Banshee (Mystic Guardians #5.5)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Daniel

Daniel Ravenwood’s clawed fingers tapped on the keyboard as he followed another digital thread into the depths of the internet.

He loved digging deep into the dark web.

It was one of his favorite parts of his job, and he was damn good at it.

He’d worked at Protective Solutions for more than eight years now, and he inevitably got lost in the thrill of searching out answers only he could find.

Only twice in those eight years had Daniel not found what he was looking for, and he was working on one of those now.

A twist of painful nostalgia gripped him at the thought of the other.

He swallowed back the lump that had gathered in his throat.

As a banshee, he never let his emotions get the best of him.

He couldn’t. Too much of a buildup, and his sonic scream would be busting the million windows this office building held.

So he buried the heart-wrenching memory deep inside and got back to work.

He’d be taking the memory back out later, continuing the fruitless search for Aaron that had consumed him for the past five years.

For now, though, he needed to focus on a string of magical item thefts that had been happening in Seattle as well as in a circle of cities and towns around his city. Some of those items were extremely dangerous and needed to be found.

His gut told him the perpetrator lived in this area, and after digging deep into the internet, he’d found a message board where someone was posting before an actual theft, looking for the location of a particular item. And this item they were looking for was one of the most dangerous ones.

But whoever had posted knew how to hide their tracks with anonymizing browsers.

A lot of his job was reading through endlessly boring conversation to find the nuggets of treasure.

It was also about following trails, which was what he was going to focus on today.

And when those trails got deep enough, he had wicked tech tools he’d created himself.

It was just going to take a little time and heavy concentration, but Daniel would trace the thieves.

He dug in.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been hunched over his computer when Xavier walked into his office.

Daniel swung his rolling chair around, eyeing his employer with appreciation.

The man was drop dead gorgeous with his long, sable hair and his svelte but muscular body.

Today, he wore slim black slacks and a heavy burgundy cable-knit sweater that emphasized his lean strength.

Daniel had a real appreciation for that form, but that was all he felt around Xavier. No chemistry.

Not like he’d felt with Aaron.

He scowled as, once again, Aaron intruded on his thoughts.

“Is that scowl for me or work related?” Xavier asked as he walked farther into the office.

“Neither,” Daniel replied, quickly rearranging his scowl into his usual smile. “I was caught in the arcane twists and turns of your sweater. Looks warm and toasty.” He flapped the collar of his own shirt. He was comfortable today in his thin blue button-down and jeans.

Xavier smiled faintly. “It is.” He usually dressed warmly, as he kept the temperature in the office lower than most human workplaces, for the preternaturals who naturally ran hot.

Daniel was one of those, so he appreciated the thoughtfulness. Xavier tended to brush off gratitude, but an occasional subtle jibe about fashion got the point across just as well. And helped to distract Daniel from his own thoughts. Just like work did. “What did you need?”

“It seems there is another group searching for the thief, a government group. I knew they existed, but this is the first time they have reached out to me. They know we are also looking, so they’re sending someone here to compare notes, so to speak.

I want you to work with this man. A Noel Banner.

I’ll be meeting with him first thing tomorrow. ”

“Another digital investigator?”

“No, he’s a field agent.”

Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Why? Do they think you wouldn’t have a takedown covered?” He couldn’t imagine how a human field agent, however skilled, would be anything but a hindrance in a magical investigation.

“I’m not sure, but it is what it is.”

Daniel’s jaw tightened instantly with a pang of resentment. “Can’t you just tell them we don’t need him?”

Xavier gave an elegant shrug. “It would behoove me to foster a positive relationship with this organization.”

Surprise filled Daniel at Xavier’s casual acceptance. It was so out of character. “What’s the organization?”

“Arcane Intelligence.”

Daniel whistled. “I’ve come across them a time or two and wasn’t able to dig into them at all. Whoever they have doing their security is seriously good.”

“It’s a mostly human-run group, but they do have a couple of wizards and even a mage.”

“How do you know that?”

Xavier waved his hand. “I have my ways.”

Daniel just nodded, knowing he wouldn’t be getting any more details on that subject. His boss had a habit of sharing only the information he deemed absolutely necessary, which was sometimes frustrating.

Xavier grabbed another rolling chair and brought it close to Daniel’s desk. “Show me what you’ve found today.” He sat down and leaned forward to look at the screens.

Daniel showed him the post requesting the powerful amulet’s location and the reply that someone knew who had it. He also showed Xavier the trace he currently had set up. “I should be able to pinpoint both posters within a few days.”

“Good work. But then, you always come through. To my knowledge that particular amulet has not been stolen. It’s under heavy wards—guarded by someone with powerful magic.” Xavier leaned back in his chair and gave him a look that was rather intense. “Tell me something, Daniel. Are you happy here?”

Daniel lifted both eyebrows. “Very much so. Why do you ask?”

“Because you still occasionally ask to go into the field.”

“That’s just because my banshee nature gets a little restless sometimes.

But I know you prefer having your bigger employees out on the jobs.

Most clients would take one look at me and immediately send me back.

” Daniel waved a hand indicating his body.

He stood five-eight, a respectable height, and his build was slim.

He wasn’t large and muscular like a lot of the bodyguards at Protective Solutions.

Xavier smiled. “Any client who did that would be a fool.” He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “Though I do find it hard to find jobs that require your particular talents.”

“No clients ordering a death prediction today?” Daniel quipped.

It wasn’t a flashy power, but it could be useful, on occasion.

But he understood Xavier’s dilemma completely.

His ability to cause hallucinations had some subtle field uses, but his scream…

Well, it wasn’t subtle at all. Not a lot of jobs called for complete and utter havoc.

“I know I’m more useful here on the computer, and most of the time it’s exciting enough to corral the banshee side of me. ”

Xavier nodded but didn’t release Daniel from his penetrating gaze. “I’ve also sensed an occasional melancholy from you. Your personal life is private, of course, but I don’t want to lose you. Your work here is invaluable.”

“I have no plans to go anywhere. I love my job.” He hadn’t realized the downward spiral of his emotions when he thought about Aaron was so obvious.

He hadn’t planned to share what was wrong with his employer, but his brain apparently had a different agenda.

“The sadness is from…well… I met someone a long time ago, someone I felt an unnaturally strong connection to, and he disappeared. Now that I know humans can be soulmates, I’ve been wondering if maybe he could have been mine.

Not that he ever mentioned seeing preternaturals.

But then, we only had a short time together and we were…

interested in other things.” He chuckled, his cheeks heating.

Xavier lifted an eyebrow. “And you can’t find him? That surprises me. In my experience, you can find anyone.”

“He just disappeared. Obviously, he didn’t feel the connection as strongly as I did.”

“Or he had important reasons.” Xavier patted his arm before walking to the door and pausing. “If he was indeed your soulmate, I have a feeling he’ll come back into your life.” With that, he left.

Daniel remained in the office late that night, giving in to the need to try and find Aaron. He’d found a lot of Aaron Sumners and investigated each one only to find none were his.

Not that Aaron was his. If he had been, he wouldn’t have just vanished like that.

They’d only spent three days together, but those seventy-two hours had been magical.

Filled with the most incredible sex he’d ever experienced—a passion like none other.

And quiet, intimate conversations. Real affection in the way they’d touched each other.

It had been incredible. Life-changing. It was the only time in his life he’d felt emotional freedom, the ability to be just himself.

It was so easy to recollect Aaron’s unusual face and caramel-colored hair.

So easy to remember the way he’d looked at Daniel with those narrow, penetrating eyes.

As always, Daniel’s emotions started to build with the memories, and he quietly shut everything down and left his office.

Xavier might have a feeling that Aaron would come back into Daniel’s life, but Daniel couldn’t just wait for that to happen. He had to know if the connection he’d felt was more than just attraction, and the only way to find out was to keep searching.

It wasn’t like his soulmate was just going to show up at his door out of the blue.