by Blake, Kasi
Trick went over his options. None of them seemed ideal. One, he could use his powers and die. Two, he could die, become a vampire, and destroy the Shadow Faerie without risking his own mortality. Then he would be a monster. He didn’t want to do that either. Three, he could enlist the help of the literature-loving werewolf.
“What do you think, Matt?” he asked his brother.
Paler than usual, Matt swallowed. “Maybe you should just stay out of this fight.”
Summer looked at Matt, shocked expression. “If he doesn’t kill it, it kills me. Cowboy and I can’t handle this on our own. Our only powers are walking in sunlight and teleportation. We can’t hide from it forever.”
Matt looked back at her. For a moment they just stared into each other’s eyes in such a way that Trick wanted to smack his brother and stake the girl.
“I’ll help you,” Matt said. “We both will. But we’ll do it without magic.”
Trick gaped at him. “You? You’re going to fight a monster?”
“Fight? No.” Matt shuddered. “But I can help you figure out how to do it without magic, and I’m sure Scarlet will want in on this.”
Summer’s eyes narrowed, and they took on a predatory gleam. “Is Scarlet your girlfriend?”
She stared Trick down as if she was a jealous wife demanding to know why there was lipstick on his collar. The atmosphere shifted, and Matt seemed taken aback by her sudden interest in his brother’s love life.
No one spoke for a noticeable length of time.
Cowboy broke the silence and tension with a bark of laughter. “Cool it, Summer. They’re going to take you serious.” He smiled at Trick and added, “She likes to play games. Ignore her.”
Her mouth tightened, but she kept it shut.
“We’ll do this your way,” Cowboy said. “You’re the hunter. But keep my offer in mind just in case the no-magic approach doesn’t work.”
Trick sighed. “I am not letting you turn me.”
Cowboy put an arm around Trick’s shoulders and walked him away from the others. “You’re making a huge mistake listening to your brother. He doesn’t understand the severity of the situation. You’ll find out soon enough that not using your powers is impossible. That teleporting stunt was just the beginning.”
Trick hoped the vampire was wrong.
They finished the conversation with Trick promising to be in touch as soon as he and Matt figured things out. Someone somewhere had to have information on the Shadow Faerie, basically how to kill it. If all else failed, he could talk to the werewolf again.
♫
“We haven’t been on a good, old-fashioned stake-out in months.” Scarlet pulled a thermos and a bag of chips from her oversized bag. Her eyes were wide and bright, cheeks flushed, and her mouth curved in an appealing smile. “I miss this.”
They were parked across the street from the school on a Wednesday afternoon. Trick hadn’t been to class since the incident with the werewolf, but he couldn’t afford to miss another day. Someone was bound to figure out his adoptive parents were back from Europe and give them a call. They were already mad at him for staying out all night on Sunday. No need to add another charge to the growing list.
Today, the target of their stake-out was Jersey Clifford. Cowboy was probably right about the teacher not being trustworthy, but Trick wanted to know more about him. He couldn’t have a werewolf running around loose without some form of protection against it.
They were in Matt’s car because Scarlet’s dad wouldn’t let her borrow his. That meant Matt was in the backseat. He didn’t allow anyone to take his car unless he went too, even if it meant tagging along on a monster hunt. At least he’d agreed to let Trick drive.
Scarlet absently twisted the red leather band on her wrist. “Did you give up on the stupid idea of becoming a vampire?”
Trick glared at her.
Matt leaned forward to wedge his body halfway between the front seats. “Yeah. I’d like some warning before you sprout fangs.”
“What’s wrong, Matthew?” Trick kept a calm exterior even though his insides were twisted into knots. “I thought you liked vampires.”
“Cute. Answer her question.”
“I already did. You heard me tell them I am not interested in becoming a monster. Not gonna happen, not even to save my own life. Satisfied?”
Scarlet poured him a cup of warm coffee. “Glad to hear it. So what’s the plan? How do we get rid of the Shadow thingy.”
“Ask the genius.” Trick nodded at his brother.
Her gaze went to Matt. “Well? Watcha got?”
Matt shook his head. “Nothing yet, but I do know we all need to work together to defeat this thing. I plan to dig up every word written on Shadow Faeries. There has to be a way to kill them without using magic.”
The lack of logic in that statement made Trick chuckle. Shadow Faeries were created by magic, so it was possible, even probable that only magic could defeat them. If that was true, they needed someone with power to help them. Unfortunately, he didn’t know anyone that fit the description other than the vampires... and the werewolf.
Trick didn’t want the help of vampires with ulterior motives. If they gave him a hand, they might demand something in return—like his compliance.
Scarlet pulled a wooden stake from her bag. She flipped it and caught it a few times before saying, “You know, we can always cut the Shadow’s head off. I don’t think anything can survive that.”
“We’d have to get pretty close to perform a decapitation.”
“So?” She shot him a dirty look. “Since when is Trick Donovan afraid of getting close to a monster?”
He sighed. “I’m just saying the thing is super powerful and could kill us before we got within spitting distance.”
“I’m good at distracting monsters.”
She twirled thick strands of curly hair around her finger, and Trick watched in fascination. Maybe they could trap the monster inside of that tangled mess. It would probably die trying to find a way out.
He chuckled softly.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, eyes narrowing.
“Nothing,” he said. “Just thinking.”‘
“Whatever.” She sighed as if talking to Trick taxed her patience worse than dealing with her bratty little cousins. She asked Matt, “Do you have anything intelligent to add?”
He shook his head.
She tried another question. “You hang with a vampire girl, don’t you? Can’t she tell us how to kill the Shadow?”
Matt shook his head again. “They’ve never faced one before.”
“She didn’t tell you anything? Nothing at all that could help?”
Trick sat up straighter. Did Matt have information he wasn’t sharing? Was he holding out on them?
“I don’t know anything,” Matt insisted.
They sat in silence for a while. Then it was Scarlet’s turn to burst out laughing for no reason. Unlike her, Trick didn’t bother to ask. One, he didn’t care; and two, she would tell him anyway, whether he wanted to know or not.
“Do you realize that if you get together with Dani, you’re couple name will be Dick?”
Saying it out loud made her laugh louder.
Trick gripped the steering wheel tighter. “That is stupid. No one will call us that.”
“I will,” she said.
Matt poked his head between their seats. “What are you talking about?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Where have you been? If you become a couple, you get a couple name. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were Brangelina until they split. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were Bennifer until they split.”
“Oh, I get it now. How... interesting.” Matt said, “Dani and Trick could be called Tani or Trani. Right?”
Trick sighed. “Next time there’s a stake-out, I’m going alone.”
“Buzzkill,” Scarlet said.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t be laughing about names.” Trick pointed out, “No matter who y
ou get with, it’s going to be weird. You and Marvin would be Scarvin. You and Joey would be Scoey. You and Matt would be Scatt.”
“Hey!” Matt jabbed him in the arm with a partially closed fist, but it didn’t hurt. In fact, he’d rather be punched by Matt than Scarlet. She left bruises even when she was joking around. Matt demanded, “Leave me out of this dumb conversation.”
Scarlet leaned forward and pointed at Trick’s side window. “Is that him?” she asked.
With another sigh Trick turned to look.
Jersey Clifford crossed the parking lot with a confidence that bordered on the psychotic. Dressed in solid black except for the red tie hanging around his neck, he walked over to a white minivan.
Trick frowned. He was a firm believer in a person’s choice of vehicle being an extension of their true selves. A minivan did not fit this guy’s personality. Maybe it was a rental while his real car was in the shop.
As soon as Jersey pulled onto the road, Trick gunned the engine. He followed close enough to keep the van in sight, but far enough away to be inconspicuous. This wasn’t the first time he’d tailed someone.
Jersey drove through the main part of town, down the highway going south, and past several farmhouses before traveling down a long gravel driveway. Like the car, the house didn’t quite fit Jersey’s style.
Trick came to a rolling stop behind a cluster of trees so the werewolf wouldn’t see them. Eyes on the van, he held out his hand and snapped his fingers. Intuitively knowing what he wanted, Scarlet gave him the binoculars.
He raised them to his face and took a long, leisurely look at the house. Average in height and size and color, the only thing that made it different was the fact a werewolf resided there. Parked in front of the garage was a second car. This one filled Trick with envy.
The car was a black Charger, a lean and mean looking machine with a grayish white racing stripe down the side. Trick’s fingers itched to slide over the sleek metal. He’d love to drive it. Too bad it belonged to a werewolf.
The beast in question, Jersey Clifford climbed out of his crappy van. He stood still for a moment, enjoying the afternoon sun. Lifting his face, he closed his eyes, and Trick thought he was savoring the warmth.
Then Trick realized the werewolf was sniffing the air. Could he smell them at this distance?
Jersey went inside the house.
“What do we do now?” Scarlet asked.
Good question. They could sit in the car all night waiting for the guy to come back outside, or he could go have a talk with the werewolf.
♫
Trick rang the doorbell while counting all the ways this could go wrong. Confronting a werewolf in his own territory was risky. He half-turned and waved at the people waiting for him in the car. Scarlet sat in the driver’s seat now with Matt beside her on the passenger side.
She shook her head at Trick and made a cringing face as if to say he needed to forget his stupid plan. Too late. She’d already made a case against him talking to the werewolf without a gun loaded with silver bullets. He was determined to get some answers.
The door opened, and Jersey Clifford stepped out onto the porch. “This is a surprise,” he said. “If you wanted to speak with me, why not wait for school tomorrow? Have you changed your mind about needing my assistance with the Shadow Faerie?”
“Depends.” Trick folded his arms. “What do you think you’re going to do about him?”
The werewolf puffed his chest out. “I can be of use in a variety of ways.”
“Such as?” When Jersey didn’t answer, Trick asked, “Are you willing to fight the thing?”
“Me? Heavens no. You are the chosen one, my young Frodo. It is your destiny, not mine.”
Trick wanted to look over his shoulder at his friends again, but he didn’t want to draw attention to them. At times like this he wished he had a high-tech wire to wear so others could listen in on crazy conversations with werewolves.
“How can you help then, and why should I trust you?”
Jersey opened the front door wide and motioned for Trick to enter his charming house. “I helped your brother Jack more than once when he was up against the wall. You can trust me.”
“That isn’t what I heard.” Trick remained on the porch. No way was he going into a werewolf’s house. He wasn’t suicidal. “Cowboy says you’ll double-cross me.”
“Vampires!” Jersey spat the word as if it tasted like dirt in his mouth. “They are the ones that cannot be trusted. Ask your brother. Jack was at odds with that boy vampire more often than not.”
Trick took a step backward so the werewolf would know he had no intention of entering his home. “I find it hard to believe you’d risk your life by going after Oberon’s assassin. Aren’t you afraid if you betray him, he’ll kill you?”
Jersey grinned like a madman. “I am not afraid of man nor beast nor faerie.”
“If you aren’t afraid of anything, why don’t you kill the Shadow Faerie yourself then?”
“As I have already said, it isn’t my job. The destiny is yours. I would never consider stealing your moment of glory. I can help, but only when you’re desperate enough to do as I say.”
Trick considered how much he wanted to tell the werewolf. He certainly wasn’t getting anything vital from him. Choosing his words carefully, he said, “I used to have a talisman made from faerie metal, and it kept my powers in check. Have you heard of faerie metal? Do you know how I can get my hands on more?”
Keeping his expression neutral, Jersey said, “Fellulite, yes. In the Faerie Realm the stuff is so plentiful you can’t walk without tripping over it. Unfortunately, on this side the metal is extremely rare. I will see what I can do. Perhaps I can find you a piece, if you keep me in the loop.”
The werewolf wanted to know what they were up to, and he was probably planning to rat them out to the king of the Fae. Since Trick hadn’t been born yesterday, he agreed with a nod of his head knowing he wouldn’t hold to his end of the bargain.
“If you find a piece of faerie metal for me, maybe I’ll believe you.”
Jersey stuck his hand out. “Agreed.”
Trick reluctantly shook the offered appendage.
Instead of releasing him, Jersey jerked him forward until their faces were inches apart. The werewolf whispered, “Tell your friends next time they should come inside.” A wide grin stretched his mouth and flashed a row of white teeth. “I have apple cider.”
Trick broke away and staggered back a step.
Jersey closed the door in Trick’s stunned face.
chapter nineteen
You Could Be Mine
After a restless night of tossing and turning, Trick slept late. Since it was the weekend no one bothered to wake him for breakfast. Rapping knuckles on the back door downstairs brought him out of his peaceful slumber. He squinted at the clock next to his bed and groaned. Everyone else had things to do. They were gone. That left him to answer the door.
He climbed out of bed and stumbled to the open window.
Leaning out, he looked below to see Dani give up and turn for home. “Wait!” he yelled.
She spun around, and her gaze traveled up to his bedroom window.
He shouted, “Don’t move!”
Worried she might leave, he ran through the house and out the back door without bothering to get dressed. He didn’t think about his semi-nude state until he was face to face with her in nothing but his boxers.
Sheepish grin, he started to retrace his steps. “Sorry. Give me a second. I’ll put on pants.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just came to give you this.”
She held out a closed hand, so he put his palm beneath her opening fingers.
Cool metal fell into his open hand. He looked down with surprise to find two silver hearts on a metal chain. They had been removed from her charm bracelet. Reading his mind, she nodded and lifted her wrist to show the sparkling trinket. It still spelled out Dani, but there was only one heart on each end now.
He gestured to the charms resting in his palm. “Thanks.”
A slight breeze blew through her hair, and she captured the entire lot in one hand.
He couldn’t help but wonder if the unexpected gift meant something. Was she open to dating him, or was she just being a good neighbor? Maybe she wanted to help him because he’d saved her life. It might be a simple act of friendship.
“No problem,” she said, neutral expression.
In his entire life he hadn’t met a person as difficult to read as Dani. Putting his heart out there would probably get it stomped on, but he couldn’t let her walk away. She needed to know how he felt even if she didn’t return those feelings.
When she turned to leave, he took a hesitant step forward.
“Life is fragile,” he said, and she stopped. He took another step in her direction. His hands itched to reach for her, but he didn’t want to scare her off. “In the past few days I’ve had to face the fact that life is short, and if you want something, you need to grab it while you can.”
She frowned. “What are you saying?”
In that moment he understood the saying going out on a limb. The phrase underlined how he felt exposing his true feelings for Dani. Her response would either get him down safely or break the flimsy branch beneath his feet.
“I like you,” he admitted. After taking a deep breath, he rushed on, not giving her a chance to interrupt. “I think I liked you from the second I saw you. You were trying to take Bandit for a walk, and he wanted to go for a run. You looked so cute being dragged down the sidewalk.”
She laughed at the memory. Then a tinge of sadness darkened her eyes, and Trick wanted to kick himself for reminding her of her loss. To keep her from falling back into grief, he talked faster.
“Seeing you being pulled down the street by this huge dog while you were all dressed up like you were going to a party made me smile. It was a really big deal because I hadn’t smiled since my father dumped me here. Every day I expected him to show up and tell me he was sorry and that it was just a mistake. I hated it here, and I was determined to hate the Donovan’s. Then I saw you, and you made me smile.”