West Division Headquarters Pov
Morning light seeped through the grime-streaked windows of POA West Headquarters, painting the lobby in shades of gold and gray.
Liam and Cassie walked up the stone steps side by side. Neither had slept. Their movements were stiff, mechanical because moving kept them from thinking too much about Trent.
The door to the captain's office swung open before they could knock. Captain Dylan Garrett leaned against the frame, a towering man with an untidy beard and his usual slouch. On any other day he might have cracked a joke, something dumb about missing coffee or demons being glorified pigeons.
"About time." Dylan said, folding his arms. "Let me guess... Trent overslept again?"
Cassie's lips parted first. Her voice cracked but held steady enough. "No, sir. Trent is… dead."
Dylan's expression changed instantly, the humor draining from his face like water down a drain. He straightened, arms crossing tightly. "What happened?"
Liam forced himself forward. "We encountered a Grinker in the abandoned flats off Colrado Street."
The captain's eyes widened, then narrowed into a glare sharp enough to cut. "A Grinker? Are you kidding me?" His voice rose, heavy with anger. "You're a C-rank squad! Why in hell would you even breathe near an A-rank demon... let alone fight it?"
Cassie dropped her gaze. Liam didn't.
"You should've called it in." Dylan barked, his fist slamming against his desk, rattling a stack of files. "But instead, you charge in and now Trent's in the ground. All for what pride?"
Liam's jaw clenched. "It wasn't pride. We just thought calling backup would make us look weak." He inhaled deeply. "I take full responsibility. But we managed to injure it, badly. It won't have gone far."
Cassie's voice followed, soft, almost broken. "We're sorry, sir."
Dylan stared at them for a long, tense moment, his breath heavy in the silence. Then he muttered a curse under his breath and spun toward the console on the far wall. He slammed a button and growled into the comm.
"This is Captain Garrett. Send in the Voklov Squad to my office."
Minutes later, boots echoed down the hall. The door opened and Aaron entered first... tall, broad-shouldered, with short-cropped hair and a gaze that carried command without words. His very presence shifted the air, steady and immovable like iron.
Behind him came Ezra, moving with deliberate ease. His eyes slid across the room, pausing on Liam and Cassie, and though his face hardly moved.
"So these are the loosers who thought they could wrestle a Grinker?"
Nia entered last. She said nothing but the silence that followed Ezra's words felt heavier with her there.
Aaron ignored Ezra's jab, stepping forward. His voice was low, steady, all business. "Captain. You called us?"
Dylan didn't waste time. "We've got a Grinker problem that I want your squad to handle."
Cassie stiffened, but it was Liam who spoke. "It's been reported to have killed four people so far and our friend, Trent."
Nia's lips parted just slightly, a rare flicker of empathy. "...I'm sorry."
Ezra only shrugged. "You guys picked a fight with a superior... what'd you think was going to happen?"
Dylan's voice snapped like a whip. "Quiet, Ezra!."
Aaron ignored the exchange. His eyes stayed on Dylan. "Where was it last seen?"
"Colrado Street." Dylan replied. "Liam says they wounded it before it got away."
Liam stepped forward. "Yes, sir. It fled south and it was bleeding heavily... you'll be able to track it within a few blocks."
Ezra tilted his head. "Oh? And since when are we taking orders from this guy?"
Liam's fists clenched at his sides but he didn't reply.
Aaron's voice cut the tension. "We'll handle it."
Dylan nodded once, firmly. "Good. I want that thing dead before it tears through more civilians. Do whatever you have to, just get it done."
Ezra muttered something under his breath but Nia silenced him with a glance. The three of them turned for the door.
Before leaving, Aaron looked back at Dylan. "We'll bring its head."
And then they were gone, the sound of their boots fading down the hall.
Dylan turned back to Liam and Cassie, his voice softer now, though still edged with steel. "You two are benched. Get yourselves patched up. I don't want to see you on another mission until I say otherwise."
Cassie nodded quickly, murmuring, "Yes, sir."
Liam's eyes, however met Dylan's. For the first time, the weight of guilt wasn't the only thing burning there... something else flickered, quiet but dangerous.
"Next time, Captain." Liam said, steady, "we won't fail to kill a demon."
Dylan studied him for a long moment before sighing and shaking his head. "Next time, you'd better report when faced with an upper demon."
Liam and Cassie nodded, then they turned to leave.