Nyx miraculously kept her mouth shut for the whole drive back to the city, sprawled out on the dashboard on her back with her legs propped up on the radio console, crossed at the ankle.

Now that her wings weren't moving at breakneck speed, Magnus could see their sheer size in comparison to her body. They draped across the dashboard like silk blankets, sheer and silvery with every colour of the rainbow glinting in the sunlight. The edges looked like they were encrusted with millions of tiny sparkling diamonds, reflecting like prisms around the inside of the car.

When he entered the city limits, he pulled over in a gas station parking lot. "Out," he said gruffly.

"Jeez, really?" She curled her arms behind her head, but otherwise didn't make any move to get up. "You're just gonna kick me out here?"

"I'm not a taxi service."

"Just take me where you're going, then," she insisted. "I'd rather get dropped off downtown or wherever than all the way out here."

He grunted and popped the car back into gear, peeling out of the parking lot. He took care not to drive recklessly, as without fae cloaking the humans would be able to see his car. The same type of cloaking he passed under when he pulled up to the precinct.

To the outside observer, there was nothing there but a nondescript apartment door, but to the supernaturals of Lazarus City, it was the opening to the police HQ. He parked out front, screeching to a stop, and a pug-nosed goblin scurried out to meet him at the driver's side door.

"Thanks," Magnus said to the stocky green-skinned creature.

"Valet parking at the cop shop?" Nyx flitted out, surprising the goblin as he was about to get into the car. "Fan-cy!"

The goblin muttered to himself as he got in, slamming the door behind him.

Magnus strode inside, attempting to leave the pixie on the sidewalk, but she buzzed by his head into the lobby.

"What, I save your life and you're not even going to say goodbye?" She shook a tiny finger at him. "Not nice, mister."

"I said thank you, gave you a ride, and now I have to work." He sighed. "Goodbye."

"Carver!" Alastair called from his office door in a hearty singsong. "You didn't call in after you checked that lead."

Magnus turned towards his superior, a seven-foot-tall beast of a centaur. His ebony skin matched the onyx hair of his equine half, long silky tail swishing back and forth. His head was completely bald, and his high cheekbones crinkled as he grinned.

"Ah, I see you've met your new partner," Alastair said brightly, spreading his arms. "You left without her this morning!"

The hair on the back of Magnus' neck stood on end, and his gut dropped to the floor. "No."

"Whaddya mean, no?" Nyx tittered, swooping down to land on Alastair's rump. "We were vibing. Banter and everything."

"We were not vibing," Magnus insisted.

"Nonsense." Alastair raised his hands, palms out. "We're short on fairy staff, and Calantha happened to drop into our realm rather unexpectedly."

Magnus growled. "How convenient."

"It is, isn't it?" his superior quipped, and glanced over his shoulder at the pixie primly perched on his hind. "She's got quite a few abilities up her sleeve in addition to the fae cloaking, and will be a valuable asset to the squad."

"I've known her for five minutes and she's already a pain in my ass," Magnus protested.

Alastair clucked his tongue, but before he could speak, Nyx raised her hand.

"Um, who saved your ass from a necromancer and his rogue killer pumpkins?" she asked.

The centaur cocked a brow. "Rogue killer pumpkins? Is that why you look sticky?"

"And why Mosley and his team ended up clomping through a field of pumpkin guts," Liana cut in as she strolled up with a stack of file folders. Her elfin features knitted into a scowl as she regarded the werewolf. "You were supposed to wait for backup. And it would have been nice if you reported back after levelling the whole farm."

Magnus raised his hands. "I didn't level the farm, she did. And I told you I was fine without backup."

"That's not protocol," Liana huffed, and shoved the pile of folders into his arms.

"Did you find the portal?" Alastair asked.

"No trace of the portal or the necromancer after," Magnus replied.

"Would have been nice to know before I sent Mosley out there," Liana grumbled, and headed off back to her desk. His wolf hearing also easily picked up a muttered, "And put on a damn shirt."

"You could have apologized, asshat," Nyx said, though her voice was more teasing than scolding.

Alastair laughed, a deep bellowing noise. "This one will be good for you, Carver." He reached out and patted the werewolf on the shoulder. "And she's right. Bring the lady some muffins. I've heard she likes pumpkin spice." He winked and headed back into his office, and Nyx fluttered into the air to stay outside with Magnus.

"Al's a hoot," she said brightly. "I'm gonna like working here."

The werewolf grunted and stormed off to his desk, slamming the stack of folders down with enough force the floor shook beneath his feet. He yanked open a tall cabinet against the wall and pulled out a duffel bag full of clothes.

"Whatcha doin'?" Nyx asked, landing gracefully to perch on top of the computer monitor.

"Showering," he snapped.

"Oooh, can I come with?" She licked her lips. "I can wash your back. And any other hard to reach places."

He pointed a stern finger at her. "You stay right the fuck here," he snarled. "And you can do your damn job. Go through these files."

"Your loss." She shrugged. "Have fun in there all alone."

He stalked down the row of desks towards the locker room, jaw clenched so tight his teeth groaned.

This day just keeps getting better and better, he thought bitterly.

Once cleaned and dressed, he carefully wrapped his dirty clothes in a plastic bag and stuffed it into one end of the duffel bag so it wouldn't contaminate the clean side. He made his way back to his desk, hoping that Nyx had gone off to annoy somebody else.

When he reached the cabinet, he looked around for her as he tossed the bag back inside. The folders were in a neat stack, with one open on top. Before he could skim it, a giggle echoed from behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder and spotted a leggy brunette perched on Krew's desk. He was one of the many werewolves on staff, and though not the sharpest tool in the shed, he was one of the more charming men in the office.

It didn't surprise Magnus that an attractive woman in a pink pencil skirt would suggestively park her ass on Krew's desk. What caught his attention was how familiar she looked.

She had pouty lips and a dainty nose, and reached out to run a perfectly-manicured hot pink fingernail down Krew's chest. He smirked and leaned in, whispering in her ear, and she giggled again.

She caught Magnus' eye and winked at him. "Don't be jealous, sweetie. I read all the files and then got bored."

His eyes widened. "Nyx?"

She waved a hand around her head. "Of course, silly. You didn't recognize my cute-ass face?"

"Your new partner is a superfox, Carver," Krew piped up.

"And you are unprofessional," Magnus snapped.

Krew rolled his eyes. "Oh, and you've never mixed business with pleasure," he drawled.

"Watch it." Magnus' shoulders tightened, hackles raising, and he fought to control the rage churning in his guts.

"Boys," Nyx hopped down from the desk daintily, ruffling Krew's shaggy hair. "Back to work." She booped his nose and sashayed back over to Magnus' desk.

"What is this?" he asked, motioning wildly to her human-sized form.

"You think I like being cloaked all the time when I'm out in the world? It's easier being able to pass for a human instead of being an invisible little voice in your ear, ain't it? That way you don't look like you're talking to nobody if you're interacting with them and me."

"I wasn't planning on talking to you at all," he grumbled as he took a seat.

"I'll wear you down yet." She leaned over and tapped a finger on the file she'd left open. "This one sounded the most interesting. Murder at a casino."

Magnus wrinkled his nose. "You're morbid," he muttered as he skimmed the report. It was a human murder, and the local PD were already on it, though there were no leads. With the deep slashes across the victim's face in the photos, it was clear it was a shifter of some kind. He didn't discount a wolf, but it could easily be feline instead.

"Well?" Nyx snapped her fingers, wiggling her hips a little. "We going gambling or what?"

Magnus glared at her. "We're not going gambling, we're going to investigate the crime scene. And if you insist on being visible, you're going to need to blend in a little better than that."

"Ugh, humans are so boring," she scoffed, and poked the garment. It flickered to a black pinstripe, and she shook out her arms, a matching suit jacket materializing over her white blouse. "Better?"

He stood up and pulled a suit jacket from the cabinet, digging in the pocket for his FBI identification. "You'll need to grab one of these."

She plucked it out of his hand and had a look, then ripped a sticky note from the pad on his desk. With a flick of her wrist, she held a laminated FBI identification between her fingers.

She grinned and clipped it to her lapel, and he furrowed his brow.

"Vivian LeDuc?" he asked.

She raised a fist. "Vive le dick!" she declared.

Magnus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I hate this already," he muttered, and headed for the lobby.