Boreal and John Grey Season 1 (38 page)

“Nope.” Now he hummed. “But the tendency is for Gates to open close to your apartment.”

Ella shivered.
Oh it’s just that the Shades want to take Finn with them. Nothing to worry about.
“The snake at the docks was quite far from here.”

“True. The decay analysis showed that it came through quite a while ago, though. A few weeks back.”

Curioser and curioser
. “Okay, I’m on it.”

“Take care of yourself.”

She smiled at the words and the affectionate tone, before she remembered Dave wasn’t who he seemed to be.
Damn
.

Chapter Four

Draumar

Judging from the number of serpentine necks and fanged heads lying in a pool of gore on top of the smashed car, Ella had no doubt the thing that had fallen from the sky was a giant snake.

A crowd had gathered to gawk at it. Time to take action.

Ella opened the door and stepped out of the car, lifting her badge. “Everyone, back to your business. Nothing more to see here.”

Everyone inched closer before she’d finished talking.
Crap
.

She flipped her phone open to inform Dave what she was seeing, and turned to ask Finn if any part of the creature was missing.

Finn was still sitting in the car, face blank. Frowning, she gave Dave a brief description of the animal and stepped around the car to see what was wrong.

Bracing a hand on the hood, she tapped on Finn’s window. He jerked before pressing the button to lower it.

“Everything okay?” she asked, taking in the sweat standing in gleaming beads on his cheeks. Last time they’d seen a dead flying snake he hadn’t turned a hair, so why was he so shaken now? “What is it?”

He pressed his lips together.

From the corner of her eye she saw police cars arriving.
Martha
. “Why are you sitting in the car? What’s up with the dead snake here?”

Finn rubbed a hand over his face. “Dreams.”

“You mean nightmares.”

He rolled one shoulder in a shrug and opened the door. She stepped back to give him space. “Are you doing this?” she asked, keeping her voice low. “Joining our dreams?”

“No.” Finn stood, head bowed, hands fisted at his sides.

“I’m only trying to understand why this is happening now,” she said. 

He lifted his chin. “You never stopped coming to my dreams.” And before she had a chance to formulate an answer to that, his mouth pinched and his gaze narrowed at something over her shoulder. 

“Morning,” Martha said, approaching. “We always meet around strange creatures.” The last word directed at Finn. “You know, David Holborn still hasn’t sent me any order for this man’s release.”

“I’m sure it’s just the slow wheels of bureaucracy,” Ella said through gritted teeth. “Finn is officially my temporary partner, approved by David.”

“He won’t be for long if word of his lack of papers reaches the ears of higher officials,” Martha said, and Ella decided she hated her.

Finn’s fists spasmed, muscles jumping to definition underneath his t-shirt.

“He looks delighted to see you, too,” Ella muttered. “Anyhow, I’ve informed my boss about this creature. A flying snake, apparently. Are the fangs poisonous?” She glanced at Finn.

“Sometimes,” he ground out.

“Be careful with the mouths, then.” Ella turned her back to the nasty woman. “Talk with David about how to take care of this. Come on, Finn, let’s go. Something stinks around here.”

***

Ella drummed her fingers on the wheel as she cut across town to the HQ. “I’ve been sharing your dreams all along, haven’t I? Since I was little. Hell, probably since you were little, too. Just how old are you?”

Finn was staring outside, his face hidden. “I have twenty winters and three summers.”

“So... you’re twenty?”

He leaned his head back. “I’ve lived twenty ice years and three mild ones.”

“Twenty-three then. I started seeing things — or dreaming things — when I was around four. I’m twenty. If the lengths of human and elvish years coincide at all...” She frowned at the street ahead. “How old were you when you were thrown off that cliff?”

“Seven.”

“Exactly.” She studied his guarded expression. “What do you wanna bet I started sharing your dreams after you fell?” Another thought hit her. He’d said dreams had led him there. “You knew my face, didn’t you? When you arrived to the city.”

Silence expanded in concentric circles, opening and starting again from the centre where they sat, inside the car, cut off from the world and yet intricately linked to it.

“You knew my face,” she whispered. “Why didn’t you say something, why did you run away from me when I took you out of jail?”

A tremor went through his body. “You didn’t know who I was, and I wasn’t sure who you were. In my dreams you were a child. Now...” He cleared his throat. “Now you’re a woman.” 

Heat rose to her cheeks. A woman who desired him very much.

She tried to get her mind back on track. “But you recognized me. Is that why you were there that night when I first met you? Were you following me?” 

“I followed the thinning of the Veil. You were there, too.”

He said nothing for a long while, until they reached the HQ and parked in the officers lot.

“What’s the use?” he whispered.

“The use of what?”

“
Draumar
.” He scowled.
Dreams
.

“Finn—”

“I shouldn’t have called you when the Shades attacked me,” he said softly. 

She flinched and fought to hide her shaking hands by clenching them harder on the wheel. Did he regret it? “No, I’m...” She swallowed. He’d almost died that night. “I’m glad you did. Finn...”

God, why was it so hard to say it? 

Her phone rang and she jerked. 

“Where are you?” Dave barked with his usual perfect timing. 

Well screw you, too
. “We’re on our way.” She turned to Finn. “Hey, were you...”
Were you glad you found me?

But Finn was already getting out of the car, grabbing onto the door to straighten his bad leg, and the question died on her lips.

They took the elevator in ringing quiet.

She was so close to telling him how much he’d come to mean to her, but his face was as if set in granite, still and unreadable, and her courage deserted her. What if he didn’t have feelings for her?

What if he died tomorrow?

She was relieved when the doors finally whirred open and they exited into the HQ corridor.

Dave’s secretary gave them a disdainful once-over. “He’s with someone important.” She glanced at their rumpled clothes.

Ella glared until the secretary flinched.
Heh
. She’d learned a few useful tricks from Finn after all. “Dave called me. He obviously wants to talk to us now.”

The secretary sighed theatrically and got up to open the door to the office. “Ella Benson and her partner are here.”

“Send them in!” Dave called.

Ella ignored the long-suffering look on the secretary’s face and pushed inside, followed by Finn.

A woman stood by Dave’s desk, hands clasped behind her back, dressed in casual clothes, black cargo pants and white shirt. Military, even if not in uniform. The stiffness in her posture betrayed her.

“Captain Mary Wood,” the woman said, inclining her head. She had her hair pinned back in a formal chignon. “External Hazards Command.”

Hazards
. “Ella Benson, and this my partner, Finn. How can we help you?”

“David Holborn has told me the elves,” Captain Wood spat out the word like a stone, “will come with dragons.” A flicker went through her blue eyes — amusement, perhaps, or scorn. “Therefore I’m here to talk about the dragons, and I’ve been informed that Finn,” she cut him a sharp glance, “is your resident dragon expert.”

***

“So you’re saying you climbed on the dragon’s back, then crawled up the neck to the head and stabbed a knife into it? And that killed it?” Captain Wood scrunched up her nose, then scratched it delicately with a fingertip.

Finn hadn’t said anything yet. He stood, legs loosely apart, his gaze distant.

“I think it flapped away,” Dave said and spread his hands in the air. “Puff, it was gone.”

The Captain ignored him. “Agent Finn. Any ideas on how to control the dragons from a distance, or ways to lure them in?”

Dave leaned back in his chair, toying with a pen, his grin strained. Dave, nervous? The very idea turned Ella’s stomach. What was going on?

God, she really hoped Dave hadn’t shared his suspicions about Finn with the army.

Finn glanced from Dave to the Captain and back. “These are trained dragons. They won’t be lured by anything, or easily fall into traps.”

“Tell us more about them,” Captain Wood said.

Finn’s gaze flicked to the closed door and he tensed like a cornered animal. What the hell was the woman hoping to achieve?