“I know that, but Alastair is a creeper. And a creeper with magic is definitely a potential suspect,” she argued, pointing at the picture on my screen.
“Very true. So, now we just need to wait for the humans to go away.” I settled back to wait.
It seemed like forever before the last of the tail lights faded away. I saved the pictures, then emailed them to myself. One can never have too many backups.
“Ready?” I stood and dusted dirt and pine needles off the seat of my pants.
“Yeah, but I think we should stick together.” She did the same.
“Why?”
“We’ve only got one camera, and I don’t want to waste time looking for you if something goes down.”
“Good point. Put that hat on. We’re going in.” I posed Charlie's Angel-style, holding my imaginary gun.
Lacey snorted and tugged the hat down over her hair, taking a moment to tuck the wisps up inside.
We kept low and quiet as we approached the caravan. The first RV had a light on inside, but the window was too high to see in.
“Get on my shoulders, and take the camera,” I whispered, kneeling down.
“Oh, come on. We’ll fall over.” She crossed her arms and shook her head.
“Get up there now. The quicker we do this, the less chance of us getting caught.” I crouched down farther.
“Fine.” She climbed so she was sitting on my shoulders, then took my camera.
I wrapped my arms around her legs, holding her steady as I stood.
“A little to the left. Oh, ew!” She snapped pictures, then thwacked me on the top of my head with an open palm.
I dropped to my knees. “Ouch! Not necessary!” I hissed.
“You can do the next one.” She handed me the camera. "I can boost you."
She could, but her height wouldn't be much of an advantage.
It was Demothi's home we'd stumbled upon first, and he and the bimbo were getting down and dirty.
“Perv,” I teased my reluctant partner.
“Hey, you wanted pictures, I took pictures,” she grumbled, and headed for the next patch of light.
Dragon boy looked different now that he wasn’t on display. I showed the pictures to Lacey without a word. The flames he now spit were barely a flicker, there and gone without much notice. His green skin had swollen patches dotted with scales. His eyes were sad instead of angry.
That’s horrible, Lacey mouthed and I nodded my agreement.
I was climbing up onto Lacey’s shoulder for another photo op, when I was yanked backward by the back of my sweatshirt. Our attacker, Lacey, and I all landed in a heap.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Gypsy girl wheezed from under me.
“Taking pictures of y’all de-glamoured. You make fascinating subjects. Tell me, have you murdered anyone lately?” I stayed put, resting my full weight on her.
Lacey army crawled out of the pile. “Ow, seriously?”
“What are you talking about?” the girl asked.
“Uh, someone’s been murdering hairdressers. It started when you guys arrived in Portland.” I rolled over and pinned her shoulders with my hands.
“You are so full of shit,” she said. A tingling of magic hit my senses.
I glared at her.
“You’re serious. You think I’ve been killing people.” She quit struggling, and the tingle dissipated.
“Not just you. Your wolf man caught my eye too.”
“You’re the girl from last night. Wow, you look a lot different without the skanky dress.”
I growled and bored down harder on her back.
“Easy, psycho. Would you please let me up?”
I stood and offered her my hand.
“All right, first off my name is Sabrina, and I’m not a murderer. And neither is Doug. Come with me, and be civilized." She wagged a finger at me, then turned and walked so we followed.
I kinda believed her, which sucked because if no one from the circus was the killer, then I still had my work cut out for me.
“I’m Gretchen, and this is Lacey-Marie.” I slapped the front of my friend’s shoulder with the back of my hand.
“Where’s the rest of your crew? They’re not hiding in the bushes, are they?”
“Nah, they stayed home,” I promised. Then added, “But they know where we are.” I didn’t want her thinking we were easy targets if she was lying. I was less than my best with the new moon right around the corner.
She led us around the perimeter of the RVs, opening the door to the one on the end. It was a cramped little place and probably contained all of Sabrina’s worldly possessions. It was decorated in browns and greens, and hand-knit throws and cushions made her bed look cozy. The whole thing was one room, so the bed was one of the few places to sit down besides a little table and chairs attached to one wall. It smelled pleasantly of cinnamon, coffee, and magic.
“Coffee?” she offered, holding the carafe aloft.
“It’s not a good idea to give me caffeine,” I declined, taking a seat at the table.
“And I’m guessing you don’t drink a whole lot either, do you, vampire,” Sabrina accused Lacey. “I can see through glamours, not just create them.”
“No wonder you were seeping magic. You had a lot to uphold during dinner last night,” I commented with respect of her talents.
“I was? I’m gonna have to work on that. I do juggle a lot, keeping prying eyes away from the side show and keeping up appearances.”
“I’ll have coffee,” said Lacey, sliding in beside me.
“Oh, sorry. Do you want anything in it?” Sabrina filled a clean mug and handed it over.
“Milk and sugar, please.”
She pulled a small container of milk out of her mini fridge.
“So, what are you?” I asked, leaning back in my seat.
“What are you? Doug says you must be something, else you wouldn’t have questioned his being a werewolf.”
“Uh-uh, you first.” I wasn’t giving up my identity until she did.
“I guess you could call me a petty sorceress. I’ve got faerie in me a few generations back. I can create glamours and mix a few potions. Your turn.” She poured herself coffee and joined us at her little table.
I waited until she sat and put her mug down. “I’m a werewolf.” I smiled wolfishly.
“Huh. Figures. We should have guessed that one.” She sipped her coffee calmly.
Damn. I had hoped to shock her. “And we’re hairdressers.”
“So you’re taking this killing thing seriously. Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s not us. We like pretty people’s money, not their still warm blood.”
“Good to know,” I said with a nod.
“Well, I might as well introduce you to the rest of the clan. Would you mind de-glamouring?” She addressed Lacey.
I hadn’t seen Lacey fanged out in years, so it was a little weird to see the illusion fall away as she unclasped the magicked necklace from around her neck and put it in her pocket. She pulled out her contacts as well and tossed them in the garbage. The smell of death that always enveloped her intensified, making my eyes water slightly.
I thought she looked more silly than scary with her fangs pushing against the skin of her upper lip. She could close her mouth around them, but it looked like she had a wad of chew stuck up there. Her scarlet eyes were by far her scariest feature.
I tossed my contacts as well. Might as well join in.
“Pretty eyes,” Sabrina said to me, then turned to Lacey, “Sorry, yours are just plain creepy.”
“I think that's to a vampire's advantage,” said Lacey, smiling toothily.
Sabrina wove her way around until we got to Tsarina’s trailer. She was no longer caged, but she was locked in.
“I had to give her more feathers. Ulysses decided she was too creepy looking, and he wanted to bill her as an angel. All these guys are fae/human crosses that didn’t work out so well.”
“Is it all righ
t if I take a picture?” I held up my camera, thinking I might as well finish up since I had all the before shots.
“I guess. So long as you promise not to publish them or anything.”
“I promise.” I lifted the camera and took a picture, focusing on Tsarina’s pouty expression rather than the wings that were as sad as her hair.
“How come you showcase them, if they’re so clearly unhappy?” I asked, a wave of sympathy making me lower my camera.
“They agreed to it. It’s mostly an act. Caleb’s personality is genuine. He’s… simple and very sweet. I saw no reason to change that.” She referred to the fish boy.
“How about her?” I indicated the child I’d just photographed.
“She’s a spoiled brat. She’s locked in because she has a tendency to wander away and steal things.” Sabrina moved on, and we followed.
She knocked on Demothi’s door. He answered wearing only a sheet around his waist, reeking of memories I’d rather remained buried.
“Hey, babe, what’s up?” he asked, then spotted us. “Who’re your friends.” He licked his lips.
“Drop the act, jackass. They know you’re not a vampire,” Sabrina ordered.
“Shh, not so loud. Yon lady still believes.” He pointed his thumb inside.
Sabrina crossed her arms. “Strangely enough, I find myself not caring.”
“So, how’d they figure it out?” he asked.
“Well, for one thing, you ate food last night,” I pointed out.
“Ah, the one who got away. I recognize you now. Your eyes are all weird.”
“Don’t insult the nice werewolf,” Sabrina said, a sardonic smile enveloping her lips.
Demothi backed up a step. “Werewolf?” The reek went away and was immediately replaced by fear.
“Yeah, and your teeth are all wrong.” Lacey came forward and smiled at him, flipping her lower lip underneath her fangs.
“Jesus!” he stumbled back with a bang as he hit the side of his trailer.
“Yeah, he’s got nothing to do with this,” I commented, menacing over him.
“Sorry, sorry!” He nearly fell over, backing up the steps of his RV, the lock sliding in place after him.
“That was fun!” I grabbed Lacey, tossed her up towards the window, catching her legs cheerleader style.
She plastered her face to his bedside window and hissed loudly, her mouth open wide, displaying her fangs to full effect.
Feminine shrieks followed, and she tumbled to the ground giggling.
“All right, where to next?” I asked, pulling Lacey-Marie back to her feet.
“Doug. Come on.” Sabrina led us to yet another RV.
I wondered how she kept them all straight. All the RVs were the same style and brand.
Doug, the intensely hairy man, answered the door before we got a chance to knock.
“I heard screaming, what’s going on?” he asked, crossing his arms over a bare chest defined with muscle, as were his arms under all that hair. I was curious what he actually looked like.
“Oh, it’s you.” He stepped back away from us.
“Nice to see you too.” I extended my hand like I had the night before.
He didn’t take it. “What are you doing here?” His voice was quiet.
“Taking pictures.” I picked up my camera and captured the moment.
He turned, slamming the door in our faces.
“He’s a bit shy,” Sabrina stated with an apologetic tone.
“Thanks anyhow. I’m sure Gretch didn’t help with her extra snappy camera.” Lacey shrugged off any offense.
I checked my watch. “I think we’d better get going. We’ve got to work in the morning.”
“Well, good luck. I hope you find your killer.” Sabrina offered her hand.
“Sure. Sorry for uh—” Was it breaking and entering if we stayed outside? “Stalking.”
“No problem.” She smiled as she shook my hand.
“Night,” said Lacey.
We headed for the woods, where I shut down my computer and packed up.
Percy and I took the morning off. Summer was fast approaching, and the farm aspect of the property needed to be settled before temperatures skyrocketed. I’ve always been an early riser, so I had no problem meeting up outside, in barn clothes, as soon as the sun made her appearance. By eight o’clock, we were good and grubby.
Percy thrust a pitchfork into my waiting hands and directed me to dig up and turn over a patch of soil. I loved getting my hands dirty in a non-lethal way. It was a great stress reliever. It was also satisfying to know that I’d contributed to something inherently good. I had so little of that in my life. Plus I loved the smell of fresh-turned soil. The pile of debris and rocks in my wheelbarrow grew as I worked through the tough clods that would become a new herb garden. A large pile of aged compost waited off to one side.
Percy was carefully lining up seedlings and consulting the planning chart she had designed for the upcoming season. She was a genius at placing every plant where it would thrive. I also suspected her compost had a little extra zing to it, contributed by some out-of-this-world additives.
Lacey-Marie was inside picking up our slack. Besides having a major allergy to sunlight, she wasn’t a fan of getting her hands dirty. If the girl got dirt under her fingernails, there was a minor freak-out involving a nail brush and a vat of soap. It wasn’t as if she were capable of contracting any diseases. Being a vampire and, well, dead, she was kinda impervious.
It was shaping up to be a gorgeous day. The sun was blazing full force, which brought the thermometer to a dazzling 65 degrees, and it wasn’t even noon. I shed my layers down to my dark tank top, soaking in the calming rays. I straightened up to stretch a bit, pulled my arms over my head, reaching back as far as I could, and got a satisfying snap. It was a good day to be human with no wolf in my head, even if I couldn’t shift and I was weaker.
I got back to work, not wanting to fall behind. Percy was going like greased lightning, flitting here, there, and everywhere, making sure everything was just so.
Percy thrust her pitchfork into the soft, compost-filled earth to her right. “Are you ready for a break?”
“A change of scenery wouldn’t hurt, but I can keep going if you want me to. Are your people taking care of the big gardens?”
Percy’s people were all of fae origin. She’d given them all jobs, rather than forcing them to take disability from the state. They’re physically capable of work, but it would quickly become obvious to humans that there was something off about them. The state would give them disability because they didn’t want to employ super freaks. They’re normal enough looking, or at least their glamours are when they’re in place. I can usually smell magic, but I can’t see through a glamour. All magic smells the same—well, except for tainted magics, like fae/human hybrids like vamps and weres. They both have a distinct smell. Vamps smell like death and magic, while weres smell a bit like wet dog and magic. There were real hybrids around, of course, like the circus freaks.
Percy left her chart and her treasured seedlings in the hands of her most reliable worker bee, Christina, so we could move onto other things, like my kennel.
I tried to complete regular maintenance on my own, but we did a sweep twice a year together. I didn’t usually cause too much trouble when I was fully wolf, but accidents happen, and I didn’t want the accident to be me escaping and eating someone’s cat. Or worse.
Sticking my pitchfork next to the other, I followed Percy out to the barn. The door creaked as I pushed it open. My changing room, which used to be a tack room when the barn actually housed horses, was a tidy little space with hooks for clothes and a boot rack for my shoes. I tended to rip things up when I was a wolf, so I needed a separate room from the actual kennel for my stuff. I also had a cot there for nights when I needed to be truly alone.
Everything looked in good enough condition, if a little worn. Percy hit the button on the space heater, and it chugged to life. I mostly use
d it to dry wet things during the colder months. She turned it off after a few seconds, satisfied that it was in working order.
There was a lock that only Percy and I had keys for, preventing anyone from walking in or letting me loose by accident. The lock worked from both sides so I could lock myself in and Percy could check in from time to time and make sure I was good on food and water. I unlocked the door with the key that I kept on a chain around my neck.
From the outside, my kennel appeared to be a boarded-up row of stalls, which masked the titanium bars lining the inside. They had worked well so far. I hadn’t escaped since moving in. I used to escape all the time, hyped up on adrenaline, attacking and killing people, dogs, cats, and wildlife—really anything that ran. It’s instinct, and without a pack to level me out, I was more susceptible to rage and changing. I was lucky I could function around humans at all. I hadn’t always been able to.
“Everything looks good, but I think I’ll leave the windows open a while longer,” I commented, running my hands down the poles to feel for deformities and weakness.
“I don’t know why you sound surprised. You inspect the kennel frequently.” Percy kicked her toe through the thick layer of shavings that covered the ground.
“Yeah, I know. But I still have to worry about all the ‘what ifs.’ If I worry about them now, I won’t have to regret them later.”
“Very true. How are your Kongs holding up?” Percy was referring to my bouncy, snowman-shaped dog toys. Apparently I loved them while wolfy.
I checked the box of toys that sat in the far corner. “They look fine. Nothing too chewed up.” I held one up to eye level for closer inspection. “Do you think we can stuff a few with peanut butter? That should keep me out of trouble for a while.” Mmm, peanut butter. I like it in human form too.
“I don’t see why not. Anything else you can think of?” She turned in slow circles, fists loosely balled on her hips.
“Maybe a blanket, something old and ratty, in case I chew it up.” I inspected my L.L. Bean dog bed. I’d chewed on the corner, and there was some stuffing popping out. Leaving the kennel for a minute, I grabbed some old jeans from of the changing room and a sewing kit to patch the hole, then returned. I’d pull the rest of the stuffing out if I saw it, and the patch took only a few minutes. I hate sewing, but years of practice made me pretty good at it.
Beauty is the Beast: Beasts Among Us - Book 1 Page 10