Shadows in the Mist

by Jeri Westerson

  “I’ll have to check with Jolene. She’s the expert these days. But it does seem that he is getting to know more about himself as the days wear on.” He tapped his lip for a moment before looking up at me. “Just as a matter of curiosity…are you in love with him?”

  Sighing, I leaned back against my table. “I don’t honestly know, Doc. Sometimes, I feel I could be, but then he gets all demony and animal-like…and it scares me. There are long stretches where I’ve forgotten entirely that he isn’t like us at all. And I don’t think it’s a good idea to forget that.”

  “No, my dear, it isn’t. I’d caution you to be careful but…we seem to be beyond that now.” He put his arm around me. “I think you’d better tell us all about your encounter with Andras.”

  We both walked back into the main shop, and I told my story, leaving out the intimate details. But Doc was already whispering to Jolene, who snapped her head up to look at me and then pushed her glasses up her nose. When she dove back into her tablet, I knew she’d have an answer soon.

  While everyone was busy with some sort of task, I found a moment to sit next to Nick. It was one of the few moments when George wasn’t fawning over him. The deputy was in the kitchen with the others.

  Nick blushed and looked down at his fidgeting fingers, at the chipped black polish on his nails. “It’s funny how this is still there, even after they’ve become claws,” he remarked.

  I took his hand. “I’m so sorry.”

  He sighed. “It’s not your fault. No, really. None of this is.”

  “It sure feels like it, though.”

  “Dude, how could you have known? And honestly.” He looked back toward the kitchen. “Deputy Mustache really stepped up to the plate.”

  I laughed in spite of how guilty I felt. “Yeah, he has. I’m not sorry I told him. He needed to be told.”

  “I was all ready to break up with him. Now he’s all over it. Suddenly out and proud. Well, at least to the coven. And he’s not even making those veiled comments about Wicca anymore. Seems he’s embraced that, too.”

  “Love can do that.”

  He blushed again. “Yeah,” he said sheepishly. “I guess it can. You have chutzpah, I’ll give you that.”

  “Speaking of out, what have you told your parents?”

  His mood dimmed. “I had to tell them I was moving out, that I got a roommate and stuff. I’m going to have to go over there and get my things. But I’m scared, Kylie. What if I change? I don’t want them to know. I don’t want to hurt them.”

  “How’s the adjustment going?”

  “Jeff’s been great about schooling me. And if I get frustrated and angry, he does some kind of alpha thing, and I fall into line. It’s weird.”

  “Kinky.”

  He shoved his shoulder into mine. “God, no. Not with Straight Wolf.”

  “But it helps, right? Helps you control yourself?”

  “I only shift a little when something sets me off, but even that’s getting better. It’s a learning curve, but it’s going fast. Like…once you learn to ride a bike, it’s as if you’ve been doing it all your life.” He quieted, mulling it over. “All your life,” he muttered, looking down at his hands again. His sudden cloud of gloom seemed to disappear just as quickly as it arrived. “The wolfsbane tastes horrible, but it really helps. Though the smell of blood is something that riles me up.”

  “Yeah. I saw that happen to Jeff. But that was because he hadn’t taken his potion.”

  “Yes, Mother, I’ll remember.” Absently, he picked at the chipped polish. “You know, last night, when George was asleep, Jeff and I went out to the woods and shifted. He wanted me to be all wolf, to not be afraid of it. So I did, practicing shifting back and forth. And then, as a wolf, we ran together. Kylie…it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done. I can’t even describe it. The…freedom. The…” He shook his head. “It was just so dope. So…”

  Something brilliant flashed in his eyes. He still feared the change, but it gave him something, too. I almost envied him.

  “But,” he said, the light in his eyes dimming, “there are things out there. In the woods.”

  “Jeff said something about that, too.”

  “Wild things that have always been there. I don’t know what they are. If I had to give them a name, I guess I’d say…sprites? Forest creatures? They aren’t quite benign, yet they aren’t quite dangerous. But I know as a former human—”

  “You are still human.”

  “Okay. As a human/wolf hybrid, I can see them now when I couldn’t before. They don’t really seem to care about us, but…they know about us. They looked right at me last night.”

  “But they aren’t dangerous?”

  He shrugged. “Not sure. I’ll have to further explore that. Just…be careful out there. As if you aren’t already.” He hunched toward me. “So, tell me exactly what happened when you jabbed Andras with the poker.”

  Back to business. “I hit bone, I think, so it didn’t go in too deep. It started to burn and smoke. But he was able to pull it out. I really think a bolt is what we need. Something he can’t pull out. The more embedded it is, the more harm it will do. He was hurt but I don’t know how much. A lot, I hope.”

  He got in closer. “So…were you and Erasmus in the middle of doing it?”

  “Nick!”

  George returned and sat on Nick’s other side. He seemed to hesitate for a second before tentatively putting a hand on Nick’s knee. “Nick tell you how he’s coming along?”

  “Nick’s said a lot of things.”

  Nick chuckled.

  “Thanks for being there, deputy.”

  “I’m not going to let anything happen to this guy.” He leaned in, hesitated again when his eyes flicked toward me, but eventually tilted in further and kissed Nick’s cheek.

  Nick looked at me sidelong, gesturing with his head toward George.

  George then edged in toward me. “I couldn’t help but notice the necklace that Jeff is wearing.”

  “Ruh-roh,” muttered Nick.

  Getting into deputy mode, George raised his chin. “It looks suspiciously like the locket Ruth was asking about.”

  “Does it?” I might have batted my eyelashes.

  He cleared his throat. “If it is her locket, I might have to ask for it back.” Then his shoulders relaxed and he glanced once at Nick. “But if it’s a supernatural thing,” he said quietly, “and you really need it, maybe I didn’t see it after all.”

  I smiled and rose. “You’re okay, deputy. I’ll leave you guys to it.”

  “Actually,” said Nick, getting to his feet. “I feel kind of left out. I think I need to be in the kitchen with the others.”

  “Are you sure, Nicky?” asked George. Ed had been right that George was a whole different person when he was with Nick.

  “I don’t want to be treated like an invalid. I’m not. I’m ready to join the coven again.” He caught sight of George’s look of disapproval. “I mean the… group. Shall we?” He pushed his way into the kitchen. “Jolene, how are we doing on demon lore? It’s time to kick Andras’ butt.”

  * * *

  We needed a piece of iron small enough to serve as a bolt for the poisoned arrowhead Erasmus had created to fit on top of. But none of us were blacksmiths.

  “I bet Barry Johnson could do it,” said Seraphina. “He does some metal work.”

  “How do you know that?” asked Nick, examining the poisoned head of the arrow.

  “I know a little about Barry.”

  Nick slid a mischievous glance in her direction. “Oh ho! Seraphina gets biz-ay with Mr. Hardware Store!”

  She gave him a withering look, but she still blushed.

  “But that’s actually an idea,” said Nick. “He might already have some iron dowels or, I guess, rebar.”

  “Rebar is steel,” said George.

  Everyone looked at him.

  “Hey, I know things.”

  Nick nodded. “Then that won’t work. We need pu
re iron.”

  “Because…?”

  “Because, deputy, demons can’t abide iron or silver. But since I can’t work with silver anymore—werewolf thing—iron’s my best bet. I think we should go to the hardware store before it closes. And then…maybe head over to my folks to pick up my stuff.”

  He looked at George hopefully. But George seemed worried. “You don’t want me to go, do you?”

  “Only if you want to.”

  “Maybe your folks don’t want to meet me.”

  “But they’ll have to at some point.”

  “But…”

  “Oh, for god’s sake!” said Jolene over her tablet, head down and tapping away. “Man up, and just go with him, deputy.”

  Chastened, they both left together in Nick’s car.

  I stood at the window watching them drive away, thinking what strange couples we had: A werewolf and a deputy, a shopkeeper and a demon…when Ed pulled up in his Interceptor. And he wasn’t alone.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Ed got out of the car, then came around and opened the passenger side door. A long, slim leg in a leather catsuit emerged first, and then the rest of her stood up. Mission accomplished. Ed had done some yelling when I’d first proposed it and muttered something about prostituting himself, but in the end, he had agreed. And it was a good plan. Except for the sudden churning of my insides. Was that jealously, Kylie? Girl, you are so messed up.

  I stepped into the doorway while they were still in the parking area and crossed my arms. “Well, well. What’s this?” An Oscar-winning performance if ever there was one.

  Ed gave me a hard look before turning a more genteel expression toward Shabiri. The demoness gave me a winning grin. “No wonder you were so enamored with this sheriff, Miss Strange. He’s a love.” She leaned back and swept her hand under his chin. “It’s too bad you don’t have my amulet, Ed darling. Maybe you should take it from Doug.”

  “Maybe I should.” His eyes were locked on hers, and my level of discomfort shot skyward. Was he acting? Had this really been my idea?

  “Where’s Erasmus?” she cooed. “He’ll love seeing this.”

  “I don’t—” And there suddenly, he was “—know where he is.”

  “You’ll adore this, darling,” Shabiri said to Erasmus, hanging on his arm. “This Sheriff-of-the-Wide-Shoulders came looking for me to try to convince me to give back the Draugr gold—which I don’t have, of course—and do you know what happened?”

  He cast a glance toward me. “Must I listen to this?”

  “He’s such a dear. Said he found me alluring.”

  Erasmus turned his head to glare at Ed, who was trying to appear nonchalant.

  “So naturally I had to come here and flaunt it.” She slithered over to Ed and nearly wrapped herself around him. He looked down at her with a lascivious smile. I didn’t like it at all.

  “That’s, uh, real…nice, Shabiri,” I said, trying to get the words out. “So will you give back the gold?”

  She pouted. “I haven’t decided yet. Not that I have it.”

  “Oh, for crying out loud.”

  Did he sleep with her? I mean that was quick.

  His arm curled around her, and I couldn’t quite see where his hand ended up. And she was making a kissy-face at him.

  “Okay, you know what? I don’t need to be here. If you don’t have the gold, I’ve got better things to do.”

  “Let’s not be hasty,” said Erasmus with a sly smile. “Aren’t you happy for Constable Bradbury?”

  “Constable Brad—I mean Sheriff Bradbury can do whatever he damn well wants to. It’s not up to me.”

  “That’s right,” said Shabiri sternly. “It isn’t.”

  I glared at her, trying to avoid looking at Ed. “Have you brought the gold?”

  A roar of Harley engines drowned her out, and she leaned back against Ed. I noticed that Erasmus had taken up a place next to me…very close.

  The Ordo screamed up the street and parked in a neat row in front of my shop. When Doug dismounted, he sneered at Ed. “What’s this? What the hell is Shabiri…” But it was pretty plain what the hell she was doing. Doug scowled, and Charise, not surprisingly, clung to Doug with whitening hands. Her eyes narrowed into slits of sheer hatred aimed at the demon…or toward Ed? It didn’t matter. Doug looked like he barely noticed, but I saw that he was reaching into his leather jacket, probably just to make sure he still had the amulet. Hey, that was an idea. I wonder if Erasmus could steal it and hand it over to Ed…

  “Is it mutiny?” asked Doug.

  Ed shook his head. “She’s not your genie, Doug.”

  “She is if I say she is.” He squeezed the demon face on the amulet, and she cried out, stumbling away from Ed. She shot Doug a filthy look.

  “You’re a sore loser, Dougie.”

  “I don’t want you canoodling with the enemy.”

  “As it happens,” she said, smoothing out her leather catsuit, “I don’t think he’s your enemy at all. You are more alike than you’d care to admit. Though there are distinct differences.”

  Charise got in closer, twisting the lapel of Doug’s leather jacket. “Don’t let her talk to you like that, Doug.”

  In the blink of an eye, Shabiri was in Charise’s face. “I’m certainly not here to please you either, Miss Pale Comparison. As I believe I already made clear.”

  Charise touched her neck where Shabiri’s hands had been, running her fingers over her bruises.

  I pushed in front of all of them to face Doug. “To what do I owe the displeasure of your company?”

  He eyed Shabiri. “Well, I came in good faith to let you know that we couldn’t find the gold. But it looks like someone’s been busy.”

  Ed ignored Doug and turned to the demon. “It’s pretty important that we get it back. I know that you don’t care that people we know are dying, but I care. Can you help us find the gold, Shabiri?”

  She smiled and slithered into Ed’s arms. Both Doug and I made faces.

  “Well…” she said, drawing circles on his chest with her finger, “if it’s that important to you…I’ll give it a whirl.” She vanished instantly. The sappy look on Ed’s face vanished. He turned to his brother. “That’s how you do it, Doug.”

  “You mother—”

  “Hey!” I interrupted. “The point is, boys, that we’re finally getting the gold to return to the Draugr. No more killings. Focus on that, huh?”

  “And that’s all I’m doing,” said Doug, pointing a finger at me.

  We all stood around, just staring at one another. With his arms firmly crossed over his chest, Doug was the mirror image of Ed. Charise had her fingertips in her leathers’ pockets since her pants were so skin-tight she couldn’t fit in her whole hands. Dean and Bob looked out into the distance.

  I finally threw up my hands. “It’s too cold out here to wait. Why don’t you all…come inside…if you can be civil.” They exchanged looks. Before they could sneer, I turned my back on them and marched into the shop. Erasmus, with as wide a grin as he had ever worn, followed me in. He wasn’t the least bit cold that I could tell.

  The rest of them slowly wandered inside. I could tell Charise liked the smell of some of the prepared teas, though she’d never stoop to ask for any. But I was feeling charitable. “If anyone wants some tea, those urns have samples. The cups are there.”

  Only Charise was brave enough to take some. I couldn’t picture the others drinking tea anyway.

  Seraphina walked up to the Ordo and offered them coffee from a carafe. Doug took a cup.

  “This is all so cozy. Wiccan central,” he said, between sips. Steam rose from his paper cup as he scanned the room. “Hey, Velma,” he said to Jolene, “What are you and the Scooby gang working on over there?”

  She looked up, pushing her glasses up her nose, and clicked off her tablet. She clutched it to her chest and pressed her lips tight together.

  “Excuse me,” he muttered.

  “We’re trying to
find a way to clean up your mess,” I told him. “Seems we’ve been doing that a lot.”

  “My mess?”

  “The Draugr gold for one. Goat Guy, for two.”

  “My Lord Baphomet doesn’t need cleaning up. He’s free.”

  “He’ll start killing again,” said Doc. “Or demand sacrifices.”

  “What do you know about it, old man?”

  Doc narrowed his eyes, lifted his fingers, and snapped them. Doug jumped as a spark lit his backside.

  “Stop that!”

  “Not until you show some respect, young man. I may be an old duffer, but I know things. Things that only wisdom and observation bring. You could do with paying a bit more attention where it counts, instead of salivating over those noisy machines you like to drive around.”

  Bob leaned over toward Doug. “He’s talking about our bikes,” he stage-whispered.

  “I know that, Willis.” Doug faced Doc again with a sneer. “You think you know everything just because you’re old, but you don’t. Shabiri has been teaching me things, amazing things. You aren’t the only game in town, you know.”

  “We can teach you things.” I was shocked that Seraphina spoke up. She moved forward with such an intense expression that I couldn’t look away. “We can join forces. We could all do amazing things…together!”

  Doug stared. He seemed enrapt with her—her flowing skirts and joyous face. Like he had been suddenly shown a sliver of what could be. He even took a step forward.

  Until Charise opened her big, fat mouth.

  “You aren’t going to listen to this old witch, are you, Doug?”

  That snapped him out of it. Maybe Seraphina had done some sort of spellwork. Or maybe not. But whatever it was, the moment was gone now.

  “We’re giving back the gold and that’s it. Capisce?” he said.

  “You’re such an idiot, Doug,” snarled Ed.

  “I’m the idiot? What about you? Messing around with a demon? Ick.”