by Paula Lester
After a few moments in companionable silence, Auburn sniffed. “You know, I’m not stupid.”
Cas widened her eyes and shook her head a fraction. “Of course not.”
“Well, I know a lot of people think I am. For loving Desi and believing in him.” She paused, her eyes on the mug as she wrapped both hands around it. She spoke in a quieter voice. “I know he took up with lots of other ladies.”
Cas didn’t say anything, managing to paste an understanding look on her face just before Auburn glanced at her.
The real estate agent continued, “But I also know he was going to make me partner once I got my broker license.” She leaned forward to set the mug on a glass-topped coffee table. “I should have gotten it already, but we’ve been so busy, it’s been hard for me to find time to study.”
Cas remembered what Desi had said about never bringing on a partner, but she held her tongue. There was no reason to add more misery to the poor woman’s load. Instead, she just kept nodding and drinking coffee. It was doing a good job of warming her insides to complement the job Auburn had done on the outside.
“Oh! You know, I’m glad I ran into you.” Auburn jumped up and crossed to the main desk in the lobby. Another woman had entered the room while they were talking, and she chatted with a potential buyer on the phone. Auburn reached around and grabbed a manila folder, bringing it back over and handing it to Cas. “Lloyd is stupid to suspect a water witch. And Desi’s appointment book won’t give him any leads. But I thought you might like to see this.”
Cas opened the folder and scanned the sheet of paper inside.
“It’s a list of Desi’s financial backers.”
“Sheriff Lloyd’s name is on here.” Cas glanced up, her eyes narrowed.
Auburn nodded. “Desi did a deal with him. He wanted to get the shifters’ support for the siren election.”
Cas closed the folder. “Why do you think the sheriff is wrong to suspect a water witch? Desi did drown in a dry room.” She tried to be as polite as possible with the last part, but Auburn still winced.
“Water elementals draw on water to add power and focus to our spell-casting. That means we go near water to do magic, and running water works best. It doesn’t mean we can create water out of thin air. Not to mention, there are many water elementals in the community, including most of the people who work in this office. Like Posie.” Auburn looked past Cas, smiling at someone. Cas twisted around and was surprised to see the lavender-haired woman she’d bumped into at the Courthouse earlier.
Posie made her way over, and Auburn introduced the two. She told Cas that Posie was one of their up-and-coming real estate agents.
Cas opened her mouth to mention their earlier run-in but caught a quick shake of Posie’s head and the slightest widening of her eyes. It would have been easy to miss or even imagine, but Cas got the distinct feeling Posie didn’t want her to mention having seen her in the council’s chambers. She tried to hide the fact she’d been about to say something by taking a drink of her coffee. It was getting tepid, so she set the mug down by Auburn’s.
Bells over the office’s front door jingled, and they all looked over at the newcomer. Cas’ mouth went dry when she recognized Lumen. As the woman strode inside the office, she flipped her long locks over one shoulder.
Jeez, how did she get her hair so glossy? Cas touched her own limp, funky-smelling locks and felt like a troll who’d crawled out from underneath a bridge. This woman had only walked into the room and made her feel small and awkward. It was bad enough Lumen and Graham’s so-called friendship made Cas uneasy. The last thing she wanted was Lumen to bear witness to her current rumbled, cherry-infused candy coating.
Lumen’s gaze swept the room and landed on them. She strode over and addressed Auburn as though the other two women weren’t there. “I need to talk to you about Orange Moon.”
Auburn cocked her head. “That deal’s done. Desi had it locked in before . . . well, before.” She looked at her hands and swallowed hard.
“I’m quite aware that Deciduous Dewman thought he had an airtight deal to push my brother out and take his business prematurely.” She sounded angry and stopped to take a deep breath in a possible bid to calm herself.
When she spoke again, it was with a smile. “I thought maybe, now that you’re the senior real estate agent here, an extension deal could be worked out. You know, maybe you don’t have to evict Ray so fast? He’ll get things straightened out and pay the back taxes real soon.” She paused and then a suggestive look covered her features. “You know, I have a lot of contacts. I work with humans, shifters, and witches. I’m sure we could work something out to gain my brother some time.”
Cas decided she’d had enough. She couldn’t sit there looking like something that had been drug through a cotton-candy machine while the gorgeous Lumen’s beauty sucked all the air out the room. Though the last part was likely Cas’ imagination. “I’m just going to get going now. I need a shower. Thank you for the coffee. I have a date tonight, so . . .”
She slipped out as fast as possible, and once on the sidewalk, chastised herself for mentioning the date. That was a petty thing to do, but she’d felt compelled to defend her self-worth. Still, now that she was out of the situation, she felt cruddy. Combined with her physical discomfort at smelling like old candy and being covered in uncomfortable, sticky goo, she wanted nothing more than to get home and stew in her own depressed juices for a while.
Heading for her car, Cas heard the door to the real estate office open. She cursed herself for not moving quicker, praying it wasn’t Lumen. But she was happy to see Posie instead.
The young woman ran a hand through her bob. “Hey, thank you for not saying anything about seeing me at the Courthouse earlier,” she said. “I was supposed to be working.”
Cas nodded. “No problem.”
“I’m really glad I got to meet you, though, and I’m happy you’re running for siren.”
“Oh, I’m not . . .”
Posie waved a hand. “You’re the talk of the community right now!” She beamed, and Cas thought she was a pretty woman. “Everyone’s talking about you being a new witch and all and saying that you have loads and loads of power.”
“Well, I . . .”
“You have to stay in the race. You’d really be a great representative for regular witches, you know. Since you’re not part of one of the old, established families. You seem so down-to-earth. I think you’d stand up for the little guy.”
“Oh, I would, but . . .”
Posie leaned forward and squeezed Cas’ hands. She bounced on the balls of her feet. “You should come to a gathering I’m going to tonight. You’ll be able to meet a bunch of witches who are looking for some change. I bet they’ll all back you once they have a chance to meet you.”
“That’s nice, but I’m not . . .”
Suddenly, Cas’ phone beeped. She dug in her purse for it and looked at the screen. A text from Graham shimmered there: Can’t make it tonight. I’m so sorry. I’ll call you later.
She sighed, staring at the words on the screen. Then she looked up at Posie. “Okay, where’s this gathering?”
Chapter 11
When Cas got home, she took the longest, hottest shower she’d ever had. In fact, she stayed in until the water started to cool down. It felt so good to have all the sticky mess removed from her hair and skin. When she stepped out of the shower, she eyed the pile of cherry soda-soaked clothes and considered throwing them in the trash instead of washing them.
Suddenly, a small black paw appeared in the crack under the door.
“Come on, cat. I’m in the bathroom—can’t I have some privacy?”
From the opposite side of the door, Echo’s voice floated in, sounding irritated. “I’m simply trying to convey that I am starving to death. If you had waited another minute to get out of the shower, you would have found a corpse instead of my handsome, lithe cat form when you got downstairs. And, in point of fact, if you wait much more
than thirty more seconds to get me some food, I shall still suffer that fate.”
Cas sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll get you something after I get some clothes on. Now scram.”
She peeked around the door to make sure the cat had left the room before exiting the bathroom. Thinking about the gathering Posie had invited her to, she chose jeans and a long-sleeved shirt to wear. Paired with some cute shoes, she hoped to be casual-dressy enough for a party.
Echo was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He followed her through the living room to the kitchen, so close on her heels she thought he might get kicked in the face.
“You know, you’ve been turning into more of a roommate than a guardian,” she accused. “A roommate who leaves black fur everywhere, eats expensive food but doesn’t chip money in for it, and has a toilet box that I have to clean.” She wrinkled her nose and gave him an accusatory look as she poured some kibble into a bowl.
Appearing nonchalant, Echo sat on his haunches. Lately, he’d been giving her a hard time about the kibble. He wanted deli meat and paté instead. “Well, empathy and responsibility were never really virtues of mine. That’s actually what got me in trouble.”
Cas raised an eyebrow. “About that,” she said. “What—”
At that instant, she was hit with a magical hot flash so fierce she had to sit down on a kitchen chair.
“Whoa. I felt that.” Echo moved closer, peering into her face. “You’re cycling again.”
Cas didn’t respond. She was too busy dragging air into her lungs. The edges of her vision seemed to take turns contracting and swelling. Maybe lying on the floor was a good idea, just in case she passed out.
She focused on Echo’s face, watching it bulge out to a cartoonish size before bouncing in and becoming tiny, still on his normal-sized body. The heat inside her chest expanded up into her head. She clenched her fists and the cat’s head steadied.
“This will kill you if you don’t get control,” Echo said matter-of-factly. “I’ll speak to the council.”
She shook her head. “Not sure that’ll matter. I went to see their choice for a mentor. And let’s just say it didn’t work out well.” Cas wiped her face with the back of her hand and groaned. She stood up. Maybe she should take a second cool shower to try and settle things down. She felt a tiny bit light-headed as she crossed the kitchen floor. A knock at the front door made her stop. She considered ignoring the visitor. Sighing, she trudged to the door and pulled it open.
Percy stood there, his Westie, Demon, on a leash beside him. Cas smiled at the dog and then raised her eyes to the meet those of the succubus.
“I felt a surge. Need help?”
Cas started to shake her head, but the rising warmth in chest made her pause. She’d come so close to passing out, and Echo’s warning danced in her mind.
She opened the door wider. “Come on in.”
Echo sauntered in from the kitchen. When he saw Demon, he stopped, arched his back, and hissed. The dog sat down and looked innocent. Echo hissed again. Percy unclipped the dog’s leash, and she headed to the opposite side of the room as the cat, lying down and putting her chin on her paws. Echo relaxed and sat down to wash his face.
Cas lowered herself into a chair. Percy did his thing and . . . ate. She felt her muscles relax as he did so. Feeling better in an instant, she opened her eyes and said, “Thanks.”
Percy looked quite peaceful and happy himself. He moved to sit on the sofa, and Cas scrunched down into her chair, finally feeling cozy, clean, and cool.
“I saw your picture in the paper this morning. I’m surprised you’re running for siren.”
Cas rolled her eyes. “I have no intention of doing that. Dzovag Livings entered my name as part of a scheme to split the votes between me and another candidate so the person he likes will have a better chance of winning.”
Percy nodded thoughtfully.
“And with Desi Dewman gone, Livings’ candidate will have an even better shot at winning.” She felt a familiar surge of irritation at the disagreeable developer.
“Ah, yes. I heard about Dewman’s murder.”
“I was in the building when it happened,” Cas shared. “I actually found his body. And Sheriff Lloyd has me on his short list of suspected murderers.”
Percy’s big round eyes got bigger and rounder behind his glasses. “What? Why?”
“Because I found him, I guess. Plus, he just doesn’t seem to like me very much. Oh, and he thinks I’m a water elemental witch. See, Dewman drowned in a room with no type of water source in it. And the sheriff caught me riding a wave of pink cherry soda downtown today.” Cas chuckled at the absurdity of what had come out of her own mouth.
“Okay.” He drew the word out, leaning his head back and peering at Cas from half-closed eyelids. “I can see why that would raise suspicion.”
Cas waved a hand. “I was just trying to find out if I had an affinity for water magic.” A powerful surge of humor hit her, and she laughed so hard she had to stop and hold her side when it got a stitch. “I’m totally not a water witch” she gasped.
Percy chuckled too. “That’s good to know. Do you have any ideas about who killed Dewman?”
She wiped tears from her eyes and took deep breaths to get her laughter under control. Finally, she said, “Dzovag Livings really wants Freesia Dolman to be elected siren. When I talked to him today, I got the feeling she’d be his puppet and let him do whatever he wanted with his development schemes. Desi was a forerunner in the siren race before he died. Maybe Livings was ready to do anything it took to clear the way for his candidate, including hiring someone to kill Desi.”
The succubus nodded and tapped his lips. Demon lifted her head to look at her owner. Echo raised his own head to glare at the dog, and she dropped her chin back down fast.
Cas said, “You know, there’s someone else I’ve been wondering about—Auburn Moss. She was in love with Desi, but he had lots of different women around all the time. Plus, she wanted him to make her a partner in his real estate business once she made broker, but he told me there was no way he’d ever take a partner. Maybe she killed him in anger or frustration.”
Percy didn’t answer, though his eyebrows furrowed as if he considered what Cas had said. “Of course, Desi was relentless when it came to getting properties he could sell. He was known for not giving an inch when it came to giving people time to catch up on late payments before he swooped in. Maybe someone who was angry about losing a property is the culprit. Like Ray Feldspar. But I have no idea if he’d have access to the magic it took to kill Desi. He’s a shifter.”
Ray was a shifter. Cas hadn’t been aware of that. How could she? Maybe there was a manual somewhere that could help her keep track of these things.
“Sounds like the realtor had enough enemies to make for a healthy handful of murder suspects,” Percy said. “And there’s a long history of tensions between different supernatural races. Just because Lloyd thinks a witch did the deed doesn’t mean he’s right. The sheriff likes to wear blinders when it comes to these things—he’s not a big fan of witches.”
“Why are tensions so high between supernatural groups?”
Percy shrugged. “Why do humans of different races and social strata have issues with each other? Human—and supernatural—nature, I guess. Of course, in both cases, there’s also a history of how the groups treated each other in the past that contributes to current tensions. Shifters and witches used to be even more separated than they are today. In fact, witches used to imprison shifters. Those feelings—on both sides—are still just under the surface for some folks.”
Cas nodded as she took in the new information.
Percy continued. “There are mixed race relationships, of course, but they often come with a lot of shame for those whose families are filled with separatists. And a lot of people hide their true feelings, never getting a chance to love who they want to because they don’t want to subject themselves to others’ disdain—or worse.”
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“That sounds terrible.”
Percy shifted his weight on the couch. Then he smiled a tiny bit. “Of course, succubi are scorned by almost every other supernatural group, due to our . . . dietary requirements.”
Cas studied her neighbor’s face, seeing for the first time how lined it was. He studied the hands in his lap. In that moment, he seemed sad, maybe even lonely.
Without giving it much thought, she blurted out, “Hey, I’m going to a party tonight. Would you like to come with me?”
He lifted his eyes to meet hers. “Thanks for the offer. I don’t do real well in crowds, though, so I’ll have to decline.” He hoisted himself off the couch and moved toward Demon with her leash.
“How about you have dinner with me before I go, then? There’s no crowd here.” She waved a hand around.
Percy looked shocked, and Cas had to admit, she was a bit surprised at herself. After all, Percy had always given her the heebie-jeebies in the past. He’d never been one of her favorite people. Still, she’d found herself enjoying their easy conversation and was glad when he—with a shy look— nodded his acceptance of her invitation.
They chatted as they put together a salad, heated some canned tomato soup, and prepared three grilled cheese sandwiches. When everything was ready, Percy gave Demon half of one of the sandwiches, and the dog settled in at his feet to munch on it.
It was a pleasant meal. They talked about their neighborhood, the siren election, and the coming winter. Once Echo got tired of listening to them, he headed upstairs, and Demon ventured out from under the table. Cas had always loved the little Westie, and she took the opportunity to ruffle the dog’s ears. “You know, I’ve often wondered why you gave such a sweet little pup the name Demon.”
Percy chuckled. “In the old lore, my kind were called demons. Of course, we used to be divided into succubi and incubi, but at some point, the gender thing was thrown out and we all go by succubus now.” He stood and carried his empty plate to the dishwasher. “I’m not really that much of a tough guy, and the demon terminology always seemed worthy of eye rolling when applied to me. It’s the same with my pup, there. She’s as un-demon-like as can be.”