“Let me save you the pain of reading that,” a familiar voice said from behind me. “Today you’ve been called the devil’s consort, queen of the damned, and—my personal favorite—the tainted one.”
I glanced up from my reading. Caleb stood in the doorway of the break room. Despite his dimpled smile, I could read the turmoil all over his face. Since that night at the Braaid, something—maybe everything—about our relationship had changed.
I dropped the newspaper back where I found it. “Have you heard any details on this case?” I asked.
He shook his head. “None.”
The slap of boots against the linoleum sounded in the hallway outside the break room. “Sergeant Fiori, Sergeant Jennings,” Maggie said, poking her head in, “what the hell are you two doing down here? Move it. You’re late, and the chief constable needs to fill you both in before you head out.”
Head out?
Chief Constable Morgan sat on the edge of his desk. “Two nights ago, a young nephilim woman by the name of Ana Gabor was found dead in the woods outside of Cluj-Napoca, Romania,” he said.
My ears perked up. Romania, Andre’s homeland and the country where a group of vampires were currently gathered. A tight ball of unease coiled itself in my stomach. Could this murder be a result of having too many vampires in one location?
“Nephilim?” Caleb asked.
“Of angelic blood,” the chief constable said. He grabbed two file folders from his desk and passed one to me and the other to Caleb. “Our victim’s throat had been slit and her body drained of most of its blood.”
This all sounded a bit too familiar. “Was it a vampire?” I asked.
The chief constable honed his attention in on me. “That’s for you to figure out.”
I swallowed delicately. I’d been given the title of resident demonologist after the Samhain murders. It was a title that encompassed everything of dark origin, including vampires. No doubt they gave me the title begrudgingly—after all, most of my colleagues had studied for years to earn the same status. I guess when evil shit threw itself at you, you either died or became an expert real quick.
I flipped open the file. Paper clipped to it was an image of a beautiful girl with blonde hair, her arms folded across her chest, a noose made of twine wrapped around her neck. Below it her throat was slit. The only other injury appeared to be a stab wound to her heart.
“You two will be working directly with the Romanian branch of the Politia per their request. You’ll be reporting to Inspector Grigori Vasile. He’s the director of international affairs, and he will be your liaison for the duration of your investigation.
I swayed a little on my feet. This was really happening—they were giving me a leadership role I didn’t want. Oh holy shitballs. Please no.
Chief Constable Morgan turned his attention to Caleb. “Despite the fact that Gabrielle carries the title of demonologist, as her partner you are fully expected to participate in the investigation.”
Caleb nodded his head eagerly.
The chief constable looked between the two of us. “This is a high priority case, and it could potentially be dangerous. Caleb and Gabrielle, you both have shone remarkable teamwork and talent. Now it’s your chance to shine and prove your worth to the Politia. Think you can handle it?”
No. I didn’t think I could. Not at all.
“Yes,” Caleb responded for us.
The chief constable’s eyes flicked to me. “Chief Constable,” I said, “I don’t know if I’m ready to take on this kind of responsibility. I’ve only been a part of the Politia for a few months …”
I stopped talking when I heard Caleb hiss in a breath. This was an opportunity for both him and me, and I was ruining it.
The chief constable’s gaze had me shifting my weight. “I’m glad to hear you voice your concerns, and I appreciate your honesty,” he said. “You do not have to take the case, but that decision will likely affect your continued employment here.”
I sucked in my cheeks.
“We cannot just deny a branch of our institution access to one of our experts because she doesn’t feel she’s qualified to do work she’s been given a title for.”
My heart pounded in my chest. If I agreed to this, I’d be willingly immersing myself in the darkness that already sought me out. But if I didn’t, I could kiss my job with the Politia goodbye.
I glanced at Caleb, whose eyes pleaded with me. My decision affected him too. Damn.
Finally, reluctantly, I nodded. “I can handle it,” I said.
“Then congratulations,” Chief Constable Morgan said. “Until the Romanian branch releases you, you are both now officially on the case.”
I could smell Caleb’s excitement. My stomached roiled. I was going to fuck up big time, I just knew it.
The chief constable glanced at the clock in his office before grabbing another stack of papers littered on his desk. “These are your plane tickets and itineraries—the Romanian Politia’s covered all of your expenses. Inspector Grigori Vasile will pick you up at the airport in Romania to take you to your lodgings, where you will stay for the duration of the investigation. I suggest you spend the next few hours packing. Your flight is this evening.”
So much for my winter break. I spent the next several hours in Peel Academy’s main library, Xeroxing supernatural maps of the area and as many pages of demonic and angelic folklore as I could find.
I checked the time as I slogged back to my dorm. I had under an hour to pack everything I needed for my trip.
When I opened my door, Oliver was sprawled out on Leanne’s bed, flipping through one of her old diaries. I snatched it out of his hands. “Nosy much?”
“Geez harpy woman, I just miss her.”
I dropped Leanne’s diary on her desk and moved over to my bed, pulling my suitcase out from underneath it.
“Wait, what are you doing?” Oliver asked, noticing the suitcase.
“What do you think I’m doing? Packing.” I began emptying my “upgraded” underwear drawer.