“I am one hundred percent svelte.” Jay protested, shoving another stacked spoonful of honey- drenched pancakes into his mouth. How did he get his mouth to open that wide?
“What’s svelte?” I asked.
“Slim and willowy,” Jay answered, throwing a blueberry at his friend. Charlie caught it in his mouth. Charlie threw one back. They must practice this shit.
“You want a little pancake with all that honey?” I asked, staring at Jay’s plate. It had dripped on the table, one thick clump making its way to the edge. Soon it would be in his lap. “You’re all bear, huh?” Boy, talk about killing the mood. I had such incredible skills when it came to sticking my foot in my mouth. I tried to explain. “You like honey and you’re big and…”
“Cut the crap.” Two sets of eyes were locked on me tight enough to leave bruises. “It’s a good time to tell us what you know.” Charlie practically hissed. Jay was scowling and Samson growled from the backyard, maybe sensing the tension in the room.
Even the stupid dog was gifted. What was I thinking? Epic Fail. If two words were ever more appropriate I couldn’t dredge them up. I’d really thought I could handle this spying thing, but they’d been too normal—too nice—and I’d dropped my guard.
I slumped in the chair, nauseous and defeated. “I don’t know anything.”
CHARLIE
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I’d been trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, but if she didn’t agree to talk to me, then I might have to…no. I’d figure out a way without hurting her.
“You know who I am, don’t you?”
“You’re Charles Crawford.” She spoke softly, without energy.
I wiggled my hand near my head, giving her a heads up that I knew she was lying. “If you keep lying to me I’ll never be able to trust you. There are lives at stake. Please tell me the truth.”
“There are lives at stake for me, too,” she snapped.
I frowned. Stupid of me not to think of that. She might’ve been forced to work for someone. The knot in my stomach loosened.
“Is your house bugged?” Jay asked.
“No. At least I don’t think so.”
“I’ll take a look around.” He did a quick sweep of the kitchen, heading for the living room next.
She was twisting a lock of hair around her finger, tugging on it. Her other hand was in her lap, clutching her napkin hard enough to whiten her knuckles. I moved my chair next to hers and held out my hand. “Give me your hand, Ivy.”
She tried to scoot her chair away from the table, but I held it in place. She was trembling. “Don’t hurt me. Please.”
Oh man. She’d been hurt before. “I won’t. I’m looking for the truth, but no matter what it is, I won’t hurt you. I promise.” I took the hand that was in her hair and held it with both of mine. It was warm and a little bit sticky, the odor of syrup and bacon still strong.
Use your healing energy, my mom had told me. Okay, lets see.
I allowed my aura free reign to swirl around hers, clearing away the grey and rebooting the spring green color most humans carried with them, yet not interfering with her shields. She wasn’t human, but she’d been spelled to look that way. I wouldn’t hurt her. Not unless it was a question of our survival. She looked up, ”Oh,” she sighed, relaxing her shoulders. ”You’re not him. You can’t be him.”
“Who?”
“Charles Cuvier. He’s a powerful blood magic user. A beast who tortures and murders children.”
Her hand was trembling. “Who told you that?” I asked.
“The advisor of our chieftain, my new guardian.
Truth. “Who are your people?”
“I can’t tell you. I’m under a blood spell.”
That was the truth. I wondered if it was worth putting in a call to my mom’s dad, Simon. He was a sorcerer, adept at rescinding spells spun by blood magic. But did it really matter if we knew what species she was? She wasn’t demon, fae, shifter, vampire or wolf, which probably meant she was one of the unseelie races. I’d met a few, but there were hundreds.
“Were you sent to find me?”
“Yes.”
Truth. She clutched at her belly, fighting against the spell. I sent her more healing energy and she seemed to relax. “By who?”
“Lord Tellek.”
Truth. “Is he your ruler? “
“No. He answers to the chieftain, but I have a hard time believing the chieftain wants to hurt you. He’s a peaceful ruler.”
“What were you told to do?”
A tear fell on our clasped hands. “Make you want to help me. Protect me.”
“What else?”
“I was supposed to take you to them. To Tellek.” She choked on a sob. “It hurts.”
I sent her wave after wave of my energy, taking away her pain, her fear, her doubts. “You’ll be okay.”
“My family will be killed if I don’t report in.”
I released her hands, grabbing a couple of napkins and shoving them toward her. Crying females made me nervous.
Jay spoke in my head. “So far, no bugs, other than the random cockroach.”
“Cool, thanks.”
“If you let her contact Tellek, they could have some kind of code we know nothing about. She might give him information like where you are. I don’t like it.”
“I agree, but she told me the truth about her family.”
“Well that sucks. Now we have to let her report in.”
“I’ll figure out a way to keep it safe for us.”
“Sweet.”
“Jump in the shower then get our stuff together. We’re leaving. All four of us.”
“Already jumping.”
When the water came on in the bathroom I turned back to Ivy. “Help me clean up.”
“What?” She wiped her face with another napkin. “Jay did the dishes.”
“I’m not leaving a mess for the next tenant. Liam would make me dig a hole.”
“What? Who’s Liam? And what do you mean the next tenant?”
“Soon as I shower, we’re all leaving.”
I handed her a broom to sweep up. She needed something to do to distract her. “But I’m coming back here, right?” she asked.
“No. It’s not safe. Pack up what you can carry in a backpack and say goodbye to your cockroach pals. We’re finding someplace cleaner and safer.”
“But I have to report in. Tell them where I’m going.”
I sighed. “I’ll do what I can, but right now, I have to protect what’s mine.” I glanced up the stairs, then scratched Samson behind the ears.
Her expression held such yearning. Maybe there was some hope for this girl.
IVY
CHAPTER NINETEEN
He’d taken me through the lines, my heart beating like a tiny bird’s. I’d never imagined I’d have a chance to travel the way of the fae, but there I was, holding his hand, swimming in an ocean so alive with magic it made my heart sing. In all the craziness I’d forgotten his bloodline was half fae, especially since I’d been trained to focus more on the dark demon and vicious cheetah part of his nature. But holding his hand as the life energy of faerie danced around us and between us, I watched his fae bloodline take the reins, forcing his darkness away. His skin glowed golden, his hair as well. The purple of his eyes accented his handsome, smiling face. When I’d wobbled at first, he’d twined his fingers between mine. I wanted to stay there with him forever, bathed in the refreshing warmth that united all magical creatures.
But it was over too soon and Jay was throwing up in the bushes. Yuck.
I looked around. We were on a dirt path just east of Route 1, above Malibu. Oh yeah! I started to race toward the ocean, crossing the highway, ditching my backpack and tearing off my skirt.
“Hey.” Charlie was there, laughing. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m wearing a bathing suit. I want to swim.”
“The water’s freezing.”
“Not to me. Fi
ve minutes, okay? I promise.”
He shrugged. “Knock yourself out.”
One more minute and I was in the sea, diving under, then body surfing into shore when a good-sized wave came along. Jay and Charlie were standing on the beach frowning and Samson was barking, so I let the last one bring me in, ending up on my feet and joining them on shore. Samson sniffed my feet, then sneezed and ran off, distracted by a seagull.
The boys were both looking at me in that automatic ‘guy checks out chick” way, but I ignored them, grabbing a towel from my pack and drying off. There was nothing special about me.
“Hey little mermaid, you hungry?” Jay asked. This one was always thinking about food.
“She has to get changed. We have an appointment in half an hour.”
“Where?”
“The restaurant at the end of the pier. There’s a changing room over to the right.” They waited outside while I made myself presentable.
“You’re not going to be able to come in with us, sorry.” We were walking down the pier, the other pedestrians staying clear of Samson. Couldn’t blame them.
“Why?”
“It’s a business meeting.” Charlie and Jay were both dressed in nice leather jackets and dark jeans. They looked amazing.
“Yeah. You can hang with Samson.” Jay said.
“Uh, not happening.” I stepped away from the Monster.
Jay took my hand is his and smiled. “Believe me, if Samson didn’t like you, you’d already be a chew toy.”
I turned toward Charlie, scowling. “How can you own a dangerous dog like that?”
“First of all I don’t own him. He honors me with his loyalty and his company.” Samson licked Charlie’s hand. “Second, it beats carrying a gun.”
“I suppose you’re going to tell me he’s faster than a speeding bullet.”
“Nah. It doesn’t penetrate.”
“What?”
“His skin’s like armor.” Jay whistled and Samson strolled over to a bench outside the restaurant.
“No it isn’t. It’s normal skin.”
Charlie shrugged. “It’s magically shielded to repel weapons, at least around his vital organs.”
“You did that?”
“No. He’s a fae dog.” Charlie shrugged and pointed at the stone bench with a view to the South. “You two sit here. We’ll be out soon.”
“Hmm.” I flipped my hair out of my eyes. “What if I decide to leave?”
“You think he’s gonna let you leave?” The Monster wagged his version of a tail.
“Hmmp.” I sat, turning my back on the two jerks. “What do I do if he runs off?”
“He won’t. He’s on guard duty.” Charlie scratched the Monster behind the ears.
“We’ll bring you some food,” Jay added. At least he seemed to care about me. Charlie was all business.
A seagull landed on the pier’s railing. The Monster barked at it. Big surprise. “Shut up, big mouth.” I grumbled. He whined, moving closer and placing his enormous head on my knee. I waited for the growl, but it didn’t come. Maybe he wasn’t sooo bad. He had these big sad eyes and that short chubby tail was a riot. Every time he wagged it his whole butt wagged too.
I reached out very slowly, palm down, and spoke softly, the way I’d seen on TV. “Come ‘ere Mr. Wiggles.” He sniffed and licked my hand, his tongue just hanging there as he panted. Drool pooled around my sandals.
I wiped the spit on my jeans. Yuck. He whined again, pleading with me for more attention. I touched the top of his head and moved my hand slowly down to the back of his neck. He seemed to like it so I did it again. I yelped when he jumped up on the bench next to me, stretching out and laying his crate-sized head on my lap. Ugh, it was so heavy. I started to pet him again, but he groaned and fell asleep. Wow, some guard dog.
Then he started to snore.
CHARLIE
CHAPTER TWENTY
The female wolf had left a message that she was running fifteen minutes late, so Jay and I gave each other some space and called home.
Mom answered on the second ring. "Charlie?"
"Hi mom." I laughed. Sometimes she was kinda spooky.
“You okay?" she asked.
"I'm great."
"I had a dream that you...that you teleported into a house where a girl was sleeping.”
This wasn’t unusual for Mom. "I did meet a girl. She was being hassled, but she's okay now."
"You didn't get hurt?"
"I'm good.” I put as much sincerity into my tone as possible. No reason to tell her about the werewolf thugs or the mysterious Ammon or anything else.
"Do you have any idea when you'll be able to come home?"
I didn’t have an answer to that question. "Not yet." Now was definitely not the time to tell her about my private investigator idea.
"Honey, you know you can call us anytime you need to talk."
She was trying so hard not to push, probably afraid I wouldn't call her at all if she did. And I didn’t doubt for a moment that somebody was keeping a close watch on us. It might be a fae or Isaiah or even Sinlae, but someone knew exactly where we were, even if they didn’t know what we were doing.
Still, she and Dad were making them leave us in peace, and that meant everything to me.
"I trust you, Charlie. You’re smart and you’ve had the best training. I don’t want you to think I don’t respect your decision to take this trip. It’s just…I miss you.”
"I'll visit soon. I promise."
"You'll call me if there's a problem?"
"Yes.” I saw the female wolf at the door. “Gotta go. Love you.”
The wolf was medium height, curvy and pretty, dressed in a blue business suit and heels. Jay grinned at me, saying, “You do the talking. I’ll sit there and nod my head.”
“Your ideas are usually good ones. This is gonna be a partnership.”
“Fine, but don’t bite me if I suggest something impossible.”
“Biting you has never entered my mind.” I brushed some road dust off the shoulder of my leather jacket. Maybe we should’ve spruced ourselves up a little more.
She was smiling, glancing around the room to see if we might already have our table. When I approached her, she frowned and looked away. Realization hit a couple seconds later.
She gave each of us a cursory glance, her eyes becoming angry slits. “Please don’t tell me you two children are Charles and Jason.”
“I’ll have to go against your wishes, Ms. Turner. I’m Charlie and this is Jay.” I extended my hand and smiled. I might be a kid in her eyes, but years and years spent surrounded by other races taught me a lot about diplomacy. In most cases a smile and a polite response worked miracles.
Looking surprised, she took my hand, then Jay’s. “Perhaps I won’t have to call your Uncle and complain that he wasted my time.”
“I hope not. Uncle Aaron is a fine judge of character, Ms. Turner, and he spoke very highly of you and your pack.” Staci Turner was the female alpha of the Catalina Island Pack.
She smiled. “Do we have a table reserved?”
“Yes. By the window.” I’d checked that they had our reservation before I made my call home.
The host escorted us to the table and I held the chair for the alpha as she sat. My dad did this for Mom every time we went to a restaurant, and I figured it couldn’t hurt. Female werewolves usually weren’t feminists. Alpha males ruled their pack with physical strength, intelligence and the ability to inspire loyalty. Their mates played a vital supporting role.
“Thank you. It’s nice to see a young male with manners, but do you have balls?”
Jay almost choked on his ice water. I patted his back, giving me a moment to come up with an answer she’d buy into. “Our company was established to assist supernaturals with issues that can’t be solved in any of the usual ways. If our magical skills weren’t strong, we wouldn’t be in business.”
“Do you have a card?”
“Sorry. Not on me.”
“What’s the name of your business?”
I swallowed. We hadn’t discussed a name. As the server brought bread and olive oil for dipping, Jay kicked me under the table. “Triad sounds cool. It’s like some super secret undercover…” I kicked him back. He winced.
It wasn’t a bad name, although not for the reason’s he’d chosen. “Triad. We keep the name unadvertised, getting clients through word of mouth. We never divulge a client’s name or the nature of the cases we’ve worked.”
“Just Triad?” she asked. I nodded. “You two are equal partners?”
“Yes. We’ve been working together for quite some time.” She knew Jay was a shifter, but probably not that he was a grizzly, the rarest of the bear shifters. She probably thought I was a sorcerer of some kind. “And there’s a third partner, I imagine?” she asked.
I thought of Samson snoring at the foot of my bed. “Yes. A silent partner, most of the time.”
When the server returned, she ordered a glass of wine and a Caesar salad. Jay and I ordered prime rib with a side salad. We stuck to water over soda, and at the last minute I remembered to order food for Samson and Ivy, explaining that we were meeting a couple of friends afterwards.
While we ate we chatted about Aaron and his four packs, spread out over Northern California and Southern Oregon. She’d been a college friend of his current mate, Kathy, and had visited on several occasions.
When the dishes had been cleared away, I got to the point of the meeting. “How can we help you, Ms. Turner?”
“Staci, please.”
“Staci, then.”
“Our pack has been experiencing some trouble on the island. Most of us work on the mainland, but live on Catalina, taking the ferry or private boats back and forth. On two occasions, pack members have gone missing. They get on the boat and then never get off. The police believe they committed suicide, although according to their families, neither of them suffered from depression or any kind of addiction. “
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