Page 39 of Mystic Justice (The Other Detective #2)

I woke to the smell of something delicious. I sat up feeling warm and rested – then winced as I recalled sobbing in the shower with Krieg. I didn’t remember getting out and into bed.

I looked down. I was dressed in one of Krieg’s T-shirts; it fell just above my knee, longer than some of my own nightdresses.

There was something nice about wearing his shirt, but I felt like we’d skipped an important step in our relationship.

We’d kissed and we were both undoubtedly emotionally invested, but we hadn’t been truly intimate yet.

Gathering my courage, I opened the door and walked out.

Krieg stood shirtless at the hob, flipping French toast, joggers slung low on his hips.

My brain short-circuited somewhere between cinnamon and smoulder and I paused to admire the scene.

The radio was on low, and Loki was warbling along.

The ogre looked as far from deadly as you could get, yet the top of his shoulder still bore a red line from Harbinger’s talons.

‘Hey,’ I said, smiling.

‘Good morning, kaerasta. I hope I didn’t wake you.’

‘No, you didn’t. The food smells delicious, though.’

‘How do you like your French toast? You want icing sugar and berries? Or maybe Nutella and sliced banana?’

‘Both sounds great.’ I sat at my small dining table and watched him.

He saw me and sent me a wink then started to dance, hips swaying to the music as he went on cooking for me.

The scene was as far from my nightmares as you could get and I was grateful for that.

He was trying to make me smile and it was working.

‘Tea?’ he asked.

‘Decaf, Earl Grey please. With milk.’

‘Coming up.’ He flicked on the kettle – and it promptly flicked off.

He turned it on again; it turned off. He put his hands on his hips.

‘I’m trying to take care of her,’ he said to my ghost. This time, it let him put the kettle on.

‘Thank you,’ Krieg groused. Robbie, I realised.

He was definitely Robbie, here like this dancing in my kitchen, arguing with my ghost.

Oh man, I was so screwed. I was falling head over heels for this guy.

The attraction between us was white hot, but there was something more, something deeper.

Something dangerous. A small part of me whispered that it could break me more than anything else that had come before; Sam’s rejection had stung but Robbie’s might well kill me.

‘Hey.’ He slid the food onto the table and passed me my tea. ‘Where did you go?’

I mustered up a smile. ‘Nowhere. It’s fine.’ I tugged at the neck of his T-shirt. ‘I’m wearing your spare duffel-bag T-shirt, aren’t I?’

‘You are.’ He grinned at me. ‘I’m enjoying it immensely.’

‘I’ll give it back, but you’ll smell like a girl for the day.’

He shrugged. ‘I’ll smell like you all day, there’s a difference. I’ll just head butt anyone that dares to comment on it.’

I’d seen one of his head butts before and they were bloody. ‘I thought you didn’t like entrails in your hair?’ I teased.

‘I can make exceptions.’

I dug into the French toast and moaned. ‘Oh my god.’ Fat blueberries and juicy raspberries tumbled over golden bread, all covered with the finest dusting of icing sugar.

The edges were crisp, the inside soft and custardy, and the sweet-tart burst of fruit made my toes curl.

‘This isn’t breakfast,’ I said, licking icing sugar off my lip. ‘This is a religious experience.’

Robbie grinned. ‘I’m looking forward to pulling lots of “oh my gods” from you.’

‘With food?’

‘That, too.’

He dug into his own pile of food and I closed my eyes to better enjoy mine. When I opened them, his French toast mountain was gone and I gaped at his empty plate. ‘How? How could you possibly eat it that fast?’

‘It’s a skill.’ His soft smile dropped. ‘When you fell asleep in the shower, I dried and dressed you before I put you to bed.’

I gulped a mouthful of tea. I knew what was coming. ‘Yes.’

‘Those scars, Stacy… ’

I pushed away from the table and busied myself cleaning icing sugar off the kitchen counter. Robbie might be a good cook but he wasn’t a tidy one.

I felt his presence before he touched me. His hands were soft on my hips as he turned me to face him. He reached out, tilting my chin so that I’d look into his silver eyes. ‘Who did that to you?’ he asked, his voice a low growl.

I swallowed past the rock in my throat. ‘It was a long time ago.’

‘Tell me,’ he demanded.

‘An enemy of my dad’s,’ I said finally.

‘Is he dead?’

‘No. He’s in Wraithmore.’ And the thought of him escaping that prison still made the sixteen-year-old within me freeze with remembered fear. I swallowed hard. ‘Can we drop this?’ I asked, looking somewhere over his shoulder.

‘For now.’ He kissed my temple and stepped back to give me space.

‘You’re a messy cook,’ I said in a clumsy attempt to change the subject.

‘Genius doesn’t come hand in hand with cleanliness.’

‘Well, it should!’ I shot back with a teasing smile.

Needing to wash the dishes rather than use the dishwasher, I ran the tap and filled the sink with soapy bubbles.

I cleaned the plates and with every surface I wiped I felt calmer.

It was in the past; I had survived. I wasn’t the helpless girl I once was. Far from it.

Next to me, Robbie dried the dishes and set them on the side in neat piles.

Loki squawked loudly. ‘Mail!’ He was hovering by the door. Something had been slid underneath it. I opened it and looked both ways but couldn’t see anyone in the corridor. I shut the door and locked it then bent down to pick up the paper.

‘Just bend over a little more… ’ Robbie entreated, making me blush as I remembered how little I was wearing.

‘Behave!’ I shot back.

His teasing smile faded. ‘I’ll wait as long as you need, you know that,’ he said in all seriousness. ‘I’m not Radcliffe. I can be patient.’

‘I – I have baggage.’

Krieg shrugged. ‘Me too. We can unpack it together when we’re both ready.’ His eyes sharpened on the paper in my hands. ‘The Mystic Informer. What have they got to say?’

I turned to the sheet in my fingers.

Unit 13 Cracks Elemental Executions Case

Chester, UK — For the first time in recorded history, a cross-realm task force has been formed. Their first case? A triple elemental homicide with links to ritualistic necromancy.

Formed less than a week ago, Unit 13 is clearly an experiment to look at how the Connection manages its police force.

Dwindling budget has meant that the Inspectors are stretched more thinly than ever.

The Connection is currently pushing a huge recruitment drive to increase policing staff.

Numerous significant disturbances have continued to rock the Other realm, including the recent showdown between the Anti-Crea – a human first hate-group – and Emory Elite, king of the dragon-shifters.

With tensions at an all-time high, we’ve never needed our police more, and yet the number of Inspectors on the roster is at an all-time low.

Can the Connection turn this situation around in time?

This reporter isn’t sure. It feels like too little, too late, but Unit 13’s formation is perhaps a step in the right direction.

Heading the unit is Chief Inspector Stacy Wise, one of only ten female Inspectors, and daughter of acclaimed Inspector Marcus Wise.

Stacy Wise led the investigation, which began with the murder of a young female dryad and quickly spiralled into a race against the clock to save other innocent citizens.

Sources say Wise and her team quickly identified the killers and coordinated multi-directional sweeps of Grosvenor Park before locating the murderers and preventing another death.

Reports state that Wise personally confronted the killers, a resurrected griffin once known as Harbinger, a legendary assassin who had recently been slain under mysterious circumstances, and a powerful fire elemental whose identity has not yet been released to the press.

Wise and High King Krieg of the Ogres – who have been romantically linked – faced down the zombie griffin armed with magic and steel, before bringing down the ultimate judgement on both killers.

The Mystic Informer will continue to monitor Unit 13’s exploits – and we suggest you do the same.

‘Oh boy,’ I murmured, passing the newspaper to Krieg. ‘You weren’t planning on keeping our dating a secret, were you?’

He scan-read the document and grimaced. ‘It’s not ideal. It’ll paint a target on you for my enemies.’ His eyes met mine, ‘Like your dad’s enemies did.’ I could almost see him recoil from me, the urge to draw away to protect me from his enemies battling with his urge to remain with me.

I stalked towards him. ‘I am not sixteen anymore and I’m no longer an easy target. Far from it. You and I just fought an undead griffin together. You’ve watched me kill vampyrs. Whatever comes at us, I’ll be ready.’

A slow smile drew across his face. ‘What?’ I snapped.

‘You said us.’

I blinked. ‘I suppose I did.’

‘I like it.’ He leaned down to brush a soft kiss against my lips. ‘I like it a lot.’ He drew back. ‘Now go and get dressed so I can have my T-shirt back. I have enemies to slay.’

‘Figuratively or literally?’

‘Mostly figuratively.’

‘If any are literal… ’

‘They won’t trace the bodies back to me,’ he promised.

I narrowed my eyes at him. ‘That wasn’t what I meant.’ He grinned, unrepentantly. I sighed. ‘You are one hell of a complication, Robbie Krieg.’

He tossed his hair back in an exaggerated fashion like he was in a hair advert and then he winked. ‘But I’m worth it.’

I was still smiling when I kissed him goodbye ten minutes later. As I closed the door, I wondered what to do with a whole day off. I eyed my bookshelf; there was a thriller calling my name. I’d started towards it when there was a firm knock on the door.

‘Robbie, did you forget—?’ I trailed off as I realised the man at my door wasn’t Krieg but Jude Jingo. I drew up my magic sharply, ready to blast him off his feet if he so much as breathed wrongly.

‘Robbie?’ Jingo murmured. ‘Well, well. Things between you and the High King are trotting along at a nice pace.’

‘Fuck you.’

‘I would love to, but alas you seem to have your eyes elsewhere for now.’ He shrugged. ‘I’m a patient man.’

I went to shut the door in his face when he shoved a manila folder towards me. ‘I’ve got something you’ll want to see.’

I folded my arms. ‘Trust me, you have nothing I want to see.’

‘Ouch,’ he said mildly. He held the file higher; his eyes locked on mine. ‘You’ll care about this, Wise. It’s about your father’s murder.’

Shock ripped through me like a bullet. Without conscious thought, I reached for the document.

I hope you enjoyed Mystic Justice, never fear, Stacy's adventures continue in Arcane Justice, which is available to pre-order now!