Fae Relic

By KD Jones

Blurb

Mack is back, and she means business. There is a crime boss that she and her partner are trying to locate and take down. Her fae abilities are growing, and she needs a trainer. And her parents are in town. So it’s a busy time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: KD Jones
• Release date: Apr 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9781943738151

KD Jones

KD Jones has been a huge fan of both romance novels and science fiction novels since she was 16 years old. Her favorite television shows growing up were Star Trek and Doctor Who. When not writing, she can usually be found curled up on the couch with a good book, working on her hobby of photography, or spending time with her family.

Book preview

Fae Relic

Mackenzie Chronicles

Book 3

KD Jones

Copyright 2020 KD Jones

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Blurb

Mack is back, and she means business. There is a crime boss that she and her partner are trying to locate and take down. Her fae abilities are growing, and she needs a trainer. And her parents are in town. So it’s a busy time.

Chapter 1

I was in the break room at the PD fetching another cup of the world’s worst coffee. Hey, Betsy, is there any creamer left?

The cabinets on the other side of the room opened and closed. Then a woman’s smoker voice answered. None. The one in the fridge expired last week.

Damn it. Well, at least the sugar jar is still halfway full. We need a new office assistant, I grumbled. 

The previous assistant ordering all the office supplies, including kitchen food, was on maternity leave. Janet had two months before she came back. They would have to make do.

Betsy exited the break room but halted in the doorway. Who is that?

I picked up my mug and walked up behind her. Who are you talking about?

The gorgeous woman and dreamy male model.

I had a sinking feeling as I peered around Betsy. A gorgeous curly redhead woman with pale skin, perfect facial features, blue eyes, and a slim figure stood next to a tall, good-looking man with short black hair, pale skin, blue eyes, wearing a dark gray suit. They looked perfect together.

I sighed. It took fewer than three days before they invaded my work environment. I was hoping I could convince them to visit the precinct with their next visit.

That would be my parents.

Parents? Betsy questioned me with doubt.

Here came the lies. I had to always cover up when my parents visited because they looked almost the same age as me. Yeah, my family inherited superb genes and they have a friend who does plastic surgery.

Oh...oh. I see, Betsy responded, following me out of the break room.

My stepfather Alex was shaking hands with the chief and Ethan. He and Ethan stared at each other suspiciously. I wasn’t sure if it was the fact that shifters and vampires were not friendly toward one another in general, or if it was because of me. They definitely weren’t hitting it off.

Mom and Dad, why are you here?

My mother turned to me with a beaming smile. Oh, honey, I was hoping we could take you and your partner out for lunch. We really want to get to know who you spend so much time with.

Ethan looked at me uncomfortably as if silently willing me to make an excuse for him. I would not let him off the hook. A little torture did a soul good. We would love to.

From my desk, I grabbed my keys while whispers traveled around the room—words I have heard before. It was why I chose to not to live in the same town as my parents. I aged, but they didn't. It never took long before people began to notice the differences.

Are they really her parents?

Her mother looks the same age.

That could not be her father.

They’re like the hottest parents I’ve ever seen.

I gave my stepfather a look, and he nodded. Slowly, I could feel the warmth of magic, a different kind, filling the room. This magic was glamour from a master vampire. I was more sensitive to it now and I could pull it apart and push it off me. But in the past, I had to suffer through it. Not that it hurt, just the opposite. The glamour calmed questions and gave the people experiencing it a sense of peace, and all is right—just not for me.

A vampire had stalked and kidnapped me when I was a teenager. The experience left me wary of all vampires except my parents and wary of glamour. I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like the glamour.

Ethan growled low. I elbowed him in the ribs to get him to stop. 

My stepfather glared at Ethan. Do you have a problem?

Yes, Ethan said sharply.

Oh, boy. This was not going well at all. The chief spoke, breaking the tension in the room. Okay, everyone, go back to work so Mack and her parents can get out of here. Unfortunately, I need Detective Cross for something.

My mother’s unlined face looked disappointed. That’s too bad. We must have dinner with you, Ethan, soon.

Ethan’s demeanor changed when he turned to face her. His features softened, and he smiled that damn charming smile with the dimples. I look forward to it.

I admit, I was jealous over my mother. She wasn’t flirting with him and Ethan wasn’t hitting on her, just trying to impress her. All women fell for Ethan’s sexy smile, his thick brown hair, and those chocolate colored eyes. Those eyes were respectful.

Why would he want to impress my mother? He was supposedly engaged to a shifter woman, though that was suspect. He tried to talk to me about it, but I had refused to communicate with him about anything other than work. Which made things complicated.

See, that’s why people who worked together should not get involved. When things go wrong with their relationship, it affected their professional work life too. I had been staring down at my desk, deep in thought. It took a moment for the sound of my name to get my attention.

Mackenzie! my mother called out.

I looked up and found the chief, Ethan, my mother, and stepfather all staring at me curiously. Right. Let me just get… I fiddled with my desk before grabbing my keys. Ready.

My parents headed to the front entrance of the police station. As I passed Ethan, he reached out a hand on my arm to halt me. Tell Valentine to not use glamour on our staff or me ever again.

Oh, he was angry. Shifters and vampires didn’t really get along even though they both descended from the fae. The two species also didn’t like the fae, which left me in an even more awkward situation. Ethan was all alpha werewolf, so he wouldn’t like anyone messing with his willpower.  

He wouldn’t hurt anyone, I whispered back.

Doesn’t matter. It’s not right.

Detective Cross, my office, the chief called out from the door to his office.

I broke free of Ethan’s grip and walked away. I could feel his eyes on me and had to fight the urge to turn to look at him. The man was just too damn sexy.

I caught up to my parents, who were waiting outside beside a black Cadillac sedan. Is that a new car?

A rental, Alex said, opening the front passenger’s door for my mom.

I thought you rented a red two-door sports car.

We did, but there’s not enough room for our family in that little red thing, Mom said.

I frowned as I opened the door to the back seat and slid in. They wouldn’t be here long enough for them to need a bigger car. Or would they?

My parents had arrived three nights ago. I remembered having just left a crime scene where our newly discovered crime boss had eliminated one of his henchmen to send a warning to any who would disobey or endanger this boss and his criminal organization. I shivered at the memory of the body.  

That same night also brought an end to a barely begun romantic relationship between Ethan and me. I found out he had a secret fiancée. I felt hurt and foolish. Ethan tried to deny it at first but eventually admitted it was all part of a pack obligation.

I had walked away feeling a deep, unexplainable loss. Loss of what could have been. But then I ran straight into someone I hadn’t expected—my mother. When I asked how long she and my stepfather would be visiting, she had answered, Oh...maybe forever. Now, I was starting to believe she might've been telling me the truth.

When my stepfather started the car, the news came on the radio. My mother turned up the volume. The voice belonged to a correspondent giving an update on a report. The two homeless men found dead in an alley a week ago have been identified as seventy-five-year-old Ralph Bernard and eighty-year-old Clinton Murphy. Both were ex-military who suffered dementia for years. They seemed to have died from health complications that may have been caused by an infection from burns on their right palms. No surviving relatives. The news changed to other topics.

My mother sighed, turning the radio down. Have you heard about those poor homeless men in Falmouth?

No, I said.

It is just so sad, she said. To have no one to care whether you are alive or dead is horrible.

Chapter 2

An hour later

My parents dropped me off at the police station after a nice, but pricey, lunch. Alex had always liked expensive things. My mother fit easily into Alex’s world. She had so much class and style even at her younger age. I would have been fine with a cheeseburger and fries. I liked nice things, too, but I just wasn’t a fancy person.

After opening the door to the precinct, I walked through. A new female officer was manning the front desk. She was probably twenty with curly brown hair and bright blue eyes. She was sweet and seemed to sparkle, which made me feel the exact opposite—sour and dull. I shook those dire thoughts away, forcing a friendly smile on my face.

The chief and Ethan were at Ethan’s desk. I approached, and both men turned to look at me. The chief smiled, but Ethan just stared. I ignored him. 

Did you enjoy your lunch with your parents? Chief Danvers asked.

I did. Have I missed anything? I asked, sitting at my desk and shuffling paper.

The new task force is meeting in thirty minutes in the ops room.

I’ll be ready, I told him. I watched him walk back to his office. Eyes were on me, and I knew who it was. Sighing, I finally turned my attention to my partner.

What?

Ethan leaned forward and growled low. He used glamour on a room full of cops. 

I looked around to see if anyone was listening. We can’t have this conversation here.

He stood abruptly. "Then follow me, because we will have this conversation."

I followed him down the hall to an empty interrogation room. He closed the door behind me. Then he let his anger out.

That vampire put our people at risk by using glamour.

Those vampires are my parents and all he did was calm the room and ease the questions building on everyone’s minds. Alex would never hurt innocent humans with his abilities.

Says you. Do you really know what a vampire will do?

I know my parents, who are both vampires and raised me!

He moved closer in an intimidation move, but I