Shadows of Fate (Shadow Born) by Angela Dennis Page B

don’t have anyone more qualified on that front. If we find the source of the possessions, it might also lead to the murders and stop what is happening with the Veil.”
    She had known him too long not to know when he was holding out. “You found something, didn’t you?” She studied him. “Something that ties everything together.”
    At first he wouldn’t meet her eyes. Then, with a sigh, he slipped a hand into his tailored pants and pulled out an evidence bag not unlike the one in Lucy’s lab that had contained the killer’s letter.
    “I haven’t shown this to anyone.” He laid it in her palm. “It is up to you what to do with it.”
    She opened the bag when she saw what was inside. Heart pounding, she pulled the pendant and chain free. Her other hand was drawn to the necklace she wore with the exact same pendant. It had been her husband’s and, although she kept it covered by glamour, she always wore it as a reminder of his death.
    Whoever the bastard was, he had her number. The pendant was the only part of her past she had been unable to let go.
    Seraph watched her carefully, as if he were afraid she would snap. “Is it yours?”
    Ignoring his question, Brenna picked up her duster from the beat up aluminum chair. “Forward the files to me. Give my runs to someone else. I’m taking the day off.”
    “I’ll get you what I have,” Seraph replied. “But this stays between us. My orders to keep you off the case came from way above my pay grade.” So, he was letting her pursue this after all. It just couldn’t be official. Fine by her.
    “I’m keeping this.” Brenna held up the pendant. “It may have some residue I can scry.”
    He nodded. “Let me know what you find.” He swiped the air and the privacy bubble dissipated. “Be careful. Don’t go after him until you have back up.”
    “I won’t let her do anything stupid.” Gray’s eyes, however, were fixed on the pendant swinging on her fingers.
    Seraph stepped out into the hallway. “Keep yourselves alive.”
    Suspicions rose as Brenna studied Gray. Surely Seraph had checked him out. They didn’t give just anyone a badge. But how could she have missed two Shadow Bearers crossing through the Veil? Even if they had cloaked their presence she should have felt the disturbance or, at the very least, the call of their blood.
    “I don’t know where to start,” she grumbled to herself.
    Gray settled in one of her chairs, his heels made a sharp ping as they dropped on top of her desk. “Make a list of anyone strong enough to cross the Veil without the Council and a list of all the people who hate you enough to pull off something like this. Cross reference the two and see who is left. Should only be, what, six or seven thousand names?”
    “Despite popular belief, I’m not universally hated.”
    At least she didn’t think so. Immortals had a long memory, but it had been over ninety years since her banishment. What she had done had helped prolong an already endless war. But no one had cried tears for the men who died. They hadn’t deserved them.
    Gray gestured at the pendant still clutched in her hand. “What’s the significance?”
    She looked down at the replica, trying to find an appropriate response. “It was a gift from my husband the night he was killed.” Reaching forward, she handed it to him. “You can keep it. It’s not real.”
    He cocked a brow. “How do you know?”
    “I just do.” She grabbed a pink duffle bag next to the filing cabinet and filled it with her essential papers. “Let’s get out of here. I can smell Xavier’s blood, and it’s making me want to kill something.”
    Gray grinned. “Demon hunting might help. I wouldn’t mind getting my hands bloody.”
    “I’d be afraid I’d kill the host. If you’re craving violence, you can get that at home.”
    With a snort he followed her back to the parking lot. The drive home was made in silence, Brenna contemplating her next step. Leaving Gray in his room,