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“It’s temporary. Now that Sorenson knows where she lives, it’s obviously not the best idea for her to be staying there. In the meantime, I’ve got Travis and a couple of subcontractors on her security detail.”

We fall into a few moments of weighted silence. There’s another question I want to ask, but I’m not sure I’m ready for either Blair’s reaction or his answer. Deciding I need to ask it anyway, I lean forward and rest my elbows on the desk.

“Did he get Nora’s information through the Bureau?”

Part of me expects an immediate rebuke, more of that dragon’s temper telling me of course not, the Bureau runs a tight enough ship to make sure their case information is protected and secure.

When it doesn’t come, it makes his next words all that much worse.

“I don’t know,” he admits, looking incredibly unsettled over that fact. “We hold all employees to strict standards of confidentiality, but I can’t rule it out completely.”

“So what are you doing to protect her?”

Again, that he doesn’t bite my head off in reply lets me know just how serious this is. “We’ve sequestered all her digital records under our highest security clearance, and disposed of anything printed. I’m also doing a review of anyone who might have had access to her files.”

“Good,” I tell him in a clipped tone, even though we’re both well aware the damage is already done.

Unless Nora moves, she’s at risk as long as she stays in that apartment. Maybe as long as she stays in Seattle. Sorenson’s already proven what kind of man he is, and I’m not about to underestimate him or what he might be capable of. Not when it’s Nora’s safety on the line.

Even Sorenson just being a couple of hours away in Vancouver makes me uneasy. Enough so that I hope Nora will agree to stay with me until he’s back in DC.

“And if you can prove he bribed someone or did something illegal to get her information?”

“Then we’ll nail the bastard,” Blair says, a spark of vengeance in his voice. “I’m not playing this game anymore. We’ve dealt with the political bullshit for decades, and the Acts and the Bureau were supposed to be the culmination of all of it, the start of a new era for paranormals. I’m not about to let this organization become some kind of pawn on the political game board.”

I’ve always respected the depth of Blair’s commitment to this cause, even if I suspect it’s deeply rooted in his own need to make amends for his past and live for something other than his own happiness. It’s concerned me at times, made me worry about all of that fire burning him out one day.

Not that he’d ever admit to it, or listen to those concerns if I tried to voice them.

“I appreciate your help with all of this,” I tell him instead. “And so does Nora. We’re both grateful.”

Blair nods. “For you, Elias, and for Nora, I’ll do anything I can to help. For the sake of you both starting the life you deserve.”

It’s a testament to the centuries of friendship between us that nothing much more needs to be said. It’s there, in the adamance of his assurance and the unspoken recognition of just how far he’d go to keep one of his friends from losing a mate as he did.

At risk of getting sentimental in front of my oldest, most cantankerous friend, I just offer my own nod and stand, straightening my jacket.

“I should be off,” I tell him. “A company to run, meetings to have, all of that.”

He snorts a laugh at my utter transparency. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I hear anything.”

With matters as settled as they can be for now, I leave the Bureau and head back downtown, counting the hours until I have my mate safe and back in my arms.

22

Nora

“Fuck that guy.”

If I can count on anything in this world, I can count on Kenna to be blunt as hell in a serious situation. I appreciate it, I really do, especially now in this absolute mess I’ve landed in.

It’s Thursday night, and instead of our usual rendezvous at Holly’s apartment, we all decided a night out was needed. Tucked into a window booth at one of our favorite sushi places, Kenna stabs a chopstick into a piece of avocado roll and continues her tirade.

“Like, what the actual fuck is his problem?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” I say, picking up a piece of tempura tofu.

I’m glad I told them what’s going on with Daniel. Keeping it a secret felt too much like protecting him, and even though it’s hard to get over my shame and talk about it, there’s no one else I’d trust to listen without judgment.