There were several of us in my team now. I’d called in reinforcements. Too many mishaps would cause chaos in our world, which meant we had to take Xvair, and especially Lucien, down immediately. Lucien was the threat with his weird connection to the line.
The talkie crackled as three people affirmed that they were in place. The Battersea power station had been out of use for many years. It was run down and derelict, the inside a gaping open chasm.
Through the doors and somewhere in there, Lucien hid. Devon was keeping an eye on the map to make sure his blood didn’t move.
“Each of them are stationed at the exit points that we could find,” Dave said, waving Jake over from the van we’d arrived in. “They’re going to stay on standby as we investigate inside.”
“I’m ready to shift,” Jake said as he joined us. “Kate’s just strapping on her bulletproof vest.”
We all had them, including me. Yep, I wasn’t able to die, but I had to show Paranormal MI5 that I was acting normal. Otherwise, they’d question me. The real danger came from being completely drained of magic. Hopefully, Lucien would be caught before he attempted to do that again.
“Brilliant, thank you for offering to smell him out. You know the scent of his blood, and his clothes, so hopefully you can lead us straight to him.” Clicking my gun’s barrel into place, I put it into my holster, ready to take down the bastard who had caused so much trouble.
Kate skipped over, a smile on her face. “I love the chase.”
Really? That wasn’t something I’d noticed about her before. She’d been pretty quiet over the last few weeks, frustrated with herself for not being able to read Lucien’s movements. However, finally being able to give us some clues had boosted her confidence. It made a big difference.
Retreating, Jake went behind the van to shift. Shifters sometimes had a thing about shifting in front of people, especially when not in fight or flight mode. Not that I minded, it looked extremely painful when their bones cracked and realigned.
“Dave, you’ve laid out a brilliant brief and plan of attack, thank you.”
His cheeks flared red as he gave me a curt nod. “No problem.”
“Jake’s in front, Gemma and Dave behind, me bringing up the rear. No problem.” Kate tied her big bouncy hair into a bun, her brown eyes alight with excitement.
Nerves made my hands shake as I tightened my own ponytail. My leather trousers were paired with knee high boots and a T-shirt that read Fantasy is the new Reality. The open book and quill pen shimmered gold when the sunlight brushed against it. I was ready for the fight.
“We only have half an hour before the darkness comes. We’d better hurry.” Dave waved the wolf form of Jake over as he came out from behind the van.
The size of him always shocked me. He was almost as tall as me, his bright blue eyes looking straight into mine as he huffed his dog breath in my direction. Reaching up to stroke him behind the ear, I grinned to myself when Dave huffed in a similar fashion. Surely, he wasn’t jealous?
“It’s time,” my desk friend said as an alarm on his wristwatch beeped.
Glancing at each one of them, I nodded. “It’s time.”
Without another word, Jake took the lead. We were in the street outside Battersea. The other teams were assembled. Dave had his tablet on him, ready to call them in for backup if needed. Passing the walkie talkie to Kate, I allowed her to take control of communication. I would be too busy trying to kill the serial killer.
Well, kill was a strong word. I had to try and get him alive, but if he wouldn’t come alive, I would take him back dead. I wasn’t messing around anymore. Too many lives were at stake.
Following Jake, Dave and I kept our focus on the building in front of us. The old power station rose tall, its height disturbing to me. What if Lucien used that to his advantage?
The walkie crackled as we ducked through a broken doorway, the previous door completely gone. “We can detect movement on the ground in the very centre of the clearing,” one of our field agents said.
Kate affirmed, her voice low as we slunk into the shadows. There were outer walls, but the inside was completely empty. It was open to the elements, the inside and roof completely vanished. That would make it harder for us to hide, but also for them to hide too. They had no advantage.
“Is that...?” Dave whispered.
My gaze focused on where he pointed. Yep, in the middle of the area, Xvair’s house sat proudly. The bastard had physically moved it. Did they know that we were here? I hadn’t felt any barrier spell.
“Let’s go.” My order was followed as Jake trotted out, straight towards the house.
Our footsteps were silent as we walked in a line. Grabbing my gun, I kept it beside me as I checked around us. Dave was doing the same, his eyes not staying fixed to any one thing.
Sniffing the air, Jake growled low in his throat. The sound was barely audible, but I heard it as he burst into a run, heading straight for the house.
Hesitating, I held back for two seconds. When Jake ran freely for a while, I picked up my pace, Dave and Kate following closely behind. What was going on? This was too easy.
“Keep on guard,” I told the others as we got nearer the house.
Jake stood at the bottom of the steps, his head nudging my side when I reached him. He looked at the door, seemingly indicating that they were in there. When his huge nose sniffed again, I nodded to confirm that I understood.
“My turn to lead,” I whispered as quietly as I could to Dave and Kate.
Leaving Jake to keep guard, we crept up the steps. Trying the handle of the door,
