Chapter One
I didn’t cry at the wedding, but I did at the reception.
Don’t get me wrong, I was thrilled to see my cousin Evan so happy, and I even liked the bright turquoise bridesmaid gown his new wife had selected for me to wear. I was more than happy to welcome Hannah into both the family and the business I shared with my two brothers, three cousins, and Hannah’s brother Will. I was thrilled to no longer be the only woman in the firm. No, the only problem I had that night was William Tanner Lightfoot.
Ever since I’d joined Guardian Investigations and Security—the company started by my older brothers and cousins, and one cousin’s army buddy—the only partner who wasn’t a relative had been an enormous pain in my ass. Will thinks I should be nothing more than the office manager. Never mind my degrees in forensic psychology—I’m a trained profiler. Never mind the black belt in Aikido, never mind I win the local gun club’s marksmanship awards every single year. And the fact that, as a member of the Maddox family, I’m a guardian, a magical shape shifter, still doesn’t swing it. To Will, I’m just a silly girl, playing at being a detective.
So why was I crying at Evan and Hannah’s wedding reception? Three guesses. Of course it was because of Will.
I don’t cry easily—I really don’t. But sometimes, if I’m completely and totally pissed off, the tears leak out. It’s an involuntary physiological reaction, one that has annoyed me my entire life. And Will knew it, too, damn his hide.
“Now that we’ve got Hannah in the field, you’ll be able to stay in the office more, manage the business end of things,” he said as we danced. It was the official song we were required to dance together as attendants at the wedding.
“Or we can simply accept more clients,” I returned. “Mindy is a perfectly good office manager and accountant—she doesn’t need me looking over her shoulder.”
“I’m just saying, you’re more use there than in the field,” he said, rubbing it in. “Not like you have any real training anyway. You’re too soft-hearted to be an operative.”
Maybe he had a point, but the way he said it just made me see red—and not the burnished bronze of his part-Navajo skin. “Last time I checked, we were both full partners in Guardian.” I carefully restrained myself from stepping on his foot with a spiked heel. “Which means you’re not my boss. I get to pick my cases just like everyone else.”
Now security work and private investigation isn’t usually anywhere near as glamorous as people think. Mostly it’s a lot of boring insurance work, processing security clearances, testing alarm systems and taking pictures for divorce cases. But Guardian had a reputation among certain circles for being able to handle cases of an unusual nature—and by that I mean other people with paranormal abilities were often involved. So, yeah, things sometimes got messy. I’d learned to deal, and I liked to think I was pretty damned good at it.
Then Will really stuck his foot in his mouth. “Yeah, well maybe we should take a vote and revisit that part of the partnership agreement. I don’t think you belong in the field. Ever.”
Thankfully the song ended just then, so I could escape before anyone saw the tears—or the steam that was probably coming out my ears. I was going to kill him, I swore. Just as soon as it wouldn’t ruin the wedding.
I fled the dance floor through a glass door to the hotel gardens. They had little fairy lights twinkling in the trees, and it was a balmy, beautiful evening. I scurried through the garden until I found a bench under a tree, pretty much hidden from everything. I let the tears run their course, wiping them away with a napkin I’d grabbed from the bar on my way past.
I didn’t hear him creep up on me—the man has the movements of a damned cat. While my hearing is better than the average human, even when I’m not in my raven form, even I
I didn’t cry at the wedding, but I did at the reception.
Don’t get me wrong, I was thrilled to see my cousin Evan so happy, and I even liked the bright turquoise bridesmaid gown his new wife had selected for me to wear. I was more than happy to welcome Hannah into both the family and the business I shared with my two brothers, three cousins, and Hannah’s brother Will. I was thrilled to no longer be the only woman in the firm. No, the only problem I had that night was William Tanner Lightfoot.
Ever since I’d joined Guardian Investigations and Security—the company started by my older brothers and cousins, and one cousin’s army buddy—the only partner who wasn’t a relative had been an enormous pain in my ass. Will thinks I should be nothing more than the office manager. Never mind my degrees in forensic psychology—I’m a trained profiler. Never mind the black belt in Aikido, never mind I win the local gun club’s marksmanship awards every single year. And the fact that, as a member of the Maddox family, I’m a guardian, a magical shape shifter, still doesn’t swing it. To Will, I’m just a silly girl, playing at being a detective.
So why was I crying at Evan and Hannah’s wedding reception? Three guesses. Of course it was because of Will.
I don’t cry easily—I really don’t. But sometimes, if I’m completely and totally pissed off, the tears leak out. It’s an involuntary physiological reaction, one that has annoyed me my entire life. And Will knew it, too, damn his hide.
“Now that we’ve got Hannah in the field, you’ll be able to stay in the office more, manage the business end of things,” he said as we danced. It was the official song we were required to dance together as attendants at the wedding.
“Or we can simply accept more clients,” I returned. “Mindy is a perfectly good office manager and accountant—she doesn’t need me looking over her shoulder.”
“I’m just saying, you’re more use there than in the field,” he said, rubbing it in. “Not like you have any real training anyway. You’re too soft-hearted to be an operative.”
Maybe he had a point, but the way he said it just made me see red—and not the burnished bronze of his part-Navajo skin. “Last time I checked, we were both full partners in Guardian.” I carefully restrained myself from stepping on his foot with a spiked heel. “Which means you’re not my boss. I get to pick my cases just like everyone else.”
Now security work and private investigation isn’t usually anywhere near as glamorous as people think. Mostly it’s a lot of boring insurance work, processing security clearances, testing alarm systems and taking pictures for divorce cases. But Guardian had a reputation among certain circles for being able to handle cases of an unusual nature—and by that I mean other people with paranormal abilities were often involved. So, yeah, things sometimes got messy. I’d learned to deal, and I liked to think I was pretty damned good at it.
Then Will really stuck his foot in his mouth. “Yeah, well maybe we should take a vote and revisit that part of the partnership agreement. I don’t think you belong in the field. Ever.”
Thankfully the song ended just then, so I could escape before anyone saw the tears—or the steam that was probably coming out my ears. I was going to kill him, I swore. Just as soon as it wouldn’t ruin the wedding.
I fled the dance floor through a glass door to the hotel gardens. They had little fairy lights twinkling in the trees, and it was a balmy, beautiful evening. I scurried through the garden until I found a bench under a tree, pretty much hidden from everything. I let the tears run their course, wiping them away with a napkin I’d grabbed from the bar on my way past.
I didn’t hear him creep up on me—the man has the movements of a damned cat. While my hearing is better than the average human, even when I’m not in my raven form, even I
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