Caged, page 21
“You said one of those wolves killed someone?” Liam asked, his voice deadly calm. “Well, that sounds like something people have a right to know. I’m sure the rest of your clients would be interested to hear about the quality of animal you’ve lent your business’ name to.”
May’s face drained of all blood. She groped at her side for something on the floor. “Wait. I might have something. I found a card in Paul’s things. Just let me find it.”
She lifted a medium-sized black leather purse from the floor and hefted it onto the desk before standing and staring down into cluttered depths. “It doesn’t have any information on it beyond her name and number. For all I know, it’s not even her, it’s just some woman who tried to pick him up at a bar.”
“I’ll take it,” Liam said, irritation thick in his tone.
May lifted out a small compact that looked like a business card holder. She opened it and I noticed her hands were shaking.
It wasn’t until she tilted the mirror toward Liam that I realized something was off. There was no time for a detection spell, but I rose to my feet just in time to see Liam’s true face in the mirror.
May dropped the enchanted compact. Liam hadn’t noticed his reflection, hadn’t taken his eyes off the cards resting inside it. By the time he noticed my reaction, May’s hand was already dipping inside her purse. Surprise registered on his face, quickly followed by rage. His muscles tensed, his lips pulled back to reveal teeth sharper than they should have been.
I opened my mouth, a spell rising on a riptide of magic, but I was too late.
May hurled a small bottle at the desk, launching herself backward at the same time. Glass shattered and blue smoke erupted in a magical mushroom cloud that surrounded Liam and me before we could move. The world spun around me and my eyelids drooped. The floor rushed up to meet me.
Falling asleep is significantly more dangerous when you’ve unintentionally made an enemy out of a dream sorceress. I flailed against the drag of unconsciousness, but it was no use. The spell was too strong. I had just enough presence of mind to observe Liam’s eyes slamming shut as he pitched to the floor, one hand reaching for a retreating May. I knew I’d collapsed not because I felt the impact, but because May’s footsteps pounding on the floor vibrated against my cheek. I made one last ditch attempt to reach for her, grabbing a handful of magic from inside me and throwing it. The magic shot forward, then immediately fizzled out like a half-hearted firework. I didn’t have the concentration to make it do anything.
“What do you want?”
My eyes shot open at the sound of Arianne’s voice. I scrambled to sit up, dread sitting like a ball of ice in my stomach. One glance confirmed my fears. I was in the Dreamworld.
The dream sorceress stood before me with her arms at her sides, swathed in a deep blue dress that draped over her body like expensive silk. Her dark hair fell around her shoulders, and her pale brown skin tightened at the corners of her eyes as she glared at me.
“Arianne?” I swayed on my feet, looking around for some sign of Liam. He was nowhere to be seen. I refocused on the dream sorceress. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”
Arianne’s eyes narrowed. “Witchling, I do not have the time, nor the inclination, to play games with you. You called me.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “If you’ve come to accuse me, then save your breath. I had nothing to do with the nightmares at New Moon.”
My mouth moved before my brain could think of anything to say. “Did you say New Moon?”
“Why do you insist on playing dumb?” Arianne dropped her arms to her sides in exasperation. “At least do me the courtesy of accusing me outright. You waste my time and yours with this charade.”
I stared at her, my mind a whirl of chaos as I tried to figure out why she thought I’d called her and how she knew about the nightmares at New Moon. She obviously thought I’d summoned her on purpose. Perhaps it would be better to let her think that. It sounded better than admitting I had no idea what was going on.
“A few dozen people have a nightmare all at once on the same night, and you don’t understand why I might want to talk to you?” I asked, keeping my voice dry.
Arianne stiffened. “I understand. You have another of your little cases, and you’d like to solve it quickly to show off for your handsome partner. You think you can place the blame at my feet and no one will think twice.” She took a step toward me, her power pulsing in the air around her. The atmosphere thickened and it was harder to draw breath. “I had nothing to do with it.”
“As it happens,” I said, hoping my voice didn’t sound as hoarse to Arianne as it did to me, “I’m not here to accuse you. I’m here because you are the undisputed expert in the field of dreams, and I wanted to ask you how one who is not such an expert might go about inflicting nightmares on that scale.”
The flattery didn’t soften Arianne’s disposition. “Causing that many nightmares all at once would take the same effort that any other working of that level necessitates. Either great power or great planning.”
“Could a kitchen witch do it?” I asked, my heart pounding.
Arianne rolled her eyes, but I saw a flicker of something very like unease roll over her face. “For that working, one would have to go to the Dreamworld and pull individual consciousnesses onto this plane and frighten them with the manipulation of the Dreamworld itself. A kitchen witch could do it, but not many would specialize in dreams to the extent it would take to manipulate that many shifters.”
I tried not to let my surprise show, but Arianne saw it anyway. “Yes, Ms. Renard, I know about New Moon. It is not something I would miss. New shifters are quite prone to nightmares. A more likely explanation would be an item of power placed in the vicinity,” Arianne added.
Pressure against my shoulders distracted me, and the Dreamworld faded in and out of focus. Arianne arched an eyebrow.
“Someone is trying to wake you up.”
“Thank you for your help,” I said, struggling against the pull back to the waking world. I still had so many questions. Not the least of which was why had Arianne helped me?
Arianne stared at me, and I couldn’t read her expression. I didn’t have time to say anything else before my eyes flew open.
Chapter 19
“Shade? Shade!”
I need to get her another apology gift.
It took a long minute for me to shake off the image of Arianne staring at me, that strange look playing over her severe features. I blinked up at Andy’s face, and for just a second, the magic of the Dreamworld lingered, making his eyes shine with a light that had nothing to do with the sun outside. I blinked the illusion away and shook my head. “I’m ok—”
“Liam’s not.”
I froze, one hand shooting to my shoulder. “Peasblossom. Where’s Peasblossom?” Every nerve ending in my body vibrated with painful intensity as I inspected myself for some tiny pressure, some sign of the pixie’s location. She couldn’t fly. What if I’d crushed her?
“I’m here!” Peasblossom yelled.
I looked up to see her on May’s desk, brandishing her grappling gun over her head. “I’m faster than you! The cloud missed me by a mile.”
She yawned, betraying her exaggeration. My shoulders slumped in relief and I stood, holding out a hand for her. “You scared—”
“Shade,” Andy interrupted, his voice tight, “did you hear what I said?”
I frowned. Finally, my brain caught up. “Liam. Liam’s not all right?”
Andy opened his mouth, but he never got a chance to speak. The door to Paw Patrollers exploded inward, the doorknob burying itself in the wall. Liam stormed into the room, his aura filling the space like a cloud of heated electricity snapping against my skin. For a second I couldn’t breathe. Peasblossom threw herself into my hand and I brought her to the pouch, urging her inside. She didn’t argue.
Andy angled his body to face Liam and stepped forward, putting himself closer to the werewolf without actually getting in front of me. “Liam?”
“She got away.”
Liam’s eyes were a burning gold, and a red flush colored his neck and face. He hadn’t shifted, but he was close. His voice was garbled, as if he had too many teeth in his human mouth.
There was no fighting the adrenaline, so I didn’t try.
“Come on, quick!” I said, making a beeline for the broken door. “We need to get back to the center. May said she tracked Paul with the GPS in his company vehicle, I assume she drove away? Did you see the vehicle?”
“No,” Liam ground out. “Gone before I woke up.”
Andy followed my lead. “We can check the DMV records, find out what vehicles are registered to May and Paw Patrollers. Hopefully whatever vehicle she took has GPS. We need to track her down fast before she abandons the vehicle.”
Our sense of urgency snagged Liam’s adrenaline, pulling him after us. With his energy redirected, it was easy to get him in the car and on the way to New Moon.
And it was really important we get the angry werewolf to New Moon before he really lost it.
Andy drove, and I sent a text to Kristine, warning her Liam was coming in hot.
“I’ll check the DMV records,” Andy said as he drove. He looked at Liam in the rearview mirror. “I assume you’ll want to take point on interviewing Ms. Thomas?”
I blinked. I’d forgotten Andy had made an appointment with Ms. Thomas, the woman who’d left a review for Paw Patrollers on social media—for the wolfdog they’d given her.
Liam rolled his head, then his shoulders, visibly fighting to calm down. “Yes.”
His voice was still distorted, and I watched as he opened his mouth, stretching his jaw. Yep, his teeth were definitely sharper.
He finished stretching and shook his head. “I’ll be able to tell if the wolfdog she has is really a dog.”
“Good, then Andy and I will drop you off, he’ll look up the DMV records, and I’ll go check on Scath.”
Both Andy and Liam looked at me when I said the last part. I frowned. “I need to check on her. We can’t go anywhere while we’re waiting for Ms. Thomas, and we need the GPS information before we can track down May.”
I didn’t add that I thought Ruth’s chances of getting Liam calmed down were better if Andy and I weren’t there. This was most definitely a werewolf problem, and Ruth was better trained than me to handle it. Especially since Liam was eyeing me in a way that was too intense to be comfortable.
Kristine texted me back, assuring me that Ruth was ready and waiting. I breathed a little easier when we pulled up in front of the center and Liam got out. I spotted Ruth just inside the glass doors, and my shoulders slumped in relief.
“Is he okay?” Andy asked.
I watched Liam stride toward the front doors, his shoulders stiff, his hands flexing at his sides. There was so much anger rolling off of him it was a wonder the asphalt didn’t melt under his heavy footsteps.
“I don’t know.” I leaned back in my seat, trying to relax. “I’ve seen him control his temper in situations where other alphas might have gotten violent, so it does seem odd that he’s been losing his temper so much. But then again, his sister is missing, and he’s gone back and forth between believing she’s a murderer and worrying she’s a victim. That would take its toll on anyone.”
“Are you sure we should leave?” he asked.
“Yes. This is what Ruth does, she helps shifters on the edge deal with their emotions, talks them down off the hypothetical edge. And she knows Liam better than I do. She’ll be able to calm him down better than I can.” I sighed. “Besides, I really do have to check on Scath. It’s a miracle she didn’t die outright from those wounds. All that iron.”
Peasblossom shivered where she’d poked her body halfway out of the pouch. “I hate iron.”
Andy started the car. “Have you told Liam about the contract with Flint yet?”
The abrupt change in topic caught me off guard, and I shifted uneasily in my seat. “No. The case sort of took off faster than I expected. And you see the mood he’s in now, this is hardly the time.”
“So you chickened out.”
It wasn’t a question.
I let my head fall against the headrest. “I’m going to tell him. But I don’t expect it to go over well, and I’d like to tell him when he’s not on the verge of putting his fist through a wall. Telling him now would be…”
I frowned. I’d almost said risky.
“Are you afraid of him?” Andy asked.
I sat up, still frowning. “You know, I almost am. And that’s not right. I know that some alphas lead with fear and give their animal side too much free rein, but Liam hasn’t been like that in my experience. My limited experience,” I admitted.
“I only met him the once, so I can’t speak to his personality.” Andy drummed his fingers over the steering wheel. “But I’ve seen men act like this before. Men who suppressed their anger too long only to have it explode at the exact wrong moment.”
I immediately thought of the scars on his back. This was the perfect time to ask. I opened my mouth, but he spoke again before I could get a word out.
“I’ve seen agents I respected lose their tempers and their jobs in one day. Sometimes it happens when bad stuff keeps happening and you don’t have an outlet.” He paused. “If his temper really is raging out of control, is there any sort of spell that could help him control it?”
“Possibly, but spells like that are very tricky. Manipulating emotions can have all sorts of unforeseen consequences. At times like that, what you really need is someone you trust to talk to. I’m not saying find someone to fix the problem for you, but talking about those emotions does take some of their power away. It makes it easier to stay in control.”
“Does Liam have someone like that to talk to?” Andy asked.
I bit my lip. “He’s the alpha, he has to be careful who he confides in, since there is a vulnerability to exposing yourself like that. I hate to say it, but I strongly suspect Brenna was the one he confided in.”
“And she’s gone. That’s not good.”
I glanced at Andy. “How about you? Who’s your person?”
“I have people.”
I waited, but he didn’t go on. “People?” I prompted.
“Yes.”
Again, he didn’t add anymore. I frowned. “People you can talk to about Otherworld problems too?”
Andy sighed. “Is this about the kelpies? Because I told you, I’m fine.”
“It’s not just about the kelpies,” I insisted. “Though that’s a big part of it. Weird things are going to keep happening the longer you work with me. It’s not going to get any easier. You need someone to talk to about it.”
“Like Bryan?”
I thought of my fellow Dresdenite, the one who’d been bitten by a kobold when he was young, and consequently had a healthy respect for the reality of the Otherworld. He worked security at the FBI building, and it had been him who’d introduced me to Andy. “Bryan is a good man, very trustworthy. Do you feel comfortable confiding in him? Being vulnerable with him?”
“If I needed to talk to someone, I could talk to him.”
That was not an answer. I knew a dodge when I heard one.
“I’m here if you want to talk,” I said quietly.
Andy nodded. “Duly noted.”
Not the most encouraging response. I wanted to ask about the cold spot I’d felt at his house, that chill that had run down my spine when I walked too close to the main bedroom door. But I could tell by the set in Andy’s jaw he was done talking about confidences and heart-to-heart talks.
We were both quiet until we reached my new apartment. It felt creepy coming here with Andy, as if I was going to open the door and the whole place would be decked out with Flint’s erotic art with a giant bed in the center of the room screaming ”Shade is a kept woman!” to the world. The knots of tension in my shoulders ached as I turned the key and opened the door.
“I—Blood and bone!”
Majesty sat on the floor in front of the door, staring up at me with patient expectation lighting his blue kitten eyes.
The entire apartment was covered in leaves.
I stared. The couch was covered in leaves, the table, the light. Not covered as in someone threw a blanket of leaves over them, but covered as in they had literally sprouted leaves. I looked down at Majesty.
“What did you do?”
I’d hoped for a stern tone, but I sounded as bewildered as I was. Majesty tilted his head at me, then looked around the apartment. He looked back at me with the questioning look of someone who doesn’t see a problem and certainly doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about.
“So… Still no ideas what the kitten is?” Andy asked.
I sighed and picked my way over the forest floor that had once been my apartment. “No.”
Scath lay on my bed. At least, I think she did. It was hard to tell, as everything in the bedroom had sprouted leaves as well.
Including Scath.
The cat sith raised her massive black feline head as I entered the room, filling the air with the soft rustling sound of fresh leaves.
“I had nothing to do with this,” I said. “I didn’t even know he was here.”
Scath snorted and lay back down.
“How are you feeling?”
I lowered myself carefully to the mattress. I pushed the leaves apart, gritting my teeth as I realized the leaves had sprouted beneath her bandages as well. “Damn cat.”
“She looks like a Chia pet,” Peasblossom observed.
I frowned at her, then opened the pouch at my waist. “Bizbee, could you pass me up some fresh gauze and that salve I used for Scath’s wounds yesterday?”
Whatever Majesty had done, it shouldn’t last long. I waited for the leaves to vanish, then treated Scath’s wounds and replaced the bandages.
