She wasn’t surprised. Why wasn’t she surprised?

Tria was contemplating theories to answer that mystery, holding the door open, and Gray must have taken it as an invitation, because he walked past her, getting in the office.

“What is he…” Daphne started, but Tria tuned her cousin out, because the idiotic, suicidal stranger took a step towards her, getting right in her personal space, and bent down to hold his face so close to hers she could feel his breath on her shoulder.

Daphne could very well be screaming about a shark in a pink tutu, Tria wouldn’t have given two fucks about it, right then.

“Brown,” Mr. Suicidal said, pulling back. “You have brown eyes.”

What the… Did he realize she could very well have beheaded him for taking her by surprise like that?

Probably not.

“Black, actually,” she replied retorted. “What are you doing here? You know it takes special clearance to come to us, right?”

“I lead the First Squad.”

He shrugged it off like it was nothing; it wasn’t. The First Squad were some of the best this Agency had. They also were Agents who were there of their own volition; not flight risk, or potential enemies like so many others. Her eyes narrowed, and she attempted to see past the highly distracting facade. Was he some sort of spy? To test their loyalty to the Agency? She would have thought the possibility highly plausible if the director hadn’t been so damn stupid and naive. But Andy really believed they were happy at the Agency.

He’d replaced his predecessor five years prior; he hadn’t seen them before they’d learned to hide their feelings. He had their files, of course, but he’d dismissed their previous behavior as their excessive version of teenage rebellion.

Tria was the least problematic out of the three of them, and there was a simple reason for that. She was the only one who wasn’t a prisoner.

Ten years ago, her mother’s parting words told her to get to the newly formed agency. “You aren’t alone, Tria.”

She hadn’t known what she’d meant then, but she’d obeyed. It wasn’t like she’d had many options, at fifteen, without any documents proving her identity.

The agents had greeted her like a goddamned messhia, because they’d just caught a kid they couldn’t control - or kill, for that matter. Daphne, younger than her by two years, had been found shoplifting; she killed the two policemen who tried to arrest her, before running for it. The Agency sent their best after her, and when they found her, shit hit the fan. She killed over half of them before they managed to restrain her long enough to shoot her with a sedative; the kind they used on Elephants. It had worked for a few minutes.

Tria recalled it well; at first glance, she recognized her for what she was.

Jase might have had a similar story, if things had gone differently. Slightly older than Tria, he had a job bussing tables, keeping his head down, but some human kids were stupid enough to try to corner him. To his credit, he didn’t actually kill any of them, although Tria doubted they’d regained their motor function by now.

It took them a while to confirm that they were actually related, but now they knew. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Three of times, at the same time, in the same place? Their parents were playing some games. Again.

Being together calmed them down - on the surface level, at least. When they felt like exploding, they could just punch each other until it passed. But that didn’t change what was brewing underneath.

Daphne was a prisoner. She could never leave the agency without authorization and supervision. Jase was under surveillance. While Tria was free, she knew the second she stepped out of line, she would be considered a level five threat, like her cousin.

The Agency would send their dogs on them. They’d send the First Squad.

So, fuck him and his perfect…everything. She knew where they stood. Hunter and prey.

“Regardless of your qualifications, you’re not supposed to be here without a rea…”

She didn’t finish that sentence, because he pulled a bronze box out of his pocket. Her eyes zeroed in on it.

Shiny.

The dick smirked knowingly. Damn, how had he guessed that this was her Achilles heel?

“Sorry, what was that?” he gloated, pulling the box high, out of her reach, when she moved to take it.

She pouted.

“I got it from a raid last week. No one upstairs knows what it is. I had to pull some strings to get it out of storage and get it back, you know.”

She glared, managing not to stomp her foot.

“Gimme.”

He laughed softly and lowered it. She snatched it quickly, before he changed his mind.

Tria’s eyes focused on the detailed carvings outside of the wooden box, her fingers tracing the fine line of bronze incrusted. Frustrated, she pulled her glasses from her nose, placing them on her head. It was generally not an issue, but they prevented her from using about ninety percent of her abilities. Her eyes now zeroed in beyond the box, beyond what lay inside. In the immaterial dimension, it looked like a blazing amber rune.

“Byzantine. It’s authentic, but not quite Roman.”

Her cousin, who’d shamelessly eavesdropped through the entire exchange, didn’t even pretend they weren’t paying attention now; they came closer, both curious.

“Can I see?” Daphne asked eagerly.

Of course she would. The seal atop the box would make it of particular interest to her.

“Careful,” Tria warned her, holding her gaze.

She didn’t mean that she shouldn’t drop it, or damage it, and they both knew it. Daphne had to be careful not to let go of her power in font of a potential enemy.

The blonde snorted, in a way that made Tria frown, wondering what she meant. Jase tapped his temple, gesturing to Tria’s hair. That’s when she realized her mistake.

Shit.

Ten years. It had been more than ten years, and she’d never slipped in front of a stranger. But she’d just removed half of her damn mask.

Feeling confused, ashamed, and angry, she pulled it back on top of her nose, and snatched the box back from Daphne’s hands, before throwing it at Grayson, without looking at him. She couldn’t bring herself to.

“It’s not dangerous,” she lied.

It wasn’t - as long as it never returned to Daphne’s hands. She walked away, returning to her favorite alcove, but after a beat, he called after her, “What do I tell the archivist?”

Whatever you want, she wanted to scream.

Jase took over, spearing her.

“Back in the day, Christianity was rising and those who believed in the old gods either hid it, or died martyrs. Some of those who hid it prayed to their chosen deities. This,” he said, “is an offering to Zeus - or Jupiter. See the symbol, on top? That’s an oak tree. Inside, there’s something that was infinitely precious to its bearer - doesn’t matter what. It is believed that gods feed of faith, so they’d find that sort of things particularly precious.”

Jase’s liquid blue eyes shone when he told Gray. “Guard it. You never know which legends are true.”

Tria had to smile a little.

Grayson left without knowing that he’d just been ruthlessly mindfucked.

“You’d get in trouble if this gets out,” Daphne told him. “But thank you.”

Jason shrugged it off, returning to his Xbox.

Eventually, she told herself that it wasn’t the end of the world. Her little slip was inconsequential. He might not even have been looking at her. Right?

She lifted her head from the book she’d pretended to read, and cleared her throat to get Daphne’s attention.

“Tell me, was that guy…”

“Yep. He saw you.”

Shit. So much for that.

She couldn’t help it.

“And?”

Daphne was smiling like she was enjoying the situation way too much.

“You didn’t look at him. I doubt he fell for it.”

Killing a SWAT team, now he was done with Zombies, Jase asked, “Is it really that bad? You never actually told me what happens to mortals who look at you. Are we talking Medusa bad, or what?”

Tria groaned, as Daphne smirked.

“Drop it.”

“But…”

“Just drop it.”

He's the rising star of the Paranormal Investigation Agency; she'd love to burn it to the ground.

Tria Winters plays the part of the loyal agent well, but she's nothing short of a prisoner. When the Agency is brutally attacked, she and her cousins should have taken their chance to run, but to her surprise, there are people she isn't quite willing to turn her back on.

It's obvious to Gray that Tria and her family are trouble, but they're the only ones who could fight off those who wish to destroy the Agency. He needs to stay with them.

Even though their plan may land them all in Hell.