Page 19 of Fallen (Designation #2)

LEVIATHAN

Three weeks after the unicorn case, I feel like I’ve finally found my place. Especially since Gerald gave me an office and allowed me to use paper. He calls it barbaric with all of the stacks littered around my space but I call it home.

He even let me bring in my coffee pot which is absolutely falling apart.

My magic keeps it running, my mates sitting on just the other side of the glass wall, both of them looking up every so often into my space.

Granted, they spend more time sprawled across the couch I requested in here rather than at their manicured desks like everyone else.

Am I the favorite child? Probably.

Am I going to milk the fuck out of it? Why yes, yes I am.

The general hum of typing and beeps from all the gadgets suddenly goes quiet, my entire body on alert.

I head toward the entrance of my office and peek my head out, confused as everyone is doing the same.

And then in the next second, they scurry back into their private spaces, only Gerald slowly approaching my office.

I swallow nervously as I meet the culprit of the disturbance.

A woman strides in through the hallway, her hair a writhing mass of snakes that hiss softly, their eyes glinting like jewels.

She’s tall, draped in a flowing black dress that shimmers with subtle magic, her piercing gaze directly focused on me.

And when her eyes meet mine, I feel the full brunt of her aura, a shudder running down my spine.

My jaw drops, because holy shit, that’s Medusa—or some facsimile of her. My Chameleon magic tingles, but I don’t fade, my curiosity overriding my instinct to hide or at the very least bow my fucking head. I twist around to see my mates standing just behind me but their gazes are downcast.

“What the hell?” I mutter before turning to look back at the woman. There’s a spark of amusement in her green eyes as she stops a few feet away from me, her lips curving into a smirk.

“Well, well,” she purrs, her voice smooth as silk. “It’s been a damn long time since I’ve had someone look me in the eye so confidently. You’re something special, aren’t you?”

I blink, my brain catching up. “Uh, thanks?” I say, my voice higher than I’d like. “Just… doing my thing. You’re Medusa, right?” Which wouldn’t be a problem except for the fact that if she is, I should be turning to stone. I should already be stone, and yet, I’m standing here, staring at her.

She laughs, a rich sound that makes the snakes sway. “The one and only. And you must be Leviathan Dubois, the Chameleon who’s been stirring up trouble. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Gerald grins as he throws out a hand to greet the woman. She firmly shakes it, her gaze never leaving mine. “Leviathan, meet Medusa. She’s a client. And an old… friend.”

I raise an eyebrow, glancing between them. “Friend? You’re telling me you dated Medusa ? Aren’t you like, really old, Gerald?”

Medusa’s smirk widens. “So am I, darling. Snake venom keeps me young.”

“Okay, that’s… a lot. So, what’s the deal? Why’s everyone acting like you’re gonna turn us to stone? Because obviously, that’s not the case. Right?”

Gerald sighs, rubbing his temples. “Because she can, Lev. Medusa’s magic comes with perks—turning people to stone being one of them. However, we are immune for some reason. You’ll still feel her magic but you aren’t affected by it.”

It makes sense why Medusa would date Gerald now. I probably would do the same if I found the one person in the whole world who wouldn’t turn to stone if they looked at me.

Medusa clears her throat and leans forward, her dress shifting to reveal a patch of her hair where one snake is missing, the stump jagged like it was chopped off.

“My latest boyfriend,” she grimaces. “Decidedly chopped off one of my snakes and ran. A fucking gargoyle of all things. I need you to track him down.”

I stare, my brain struggling to process. “A gargoyle? Stole your… snake hair? Great, so I’m fighting a stone monster now? What am I watching out for, flying boulders?”

Medusa chuckles, her snakes hissing in unison. “Something like that. But it’s worse. That snake carries my magic. There are very few individuals who can wield it, a gargoyle being one of them. I had no idea he’d be able to keep the fucking snake alive, though.”

Gerald doesn’t say anything, as if he’s trying to stay out of it.

Or maybe he already knew she was going to stop by.

Which would be reckless as fuck seeing as not everyone else in this office is immune to her snakes.

“Okay, that’s a new one. And I’m guessing you couldn’t just turn him to stone because he’s basically already that. ”

Her eyes narrow, but there’s a glint of humor. “Yes. I was already a bit… distracted. It seems that gargoyles have quite the set of…”

I hold up my hand and shake my head. “Distracted, huh? No details, please.” I raise an eyebrow, catching Gerald’s grimace.

“Wonderful, where do we start?” I look around to see Lily, Jace, and Marcus scarce.

There’s a few other employees in the building but none of them seem to be present.

I twist to look at Gerald. “Want to clue me in on what’s going on? ”

“Leviathan, the last case was a trial to see where you would fit best. You’ve run your PI business for years, so none of this is new.

Your expertise is invaluable but there’s also a few cases that would be best suited for you and others that are best suited for my witch, wolf, and mage.

Everyone works where they are best needed. Which means, Medusa is all yours.”

There’s something in the undercurrent of his words but I don’t press it. “Yeah, sure. I’m on it.”

Medusa grins. “He’s hanging out in the quarry district, over in the next city but he won’t be there for long. Especially once he actually figures out how to use my hair.”

“Okay, but like, you’re not distracted now. Why not just go get it?”

“Because turning things to stone is my magical signature, not strength in any capacity. I fight at a distance and what good is that magic when a creature is already stone himself?” A flicker of uncertainty runs through her expression, her shoulders sagging in defeat.

Something feels off about all of this but I decide not to press it.

“Yeah, we’ll head over there and figure out what we can.

” I force a smile and move to slip back into my office just as I hear Medusa ask Gerald on a date.

Waiting until the door is closed, I then face my mates. “Something’s weird, right?”

Rowan hums. “You mean like how it seems Gerald is trying to figure out how far your magic extends? No, no , nothing is weird, Lev. Nothing at all.”

I can only nervously laugh and hope that Gerald’s interest in me isn’t part of some twisted experiment.