Pretty Little Fliers

by Erin Johnson

  You can speak to me?

  Her side heaved with labored breaths. Suddenly, she struggled to rise, her legs scrabbling under her. Will and Heidi lunged forward and pinned her to the table.

  “It’s alright, Daisy, I’m right here.” Peter rushed forward and cupped the dog’s head in his hands.

  The dog barked, so loud I had to cover my ears.

  Peter! She’s a shifter! She can speak to me! Don’t trust her!

  I scowled at the dog and growled.

  You narc!

  Peter crouched beside the table to my left, eye level with Daisy. He turned his worried gaze up at me. “What’s she thinking?”

  I smirked at Daisy before turning back to him. “She thinks I’m the loveliest human she’s ever seen and I deserve a big tip.”

  Peter’s brows drew together.

  I jerked a thumb over my shoulder. “Now back up. I need space to work.”

  His throat bobbed and he cast another doubtful look at his dog, then obeyed.

  I winked at him. “Good boy.” Unlike his tattletale dog.

  Peter! Don’t listen to her!

  I rolled my eyes and leaned closer to Daisy, careful to avoid her fangs. Good luck with that. Only I can understand you, remember? Now if you want to live, let’s try cooperating, hm?

  She dropped her head back down to the table and closed her eyes. Her pale tongue lolled out of her mouth. She whined with each labored breath.

  The man. Threw a. Powder. In my. Face. I breathed. It in.

  “I’ve got it.” I pushed back from the table and stood.

  “What?” Peter lurched forward, his eyes intent on my face.

  I gulped and forced my gaze away from him to look at Will. “She said the guy threw a powder in her face.”

  My friend’s eyes widened. “Followed by a purple flash?”

  “Belladonna poisoning!” Will and Heidi chorused.

  6

  Poisoned

  “Poisoning?” Peter looked from me to Will. “I thought you said she was cursed?”

  “I thought so.” Will shoved past me and took my spot on the stool. “Swab.” With his eyes glued on Daisy, he held out his hand, and Heidi deposited an extra-long cotton swab in it.

  He slid it up the dog’s nose, twirled it, then pulled it out.

  Daisy whimpered but otherwise didn’t move.

  Will held it up to the light of his wand and squinted at the round end. Tiny flecks of purple powder glinted there. “Belladonna powder.”

  Peter whirled to face me as Heidi and Will got to work mixing up an antidote at the back counter. His mouth fell open. “Sands! You—you really are a pet psychic.”

  I pressed my mouth into a tight line and looked to the side. I shrugged as heat flushed up my throat and face. “Yeah, well….”

  A rattling noise startled me. Daisy convulsed on the table, her teeth chattering and eyes rolled back into her head.

  “Daisy!” The cop dove to her side, but Will rounded the table and shoved him out of the way.

  Peter stumbled back as Heidi climbed onto the table, her knees straddling the dog’s trembling body. She pried Daisy’s mouth open, and Will, shoulders hunched into his ears, placed a dull red ball into her mouth.

  Heidi closed the dog’s mouth around the peach pit-looking lozenge, and Will stroked her throat.

  “Come on, girl,” he coaxed. “Swallow.” He spun and pointed a long finger at me, eyes narrowed. “And do not say it.”

  “I wasn’t going to.” I scoffed and rolled my eyes. But, since he’d given me the idea, I muttered, “That’s what she said,” out of the corner of my mouth.

  Will made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat and continued to stroke Daisy’s neck. I slid up beside him, shoulder to shoulder, and grunted into Daisy’s ear.

  If you can hear me, swallow this disgusting thing for your own sake. Unless you’d rather die?

  A low growl sounded, and I grinned. Yeah. She could hear me.

  Daisy gulped the pellet down and coughed, then gagged. Her lips peeled back from her teeth and she stuck her tongue out. Ack!

  Will leaned away from her and made a face. “Lovely.”

  Peter’s chest heaved. “Is she—will she be alright now?”

  “We’ll see.” Will rose from his stool.

  We stood in silence around the exam table as Daisy continued to gag and shudder. I bit my thumbnail.

  Peter moved to stand beside the dog. “Come on, Daisy. Pull through. Come on.”

  I glanced to my left at the cop. Tears welled in his eyes as he stroked the dog’s head.

  Gradually, Daisy’s breaths slowed, then her eyes fluttered open and she licked Peter’s hand. The knot in my chest relaxed as he grinned. “Daisy.” He leaned his forehead against hers, and she licked his face with enthusiasm.

  Will backed away from the table and stood beside me. He leaned over and muttered, “Oh, to be that tongue upon that face.”

  I rounded on him and hissed, “Gross.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Like you weren’t thinking it.”

  I mean, yeah, but still gross to say it out loud.

  Will let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t say if she’ll make a full recovery yet, but it looks like we got to her in time so she’ll live.”

  Daisy, breathing easy now, rested her head on the table. Peter lifted his red face, tears tracking down his cheeks. “I—” His chin quivered.

  I lifted a brow. This guy was pretty sentimental for a cop.

  “I can’t thank you enough!” He lurched at me, and I raised my hands as though I were about to karate chop him in self-defense. But he just wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug.

  “Thank you!”

  “Erp.” I could hardly breathe, and my cheek was squished up into my eye, but… I relaxed a little into his strong embrace. I could get used to this.

  Will scoffed. “Oh, and what am I? Cat food? Not like I just prepared the life-saving potion or anything but—”

  Next thing I knew, Peter had yanked Will into the hug beside me, and then Heidi. The cop wrapped his long, beefy arms around us. “Thank you all for saving my Daisy!” He sniffled.

  “What is happening?” Heidi whispered, her shoulder in my back.

  Shell if I knew. This guy wasn’t like any cop I’d ever met… or man, for that matter.

  With a final squeeze, Peter released us, and we all staggered apart. As I gasped for air, Will smoothed his scrubs, twin pink circles burning in his cheeks.

  I snickered. “Will, are you blushing?”

  He glared at me, then turned to Peter, one hand under his chin. “So I take it you won’t be shutting me down then?”

  The cop’s eyes widened in surprise. “Of course not. You helped me.”

  Will let out a heavy sigh and shot me a side-eyed look. “And just how much do you want for keeping your lips shut? Please remember that most of my clients live in alleys, so I’m not exactly flush with merkles but—”

  Peter waved his palms. “No, nothing. You saved my partner.” He swept a hand toward Daisy.

  I covered my smirk with my hand. “Your partner’s a dog? Your captain must really hate you.”

  Heidi and I grinned at each other.

  Peter chuckled. “It’s a long story but no… Daisy’s the best.”

  The tip of her fluffy tail wagged just the tiniest bit.

  So this cop was willing to sidestep the law, not for bribes, like most I’d encountered, but out of basic decency?

  I raised my brows at Will and flashed my eyes. Told you he was different.

  My friend huffed and crossed his arms.

  “So.” Peter swung his arms. “Can I take her now? Or does she need to stay for observation?”

  “Gee.” Will shot Peter a flat look. “As much as I’d love to keep a police dog in my back-alley clinic, I’m going to say you two can go ahead and leave now.”

  Peter grinned. “Thank you. Again. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me
—for us.”

  Will’s eyes grew dazed.

  The cop swiveled that dazzling smile in my direction. “Jolene, I—I’ve never met anyone like you.” His eyes focused on me, and I found myself unable to meet his gaze any longer. Suddenly my scuffed-up, holey boots were super fascinating.

  “Thank you.”

  The cop slowly scooped Daisy up. She whimpered, but once in his arms, relaxed. Heidi pushed the swinging door open and held it for them as Peter edged past, careful not to hit Daisy’s head against anything.

  Once they’d made it out into the alley, the three of us stood in silence for several long moments. I, for one, felt like all the air had suddenly been let out of me.

  I shrugged and stuffed my hands in my pockets. “Well. All’s well that ends well.”

  Will shot daggers at me. “You’re dead to me.”

  I blew him a kiss before skipping out the door to head back home. “Love you too. See you tomorrow, buddy.”

  7

  Dead

  I gripped the pantry cupboard door with one hand and scratched my lower back with the other. Dusty shelves stared back at me, empty except for—I squinted—what was that shiny thing back there in the corner?

  I bit my lip and turned so I could shove my whole arm into the deep cabinet. Maybe I’d gotten lucky and a can of tuna had slid into the shadows. I leaned closer until the upper shelf dug into my shoulder and patted my hand around, feeling for whatever was back there.

  My fingers closed around something with wriggling legs.

  Hey!

  “Ahh!” I lurched back and whined as I wiped my palm off on the leg of my holey sweatpants. I let out a series of barely audible chirps and hisses.

  For sands sake, Gary! How many times have I told you to stay out of my pantry!

  I’d learned early on, when I first moved into my apartment years ago, that if you can’t beat the cockroaches, best to make peace with them. And while I knew this particular one well, it didn’t make it any less disgusting to grab him unexpectedly. I shuddered.

  Well, toots, guy’s gotta eat, huh? He scuttled forward into the dim light of my apartment, antennae waving.

  Dusk came early in the Darkmoon district, with its tight, tall buildings and shadowed streets. I’d just woken up and still needed to turn on some lights.

  Back in the day, when I had magic, that would’ve involved a simple flick of my wand. But now, I had to go around lighting candles and lanterns one by one. Lame.

  Gary’s rusty brown wings fluttered. Don’t worry, I didn’t take anything. You ain’t even got any crumbs in here. Gary scuttled forward. At least that makes one surface of your apartment that’s clean. He rolled onto his back, bug legs wiggling in the air, and devolved into wheezing cockroach laughter.

  You know you’re in a good place in life when a cockroach thinks you’re a joke. I slammed the cupboard door shut and hissed. Bye, Gary.

  I spun and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Sleep lines crisscrossed my face and my long black hair, which I’d tied into a bun before falling asleep, was now a tangled rat’s nest that hung askew from the top of my head.

  Looking good. I winked at my reflection and pushed through the beaded curtain. I half turned sideways and watched my slippered feet as I tromped down the narrow stairs. At the bottom, I slid the locks back and turned the deadbolt, then opened the heavy metal door a crack and peeked out.

  One of the bartenders from next door set out a sandwich board on the street, and the rare and deadly books dealer down the way rolled out a cart. Other than that, the coast was clear. Which was perfect, since I didn’t have a bra on.

  I crossed one arm across my chest and lunged out the door, flipped the switch next to the tangle of black wires on the wall, and ducked back behind the door. I waited until my pink-and-purple neon sign that read Pet Psychic above a crystal ball hummed, then flickered on.

  My buddy ran a black market human goods store, a couple of blocks over. After I’d lost my powers, he’d used his skills as a magicneer to hook me up with the sign since I couldn’t magically power one like everyone else could.

  I left the door unlocked for potential customers and tromped back upstairs. Seeing as I was way behind on my rent, and it was only a matter of time before my terrifying landlady kicked me out, I should probably get out there, hustle, and do what it took to bring in some customers. I scoffed. Just the thought of it made me tired.

  My stomach rumbled as I pushed through the beaded gold and silver curtain at the top of the stairs and headed for what passed as a kitchen. A rusted metal sink full of chipped, dirty dishes and about two feet of warped, stained countertop constituted the prep area. The deep pantry cupboard stood to the left, and a couple of crooked shelves hung on the walls.

  I dropped to a crouch in front of the ice box in the corner. Another contraption my magicneer buddy had given me. I had no idea how it worked, but it kept my food cold, so it was good by me. I pulled open the door and sighed. Or at least, it did in theory—when I had food.

  I pressed a hand to my aching middle and huffed. Looked like I’d be dining creatively tonight. I reached for the half-empty jar of mustard and a jar of pickles—two left, sweet—then shuffled to the couch.

  The springs creaked and groaned as I threw myself onto the threadbare cushions. A faded flower-and-witch-hat motif striped the pale brown fabric, and a clump of stuffing pooched out beside my head.

  I often wondered what color it had been when it was new a thousand years ago, and how the dragon, my landlady, had ever managed to get it up the cramped stairwell. I sighed. Ah well, some things were always going to be mysteries. Like how my coworker had ever found out I was a shifter and what curse she’d used on me to expose my abilities and steal my magic.

  I gritted my teeth and wrenched the lid off the pickle jar, then lifted it to my lips and took a swig. I crinkled my nose at the sour taste. Some things, you just had to let go.

  After I’d polished off what little “food” remained in my apartment, I plunked my head down on the arm of the sofa and stared up at the brown water stains. Footsteps thudded across the ceiling and outside the open windows behind me, shouts sounded, food cart bells rang, and a low bass beat vibrated the walls.

  Ah, the sweet sounds of home. A wave of bitterness washed over me, and I gnawed the inside of my cheek. I’d grown up in an orphanage here in the Darkmoon District. Like a lot of shifter children, I’d been abandoned. Probably either by normal magical parents, who were horrified to have a shifter on their hands, or by animal parents who were likewise horrified.

  It didn’t matter. I didn’t remember them, anyway, so how could I miss them?

  I’d fought so hard to drag myself out of this slum, put myself through law school, and land a job at Bijou Mer’s top firm. But here I was—fallen right back down into the muck of it.

  I squeezed my eyes shut tight. Guess this was where I belonged. Once a street rat, always a street rat… or owl, in my case.

  I wriggled deeper into the lumpy cushions. I’d better get used to sleeping on couches… if Will was indeed still speaking to me. After the incident with Peter and Daisy last night, I’d passed out and slept all day. I should probably go apologize to my vet friend. I yawned. Later.

  My stomach twisted as I thought of Will and the conversation we’d had last week. When I inevitably got evicted and begged to stay with him, I knew what he’d say. Go to Ludolf. I snorted and rolled onto my side. Fat chance of that.

  Will had assured me the shifter mob boss would help me with a loan. And I’d assured him I wouldn’t like Ludolf’s terms. Owing a man like that a favor? It gave me the heebie-jeebies.

  Ludolf had funded the orphanage I grew up in, and he’d visited every Bruma, handing out toys and telling us children to call him “uncle.” He’d told us, with a wolfish smile, that when we grew up we should come to him whenever we needed help. But I’d seen some things back then that had filled me with unease.

  And more recently, the case I wa
s working before I’d been cursed—I’d had some good leads that pointed to Ludolf being involved in some pretty corrupt dealings. I’d been so close to getting to the truth of it but…. I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. But that was another one of those mysteries I just had to let go.

  I threw an arm over the edge of the couch and fished around for my Walkman. I dragged it up onto my stomach and slid the headphones over my ears, then hit the play button.

  I closed my eyes as the “Sounds of the Sea” cassette played soothing ocean noises—waves crashing and wind blowing. Another treasure from my handy friend who had the hookup on human goods.

  I imagined having my wings again, swooping through the air at night, circling over the magical island of Bijou Mer. My shoulders relaxed, and the tension in my jaw let up a little.

  Just when I’d gotten perfectly comfortable, blazing bright light flooded through my closed eyelids. Great. I groaned and peeled my eyes open, pushed myself up with one arm, and looked over my shoulder.

  Flashing neon light in an alternating rainbow of color shone through the three big windows that looked onto the street. Snakes. I’d forgotten to close the curtains.

  I dragged myself upright and slid my feet into my slippers, then shuffled over to the window. The bright light from the sign across the street made me squint.

  As I spread my arms wide, gripping the edges of the black velvet curtains, glass shattered and a woman flew backward through the third story window across the street.

  I gasped.

  She plummeted to the street below, then lay still, her limbs at odd angles.

  “Snakes,” I hissed.

  People in the street screamed, some crowding closer to the woman, others scurrying away.

  “She’s dead!” a lady wailed.

  One woman lifted her wand into the air and sent up a burst of magic. I leaned my head out the open window and peered upward at the low clouds. It looked like rain. A bright red pulsing light hung magically in the sky—the police signal.