Alexi #1

By JP Sayle and Lisa Oliver

The Fates are tricky and land Danik with a mate right when he least expects it. Can Alexi’s persuasive tentacles woo the jaded detective?

Detective Danik Kaloshnik, the only detective in Crampton, has no time for anything other than working hard to solve the growing list of missing paranormals. When his captain brings in a consultant to help, Danik does his best to avoid him. Only the universe has other ideas. Now Danik has to deal with a very sexy fated mate, a murder, and a guy proclaiming to be a serial killer. What could possibly go wrong?

Alexi Thalassa has been treading the seas for centuries, dreaming of finding his fated one. When the Crampton Police Department reaches out seeking his firm’s help, Alexi’s kraken is all for it. One look at Detective Danik Kaloshnik, and Alexi is ready to give Danik his sea treasures. Then regulations Alexi’s firm have in place interfere and upset his mate, putting him in direct danger.

The race is on to figure out how all the pieces fit together so Alexi can help find the missing paranormals and keep his mate out of harm’s way.

Alexi #1 is a paranormal gay romance, with a large, grumpy bear frightened of water and a kraken who learns he’s not the only one who wants to be in charge. This is the first book in the Tangled Tentacles Series. Each book in this series will deal with a new couple, therefore while the HEA is guaranteed, the Epilogue for each book will lead into the next title.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jayne Paton
• Release date: Feb 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781914077272

JP Sayle

Let me introduce myself, I’m JP or Jayne. I’m a lady of a certain age (cough, cough over 50 but I embrace my inner child often). I’m an identical twin and I was born in the Isle of Man; this makes me Manx (not British or English). I’ve lived in several places over the years but I returned to the island 1998. I love the sea and now it’s only a stone’s throw from my home.I quit my nursing career recently to follow my dream to write full time. I published my first book in 2018 and since then I’ve managed to publish further twenty-plus books. I gave myself a 12 book challenge for 2020, and I’ve written 14 so far!!My island is steeped in folklore and I have used some of this in my writing, particularly the Manx Cat Guardian Series, it’s paranormal with a twist. But I’m an eclectic girl and I’ve spread my wings a little. The tropes vary from Daddy Kink, BDSM, age gap, Billionaire romance, Smalltown friendships, friends to lovers, out for you, sweet romance, they all have a little angst (or a lot). I tend to write in series (shakes head). The list is below!Manx Cat GuardiansThe AppThe Flamingo BarBillionaire PlaygroundLa Trattoria Di AmoreDark River Stone CollectiveThe PlayroomPotter Creek(The app and flamingo bar are connected, as in the boys get a book in the app and their conclusion in the flamingo bar series)Writing has unleashed a beast in my mind and now I can’t switch it off. So with that, I now have to try and keep my unruly boys in check while they vie for my attention, and currently, it’s who shouts the loudest. But, I’m okay with that now that I have the time to let the words flow!

Book preview

-1-

Danik

We’ve got another one.

Danik Kaloshnik barely glanced up from the mess of papers on his desk. Another what? He growled, even though he had a pretty good idea. The plight of missing paranormals had been picked up by the papers, and his captain was not happy about it. Which was why he was sitting at his desk combing the paperwork for any clue he might’ve missed.

Another missing shifter, sir. The patrolman, who looked as though he only had to shave once a week, was bouncing on his feet. Nora Perriman was last seen leaving her work at just after eight last night and was reported missing by her boyfriend this morning. She’s a cougar shifter. This must be connected, right? This is another one of the serial killer’s victims?

Who’s spreading shit about a serial killer? Danik swept his arm across his desk, indicating his papers. Do you know what this mess is? The case files of every single missing paranormal in a hundred-mile radius taken over the past six months. Not one of them has turned up dead.

The young patrolman peered at Danik’s desk. That many? Wow. There must be a pile of bodies somewhere waiting for someone to fall over them.

And you think that person doing the finding will be you, do you? Danik surged to his feet. At six foot five inches, he towered over the patrolman. If his broad shoulders, bulging biceps, and sheer meanness on his face didn’t intimidate, the unusual violet hue in his eyes usually did. People were aware there was a shifter behind those eyes, but they could never pick which one. Is this just a big game to you? Spouting claims about a serial killer, which no one has proved. Where did you get your evidence from, boy? Are you in league with this phantom killer?

Me, sir? No, sir. The patrolman stepped back, his face white. I couldn’t hurt anyone.

Then you’re in the wrong profession because sometimes that’s part of the job. Leaning over his desk, Danik glared. Who said this was the work of a serial killer when there’re no dead bodies to back that up? Who?

It’s in all the papers, sir, and on social media too. The patrolman probably wished he hadn’t have got out of bed that morning. I’m just saying…

That shit is speculation, nothing more. Danik let out a long breath. Do you know what happens when speculative shit is printed in those papers and on those fancy screens of yours?

His response was a headshake.

People start seeing things, leaving anonymous tips about their neighbors who smell funny or who might be doing nothing more than working unusual shifts. They phone in tips on all sorts of crap, certain that someone they don’t like is the so-called killer we’re looking for.

The patrolman looked confused. But that’s a good thing, isn’t it, sir? That way, we have more leads to follow.

That might be a good thing if we were looking for a killer, yes. But do you know what else happens when people like you start thinking people like this, Danik picked up a random file, are dead?

Another headshake. The patrolman wasn’t going to be winning any communication awards.

They get forgotten! Danik slammed the file down on top of the others. Officers get reassigned to other cases, the media runs after the next sensational thing. These people will just form part of a memorial post on the back page of newspapers a year from now, and they deserve better than that. These files contain information about real people, he emphasized slowly. "Missing people. There’s no suggestion anywhere that they’re dead."

But if they’re not dead…

They are waiting to be rescued. They’re waiting for the likes of you and me to find them. They’re praying that they will be found so they can go home and be reunited with their family members and loved ones.

Sir, the Crampton Gazette said they had proof all these missing people are dead.

Do they really? Danik took in the officer who was so determined to be right, which showed balls if nothing else. Then perhaps you’d better grab your pencil and notepad and go and interview the journalist who wrote that damn story. If they’ve got proof, then we want to know about it, and if they aren’t willing to hand over the information, then arrest them for impeding an ongoing police investigation.

Tablet, sir.

What?

You mentioned pencil and notepads. I don’t use old fashioned paper products as they are too easy to lose or could get damaged. I use a tablet for─

Then take your damn tablet and go and do your job. Grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair, Danik slung it around his shoulders, almost ripping a seam as his shirt sleeve got stuck. I’m going out, and when I get back, your report on paper, from the paper, had better be on my desk. In triplicate!

Danik did have an office of his own. Crampton didn’t have a big enough population to warrant two detectives, but he was glad the patrolman had left his office door open. He was still paying off the last door he had to get fixed when things hadn’t been going well. Striding into the bullpen, heading for the exit, Danik almost missed the patrolman calling him.

Detective? Detective Kaloshnik!

What now? Danik’s growl was enough to clear a room fast.

The captain sent me to find you – he says it’s urgent.

Fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck. Turning on his heel, Danik headed for the captain’s office. The sinking feeling in his stomach let him know his day was about to go downhill fast. As if it isn’t already down enough.

Five minutes later, his fears were confirmed. Fucking consultants, Danik muttered under his breath as he left the captain’s office, resisting the urge to slam another door. La-di-da fucking penpushers who do everything by the book, and he’s bringing one onto my case. I need a fucking drink.

Ignoring his captain’s other order, which was to get all the paperwork collated and assembled in a reasonable order, because apparently the consultants liked all their boxes ticked and ‘I’s’ dotted, Danik left via the rear exit. He had a crime scene to process, witnesses to interview about poor Nora Perriman, and then a long slow date with a bottle of whiskey to look forward to – unless someone actually had something useful to say about Nora, in which case he’d be following leads into the night. The consultant could take care of the paperwork themselves.

-2-

Alexi

The phone on Alexi’s desk rang, and he sighed at the interruption. He picked up the phone. What? he growled distractedly, continuing to read the information on the screen from the Crampton Police department.

The captain had reached out asking for help on a case. It wasn’t unusual to be asked to assist on police cases, although Crampton rarely asked, given the high number of shifters among their officers. What was unusual was the odd sensation in the center of Alexi’s chest when he’d read the name of the detective leading the case: Danik Kaloshnik. His animal stirred.

You need to take this case.

Alexi shook his head. Why?

When have you ever questioned me?

That snappy comeback threw Alexi when he couldn’t come up with an answer for his kraken.

ꟷweekly meeting is due to start in two minutes. There was a second of silence. Are you listening to me? You requested that I remind you of the meeting, Mel, his personal assistant, said in a bitingly sweet tone.

A smile spread over Alexi’s face, one that cast a spell on many with its charm when Mel’s voice filtered through his thoughts. You forgot to add asshole.

Laughter followed; Mel had worked for him for more than a decade. She had bigger balls than many employed in his family security business. "No, you got the memo. Now shift it, or Todd will have a meltdown over starting late. I’m not up for trying to deal with the fallout, yet again."

Mel had a point. The youngest of Alexi’s brothers, Todd, was a genius with electronics and computers. Amongst five brothers, Todd was the only omega in the family. That made the rest of the bothers a little overprotective of him, and the way he coped was to control as much of his world as possible. That was never going to be easy working with four alpha krakens.

Alexi didn’t bother answering, knowing Mel wouldn’t expect him to. Putting the phone down, his leather chair creaked when Alexi stood and collected the two files he’d prepared for the meeting. He walked around his large office desk, not looking out at the spectacular view of the mountains.

Thalassa Specialist Security was situated in a massive building on the outskirts of Crampton. The top three floors of the building held six apartments, one for each brother and one for guests to stay in. The middle floors were all offices, and the lower level housed a huge sea water pool for when one of them needed to cool off.

Mel was already waiting by the door that led down the hall to the large conference room where all weekly meetings were held. Statuesque, her curves were all soft and round. The suit and matching blouse were in bright blue, matching her eyes. One high-heeled shoe, that matched the outfit, tapped impatiently as Alexi walked towards her.

Once at the door, she started to ream off the agenda for the meeting while Alexi took care of opening the door for her. Entering the room, only Todd acknowledged them, pushing up his spectacles, and sniffing before making a point to check his watch.

You’re late, Todd pointed out loudly.

No, your watch is fast, Alexi reminded quietly. That was Todd’s habit – he set his watch five minutes fast so that he was never late for anything. The problem was, Todd often forgot he did it, driving the rest of the family nuts with his constant complaints about tardiness.

Alexi took the seat at the head of the large, round table and tapped the files in his hand on the table to get everyone’s attention. The private weekly meetings were only for him and his brothers, with the exception of Mel, who took notes and followed up on the admin side of things the brothers didn’t want to do. When the company first started, the brothers felt it important to have their meetings and preferred for them to be in private. It was a way of ensuring four alpha personalities weren’t deviating from the company mission. But they all learned pretty quickly that none of them liked clerical work, so the exception for Mel was approved.

Silence followed, but Markov continued to glare at Victor, who was looking at his fingernails like it held the answers to every universal question. The pair always had to fight over something.

Alexi decided to ignore them. Before we start on the ongoing cases we have. I’ve received an e-mail from Crampton Police asking for assistance on missing person cases.

Kelvin, who was the whizz with figures, immediately sat forward. Cases, as in how many? His brow furrowed as Alexi pushed over the data he’d printed off – they all preferred to read paper copies, although part of Mel’s job would be to transfer the electronic versions to everyone’s tablet after the meeting.

I’ve not had the chance to count, Alexi said slowly. They’ve only listed the names and particulars rather than numbers. But from what I’ve read so far, there are quite a lot of them. The file compiled by the detective shows unsolved missing person cases spread over a hundred-mile area.

How long has it been going on? Markov questioned.

The last six months from what I’ve read. We need to organize a meeting with the detective assigned to the case.

Kelvin pushed the file towards Victor when he indicated for him to pass it over. I’ll ring the department and see when I can arrange a meeting, Victor said, scanning the papers. Do we know if the detective is happy to have an external security team helping out on their case?

Asshole, of course he’s not going to be happy.

Victor visibly bristled at Markov’s comment. The hand holding the file crumpled it until the papers were no more than a ball before Alexi could intervene.

Markov, quit it, Alexi snapped. Victor, they’re calling for consultants rather than security, and I’ll be taking this case myself.

Victor’s dark gaze landed on Alexi, his kraken there in his eyes. Why?

Alexi held up his hand in a placating manner even though he wanted to slap Victor and Markov around the head with one of his tentacles. I can’t answer that. But something about this case has set off my senses, and I know better than to ignore them.

Victor relaxed and attempted to smooth the papers. It was a lost cause, given how crushed they were. The Crampton Police are good, which means they’ve alerted us for a reason. I can provide back-up for you. With such a high number of missing people, it’s going to take more than you and a detective who might not even be paranormal, to find them and get to the bottom of this.

Do you want me to do some digging on the detective? Todd asked, his head bowed, looking at the tablet none of the brothers could operate thanks to all the adaptions he’d done to it.

Alexi considered both of them, weighing up the pros and cons. Hold off on the detective digging until I meet him. I don’t want to start off on the wrong tentacle.

Everyone laughed.

Whatever he is, he’s never going to have met anyone quite like you, said Todd when he finally lifted his head to look at Alexi. Let’s hope you don’t scare him.

There was more laughter as Alexi scowled at Todd. What’s that supposed to mean?

Kelvin grinned and answered before Todd, It means, big brother, that you’re big, imposing, and been known to make twinky boys cream their skintight jeans with a wink. Add in the fact you’re a species of paranormal that’s almost extinct, so most other paranormals can’t work out what you are – and yeah, that can be scary. Although, on the plus side, your non-existent ass is often a giveaway to what you are.

Heat surged up Alexi’s neck as he growled low and mean. Careful, brother, I can still take you down to the pool and hand your ass to you on a damn platter.

Boys, can we get back to the important stuff. Mel’s tone was stern, and the look she gave both brothers caused Alexi to sit a little higher at the obvious chastisement heading his way. Shall we continue running a business professionally instead of acting like toddlers in a kraken playground? At the nods, she picked up her pen. Right, so it’s decided, Alexi will lead on the missing person cases, and Victor will assist. What’s next on the agenda.

Alexi sighed and tried to pay attention. It wasn’t easy when all he could think about was an as yet unseen Detective Danik Kaloshnik.

-3-

Danik

You might as well get comfortable, Brad, because neither of us is going anywhere until you tell me why you think your girlfriend Nora is a serial killer victim.

Danik felt like a week-old rubbish bag that’d been left out in the rain, and then kicked open before having his best bits being picked over by a dozen feral cats. He’d interviewed Brad, Nora’s boyfriend the night before, and couldn’t shake the idea the man was hiding something. In a fit of spite, Danik told Brad to report to the station at eight the following morning, planning on leaving him to wait at least an hour before interviewing him again. Danik, in the meantime, planned to sleep in.

Which didn’t happen. Evelyn, the overly officious administrator, felt it was her public duty to repeatedly phone Danik every five minutes, at Brad’s request, to make sure Danik knew the man was waiting. Danik ignored the first five calls and then, still wet from the shower, picked up the phone and swore at Evelyn when she called for the sixth time. Her frosty silence and the definitive click before the dial