“Died?”
“Killed in the line of duty, last fall. Went up against Ballis, I heard. That didn’t end well.”
Lightning bolts fizzled in Candace’s brain. “Was your cousin named Ethan, by any chance?”
Adeola tilted his head. “He was. How did you know that?”
Candace flashed a grim smile. “We caught the case, my partner and I. When I first met you at the country club, I thought you looked familiar. Couldn’t figure out why. This explains a lot.”
The shifter nodded soberly. “We had a strong family resemblance. I followed Nosizwe because I hoped she had a new, better path for our people to walk. I thought she would bring us into an age of compromise with humanity. But all she brought was what we’ve always had. Death.” He shook his head sadly as he surveyed the scene. “My cousin died. My people died. My animals died.” He paused, met her glance then looked away as if embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Detective. I didn’t mean to attack you.”
Candace nodded sharply. “I figured.”
He dared to glance back up. “You did?”
She shrugged. “Well, after you saved me earlier, I didn’t think you’d turn around and try to kill me this time for no reason. I figured Mrs. Costas was controlling you and that’s why it happened.”
He still seemed chagrined. “I don’t have anything against you. In fact, I enjoyed meeting you the other night. When I saw you in danger, I just…acted. I didn’t want to see you get hurt. You don’t have a part in this mess.”
Candace hadn’t blushed in years. She hadn’t come close to it. She’d forgotten the feelings that could spring up at an instant when a handsome man admitted being attracted to you. How awkward and exciting it felt, all at the same time.
“Yes, I …um…I enjoyed talking to you the other night too. I didn’t enjoy getting attacked by you tonight so much, but the other night was good.” She tried to laugh lightly. It sounded like a teenage girl’s giggle in her ears, making her feel clumsy and awkward.
“You held your own,” Adeola complimented. “You’re tough.”
She had held her own. She’d survived. Ellie had survived. Now here she was, a strange man complimenting her. Flirting with her. She thought.
It’s been way too long, Candace. You’ve been out of the game so long you can’t even tell for sure.
This was ridiculous. She decided to be frank.
“Are you flirting with me?” she asked.
Adeola’s eyebrows raised, but he didn’t shy away or run off scared. “Do you want me to be?”
Candace shrugged. “I’m a cop. A homicide detective. I won’t date somebody that flaunts the law, and I don’t have the time or energy for beating around the bush. I’m not very good at relationships, but I’m willing to meet for a drink and see how things go.”
He pursed his lips and tilted his head. Damn. Why did he have to be so attractive? She’d loathed the idea of shapeshifters since she first knew of their existence, and here she was offering to meet one for a drink. What was wrong with her?
“A drink…” he said. “My place? Tomorrow? 7:30?”
“Why your place?”
“You said a drink, and I am a bartender.”
“Oh. Right.”
She paused. “I don’t know. That seems like a lot of pressure for a first date. Your place and all. I was thinking something less…less…” She noticed he was grinning and stopped. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“No, really. What?”
Now he chuckled. “You already know I’m a shapeshifter. You know about my ability. You know things about me nobody outside my family knows. And you’re hesitating to meet me for a drink at my place because it’s too intimate for a first talk, right? I get it. It’s just…ironic.”
Candace caught the good-natured humor and quirked a smile. “I hear you. But I’d still prefer a more public setting. After all, you’re a shapeshifter and I’m a cop. I don’t know exactly what side of the law you’re on.”
“The side of law and order, always.” He said it stiffly, saluting like a soldier. Candace rolled her eyes.
“I’m police, not military.”
“Right.”
His attention drifted toward the others, picking themselves up, picking up the pieces now that the war was finally over.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen to them,” he said, “now that Sean Costas and Nosizwe are both gone. Somebody will step up to lead, I’m sure. I do know that I’m out on any future divides along party lines. If I have to keep to myself, that’s fine. I’d rather live a quiet, normal life anyway. As quiet and normal as I can. All of this division and killing…” He shook his head. Fell silent.
Candace breathed a sigh. “I have a feeling I know who might step up. And I think he’ll do his best to keep the peace. Even if he wouldn’t, she’ll make sure that he does.”
Adeola seemed puzzled. “Who are you talking about?”
She jerked her chin towards Ballis, still holding his wife. “The guy left standing who can apparently travel between worlds, has magic blood, a magic sword, and all that crazy stuff.”
“Hmmm.” Adeola nodded thoughtfully. “You may be right. He is married to a human woman, too. Maybe that will help us in the long run with bridging the gap.”
“Maybe.” She switched subjects. “So, 7:30 tomorrow? At Finnegan’s? You know the place?”
He flashed a smile, his teeth bright against the darkness of his skin and the night surrounding them. “I can find it. I’ll be there.”
Candace didn’t know whether to end the exchange with a handshake or a hug. Either seemed awkward. Instead, she backed away.
“Great. Now I’m going to find my partner, who’s due for a good butt-chewing. Then I’ll have to figure out how to clean up this mess.”
Damn. More bodies to hide. After tonight, she was through helping these shifters cover their tracks, and she’d tell Ballis that.
Candace looked over at him. He still stood there, arms around his wife, simply holding her. Ellie had calmed and was leaning into his chest, clutching
