Mind Scrambler

Chapter 1Kol Jaecar slumped on the chair in his office, cradling his head in his hands. Case closed, bad guy dead, women freed, press dealt with. He sighed. He lived for his job, being the top dog—or in his case, cat—of Rockshade’s Paranormal Investigations Department. It wouldn’t have worked if someone else was the leader. He didn’t take orders well, but he loved solving riddles and catching the guilty. He took pride in being the one who crushed their skulls. But wasn’t life meant to be more? Thaddeus Ezax had found his mate. He hadn’t been looking, he was a wizard, and wizards didn’t have mates like shifters did, but he’d accidentally called a ghost who had been his werewolf mate. It was shocking and scary as hell, but it also made him view Thaddeus differently. He’d never thought him capable of much, but keeping a ghost alive… Kol was still in awe. He’d never heard of anything like it. And he might be in awe of Thaddeus, but more so of Thaddeus’s mate. He didn’t know Sandulf Hunter, had heard rumors, but those weren’t what flipped his world upside down. Sandulf Hunter was male. Before finding his place here in Rockshade, Kol had been on the run. For most of his life, he’d been moving around, never staying long. Panthers, and every other cat shifter he’d ever run into, didn’t do well with same-s*x relationships. It was not accepted. Kol had learned to be careful, had accepted he never would find a mate. He’d come to terms with it—or he believed he had. Seeing Sandulf—Sandy—find his mate, his male mate, after he’d been dead for several years, messed things up in Kol’s head. What if there was a man out there meant for him? What if…It was stupid thinking. But in his youth, he’d traveled to every city he knew of with a population of cat shifters, hoping against hope. But what if his mate was a wizard…a male wizard? He’d been looking for cats, had assumed his mate, if there was one meant for him, would be a panther or at least a leopard. Finding someone outside his species had never entered his mind. It should have. Humans were gay, shifters were not. He frowned. Shifters were. He was here, and Sandy was a werewolf, a wolf shifter, and according to Wulfric—Ric—Hunter, Sandy’s brother, he’d always liked guys. They were okay with it. The Hunter family had never threatened to kill their son for liking men. Unlike most cat shifters he’d met. It flipped Kol’s world around. Since Thaddeus had come back with Sandy, and no one had been upset about them being mates, he’d flirted with Thaddeus. Not because he wanted Thaddeus, though the last case had changed things, and if he hadn’t been with Sandy, then…It didn’t matter. He’d flirted to see everyone’s reactions. They didn’t care. His mind was spinning. All his life he’d hidden what he was, but here no one cared if he flirted with Thaddeus—other than Sandy. Now, he only did it to mess with Sandy. Panic was creeping in. There were five of them working in the department, and while they were a joke in most human eyes, they still caught way more criminals than the human department did. The problem was, they only got a case once the humans decided it had a magic aspect. When they ran into something they deemed was related to either wizards or shifters in the investigation, they handed the case over. On rare occasions, they got something psychic-related, but most often cases involving psychics fell under the human department. But now they didn’t have a case. And three of the five working in the department would be gone for a few days. Thaddeus Ezax was on sick leave and would be for weeks to come. Kol had revoked the vacation Wulfric Hunter and Leo Norden had scheduled to have as many men as possible on the soul eater case, so they would have those vacation days now, which left him and— A soft knock on his already open office door was followed by Elora clearing her throat. Elora Long. Elora was the only psychic, and the only woman, in the department. He’d hired her to appease everyone screaming for equality. Shifters didn’t discriminate because of gender, it wasn’t a perfect world by far, but shifters, no matter what animal they turned into, liked power and skill. Dominants ruled, but they also made sure the submissive had everything they needed—it was especially true in packs and prides. Kol was a solitary animal, mostly, so he only cared for himself, but he’d turned this department into his pack. He’d taken Elora in, knowing she’d be at the bottom of the rank. Hiring her was something he’d done for the humans, but every functioning pack or pride needed the submissive members as much as they needed the dominant. “Jaecar?” “Yes?” He looked at her, taking in the downcast gaze and the way she wrung her hands, and sighed. A talk was due, but he wasn’t looking forward to it. “I’m sorry. I should’ve…I hate using my powers.” He held in another sigh wanting to escape. He didn’t get it, he loved shifting, would never deny his panther space, would never avoid using the benefits it gave him to be a shifter. “Why?” “It’s…I hate the feeling, and it leaves me weak. I have to be able to defend myself.” He could smell fear on her, and it had his claws ready to rip through his skin. There was no threat here, it was all in her head, but it didn’t mean he didn’t react to it. After having used her powers, Elora passed out for a few hours. It was scary to watch, and he could understand it being scarier to live through, but when she used her skill, she saved lives. “Yes, but you’re in a safe environment, you’re in no danger. We’d all protect you.” The wide-eyed look made him wince. She didn’t believe him. How could she not believe him? “Right…” She grimaced, then resolution crept into her eyes, and she met his gaze full on. “Are you going to transfer me?” He’d considered it many times, but the soul eater case had taught him a few things. Thaddeus had told him he never played their strengths, and as much as it stung, he’d been right. Kol tried to treat Thad and Elora with respect, but he never asked for their input. He had two shifters on his team, and he looked to them to solve their cases. One wolf, one jackal, and one panther—there was nothing they couldn’t solve by themselves. Unless…the whole sorcerer-warlock-thing had been an eye-opener. Kol didn’t enjoy realizing he didn’t know best, that he didn’t know everything he needed to know, or when things he’d been taught weren’t correct. “No.” He would not transfer her. Where would she go? He doubted any human department would want her once she’d worked here. And Elora wasn’t a bad cop, but she worked cases as humans did, and it was not how the rest of them worked, not even Thaddeus. Her dark brown eyes widened again. “I’ve lied about what I can do, and I’ve been avoiding doing it when it could’ve helped our cases. I’ve allowed Thad to take risks he wouldn’t have needed to if I’d done my job.” Did she want to get transferred? “Why?” “I hate being weak.” Her eyes flashed, not with the psychic orange glow, but with…anger? “Using your powers doesn’t make you weak.” “It does. It makes me scream and cry, depending on what happens, which Ric thinks is hilarious, and then I pass out, and not in the we’ll-splash-some-water-on-her-face-and-she’ll-wake-up way, but in an unconscious way.” “Yes, but you saved Thaddeus’ life last time.” Her eyes narrowed. “I did, but I woke up in a different room than I’d been in when I tried finding Sandy’s connection to Ric, and someone had changed my pants.” Kol flinched. “You shook the desk, and the glass of water you’d put there toppled over. I changed your pants since they were wet. I didn’t take advantage.” She sighed and shook her head. “I never said you did, but do you realize how vulnerable it leaves me?” He did. He’d never reflected over what it would mean for her to wake up and realize someone had removed her pants. He should have, but he was a shifter. Nudity wasn’t a big deal. But Elora was human—sort of. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think.” But if he hadn’t changed her pants, she’d be wet for hours. It couldn’t be good either. “I want time off work.” “What?” He didn’t like being surprised, and Elora never took time off. They were supposed to be working for the coming days while the others were off. “Something isn’t right.” “I’m sorry, Elora, I am, but no one did anything inappropriate while you were out. Ric’s mated and would never touch another woman, Thaddeus is mated, I’m gay—” He flinched when her eyes widened, but at the same time a ton of bricks lifted off his shoulders. He’d told someone. Not a shifter, but he’d told another living being. “—and Leo is…wasn’t anywhere near you.” He knew nothing about Leo other than work-related things, and he’d never smelled arousal on him, never. Which was strange. He stilled. He’d never scented arousal on Leo, but had Leo scented arousal on him? He was always careful, and he never worked close with anyone, but what if they already knew? “You undressing me isn’t the reason. Something is wrong.” The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. “How do you mean?” “I need time off to look for my brother.” “You have a brother?” Elora narrowed her eyes. “He’s listed as my next of kin.” “I never check your files unless I have to.” Elora lived alone, but he hadn’t looked for more. “My brother hasn’t returned my calls for the last two days. I didn’t have time to go check in on him during the soul eater case, but now I have to. Something is wrong.” “You can’t…leave. Not now. Ric and Leo won’t be back for another couple of days, I can’t be here alone. What if an urgent case comes in?” He hoped an urgent case came in, he couldn’t sit and do nothing. Elora smacked her palms against his desk, a reaction he never would’ve guessed her capable of. “My brother is missing!” “How do you know? Because he doesn’t return your calls?” His muscles tensed. Elora wasn’t challenging his authority, not exactly, but her standing up to him had his cat sharpening its claws. “He always picks up. Always. And he calls me every evening, he hasn’t for two nights now.” “Your brother calls you every evening?” It was…not normal, was it? “Yes!” She smacked a palm against his desk again. Had she been a shifter, he would’ve shot to his feet and snarled at her. Now he took a deep breath and tried to remain calm instead. “Why?” She glared at him for a long time, and he was aware the yellow of his cat was seeping into his eyes despite him trying to stay calm. “He needs to…talk.” Kol took a deep breath. “Why?” “Dammit, Jaecar, I never ask for anything, but I need to find him.” “Maybe his phone’s dead.” He could understand a grown man not wanting to call his sister for two days in a row. She scowled, and Kol was intrigued. She never appeared anything but meek, but the Elora standing before him was no meek woman. “His phone is not dead. He lives his life through his phone and his computer. He would never be caught with a dead phone. I need to go check on him, but he lives on an island, so it’s a little tricky to get there.” “He lives on an island?” There were no islands nearby. They were far from the sea. Jaecar had lived in Rockshade for seven years, and he’d never heard or found any lakes big enough to have an island in them. “Yes. He needs solitude.” Solitude? “Where is this island?” She sighed. “He doesn’t want strangers coming there. He doesn’t want me coming unannounced.” “Where, Elora?” What if something was wrong? He couldn’t let Elora go to a deserted island on her own. Maybe her brother had had an accident, fallen down the stairs or something? She might need his help—which would give him something to do other than sit here and wait for something to happen. She sighed. “It’s in Ashork, Lake Taundale.” “There’s an island there?” It wasn’t a big lake, was it? “A small one. He’s the only one living there.” “You have a brother who lives alone on an island, and he calls you every night, but now he hasn’t for two days, and he’s not picking up when you call?” “You’re making it a case?” “Missing people is part of what we do.” And he had to do something. Sitting at home, thinking, never got him anywhere. Or it did, but there were too many things spinning around in his head. If he had a mate, would he leave Rockshade to look for him? How many shifters had same-s*x mates? He’d never heard of anyone other than Sandy. And Kol had never been with a human. Perhaps that’s where he’d gone wrong. Thaddeus wasn’t human, but more so than a shifter. He’d only been with other cat shifters, but no one had been willing to see him for more than one night. He’d been convinced his mate should be like him, if there was someone for him, but what if his mate was a wolf? He wrinkled his nose. His mate couldn’t be a wolf. They smelled of wet dogs. He could never see himself cuddling up next to one in bed. He’d bumped into many humans he’d been attracted to during his years in the city, but how to be with one? They were fragile, he might hurt them, and he growled. “What are you thinking?” Elora’s voice made him want to jump, but he didn’t. A panther didn’t startle. “Nothing.” “You looked like you smelled something bad.” He grinned at her. “Smells aren’t bad, but one is different from another.” And while the scent of rotting things wasn’t pleasant, it was a scent—the scent of something rotten, nothing more and nothing less. “You know what I mean.” She crossed her arms, her voice going back to the soft tone he was used to. “We can’t leave during office hours.” Gillian, a nice woman in her sixties who worked dispatch during the nights, could contact them if something came in, but the station was to be manned during office hours. Elora nodded. “We leave at five.” Jaecar looked her over. She was short and curvy, her skin a smooth brown he would’ve wanted to lick had she been a man, and black, short hair. He loved the way she looked, but there was no doubt she was human. She wasn’t unfit, but she was…soft—soft curves, soft skin, soft gaze—no shifter sharpness anywhere in sight. “By car?” “Yes.” The drive wouldn’t be more than two hours. It was getting to the island that was the problem. He could swim there, but it was the beginning of November, and he didn’t want to take a dip, cat form or no. “And then?” Elora crossed her arms over her chest. “Are there boats in the lake?” She shook her head. “I know where Eli leaves his boat when he needs to go to the mainland, but if he hasn’t left the island, then no.” Jaecar frowned. They needed a boat. “Eli and Elora? Any more siblings with an E?” “No, only me and Elijah.” Jaecar nodded. Elijah, he liked Elijah better than Eli. “Older or younger than you?” “Twin.” “What?” His gaze jumped to hers. Twin? There were five people working in this department and two of them were twins, or in Ric’s case, triplets. It couldn’t be normal. “Can’t you use your connection to find him?” “I can’t find a connection in myself.” Oh…He wanted to ask why she couldn’t, but there were so many things he didn’t understand about psychics, and he didn’t want to let his weakness show. “And Elijah can’t either?” She looked at him for a long time. “Eli is an empath.” “A what?” He knew what an empath was…or he assumed he did, but what did an empath do? Of all psychic abilities, that must be the least useful one, unless he could use it to figure out lies or something similar. Perhaps that was what they found—untruths. “He’s an empath, he doesn’t find things.” “He doesn’t find things?” Jaecar always figured psychics found things. Elora found things belonging together, Matthew Adams from the soul eater case found people who’d used their magic in his presence. And those were about the only two psychics he’d ever been in close contact with—that he knew of. He was sure he’d met a lot more psychics than he was aware of. “No, he feels things, and he would never voluntarily go to a crowded place.” “Okay.” But why did he call her every day? “You figure out how we can get hold of a boat if his isn’t there, and I’ll inform Gillian of our plan to leave the city.”