fae up onto his feet. “So, you’re the traitorous bastard behind the worst night of my life.”
Wham! Prince Osric dropped that flame-haired nut back to his knees with an impressive headbutt. Not exactly regal. But justified.
The guy who’d almost become that bear’s next morning dump looked to me, making no attempt to defend himself as Osric hammered two punches into his face. The blows cracked hard. This prince could fucking swing.
“Please, Detective, you can’t let him beat me senseless. I don’t want to fight.” He held up his arms higher, palms open. “Please, this is lawlessness. I surrender.”
A fogginess wrapped around my mind. My jaguar raked at my insides, telling me to not listen, to wake. “This is lawlessness. Your Highness, he surrenders. We should let him—”
Smack! The prince elbowed him in the face. “Enough with your rancid enchantments.”
I shook my head. The fog cleared, and a mild headache thumped in my temples. Was that what he’d done to Serenity and Seb?
Everyone was talking at once. Seb took out his phone, turning on the light bringing a broad and solid radius of illumination to the situation.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Did he touch you?” I asked Serenity, whose eyes were fully open now.
Hunter gently eased her onto her feet, steadying her. “I feel a bit sick, but I’m okay,” she said weakly. “I don’t remember much. I just know we danced, and it felt like a dream.”
“You see? We only danced. This is a huge misunderstanding. We came to the darker part of the gardens to see the stars. I didn’t want to. She was drunk. She dragged me here.”
That was one hundred percent bullshit. And now that I could see his eyes more clearly under the light, no lie was getting past me. “Tell it to the judge. We’re going back to the hotel. You’re under arrest. And if you try running, I’ll empty my gun into your head. Do we understand each—”
“He’s too dangerous to live, Dagger.” The prince’s stony voice dripped out in slow, dangerous snarls. His face was masked in contempt as he glared at his Fae subject. “I’m sure he’s part of the illegal magic sales I told you about. And I know he gave power to the killer who almost murdered Ceci. He’s a traitor to my people. Fae are never allowed to share their gifts with outsiders, and certainly not for ill will. He deserves execution.”
“He’s got to be the guy Conrad was talking about!” Hunter pulled Serenity closer to his chest and bared his teeth at me. “Make him talk, Dagger.”
“He’s got to face justice, but not like this.” The professor was butt naked, shivering, as Ceci rubbed his arms and shoulders. “From the courts.”
A crescendo of opinions filled the phone-lit orchard.
It wasn’t clear what he’d been planning, so I had little probablecause. Just hearsay from the prince. And anyway, this mind-fucking douche was worth a lot more to me alive than dead right now. I’d seen the terror the professor’s grizzly struck in him. If I could get him alone in an interrogation room with me and Teddy Bear, maybe I could get him to talk. I could figure out the connection between him and the Temple and the drug dealing. And why the hell he’d lured Serenity out here.
I’d caused quite a stir back in the hotel. I could still hear a ruckus of rushing footsteps and confused, garbled cries. We didn’t have much time alone, I wagered.
“Seb, give the professor your jacket to cover his cock. You, Fae fuckwad, on your feet.”
When my handcuffs came out, Hunter scoffed. “You only go by the book when it fucking suits you!” His voice still rasped like the animal within. “Where’s the rogue cop drug dealers run scared from? Make him talk! He’s working for Conrad!”
