Mom and Dad sat at a table with my aunts and uncles. Between the Stravinskys, my younger cousins chased each other until a stern eye from Mom got them to sit down at the kids’ table nearby.

  The order-up bell in the kitchen rang multiple times. Poor Misty would have her work cut out for her tonight with all these hungry pack members. Even her brother Jake, the cashier, offered a hand to get the orders out of the kitchen.

  As everyone settled in, a final set of pack members entered the joint to stand in the back. Jake paused in the middle of delivering an order to get a glimpse of Erica Holden. She had that effect on others with her chiseled cheekbones, perfectly styled blonde hair, and refined charm. She gave me a respectful nod, and I returned the gesture. We had a long and tumultuous history, since she’d wanted to marry Thorn, but in the end, he chose me. After all that drama—and I didn’t use the word drama lightly—we ended up working together at The Bends and had formed a truce of sorts. She had a strong work ethic and didn’t take any shit from my coworkers.

  I ignored the other new arrival. Rex floated into the joint with his chin held high. My younger cousins swooned at the sight of his handsome face, but I knew his heart was as empty as my dinner plate. Other than his desire to protect his younger brothers, I couldn’t think of many redeeming qualities for him. Thorn and Rex had grown up together—and somehow, they ended up as best friends—but I never got the same treatment. Matter of fact, Rex took every opportunity to show me he’d caught the same asshole disease Farley contracted.

  Instead of joining Erica in the back of the room, Rex stood next to Thorn. I didn’t trust the man, but as Thorn told me once, we all had reasons why we did what we did.

  “Good to see everyone,” Thorn began. He strolled through the restaurant, touching shoulders and the top of the pups’ heads. “I know this meeting came last minute, but we have another threat.” Thorn recounted what I’d told him about the missing whistle, the fallen night guard, and my attack in Jake Branch County Park.

  Murmurs flowed through the room while Jake and Misty continued to bring out food.

  “This new predator sounds serious,” Dad called out.

  “It’s dangerous,” I added. I told them additional details about the prints I’d uncovered from a large humanoid creature and the paw prints.

  A questioning gaze swept through the room. I searched their faces, too. Could one of us have stolen the whistle to call Cerberus and drive She Who Always Walks the Path away?

  “Those two could be a problem, but why shouldn’t we let them use the whistle?” Mom asked. “Wouldn’t it benefit us?”

  “Perhaps.” All eyes turned to my father, the oldest werewolf in the room.

  Dad continued, his voice rising. “Using magic comes with consequences. My family knows this very well. And if we use Cerberus’s Dog Whistle, we should be prepared to hide as that mutt runs amok.”

  Rex snorted. “We’re a pack, aren’t we? Why should we fear a dog with multiple heads?” He took a step toward everyone with raised hands like he was the voice of reason. “We’re stronger when we band together. I say we let the thief blow the whistle. If those thieves are smart, and I have a feeling they are, they’ll use the dog whistle to drive that bitch away.”

  That got him a feminine chortle from the other side of the restaurant.

  “You should tread lightly with things you don’t understand,” Brenna said, finally speaking up. “One of your people might get hurt or killed in the process. Have you met a twenty-foot-high, three-headed dog before?”

  Rex’s boastful grin melted off his face.

  “I didn’t think so,” Brenna grumbled.

  “Mudak,” Uncle Boris mumbled in Russian.

  That got a chuckle from my family. Even my uncle thought Rex was an asshole. He backed away to the wall and folded his arms.

  “Seems like the best plan is to find the thieves and retrieve the whistle,” Thorn said.

  “If they haven’t left the area yet,” I added.

  “The only way to know is to check,” Thorn agreed.

  “What about the spellcasters?” I shifted my attention to Brenna. “Trouble like this will bring them out of the weeds.”

  Brenna’s brow furrowed. “I haven’t heard anything from the respective spellcaster guilds, but if there’s a possibility that someone will call Cerberus from his den, we’re gonna have a very dangerous problem on our hands. We’re talking about warlocks and wizards on every corner to contain its arrival.”

  My gaze connected with Thorn’s. Determination flared in his hazel eyes. Like him, I was ready to do anything in my power to keep this situation under control before the pack faced grave peril.

  Chapter 9

  After everyone finished eating, parties formed to search the town and the surrounding environs. Naturally, I wasn’t included. I had enough strength to shovel fries into my mouth, and that was about it. Now I had to return to the cottage and endure the marathon of westerns until Farley nodded off.

  Thorn offered to take me home, but Brenna stepped up to drive me so he could join a search party.

  “I’m done with my shift anyway,” Brenna said. “Might as well escort you home, so you don’t hurt yourself again.”

  If I didn’t feel like a hot pile of garbage, I would’ve felt insulted. But I had no room to talk. I couldn’t run with the pack in my current condition.

  We left Archie’s, and Brenna took her time. She even walked ahead of me to open the passenger door to her sunshine yellow VW Beetle.

  “Still got your mom’s car?” I said to make small talk.

  “Yeah, I can’t afford much else with my new pay.” She shrugged. “Mama travels through jump points, so the car’s just for show.”

  “What I wouldn’t give for the ability to teleport,” I grumbled. “Maybe I should spend the next couple of days in suspended animation like Han Solo.”

  “I think all you need is a couple nights of deep sleep,” Brenna pointed out as she helped me sit. “If you were frozen like Han, you’d wake up in as much pain as you’re in now.”

  “Good point.” I relaxed against the leather seat. The faint scent of jasmine crossed my nose. “I really appreciate the ride. You didn’t have to take me home; my parents could’ve taken me.”

  “I know.” She adjusted the air conditioner vents to aim them in my direction, then she pulled out of the parking lot. “There are some things I didn’t mention back at Archie’s.”

  “Like what?” Spellcasters often held back to not frighten others. Nick did it to me all the time.

  She frowned, revealing the deep dimple in her cheek. “I’ve known Dayla and Mimi were in town for a while now, but I’d hoped they’d sell their crap and leave without making trouble.”

  “Oh, really now. What else do you know about them? I’ve met a succubus before, but Mimi and Dayla aren’t sex demons.”

  “They’re something else entirely. Their kind usually keeps to themselves. Having not one, but two selling goods to humans is rare.”

  I nodded.

  Brenna continued. “During my schooling, my elders taught me to tap into nature and draw strength from the elements. Some demons do the same, while others draw their power from other beings.”

  “And what about demons that eat people?”

  Brenna didn’t laugh. That wasn’t a good sign. “You’re not a source of sustenance to her, thank the heavens. If she ate wildlife, namely the human population, we would’ve noticed missing people already. She consumes something else.”

  “How dangerous are the demons?” I asked.

  She sighed. “They’re very dangerous, but in order to find out how dangerous they are, I’d have to meet her.”

  “She isn’t blocking you, is she?” Maybe Mimi masked herself in other ways.

  “I could walk in there and buy whatever I want, but I’m not stupid enough to attempt a read and get myself killed. We’re taught from a young age to avoid demons unless absolutely necessary. Some of them are unpredictable, and you don’t know if you’re messing with a nuclear bomb until you’re messing around with the buttons.”

  Brenna’s insight didn’t surprise me. The fear I’d felt was real. The wolf within me recognized the night demon as a fellow predator.

  Briefly, I let myself close my eyes and said, “Essentially, you’re saying it’s in our best interest to find the whistle and return it to her.”

  “Pretty much.”

  Soon enough, we pulled up to the cottage. Right as I was getting comfortable.

  “Last question,” I said. “I know you’re not sure how powerful Dayla and Mimi are, but I have to think ahead. I need to protect the pack. If we fail to find the whistle, will the pack have to leave the area?”

  She snorted. “I wouldn’t leave the area. I’d add a couple of states between me and her if I was you.”

  With Brenna’s intel, I entered the house feeling even more tired. I could already hear the loud television as Brenna trailed after me into the foyer. Not far from us, Farley lounged on the La-Z-Boy, perfectly content with a bag of Lay’s chips in one hand and a Pabst Blue Ribbon in the other.

  I didn’t dare look at the floor around him.

  “Good evening,” Brenna called out politely.

  Farley grunted.

  As she helped me into bed, I asked her the one thing I knew she wouldn’t mind telling me. “Nick has to spend some time in a free warlock clinic as an exercise for Dr. Frank. Did he tell you anything about it?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ve known about it for a long time.” She pushed her short hair behind her ear. “I’ve tried to bring up the subject, but he won’t talk about it.”

  “Any ideas on how I can help him?” I asked. “He ignored the text I sent him about meeting up.”

  Now that got a smile out of the earth witch. “I’ll be happy to offer a hand. When you’re ready to meet him, shoot me a text.”

  Glad to have a co-conspirator, I asked, “Why does he need to spend time at the clinic? I thought he already knew how to heal people?”

  Her face softened. “That’s Nick’s tale to tell, I’m afraid. What I can say is that avoiding this exercise won’t help him.”

  “So, you’re saying he’s at a standstill.” I yawned and cringed from expanding my chest too quickly.

  “More or less.” She glanced at the empty glass next to the bed. “Want me to get you something to drink?”

  “Sure, it’s going to be a long night with all that noise.” I gestured to the far wall. “I haven’t slept well.”

  With a sympathetic nod, Brenna left the room. Ten minutes later, she returned.

  “Did you have to draw the water from a nearby well?” I joked.

  She presented a tall glass with a blended dark green fluid that smelled like fresh fruit and herbs like parsley and ginger.

  “That looks like the smoothies they sell at the malt shop,” I remarked.

  “Drink up.” She winked at me.

  After one sip, I grinned like a fool. It was quite good. Briefly, I wondered how she’d gathered, cut up, and blended everything, but I was too tired to care. Maybe she hid fruit and such in deep magical pockets like Nick’s. I chugged down the rest. Ten seconds later, a delicious hum fluttered through my belly. The room around me grew fuzzy, but I didn’t mind. Even the wolf within me rolled over and surrendered. I joined it and settled into the wonders of oblivion.

  Chapter 10

  For the first time in months, I woke up feeling like a freshly unwrapped Christmas present. I felt joyful, sparkling, and ready to kick some ass—even with that television still blaring in the other room. A quick peek at my phone revealed not only had I gotten a good night’s sleep, but I’d managed a good forty-eight hours’ worth.

  I poked my mate next to me. “Did Brenna tell you how long I’d sleep?”

  Thorn’s head rose and he blinked. His blond hair stuck up in odd directions. “Yeah, she left a note. The healer came by and said you needed the rest.”

  “Two days of rest?” I couldn’t resist chuckling.

  “Believe me, it was good you slept. Especially, when we changed your dressings. The debridement was kinda gross.”

  I shuddered and tried to bury thoughts of my decaying flesh. “Did any of it leak on the bed?”

  He drew in a deep breath. That would be a yes. “Whatever hit you obliterated the top layers of your skin. Those layers died and sloughed off—”

  “Yeah, don’t tell me.” I slipped out of the bed. I’d worry about the mattress’s condition another day. “What happened while I was out? Did the pack find anything?”

  He sat up. Exhaustion lined his face. “Not a thing. A rainstorm went through the area and destroyed the tracks. Without a scent or footprints, we ran blind and found nothing.”

  He added, “We plan to try again this weekend.”

  I nodded then kissed his cheek. “I’d hoped for better news, but we still have time. Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll make some breakfast.”

  His hazel eyes darkened to molten gold as he reached for my hand and tried to tug me back to bed. “Or we could snuggle some more. You only drooled a little.”

  “Comments like that won’t earn you a snuggle-buddy.”

  He laughed. It was good to see the easy smile that set my heart aflutter. Thorn released me and placed a pillow over his head. “Thirty more minutes then. I’ll be up soon.”

  “Uh, huh. I don’t know how you sleep through that TV.” I threw on a Santa’s Little Helper T-shirt and bright red shorts. It felt good to accomplish something as simple as putting on clothes.

  Thorn released a long sigh. “I grew up with the noise. It’s like one of those rain machines now.”

  Like a rain machine? Yeah, not in this lifetime.

  I plodded out of the bedroom and through the hallway to the living room. I expected to find Farley enjoying his breakfast with a side of Old West justice, but the La-Z-Boy was empty and the door to the second bedroom closed.

  Lovely.

  I picked up the remote and jabbed my finger on the OFF button. How hard would it be to turn off the TV? Wouldn’t that lower our power bill this month? Hell, maybe he could turn it off and help everyone get a good night’s sleep? I stared hard at Farley’s door and tried to think of any reason why I should buy that man a gift.

  I couldn’t think of any.

  Grandma Lasovskaya would want me to respect my elders no matter the situation, but should I let him disrespect me in the process?

  Now that I’d turned off the TV, I couldn’t resist peeking around the recliner. God help me, it was a shit show. There was not one, but many old, shriveled, and stale dill and pickle potato chips between my toes. I shuffled a step to the left and found beer nuts scattered like bird seed across the living room. I stooped to pick up a couple nuts, then I gave in to let the cleaning bug hit. My poor empty stomach protested, but I grabbed my handheld vacuum cleaner and circled the La-Z-Boy.

  Thorn peeked around the corner to investigate the noise. Once he saw me working, he murmured an apology, then disappeared again. My mate knew better than to interfere when I went into cleaning-mode.

  By the time the vacuum had sucked up the decomposing debris around the armchair, the furniture almost looked brand-new. Well, minus the nacho cheese stains on the armrest, the stickiness from soda spills in one spot, and the greasy hair gel imprint on the headrest.

  Other than those things, I had my chair back.

  Instead of losing my entire morning to deep cleaning the chair with a steam attachment on my vacuum, I made myself proud. I thought outside of the box and found the large piece of plastic I used to protect my furniture while I painted. After I covered the recliner, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  Now all is right with the world.

  Sadly, the moment that man left this house, I’d jettison that chair into orbit and I’d never have to see those stains again.

  Time to stuff my face with some chow. I walked into the kitchen to find the next mess: plates with crusted-on food piled on the counter, a tipped over container of beer nuts on the kitchenette table, and the worst offense of them all: someone had used the washcloth for the dishes to cover a spill on the linoleum floor.

  Let’s not talk about the fact that the spill was still there.

  I walked around the puddle and opened the fridge. Eat first. Then go nuclear.

  There was nothing left to eat except the seledka pod shuboi my aunt brought a couple days ago. No TV dinners, milk, or fresh vegetables. No deli meat either.

  But there was plenty of unopened beer to join the beer bottles on the counter.

  I yanked out the casserole container and even snagged a beer too. Might as well start happy hour before I put on my hazmat suit. I grabbed a big spoon, laid a fresh towel over one of the kitchen seats, and then sat. No one bothered me as I shoveled the food into my mouth. The beer went down nicely too.

  At least Farley had good taste in alcohol.

  The food filled my stomach, but other problems remained.

  Not long into eating, my phone dinged with a new text. The hairs on the back of my neck rose. That was never a good sign. I checked the screen to see a text from Unknown. The message read: Another artifact was taken last night. It was a beaded jade bracelet used to protect the wearer from incredible heat.

  My hand shook, but I held the phone tightly.

  Based on the message, I had no doubt that Mademoiselle Midnight had reached out to text me, and whoever was behind these thefts had sinister plans that might end with the death of everyone I cared for.

  Chapter 11

  Somehow, I had to find the whistle. I could spend the day searching through the parks, but in the end, I’d run in circles like the pack. What I needed to do was check the next potential thief: the spring fairy vacationing in Manhattan. How I’d find her was the next question.

  I shot Brenna a text: Please tell the wizard I want to meet him today.

  Five minutes later, the phone dinged with a reply: No need to tell him. Nick Fenton will conveniently be at Earl’s Fine Antiques at 11:30 am.

 

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