The Dare of Truth [slash]

Chapter 11

"The agent is female and she's in my office right now?" Fyn repeated. "But I was there just a minute ago..." Then it dawned on him. "Celia?! She's an Ulvari agent? No way!"

"Yes, Miss Warren is a junior agent of the Ulvari. She specializes in computer research and, of course, undercover operations because nobody would suspect a harmless-looking girl," the editor-in-chief answered with a crooked smile.

"That's... wow, I would never have guessed..." the lifebearer murmured. "But that also means that she won't be my assistant in the future. Damn shame!" Then another realization hit him. "If it's her job here to spy on me, then this means that partnering me up with Eondar was just a ruse as well, right?"

"Not really. He wanted to work here anyway, and it was convenient since Miss Warren was easily able to keep an eye on him as well," Jordan explained hastily when he saw the lifebearer's face darken again. "He would have been your partner no matter what, and you should know by now that he's good at his job."

"That's beside the point," Fyn said, eyes lingering on Eondar. "I absolutely loathe being kept in the dark like this! And you both know that your so-called reasons for not telling me anything make me look like a stupid, careless, helpless child!" He took a deep breath. "Anyway, my getting worked up over spilled milk is useless. I have a job to do."

Then Fyn left his editor-in-chief's office. He was still furious, but mostly hurt. If he hadn't been a tiny, cute, too-young-looking lifebearer, those two sires would have come clean to him right away. It was really the story of his life. But the thing that stung the most was the fact that Eondar should have been known by now that Fyn was indeed far more capable than he looked.

Celia at least wasn't contrite for pretending to be the intern. "I love what I do here, and I learned at lot from you," she said, when they sat down for a cup of coffee in Fyn's office a few minutes later. "This has been by far the best undercover job for me. Often enough, I had to I go back to high school - yuck."

Fyn could relate to that, given the high schoolers regularly hitting on him on the bus. "But I have to find someone new to be my regular assistant once your assignment is over. I would have preferred you to stay."

She beamed at him, dark eyes sparkling. "Thanks. But there's no reason why we shouldn't work together in the future. The Alliance always needs private contractors and informants. I'm actually surprised that they've never contacted you on that before."

The journalist could very well imagine why they hadn't but he wouldn't pass a chance to work with the Alliance like he had always wanted to. "I certainly intend to be a big help to you for a change, Celia," he said. "Wait, it that your real name, by the way? Or aren't you allowed to tell me?"

"Cecilia is my middle name, after my grandmother," the girl - no, agent - answered. Fyn could now understand a bit better how easy it was to underestimate people based on looks. He wouldn't have ever guessed this bubbly, sweet girl to be an Ulvari operative. "And speaking of telling: I rummaged through your computer more than once, I'm afraid. But I didn't find anything related to this case."

"That's because I use my old recording device for important stuff." Fyn grinned and gave her the old-fashioned little piece of technology he always kept on his person. "They don't manufacture those anymore, so the tapes are useless since they can't be read by newer equipment. I don't know if my research so far can help you at all, but I want it back later. This still might be my biggest story so far. And if there's anything else I can do, just tell me."