Chapter Twenty-seven

Farren worked late in the drab gray confines of his office, reviewing a list of travelers he knew well enough to question, while Morrisey visited Captain Gaskins of Atlanta PD to see what the cops might know—especially about the dead rookie, though he’d go in an unofficial capacity as it wasn’t officially the FBI’s case.

Yet.

Farren also sensed guilt whenever Morrisey spoke of his former captain, so maybe they had some unfinished business.

“You’ve been here nearly as long as I have. Have you ever come across a Tenebris?” If Arianna intended to stare at him so intently, without speaking, Farren might as well put her to work.

Arianna occupied a chair in front of Farren”s desk, her bare feet curled against her skirt-clad bottom. She shrugged, taking a sip of fragrant tea from a delicate cup—a part of her personal collection. She’d learned about pretty teacups and yard sales in the same week after arriving and would soon need a bigger apartment. “I’d never met one before I came here. I’d just learned about them during my formal education. They”re unusual and kept isolated from the remainder of our race. Imagine my surprise when you brought one into the office. A human, no less.” Arianna inclined her head. “How is that even possible?”

”What made you believe he’s a Tenebris?” Farren tapped his ink pen on his desktop, realized he’d seen some of his more annoying coworkers do the same, and stopped.

Arianna rolled her shoulders. “I don’t know. I just did.”

The same occurred to Farren the night he’d saved Morrisey. Or rather, not saved, but assisted. Morrisey’s bearing suggested the status, similar to how the two EMTs who’d arrived on site fairly broadcast their place in society. Having grown up within the tiered framework, Farren couldn”t say how he knew. He just knew. “But is he really human? Have you ever met a traveler who didn’t know they were a traveler? Who couldn’t recall our realm?”

Arianna pursed her red lips. A lip print marred her cup, the color a perfect match for the tiny roses decorating the porcelain. “I once met an accident victim with a head injury. The doctors said she had amnesia. She never got her memories back and now lives as a human. We keep her monitored.”

Could Morrisey have suffered trauma, leaving him unable to remember the past? Nothing in his file indicated a serious injury. Could an emotional injury have the same effect? Such as losing a loved one, perhaps?

Morrisey. Human enigma.

Or maybe not so human.

Arianna reached into her oversized purse, extracting a plastic bag filled with cookies. “Okay, enough business. You must try my latest creation.” She tossed the bag onto Farren’s desk.

“What’s this?”

“I’m not saying. Guess.”

Farren removed a cookie from the bag, studied it with a critical eye, and after a sniff didn’t induce gagging, he took a tentative bite. Arianna’s last experiment turned out to be a pie based on sushi. Brr… her all-time worst creation to date. No taste of fish or seaweed this time. Farren took another, larger bite.

“Verdict?” Arianna demanded.

“Unusual. Nothing like I’ve had before.”

Arianna gave a soft laugh. “You didn’t spit it out. That’s a start, I suppose.”

“No, it’s really quite… interesting.”

She smirked. “Get Grumpy to try some.”

“Grumpy? Which one?” Farren asked between bites. The flavor really grew on him. And he worked with more than a few grumpy people.

“Morrisey. I don’t bake cookies for Leary. He’s… unappreciative.”

“What’s in here?” Farren snagged another cookie, hoping to encourage her.

“Licorice.”

“Hmm… An acquired taste, maybe, but I like.” Not Arianna’s worst experiment.

Arianna smiled. “I’m glad.” Her smile fell. ”You”re one of the rare few around here who”ll try my experiments. I mean, how am I going to learn if I don’t experiment?”

“Exactly. Has anyone been giving you a hard time?” Had Morrisey?

“Not exactly a hard time, but most of the humans around here see me as lesser. Devon told his supervisor he wanted to ask me out. The supervisor curled his lip and said”—she mimicked a deep voice— “’I wouldn’t. She’s one of those.’ Now, whenever I see Devon, he blushes and hurries off. Hasn’t spoken a word to me since. I think I could’ve liked him too.” Dejection radiated off Arianna, nearly more than Farren could bear. She’d become his closest friend and deserved better.

“How about other travelers?”

Arianna sighed. “They avoid me. Many believe I”ve sold out because I work for Leary.”

“I suppose they think I’m a sellout, too.” Farren tried to sound amused. Rejection stung no matter how much time passed.

”The difference is, you couldn”t care less about what they think of you. You outrank them.” Arianna sighed again. “If I wasn’t so afraid of the outside world, I might take an apartment in town and try to make some human friends.”

Farren arched an eyebrow. “You go out. I’ve seen you. Hell, I’ve gone with you.”

“Clubbing doesn’t count. I’ve never met anyone there I’d be interested in seeing again.”

Poor girl. Farren didn’t feel the need for many friends, except for her. His remaining relationships were professional. Then again, his social class had existed to protect the citizens and uphold laws. Being a loner fit the job description.

Arianna, however, came from the public service sector and needed interaction. While other travelers worked for FAET, no civilians were employed as members of the actual team, except Arianna’s position as Leary’s assistant, though her direct involvement remained minimal.

Guilt hit Farren. How long had it been since he’d taken Arianna anywhere except a club? “One day soon, we’ll have to go out. Maybe go to the zoo again.”

Arianna brightened. “Oh, I’d love that. But…” Her smile turned sly. “What about Morrisey?”

Farren’s heart gave a lurch at the name. “What about him?” Once more, he had to stop himself from drumming on the desk. He pushed the pen out of temptation’s reach.

Arianna’s painted lips curved into a knowing smile. “I’ve caught him watching you when he thought I wasn’t looking.”

He had? Farren didn’t hate the idea. He attempted to sound casual. “So? We work together.” And do more on occasion. Morrisey had spent most of one night, though he’d left before most of the compound stirred.

“Looked like he’d gladly do other things besides work.”

Farren’s cheeks heated. He and Morrisey had done other things. Other highly pleasurable things. They just didn’t talk much afterward. “You’re making shit up.” While some humans found travelers good enough to fuck, they refused to associate with them in daylight. Would Morrisey be the same? From what Farren had gleaned, Morrisey didn’t really want to associate with anyone in daylight outside of work.

“No. I’m serious,” Arianna insisted between bites of cookie. “He looks at you like Leary looks at doughnuts. And after my most recent Krispy Kreme run, I thought about asking if the boss wanted to be alone with the jelly-filled. The moaning! Gah!”

Yes, Leary had a thing for sweets, which made Farren wonder why he didn’t appreciate Arianna’s cookies. “I get the feeling Morrisey doesn’t like many people.” Since visiting Morrisey’s mind, Farren actively had to banish thoughts in order to avoid taking peeks where he shouldn’t.

“Oh, he likes you.” Arianna flashed a smirk from over the rim of her teacup. “Kind of like Devon looked at me before his asshole supervisor ruined things.”

“Maybe you should talk to him.”

“Morrisey?”

Farren rolled his eyes. “No, Devon.”

“Oh.” Arianna waved away the answer with a graceful sweep of her hand. “But if I did manage to connect, his supervisor might give him a bad review or blacklist him or some shit. I’ve never seen such prejudice in my life as among humans. Any differences at all they’re willing to hold against each other. Even sports teams, can you believe it? It’s like, since they lack a tier system to tell them where they’re supposed to be, they have to push each other down to work their way higher.”

Understand? No. Believe? Sadly, yes.

“Back home, we valued differences. Appreciated everyone’s job.” Arianna stood, brushing cookie crumbs off her skirt onto the floor.

“Clean that up,” Farren growled.

Arianna glanced behind her, checking the open door for passersby as travelers did before employing hidden gifts. No one was there. She held out her hand, palm down. The trashcan by the desk rattled. The crumbs were gone. “All done. I think there were a few paper clips in there, too. I have to paint my nails before bed. I’d better be going.”

So unlike her to run from a conversation. Farren let her. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Don’t work too late,” Arianna called over her shoulder while leaving.

“I won’t,” Farren lied. He remained seated at his desk for a while, idly chewing a cookie. Morrisey watched him? Really. Loyalties clashed. While Farren felt a certain protectiveness for his new partner, he owed Leary complete honesty.

He finished his report about his and Arianna’s opinions of Morrisey. Before Farren could overthink, he hit “Send” on the email.