Tana French The Searcher Novels & Stories

Tiffany's POV Okay, seriously, what the hell. I was a trained detective. I did not burn myself or trip twice in one day like some romance novel extra. Sofia Harper was starting to feel a little too real. And now I had to face Dominic Hunter. Of all people. Perfect. Lucas shifted under me, helping me roll off him without making it look weird, then stood and pulled me up with him. His hand stayed on my lower back for a beat longer than necessary before he let go.

The blue light of the laptop screen was the only thing keeping the darkness of the cottage at bay. Tanya hadn't slept. She had been sitting at her desk since the message arrived, her fingers flying across the keys in a desperate, futile attempt to trace the digital breadcrumbs Onika had left behind. It was a ghost hunt. The number was a burner, the location masked by a series of relay servers that screamed high-level expertise. Seven years in the shadows hadn't made Onika soft; if anything, she had become a phantom with the resources of a small intelligence agency.

Now there she goes, looking one notebook away from starting her own investigation agency. As she jumped between research I know nothing about, the laptop screen reflected in her eyes between every search result. I finally moved closer to her and silently stared at her every search and nod where necessary at inspector Talia. From old records to historical references to pack archives and even maps. We kept sharing thoughts about anything connected to the photograph. Inspector Talia kept muttering to herself every few seconds. Then she goes like… “nope, definitely not, that looks haunted.” I just kept blinking at her. “What looks haunted?”

" Nahla Mason. Alpha Lukan's mate before Merida. She was supposed to be dead , or rather is dead. But if she's alive, I want you to report back to me and give me her location." The investigator's voice sharpened."That one might take time, Miss Zayna. It's a cold case and no one likes reopening old wounds." "Then I will triple your rate."I reply without hesitation." Just find out if Nahla is truly dead or is hiding somewhere." Silence stretched over the line before he spoke again."Alright. But you understand this won't be quiet work , right? People notice when you dig into old cases." "Just keep it discreet, Mr investigator."I said coldly."I don't want a word of this leaking to my father or a

Then I smelled her scent. A faint, intoxicating scent of wild amber and blood rose. My gaze locked on a girl sitting near the window. She wasn’t looking at me like the others. She seemed to be new, no giggling, no starry eyes. She was quietly taking notes, unaware of the storm she had just stirred inside me. My wolf stirred restlessly beneath his calm exterior. Mate. For the first time in years, my control slipped. I gripped the edge of the desk, my jaw tightening as I tried to steady myself. She looked up and I admitted her eyes, a deep brown with golden flecks, met mine. The connection hit us both like lightning.

I said, leaning back in my chair, feeling the weight of disappointment. “I’ll keep digging. I thought you might know something about the company,” he pressed. “No, I don’t! Just find me something solid,” I insisted, the frustration edging my voice as I turned to head back to my car. “Zara Amani. Wherever you are, I will find you,” I whispered to myself, gripping the steering wheel tightly as I drove home, the roads blurring in the dark. Tania's pov*** That morning, I had surrendered to a lazy haze. The private investigator I hired for Sera hadn’t reported anything yet. With nothing going on, my bed felt like the only place I wanted to be.

I wasn't supposed to be at her family's pack bonfire, it all happened by chance, I was out on a job, that job included another pack, who are friends with some guy named Liam, whoever this Liam is, I own him my life, finding my mate and falling in love with her all cause of him. I went there just to spend some time, before going back home, and I smelled her, I'm a hunter at heart, or that's what I've been told before, I have the heart of a hunter, it's a game, it's instinct, it's every cell in me screaming wanting to follow my pray. I did that, I followed him, even in my human form, I'm a really good hunter, I followed her through the night, I saw her getting in her flashy orange car, not so

I commanded. It was Dr. Elara who broke the silence, her digital projection flickering with distress. "The security logs... they show only one authorized departure for that deep-Earth site hours ago. It was Tana, the Earth-Shifter observer who piloted the Silent Courier. She was granted clearance to collect geological samples." Tana, the quiet, steady Earth-Shifter who had resisted chaos on the Silent Courier and served the Alliance faithfully for decades, was the traitor. Her Earth core, known for its resilience, was also capable of descending to the depths required to reach the Seal.

I could see him smile or perhaps I was exaggerating. “My African Queen!” Mika shouted.. hugging me tightly as was his habit. “Go through the file and see what I found out while you were playing date with a mysterious lady.” I said jokingly. Mika blushed for a while. He went through the file so quickly and hugged me. “This is it. This is our killer. “he said. “But how can we be sure? What could the constable want with Tanya?” I wondered. “Let’s find out!”

But silence answered her. Later that night, Talana stood alone in the medical wing, where the scent of antiseptic clung to the air like guilt. Her wounds were stitched. Her ribs wrapped. But inside, she was splintering. A nurse tried to approach her with another pain injection. Talana shook her off with a glare and waved the woman away. The bed beside her was empty, an insult. She pressed her forehead against the cold glass of the reinforced window and whispered to the night, “I’m not done. Not until the last monster falls. And even then I’ll keep hunting.”