"It's good that your appetite is back," Janie smiled at her. "Earlier, you looked green around the gills."
"I felt that way, too."
"I've only been in the States since last November," Mac answered Janie's question as Ari, who'd volunteered to drive Janie's SUV, pulled into a parking space at a busy shopping center in Abilene.
"Shoes or clothes first?" Janie asked, opening her door to climb out of the front passenger seat.
"Haircut?" Mac asked.
"There's a salon and barbershop halfway down," Janie pointed. "Let's see if we can get you in."
Ari didn't say anything as she stepped out of the vehicle. The key fob was in her pocket already, so she grabbed her purse and shut the door. The Cadillac would lock itself in a matter of seconds after they stepped away.
In fact, Ari had only answered direct questions on the trip. Janie had all sorts of questions for Mac, who answered as best he could. Ari knew when he was being evasive, although she couldn't quite say how it was that she knew.
Nico had known Mac would turn; Ari felt that in her bones. Why keep it from her, though? What was the big secret, that they felt they couldn't tell?
She was a shapeshifter—this was nothing new to her. Maybe humans would freak when it happened, but she wouldn't.
"I think we can fit him in," the salon's receptionist smiled widely at Mac, although Janie was the one who'd asked about his haircut. "Maybe ten minutes?"
"That sounds wonderful," Janie replied, although the receptionist was already heading for the back to let someone know about the walk-in.
"I guess we'll have a seat, then," Janie buried her annoyance behind a bright smile. They found four adjoining chairs and settled down to wait.
"Janie?" Nico leaned forward so he could see her around Mac's impressive bulk.
"What is it, Nico?"
"Have you ever heard of someone named Hunter Pace?"
Janie's eyes widened in surprise, while Ari drew in an audible breath.
"Old or young?" Janie said after several seconds passed.
"Young. Maybe sixteen?"
"Hunter Junior," Ari leaned back in her chair with a sigh.
"I know of him," Janie replied. "Why? Where did you hear that name?"
"In a dream," Nico said. "He's in danger. Do you know where he is?"
"Is that who you saw when I woke you this morning?" Mac asked quietly.
"Yeah."
"He's serious, Mrs. Jordan," Mac said. "The boy is in very real danger if Nico sees him and learns his name in a dream."
"Call it what it was—a nightmare," Nico muttered.
"I can find out, I suppose," Janie pulled her cell phone out of her purse. "Ari, will you come outside with me while I make this call? Nico, will you be all right?"
"I'll take him back with me. He'll be fine," Mac assured her.
Ari followed Janie out the door as the receptionist returned to take Mac and Nico to a stylist in the back of the shop. A strange pain hit Ari between her shoulder blades as she followed Janie down the sidewalk until they reached an empty storefront.
"I think Burke knows where the boy is," Janie said as she tapped Burke's number on her phone. "He took care of a few legal obstacles when Hunter Sr. died."
"We have no love for Hunter Sr.," Ari mumbled as her sharp hearing registered Janie's phone ringing Burke's number.
"Hunter Jr. has no idea what happened," Janie began when Burke answered.
"Burke, I know this may sound strange, but we have the idea that Hunter Pace Jr. may be in danger. Do you know where he is?"
There was hesitation on Burke's end, before he said, "Yes. I do. What kind of danger?"
"I get the feeling it's in the mortal category," Janie explained.
"I can get a message to his Aunt," Burke offered. "Does this mean a visit, perhaps?"
"Maybe. Can I get back with you on this? I don't know how urgent this is, so hold off contacting her until we know for sure."
"How soon will you know?"
"Maybe in an hour or two. I'll call back whenever I have the answer."
"All right." Burke ended the call.
"I had a feeling he'd know," Janie's shoulders slumped. "His father may have been lupus non grata while he was Grand Master, but the boy had nothing to do with any of that."
"I hope Nico knows what he's doing, setting this in motion," Ari frowned.
"If you knew the boy was in danger, wouldn't you save him?" Janie dropped her cell phone in her bag.
"Yeah. I guess I would," Ari admitted. "He didn't let Mitchell Franks go. Hunter Pace Sr. did."
"Well, we've all paid for that mistake," Janie huffed and started walking toward the salon. Ari followed, then slowed as they passed a coffee shop. "I need a coffee," she said, opening the door.
"You have cash?" Janie turned to ask.
"Yeah."
"Get me a vanilla latte, then, if you don't mind."
"Sure thing." Ari walked into the coffee shop while Janie strode toward the salon. After turning in her order, Ari took a seat at a tiny table near the window to wait for the barista to make their drinks.
Mac barely noticed his reflection in the mirror or the stylist who moved about him, measuring with her fingers and snipping off long and uneven hair.
No.
His thoughts were on the woman, Ari—and whether she presented more danger to him than to Nico. That danger was wrapped in the ancient curse that forced him to serve the Custodian of the Hermit's Stone—which wasn't an actual stone and had only once been in the hands of a hermit. Many other hands had held it, but that single name had stuck with the artifact through the centuries.
Ari—the only woman chosen to be a Custodian's chief protector, could be the death of him if he didn't hold himself—and his emotions—away from her. Better for Nico to let her go and find another.
You mean better for you, a small voice reminded him.
"That looks great," Nico studied Mac's haircut from every angle while the receptionist ran the card Nico handed over.
"It does look good," Janie agreed.
"Here we go," Ari walked in with a drink carrier. "Nico, I got root beer for you. I didn't know if you wanted anything else, so it's black coffee for you," she handed a lidded cup to Mac.
"Black is fine," he said, his dark eyes narrowing as he searched her face for a moment. "Thank you."
"Janie," Ari handed off the vanilla latte before removing the last cup for herself.
"What did you get?" Nico asked her.
"Caramel mocha. This day needs chocolate. And caramel. And coffee."
Nico added a tip to the ticket, signed it and stuffed the receipt and credit card in a pocket. "Where to now?" he asked.
"Shoes," Mac said. "Please."
"I'm glad Nico is buying things, too," Ari whispered to Janie as they watched Mac and Nico trying on athletic shoes.
"I think they'll need the boots they found at the first store, but these are good for most days," Janie agreed. "Although Val would be upset to hear that they bypassed the cowboy boots altogether."
"Not everybody looks good in cowboy boots, and certainly not in a cowboy hat," Ari nodded.
"That fool, Dalton Franks has no idea how idiotic he looks—his hats sit right on top of his big ears and pushes them out farther, if that's possible."
"Funny. I would have pegged him for the all hat and no cattle variety, but Val says he has too many cattle penned up in too small spaces."
"You haven't gotten the stench from a strong west wind yet; give it time," Janie grumped.
"How did he buy that place? I figured Val would at least bid on it, since it's right next to you."
"He would have, but the place was never listed. I get the idea that Franks approached Chuck, and made an offer Chuck wouldn't refuse," Janie said. "Therefore, we get Fool One and Fool Two next door, who don't know the first thing about managing a real cattle ranch. It's not healthy to leave your cattle standing knee-deep in muck twenty-four-seven. I'm surpris
ed they don't have the vet on speed dial by now."
"Idiots," Ari snarled.
"At least Denton's kids are in college, and don't bother to come home except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I don't blame them; I don't know how they deal with the smell that close to the house."
"How did you find all this out?" Ari asked.
"Mary Kate runs into their housekeeper at the grocery store sometimes. She's thinking about quitting—their housekeeper, not Mary Kate. Couldn't pay me to breathe that mess every day, but then our noses are more sensitive than theirs."
"By a lot," Ari said. "Those look good," she called out as Nico studied the shoes on his feet. "Make sure they're comfy."
"They are," he grinned at her while walking back and forth. For a moment, he was the Nico she'd known, from before—before everything had gone wrong and their lives had skidded into a wrong turn, flinging them in a direction they'd never expected.
Would there ever be a time for a memorial for his parents?
Had he lost his youthful joy forever?
And for what? Mac knew things. Nico knew things, too. They weren't telling her everything—not even close. Most of the time, too, she had the vibe from Mac that he was judging her—and didn't like what he saw. He was polite enough—but then he was polite to everyone.
"Your expression just changed—like clouds obscuring the sun," Mac suddenly stood before her, a box of athletic shoes in his hands. "Is something wrong?"
"No," she lied.
"Nico, have you made your decision?" Mac turned to ask.
"I'll take these two pairs," Nico lifted boxes from the floor and rose from the bench where he'd sat to try on shoes.
"Good enough. We need clothes, next, and then we ought to go back."
"Nico, I forgot to ask earlier—do you know how soon we need to reach the young man you mentioned?" Janie asked.
"Before Sunday," Nico replied as Mac lifted the boxes away from his hands.
"I'll let Burke know," Janie told him.
"How important is he?" Mac asked softly.
"He must be protected," Nico sighed. "He may be in a position to return the favor sometime."
"I'll make the call. Meet me outside after you pay." Janie headed for the door.
"I'll go with her," Ari said and followed Janie toward the store entrance.
"I've never seen it this full." Janie studied the back of her Escalade before Ari tapped the button to shut the hatch.
"You told them to get enough clothes to last two or three weeks," Ari said as they walked around the vehicle to get in. Mac and Nico had loaded everything in, then ran to a nearby ice cream shop for a cold treat.
"I did tell them that," Janie agreed, climbing into the passenger seat in the front. "I guess I wasn't thinking about how much space all that would take."
The air conditioner was running full blast, cooling the interior while they waited for Mac and Nico's return. "Summer in Texas always makes me grateful for the folks who figured out how to put AC in cars," Ari leaned back in the driver's seat.
"I second that," Janie agreed. "I sure hope they have bottled water at that ice cream parlor. I'm thirsty."
"Me, too," Ari agreed. They'd both requested water when Nico asked if they wanted anything. She shifted in her seat—the strange prickling along her back had returned, making her uncomfortable.
"Ari," Janie's hand suddenly gripped Ari's arm as she stared straight ahead.
Ari drew in a breath; Denton Franks, with his father, Mitchell, were walking toward Janie's vehicle.
"Let me handle this," Janie hissed as she opened the door and stepped out of the SUV.
Ari, angry in an instant and worried that Denton didn't have the best intentions toward Janie, also climbed out of the Escalade.
"Denton," Janie said as he approached. Ari's gaze stayed on Mitchell as a growl formed low in her throat.
"I need your car insurance information, to fix my truck," Denton told Janie. "There's at least three thousand in damage done."
"If you'll let me onto your property, I'll take care of that mountain lion for you," Mitchell said. "I did it once before, you know."
"You will never be welcome on our property again," Janie snapped at the older man. "You failed to kill the actual predator, and you know that."
Ari seethed as Mitchell attempted to convince Janie to let him hunt on the Jordan Ranch.
"Problem?" Mac and Nico arrived, carrying ice cream and bottles of water.
"Denton and Mitchell want to hunt the mountain lion on our property," Janie folded arms across her chest as she glared at Mitchell.
"Janie, will you take this?" Mac handed his dish of ice cream to her, while Nico took the bottle of water. On the other side of the vehicle, Ari vibrated with rage. He had to stop this debacle before she turned and tore both human men to shreds.
"Now," Mac turned toward Denton and Mitchell. "You should never have killed the first mountain lion," he began. "Let me assure you, too, that if you threaten this mountain lion, someone will certainly take it amiss." Then, Mac turned toward Denton. "The heifer your father killed, mistaking it for a deer, was worth five thousand because of her breeding and potential to birth good stock going forward. You can write a check to Val for the difference between the damage to your truck and the cost of the heifer. Or, you can wait for this to play out in court, and I'm sure your father's questionable eyesight and judgment will be brought into the public eye."
"Well," Denton sputtered.
"How dare you question my judgment," Mitchell raised his voice. "That was a deer, I swear it."
"A deer on someone else's property is not yours to shoot," Mac slowly turned back to Mitchell. "You do not get to hunt on any property not your own, unless you have permission. You did not have permission in the past, either for the mountain lion or the heifer. I warn you now; do not approach the Jordan Ranch again. If you do, and especially if you carry a weapon of any kind, I cannot guarantee your safety."
"Is that a threat?" Denton huffed.
"No. It is a warning," Mac shot back.
"I suppose you're the one who'll do something about it if I do cross the fence?" Mitchell demanded.
"You will never know what hit you, but it won't be me."
"Dad, let's get out of here," Denton grabbed Mitchell's arm to pull him away.
"I'm still a marksman," Mitchell shouted at Mac as Denton pulled him away. "I'll kill anybody coming my way."
"Believe what you want, old man," Mac said quietly. "You can't fight vampires if a gun is all you have."
"Let's go," Janie handed Mac's ice cream back to him. "I think we've had enough excitement for today."
Ari unclenched her fists as she watched Denton and Mitchell disappear into the coffee shop. "Murderers," she muttered in their direction before sliding into the vehicle.
"Are you okay to drive?" Janie asked after getting a good look at Ari's face.
"Yeah."
"Water," Nico passed a cold bottle of water to Ari between the two front seats.
"Take your time," Janie soothed as Ari nearly ripped the cap off the bottle to drink.
"We need to have a conversation with the vamps when they wake," Mac told Ari later as they pulled bags and boxes from the back of the Escalade. "Renault needs an update on the Franks." He gave Ari a meaningful look as she followed him into the house.
"Maybe I should patrol the fence line with Renault," Ari muttered.
"Ari, revenge seldom turns out the way you want," Mac advised. "Renault has been a guardian for the Scholars for centuries. He knows his business. I will guarantee this, however. If he is forced to destroy Mitchell Franks, you'll have your revenge, I promise."
"How?"
"You'll have to trust me on this," Mac replied. "Just have a little patience, Lady Lion."
"Patience? My father was murdered years ago. How patient should I be?"
"Wait until your power manifests," Mac sighed. "It's coming, or it should be. If not, the stone will choose another."
"Drop the jeans off in the laundry room," Janie said, interrupting the conversation as they walked into the kitchen. "I'm sure you don't want to wear those stiff, dye-stinky things until afterward."
"He doesn't," Ari answered before Mac could. "I smelled that all the way home."
"Then most certainly they will go in the wash," Mac agreed, pretending amiability.
"Come back to the kitchen after you do that," Janie called out. "We have sandwiches."
"Your shipment arrived earlier," Mac informed Claudio. "It's stored in the refrigerator in the laundry room."
"Very good," Claudio nodded. "We always worry about such things."
"We also have new information, and a concern," Mac went on. "I've arranged for Ari and Nico to join us in half an hour."
"Do you need all of us?" Renault asked.
"Yes, and you especially," Mac replied. "It concerns a dispute earlier today."
"I see much has happened while we slept," Claudio said.
"Nico has begun to feel the growing power of the human Adversary, unless I miss my guess," Mac continued.
"Never a good sign, when it happens this quickly," Claudio mused. "This Adversary must be powerful already."
"That's my guess," Mac agreed. "As for Ari, her power isn't manifesting as it should, and that is a concern. She should be much farther along, now. Also, we may be needed to go on a rescue mission before Sunday."
"At Nico's request?"
"Yes."
"The pulling dreams are never comfortable."
"I have seen this before," Renault admitted. "I have also witnessed the refusal of help—and what came afterward."
"I remember you now," Mac dipped his head to Renault. "During the Basque witch trials."
"Yes. We lost the Custodian, who only used the stone to heal. He refused our warnings, De Lancre arrived and the Custodian was put to death, along with his trusted disciple."
"Holy men, as I recall," Mac sighed.
"Yes. They thought themselves safe enough. More would have died, had we not sent a rescue party."
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