“I’m not sure who’s moving in. All I know is the for rent sign is out of the window and that always means someone is about to move in. And I’m with Liberty on the whole haunted thing. I think a demon inhabits it, scaring away all who enter,” said Isobel.
“I agree. Also, I should really get a king-size bed,” joked Liberty, even though she was grateful they were there.
Isobel shook her head as Daisy repositioned herself slightly so that they all fit on the bed.
“Libs, did you have another bad dream?” asked Isobel.
“Yep,” replied Liberty while looking at her friends. “We’re a fine bunch, aren’t we?”
Isobel flashed a wide smile. “Misery loves company.”
Daisy stared at her. “Ever feel like we’re in way over our heads and that we have no idea what we’re doing or what we’re getting into?”
“I feel like we’re just winging it most days,” said Liberty. “But I also think we have to keep pushing onward. We need answers. We may not like them or really want them, but we need them.”
Isobel stared upward at the ceiling. “If for no other reason than to keep me from burning down another building and to keep Libs from flattening another trailer or sending our house into the stratosphere. When our emotions are high, we’re kind of shit at controlling whatever it is we do.”
Daisy grunted. “I just finished telling her that she wasn’t out of control. Here you come undoing all my hard work.”
Isobel side-eyed Liberty. “Otherwise known as telling the truth.”
“Let her be,” said Liberty with a grin. “She’s helping.”
Isobel blinked several times. “Did she analyze your feelings for you yet? Love it when she does that.”
“You’re kind of a butthead,” said Daisy, all while fighting a smile.
Isobel shrugged. “That’s not breaking news.”
They were all quiet for a bit, each clearly deep in thought.
Daisy was the first to speak. “Seriously, though, can you two promise to stay out of trouble while I’m at the conference? And don’t go poking around at the university looking for any more answers. I don’t want to come back to find my best friends are now lab experiments—again.”
“Why not?” asked Isobel with a deep laugh. “It was so fun the first time.”
Daisy rolled her eyes. “Yep. Butthead.”
Chapter Seven
PSI Division B Headquarters, location classified…
Rurik kept glaring at his captain as he sat in the therapy room, ready and willing to start eating anyone else who pissed him off.
Garth sniffed the air a second before he rolled his eyes, his attention going to the entranceway. “For fuck’s sake, it’s not bad enough I had to share a flight in with him, now I have to deal with him again?”
Auberi strolled into the room as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He took in the sight of the therapy equipment and frowned before looking in Rurik’s direction. “This has to suck. Pun intended.”
The vampire was a welcome relief. Something to take Rurik’s mind from the pain. Though Rurik highly doubted Garth saw the man’s arrival as such.
A lot had changed in a short span of time. Since Auberi was technically Garth’s father-in-law, killing each other was now out of the question.
Rurik stared between the men and managed to hold back a laugh as tensions rose.
“Why are you here?” asked Garth, his voice clipped. “I thought you had a meeting you were already late for.”
Auberi batted his lashes and blew Garth a kiss. “Admit it. You missed me.”
The therapist watched Auberi intensely, never once blinking.
He took notice of her and stiffened slightly. “You look as if you’re feeling better. Any more issues with nosebleeds?”
She grinned more. “Nope. I’m all better. How about you? How’s your head?”
Auberi’s brow knit.
She batted her lashes. “You mentioned you had a headache when I saw you earlier.”
“I did?” asked Auberi and then shrugged. “At my age it’s easy to forget. Though I’m not as old as the Viking. Amazing he knows his name.”
Garth looked at Rurik. “If he just happens to fall on a stake in here, back me up with my wife. Tell her it was an accident. Not that I did it.”
“Captain, he could actually fall on a stake without your aid and your mate would still think you did it,” said Rurik, earning him a laugh from the peppy therapist.
Garth grunted at Auberi. “Go away before you just so happen to fall on a stake.”
Auberi motioned to Rurik. “I am here for the bear. Not you.”
Rurik perked. “Me? Why?”
“I’ve checked over your medical charts and…”
Rurik’s shoulders lifted as he prepared to give himself over to the beast. “If you say I have to spend another week here or go through one more test, I will stake you myself and save the captain time.”
Garth leaned slightly in Auberi’s direction. “I really hope you’re here to tell him you’re not only running more tests, but he has to stay in the med unit another week. Say two weeks so he possibly removes your head. If he kills you, I can’t get in trouble with my mate for it.”
Auberi told Garth what he could do with his suggestion in French and Garth flipped him off.
The Frenchman snorted. “Trust the Viking to resort to hand gestures when words fail him.”
“Seriously, Nicolette would have to understand why I had to kill you, right?” demanded Garth.
Rurik glanced at his captain and shook his head. “She will not understand. She is American. I find they need most things explained…slowly.”
Garth snorted. “Auberi, what do you want with Rurik? Does he need to spend more time here?”
“On the contrary,” said Auberi with a smile that didn’t show any fang, something he’d no doubt practiced over the span of his life. “I caught the tail end of the intelligence briefing and I have a mission for you.”
“He’s not cleared for duty,” reminded Garth.
Rurik nearly dropped the tension ball as excitement raced through him. He stared at Garth and then pointed at Auberi. “Your father-in-law is a doctor. He can clear me for duty.”
“You just
