16

Morning brought with it the itchy sensation of ants marching over my skin, as if the director watched my every move from afar to ensure I showed up to our agreed upon meeting. It was paranoia, probably, but I couldn’t shake the sensation of eyes on Asa and me as we exited the airport and booked transportation via Swyft, a rideshare app catering to paranormals, with drivers who knew better than to ask questions.

“Breathe.” Asa threaded his fingers through mine. “You can do this.”

I would have preferred an SUV waiting for us to drive ourselves to the Black Hat compound, but it wasn’t worth the paperwork for a few hours. I wanted to get in, get out, and get home to where I had left Colby with Clay for her own protection.

“We’re about to find out.” I squeezed his hand. “You sure you don’t want to change your mind?”

“Unless you tell me otherwise, I won’t leave your side.”

The vow opened a pit in my stomach. I was about to parade Asa in front of the director. He already knew what Asa meant to me—we hadn’t hidden our relationship—but it was one thing for him to read reports of me taking an interest in a dae princeling and another for him to read the lengths I would go to protect Asa in my eyes for himself.

I was prepared for threats.

I was prepared for violence.

I was prepared to kill my grandfather if he so much as looked at Asa sideways.

“This can’t be a good idea.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “Tell me it’s the right thing to do.”

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“Funny.” I elbowed him in the ribs. “And mean it.”

“I do.” He stroked my arm. “You need answers. This was an avenue we didn’t expect to open for you.”

Megara would have puppies when I told her what I had done, which explained why I hadn’t scried her for tips on how to proceed last night. I would have to confess before I asked her for the details of Mom’s will.

The drive out to the compound took thirty minutes, and I was content to shut my eyes, lean against Asa, and pretend I wasn’t due for a second homecoming in as many days. Minus the home part. The compound had never been that for me.

As the car slowed, I was drawn upright, eager to drink in the familiar landscape, curious if it had changed as much as I had since the last time I was here. The answer, unsurprisingly, was no.

“You can let us out here,” I told the driver when he stopped in front of the gated entry. “Thanks.”

I paid the fare before Asa beat me to it, and we exited the car on opposite sides. He gave me distance, an opportunity to allow him to blend into the background or act as a bodyguard for me. I appreciated that I had the final decision on how to play this, but I didn’t need backup of that variety.

I wanted Asa. I wanted my person. And maybe I wanted to show him off a little, to prove I was loveable.

Not that Asa and I had used the L word. It was a big word. I wasn’t sure it would fit in my mouth.

Which, in hindsight, did sound rather dirty. And why was it so hot all of a sudden?

Once we were alone, Asa stepped up to the intercom mounted on a metal pole and hit the red button.

“Agent Montenegro and Agent Hollis to see Director Nádasdy.”

The nasal voice that replied set my teeth on edge.

“You’re expected.” A loud beep rang in my ears. “Proceed to the front door.”

We stood back to give the gates room to swing open, and it was the oddest thing. As I started down the shale driveway, I had to work harder to drag the same amount of oxygen into my lungs. Even then, they ached as if a vise had clamped over them. Somehow, there was less air inside the property than out.

There were no wards. The constant disruption as agents came and went drained their magic too quickly. The varying energy signatures rendered them useless. Security here was of the old-fashioned variety, as in guards. Dozens of them. All races, specialties, and designations. All licensed to kill and happy for the excuse to alleviate their boredom.

“I’ve never walked the grounds,” Asa said into the silence. “They’re lovely.”

A green sea spread before us, lush grass no one was allowed to walk on. Gardens popped up on the right and left, paths to them poured in the same gleaming white shells as the driveway. The house resembled, in my opinion, Glensheen Mansion, in Duluth, Minnesota. All twenty thousand square feet of it. Except it had bricks made with black ceramic oxide rather than the standard red clay. As a result, the house was a deep charcoal shade made gloomier by the black hard slate roof. Very gothic. Very on-brand.

Tags: Hailey Edwards Black Hat Bureau Fantasy
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