1. Angie

1

ANGIE

T he sign mounted discreetlyon the front of the building said, Monsters, PI . My destination.

After parking in the lot on Main Street in my cozy coastal town of Mystic Harbor, Massachusetts, I got out of my car. I waited for a vehicle to pass before hurrying across the road and entering the building. Monsters, PI had opened a few months ago and was run by Katar Dolkin, an orc who used to do undercover work. He'd solved the theft of an ancient book from our local library and fallen in love with the librarian along the way. Rather than return to the orc kingdom, he'd decided to remain in town and set up a new business.

Not long ago, monsters stepped out of the woodwork, more or less, or emerged from wherever they'd been hiding to join human society. Treaties were formed, and monsters took jobs. Bought property. And started dating humans.

Now it was pretty normal to see a yeti loping down the street with full shopping bags in hand or an ogre parking her truck in front of the new ice cream shop, Creature Cones.

I stepped inside Monsters, PI and walked over to where Bailey sat at the receptionist's desk. She used to be the head librarian at the local library. Now she was Katar's mate and the curator of an exclusive orc manuscript collection. I heard she was filling in here until they could hire a receptionist.

"Hey, Angie, how are you?" she asked, rising and coming around the desk to give me a quick hug.

"Not so good," I said.

"Ah." Bailey stepped back and leaned against the desk. "You didn't stop in to say hello, then."

"Unfortunately, no. Someone stole my potentially prize-winning kegs of stout from my microbrewery, Beastly Beer Co."

Mystic Harbor had gone all-in with the monster theme, changing business names to fit. Now you got your hair cut at Claws & Curls, you bought your hardware supplies at Shriek & Nail, and the Salty Fang Pub had all the local microbrews on tap—including three crafted at my business.

And those were just the names I could come up with off the top of my head.

"That's horrible. Who do you think stole your beer?" Bailey asked, cupping her cheeks with her palms.

"No idea. Detective Carter can't find any clues. That's why I came here. I thought Katar might take on the case."

"I know he'll be happy to help." She gazed toward the hall on her right, and I spied open office doors beyond. " Can you give me a few more details about the case before I go speak with Katar?"

"You must've heard of the Monster Mash Brew-off."

"It's all the people of this town can talk about. It's next Saturday, right?"

I nodded. "Everyone within a hundred-mile radius will descend on the local fairgrounds to sample beer from almost one hundred microbreweries. Not all at once, of course, but you know what I mean. They're holding a contest for the best brew, and the winner will receive a cash prize. The prize isn't the most exciting part about the event though. Whoever wins will be featured on the Monster Beer Blog."

She frowned, tapping her pencil on her desk. "They went viral on TickingClock recently, didn't they?"

"It gave them a fantastic boost. Whoever they feature has a great chance of going viral as well. The winner of Best Brew is sure to see tons of sales not long after that."

"You're entering a beer, aren't you?" she asked.

"I'd planned to, but that's why I'm here. My kegs of chocolate chili pepper stout, the recipe I've spent years perfecting, were stolen."

"We have to do something," Bailey breathed.

"Exactly. I can't enter if I don't have that beer, which is why I came to Monsters, PI. Do you think Katar can help me track my kegs down in time for the brew-off?"

Male voices echoed from down the hall, and I recognized Katar's among them. The other voice spoke too low for me to make out more than a gruff tone.

For whatever reason, the sound of it sent tingles across my skin .

Yeah, I needed to start dating again so I could stop dreaming about the snooty gargoyle detective who'd accused me of gnome theft. Hello? My gnomes weren't alive, though I now knew some were. I'd made mine in ceramics class, something I did to unwind after a long day at work.

When the gargoyle detective flew over my backyard and landed near my prized tulip bed, I thought he'd stopped by to tell me how amazing my gardens looked from above. While I smiled at him and he grinned at me, I'd taken in his tall, muscular frame. His killer fanged smile. His gorgeous deep blue wings.

Then he flashed his ID and gave me the impression he was about to haul me to the police station to be booked for gnome theft.

I'd told him in no uncertain terms I had not stolen my gnomes, and I showed him the receipt for the classes I'd taken that noted the five custom-painted figurines standing in my gardens. Then I waved to the sky and told him to fly away on the gust of wind he rode in on.

I hadn't seen or heard from him since.

"You came to the right place," Bailey said. "I bet Monsters, PI can track down your kegs."

"As soon as possible, please. Detective Carter said whoever did it covered up all the evidence and he can't find a trail."

"We'll do all we can to track them down for you. Wait here, and I'll go speak to Katar. I'm sure he can squeeze you in for an appointment right now. If I know my orc mate's crew, they'll be tracking down clues in no time."

"Thank you." Tears bloomed in my eyes, and I fumbled for a tissue while Bailey left the reception area and strode down the hall, returning a few minutes later.

"You're in luck. They can see you now," she said, patting my arm. "Are you okay?"

"You know me. I cry quite easily." That was an understatement. Everyone around town knew my mom and I cried for almost no reason at all.

"We've recently hired a new agent," Bailey said. "And he's just wrapped up a big case and has time to take on yours. Come with me, and I'll introduce you to him. You can explain the situation, and he'll start looking into it right away."

"I really appreciate it." I followed her down the hall and into an office, where I nodded to Katar leaning against the wall on my left before looking toward the big wooden desk placed in the back of the good-sized room, taking in the gargoyle sitting in the chair behind it.

"You!" I snarled, gaping at the guy I'd booted out of my backyard last week, the gorgeous gargoyle I'd crushed on for about three minutes before he accused me of gnome theft.

He looked up, his dark gray eyes locking on me.

I sucked in a breath and . . . it remained frozen in my lungs. My heart turned solid along with it.

"Um, yes, me," he croaked.

"Do you two know each other?"Bailey asked, her smile fading.

"Yes," Tuvid said, the weight of the world hanging in that solitary word.

"No," I snapped at the same time.

Bailey's eyebrows shot up, though she finished the introductions almost lamely. "Tuvid? This is Angie Granger, owner of Beastly Beer Co. She's had a theft on her property, and she needs our help."

With a growl, I raced around Tuvid's desk and stood in front of him, fists on my hips and my face burning with anger. Gone were my tears—for now. "I don't need help from you."

"Angie." He jumped to his feet, his wings fluttering out to his sides enough to knock a picture off the back wall before he tucked them back close to his spine. "Um, yeah."

I took in all seven feet of him. As a tall—and curvy—woman, I'd adored how tiny I'd felt when I stood beside him in my garden, until he started flinging around wild accusations.

The blue skin on his face darkened, only his closely clipped beard hiding his blush. I'd briefly dreamed of touching his chiseled jawline. Trailing my fingertips along his glorious wings pinned to his spine. Only the upper swooping portions topped with spikes jutted above his broad shoulders.

I poked his chest. "This man accused me of theft." I whirled around to face Bailey and Katar who gaped at us from across the room. "Assign another agent."

"We can't," Bailey said. "Katar and I are leaving town tomorrow, and we won't be back for a week." She gave Tuvid a weak smile. "We planned on leaving town, that is."

"I can handle this," Tuvid said in his rumbly voice that for a fraction of a second made my knees melt. Then I stiffened them and fed him another glare.He had the nerve to give me a lazy smile that made my heart thunder and heat coil low in my belly.

"You two go ahead," he added, waving to Katar and Bailey. "I'll take down the information and help Angie."

"Are you alright with that?" Katar asked me, his firm, clipped voice shouting undercover agent.

"You're sure there's no one else available?" I asked, blotting my eyes with the edge of my sleeve. Where were tissues when I needed them?

"We've got some interviews lined up this week," Katar said. "But for now, Tuvid's my only available agent."

I shoved out a sigh, making my bangs flip up on my forehead before resettling, half of them in my face. I shoved them away. "Alright. We'll make this work."

With a nod and a sharp look thrown Tuvid's way, Katar took Bailey's hand. They backed out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Leaving me alone with him .

"Have a seat," he said, waving to the chair on the opposite side of the desk from his. A challenge thrived in his eyes. Yeah, we'd see about that.

I glared, hating that I had no other option than to work with this jerk.

I tried not to notice how he filled out his black t-shirt and his snug jeans. How his wings were a slightly darker blue than the rest of his skin. How I wanted to run my fingertips along the crests of those wings while he shivered and groaned.

I assumed he would. I had no facts to back up that assumption.

"Are your wings erogenous zones?" I blurted out .

His solid brow ridge lifted. "It depends on who's touching them. Sit."

"I'll stand."

"Sit!"

Grumbling, I rounded his desk and dropped into the chair, feeling like a petulant kindergartener called in front of the principal after being caught painting my teacher's doorknob with a glue stick.

Tuvid flashed his fangs, his strong, sharp jawline flexing. For the first time, I found a hint of nervousness in his smile, and that, more than anything, was all it took to deflate my irritation.

"Yes," he said simply.

I blinked. "Yes to what?"

He reached up and tapped one of the spikes on his wings.

I jerked in a breath. "I'm sorry I asked you such a personal question."

"You're curious. I like that." Little crinkles appeared around his eyes when he smiled. They were as steely gray as the stone gargoyles I'd admired while touring Italy, the ones mounted on the tops of the churches. I'd never suspected back then that gargoyles could be real.

I'd never contemplated dating a monster, either, but with one flash of this gargoyle's fangs or one stroke of his fingertips across my face, I worried I'd succumb.

He dropped into his own chair that had slots in the back to accommodate his wings. Back in my garden, and after I'd chewed him out for his unjust accusation, he'd flown away. I'd trotted inside my house and googled gargoyles, poring over the scant information I found online.

Gargoyles hated having the tips of their wings resting on the ground.

Some mated for life—fated mates, that is.

They were known to lurk on rooftops on occasion.

And every bit of them was as large as the rest. I was stunned to find pictures of their packages, and honestly, I'd stared at them for hours while eating ice cream right out of the container.

I'd had erotic dreams about what this particular gargoyle might do with his package if we'd met under different circumstances.

And now I sat across from him, and he was taking my case.

"First, I'd like to apologize for suggesting you stole the gnomes," he said. "I was given the wrong address, and when I spied the ones in your gardens from above, I thought I'd solved the case."

"All you had to do was ask, not accuse me of taking them."

"You're right."

"I am," I said pertly.

His lips quivered.

I couldn't stop mine from doing the same thing.

When I burst into laughter, so did he.

" I'm sorry I stormed at you a few moments ago and poked your chest," I said.

"It wasn't much of a poke."

"I'll try harder next time."

"I have a feeling I'd like that as well. "

I was vaguely aware of the office door opening and closing again behind me, but I didn't look that way.

"Tell me what you need, Angie," Tuvid said in a growly voice that made me start dreaming of flying in his arms across the starry night sky.

Of stroking his wings.

Of checking out his package.

Get control of yourself, Angie.

"I'm here to . . ." Think, Angie. I dragged my gaze away from his, focusing on the papers scattered across his desk. "Someone stole the kegs I planned on entering in the upcoming Monster Mash Brew-off. I need help finding them, and I've only got a few days."

"I can do that for you, Angie," he said simply.

My eyes stung.

It was silly, really, but the certainty in his voice was all it took for me to burst into tears.