Everly doesn't bother taking a seat when they return to their desks. She can't linger. For her to be in such close proximity to a Royal—even a bastard—is dangerous.
She places their sandwiches in front of them, bending down to place a soft kiss on Hank's cheek, and then Nick's. She ruffles her brothers hair as she straightens, causing him to huff in indignation.
She stuffs her hands in her hoodie pockets, "I'm heading to Monroe's. I'll see you later tonight, Nick. Be careful, you guys."
She bid them farewell, and refused to glance back as she left the station. With the heels of her boots clacking against the sidewalk, she made her way to one of the public parks before dialing the phone.
"Hello?" His gruff voice made her smile.
"Hey Monroe, I'm at the park closest to the Precinct. Do you think you could pick me up? I didn't want to pull Nick and Hank away from the case they're working, just to ask for a ride."
"Oh yeah, yeah. I'll be there in a minute."
Everly ended the call, knowing that if she didn't Monroe wouldn't and it would just slow him down. He was a bit awkward like that, but it was endearing.
He tried his hardest to make life as easy as possible, on Nick. Helping out whenever he can. If Nick doesn't pull his head out of his ass, soon, she's going to have to have a talk with him. If he even bothered reading their ancestors books, he would've already figured out that Monroe has been courting him for quite awhile.
They're a veritable pack, and Nick can't even see it.
She kind of feels sorry for Monroe, but he knew what he was signing up for when he began courting Nick. He brought it on himself, honestly. But, the pining was getting old. At this rate, she'd start sprouting grey hair before they got together.
My brother is an idiot.
Everly makes two rounds of the small park, strictly sticking to the sidewalk that looped around it. When the sun comes out from behind the clouds, and the air starts getting a little too warm—with how she's dressed—for her to continue, she sits on a park bench.
Patiently, she waits for another thirty minutes before awareness keeps into the back of her mind. Her spine goes taut, like it's attached to a string a puppeteer has pulled tight. Shoulders back, she feigns a stretch to discretely look around.
She jolts when a sliver of power brushes up against her. It's testing the waters, seeing if—or how—she'll react to it. She reigns her own aura in, pulls it as close to her body as she possibly can. The smaller, the better; she'll appear more human, that way.
Worrying her bottom lip, she pulls her cellphone out of her bag. When Monroe doesn't answer—after she tries him twice—she stands. Everly can't help but pace, back and forth, in front of the bench.
She's safe, for now. There's no need for her to panic, quite yet.
She dials once more, "Burkhardt." Her brother snaps across the line.
Rolling her eyes, she frowns, "Hey, Monroe isn't answering his phone, and he was supposed to pick me up a little bit ago?"
Realizing it's his sister, his tone is softer than before, "Ah, yeah—we needed his help on this case. Hank and I needed his tracking skills. I called him abo—"
She curses, "He forgot all about me as soon as you called, huh." Everly rolls her eyes.
There's movement out of the corner of her eye, to her right, in her peripheral. She doesn't allow herself to face it, wanting to give the illusion that she was none the wiser. No one is going to attack her out in the open, like this. No wesen could be that stupid, surely.
Everly takes a deep breath, she needs to calm down. The Royals know nothing of her—no one is out to get her. More than likely, if someone is following her, they're doing it to get at Nick.
Which, honestly, is worse.
A groan cuts through to her end of the phone, "I'm sorry Everly, we'll head that way and—"
"Don't. I'm close to the Precinct, I'll just get a ride from one of your fellow Officer's. Be safe." She hung up before he could argue with her.
There's no point. She's twice as stubborn as he is. She isn't willing to put him in danger, not over her. He has enough on his plate, and she doesn't want to add to it. Besides, worst comes to worst, she's fully capable of protecting herself.
If she wasn't afraid of being found out, she'd reach out with her own aura and try to identify what type of wesen was tracking her. As it is, she'll have to endure a tactical retreat.
Stuffing her phone back in her bag, she makes her way back to the station. She doesn't take any detours and maintains a steady pace, in public, to the Precinct.
She isn't prey; she won't run.
As she's walking up the steps to the Precinct, Captain Renard happens to be leaving for the day. Everly startles him, being on the other side of the door when he opens it. Had he been paying more attention, he would've noticed her.
She stares up at him, giving him a bright smile. "Hello, Captain."
"Is something wrong?" He inquires.
Inwardly, she curses. As good as she is at ignoring the wesen she can see and feel; she isn't as good at covering her anxiety. She's been picking at a frayed thread near the zipper of her bag, and she can taste copper on her tongue from chewing on her lip.
A good cop is trained to notice simple tells like that.
A Royal, too. It's why they're so good at manipulation.
Everly sighs, "My ride is indisposed, at the moment. I was hoping to rope one of your Officer's into assisting me."
Renard is silent, for but a moment. It's a moment that feels like it stretches on and on and on…before he rakes his eyes across their surroundings. His magic reaches out to take stock of the people around them. If he notices anything, she can't tell. He maintains a calm and collected facade.
"I was heading out for the day. I could give you a ride?" He offers.
Her immediate reaction is a vehement 'NO', but she doesn't know how much of that is her, or the Grimm instincts she's had drilled into her. Zauberbiest's can't be trusted; it's in every book they own.
Logically, she knows that not everything her ancestors thought they knew about wesen is true, but she's heard about Captain Renard from her brother. She's heard about his scheme's, and machinations to keep her brother in Portland. He craves to strengthen his hold on his canton, and he's been trying to use her brother to do so.
He's no friend of Nick's.
"Thank you, but I don't want to be a nuisance—"
He interjects, "My car is this way." It isn't a suggestion. He's an alpha male that commands respect and obedience with just his presence.
She stands frozen, before warmth pools in her abdomen and she follows after him. Everly wants to object, but the words catch in her throat as she jogs to catch up to him. He opens the passenger door of a black SUV, ushering her in.
"Thank you." She murmurs as she sidles past him and into the vehicle.
She should've held her breath when she shuffled past, but she's exhausted from her trip and so overwhelmed that she's just barely able to keep a tight lid on her composure. He smells phenomenal; coffee—a deep—wild musk, and a certain spice that she's unable to put a name to. Undoubtedly, it's the magic in his blood.
He's strong. She watches him stalk his way to the driver's side, staking out the premises before opening his own door.
He knows—He knows something.
She can't relax into her seat—can barely pull her gaze from him as he situates himself beside her. Being in such close proximity, she can't help but feel him. She couldn't, before. Back when they were all in his office, she couldn't feel him, like this. There was too much going on around her, at the time.
His magic is palpable. It's a living and breathing force that surrounds him. It hurts to watch him. He shines. His magic envelopes him in a shimmering halo; it's brighter than the sun. It's hard to look at him, but even harder to look away.
She doesn't know how Nick can't see this—can't feel it.
He's unlike any wesen she's ever seen. Even being a bastard half-blood, she doubts there could possibly be others like him.
She peeks at him from the corner of her eye, watches him as he stoically keeps his own gaze on the road. Everly wants to speak—wants to break the silence, but she doesn't know what to say without giving everything away.
She knows what this is, this force of nature that calls to her. This is what she's been avoiding, by ignoring all her senses and abilities. It's found her anyway. Then again, she knew it would.
You can't fight a bond like this.
She would know, it's why she's been traveling so much. That's what all the books she's been able to get her hands on, have told her.
That isn't going to stop her from trying, however. She is beholden to no man; she belongs to herself.
Besides, this was a calculated risk she had to take. Her brother needed her.
Everly clears her throat, "How is it, working with Nick?"
He chuckles, "Interesting, to say the least. He's a good Detective, if a bit unorthodox."
I can only imagine.
He opens his mouth to say something, but closes it just as quickly. No doubt, he wonders if she knows the truth about her brother. But, there isn't a way for him to ask without giving anything away, if she doesn't know.
"How's Nick doing? We're all concerned about him." He chooses his words carefully.
Truly, she could talk about her brother all day, "He's hurting, but he'll be fine. This isn't his first heartbreak, unfortunately.."
Nick has always worn his heart on his sleeve. No matter what Marie said, or how she scolded him, growing up. He was a free spirit, and always would be. As a Grimm, that aspect is dangerous for him, but he's learning. After the betrayal's he's suffered through, his heart has a thicker wall around it. Everytime he called her for information, a translation, or to vent, she could hear it.
It hurts to know that she couldn't protect him from all of it, but she knew better than to turn her thoughts down that road. There's a reason she hasn't even shared what she knows with Nick.
He'll lose it.
He's always been protective of her; he is her older brother, after all. Nick has only ever wanted the absolute best for her. When he finds out that her life is pre-destined, that she has no choice—has never had a choice, he'll lose it.
All she's done is delay the inevitable. But, she's a Grimm, she won't bend quietly to fate and their plans.
"I assume you're staying with Nick and Monroe?" His voice breaks her out of her revere.
She nods, "For now."
She's not going to tell him her plans of getting the house back from Juliette. It's none of his business. Nick doesn't want it, but Everly does. He finished the payments on it with the inheritance left to him from Marie. Juliette has no right to keep it.
She's already been into contact with a couple attorney's, since she was the co-signer—cause Juliette's credit was shit—her name is also on the deed. She doesn't have a leg to stand on, legally.