Darklight by Bella Forrest

Author:Bella Forrest [Forrest, Bella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nightlight Press
Published: 2019-09-07T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Four

Our bird soared over the blazing lights of Las Vegas. After the long stretch of complete desert blackness, the size and brightness of it was awe-inspiring. A million headlights traversed serpentine highways, and downtown, towering structures flashed and glittered, showing off the whole spectrum of visible color. Even from above it looked loud and gaudy. It would’ve been an incredible view if I hadn’t been wondering about the next step in our plan—and been a little squished between Dorian and Bryce.

The redbill twitched its head nervously as we descended, but every time it seemed too unsettled, Dorian brought it back to ease with the touch of his hand.

The federal police building stuck out amongst lines of strip malls and towering apartments. It was taller than the others and completely black, serious and forbidding compared to the bright palaces of escapism in downtown. Our bill circled twice before landing in a flurry of wings, tossing back its head.

A tall, lanky figure emerged from the roof access door as we dismounted. Bryce must have alerted his friend to our arrival.

The captain wavered on his feet after hopping off the bird, shaking his head a little. Even after all his years of experience, I guessed he found it hard to adjust to flying so fast. But, just as I would expect, he quickly regained his composure as he greeted his friend. He rolled with the punches, just like Dorian.

"Jim, you've gotten taller," he said as they clapped each other heartily on the back. Up close, Jim had thin-rimmed glasses and an angular face.

"And your accent has gotten uglier," Jim replied coolly. They grinned at each other. Jim’s eyes bounced between all three of us and the redbill, though he seemed remarkably calm for being in close proximity to two supernatural creatures, regardless of the fact that he’d been briefed.

Captain introduced me. "This here is First Lieutenant Sloane."

I leaned in and shook Jim's hand. "Thank you for inviting us, sir," I said. The man’s handshake was firm, almost testing. He seemed competent, even though he had a sense of humor.

"My pleasure," Jim said to me, though he looked past me to Dorian with intent, fixated eyes. He showed no fear; it seemed more like he was analyzing the situation, trying to suss it out. "And this must be our newly humanized friend." Jim’s voice lilted with just a touch of humor again, but it didn’t mask his seriousness. I imagined working under Jim would be rewarding. His manner had a good balance of businesslike and easy-going.

Dorian offered a smile and nod, extending his pale hand to Jim for a shake. "Dorian Clave," he said evenly. His posture was straight, his shoulders set in perfect confidence.

"Let's head to my office, shall we?" Jim turned and led us into the police building.

We entered his office, a dark room with wood-paneled walls. Jim had a desk somewhere beneath the mounds of papers—clutter was apparently another thing he and Bryce had in common—but Jim sat on the same side we did, his knees pointed toward Dorian's.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.