Lacey's Luhpynes [Beyond the Veil 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (13 page)

Briar nodded. “Damn straight I am.” And for the ME to say that with the feelings she had for his race meant a lot.

“Ansell,” Lacey began but stopped. Later, she would tell him later. “Thank you. For coming, for being willing to protect us as you did. Both of you. Briar and I are far easier to kill than the two of you so we have to figure that either this guy is gunning for me, or Briar since she’s the ME that would come to the scenes.”

“It’s the same as the last one, but that was aimed at us,” Zhubin said, straightening up. He reached out a hand to Briar and gently pulled her to her feet. Immediately, he stepped back. “This one was aimed for more damage. We should get in and take a look at the damage. He’s going for a kill and not to destroy evidence, so we’re going to have to figure another way to catch this bastard.”

“Then we have to figure something out quickly because it was one thing when this fucker was toying with me, it something else altogether when he’s trying to kill the men I love. I will not stand for it.” Lacey brushed her hands over her pants and nodded. “All right, is it safe to go back in and have a look?”

“Bomb went boom, there’s nothing else to go boom with,” Ansell said. “What?” he asked when she just glared at him. “I was being serious. If that”—he pointed toward the smoking interior of the building—“didn’t set off more, doubtful anything will. But I will do another sweep before you guys go back in.” He headed for the door, “I don’t get paid enough for this shit,” he muttered under his breath.

“Yeah but you love me and want me safe,” Lacey called out to the stubborn man. She smiled at Briar. “Sometimes you have to make sure that they know how they feel for you, stubborn men sometimes forget that we women like the words,” she teased.

“That’s because women are apparently forgetful,” Zhubin said with a smirk. He gave her a wink and walked toward the doors, “Well?” he called in.

“Are you smelling that smoke, asshole? Cause it’s not making it easy. For the love of the Gods, go find something to do for a few minutes. If I don’t come running out screaming like a lunatic at high speed soon you’ll know it’s safe. So fuck off!”

“Someone’s testy,” Zhubin said and then ducked as something went whizzing past his head at high speed. “And got crappy fucking aim too. Geez, you throw worse than a girl, Ansell.”

Lacey frowned. “Is he okay?” Her worry was clear in her tone, in the way she stood. “Zhubin, is he okay? I don’t like seeing him like this.” Cranky, moody, testy. “What in the hell is going on that has him and you even, so fucking testy?”

“You mean besides the fact someone tried to blow us up? Again, I might add?” he asked and then let out a breath. “Full moon is coming, remember? We’re not exactly our normal selves at this time of the month. And human males bitch about female troubles.” He gave a snort. “They obviously haven’t had to deal with Luhpyne on this side of the Veil before or they’d never make such crass remarks again.”

“Crap, true.” She had that quickly forgotten all about the moon and its pull on her men. “Are you boys going to be all right?” She needed to know that they would be okay, that they weren’t going to have issues because they were where they were right now instead of going back to their home behind the Veil.

“Yeah we’ll be good.” He nodded, moving toward her. “We’re just a little shorter on the fuses than normal. So if we snap at you just smack us, I hear a rolled newspaper works well.” He smiled. Touching her shoulders, Zhubin leaned in to kiss her gently. “We’ll be beyond the Veil on the full moon so it will be all right.”

Lacey nodded and bit her lower lip. “Will I be there?” she asked softly. “I know that we have dinner to go to with your parents but will I be there as well?” Since she wasn’t certain, she had to ask. She needed to know that they would be together, somehow and some way.

“Of course you will be.” He frowned down at her. “We’ll go for dinner, you can see some of my realm, my home and we will spend the night. In the morning we will have breakfast with the family and then come home. By then the main pull of the moon will already be fading and while we might not be fully back to ourselves, it will be close enough.”

“Good. I look forward to it,” Lacey said with a smile. “I want this, I want to be able to have this time with you guys on the other side so that we don’t have to worry about the dictates in place here on this side to
protect humanity
.” She spoke with air quotes.

Chuckling, he shook his head at her. “Yeah. Pretty much my thoughts,” he said with a wink.

A whistle split the air, causing them all to turn. “It’s clear in here if you don’t mind a little smoke. And doc, good news, only a couple extra wounds from the explosion but the bodies are mostly intact.”

Lacey heard Briar mumbling and smiled. Shaking her head, she looked up at Zhubin. “Good. All right, let’s go in and finish processing the scene so that we can get this shit all worked up and together and get home. I’m more than ready to get out of here.”

“Quit bitching, doc, at least you have a body this time to work with,” Ansell said with a glare. “You’re lucky I even bothered to take two extra seconds. Now get your cute self in there and deal with it. And one snivel about the feet and I swear I’ll put bubble gum in all your machines in the lab.”

Lacey had to hide her grin and shook her head. “Don’t piss her off too much, she might put another cadaver in your desk and hang a sign from it again.” That had been utterly priceless. Briar had gotten pissed off at Ansell so she put a female body in his chair at his desk with a note on her saying something along the lines of, “since you are being such a pussy, thought she would represent you better,” but that was the Briar before she had been attacked.

Ansell didn’t say anything as Briar went past him, giving him a good-sized berth. Looking to Lacey as she and Zhubin walked up he shrugged. “I’d prefer to have that Briar back than this ghost,” he murmured under his breath. “If poking at her a little does it, so be it. I won’t push too far, I never would.”

“I know.” Lacey sighed and shook her head. “I wish I knew how to help her. She’s been hurt, and it’s not good.” She looked at the woman and shook her head. “Do you think she has mates out there?” she asked softly. “If so, will they be able to help her, do you think?”

“It’s possible,” Zhubin said in a low tone. “And if she does and she can accept them for who they are they can help her to truly heal. But that won’t be today or tomorrow. Hopefully soon though, it would be nice to be able to walk into a room with her and not have her scoping out the exits and available weapons.”

“Yeah, I want the cheerful and playful Briar back. She was interesting and witty, and could tell a wickedly good joke. Do you know how hard it is not to ask for the newest joke? I miss that, a lot.” The ME had a wicked sense of humor before the attack, now she was just as Zhubin said, a ghost of herself. Going through the motions but not much else.

“We know.” Ansell gave a heavy sigh. “Go and find out what else she’s getting from the body. I’m going to let the crew know it’s safe to come back from whatever hole they are hiding in.” Leaning over, he kissed her cheek. “Won’t be long.”

“Please tell me that you have some good news, Doc.” Lacey spoke from the door to the ME’s office. “At least tell me that the dental imprints came back and we have an ID on our John Doe?” It was driving Lacey nuts, the waiting. She was far too impatient by half.

“Patience is a virtue you know,” Briar said in a low murmur from her spot in front of a microscope. “But yes, I have an ID.” She turned and picked up a data pad. Getting up, she moved to the drawer and pulled it open, flipping back the sheet. “Meet Mr. Graham Donovan. Age thirty-six, lawyer, jogger and good Samaritan who does charity work and pro bono work for a local shelter of battered women and children.”

Lacey frowned. “That name rings a bell.” She tilted her head and thought, the expressions on her face showing that clearly. “Wait,” she snapped. “I remember this guy. He was in the press heavily last month. He was going to run for mayor or something like that. Swore that he could prove dirty dealings and would do whatever it took to clean up the town. Remember that?” she asked the ME.

“Yes, he’d just announced he planned on running, what? Two months ago maybe.” She frowned. “He said he had evidence of underhanded dealings, construction site passes without proper inspection and dozens of other charges. He didn’t name names but said once he was in place they would all be outed and removed facing charges applicable to their crimes. That would have made him a target, but why would they, whoever they are that killed him, want to make it look like a Luhpyne kill?”

“Because of his wife,” Lacey said and slapped her own forehead. “His wife’s godfather is a Luhpyne. Her family goes back to the first ones that made friends with the ones from the Veil, her godfather is one of the Originals that came over and fought in the War, and if they would turn on him, it would mean that they would turn on anyone, see what I see?”

“You’re not thinking,” Briar trailed off, shaking her head. “Lacey! If it’s what you’re thinking. Fuck me,” she said before her eyes went wide and she slapped her hands over her mouth. “Apologies,” she squeaked out. “I didn’t mean to say that.”

If she was right, then it was someone that wanted a war. It was someone that was more than ready to start a war with the races of the Veil once more and that just was so not good in more ways than one.

“They barely let us live the last time,” Briar whispered, holding out a shaky hand before she caught the back of the chair and fell into it. “You know that if we start another with them not a single human will survive.”

“You are telling me. Well no, the mates will all survive. Once a mate is found they are the most precious things alive. They would do anything to save their mates, anything.” She knew that Zhubin and Ansell would at least. “I’m just trying to figure out how my stalker fits in,” she whispered. “And I have to tell my guys. They will know what to do.”

“May whatever God or Gods there be bless us all,” Briar said, crossing herself. “Those that are mated will survive but everyone else is fair game. Our world won’t survive another war Lacey. All that will be left would be less than ash. They could and can decimate us should they choose. The fact they didn’t the last time was luck more than anything. Trust me on that,” she whispered.

“Briar we will figure this all out. I promise you, no matter what we will figure this out and stop it. We won’t let war come to us again. Somehow and some way we will stop it. We have to. I love living far too much to let some idiot take over our lives and destroy our worlds.” Lacey said sternly, shaking her head to ensure that the woman understood the truth of the matter in this. Somehow and someway they would find a way to prevent war.

Zhubin and Ansell walked in only to find themselves being stared at. “There are some days that getting outta bed is just a bad idea,” Ansell said. “Today was one of them and I have a feeling you two are about to make it so much worse. Why are you looking like the world’s about to end?”

“Well we have an ID,” Lacey said and looked between the men. “Does the name Graham Donovan ring any bells?” She watched the looks on their faces and added, “Godson of Vasiky of the clan Bromer.”

“They’re a clan to the west,” Zhubin said. “Regent Vasiky only had one son who died years before the Veil fell. His mate passed to the other side so he had no chance to ever have others. He saw something in Donovan that reminded him of his son and adopted him in a manner of speaking. I hear he’s been dating Mr. Donovan’s mother too.” When they all turned to look at him he shrugged, “My mother likes to gossip. I so wish I’d had siblings she could torture, instead she focuses everything on me.”

“Exactly. And just what do you think would happen if it came to light, even a hint, that a Luhpyne killed him? He’s a powerful political figure, was going to run for mayor. Think about it, Zhu,” she whispered. “What would cause the humans to be up in arms faster than anything?”

“Have the guy that was going to end corruption and give the people just what they’ve always wanted killed by the evil assholes on the other side of the Veil,” he said. “Yeah, I figured that out as soon as you told me his name. We just need to prove that either it wasn’t what it appears to be, or there will be a war that your people won’t survive.”

“Which is why Briar and I are just flabbergasted. The mates would survive, but how many would die in the process? As I said before, humanity as a whole is a bunch of sheep that are going to be led to slaughter if we don’t stop this. We will do what we have to in order to ensure that doesn’t happen, right?”

“’Course we will,” Ansell said, bumping his shoulder to hers. “And it’s not just mates that would be safe. Friends and those that are innocent would be safe too. We protect those that we consider ours,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“I know that. I know that I would always be safe with the two of you.” Leaning in, she brushed her cheek to his and shuddered. Licking her lips, she whispered against his ear, “And I know that you would always protect me.”

“In a heartbeat, little mate,” he said, sliding an arm around her. He turned his head, their noses brushing as their lips connected. “Against any foe or trouble.” He then kissed her, gently, lightly, with infinite care.

When they parted Lacey licked her lips and smiled, “Good.” She whispered for him and him alone. “Now then.” She touched his cheek only very lightly before pulling back from him and looking to Briar and Zhubin. “Now we need to figure out how to keep this quiet so that we can find who did this.”

“We keep it off the radar,” Zhubin said. “We need to fudge the autopsy a little so that no one sees anything they shouldn’t. Because of the high-profile nature of this case us taking a little longer to dot the I’s and cross the T’s won’t be amiss. But in the end we need to have it look like one of his haters took him out. At least until we can prove what we are all thinking, that it’s one of those cult freaks who wants all the races dead.”