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“It is,” Lucas confirmed. “And we’re just as surprised as you are. Arden Mills is nothing extraordinary.”
I frowned, skimming the first page, a summary of their findings. She was twenty-six and lived in a working-class area of the city, close to the coffee shop where she worked, Muddy Mugs. Lucas had included security footage he’d gathered from around the area. She was alone a lot, going in and out of her apartment with her backpack slung over her shoulder.
The security images from around Muddy Mugs didn’t paint a clear picture of her life, either. She sometimes left with another fae around her age, a female with blonde hair. They appeared to be friends. The report had a handful of security photos from other places around the city, though nothing that indicated a pattern.
“So, she’s just a barista? Really?” Jagger scoffed, skimming the next few pages. “A barista who managed to get past our security? You’re positive that she just works in a coffee shop?”
“Yes.” Lucas paged through his reports. “And Muddy Mugs seems to be a legitimate business as well. It’s been open for a little more than ten years, and they have regular customers. Good reviews, too, so it’s probably not a front.”
“Who’s she associated with?” Flint asked, his posture slightly tense. He hated not having answers.
“Not many people. Her friend who works at the shop, her boss.” Lucas turned the page of his report. “However, she does some side jobs for the Forsaken Lunars—running goods, getting information, things like that. But she’s not an official part of the organization in any way.”
The Forsaken Lunars were a real pain in our asses. But the fact that Arden worked for them without actually being part of them said a lot. From the information we’d gathered, they were always recruiting and trying to build their numbers.
“No relationships, either?” I asked. “Maybe she worked with a family member or a partner or something.”
“No. No romantic relationships, and none that we could find going back several years. No parents, either. She grew up in foster care, and they’re presumably deceased. No extended family. She’s a true loner.”
My heart went out to her. The thought of going through life without anyone to lean on was miserable.
But she was our fucking prisoner. Sympathizing with her was a waste of time. I glanced up at Jagger, who looked just as confused as Flint and me.
“You’re telling me that one single fae managed to do this alone? She didn’t have any associates that you noticed?” Flint’s voice had a hardened edge to it.
“Besides the Forsaken Lunars? No. And I don’t have evidence that they were involved, but we’re looking into it.” Lucas swallowed, his face getting paler. No one liked Flint when he was pissed off. “And the strangest thing is that she’s only fae. She doesn’t shift.”
My eyebrows went up. “At all?”
The number of fae who didn’t shift into an animal or other being was exceedingly low. Most shifted for the first time when they were in their early teens, inheriting their shifter form from one of their parents. My shift into my dragon form was as natural as breathing.
Arden was way past that age. The odds of her just being a super late bloomer were even smaller.
“Never has.”
“What’s her elemental power, then?” I asked.
“Also nothing, according to this,” Flint said, slamming the dossier shut and tossing it across the table.
I understood his frustration. Most fae had the ability over an element, whether it was earth, fire, water, or air, and usually, they inherited it from one of their parents. No family, no element, no shifter form? Who was she?
“I usually trust your instincts and research, Lucas, but that doesn’t make sense. She shouldn’t have been able to get through, then.”
“She has to be working with others,” Jagger added. “That’s the only way she could have done this.”
A muscle in Flint’s jaw still twitched, even though Jagger had probably nailed the answer.
“Isn’t this a good thing, though?” I asked before Flint blew up. “Sheisweak, at least on her own. So she was probably working with someone. She can’t contact whoever she’s working for. And we have an actual lead, so we can keep wearing her down with more pointed questions.”
Jagger shrugged. “Makes sense to me.”
Flint rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, his body relaxing. “You’re right. But it’s still worrying that she was able to get through. Lucas, run a report on all of our security systems. Make sure the spells don’t have any flaws and add some extra layers of security while you’re at it.”
“I will.”
“You’re dismissed,” Flint said.
Lucas left. None of us spoke.
