The difference between a bad day and an exceptionally bad day could be solely determined by the quality of one’s coffee. Silas Flynn’s lips twisted, his cheeks puckering at the semi-tepid bean water trickling down his throat. He managed a swallow, only to have a long, cinnamon-tainted finish burn on the way down. Humans.

He could always tell when one of the nonsupernaturals working with him in the Carlton City Police Department made the coffee. The shit was weak, barely discernible from tea, and weirdly flavored. He swirled it in his cup. The concoction was so thin he could see the crack at the bottom of his favorite mug—the one with the dachshund on the side that said Don’t be a Weiner. The crack, which probably harbored all sorts of nasty bacteria, was a grim reminder that he should have replaced the thing months ago, a fact he could have ignored one more day if the coffee had been brewed correctly.

He looked both ways before dumping the pot down the little sink in the break room. In the CCPD, supernaturals and humans worked side by side, although the latter were unaware that their coworkers sprouted tails or cast spells during their time off. Human detectives were assigned to human cases; Silas, as the only supernatural detective in the department, was assigned to supernatural ones. There were more humans than supers, in the same proportion as the city’s population. And with the local demigoddess witch, aka Hecate, Grateful Knight, also policing the supernatural community in the area (at least when it came to supernatural involvement with humans), he usually had no problem keeping up.

Silas liked humans, for the most part. His best friend, Logan, used to be human. But he was glad his captain was fae. Made it easier on everyone when he needed accommodations for his condition, namely three days off a month to shift into a werewolf.

“What the hell? I thought Wendy said she brewed a new pot. Someone drank it all already?” A woman Silas had never seen before stood in the doorway to the break room looking peeved, an obscenely large mug dangling from her fingers. The thing was practically a soup bowl with a handle. His werewolf nose twitched as his supernatural olfactory senses sorted out her scent. Coffee grounds, coconut hair conditioner, generic dryer sheets, a crumb of orange vanilla scone that clung to her shirt, and an undercurrent of something gamey and wild.

His inner wolf roused behind his skin, and Silas drew a deeper breath. He had the strongest urge to bury his nose in her hair. Tall, with an athletic physique, she sported blue jeans, low-heeled boots, and a white cotton blouse. She was square-jawed and solid-boned, but it was her deep red hair that fascinated his wolf, the unusual color catching the light and toying with his senses.

Silas cleared his throat, both embarrassed and shocked to catch himself staring. “Did Wendy send you back here?” he asked. “This is the employee break area. There’s a separate coffee station up front for the public.” He pointed out the door. “Although, if you hang out for a minute, I can fill you up.” Fill you up? What was that about? Goddess he sounded like an idiot.

She folded her arms across her chest, one side of her mouth lifting. “He didn’t tell you.”

“He, who? Didn’t tell me what?”

“Captain Manahan… Patrick. I’m new. Meredith Turner.” She extended her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

After shaking her hand tentatively, he gave his palm a good sniff under the guise of scratching his whiskers. The gamey scent was evident. His wolf practically leapt inside his psyche. Not human, but not wolf. For the life of him, he couldn’t quite place what she was, although, usually, he excelled at discerning supernaturals.

“Is this the part where you try to smell my butt?” she asked. “I heard you werewolves were into that.” Shocked speechless, Silas’s jaw popped open. Meredith laughed. “No offense. I was just breaking the ice. I’m bispecies. Dad’s a werewolf. Mom’s a skinwalker.”

“So, do you shift?” Silas asked.

“Whenever I get the urge, and only into a fox.” She smiled again, this time flashing a few beautifully symmetrical teeth.

“Interesting.” Silas turned to the sink and began filling the pot. He’d heard they might need another supernatural officer, although he was surprised she was in plain clothes. Maybe a secretary? “So, what exactly will you be doing here at the CCPD?”

She hesitated, her eyes widening as a slow groan vibrated her closed lips. “Maybe Patrick is the right person to tell you.”

Silas snorted. “Why? What’s the big deal? Is it some supersecret new role I’m not supposed to know about?”

“No…”

“Well, then just tell me.”

“I’m a transfer from Merrimack… where I was a detective.”

Silas paused, the spoon he’d used to shovel in the coffee grounds hanging over the paper filter. “Detective? What will you be doing here?” He snapped the lid closed and punched the brew button with his finger before pinning her with a questioning stare.

She lifted her shoulders toward her ears, her fingers intertwined at her waist. “I’m your new partner.”

* * *

Meredith Turner hadn’t expected to be the one to break it to Silas that he was getting a new partner. She definitely didn’t expect his presence to be so… overwhelming. He was big, with a deep voice that made her knees turn to water when he spoke. It was all she could do to stand her ground. But she must stand her ground. She understood the man was shocked, but she sure as hell was not going to let him ruin this assignment for her. She was here for a reason.

She followed Silas across the department to where, without an ounce of respect for the uniformed officer already sitting in the chair across the desk, he barged into Captain Patrick Manahan’s office. Meredith sighed heavily and gave the captain a pleading look.

“Tell me this is a terrible, unfortunate mistake!” Silas said, pointing at Meredith.

“Silas…” The captain scratched his balding head, the heel of his hand brushing the point of his ears.

“Who the hell is she and why does she think she’s my new partner?” The words came out along with a background growl that rumbled straight from his chest and made Meredith’s stomach flutter.

“Sorry,” Meredith said. “I tried to break the news gently.”

“Not your fault,” Silas murmured, his expression holding a temporary softness that disappeared as soon as he turned back toward the captain.

“Officer Brighton, would you give us a minute,” Manahan said to the uniformed officer they’d disturbed. The young man rolled his eyes and sent Silas a sharp look before leaving the office and closing the door behind him.

“Explain.” Silas leaned across the desk, his wide shoulders throwing a shadow over the captain’s bulky form.

“Sit down. Both of you.”

Meredith slid into one of the molded plastic chairs, but Silas stayed right where he was.

“I said, sit!” Captain Manahan’s voice reverberated in the tiny room, his fae side coming to the surface. As an aerial fae, the captain’s voice was a literal weapon. The sound rumbled deep within Meredith, sending a flare of heartburn into her throat.

Silas coughed into his hand and promptly sat.

“Better. Now we can have a civilized conversation.” The big man spread his hands, eyes darting between the two of them. Meredith stared at the side of Silas’s head. A vein in his temple throbbed, and his cheeks had taken on a ruddy hue. Shit, the guy had a temper.

The captain locked eyes with Silas, folding his hands on his desk. “You need a partner.”

“I don’t.”

“You do. This Alex thing… I understand why you’re obsessed.”

“Oh, you do? You understand what it’s like to have your parents murdered and the werewolf responsible free and living somewhere in the city?” Silas darted a glance in Meredith’s direction, probably wondering how much she knew about Alex. She knew. Everyone knew.

The captain leaned back in his chair, bouncing against the backrest, and threaded his fingers over the mound of his belly. “Okay, let me rephrase that. I understand the pursuit of Alex needs to be your top priority. But there are other cases.”

“Which I haven’t neglected. Name one time I ever fell short on expectations.”

The captain ran his tongue along his teeth, making a sucking noise like he was dislodging something caught behind his eyetooth. “Sleep. A personal life.”

Silas snorted. “I haven’t enjoyed either in years.”

“Exactly.”

There was a long silence. Meredith straightened in her chair. Should she say something? Her lips parted. The captain gave her a curt shake of the head. She crossed her legs and bobbed her foot.

“You’re burning the candle at both ends,” the big man continued. “The stress is getting to you. It’s my responsibility to keep you safe, and that means, until Alex is brought to justice, you need backup.”

Silas began to protest, but the captain cut him off.

“Last week, you busted down a door on Fifth Street. Significant property damage.”

“There was a healer there I thought might know something.”

“Yeah? Well, you’re lucky she didn’t know a spell strong enough to kill you.”

“I had a rash for a week.”

“I had a hell of a time calming her down. She threatened to sue us in human court. That’s the last thing we need.”

“It was a false lead. I should have handled it differently, I admit. But I’m close. I can feel it.”

The captain nodded. “No doubt. But until you hit the bull’s-eye, Meredith will keep you from self-destructing. She’s not emotionally involved.”

Hmm. Where did he get that idea? Meredith took special interest in her fingers and squirmed in her chair.

“You need an objective brain on this,” he continued. “Listen to her. Let her help you. I have it on good authority that she’s one of the best.”

Silas gave an exaggerated sigh, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “I don’t suppose I can talk you out of this?”

The captain shook his head. “She’s already on the payroll.” His meaty fingers landed on a manila folder on the corner of his desk. He held it out toward Meredith. “Also, both of you need to check this out.”

“What’s this about?” She stood to accept the folder he offered.

“Human murder. Shallow graves. Seemed like an open-and-shut abduction, murder, hide-the-bodies type thing. Only there’s been some unapproved excavation at the burial site. Officer Brighton’s undies are in a bunch over it. It could be ghouls. Better check it out.”

“Ghouls. Right.” Silas snatched the folder from Meredith’s hands without a word. He violently flipped through the contents.

“Hey!” She tapped her foot, becoming increasingly annoyed. Meredith regularly handled cases like this on her own. Ghouls loved to scavenge graves the way raccoons scavenged garbage cans. Luckily, they were relatively harmless and rare due to their incompatibility with consecrated ground. If ghouls were the culprits, a simple vial of holy water would fix the problem for good.

“I’ll take care of it,” Silas said, closing the folder.

“With Meredith,” Manahan said firmly.

Meredith popped out a hip and snatched the folder back from him.

Silas sighed heavily. “With Meredith.”

She forced a friendly smile. With a grunt, as if he found her repulsive, he rose from the chair and left the room.

Meredith scratched her temple as she met the captain’s apologetic stare. “Okay! I think that went well.”

* * *

Silas drove out of Carlton City toward the rural property where the murders had occurred, Meredith by his side. The crime scene was in the middle of nowhere, and he double-checked the coordinates to make sure they were headed in the right direction. It didn’t help that he was having trouble concentrating with her delicious scent in his nose. He kept his eyes on the road and tried to ignore the strange feeling in his gut her presence elicited.

“Did you read this case? This is horrific.” Meredith flipped through the folder in the seat beside him. “Five girls, young girls, lured away from home by one of their friends. Same age. They all lived on the same block. Looks like she murdered her friends and then killed herself.”

“Humans.” Silas snorted.

“It’s not like supernatural creatures don’t kill each other.”

Silas flashed her a lopsided grin. “Yeah, but we do it with style.”

She snapped the folder closed. “How’s this going to work? I propose we check the graves for ghoul droppings, take a spectral imprint of the area, and sprinkle holy water around the periphery if there’s any evidence the graves have been compromised.”

“I propose you stay in the car while I handle this.” Silas pulled onto the side of the road beside an overgrown field. In the distance, police tape cordoned off a wooded area, the yellow ribbon twisting in the breeze. His words had come out harsher than he’d intended, but he wanted to put some space between himself and the redhead. His wolf was too close to the surface with her around.

Meredith pivoted her shoulders to face him. “I propose you go fuck yourself.” She swept the holy water from the cup holder and exited the car.

“Hey, give me that!” He jumped from the unmarked and strode after her. But she was already more than halfway across the field, her supernatural speed requiring him to break into a jog to keep up. She paused abruptly a few yards out from the crime scene, pressing one long finger to her lips.

“Shhhh,” she said. Who did she think he was? He knew better than to scare away the ghouls before he had a chance to confirm their presence.

When he caught up to her, she pointed between the trees. Movement. A pale figure darted in the dim light. Silas sniffed, but the wind was blowing the wrong way. He wasn’t getting anything but dirt and leaves.

Meredith ducked under the yellow tape and crept, holy water in hand, toward the movement. As Silas followed from behind, he chastised himself for not being in front. He should be leading the way, not her. But addressing it at this point would call too much attention to their presence. He narrowed his eyes on the form hovered over the crime scene. There was something familiar about the silhouette.

And it was too big to be a ghoul.

“Look out!” Silas bound forward, knocking Meredith to the ground to place his body between her and the threat that loomed above the grave. He drew his gun. “Don’t move!”

Alex, Fireborn pack nemesis number one, scowled at Silas with unrepentant rage, his dark blond waves catching the moonlight with the quick turn of his head. He gripped a mesh bag full of bones still bearing the remains of the flesh they’d once inhabited. Silas pulled the trigger, unloading three silver bullets toward Alex’s heart. They wouldn’t kill him, but they’d slow him down.

Pulse. The dragon fae amulet around his neck blinked, and Alex disappeared. There was a high-pitched squeal as the bullets passed through where Alex had been and landed in the body of a ghoul creeping up behind him. He was gone.

“Oww,” Meredith said, sitting up in the tall grass. Her head was bleeding.

“Meredith. Shit!” Silas holstered his gun and jogged to her side. Removing his shirt, he pressed it to the scrape on her head. He cradled the base of her skull with his opposite hand for leverage. “I don’t think it’s deep.”

She fixed him with a harsh glare as if she intended to give him a piece of her mind. But as her dark brown eyes met his, she stopped, lips parted as if she’d forgotten what she was going to say. Silas’s nostrils flared with the scent she was putting off. He closed his eyes. Damn. So he wasn’t the only one experiencing the strange electric tingle being this close. When he opened his eyes again, she was staring at his T-shirt-covered chest, and her cheeks had flushed a gorgeous shade of pink.

He cleared his throat and removed his hands from her head, handing her the bloody button-down.

“Who the hell was that?” she finally asked. “And where did he go?”

Silas’s shoulders hunched forward as his thoughts shifted to Alex. So close. He’d been so close. “I should have fired sooner.”

“Sure. Why follow protocol?” Meredith asked sarcastically. “Are you going to tell me who it was and why you practically bludgeoned me to shoot at him?”

“Yes,” he said darkly. “But first, do you need a doctor?”

She removed the shirt from her head. The wound had already stopped bleeding. “No. I’m good. It’s just a scrape.” She got to her feet.

“Are you sure? You could have a concussion.”

With a shake of her head, she waved him off. “I’m fine. Tell me who that was.”

“I’ll burn the ghoul’s body,” he said. “You sprinkle the holy water. I’ll explain on the way back to the station.” Thankfully, she didn’t argue.

As she headed for the border of the crime scene, he supposed he owed her an explanation. If she was going to be his partner, she needed to know about the risks. And Alex was one deadly risk.