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"Yeah, I'm fine. Say, you need to teach me how you do that. I can see teaching it to my officers."
Raising my eyebrows, I gave a little shrug. "If you want to learn how to grab balls, sure thing, but let's get back to business here." I led him into the back, where I started looking through Rina's desk for any clue to why the harpy might have murdered her. Chase glanced at the items I pulled out of the drawer.
"What exactly is a harpy? Are they like the same thing as harpies from Greek mythology?" He pulled out a stack of small paper bags. "I suppose we should dust these for fingerprints," he said.
"Uh, Chase, harpies don't have fingerprints. Not like humans or Faerie."
"Do they even have fingers?"
"Yeah, and if I can get hold of one, I'm giving it to Grandmother Coyote." I stopped him before he could even say a word. "Don't even ask. I'll explain that one later. Anyway, as far as harpies—they're demons. You might use 'mean' or 'nasty' to describe a killer or a thug, but that doesn't even begin to describe what these creatures are capable of."
I picked up a notebook. Addresses. Might come in handy. I flipped through it, looking for any names that might be familiar, then handed it to him, and he slipped the book into a paper bag.
"Is there a chance they'll work with humans?"
"Oh, there's a chance, but humans who have dealings with Demonkin usually don't last long enough to matter. They trust in fairy stories too much. They believe they'll get what they want if they promise their soul to the devil, but they don't realize that those rules only exist within their own framework of reference. Demonkin use others to their advantage, and when they're done, they simply discard the remains."
I paused, thinking that we had to fill Chase in on Shadow Wing and what he was after. "Chase, we know what the demons are after and why."
He jerked around. "What?"
"Let's go get coffee, and I'll tell you what we learned last night." I wasn't, however, going to tell Chase that I'd slept with Trillian. There were some secrets better left untold.
* * *
CHAPTER 7
Delilah and I decided that while I filled Chase in, she'd go check out Louise. As she headed over to the shop to borrow Iris's car, Chase and I agreed to rendezvous at Starbucks. The one thought I dreaded about going back to Otherworld was having to order my coffee from across the portals—we didn't have the plants over there. Yet. And then a lightbulb went on in my head. Maybe I could start a Starbucks franchise in Y'Elestrial, offer mocha frappuccinos and caramel lattes to all the Faerie. With our growing season there, coffee plants would flourish. The potential was mind-boggling.
I stared at the menu board and decided on a quad shot venti caramel mocha with extra whipped cream, while Chase ordered black coffee. As we slid onto the chairs by the corner table, he gave me a sheepish look.
"Listen, thanks for keeping me from making an ass of myself today. I almost fainted when that thing started… kissing… the body." He fiddled with a packet of sugar before ripping it open and adding it to his coffee.
"That thing is a Faerie who is highly respected in Otherworld," I said after a moment. "You were so transparent that even Delilah noticed. Why else do you think she held your hand?" I pulled a long sip on my mocha and shivered as the warm chocolate raced down my throat.
Sighing, I looked at Chase. "Listen, dude. You still think of Otherworld with rose-colored glasses. All elves and unicorns and Faerie princesses. Well, yes, we do have elves and unicorns, and kings and queens, but we also have vampires and shapeshifters and creatures that feast on the flesh of those whom they kill. We run in shades of gray, Chase, most of us who were born there. Stop expecting us to fit your definition of what you think 'Faerie' should be, and you'll rest a lot easier at night."
"Or maybe not," he mumbled. "Seriously, you're half-human, but you don't think like a human, do you? I thought when we first met that I'd be able to understand you better than some of the OIA operatives, but now I'm wondering if the mixture of human and Faerie blood doesn't make you stranger than if you were full-blood Sidhe."
I leaned back, staring out the window at the ever-present drizzle that sprinkled against the city streets. "Why? Because I won't sleep with you?"
Waving aside my comment, he said, "You think everything leads back to that, don't you? I guess I've given you that impression, so I'm sorry. Yes, I want to fuck you; you're hot, and I'm not immune to that Faerie charm you have going for you. At least I'm honest about it. But that's not why I said what I did."
He shifted in his seat and squinted. "Here's an example. You didn't even flinch when the Corpse Talker did her thing. To you, this all seems normal. I'm beginning to think that maybe I'm in over my head." Pausing for a moment, he added, "I've been thinking about resigning. I don't know how much more I can take. The shocks never stop coming."
Unable to believe what I was about to say, I leaned across the table. "We can't afford to lose you, Chase. You created the Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigations team. You're the underpinning of OIA-Earthside. We need you, especially now. Do you really want your boss taking over and ruining everything you created?"
That was all it took. I knew it would work. Devins was a total ass, and while Chase kept his complaints to a minimum, I'd met the man and wanted to backhand him across the room.
"Thanks," he said gruffly. "Don't worry, I'll stick around. So what have you found out?"
I told him about Shadow Wing and the spirit seals. When I finished, he leaned back in his seat and wiped his hand across his eyes. He looked like he'd aged ten years in the past five minutes.
"So, OIA withheld information from us?"
I shook my head. "Probably not. They aren't that smart. The OIA is slow—bureaucracy to the core, and the Guard Des'Estar not far behind. Over the years, the Court and Crown have left the military to their own devices. The royals have grown lazy and self-important, and our military leaders, even more so."
"Most of the agents I've met seem qualified for their posts," Chase said.
