Page 36

"Paranormals can tamper with memory imprints, so they are not admissible in court unless they are expert testimony used to establish the facts of the case, such as an Enforcer or coroner's memory," Derek says. "Otherwise only human memories can be used. We will do a Memory Catch of the crime scene, but it's unlikely to yield anything useful since we don't have any non-paranormal memory prints to pull."

"This is your whole plan?" Dracula asks. "Throw some magic around and hope for the best?"

Derek scowls at his sire. "We will do everything we can to win this case. We want to be freed of you as much as you want to be freed of this mess. Maybe more. But we have to work with what we have, which, at the moment, isn't much."

"Very well," Dracula says, standing. "I will find you a character witness. In the meantime, you will find the evidence that proves me innocent and identifies the murderer." This is a statement, not a question, and with a sharp turn he walks out of the library.

Derek stands. "Elijah, you and I will work on the paperwork we have to file for court." He looks to Liam next. "Put your ear to the ground, brother. See if any of our sources know anything about the murder or the nature of their relationship."

Liam nods. "I'll report back later," he says, leaving the room.

Derek looks to me and Sebastian. "I need you two to talk with the coroners and examine the crime scene for anything the Enforcers might have missed."

Sebastian glances my way, but his face is impartial, and I can't get a read on his emotions. I, for one, am nervous and excited to be assigned fieldwork. I assumed I'd be stuck in an office all day doing paralegal grunt work.

Elijah leaves and Derek approaches me with a frown on his face.

"Are you comfortable doing this?" he asks. "I know you're getting thrown in head first. It can be overwhelming."

"It can be," I admit. "But I'm ready. I want to go."

I'm about to turn away, when I pause. "Is there any chance we can make a detour on the way back? I need a new cell phone since Liam melted mine. And I'll need a new number, so Jerry can't call me again."

"About that," Derek says. "We will be moving, and where we're going, you won't need a cell phone."

"We're moving? Now? I don't understand."

Derek glances at Sebastian. "You'll see what I mean shortly. Is there anything else I can do for you? I am, as always, at your disposal."

"No, I'm good." Answers. All I want is more answers. But I feel as if I've found a magic lamp with a genie who is granting me all my wishes, and though this new life comes with a heavy dose of danger and mystery, it's kinda worth it. Something about all of this crazy fits. I feel like this is where I belong.

Derek reaches for my hand, and the touch sends a shiver up my spine. "Never hesitate to let me know if you need anything at all." His gaze holds mine for too long, and I look away first, blood rising to my cheeks.

"Thank you," I say sincerely, forcing myself to look him in the eyes. "For everything you've done for me. I appreciate it. I…I've been worried that you'll regret hiring me. Because I'm...mundane."

He frowns. "It is…unusual, especially since we work within the legal system of our community. But it's not unheard of. There's a precedent if I need to justify your presence. I know Lily told you about the spell on the ad. You shouldn't have been able to see it at all as a human, but you did. That's significant. You're meant to be here, Eve Oliver. That much is clear."

He says this with such conviction and authority that I know he believes in what he's saying and will fight for me. I can hear it in his voice. See it in the hard set of his jaw. He really believes I belong here.

I smile and squeeze his hand. "If you're sure."

He nods. "I'm absolutely sure, Eve."

Sebastian approaches us, hands in his pockets. "Ready?" he says, though he looks none too happy to be doing this, whether because I’m going or because of where we're going I can't say. Either way, being with mister grump is going to be less than awesome if he's going to be in a bad mood all day.

I link my arm through his and smile my most charming smile at him as he leads us out the library. "Come now, you can't spend your whole existence growling and grimacing at everyone. You really need to lighten up and enjoy life more."

He snorts at that. "Lighten up? That's your advice for me while we're investigating the highest profile murder case in the paranormal community?"

I nod. "That's exactly my advice. There will always be something that gives us an excuse to be miserable. Our job is to find the reasons to be happy. To make joy and gratitude more of a habit than misery and excessive amounts of stress and worry."

He looks down at me, his face unreadable. "You're very wise for such a young human," he says.

I make an exaggerated scrunched face. "I'm not that young. Sheesh. You old guys think everyone is young."

"Old guys?" he asks, his stern facing cracking into a small smile despite himself.

"You are male, yes?" I give him an appraising look with a bit of a flirtatious edge.