.Chapter Seven .

Deven let Tess off the bike next to the door before driving it around to the garage. Entering the house didn't give him the usual sense of ease. He stretched out his tight muscles in an effort to convince them to relax now that they were back home again.

But his mind wouldn't stop spinning. Everything here seemed the same. He just couldn't put his finger on what was keeping him on edge.

Tess was waiting for him near the kitchen door. "Want me to fix up something for us to eat? You've got to be as hungry as I am after all that travel. I'm thinking it was a mistake now and wish we'd flown out there."

All five of his senses keyed into her as if they'd been searching for her all along. She walked right up to him, close enough to feel her body heat.

"Well?"

Why was his body craving hers even now after being glued together for the far too long trip home? He should be putting space between them and trying to regain control over himself. "Nah, there's no need for that, is there?"

She caught his elbow when he tried to turn away and escape. "Well, I just thought it might be nice to have lunch with my new hubby."

He stumbled to a stop. "Was that a joke?"

"Maybe."

"You know this was just a mission, right?" He said this to her as bluntly as possible. Maybe she'd understand. Maybe his wolf would finally get a clue too.

"I'm not so sure about that." She looked him straight in the eye for a moment. Her voice was a bit lower, but she managed to speak loud enough for him to hear every word crystal clear. "We did the walk, said the vows and signed the papers. Ferdi had registration documents backed up on the computer. If they were real, I think we're married."

A strange feeling tightened in his chest at her words. Married… to Tessa? They hadn't known each other long but he'd consciously tried to see her as a sister. Despite the fact that his wolf wanted to use a different label.

"Would it really be so horrible?".

He was at a loss for how he should handle this. What would Quinn think? The old vampire had basically taken them both in. He'd had no one until Quinn had taken pity on him. Tessa was pretty much the same. It might be strange, but he had wanted to think of her as family just like Quinn had hoped. Wouldn't targeting Tess be a betrayal?

"No answer huh? No problem. I like the strong silent type."

He needed to stop this from happening even if it was all one big bluff. What she was suggesting… he couldn't handle it. He had to shut it down before it became a bigger mistake. "Tess, don't even kid about it. You're like a sister to me." He wanted to mean the words, but they felt completely wrong even as they passed his lips. "Besides the ceremony was fake. The minister was just a criminal. You shouldn't tease me too much."

* * *

Tessa watched Deven run away with his steady stride and stiff shoulders. Sharing a meal with him had been a sweet idea but alone, she just didn't have much of an appetite.

Instead, she showered and changed her clothes before heading to her office to check up on the data collection. Since they'd missed out on catching the Soldier Boy, she would need to adjust the search criteria and try to find where he would head next.

She got lost in her tech for a while. It was a nice distraction from all her daydreams about Deven, but it had been one hell of a long day. And she still needed to report to Quinn, which would almost certainly mean a confession about her botched mission.

She cringed a bit from the coming meeting. Strangely, he was never harsh with her. So far, every single reprimand had been because he was worried about her doing something he felt was dangerous. This time would likely be the same.

She hesitated outside his open office door. She"d paused just out of sight, but she was certain he would know she was there. How was she going to justify going against his request to avoid visions when it hadn"t even panned out useful information? She"d known it going in, that all the intel they"d gather at the chapel wouldn"t be worth the time and effort put into the mission. And she"d still pushed to make it happen simply because she"d wanted to spend the day with Deven. Wanted to go through the motions of their wedding and enjoy the kiss she"d seen in the vision.

"Theresa."

She let her breath out and straightened her back. And popped around the doorframe to join Quinn inside the room. A quick glance showed they were alone.

"Close the door, please."

She pulled the door closed behind her. "So, this is going to be a closed-door discussion, is it? I hope you"re not planning to fire me." The joke slipped out but behind the words was the only thing she actually feared from her big bad vampire boss. Please, don"t send me away.

"Come on over and sit down so we can have a proper talk."

She dropped onto the slightly uncomfortable Victorian couch across from the matching one that Quinn sat on.

"Relax, I"m not angry." He didn't look angry. He looked the same as always, calm and relaxed.

"Sure, sure. Why would you be angry?" Even if his face didn't show even a hint of irritation, she couldn't help but worry after how she had abused his trust over the last few days.

"You seem concerned about how your first field mission went. You shouldn't be. You did not fail that mission."

She couldn't understand how the results could be considered anything except failure. "We didn"t collect any new information and we let the forger get away."

"True. But you confirmed much of the data that we already had. And now we have someone to keep an eye on for future issues."

She supposed he was right, but the truth is that the whole mission had been a selfish waste of time which just happened to be something they did not have to spare. "I"m sorry, Quinn."

"What are you sorry about?"

"Have you talked to Deven yet?"

"Yes, he came in with his report already. Just like you he was disappointed that the forger got away."

She was surprised. Was that all he"d said? Had Deven managed to keep their... encounter a secret? She"d been certain he would spill everything to Quinn the moment he"d returned. Now what? Should she confess any of it herself? Nope. No way could she do that.

Quinn picked up a saucer and teacup from the coffee table. After a few seconds he took a sip and then turned his attention back to her. "Deven put in an analysis request for some powder that you were both exposed to. I will be sending that to the Bureau labs. Is there any information you think we should include in that request?"

What could she add? Something like how the exposure had led to her and Deven going on a sexual rampage that she didn"t regret even a little? "Umm... no, I"m sure he can handle the wording."

"He seemed to be concerned about possible long-term effects from the exposure. Have you noticed anything to cause worry?"

"Nope I"m good. Is Deven okay?"

He took another sip before answering. "He seems fine now."

Something about how he"d paused and the way he"d added the word now... Had something happened? Had the drugs done something to Deven? "Are you trying to spook me? Is Deven okay or not?"

He smiled just a bit. "Deven was unsettled by the trip he took with me and still stressed even after we returned. Whatever happened with your mission must have relaxed him. There is no sign... Well, he seems to be much better now."

She had noticed that he was a little bit on edge, but it hadn"t seemed all that significant to her. "Do you mind if I ask what it was that bothered him?" She had a hard time imagining Deven being phased by much. And from their talk it hadn"t seemed like their trip to LA had been particularly eventful.

"I will let him share the details if he wishes, but as his partner you should know some so that you can support him when needed. Basically, the ocean or other significant amounts of water are difficult for him to deal with."

"He can"t swim?"

"He can."

"Ahh..." So, he could swim but being near the ocean bothered him. It did make her curious. Whatever problem Deven had with water, he'd managed to hide it well enough that she'd never even seen a hint of it. "Gotcha."

"And now for a more important topic. Let's talk about how you found the information about the chapel."

"Crap. I thought you"d forgotten." More like she had hoped he had. This would surely be about her using the visions after a direct order to avoid doing so.

"I did not forget." His voice was unexpectedly cold.

She flinched. "A girl can dream..."

"A girl can listen to her boss now and then. I believe I asked you not to use your vision so much. Theresa, you were still recovering from the aftereffects of a bad one when you decided to take the risk again."

"It wasn"t like that--"

He cut her off. "I"m sure it wasn"t." He sighed and stirred his tea for a second as if he needed to calm himself. "My request was not offered just for kicks. Your ability to see occasional glimpses is a true blessing that we should never take for granted."

"Sorry. I just wanted to help."

"I'm aware that some of your visions can't be stopped, but I do want you to avoid trying to force them. For the time being, please stick to using technology." He took another sip of tea before putting the cup and saucer back on the table and picking up a plain white envelope. "There was a letter in the post for you." He held it out and waited for her to take it.

"Who would be sending me a letter?" She took the letter and flipped it over to read the return address. "Ah, it"s from my foster home." It had been nearly five years since they"d initiated any contact. She"d sent gifts and letters to the facility but never had any response. Her last letter had given her new address here at the agency. But what would have made them bother to write?

"You can open it here or later. The choice is yours." He must have assumed that she didn"t want to open it in front of him because of her hesitation.

She ripped it open. The single page fell out into her hands. The letter inside was short.

Dear Theresa, we found a box of your old things and will forward them to you. Hope you are well.

The DeLucas

Quinn had watched her quietly. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I"m sure. They just wanted to let me know they were sending some of my things here so I could watch for the package."

"I see." His expression didn't change, and he didn't ask any more questions. Of course, he had a detailed file about her past already.

"I"d better get back to work."

"Don"t forget. No more seeking visions, at least for now."

She nodded and stood up. "I"ll be careful." That was the best she could offer.

She really did intend to listen. There were plenty of ways she could track down information without actively seeking visions. She immersed herself in doing exactly that and managed to get through several hours of mostly not obsessing over Deven.

Tessa's fingers slammed over the keys at lightning speed. She wanted to be with him. Needed to get him to admit the truth. After the heat they'd obviously felt in the chapel there was no way to deny they were or at least shouldn't be more than siblings.

She could almost hear Quinn's whispered wisdom. Give him time. There's no need to rush.

So why did it feel like a now or never moment? Quinn was right. Deven was still young for his kind. He thought she was too. But with her genetics still mostly a mystery, who could tell what her future held.

All she knew for certain was if she'd found something she really wanted then she should do everything she could to claim that happiness. So, what if she was only twenty-nine? If she had a human lifespan, then she was inching toward old biddy. Sure, she might have more than the usual hundred but if so then she could tie him down early and keep him a little longer.

Though if she had to be honest, being forward like this was all new to her. It was going to take some practice but with some work she was sure she could move closer to who she wanted to be. A big part of that was knowing what she wanted and working toward making it happen.

When was it she'd fallen for Deven?

Was this a love at first sight kind of thing? If not, it was darn close to it. She'd been a bystander in a robbery. Deven had busted in and taken down the perp in seconds. His actions had protected a lot of people.

He'd done what she'd been too scared to do.

The perp hadn't been more than a werewolf pup being stupid, just a left over from a broken clan. She had enough strength to take him out, or even the wits to lure him out before the violence started.

Instead, she'd been a deer in the headlights. A victim waiting to happen. But that wasn't the person she wanted to be.

After Deven had escorted the perp out, then Quinn and a couple uniforms had walked in to get statements. The old vampire had been easy to identify. She kind of wondered why no one else seemed bothered by what he was. Eventually she figured out that others didn't see him the way she did.

When she'd reacted to him in the only way that made sense, his attention was drawn immediately to her. And he wasn't one to let prey escape easily. Lucky for her, he was also quick to explain the situation.

But the real clincher had been watching Deven and how he'd interacted with the victims at that scene.

And after that there was no going back. She'd never gotten close to anyone who wasn't human until then. Maybe she shouldn't have latched on like she did. But when Quinn had contacted her a week later about upgrading their computers, she'd jumped onboard and asked him to let her stay.

That had been a year ago. A lot had changed in that time. She was kind of proud to say, most of the changes had been inside her. Being in Division Eight had opened her eyes to a whole new world. She'd met lots of different people that she never would have before. And grown close to Deven and Quinn.

Just like family.

No, more than that. The family that had raised her had never been like them. They'd been distant and unavailable emotionally. Eighteen and out kind of fosters.

She was grateful to them. Clara and Reggie Deluca didn't need to take in unwanted kids. Still, they did. When she was around eleven, she'd realized that part of that was about the money they got. Reggie worked as a mailman and Clara stayed with the kids.

There were usually between four and eight kids at any given time. Some were long term like her and others short term until better options came along.

She still called them now and then to check in. And made sure to send gifts to them and the younger kids every Christmas.

She'd always be grateful. They'd helped her become an independent adult. But she'd never once felt like they would accept the real her.

Some girls got boobs in their teens. She'd gotten boobs and wings. It had been a real trauma. Up until that point she'd always assumed she was just like everyone else. She just had slightly better senses than the average person.

By the time she was living on her own, she knew it was a lot more than that and some feathers. She could smell, see and hear much better than humans and sometimes when she wasn't careful, she could hear people's thoughts. Oh, and she was fast, like crazy fast even without using her wings.

Meeting Quinn had been a real life-changing experience. He'd seen she was different right away. And he found it interesting, not scary. And Deven… he'd shown her just how to use her extra skills. How to make a difference in their shared world.

Quinn's offer had been very welcome. More than a job offer, it had felt like a chance for a real family. It was pretty far outside her comfort zone but that hadn't stopped her from jumping in headfirst.

True to his promise, Quinn had offered her on-the-job training, but let her start off on the computers. He'd even said that if she wanted, she could stay behind the screen and leave the field work to him and Deven. And Zeven. Not long after she'd started, Deven had brought his brother into the fold.

She still had some reservations about him. Not that she'd say anything out loud. Joining this group had to be hard on him after his years of being alone.

She'd run the background on Zeven, even before Deven had tracked him down. She knew just what kind of cold life he'd been living, and she'd managed to piece together a lot of what had led him to that point. It wasn't as if he could just change jobs and suddenly have a whole new soul. He was a man with a lot of darkness in him. Quinn had advised her to keep her findings to herself unless Deven specifically asked for the details. She agreed.

Deven was happy to have his brother back in his life. Even if he was still stubborn about admitting the truth.

But for her part, she tried to treat him like everyone else. But no matter what her intentions were, just being in the room with him made her shoulder blades itch. Long ago she'd noticed that reaction as a form of self-defense, almost as if her body knew there was danger, and she might have to flee at any moment.

The feeling had faded some in the past year. She hoped that meant that Zeven was becoming less dangerous and more protective of them all.

Despite her random musings, her fingers had never slowed on the keys. Data continued to add up in the flood from her recent access to the FBI intel on Soldier Boy. Some of it only confirmed the previous information. This search had turned up much greater details about his past and his family.

Bishop had been a good soldier. He'd led many missions and been quite the hero. It was chilling to think of his military skills being used by the murderer that he had become. She was compiling a list of deaths that were likely linked to him already. Starting in LA but moving quickly across several states. He might have been a hero before, but he'd become something else in the last few days.

She should update Quinn. Between that information and the little bit that she'd gained from running details from the forger's computer, there was at least a little more to work with. She fired up the printer.

A few minutes after the printer started churning out pages, Quinn knocked on the open door. He smiled with that oddly gentle expression that he usually wore. "What did you find?"

Of course, he would know she'd found something. "Take a look."

Quinn took several of the pages and flipped through them. His expression growing darker with each page.

"I was hoping he might be able to hold onto his moral code despite having no proper guidance, but it doesn't look promising."

"Do you think he even knows what's going on?"

"By now, he should have a basic understanding of his situation. I'm concerned by how powerful he appears to be already. For him to be travelling and hunting so well on his own could make him dangerous even for us. If possible, I still hope we can apprehend him alive."

She'd learned early on that Quinn and Deven did not automatically kill off the target. In a way they were the only ones that might be able to fairly judge paranormal crimes that normal humans might not even try to understand.

Quinn picked up the folder with the collected data on the crime spree. His smile faded and then drew into a slight frown.

"Is he savable?"

"It's too soon to say. The data suggests that he has enough control to kill and know what he is doing. But there is still a slim chance that he may not understand that he has the ability to not take lives in order to survive. Our focus will be on stopping him from doing any more damage. The only possible way to save him will be to get him to willingly surrender."

She found this part of the job harder to understand. She wanted to believe that people could change. She also thought that the families of the victims should have the right to find closure. During her year with the agency, she'd come to realize that there was a lot of grey area in between those ideals.

"Have you figured out where he is heading?"

She tapped her fingers over the second stack of papers. The top page had a photo of a happy couple holding a newborn baby. "Yes. His wife and son live in San Antonio. I believe he is trying to go home to his family."

"Good job."

She ducked her head under the praise. Why did she even react this way? Over a year later and she still got a warm feeling of acceptance anytime Quinn or Deven acknowledged her ability to contribute. When would it happen? When would she finally feel like an essential part of the team?

"Contact Deven and update him on the target's likely destination. That might help them get ahead of the spree and maybe prevent some deaths."