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“Why?” My nostrils flare and I take a step closer so I’m hovering over him. Wanting to see more clearly, I lighten the space around us just enough to read his expressions.
“Because if it weren’t for you both, Anna would be here right now!” He yells, practically frothing at the mouth as his eyes lock on mine, wide and half crazed. It’s like a punch in the gut but I don’t outwardly react.
“What are you talking about?” I ask. Flashes of that day assault me and I grit my teeth, inwardly grimacing.Blood. There was so much blood.Swallowing past the growing lump in my throat, I force myself to focus on Ethan.
“You were late, so late. Why? Both of you. Maybe if all three of you were there then whoever did it would’ve been scared off and she’d still be here,” he says, the strength in his voice fading as he speaks. “She promised that you’d be there. You were almost an hour late. What was so important that it took you that long to get there?”
His response actually makes me stumble back a step in confusion. “What are you talking about? I was only a few minutes late. When did Anna leave?” Mouth pressed in a thin line, my eyebrows draw down. I don’t understand. My breathing speeds up and my lips pull back in a snarl. “Are you telling me that she left early? I’ve been basing everything off of the theory that she got there at the time we agreed to. Why would you not mention that to the cop who took your statement?” I’m hyperventilating, but I can’t seem to stop. I swallow repeatedly and whirl around, starting to pace and thread my fingers into my hair. I just don’t understand.
A tiny shift in the air behind me draws me back to the present and I barely manage to dodge in time as a lightning bolt shoots past me, narrowly missing my chest. I drop into a crouch and scan the space, locking down my shield tenfold. My eyes land on the broken handcuffs first, then the figure standing across from me. The bastard must have been working on them while he distracted me. “Is what you said true?” I demand, fingers curling into trembling fists. I need to know, it could change everything.
He laughs but I don’t move yet. He needs to think that he has a chance or he’ll never respond. “Yes, and do you want to know the kicker? It was in my statement, but what the hell does that matter?”
I let out a sharp breath, everything coming together in my mind and it mentally slams into me so hard that I actually fall back against my barrier. Swallowing hard, a smile curls my lips, but it’s not a nice one. “You are part of the Drákon group,” I state, gaze lifting from the ground to settle on his face.
He watches me with a pinched expression, his confusion obvious. “Yes, but you already know that?”
I settle my hands behind my back and slowly shake my head at him. “Ethan, the statement didn’t mention anything about Anna having left at that time. The officer who took down the notes changed it. He lied and if he did then what is the most likely scenario?”
Ethan’s nostrils flare and he starts shaking his head, but I just let out an even breath.
“That he was a plant from the very Drákon group you work for, and what does that mean?” I prompt.
The colour drains from Ethan’s face so fast that for a moment I worry he’s going to pass out before he can come to the realisation. “That it was someone from their organisation that killed her. Someone that I work with,” he chokes.
I’ve been studying their movements for a long time and have suspected for a while that it was someone from their group that killed her, so I’m quite familiar with their practices. Having plants in the supernatural FBI and the supernatural police force is child’s play for them. My guess would be that’s why the officer was impossible for me to track down. He lied or misplaced evidence one too many times and had to go underground. All the realisation does is bring me a sense of peace, plus a new angle to explore what happened to Anna, but Ethan isn’t taking it quite that well. He actually appears to be losing his shit. Great. I’ve had enough of him anyway.
While the dummy is lost in his head, I stride towards him. My teeth sharpen and lengthen, body loose and ready to leap at him. It’s time to get some of that blood I’ve been craving. It won’t be as good as my guys’, but it will kill two birds with one stone.
He notices me when I’m a few feet away, his eyes widening and he throws his hands up, but I’m quicker. I launch at him and have him in a secure hold with my teeth millimetres from his jugular in under a second, ready to tear his throat out. As I go to strike though, someone steps through my barrier, like it’s air. I’m so shocked that I pause in my attack and throw a defensive spell at him. The purple eyed, albino man deflects it with ease and I growl at him. All I succeed in doing is drawing a smirk to his lips. My nostrils flare.What the actual hell is going on?Couldn’t this guy have barged in here in like twenty seconds time,afterI had Ethan bleeding out on the ground?
Suddenly Ethan and I are yanked apart and in a blink I find myself chained tomy own motherfucking barrier, a few feet down from Ethan. Yeah it’s official, I’m pissed as hell and have no clue what’s going on.
Chapter Thirty
Ezra
WhenImadethedecision to break through Nessa’s barrier, I honestly wasn’t sure what I’d find. All I knew was that her rage had spiked and his fear had skyrocketed, prompting me into action. I didn’t expect to find Corin’s sweet if slightly innocent looking mate moments away from tearing out Ethan’s throat. My eyes narrow as I read his magical signature and find it worryingly weak. Don’t get me wrong, the man deserves to die in a number of painful ways, but that isn’t protocol. Plus, Nessa doesn’t need the SFBI coming down on her for losing her cool for a second.
At least part of my plan worked. When Corin called me, furious about Ethan stalking his mate, Nessa and her mates’ test became obvious. Give them a tip to help them find Ethan then let them try to catch him. It was simple… for all of five seconds, then everything went to hell. I underestimated both Ethan and Nessa’s powers. No one on my side was supposed to get any serious injuries, and I’m not quite sure what Nessa has done to Ethan, but he looks worse for wear.
She on the other hand is practically glowing with health and power. And rage. If the shackles holding her weren’t magic blockers I don’t doubt that I’d be in trouble right now.
I cock my head to the side and let out a breath. “I’m going to assume by your expression that you have no idea who I am,” I say, voice patient. I conjure a seat and settle into it, ready to wait her out if I need to. Though I’m sure Corin will possibly kill me if I draw it out for too long. They really are perfect for each other it seems.
Surprisingly she straightens up as much as she can while shackled and pastes a neutral expression on her face. “I’m sorry, SFBI Director Ezra, how are you going?”
I roll my lips in to hide my smile at her snark, and hide my surprise at her knowledge of me. I tend to use aliases when I work, so it’s unexpectedly thorough of her to know my real name. A wave of her emotions rolls over me and the mix of begrudging respect and irritation, only makes her all the more endearing to me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Nessa.” Her nostrils flare for half a second in response to me using her name, but other than that she holds her poker face. I forge on, “I’m not going to bore you with any more small talk, alright? I’m here for two reasons, one of which…” I raise my left arm and gesture at Ethan, throwing magic at the same time. He’s too out of it to react as my magic coats him before his form disappears in a cloud of smoke.
Nessa reacts though, but again not in the way I expect. An intense wave of anger assaults me but she doesn’t display any of it outwardly. “I wasn’t done with him,” she says, voice flat, and jerks her head towards the now empty spot where Ethan was.
“That’s understandable, he hurt your friend and your mates,” I say sincerely. “But unfortunately there is protocol when it comes to handling prisoners. I can’t let you kill him.” Clearing my throat, I get to my feet and release the magic that was holding my chair together. “I would like to have a conversation with you, but I think we’d both prefer it if you were unchained while that takes place.”
She dips her head in a nod and I sigh internally as I release her. Her emotions are the opposite of friendly, so I guess we’re going to have to do this then.
She’s against the barrier one second, then on me, hands gripping my temples in the next, a grim expression tugging at her features. My vision wavers before going black and surprise flits through me when I come too. She managed to knock me out? I must be softening in my old age, letting a baby supernatural get past my defences like that.
