The Ghost (Part Four)
Fic Title: The Ghost
Author:
hunters_retreat
Artist:
ladytiferet
Fandom/Genre: RPF
Pairing(s): Jared/Jensen
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 28,000+
Warnings: d/s themes
Summary: Thirty years ago, humanity was changed. The magic they scoffed at as nothing more than fairy tales and children's illusions was real and the barrier that separated them from that and the world of the fae came crashing down. In the wake of that phenomena, new government agencies were created to deal with the problems of magic in the modern world. Humans relied on the men and women of the DMI to protect them from the abuses of magic. But when Agent Padalecki finds himself in the middle of a
murder investigation with a civilian on his scene, he realizes it's not just any civilian. The intruder is the Ghost, a fae that even the high Seelie court fear. Faced with a murder investigation and a possible connection to a string of killings, Agent Padalecki must find a way to work with the Ghost to stop a killer before he can do the unthinkable; start a war between humanity and fae.
Art Masterpost: here
Anger thrummed through Jensen’s body as he felt the floor of his apartment underneath his feet. The shadow was cool to the touch but Jared was a fucking heater against his front. The whole of the fae court knew that Jensen had marked Jared as his own, that the DMI agent wore his protective brand and their quick departure was sure to be noticed, but the only that really registered to Jensen was the need to keep Jared safe.
Shade licked up and down his sides, fire dancing within it as it pressed closer to Jared, pulling him around and pressing his head down to rest on Jensen’s shoulder. Jensen’s arm was still wrapped around Jared’s waist, his other hand on the man’s hip. Jared was immobile in his touch, in his power, but Jared wasn’t fighting him. He was blinded again by the shade and Jensen leaned his head to the side until his lips brushed Jared’s ear.
“What were you thinking, Jared?” he whispered. “Did you think you could stand by my side against the Queen of the Seelie?”
Jared’s head turned ever so slightly and Jensen watched as he licked his lips. “Let me go.”
The words were barely a whisper and Jensen nearly laughed at the desperation in Jared’s voice. He almost laughed at the way the shade wrapped tighter around him, pulling him close. He wasn’t sure if Jared was talking about the magic that held them together or the rest of it, but Jensen was unable to do either.
“Never.”
He wasn’t expecting Jared’s reaction so when the DMI agent pulled up to his full height and pushed against Jensen’s shoulders with all his strength, Jensen was thrown back a few steps.
“You have no right to threaten a human like that.” Jared’s chest was heaving with his anger and Jensen was amazed at the strength in the man, standing tall and proud and righteous even with his current blindness. “Cortese didn’t deserve to be treated like that.”
“I don’t care that she was human, Jared. Cortese is a liaison to the Seelie court and she knows the dangers as well as any fae that walls the Glittering Halls. What she saw - what you both saw - could get us all killed. If I thought for one second that she wouldn’t keep quiet, I would have killed her then and there and left the Queen to deal with the political mess.”
“She was there to help you!” Jared screamed.
Jensen laughed suddenly. “No one helps me, Jared! No one does something for nothing and for what she saw tonight, she could ask the Queen for a ransom the likes of which you can’t believe, and the Queen would give it to keep her secret.”
“What secret is that?” Jared demanded.
Jensen knew he had to know what they were talking about, but if Jared needed to hear the words aloud, Jensen was willing to oblige him.
He took a step closer to where Jared was, letting the noise of his motion telegraph his location. He got close enough that his chest was almost brushing Jared’s body when he began circling him. “The Queen - or King - of the Seelie court rules both courts. Queen Danneel rules the Unseelie through the power of the Seelie. She rules the Seelie because she is the strongest among them. No one would dare to try themselves against her power. Do you understand now Jared?”
“You’re stronger than she is.”
“Yes, but that’s not what I’m asking you to understand. If word got out that I was able to best the Queen, a civil war would erupt in faerie. The Queen would have no choice but to come to me and challenge me, and I would win. And then the Seelie and Unseelie would see blood as they haven’t since the creation of the separate courts.”
“Why?”
Jensen paused, unsure of why he was explaining it all, of why it was so important to him for Jared to understand all of it. He’d never talked to anyone about it and he knew that his birthright had been withheld from humans. He stepped in, releasing the shade that had kept Jared blind. He needed Jared to look at him. He needed to see the understanding dawn there.
“Because I am not of either court. My father was Seelie and my mother was Unseelie.” He saw the look of surprise in the agent’s eyes and nodded. “I was raised as one of the Seelie but when my powers came, I was cast away and sent to the court of the Unseelie. No one knew back then what I would become. No one understood that I would be the most powerful fae in the world, that I would become the rightful ruler of all fae.”
Jared’s eyes were searching his for something but he took a deep, shuddered breath and swallowed hard. “Why would they throw you to the Unseelie? What could you do?”
He knew he should step back, that he’d told himself time and time again that Jared was an ally and a partner, not a play thing, but Jared was there asking when he had to know what Jensen would do.
Jensen took a step towards Jared but the agent took a step back. Jensen could feel the anxiety in Jared and he smiled as he began pulling shade around himself. For each step he took, Jared took one back until he was backed against the wall next to Jensen’s bed. Jared’s eyes went wide as he realized where Jensen had forced him but he still didn’t speak.
“You’ve seen it before, Jared, what I could do. Do you want to see it again?” he asked.
He didn’t let Jared talk, but reached for Jared’s shirt and pulled the tails out of his pants. He smirked up at the agent as he let one hand slide up under his shirt, feeling the taut muscles ripple under his touch.
“Already so responsive.” He leaned in, brushing his nose along the underside of Jared’s chin, taking in the emotions that were wrapped so strongly around Jared. He leaned closer until his body was pressing Jared all the way back against the wall. When he let out a soft sigh against Jared’s skin the other man shivered and Jensen let the touch of shade slide of Jared’s skin. It was a taste of pain, nothing more but Jared’s head went back and he moaned up into the ceiling. Jensen licked a stripe up Jared’s neck before letting his lips rest against his skin. “Do you see the things I would do for you, Jared?” he asked as he sucked the soft skin just behind Jared’s ear into his mouth, tasting and marking.
Jared’s body was still against his until Jensen brought his other hand up under Jared’s shirt. Shade slid under his touch and as the pain started, Jared’s hips pressed up against Jensen. The long hard line of Jared’s cock made Jensen push that much more pain into his body.
“Jensen,” Jared gasped as his head dropped down. Jensen couldn’t help himself. He had to taste his name on Jared’s lips and as he sent pin pricks of pain running down his chest and arms. When Jared whimpered his name again, Jensen crushed his lips to Jared’s. Jared gasped at the sudden pressure and Jensen took advantage of the moment, sliding his tongue into the man’s mouth. Jared moaned as he thrust up against Jensen again.
“Jared,” Jensen breathed his name as he pulled back, hands pulling away to unbutton Jared’s shirt and push it down his shoulders, revealing the amazing musculature to Jensen’s eyes at last. “Fuck,” he whispered as he leaned in, pressing lips to Jared’s collarbone as his hands began to work on his belt buckle. “I’m gonna turn you inside out.”
“Do it,” Jared demanded, reaching forward to grab Jensen’s shirt and pull it over his head. Jensen let himself be stripped completely before he pushed Jared back onto the black sheets on his bed. He didn’t let Jared get settled but set out strands of fire and earth to bind Jared’s wrists so the bed post.
He knelt at the end of the bed between Jared’s legs and placed his hands on Jared’s calves, watching fire erupt from his hands before he let a small trickle move up Jared’s skin. Jared arched up off the bed and Jensen leaned over him, pressing him back into the mattress with his body. “Think you can take it, Jared? Think you can take what I want to give you?”
Jared looked up at him, almond shaped eyes glaring. “Try me.”
Jensen laughed as he leaned down, biting Jared’s lower lip. He moved down to his neck, leaving a string of angry red marks wherever he bit down. He could feel how hard Jared was and Jensen wanted to leave him that way all night, desperate and wanting. He leaned in and kissed Jared hard before he began to climb up his body. Jared’s eyes grew wide but he licked his lips as Jensen settled his knees around his broad shoulders. He leaned up, holding onto the bedframe to support himself as he fed his cock to Jared. Jared opened up around him and it was Jensen’s turn to moan. He thrust in and out of Jared’s mouth and gave him a few moments to adjust before he was pressing forward, burying himself in Jared’s throat. He could see Jared’s eyes watering and he knew Jared wasn’t able to breath around his cock but as he pulled back, Jensen wrapped shade around Jared’s neck and kept him from breathing. Jared didn’t struggle under him and Jensen smiled as he fucked into Jared’s mouth again. He let the magic pulse and surge around him and Jared could breathe sporadically as he worked himself towards orgasm. He pulled back finally, determined to make this last longer. He pushed his way back down Jared’s body and kissed him hard, Jared meeting each thrust of his tongue with his own. When Jensen put his hands back on Jared’s chest, he pushed the shade into his flesh making him moan into the touch. As much as Jensen wanted to make this last he could feel himself losing control too quickly to hold off much longer. He wasn’t even sure he’d manage to wait until he was inside Jared before he let them both feel the pleasure that was coursing in his veins.
“Jensen,” Jared breathed underneath him and Jensen pushed again, forcing himself to look Jared in the eye as pain etched its way under his skin.
Jared’s eyes opened wide but narrowed almost immediately and then Jensen was stunned as he felt the force of someone reaching into his chest with bonds of fire and shade. The magic wrapped around him and instead of pain, he felt the pleasure building in Jared, felt it in himself. He moved his hands up to Jared’s, holding the man’s wrists in place as the bonds that had held him were released. “Jensen… Jensen …” Jared’s voice begged him for something Jensen was no longer in control of giving him.
He crushed their lips together and then pleasure rippled through him too strong to resist. He threw his head back, screaming Jared’s name as he came all over his stomach. He was barely aware of the hot splash of come against his body and Jared crying out his name as he blacked out.
He woke a few minutes later, Jared underneath him still, breath steady as he slept. Jensen got up immediately and went into the bathroom, running warm water to wash himself up with. He cleaned his stomach up before stopping to look at himself in the mirror.
He knew what had happened, even if he’d never expected it. He knew how it had happened. He just had no idea how to handle it. He took a deep breath and washed his face before wetting a washcloth to clean Jared up. The only problem was that by the time he walked out, all he saw of Jared was his back as he slammed the front door behind him.
Jensen swore loudly before stalking over to the window and looking out. He could feel Jared down there, could feel the turmoil of emotions that the agent was dealing with, and no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t stop it. The bond that had been trying to form between them was well and sealed and there was nothing Jensen could do but berate himself for not running as soon as he’d met Jared Padalecki.
He was a practical creature though, so he pulled himself away from the window and reached for the phone. He dialed a number he’d learned quickly and never expected to have to call.
“Kane,” the voice on the other side answered.
“This is Ackles. You need to keep an eye out for Jared.”
“What the hell did you do to him?”
Jensen took a deep breath to keep from letting his anger get the best of him. Kane was right. Jensen had fucked all of this up because he couldn’t keep control of his magic. Doubts rarely crept into his mind, but tonight he wondered if maybe the others were right about him. Maybe there was a reason creatures of both worlds shouldn’t exist.
“He just left and I’m pretty sure he’s coming to you. You need to help him.”
“Why’s that?”
“He’s dealing with something he doesn’t want to admit.”
“And why are you warning me?”
“Because he’s a latent.”
“Holy shit!”
“Yeah,” Jensen said softly, walking back towards the window and pressing his head against the glass as he looked in the direction Jared had gone. “And he’s strong Kane. If what I felt tonight was any indication, he’s stronger than any human I’ve ever felt.”
“Are you serious? He’s never shown an affinity to any element. Not even a tiny bit or we’d have been keeping a closer eye on him.”
“Shade, Kane. His affinity is fire and shade and I doubt anyone gave him both in a strong enough dose to matter.”
“Well hell. We don’t - no one in the team knows enough about shade to help him deal with something like this.”
“I know. He’ll have to come back to me to learn, but I wanted you to know for now. So you can watch out for him.”
“What do you care?”
“He’s under my protection, Kane. I’ll do anything and everything in my power to protect him. I’m the Ghost your marginals whisper about so you know that I can do a lot.”
“Jesus fucking,” There was a pause on the other end of the phone and Kane sighed. “Someone is here. I need to take care of him.”
“That’s why I called. Tell him he knows where to find me now, when he needs me again.”
“That such a good idea?”
Jensen laughed bitterly, deciding that he actually liked Kane. “Absolutely not, but I don’t think we have a choice.”
“Yeah, alright. “
Jensen was about to hang up when Kane began again. “And Ackles?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks. For letting someone know.”
“Just keep him safe Kane. He’s mine now and I will kill anyone that hurts him. Or anyone that fails him.”
“Now you’re just being a sweet talker.”
Kane hung up the phone before Jensen could answer but he just shook his head as he put the phone down. Jared had the strangest team working with him, but if they were all as loyal as Kane was, then Jensen knew that tonight, at least, he didn’t have to worry about his wayward mate.
**
Jared took a deep breath as he stared away from his desk to the pictures pinned to the board in front of him. The case was stalled out and Jared was trying to focus his attention on the details in front of him, instead of the craziness his life had become.
Three nights ago he’d gone to his first meeting with the Queen of the fae. Three nights ago he’d learned that the Ghost was part Seelie, part Unseelie, and the rightful ruler of the fae. Three nights ago, he’d had sex with the fae and learned that he was one of the rare people that were classified a latent.
He didn’t want to be able to do magic, had been quite happy his whole life without it actually, but he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t ignore it, not considering what a lack of control had done to his family. And from what his team had said, once they started working with him, he was extremely strong.
He took a deep breath and opened the top drawer of his desk where he kept his weapon. It was new, one of the designs that were supposed to be able to take down the fae should they get attacked. He ran his fingers over the surface of it, impressed with the smooth feel of the weapon even while he abhorred the idea of it. A year ago no one was clamoring for the need to protect themselves from the fae with weapons. Then again, a year ago the press wasn’t telling people that a fae was killing people.
He’d spoken with the journalist in question but the man hadn’t been leaking information, just making a guess about who the killer could be, but the idea had taken hold with the media and they’d run with it. No one was happy about it and Jared had his superiors on his ass to solve the case so everyone could move past it.
The damage was done though and Jared was amazed by the swiftness with which the anti-fae movement was growing. He could understand people’s fear of the fae and he understood people’s fear of magic. Hell, if anyone could understand the negative impact of magic on human life, it was Jared. He’d never blamed the fae for what had happened to his family.
He had learned a fair amount of resentment in the last three days though. He’d always thought himself out of the reach of magic, but now he was busting his ass to learn how to control it when what he really needed to focus on was the case in front of him.
His phone rang and Jared took a deep breath before answering it with a crisp, “Padalecki.”
It was never good news and this was no exception. He yelled at Kane to get the team together and he grabbed his weapon as he headed out the door to the newest crime scene. He was almost out of the door when he heard a familiar moan. He couldn’t place it at first, but when he turned around the corner he found himself looking at the top of someone’s head. Her forehead was on the desk and she was banging it repeatedly. Her hair was long and straight, blond and he knew then how he recognized her moan. She was the marginal he’d seen at the mansion with Jensen.
“Who are you?” he asked as he looked at her.
Nancy used to work the call lines but she’d left for maternity leave two months before and he’d never had a chance to introduce himself to her replacement.
Her eyes were wide as she looked up at Jared. “I’m Katie,” she said with a smile. “You’re Agent Padalecki, right?”
“Yeah. But what are you doing here?”
She looked confused. “I … I answer the phones. Transfer calls to the right agents.”
Jared took a step closer. “I meant what is a marginal doing working at the DMI?” He put the pieces together then and had to clench his teeth. “You’re the one feeding the Ghost information about the murders. You’re how he gets there before me. You’re calling him before passing the calls over to me.”
She didn’t bother to deny it and Jared knew he’d have to deal with it later but he had a murder scene to get to and a fae who was going to be there, no matter that Jared would rather be anywhere than where Jensen was at the moment.
“We’ll discuss this later,” he said as he strode out of the office. He should have taken care of it then, but he needed time. He wasn’t one of the marginal but he wasn’t sure how he could explain firing a marginal without admitting how he knew she was one. And bringing up a connection to the Ghost as a prelude to firing wasn’t really in his own best interests either.
He pushed the matter to the back of his head as he got to his car. Jared was the first of his team to arrive and while he knew they’d be pissed that he left without him, he needed the time to himself. He needed to take a few minutes to himself and feel out the crime scene with the new senses that he had. He wasn’t affected like the people who could sense emotions but he could sense their energies now and he could feel their strengths and weaknesses. He hated the way his mind was calculating risks and assessing people automatically by their strength in elements instead of the way he’d trained the rest of his life but he could see people reassessing him now too. Jared was generally considered a threat by people because of his size and training but this was something different. Now they were looking at him for two things; his strength with magic, and his control of it.
The local cops all stepped away as Jared walked into the clearing where the last murder had taken place. It was a college campus and the victim was lying on a path that was out of the way through a small garden that crossed the campus.
He didn’t need to look to know that Jensen was there. To his annoyance, he’d started to feel Jensen’s proximity a mile back and it just got stronger as he approached. He had no doubt that Jensen was as aware of him but it didn’t make him turn around as Jared approached. Again, the locals weren’t aware of the intruder and it wasn’t until then that Jared realized it wasn’t because they weren’t protected, but because Jensen was so strong that he was able to overpower the simple tricks they used to stop fae glamour.
He walked over to the body but he didn’t need to ask Jensen what was used on the body this time. He could feel the shifting edge of shade that had been used against the body and he shivered in memory of Jensen’s hands. He closed his eyes, trying to get himself under control. He could feel the building power inside himself and he needed to find a way to back it down. He wasn’t good at that yet but Jensen’s proximity seemed to bring it out in him. He wanted to push back into the fae as he had the first time, pushing shade back into his chest and twisting until Jensen couldn’t tell pleasure from pain without Jared’s moans to tell him.
“Jared,” Jensen’s voice was in his ear and Jared had no idea that the fae had moved. He didn’t open his eyes as Jensen’s hand pressed to his chest. “Breathe with me,” Jensen said softly as his other hand rubbed up Jared’s arm, the physical contact calming him more than Jared wanted to admit. “Just imagine it leaving your body with your exhale. You have the control and you can push it away.”
Jensen didn’t say anything else but he stood where he was, hand on Jared’s chest, the other on his arm, right in Jared’s space just breathing with him. When Jared finally opened his eyes, Jensen was watching him carefully.
“How did you know?”
Jensen gave him a sad smile. “I learned the hard way. It became clear what my powers were before they completely blossomed so I was pushed from one court to the other. But my full powers came suddenly and I had no one who could teach me to control it.” Jensen’s smile turned real then. “I learned a lot from human history shows about the days when magic first came to them.”
“Thank you.” He didn’t want to say it, but he didn’t want to leave something like that unacknowledged between them.
Jensen nodded. “I gave you my protection, Jared. That is in all things. When this becomes too much, you don’t have to face it alone.”
“Why?” Jared asked. “I didn’t know what it meant when you offered but I did my research.”
And he really had. He’d gone to Beaver after his powers had come in and talked to him for a long time about what was happening to him. He didn’t explain everything that was happening between himself and Jensen but Beaver had been completely surprised by Jensen’s offer of protection.
Jensen looked away then, taking a step back to put distance between them but Jared grabbed his arm and kept him close.
“Jensen?”
“I don’t know why I did it. I don’t know why I’ve done anything I have to you, Jared. I keep telling myself I won’t do anything, that I’ll leave you to your investigation and just get what I need from you, but I can’t.” Jensen looked up at him then. “I never meant for any of this to happen between us.”
“Then why did it?”
“Magic,” Jensen answered in a whisper. It wasn’t a flippant answer and Jared could see the edge of fear in Jensen’s eyes. He believed whatever it was Jensen was telling him, but he didn’t understand entirely and he knew that. Jensen seemed to also. “Soon, you’ll know. You’ll feel it and when you do, nothing you tell yourself will matter. All that will matter is touching and feeling and the need for whatever is driving you forward.”
“Padalecki?”
Jensen stepped out of Jared’s reach and Jared didn’t try to stop him as Kane and Carlson stepped into the crime scene.
“Just like before ladies and gents,” Jared told his crew as they all got there. “Shade was used on the victim. Let’s canvas the area and see if we can get anything out of the locals.”
They began moving but Carlson stayed where he was, moving to stand at Jared’s side. Jensen was on the other side of the scene though Jared wasn’t sure what he was doing at that point.
“Padalecki, you alright?”
“Yeah. You need something?”
Carlson looked him up and down for a second. “Yeah, just wanted to check on you. That looked … intense. Kane said you were with the Ghost when your powers came.”
Jared just nodded to confirm it.
“Sometimes our powers get drawn out more when we’re with certain people. If you need us to handle things while he’s around, all you gotta do is say the word.”
Jared gave him a small smile. “Yeah, I know. You guys have been great but Ackles is something I have to figure out myself.”
“Just remember, you can’t trust him Padalecki. He’s a fae, no matter how well he makes himself look like one of us. The words a fae speaks aren’t always the words you hear.”
Jared frowned. He’d never known Carlson to say anything like that and it bothered him that he was saying it in relation to Jensen. It bothered him that he cared that it was Jensen.
He sighed, rubbing a hand over tired eyes. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Before Carlson could say anything else, Jared stepped away, already feeling his anger build, which made it harder for him to control the shade that began to converge around his fingers. He wasn’t like Jensen, someone who had shade dancing around his feet, but he’d heard that the more you dealt with shade the more it came to you on its own. He could send it away, but he didn’t need to actually call it to feel it there, waiting. Watching.
Beaver had said it was the most sentient of the elements, that it reacted to things and when magic moved the world, it was shade that did it. The theory was that shade had changed humans to see magic and it was the use of shade in creating their vision that kept most of them from seeing it. Jared didn’t know what to believe, but Beaver supported the idea so Jared was willing to go with it.
Jared watched as Kane and Carlson began working the body and saw the way the rest of his team was spread out before going over to join Jensen. “There has to be something about these people. I know we’re missing something here.”
It was easier if he focused on the case and no matter what else had happened in faerie, Jared wasn’t about to ask Jensen to stay off the case. If Jensen could take out the Queen of the fae without hesitation, Jared would be minced meat. Not that he factored that into his decision but he was well aware that if there was a fae in on the murder that they could use a little extra protection.
“It’s the same signature,” Jensen said as he looked back. “I know this signature damn it! I just … I don’t know who I saw.”
Jared could feel Jensen’s frustration and without thinking, he brought his hand up to the nape of the fae’s neck and ran his thumb lightly up and down the patch of exposed skin. “We’ll figure it out.”
It wasn’t until that moment though that Jared took a deep breath and realized that he could feel the signature as well. He concentrated on it as well, knowing he wouldn't be much help but wanting to be able to recognize the feel of it should he ever meet the caster. It was familiar though.
“Padalecki, we have an ID,” Able said as he and Milton walked over. “He was another member of the fae interaction committee. His name was Darren Thompson.”
“Thompson?” Jared asked.
“Yeah. That mean anything to you?”
“Give me a second.” For some reason the name was familiar to Jared and he closed his eyes, trying to recall anything that might have brought the man to his attention. After a minute he realized what it was. “He was part of a fae initiative that Cortese told me about.” He stopped as he felt a surge of jealously coming from Jensen. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to justify the conversation but he did. “We were working on a case a few months back and she was caught up in this initiative that humans were trying to pass. It was anti-fae legislation and the liaison’s office was working with pro fae groups to fight the legislation.”
“What was the legislation for?”
“They wanted to be able to hold the fae responsible in human courts of law, but protected humans against fae law.”
“The Queen would never agree to that.” Jensen stated.
“Thompson was one of the pro-fae members that Cortese was working with.”
“What would have happened if the legislation had passed?” McCoy asked.
“War,” Jensen answered before Jared could. “The fae would never consent to living under human laws and they would consider it an insult that they were supposed to live under human rule while humans weren’t subjected to fae law.”
“Why haven’t we heard this before?” Tal asked.
“It never got off the ground. Cortese said the group of men and women they had managed to stop it before it got close to a vote.”
“Were the names of the people involved ever released?” Kane asked Jared.
“No. I only knew his name because he was a pain in Cortese’ ass. He kept asking her to take him to the Seelie court to meet the Queen for his service.”
Kane pulled out his phone before Jared could. His second knew that something had happened between him and Cortese the other night and he was making the call without making Jared ask.
“Cortese,” Kane said as he started to walk away. “I need to get some information from you.”
“You really think this is the tie?” Able asked.
“I hope to hell it is or we have another body without a way to tie them together.”
“What do we do now?” Milton asked.
“Secure the scene. Work it as you would any other scene. No matter what we hear from Cortese we need to get all the information we can here.”
The others started to move away then and Jared watched as his team went back to working the scene. It said something about them that he didn’t have to worry about doling out assignments. They all worked well together and compensated for each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
He was just starting to relax when he felt the press of shade around him. It wasn’t foreign, the shade was his own but it was startling to have so much around him when he hadn’t consciously called it to him. Jensen stepped up to one side of him, his shoulder butting at the back of Jared’s. “So someone is trying to pass anti-fae legislation and then taking out the people who kept it from being known. They’re using magic and modern weapons. As much as I know a fae was part of this, it doesn’t feel like something a fae would do.”
Jared let out a deep breath and he felt the way the shade Jensen had wrapped around him starting to mingle with his own. It made his breath still for a moment before he was able to breathe it out again. “What sort of fae would work under a human?”
“Someone desperate,” Jensen answered. “No matter how I personally feel about humans, no Seelie would willingly give up the control of a human -fae relationship.”
Jared looked over his shoulder at Jensen. “We need to talk,” he said softly. “In private.”
Jensen raised his eyebrow and Jared shook his head. “About the case. Something just … I realized something and I think it best to talk to you alone about it.”
“Warn the others and I’ll get us out of here.”
Jared didn’t waste any time. He found Tal and though she looked on disapprovingly, she didn’t comment on what he was doing the way Kane would have. He would have gone to Carlson but he was off working the campus area already. Tal was the least likely to comment and the most likely to remember to tell everyone if they started looking for him.
When he got back, Jensen was waiting for him. “Ready?” the fae asked.
He wasn’t sure what to expect but Jensen’s playful smile as he stepped in and wrapped an arm around Jared’s waist wasn’t part of it.
“Will I go blind this time?” Jared asked, curious if his own magic would be able to keep it from happening.
“We’ll see.”
He didn’t have time to say anything else then because Jensen was pulling shade around them, Jared’s magic wrapping around them both as they began to shift away.
Author:
hunters_retreat
Artist:
ladytiferet
Fandom/Genre: RPF
Pairing(s): Jared/Jensen
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 28,000+
Warnings: d/s themes
Summary: Thirty years ago, humanity was changed. The magic they scoffed at as nothing more than fairy tales and children's illusions was real and the barrier that separated them from that and the world of the fae came crashing down. In the wake of that phenomena, new government agencies were created to deal with the problems of magic in the modern world. Humans relied on the men and women of the DMI to protect them from the abuses of magic. But when Agent Padalecki finds himself in the middle of a
murder investigation with a civilian on his scene, he realizes it's not just any civilian. The intruder is the Ghost, a fae that even the high Seelie court fear. Faced with a murder investigation and a possible connection to a string of killings, Agent Padalecki must find a way to work with the Ghost to stop a killer before he can do the unthinkable; start a war between humanity and fae.
Art Masterpost: here
Anger thrummed through Jensen’s body as he felt the floor of his apartment underneath his feet. The shadow was cool to the touch but Jared was a fucking heater against his front. The whole of the fae court knew that Jensen had marked Jared as his own, that the DMI agent wore his protective brand and their quick departure was sure to be noticed, but the only that really registered to Jensen was the need to keep Jared safe.
Shade licked up and down his sides, fire dancing within it as it pressed closer to Jared, pulling him around and pressing his head down to rest on Jensen’s shoulder. Jensen’s arm was still wrapped around Jared’s waist, his other hand on the man’s hip. Jared was immobile in his touch, in his power, but Jared wasn’t fighting him. He was blinded again by the shade and Jensen leaned his head to the side until his lips brushed Jared’s ear.
“What were you thinking, Jared?” he whispered. “Did you think you could stand by my side against the Queen of the Seelie?”
Jared’s head turned ever so slightly and Jensen watched as he licked his lips. “Let me go.”
The words were barely a whisper and Jensen nearly laughed at the desperation in Jared’s voice. He almost laughed at the way the shade wrapped tighter around him, pulling him close. He wasn’t sure if Jared was talking about the magic that held them together or the rest of it, but Jensen was unable to do either.
“Never.”
He wasn’t expecting Jared’s reaction so when the DMI agent pulled up to his full height and pushed against Jensen’s shoulders with all his strength, Jensen was thrown back a few steps.
“You have no right to threaten a human like that.” Jared’s chest was heaving with his anger and Jensen was amazed at the strength in the man, standing tall and proud and righteous even with his current blindness. “Cortese didn’t deserve to be treated like that.”
“I don’t care that she was human, Jared. Cortese is a liaison to the Seelie court and she knows the dangers as well as any fae that walls the Glittering Halls. What she saw - what you both saw - could get us all killed. If I thought for one second that she wouldn’t keep quiet, I would have killed her then and there and left the Queen to deal with the political mess.”
“She was there to help you!” Jared screamed.
Jensen laughed suddenly. “No one helps me, Jared! No one does something for nothing and for what she saw tonight, she could ask the Queen for a ransom the likes of which you can’t believe, and the Queen would give it to keep her secret.”
“What secret is that?” Jared demanded.
Jensen knew he had to know what they were talking about, but if Jared needed to hear the words aloud, Jensen was willing to oblige him.
He took a step closer to where Jared was, letting the noise of his motion telegraph his location. He got close enough that his chest was almost brushing Jared’s body when he began circling him. “The Queen - or King - of the Seelie court rules both courts. Queen Danneel rules the Unseelie through the power of the Seelie. She rules the Seelie because she is the strongest among them. No one would dare to try themselves against her power. Do you understand now Jared?”
“You’re stronger than she is.”
“Yes, but that’s not what I’m asking you to understand. If word got out that I was able to best the Queen, a civil war would erupt in faerie. The Queen would have no choice but to come to me and challenge me, and I would win. And then the Seelie and Unseelie would see blood as they haven’t since the creation of the separate courts.”
“Why?”
Jensen paused, unsure of why he was explaining it all, of why it was so important to him for Jared to understand all of it. He’d never talked to anyone about it and he knew that his birthright had been withheld from humans. He stepped in, releasing the shade that had kept Jared blind. He needed Jared to look at him. He needed to see the understanding dawn there.
“Because I am not of either court. My father was Seelie and my mother was Unseelie.” He saw the look of surprise in the agent’s eyes and nodded. “I was raised as one of the Seelie but when my powers came, I was cast away and sent to the court of the Unseelie. No one knew back then what I would become. No one understood that I would be the most powerful fae in the world, that I would become the rightful ruler of all fae.”
Jared’s eyes were searching his for something but he took a deep, shuddered breath and swallowed hard. “Why would they throw you to the Unseelie? What could you do?”
He knew he should step back, that he’d told himself time and time again that Jared was an ally and a partner, not a play thing, but Jared was there asking when he had to know what Jensen would do.
Jensen took a step towards Jared but the agent took a step back. Jensen could feel the anxiety in Jared and he smiled as he began pulling shade around himself. For each step he took, Jared took one back until he was backed against the wall next to Jensen’s bed. Jared’s eyes went wide as he realized where Jensen had forced him but he still didn’t speak.
“You’ve seen it before, Jared, what I could do. Do you want to see it again?” he asked.
He didn’t let Jared talk, but reached for Jared’s shirt and pulled the tails out of his pants. He smirked up at the agent as he let one hand slide up under his shirt, feeling the taut muscles ripple under his touch.
“Already so responsive.” He leaned in, brushing his nose along the underside of Jared’s chin, taking in the emotions that were wrapped so strongly around Jared. He leaned closer until his body was pressing Jared all the way back against the wall. When he let out a soft sigh against Jared’s skin the other man shivered and Jensen let the touch of shade slide of Jared’s skin. It was a taste of pain, nothing more but Jared’s head went back and he moaned up into the ceiling. Jensen licked a stripe up Jared’s neck before letting his lips rest against his skin. “Do you see the things I would do for you, Jared?” he asked as he sucked the soft skin just behind Jared’s ear into his mouth, tasting and marking.
Jared’s body was still against his until Jensen brought his other hand up under Jared’s shirt. Shade slid under his touch and as the pain started, Jared’s hips pressed up against Jensen. The long hard line of Jared’s cock made Jensen push that much more pain into his body.
“Jensen,” Jared gasped as his head dropped down. Jensen couldn’t help himself. He had to taste his name on Jared’s lips and as he sent pin pricks of pain running down his chest and arms. When Jared whimpered his name again, Jensen crushed his lips to Jared’s. Jared gasped at the sudden pressure and Jensen took advantage of the moment, sliding his tongue into the man’s mouth. Jared moaned as he thrust up against Jensen again.
“Jared,” Jensen breathed his name as he pulled back, hands pulling away to unbutton Jared’s shirt and push it down his shoulders, revealing the amazing musculature to Jensen’s eyes at last. “Fuck,” he whispered as he leaned in, pressing lips to Jared’s collarbone as his hands began to work on his belt buckle. “I’m gonna turn you inside out.”
“Do it,” Jared demanded, reaching forward to grab Jensen’s shirt and pull it over his head. Jensen let himself be stripped completely before he pushed Jared back onto the black sheets on his bed. He didn’t let Jared get settled but set out strands of fire and earth to bind Jared’s wrists so the bed post.
He knelt at the end of the bed between Jared’s legs and placed his hands on Jared’s calves, watching fire erupt from his hands before he let a small trickle move up Jared’s skin. Jared arched up off the bed and Jensen leaned over him, pressing him back into the mattress with his body. “Think you can take it, Jared? Think you can take what I want to give you?”
Jared looked up at him, almond shaped eyes glaring. “Try me.”
Jensen laughed as he leaned down, biting Jared’s lower lip. He moved down to his neck, leaving a string of angry red marks wherever he bit down. He could feel how hard Jared was and Jensen wanted to leave him that way all night, desperate and wanting. He leaned in and kissed Jared hard before he began to climb up his body. Jared’s eyes grew wide but he licked his lips as Jensen settled his knees around his broad shoulders. He leaned up, holding onto the bedframe to support himself as he fed his cock to Jared. Jared opened up around him and it was Jensen’s turn to moan. He thrust in and out of Jared’s mouth and gave him a few moments to adjust before he was pressing forward, burying himself in Jared’s throat. He could see Jared’s eyes watering and he knew Jared wasn’t able to breath around his cock but as he pulled back, Jensen wrapped shade around Jared’s neck and kept him from breathing. Jared didn’t struggle under him and Jensen smiled as he fucked into Jared’s mouth again. He let the magic pulse and surge around him and Jared could breathe sporadically as he worked himself towards orgasm. He pulled back finally, determined to make this last longer. He pushed his way back down Jared’s body and kissed him hard, Jared meeting each thrust of his tongue with his own. When Jensen put his hands back on Jared’s chest, he pushed the shade into his flesh making him moan into the touch. As much as Jensen wanted to make this last he could feel himself losing control too quickly to hold off much longer. He wasn’t even sure he’d manage to wait until he was inside Jared before he let them both feel the pleasure that was coursing in his veins.
“Jensen,” Jared breathed underneath him and Jensen pushed again, forcing himself to look Jared in the eye as pain etched its way under his skin.
Jared’s eyes opened wide but narrowed almost immediately and then Jensen was stunned as he felt the force of someone reaching into his chest with bonds of fire and shade. The magic wrapped around him and instead of pain, he felt the pleasure building in Jared, felt it in himself. He moved his hands up to Jared’s, holding the man’s wrists in place as the bonds that had held him were released. “Jensen… Jensen …” Jared’s voice begged him for something Jensen was no longer in control of giving him.
He crushed their lips together and then pleasure rippled through him too strong to resist. He threw his head back, screaming Jared’s name as he came all over his stomach. He was barely aware of the hot splash of come against his body and Jared crying out his name as he blacked out.
He woke a few minutes later, Jared underneath him still, breath steady as he slept. Jensen got up immediately and went into the bathroom, running warm water to wash himself up with. He cleaned his stomach up before stopping to look at himself in the mirror.
He knew what had happened, even if he’d never expected it. He knew how it had happened. He just had no idea how to handle it. He took a deep breath and washed his face before wetting a washcloth to clean Jared up. The only problem was that by the time he walked out, all he saw of Jared was his back as he slammed the front door behind him.
Jensen swore loudly before stalking over to the window and looking out. He could feel Jared down there, could feel the turmoil of emotions that the agent was dealing with, and no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t stop it. The bond that had been trying to form between them was well and sealed and there was nothing Jensen could do but berate himself for not running as soon as he’d met Jared Padalecki.
He was a practical creature though, so he pulled himself away from the window and reached for the phone. He dialed a number he’d learned quickly and never expected to have to call.
“Kane,” the voice on the other side answered.
“This is Ackles. You need to keep an eye out for Jared.”
“What the hell did you do to him?”
Jensen took a deep breath to keep from letting his anger get the best of him. Kane was right. Jensen had fucked all of this up because he couldn’t keep control of his magic. Doubts rarely crept into his mind, but tonight he wondered if maybe the others were right about him. Maybe there was a reason creatures of both worlds shouldn’t exist.
“He just left and I’m pretty sure he’s coming to you. You need to help him.”
“Why’s that?”
“He’s dealing with something he doesn’t want to admit.”
“And why are you warning me?”
“Because he’s a latent.”
“Holy shit!”
“Yeah,” Jensen said softly, walking back towards the window and pressing his head against the glass as he looked in the direction Jared had gone. “And he’s strong Kane. If what I felt tonight was any indication, he’s stronger than any human I’ve ever felt.”
“Are you serious? He’s never shown an affinity to any element. Not even a tiny bit or we’d have been keeping a closer eye on him.”
“Shade, Kane. His affinity is fire and shade and I doubt anyone gave him both in a strong enough dose to matter.”
“Well hell. We don’t - no one in the team knows enough about shade to help him deal with something like this.”
“I know. He’ll have to come back to me to learn, but I wanted you to know for now. So you can watch out for him.”
“What do you care?”
“He’s under my protection, Kane. I’ll do anything and everything in my power to protect him. I’m the Ghost your marginals whisper about so you know that I can do a lot.”
“Jesus fucking,” There was a pause on the other end of the phone and Kane sighed. “Someone is here. I need to take care of him.”
“That’s why I called. Tell him he knows where to find me now, when he needs me again.”
“That such a good idea?”
Jensen laughed bitterly, deciding that he actually liked Kane. “Absolutely not, but I don’t think we have a choice.”
“Yeah, alright. “
Jensen was about to hang up when Kane began again. “And Ackles?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks. For letting someone know.”
“Just keep him safe Kane. He’s mine now and I will kill anyone that hurts him. Or anyone that fails him.”
“Now you’re just being a sweet talker.”
Kane hung up the phone before Jensen could answer but he just shook his head as he put the phone down. Jared had the strangest team working with him, but if they were all as loyal as Kane was, then Jensen knew that tonight, at least, he didn’t have to worry about his wayward mate.
**
Jared took a deep breath as he stared away from his desk to the pictures pinned to the board in front of him. The case was stalled out and Jared was trying to focus his attention on the details in front of him, instead of the craziness his life had become.
Three nights ago he’d gone to his first meeting with the Queen of the fae. Three nights ago he’d learned that the Ghost was part Seelie, part Unseelie, and the rightful ruler of the fae. Three nights ago, he’d had sex with the fae and learned that he was one of the rare people that were classified a latent.
He didn’t want to be able to do magic, had been quite happy his whole life without it actually, but he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t ignore it, not considering what a lack of control had done to his family. And from what his team had said, once they started working with him, he was extremely strong.
He took a deep breath and opened the top drawer of his desk where he kept his weapon. It was new, one of the designs that were supposed to be able to take down the fae should they get attacked. He ran his fingers over the surface of it, impressed with the smooth feel of the weapon even while he abhorred the idea of it. A year ago no one was clamoring for the need to protect themselves from the fae with weapons. Then again, a year ago the press wasn’t telling people that a fae was killing people.
He’d spoken with the journalist in question but the man hadn’t been leaking information, just making a guess about who the killer could be, but the idea had taken hold with the media and they’d run with it. No one was happy about it and Jared had his superiors on his ass to solve the case so everyone could move past it.
The damage was done though and Jared was amazed by the swiftness with which the anti-fae movement was growing. He could understand people’s fear of the fae and he understood people’s fear of magic. Hell, if anyone could understand the negative impact of magic on human life, it was Jared. He’d never blamed the fae for what had happened to his family.
He had learned a fair amount of resentment in the last three days though. He’d always thought himself out of the reach of magic, but now he was busting his ass to learn how to control it when what he really needed to focus on was the case in front of him.
His phone rang and Jared took a deep breath before answering it with a crisp, “Padalecki.”
It was never good news and this was no exception. He yelled at Kane to get the team together and he grabbed his weapon as he headed out the door to the newest crime scene. He was almost out of the door when he heard a familiar moan. He couldn’t place it at first, but when he turned around the corner he found himself looking at the top of someone’s head. Her forehead was on the desk and she was banging it repeatedly. Her hair was long and straight, blond and he knew then how he recognized her moan. She was the marginal he’d seen at the mansion with Jensen.
“Who are you?” he asked as he looked at her.
Nancy used to work the call lines but she’d left for maternity leave two months before and he’d never had a chance to introduce himself to her replacement.
Her eyes were wide as she looked up at Jared. “I’m Katie,” she said with a smile. “You’re Agent Padalecki, right?”
“Yeah. But what are you doing here?”
She looked confused. “I … I answer the phones. Transfer calls to the right agents.”
Jared took a step closer. “I meant what is a marginal doing working at the DMI?” He put the pieces together then and had to clench his teeth. “You’re the one feeding the Ghost information about the murders. You’re how he gets there before me. You’re calling him before passing the calls over to me.”
She didn’t bother to deny it and Jared knew he’d have to deal with it later but he had a murder scene to get to and a fae who was going to be there, no matter that Jared would rather be anywhere than where Jensen was at the moment.
“We’ll discuss this later,” he said as he strode out of the office. He should have taken care of it then, but he needed time. He wasn’t one of the marginal but he wasn’t sure how he could explain firing a marginal without admitting how he knew she was one. And bringing up a connection to the Ghost as a prelude to firing wasn’t really in his own best interests either.
He pushed the matter to the back of his head as he got to his car. Jared was the first of his team to arrive and while he knew they’d be pissed that he left without him, he needed the time to himself. He needed to take a few minutes to himself and feel out the crime scene with the new senses that he had. He wasn’t affected like the people who could sense emotions but he could sense their energies now and he could feel their strengths and weaknesses. He hated the way his mind was calculating risks and assessing people automatically by their strength in elements instead of the way he’d trained the rest of his life but he could see people reassessing him now too. Jared was generally considered a threat by people because of his size and training but this was something different. Now they were looking at him for two things; his strength with magic, and his control of it.
The local cops all stepped away as Jared walked into the clearing where the last murder had taken place. It was a college campus and the victim was lying on a path that was out of the way through a small garden that crossed the campus.
He didn’t need to look to know that Jensen was there. To his annoyance, he’d started to feel Jensen’s proximity a mile back and it just got stronger as he approached. He had no doubt that Jensen was as aware of him but it didn’t make him turn around as Jared approached. Again, the locals weren’t aware of the intruder and it wasn’t until then that Jared realized it wasn’t because they weren’t protected, but because Jensen was so strong that he was able to overpower the simple tricks they used to stop fae glamour.
He walked over to the body but he didn’t need to ask Jensen what was used on the body this time. He could feel the shifting edge of shade that had been used against the body and he shivered in memory of Jensen’s hands. He closed his eyes, trying to get himself under control. He could feel the building power inside himself and he needed to find a way to back it down. He wasn’t good at that yet but Jensen’s proximity seemed to bring it out in him. He wanted to push back into the fae as he had the first time, pushing shade back into his chest and twisting until Jensen couldn’t tell pleasure from pain without Jared’s moans to tell him.
“Jared,” Jensen’s voice was in his ear and Jared had no idea that the fae had moved. He didn’t open his eyes as Jensen’s hand pressed to his chest. “Breathe with me,” Jensen said softly as his other hand rubbed up Jared’s arm, the physical contact calming him more than Jared wanted to admit. “Just imagine it leaving your body with your exhale. You have the control and you can push it away.”
Jensen didn’t say anything else but he stood where he was, hand on Jared’s chest, the other on his arm, right in Jared’s space just breathing with him. When Jared finally opened his eyes, Jensen was watching him carefully.
“How did you know?”
Jensen gave him a sad smile. “I learned the hard way. It became clear what my powers were before they completely blossomed so I was pushed from one court to the other. But my full powers came suddenly and I had no one who could teach me to control it.” Jensen’s smile turned real then. “I learned a lot from human history shows about the days when magic first came to them.”
“Thank you.” He didn’t want to say it, but he didn’t want to leave something like that unacknowledged between them.
Jensen nodded. “I gave you my protection, Jared. That is in all things. When this becomes too much, you don’t have to face it alone.”
“Why?” Jared asked. “I didn’t know what it meant when you offered but I did my research.”
And he really had. He’d gone to Beaver after his powers had come in and talked to him for a long time about what was happening to him. He didn’t explain everything that was happening between himself and Jensen but Beaver had been completely surprised by Jensen’s offer of protection.
Jensen looked away then, taking a step back to put distance between them but Jared grabbed his arm and kept him close.
“Jensen?”
“I don’t know why I did it. I don’t know why I’ve done anything I have to you, Jared. I keep telling myself I won’t do anything, that I’ll leave you to your investigation and just get what I need from you, but I can’t.” Jensen looked up at him then. “I never meant for any of this to happen between us.”
“Then why did it?”
“Magic,” Jensen answered in a whisper. It wasn’t a flippant answer and Jared could see the edge of fear in Jensen’s eyes. He believed whatever it was Jensen was telling him, but he didn’t understand entirely and he knew that. Jensen seemed to also. “Soon, you’ll know. You’ll feel it and when you do, nothing you tell yourself will matter. All that will matter is touching and feeling and the need for whatever is driving you forward.”
“Padalecki?”
Jensen stepped out of Jared’s reach and Jared didn’t try to stop him as Kane and Carlson stepped into the crime scene.
“Just like before ladies and gents,” Jared told his crew as they all got there. “Shade was used on the victim. Let’s canvas the area and see if we can get anything out of the locals.”
They began moving but Carlson stayed where he was, moving to stand at Jared’s side. Jensen was on the other side of the scene though Jared wasn’t sure what he was doing at that point.
“Padalecki, you alright?”
“Yeah. You need something?”
Carlson looked him up and down for a second. “Yeah, just wanted to check on you. That looked … intense. Kane said you were with the Ghost when your powers came.”
Jared just nodded to confirm it.
“Sometimes our powers get drawn out more when we’re with certain people. If you need us to handle things while he’s around, all you gotta do is say the word.”
Jared gave him a small smile. “Yeah, I know. You guys have been great but Ackles is something I have to figure out myself.”
“Just remember, you can’t trust him Padalecki. He’s a fae, no matter how well he makes himself look like one of us. The words a fae speaks aren’t always the words you hear.”
Jared frowned. He’d never known Carlson to say anything like that and it bothered him that he was saying it in relation to Jensen. It bothered him that he cared that it was Jensen.
He sighed, rubbing a hand over tired eyes. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Before Carlson could say anything else, Jared stepped away, already feeling his anger build, which made it harder for him to control the shade that began to converge around his fingers. He wasn’t like Jensen, someone who had shade dancing around his feet, but he’d heard that the more you dealt with shade the more it came to you on its own. He could send it away, but he didn’t need to actually call it to feel it there, waiting. Watching.
Beaver had said it was the most sentient of the elements, that it reacted to things and when magic moved the world, it was shade that did it. The theory was that shade had changed humans to see magic and it was the use of shade in creating their vision that kept most of them from seeing it. Jared didn’t know what to believe, but Beaver supported the idea so Jared was willing to go with it.
Jared watched as Kane and Carlson began working the body and saw the way the rest of his team was spread out before going over to join Jensen. “There has to be something about these people. I know we’re missing something here.”
It was easier if he focused on the case and no matter what else had happened in faerie, Jared wasn’t about to ask Jensen to stay off the case. If Jensen could take out the Queen of the fae without hesitation, Jared would be minced meat. Not that he factored that into his decision but he was well aware that if there was a fae in on the murder that they could use a little extra protection.
“It’s the same signature,” Jensen said as he looked back. “I know this signature damn it! I just … I don’t know who I saw.”
Jared could feel Jensen’s frustration and without thinking, he brought his hand up to the nape of the fae’s neck and ran his thumb lightly up and down the patch of exposed skin. “We’ll figure it out.”
It wasn’t until that moment though that Jared took a deep breath and realized that he could feel the signature as well. He concentrated on it as well, knowing he wouldn't be much help but wanting to be able to recognize the feel of it should he ever meet the caster. It was familiar though.
“Padalecki, we have an ID,” Able said as he and Milton walked over. “He was another member of the fae interaction committee. His name was Darren Thompson.”
“Thompson?” Jared asked.
“Yeah. That mean anything to you?”
“Give me a second.” For some reason the name was familiar to Jared and he closed his eyes, trying to recall anything that might have brought the man to his attention. After a minute he realized what it was. “He was part of a fae initiative that Cortese told me about.” He stopped as he felt a surge of jealously coming from Jensen. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to justify the conversation but he did. “We were working on a case a few months back and she was caught up in this initiative that humans were trying to pass. It was anti-fae legislation and the liaison’s office was working with pro fae groups to fight the legislation.”
“What was the legislation for?”
“They wanted to be able to hold the fae responsible in human courts of law, but protected humans against fae law.”
“The Queen would never agree to that.” Jensen stated.
“Thompson was one of the pro-fae members that Cortese was working with.”
“What would have happened if the legislation had passed?” McCoy asked.
“War,” Jensen answered before Jared could. “The fae would never consent to living under human laws and they would consider it an insult that they were supposed to live under human rule while humans weren’t subjected to fae law.”
“Why haven’t we heard this before?” Tal asked.
“It never got off the ground. Cortese said the group of men and women they had managed to stop it before it got close to a vote.”
“Were the names of the people involved ever released?” Kane asked Jared.
“No. I only knew his name because he was a pain in Cortese’ ass. He kept asking her to take him to the Seelie court to meet the Queen for his service.”
Kane pulled out his phone before Jared could. His second knew that something had happened between him and Cortese the other night and he was making the call without making Jared ask.
“Cortese,” Kane said as he started to walk away. “I need to get some information from you.”
“You really think this is the tie?” Able asked.
“I hope to hell it is or we have another body without a way to tie them together.”
“What do we do now?” Milton asked.
“Secure the scene. Work it as you would any other scene. No matter what we hear from Cortese we need to get all the information we can here.”
The others started to move away then and Jared watched as his team went back to working the scene. It said something about them that he didn’t have to worry about doling out assignments. They all worked well together and compensated for each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
He was just starting to relax when he felt the press of shade around him. It wasn’t foreign, the shade was his own but it was startling to have so much around him when he hadn’t consciously called it to him. Jensen stepped up to one side of him, his shoulder butting at the back of Jared’s. “So someone is trying to pass anti-fae legislation and then taking out the people who kept it from being known. They’re using magic and modern weapons. As much as I know a fae was part of this, it doesn’t feel like something a fae would do.”
Jared let out a deep breath and he felt the way the shade Jensen had wrapped around him starting to mingle with his own. It made his breath still for a moment before he was able to breathe it out again. “What sort of fae would work under a human?”
“Someone desperate,” Jensen answered. “No matter how I personally feel about humans, no Seelie would willingly give up the control of a human -fae relationship.”
Jared looked over his shoulder at Jensen. “We need to talk,” he said softly. “In private.”
Jensen raised his eyebrow and Jared shook his head. “About the case. Something just … I realized something and I think it best to talk to you alone about it.”
“Warn the others and I’ll get us out of here.”
Jared didn’t waste any time. He found Tal and though she looked on disapprovingly, she didn’t comment on what he was doing the way Kane would have. He would have gone to Carlson but he was off working the campus area already. Tal was the least likely to comment and the most likely to remember to tell everyone if they started looking for him.
When he got back, Jensen was waiting for him. “Ready?” the fae asked.
He wasn’t sure what to expect but Jensen’s playful smile as he stepped in and wrapped an arm around Jared’s waist wasn’t part of it.
“Will I go blind this time?” Jared asked, curious if his own magic would be able to keep it from happening.
“We’ll see.”
He didn’t have time to say anything else then because Jensen was pulling shade around them, Jared’s magic wrapping around them both as they began to shift away.