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“Morning, Holly”

Sydney wanted to be angry at Holly for Caden’s dis, she understood Holly’s position Even if Caden had done it because he wanted to protect her, it looked fishy

“You look like shit Sleep , problem solved Meet Zain Denzell”

As if Caden could be replaced with any warm body

In the doorway, Holly stepped back A ed forward, tall, lanky, and scruffy He sported inky black hair, a goatee, a crooked nose, and an office-inappropriate T-shirt that said “Wanted: Meaningful Overnight Relationship” But the eyesthose were sharp, al Sydney had the immediate i him, and he preferred it that way

“Hello” She walked around the desk and stuck out her hand

Zain approached, soer, then took her hand She had a brief iive off the dee stature, but still hit her square in the chest, as if he was important somehow

“Nice to meet you,” he said with a nod, then backed away

“Likewise”

Biting her lip, Sydney studied him Not as easy on the eyes as the last one, but he’d be less distracting Zain’s deference see to succeed in the news business learned to bow and scrape in a hurry

Suddenly, he sling with others, especially before noon”

“You’re fine”

Holly clapped her hands “Great, now that the introductions are over, why don’t you and Zain spend thirty seconds for me money?”

With that cheerful de the door behind her Sydney rolled her eyes, and Zain laughed

“Is she always that”

“Brash? Absolutely If you hear people talk about Cruella, you knoho they ether “We still have a few moments; tell e of her desk “I’m a reporter with deadlines who doesn’t have time for crap You may not believe my stories, but if so, I don’t want to hear it”

“No I believe Especially the ht You’re the one Holly told et them?”

Zain hesitated “I have a source who claims to be involved That’s why I wanted to work here I think we can blow the doors off this story and ht, her interest in Zain zooical war? And you don’t think he or she is mental? Tell me ot a note, you see, that basically said, ‘be here at this time’ I was, and found the bodies just after the battle” Zain shrugged

Odd “Was this note delivered to your ho a bit sheepish “It justappeared in ic? “Has it happened again?”

Nodding, Zain explained, “The last one said so and he’d let me know”

“Why you?” Sydney asked “Why not so on this story?”

Zain lifted a shoulder “I don’t know Maybe because I’ve always been interested in ic”

Possible, but it sounded convenient Sydney’s guess was that Zain wanted this job, and had invented a reclusive source to get it The pictures in the tunnel? For all Sydney knew, he could have Photoshopped the a s on a new angle about the battle in the tunnel You knohere you took the pictures of the bodies? I’ some difficulty The last article I wrote—”

“Was rubbish,” he blurted, then looked sheepish “No disrespect intended But you got it all wrong Mathias is the good guy in the ical world He wants to end oppression”

Sydney slanted hi stare “I have a source, too, who claireat bloke”

“Energy,” Zain said “Powerful eic, or so I’ve been told They must have it frequently Shelike ed up”

Talk about rubbish First, Aquarius’s cousin had an abused deest the woed in mutually consensual sex The rest sounded like a tall tale If it was true, ould his source have confided this sort of infor to do with the war?

“Interesting” She gave hiht smile “For my next story”

The words I’ll just need a few pictures of this red book that grants sexual fantasies stuck in her throat HeAnd if he was the sort ould lie about his inside information, maybe he would try to steal the book fro that had befallen Aquarius’s cousin, it made sense to be cautious

He sat forward, attentive, focused on her Now she kne an aniot it under control,” she said finally

He frowned “You don’t need rapher already took pictures,” she lied “But bring your snapshots of the bodies I’ll look at those for ot another story Oh, and if you can, ask your source why, if Mathias is the good sort, abducted foreign soldiers were found a the dead in that tunnel And what does he make of the Dooed by Sydney crafted a story about theturned up sites about Aleister Crowley, Harry Potter—even a supposedlyto any of these people Finally, buried a few pages down, she found so back to King Arthur’s tis on the book were too old to belong to Crowley, Potter was fictional, and as much as she loved the fantastical, the cat was beyond even her belief The Arthurian angle fit best

A grueling seven hours and a missed lunch later, Sydney subht If not, she had until tomorrow to retract it and invent another, in case Caden failed to appear

She dug her keys fro and unlocked the door to her flat, herby sub Zain’s help? Odd that the man hadn’t seemed at all puzzled when she’d ain,her stories

Deep in thought, she turned to shut the door There Caden stood in the shadowed portico, looasped, hand over her chest He looked out of sorts, sweating, agitated She s, but he hated losing control too much for that

“You scared estured to him “Come in Thank God, you came I—I’m so sorry about Holly and—”