Chapter 2 - Olivia

"I can't believe this is your last mission," I say, trying to keep the whining out of my voice. Beside me, Veronica laughs, tossing her long, dark brown hair over her shoulder. Veronica doesn't usually wear a wig during the missions but occasionally puts one on.

I think of one of our first missions together, when she surprised me by wearing a pink wig while I wore a brown one. It was like we were swapping identities for the night.

We're sitting in a hotel bar, waiting for the event to start so we can hand over our fake invitations and join the festivities. My blood feels hot, itchy. The anticipation is almost too much.

Percy is off somewhere, weaseling into a cocktail waiter's uniform. Even I have to admit that he looks pretty good when he cleans up, but he has this obsession with being staff for our missions. Last weekend, he was dressed as an electrician.

"The suits are itchy," he had complained, when I asked him why he wouldn't just dress up and come to the party with us.

"And you're telling me that isn't?" I'd asked, nodding at his jumpsuit.

"It's not my last mission," Veronica says now, drawing me out of my memories, "but Percy and I agreed that it would be a good idea for me to take it easy until the baby is born."

It makes sense—considering the fact that there's no precedent for this kind of birth. Veronica and I have already talked at length about her fears for the delivery—how Maisie and the other paranormal doctors who will be present will be dealing with the first childbirth of its kind.

The first true vampire-shifter hybrid.

A look of fear and exhaustion crosses Veronica's face, and I know this has been a lot for her. Before getting tied up with the Rosecreek pack, she was a traveling nurse, and dated Percy briefly years ago. He ghosted her because she was a human—and he would have gotten a lot of shit from Aris and the rest of them for dating a human. It's unheard of.

Except for the fact that Veronica isn't a human.

When Percy was under the effects of Varun's serum, he'd kidnapped her, his delusion making him think he was "keeping her safe." After being freed from Percy's cabin in the woods, Veronica was planning on leaving Rosecreek for good. That is, until she was attacked by vampires, and the venom activated what was, apparently, already inside her.

When Veronica swallows hard, then takes a sip from her glass, it brings me back to the present. There's no need to talk about what this pregnancy might do to her, and whether or not the baby will survive, so, instead, I try to focus on a more light-hearted conversation topic.

"Any names picked out?"

"Well," she says, eyes lighting up as she sets her martini glass filled with water on the bar. "Percy and I were thinking of naming her Zelie. After his grandmother."

"That's beautiful," I murmur, my stomach twisting.

Without meaning to, I think of Byron. My brain instantly conjures images of his sharp jaw, the way he smiles when he turns back from his computer, how he had, briefly, mentioned the idea of me putting a computer in that room, too.

I'd wanted it so bad. Matching set-ups, mine pink and his blue, the ability to play games together or work on projects while close enough to touch.

But Byron changed his mind about me. Or maybe he'd never even wanted me to begin with. Maybe I was nothing more than a distraction for him.

Veronica may be scared about her pregnancy, and I am, too. I want nothing more than for her to be safe and healthy after her baby comes into this world.

But I also can't deny that I'm so, so jealous of her.

As much fun as being out on these missions is, that feeling is dampened every time I see Percy and Veronica share a look, slide their hands together, or giggle when going into their room.

My body aches for my mate, aches for Byron, wants him more than I've ever wanted anything in my life.

But he doesn't want me. He made that perfectly clear.

Beautiful ladies at the bar , a voice projects into our heads, and Veronica and I glance subtly over to where Percy is standing at the edge of the lobby with a large group of servers. Put on your game faces—the ball is about to start .

***

I've been in many beautiful places, but I did not expect to be blown away by a ballroom in Union Station. Growing up in California, I didn't know much about the Midwest. I knew about New York, of course, and about places like Texas—Dallas and Houston—and famous cities like New Orleans, but the Midwest was always a sort of shapeless lump to me.

I imagined the entire region was just full of cornfields. Maybe horses and tractors. But now that I've lived in Minnesota for the past few years, and in Rosecreek specifically, I've realized that there's a lot of beauty here.

When Bigby first showed up at our house in California, demanding that Rosa and Kaila go with him, I'd known it was the right choice for our safety. But it was still disheartening to leave behind the ocean and drive for hours to a town in the middle of nowhere.

That is until we settled in Rosecreek, and I fell in love with the lake and, the people and the natural beauty.

Now, I hold my champagne flute and gaze up at the vaulted ceiling, which is gorgeous shades of emerald and gold. Someone to my left whispers about the wedding that was held here just the day before, and I can see it—how elegant and grand it would be to have your wedding in a place like this.

I bite my lip, once again pushing away thoughts of Byron.

Soon after Rosa, Kaila, and I arrived in Rosecreek, there was a point that I thought Byron and I might get married. I'd pictured the whole thing—our colors, flowers, and how I'd have Kaila be the flower girl.

And now, I'm out here doing missions partly because I can't stand coming home to an empty apartment every night.

Veronica floats past me on the other side of the room, working her magic, and I try to muster up the same courage. Having traveled all over, she has a certain handle on meeting new people and striking up conversations.

Rosa, Kaila, and I spent many, many years living in our little house, just the three of us. Rosa and I had always worried about how that would affect Kaila's social abilities, but I never thought about how it affected me.

During those years, I learned how to be self-sufficient. How to comfort myself, be independent, not long for companionship. Of course, Rosa and I had each other, but there's a distinct difference between the comfort of a friend and that of a partner.

"Good evening, miss," an older man says, and I jump, putting my hand to my heart and turning to him. "Sorry," he says, his face wrinkling as he gives me a soft grin. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Don't worry about it," I say, laughing, my eyes darting to Percy for just a moment.

Alexander Juarez, he sends. Investor and political advocate. One of our suspects.

"Beautiful ball," he says, "miss…?"

"Oh," I laugh, "Opal Ortega."

"What a beautiful name," he says, taking my hand and planting a kiss on it like we're in the 1800s. "Opal, I'm Alexander Juarez, but you can call me Alex."

"Okay, Alex," I laugh, leaning back on the bar and pretending to flirt with him. "What brings you to the party today?"

"Oh, I am much more interested in learning about you," he says, his eyes sharp, and I feel a bead of sweat form on my brow. Is he staring at my hairline?

Percy , I send. D o I have pink showing?

No, you're all clear.

I let out a little breath and take a sip of my drink, desperately trying to hide my nervousness.

When Aris first announced that he planned to start his own paranormal agency, I knew it was my chance to get out of Rosecreek, to break out of the tech role I'd driven myself into. All that was doing was forcing me to be around Byron nonstop. At least out in the field, I can spend as much time outside of Rosecreek as possible.

"What do you want to learn?" I ask, raising my eyebrows suggestively. Getting back into this guy's room would be the ideal situation, as it may allow me to find some intel.

"Well," he says, under his breath, "for one, is that your natural hair color?"

"Mr. Juarez!"

"Please, call me Alex."

"Alex, you must know that is a question you never ask a lady," I say, eyes flicking to the top of his head and what is clearly a toupee. "In fact, maybe a question you never ask anyone."

He touches a hand self-consciously to his head, then clears his throat, nodding.

"My apologies," he says, his face blushing red. "I've just always had a special interest in redheads."

Gross.

"I've always had a special interest in men named Alexander," I murmur, sidling closer to him. His blush grows in intensity. If this is our man, he's doing an excellent job in hiding his true nature. Surely, the man who's intimately involved with the recent spike in vampire activity wouldn't be so shy and unsure of himself.

Abort , comes a panicked message from Veronica. I have to get out of here.

What is it? Percy's panicked message comes through immediately, and I lock eyes with him.

Do not go to her , I warn, extricating myself from Mr. Juarez and sidling over to Veronica's side of the room. You'll blow our cover.

I'm having pains , Veronica sends, her mental link strained, coming through weakly, almost like it would if she was speaking through her teeth. There's a deep, terrible sense of anticipatory grief and horror in her voice. In my stomach .

Wait outside , I send to Percy without looking at him. I know how badly he wants to come to her side, but we can't reveal ourselves. Not only will it blow our cover now, the careful work we've been doing to blend in at all these parties, but it will also ruin future missions—the ones in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Kansas City.

When I get to Veronica, she's standing tall, smiling with white teeth at an older gentleman. I reach her side and tug her arm.

"Hey," I say, hand to my stomach. I mimic her panicked message. "I'm having some pain," I say, "I think there might be a problem…with the baby."

The man she was talking to opens his mouth in shock, taking a step back from me, as though he believes a pregnant woman might explode into labor at any moment.

"Oh, no," she says, and I marvel at how her voice doesn't betray a single ounce of the pain and worry she's experiencing. "We'll have to cut our night early and get you to the doctor. Come on."

With that, Veronica takes my arm and leads me out of the room, and it's only when we're in the car that she collapses into Percy's arms, tears running down her face.

"It's okay, it will be okay, love," he says, whispering into her hair. "We'll head back right away and have a doctor take a look."

"There's no bleeding," she whispers. "But that could mean nothing."

I avert my eyes from them, looking out the window and trying to give them some privacy. At the same time, my chest twists for her; I wonder if anyone will ever look at me the way Percy looks at her.