Chapter One

Ari and Eoghan topped up their coffees and walked into Chief Deputy Priest's office a couple of minutes after leaving the bullpen where people still talked about the reporter and his exploding head. Ari had so many questions about what he'd just witnessed but he hadn't imagined the urgency in Priest's voice when she'd ordered them into her office. Whoever this escaped fugitive was, had to either be someone important, or have done something heinous or of special note in the past.

"Have a seat and I'll bring you both up to speed," she said the second she spotted them coming through the door. "This won't take long. I've already told Wordy to gather your gear, so it'll be waiting for you. You both have overnight bags, right?"

Ari nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He and Eoghan always had clean clothes in their lockers, along with their firearms—which he was rapidly learning, weren't worth a whole lot in the scheme of things. Over the last few weeks, he'd discovered several weapons which were far from standard Marshals Service issue that worked better for the kind of creatures they faced. Wordy, their weapon's master, cared for them like his own children down in the armory. Ari found out that the I.S.R. also possessed alien tech which had been either accidentally left behind on Earth or unearthed after being purposely hidden for later retrieval by whatever species of alien had invented it. He'd spent countless hours down in the basement of the building learning everything he could about the various tech they had access to. It was endlessly fascinating to him.

"Good. Because you're going out of town on this one," she said.

The Golden State's U.S. Marshals Service Interspecies Response office was based in Los Angeles, but their particular unit covered the entirety of California. Since coming to work here less than two months ago, he'd learned they had only twelve full-time marshals assigned to their office; there were still some he'd yet to meet since they spent a lot of time out in the field. Wick St. Clair had become a friend, and he knew him the best, but only because he and Eoghan had a case where he'd been assigned as backup. Little by little, he was learning the names of other marshals, but their office did seem to be stretched thin with the amount of territory they had to cover. Their pace was oftentimes frantic but Ari had always preferred being busy, moving from case to case with lightning speed at times.

"You said something about me knowing the fugitive in question, ma'am?" Eoghan asked.

She gave him a clipped nod, picking up a file folder and sliding it toward him across her glass desk. "You know Riversong Wilkins, right?"

Ari watched his partner frown as he picked up the folder and flipped it open. He leaned over Eoghan to get a better look at it. Inside was a mugshot of a woman with long, brown hair, high cheekbones, and sad, dark eyes. Something about the way her pupils seemed tinged with an almost violet glow told him he was looking at a supernatural being, most likely a shifter of some sort. Vampire eyes glowed red and since this woman looked human but for her eyes, he figured she had to be something else.

"Shifter?" Ari asked.

"Mm…hm."Eoghan gave an affirmative nod as he looked at the picture. He glanced up at the chief. "Yes, I know Wilkins." He glanced back down at the folder, tapping the photo before looking back at her. "Glad and I picked her up with her boyfriend a few years back."

"What's her story?" Ari asked.

"Riversong wasn't our target and in fact, we didn't know anything about her at first. We were called in by tribal police to help them catch her boyfriend," Eoghan replied. He glanced up and met Ari's eyes. "They told us he was a lowlife, who'd been convicted multiple times by their tribal council. He'd been jailed on tribal lands for everything from shoplifting to pickpocketing. He wasn't a good criminal because he kept getting caught."

"He sounds like a real piece of work," Ari said.

"That and more," Priest said. "The tribal police only enlisted the I.S.R. when he moved on to a bigger and better crime…grand larceny. He ran off the reservation and that's when they called us for help."

"Is she Native American?" Ari asked.

"Yes," Eoghan replied.

"That's kind of funny, isn't it?" Ari asked. He held up his hands. "I mean, funny in a strange way. Some Native Americans are good trackers, aren't they?"

Eoghan nodded. "This tribe has excellent trackers, but their tribal council decided we should be called in as soon as it was confirmed that Riversong and her boyfriend crossed into another reservation's territory."

Ari widened his eyes in surprise. "Another shifter reservation?"

"Actually…it was the Redding vampire clan's reservation. That's why we were contacted. The tribal police had absolutely no intention of following them onto a vampire reservation," said Eoghan.

"I should say not. So, what did he steal?" Ari asked, looking between Eoghan and the chief.

"He absconded with tribal council funds that had been locked away in a safe over the weekend," the chief explained.

"Who had these funds?"

"The tribe's treasurer," she said. "The money should have been dropped in the night deposit at the reservation's credit union, but he got a call from his daughter who'd been abandoned by her date at the spring dance. And after he'd dealt with the problem, he'd returned to find his safe had been broken into and the funds had been stolen along with several expensive watches and some jewelry."

"Well, that must have been embarrassing. Where'd Riversong come into the story?" Ari asked.

"It wasn't too hard to figure out who'd broken into the desk," Eoghan said. "The boyfriend—a guy named Jack Vandross—had been working in the tribe's municipal building where the treasurer's office was located. He'd left behind fingerprints and the tribal police ID'd him easily."

"So, you tracked him?"

Eoghan nodded. "Gladys and I did. Glad called ahead to the vampire reservation where he and Riversong had escaped and told them in no uncertain terms that if the fugitives were located, they were to detain them unharmed until we got there."

"It sounds like your partner was a force to be reckoned with," Ari said.

Eoghan chuckled. "You have no idea. She warned the vampires that our fugitives had better be in good shape when we arrived or the I.S.R. would notify the Agency and there'd be hell to pay."

Ari nodded. The Agency wielded their influence over the paranormal world more than adequately. If paranormal clans and communities didn't fall in line and follow the rules, they lost all kinds of privileges in the human world. Those privileges included local government services like driver's licenses and various national services like a country's retirement benefits. In the States, Social Security benefits were one of the entitlements paranormals enjoyed as part of their treaty with the Federal government.

"In any case, when we contacted the vampires, they already knew where the couple were holed up," Eoghan continued. "They pointed us toward a sleazy motel on the vampire rez, and that's when we learned they weren't alone. They had their three very young children with them. The youngest was just an infant at the time and the two others were still in diapers. In hindsight we realized that was probably what saved Vandross and Wilkins from being killed the minute they crossed the border."

"Vamps don't eat kids?" Ari asked.

"No, it wasn't that," Priest said. "They have been known to feed off a human child, though, it is rare that the vampire clans we deal with are that overtly craven. The Redding clan knew if the children were harmed, it'd be equivalent to breaking the treaty with the Agency. They'd lose all privileges and risk war from other clans without the protections they enjoy if they called on the I.S.R. for help in the future. They might be able to explain away the death of the couple by saying they were provoked and then killed…but kids? Yeah, there was no way for the vampires to explain draining innocent children."

"Wow," Ari replied.

"That was our thought," Priest said. "When Gladys called and asked what she thought she and Sapphire should do, we decided an appeal to Riversong's motherly instincts might be our best course of action. We didn't think she'd allow her boyfriend to put her young children at risk."

"So, what'd you do?"

"The tribal police told us exactly where they were located. We didn't know if they were armed and we didn't want to put the children in anymore danger than they already were, so we decided to wait until they left the motel."

"God, they must have been desperate if they fled onto a vampire reservation," Ari said. "Aren't shifters and vampires like sworn enemies or something?"

Eoghan exchanged a glance with Priest, and Ari noted them both doing their best to hide smiles.

"Come on," Ari said. "You're my training officer, Sapphire. We never went over this." He pointed to the chief. "And, by the way, all that Torchwood stuff you made me watch never covered vampires and shifters."

She waggled her eyebrows. "But Captain Jack Harkness is a handsome nugget, right?"

"Nugget? Really?" Ari snorted, watching the amusement on her face.

"You should give him the Fringe boxed set," Eoghan suggested.

"You're not helping, Sapphire," Priest warned as Eoghan did his best to smother a smile. To Ari, the expression made him look even more adorable.

"Whatever," Ari said, "now you're just making fun of me." He threw up his hands and directed his next words to Eoghan. "Anyway, what happened?"

Eoghan sobered. "We knew they'd need to stock up on supplies for the children, so we waited them out. Eventually, they both left the motel and we followed them discreetly as they made their way off the reservation and toward the Oregon border."

"When Sapphire and his partner reported their route back to me, I guessed where they were probably headed."

"Where?" Ari asked.

"There's another shifter reservation in Southern Oregon and we found out Vandross had a brother up there," Priest said.

Ari nodded. "So, that's where they were going."

"Looks like it," Eoghan said. "But Gladys and I knew we had to get to them before they crossed the border. Fortunately, they stopped for groceries which gave me the opportunity to follow him inside."

"Then what?" Ari asked.

"While I watched him inside the grocery store, Gladys approached the car where Riversong waited with the kids. She showed her badge, told them they'd been caught, and appealed to her mothering tendencies. Honestly, I think Riversong was relieved to see her. The second my partner showed her the boyfriend's rap sheet and told her how much time he was facing for this latest crime, she gave up and allowed Gladys to get her and the kids away from the car before he returned. I arrested him. Although we didn't recover the stolen money and goods on him. We did find a watch at his house, though, dropped behind the bed. The reservation doesn't have anything more than a small jail, so the tribe worked out something with the local authorities and he was prosecuted in state court. He's at Folsom doing three years."

Ari was shocked. "They put him in a civilian prison?"

"Yes," Priest replied.

"How do they house a shifter?" Ari asked. "They can't put him in with the general population, right?"

"The Agency has jail complexes within major prisons all over the world, separate buildings which are manned by I.S.R. marshals. I did a three-month stint at Folsom myself as part of my training," Eoghan replied.

Ari was surprised by that. "Really? Am I going to have to do that?" He glanced at his boss who shook her head.

"No, we're too shorthanded right now. Normally, you would, but not now. That doesn't mean you won't have jail duty at some point in the future," she said.

"Good to know," Ari said. "By the way, I didn't ask what kind of shifters they are."

"Vandross is a common gray squirrel," Eoghan replied with a smile.

"A squirrel?" Ari said.

Eoghan chuckled, reached over and pushed his jaw closed, making Ari frown at him.

"And her? Is Riversong a squirrel too?"

"No, she's an opossum."

"Of course, she is," Ari said, sighing. He shook his head. "So, what happened to her after he was arrested?"

"She was arrested for harboring a fugitive but only did six months in jail. She was housed in her own reservation's small jail. Her sentence was light when the tribal judge learned she'd been forced into fleeing with her boyfriend under threat of violence," Priest said. "They also couldn't prove she knew anything about his activities. Basically, she was one clueless opossum. In any case, once she got out and retrieved her kids from the relative who'd been watching them during her incarceration, she resumed her life on the rez."

"So, why did we get called in now, Chief?" Eoghan asked.

"I was getting to that," she said. "We got a call from her brother who is on the tribal council. Apparently, she and the kids have disappeared. When he didn't hear from her last night, he went over to her small house on the reservation. It looked as though she and the children fled the house quickly. There were breakfast dishes in the sink, a dirty skillet on the stove, and some of the children's clothes were missing."

"Maybe she always leaves the place messy," Ari said. "You said she missed a check-in with her brother?"

"Yes, since Vandross went away, he and his wife have played a larger role in her and the children's lives. He called in the tribal police but they said we should be notified as well. I don't know why but I want the two of you to go up there and sort it out. If those kids turn up dead or drained by vamps we could have a full-scale war on our hands. I spoke to the chief of police up there. He's anxious to cooperate with us and he seems to possess some information that he didn't want to pass on over the phone." She looked at her watch. "If the two of you leave now, you can be in Tahoe by tonight."

"That's where her reservation is located? I thought you said it was in Redding," Ari said. He glanced at Eoghan as he stood up.

"No, the vampire rez is in Redding. Her reservation is located near Lake Tahoe. Let's go."

Ari stood and then turned to give the chief a two fingered salute. "Okay, boss. See you soon."

"Keep in touch." Priest held out a bright orange Post-it note. "Here's her brother's name and contact information. Call the chief after you cross onto the rez and he'll meet you at an agreed upon location. He says Riversong's house is kind of tucked away and hard to find if you're not familiar with the area."

"Okay, Chief." Ari took the note from her and then handed it to Eoghan.

"Keep me in the loop, Sapphire. Wordy is waiting for you in the armory."

"Thanks. We'll head out now, Chief," Eoghan said. He met Ari's gaze, offering the smallest of smiles before turning and walking out of the chief's office with Ari on his heels.

"Do you think we could stop in the café and grab an egg sandwich on our way out?" Ari asked hopefully.

Eoghan turned to smile at him as they headed for the elevators. "You know, you're very predictable."

Ari returned his smile with one of his own, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was in earshot before leaning close to him. "If my boyfriend hadn't melted my brain with the world's most incredible blow job this morning, maybe I would have had the good sense God gave me to grab an English muffin or something before leaving the house."

Eoghan snorted as they stopped in front of the elevator. He leaned over and pressed the call button before glancing back at Ari. "I like it when you spend the night at my house. That said, when are the painters going to be done with your unit?"

"I don't know. Tomorrow? I have to ask Al because I have a couch being delivered Saturday." Ari had moved into the unit beside Eoghan's a month before, but their shared landlords had only now gotten around to having their painter friend come around to paint. Ari had been spending an inordinate amount of time at Eoghan's place in the meanwhile and it hadn't been a hardship waking up in his bed at all. Little by little he'd been buying furniture for the place since he hadn't brought any with him. Back home in Lexington, Kentucky where he'd lived most of his life, he'd had only secondhand things which he'd picked up in thrift stores, so having some place new to decorate was a novelty he was really enjoying.

They collected their duffels and took the elevator to the level where the restaurant was located. As soon as they stepped off into the room, the smell of bacon hit Ari's nostrils. He breathed in deeply even as his stomach growled. He loved the café where a variety of meals were prepared by chefs for the marshals as well as the support staff in the building. Eoghan grabbed coffee as Ari got into line behind Night, who often helped them out with her mad computer skills in the IT department. She turned and flashed a sweet smile at him, batting long lashes heavily outlined with black liner making her extraordinary eyes stand out. Night was quite young, and a wiz with a keyboard. Ari hadn't been disappointed with her yet.

"Hey, Aristotle, how are you?"

"I'm real good, Night. Picking up a sandwich for Eoghan and I. We have an assignment, so we'll be eating on the road again." Sometimes it felt like they ate in the car all the time. They spent very little time in the office. The only time they did was when they'd finished a case like they had two days before. After a rare two days off in a row, they were now headed for Lake Tahoe, over four hundred miles from Los Angeles. And just like the chief said, he suspected they'd be on the road most of the day.

"Where is your handsome partner?" she asked, looking around. He turned and pointed to Eoghan standing with his back to them as he poured coffee into two tall paper cups. "Mm hm, I should have known. Eoghan loves his coffee."

Ari turned around to find her still staring at his back. When she finally looked up at him, she smiled sweetly and then sobered before leaning close.

"Let me ask you," she began sotto voce, "is he seeing anyone?"

Ari pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. "Seeing anyone? You mean like dating?"

"Yeah."

She sounded so hopeful but there was no way Ari was going to answer for his partner. He certainly wasn't going to out the man or even hint that she lacked the right equipment to keep him sated in bed.

"It's not something we talk about," Ari said instead.

Her eyebrows climbed. "Are you serious? You've never asked him? Eoghan's your partner." She sounded incredulous.

He shrugged. "Sorry, I never asked him if he was dating anyone."

She shook her head. "Men…sheesh. Such a disappointment."

Ari chuckled as Eoghan walked over and joined the two of them as the line moved up. He handed a tall coffee to Ari and then turned and smiled at Night.

"Hey, Night. How are you?"

Ari watched her pale skin turn a light shade of pink as she stared at Eoghan dreamily. "Fine, Eoghan. Um…how are you?"

"I'm good." He lifted his cup to his lips and took a long drink through the hole in the lid.

Ari did his best to wipe the silly grin he was wearing off his face. Seeing his man being completely oblivious to Night's reaction to him was adorable. When a throat cleared behind him, Ari turned to find none other than Eoghan's slimy, cheating ex standing there looking incredibly handsome and smug. Kellen McGillis clearly knew how good-looking he was. With wavy, dark hair, a full, dark beard, and eyes as black as pitch, the man looked like he'd just stepped out of the pages of the Arabian Nights.

"Hey, Brown, how are you?" he asked in a low, growly way. He raked Ari up and down, pausing to stare openly at his groin, which could only be interpreted as a come on…and right in front of Eoghan, no less. It pissed Ari off something fierce. Perhaps he was overreacting but when the man's tongue poked out and ran slowly over his lower lip as though he was licking off a drop of spunk, it was clear where his thoughts lay.

"Fine," Ari replied, turning back toward Eoghan. Unfortunately, Kellen decided to reach out and grab Ari's shoulder to stop him from turning. He looked down to the hand before glancing back up at Kellen as he shrugged it off. "Can I help you?"

Though, Eoghan hadn't said a thing, he could feel him stiffen beside him. He realized there was very little he could do or say to him in this crowded setting, especially since they'd agreed to keep their relationship quiet.

"I hardly ever see you," Kellen replied. He looked around Ari's shoulders to Eoghan and practically leered at him. "Do you really think it's right to keep your handsome, new partner away from the rest of us, Eoghan?"

The accusation struck a chord in Ari, and he felt the scowl on his face even before he heard Eoghan's sharp intake of breath. "What the hell are you talking about, McGillis?" The words came out of his mouth with a low, warning growl; anyone with sense would have known when to shut their mouth. Unfortunately, when McGillis opened his to reply, what he said next had Ari seeing red.

"I suppose I don't blame you, Eoghan. But it's a little unfair of you not to share this fine piece of ass with the rest of us."

Night made some sort of squeak behind him as Ari stepped forward and got right up in the man's face. "If I were you, I'd back off right now, McGillis," he growled under his breath. "You have no idea who you're messing with but if you'd like to find out, we could take this outside right now."

Kellen lifted both palms and took a step backward. "Woah now. I didn't mean to step on sensitive toes, Brown. I understand, of course." He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Eoghan Sapphire is a tiger in the sack. I wouldn't want to share him if I were you."

"You'd better watch what you're saying, McGillis," Eoghan said, moving closer to Ari. "No one in this building needs to be subjected to your slanderous crap."

Ari looked around and noted that indeed, several people nearby had stopped what they were doing and were watching this mess play out. They were more than likely eager to see if McGillis' words would cause him or Eoghan to take enough offense for them to come to blows. What the far too good-looking for his own good rogue was oblivious to; was the way he was being regarded. Not only with curiosity but a nice dose of disdain for his actions too.

"It's only slander if it's a lie, Eoghan," McGillis said, "and we both know this tall, dark, and lovely specimen of mankind is too gorgeous for someone with your sex drive to ignore. I just wish I were in your shoes. It has to be torture sitting in a car day in and day out with the delicious Ari Brown beside you…how do you get any work done? I mean, just look at the man. He's luscious enough to eat and if it were me, I'd be all up in—"

Whatever else he was going to say was cut off when Eoghan balled his fist and let it fly, hitting the left side of Kellen's chin at the same time Ari registered what was about to happen. McGillis staggered backward, seeming to reel for a few seconds before dropping onto his ass right in front of the entire café and Chief Deputy Arizona Priest who'd just walked into the restaurant.