Flight from Hell by Yasmine Galenorn

winked. “You didn’t expect me to know about that, did you? Trust me, Menolly, the Otherworld Fae may have a heads-up on a number of things, but over here, Earthside, there are those of us who make it our business to remain in the loop.”
    Why I’d expected Carter to be our secret, I didn’t know. He’d had a life in Seattle long before we’d arrived here, and probably would be around long after we were gone. And he made no secret of his existence to those he chose to befriend.
    â€œYeah, it was Carter.” I hooked my thumbs in my belt loops and leaned back, stretching out my legs and crossing them at the ankles. “She was involved with him. I suppose you know that, too.”
    Again, the slightly uncomfortable look. “I know they were dating. I warned Shimmer to steer clear of him but she doesn’t listen to me all that well. But we have a rapport . . . or at least, I thought we did. Until she tried to impale me.”
    By the tone of his voice, I thought Alex might have a little more than a rapport with Shimmer. “You dating her, too?”
    Alex shook his head, a boyish grin on his face. “I am involved with a very possessive succubus. Let’s not go there.” But the slight catch in his words told me he very much wanted to
go there
with Shimmer. And probably hadn’t. And regardless of the fact that she’d tried to stake him, the attraction still lingered.
    â€œThen, tell us what happened.”
    He deflated then, his bravado softening. He slipped behind the desk and sat down, then folded his arms across his chest. “All right then. Shimmer was assigned to work for me. Do you know why she’s here?”
    I nodded. “We know she was in trouble and sent here as punishment.”
    He grinned, the tips of his fangs showing ever-slightly. “As much as I hate to think of working for me being classified as a
punishment
, yes, that pretty much sums it up. The Wing Liege wanted someone to keep an eye on her, and I’m damned good at that. And I owed him. Big debt. This is supposed to pay it off.”
    Hmm . . . what had Alex Radcliffe done to piss off the Wing Liege so much that he’d have to take on a dragon for five years to pay off a debt?
    â€œSo, how long has Shimmer been here?” Delilah was jotting down notes. Apparently Alex either didn’t remember her from the Supe Urban Café or he wasn’t bothering to acknowledge they’d already met.
    â€œJust a few weeks, actually. She wasn’t happy about it, either, and while she’s been taking it out on me, she never once threatened to stake me. In fact, it felt like she was starting to settle in a little bit. Ralph and I have tried to make the transition as easy as we can. This has to be a major shock to her system, especially losing some of her powers.” Alex paused. “Well, I’m sure the three of you understand that, abundantly well.”
    I frowned. That we did. Coming over Earthside hadn’t been our idea, though we’d managed to adjust, and now Seattle was home as well as Y’Elestrial. More, perhaps, because of the wars going on back in Otherworld.
    â€œWho’s Ralph?”
    â€œRalph is the IT guy for my agency. He’s a werewolf.”
    That made me blink. Werewolves didn’t usually like vampires. Alex must have gauged my expression because he let out a laugh.
    â€œRalph is all geek. Chiphead. Whatever you want to call his type. He used to work for Google, but then he decided to strike out on his own. We’re actually neighbors. We met one night when he was heading out under the full moon. He was almost caught by the dog catchers and I happened along and recognized that he wasn’t a stray wolf, he was a werewolf. I managed to extricate him from the situation, and ever since then, we’ve been friends. Ralph owns a penthouse in the building next to the Shrouded Grove Suites, where I