Alpha Erased (Alpha Girl 9)

I didn’t know this security guy. I shouldn’t trust him with the truth, but the scent of his fear mixed with the scent of floral hope. It told me enough. “That’s right.”

He pulled a chain from under his shirt. It was a dull metal, and from the way it smelled, it had to be steel. Dangling from the chain was a little sack, and whatever was inside, I had a feeling it had to be some sort of magic.

“I’m retired from the force—took this gig to get out of my wife’s hair a few days a week—but my daughter works for the FBI. When everything about you guys came out, she gave me this little bag.”

This was getting good. I leaned closer, trying to get a whiff of the scent, but all I could smell was the sharp tang of magic and the man’s faded cigarette scent.

“My daughter said that you wer

ewolves were the good ones, despite what Hollywood types made out about you in their movies. She said vampires are scary but easy to avoid.” He paused and finally looked at me as if challenging me.

“Both are true. I’d be biased about the werewolves, but your daughter is right. Both are true.” I tilted my head as I studied him. If the necklace wasn’t for werewolves or vampires, then what was it for? “What else did your daughter tell you?”

“Nothing has been confirmed in public, but most of us humans assume all the things we’d thought were myth or legend are actually real. My daughter confirmed some of that for me. She said this necklace would help me know when a fairy was around, and to be very, very careful with what I said and did when that happened. The chain protects me a little from their magic, but whatever’s in the bag grows hot whenever there are fairies around.”

Tessa didn’t believe she was lucky. She didn’t believe in coincidences either. But this was lucky, and if it wasn’t a lucky coincidence, then it was an act of God to have this man guarding this building.

Or maybe an act of Eli.

Now I could find out how closely the fey were watching her. “Are there a lot of fairies around this building?”

“Fewer these days.” He shrugged. “When Cassie moved in, it was warm all the time. Now, it’s only warm when Cassie’s blonde friend is around. And she’s always here checking up on her. Even bothers me about whether Cassie’s ever with someone. That little fairy scares the shit out of me. She gets a look in her eye that…” He looked away from me again. “Being on the job meant that I got to see all kinds of people, all walks of life, all kinds of bad. Nothing much surprises me or scares me anymore, but I can recognize evil. That one is colder than ice. She’s up there now.”

I straightened. “She is?”

“Yep. She asked if I saw you or any of your kind around.”

I didn’t like that at all. “What did you say?”

“I said that as far as I’d been told, no one new had officially moved into the building. Which is true. I don’t know what she thought of that. I haven’t seen Cassie return on the elevator security camera, so I’m not sure what that fairy girl is doing alone in Cassie’s apartment, but I had a feeling it’s got to do with you. I wanted to warn you before you went up. She’s been up there about five minutes.”

Damn it.

I called the Wayfarers’ number. Meredith’s brother answered before the first ring tone finished. “Max. Where is she?” I asked.

“She’s taking her test. I’m watching her now through the window. It’s just her and her professor in the classroom. No other doors or windows.”

I took a breath. Tessa was safe. “A fey is in her apartment, possibly looking for me. Stay alert.”

“She won’t get out of our sight. I’ve got Micah with me outside the classroom. Four more just outside the building. No one’s getting to her here.”

“Good. Be alert.” I hung up, and a growl rose in my throat. Part of me—most of me—wanted to go after Tessa. But the rest of me knew that I had to go see this fey and what she was doing. I couldn’t let her get in between me and Tessa. Not ever again.

“Are you okay?” the guard asked.

I checked his nametag. “I’ll be fine, Mr. Kirkall. Thank you for the warning.”

“Not a problem.” He tucked his chain back under his shirt. “One more thing.”

“Yes?” I tried to watch my tone, but now I was wasting time. Time I might not have.

“The woman that Cassie calls Mother? The charm burned me the one and only time she showed up. Second degree. It seems to me she’s someone to avoid.”

I nodded. “Thanks for the tip. I’ll do just that.” I grabbed a notepad and a pen from his desk. “Will you do me a favor? Any of them show up again, text me.”

“It’d be my pleasure.” He took back the notepad. “Good luck with your mate.”

“Appreciate that. And thanks for the help.”