She was an interesting specimen, an onion really, and I found I wanted to peel back layers at a time to get to know her better. “Why do you live in the middle of nowhere if you hate the woods?”
“Because my husband needs the woods. I’ll find a reason to complain no matter where we land anyway. Sami gets that from me, even though she really loves the woods. We live where we do now because it’s what Aric needs.”
“I do not love the woods.” Sami stomped her foot. “In fact, I’ve been thinking we should move to town.”
Zoe held her gaze. “You don’t believe that.”
“I do so.”
“No you don’t, because you realize that your father designed that house, put in months of his own sweat, and he wants to die in that house. You’re only going to be living with us another four years and then you’ll turn into an infrequent guest for a few years when college hits. After that, you’ll be on your own and then you will have accomplished nothing but depriving your father of his house.”
Sami’s expression grew dark. “I hate to break it to you, but kids today have to move back in with their parents after college because the world is so screwed up. It’s not like ancient times when you and Dad were leaving college and moved into a mansion.”
“Your father and I lived in a tiny apartment for a year while we were building the house and you’re not moving back in with us after college. I hate to break it to you, but you’ll be expected to fend for yourself once you have that diploma in hand.”
Sami’s scowl grew even more pronounced. “You’re mean.”
“And you’ll live. Your father needs that house. Last time I checked, he was pretty lenient with you. You have your own room and he drives you into town three times a day. You also have your dog even though he’s a shoe-eating monster.”
“Dog, huh?” I grinned. “Where is he?” Something occurred to me. “Geez, the vampires didn’t get him, did they?”
Zoe snickered and shook her head. “No. Like I said, Rafael tipped us off. Trouble is with Sami’s grandparents. We figured it was the safest place for him right now.”
Zoe held out her hand to Sami. “He’s fine. In fact, you can FaceTime with your grandparents tonight and see him if you stop complaining about the bear crap.”
Sami heaved a sigh that was so dramatic the Gossip Girl cast would have been jealous. “Fine. There’d better be monsters to kill, though.” She allowed her mother to pull her to her feet. “I want to bash some heads.”
Zoe glanced at me, her smile full of adoration. “She also gets that from me.”
“I never would’ve guessed,” I quipped. “We should probably get moving. If there’s something out here—”
“Then it’s better we know sooner rather than later,” Zoe finished. “Yeah. Let’s get moving.”
I WAS STILL GETTING USED TO TRAIPSING through the woods to take on foes. In Detroit, the danger was abandoned buildings. There was no shortage of those. Still, it was different from searching for an enemy in the woods. We’d gone about a mile before we found the source of the tracks, and it wasn’t what I expected.
“Stop right there,” a female voice growled from behind a thick wall of trees.
Instinctively, my arm shot out to shove Sami back. Oddly enough, Zoe didn’t react the same way. Her hands ignited in purple fire before I could even draw in a full breath.
“Show yourself,” Zoe ordered.
“Or what?” The voice was cocky. Unfortunately for whoever decided to take us on, Zoe was even cockier.
“Or this.” Zoe aimed her magic at an overhanging branch. A terrific ripping sound filled the air before the branch detached and tumbled on those below.
“What the ...?” A disheveled brunette with fiery eyes and a bruise on her cheek stumbled out of the woods practically falling at our feet, and she fixed Zoe with a death glare. “Was that necessary?”
Zoe cocked her head, never lowering her hands. “Apparently so.”
Sensing trouble, since Zoe seemed the type to prove her dominance by killing first and asking questions never, I stepped between them. “We’re not here to hurt you,” I said to the female, taking a moment to look her up and down. She wasn’t a vampire. She also wasn’t human. “We’re simply looking for answers.”
“You’re looking for answers in the middle of the woods?” The woman was a furious mess. “That sounds smart.” She rolled her neck and darted her eyes to the east, instantly putting me on alert. “What do you want?”
Opting to take a page out of Zoe’s playbook — two badasses were better than one, after all — I unleashed a barrage of magic into the bushes to my left. It wasn’t meant to kill, but it was strong enough to elicit a wail from behind the foliage. I wasn’t surprised when another two individuals, both females, tumbled into the open. One was waving a hand over her behind to put out the small fire I’d started.
“That was completely uncalled for,” the singed woman hissed.
“Then don’t hide in the bushes and bide your time so you can jump us,” Zoe suggested.
“We had no intention of jumping you,” the first woman argued. “We were just watching.”
“What for?”
The brunette raised her chin, defiant. “That’s none of your business.”
Zoe narrowed her eyes. “I could make you talk.”
“I’ll die before I talk.”
The brunette was sincere, although I had no doubt Zoe was strong enough to carry out her threat.
“Let’s not fly off the handle,” I suggested, my gaze bouncing between the two women. “How about we start from the beginning?”
“We don’t know you,” the woman with the singed jeans snarled. “You’re not one of us. What makes you think we could ever trust you?”
Before I could respond, Sami stepped forward. She seemed intrigued by the turn of events and had forgotten all about the bear crap on her shoes. “I’m one of you.” She flashed a smile that eerily reminded me of her mother.
I was breathless when she partially shifted, the pale skin of her arm turning fuzzy as she flexed what should’ve been fingers but had somehow turned into claws for the benefit of the three women.
Zoe gave her daughter some serious side eye but didn’t admonish her, which I found interesting. She focused on the shifter females. “We have no interest in harming you, especially if you’re not moving on us. However, we do need an explanation.”
The brunette sighed. “I don’t know what we can tell you.”
“How about you start with names?” I prodded.
The brunette remained unconvinced, her jaw tense. On a whim, I decided to introduce the members of our team.
“I’m Scout Randall. This is Zoe Lake-Winters. We’re not going to simply leave you guys here without getting the answers we’re looking for. We don’t mean you any harm, but things are tense around these parts right now. We need to come to a meeting of the minds.”
The brunette narrowed her eyes and glared at Zoe before focusing on Sami. “And who are you?”
“My daughter,” Zoe replied. “You don’t need to know her name, especially since I don’t know your names. I’m sure you understand.”
The woman heaved out a sigh. “I’m Jasmine Holtz. These are my pack-mates Blair Redford and Creole Suffolk.”
Zoe nodded. “That’s a start. Now tell us what you’re doing out here.”
Jasmine put her hands on her hips. “What are you doing out here?”
While I expected Zoe to shut her down, she merely shrugged. “We’re looking for vampires.”
Jasmine’s eyes widened. “That’s convenient. We’re trying to keep vampires from encroaching on our territory. What do you know about them?”
“Their numbers are fewer after last night. I don’t think they’re gone, though.”
“Were you the ones fighting with the vampires over by the lake last night?” Jasmine looked genuinely intrigued. “We saw the light show. By the time we got over there, there was nothing left.”
“I’m ... not sure we can tell you.” Jasmine was contrite but firm. “The child’s ability to shift doesn’t change our orders.”
I grabbed Zoe’s arm before she could do something wild. Although it was unlikely she would attack, I’d learned in a short amount of time that she was more than willing to throw magic at a problem to solve it.
“I have an idea,” I said. “I think I know a way this can work out for all of us.”
“How is that?” Jasmine queried. “Do you have a secret link to our pack that I don’t know about?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
IN THE END, DESPITE HER RETICENCE, JASMINE agreed to meet us in town. She was familiar with the Cauldron, and the individuals who worked there, and when I dropped Gunner’s name, I didn’t miss the recognition that flitted across her face. That propelled her to action, even if she grumbled the entire way.
Sami was the first through the door when we reached the bar. She seemed excited at the prospect of meeting new people. Marissa was the first one she ran into on the other side of the threshold and the snark was flying fast and furious within seconds.
“Who are you?” Marissa had a small pocket mirror in her hand and was studying her face. The missing eyebrow from the day before hadn’t magically grown back but Marissa had clearly used a pencil to fill it in. The outcome was even more ridiculous than having one missing eyebrow.
“Who are you?” Sami shot back, attitude on full display. She really was her mother’s daughter.
“This is my co-worker,” I said. “She won’t hurt you.”
Sami made a derisive noise. “Like she could hurt me.”
I glanced at Zoe, who held out her hands as if to say, “she is what she is.”
“Marissa, where is Rooster?” I asked. “I need to talk to him.”
“He’s in the back with Whistler.” Marissa sat taller in her chair when the door opened behind us. I didn’t need to glance over my shoulder to know that Jasmine and her crew had arrived. “Seriously, who are these people?”
Rooster appeared from the back hallway before I could answer. “That’s exactly what I was going to ask,” he said, glancing between faces. “Let me guess, something big happened last night and you didn’t bother to call. Why am I not surprised?”
His reaction reminded me of a disappointed parent and had me smiling. “We didn’t realize how serious things were last night,” I replied. “Now ... it’s different.”
“We?” Rooster frowned. “I think we should have a talk, Scout. In fact ...” He trailed off when the door opened a third time and Gunner and Aric entered. “Well, I’ll be.”
“Daddy!” Sami immediately went to her father and threw her arms around his neck, causing Zoe to roll her eyes. “I missed you so much.”
Aric patted her back, seemingly confused. “Did something happen?” His gaze immediately landed on the new shifters. “Did somebody hurt you?”
“Nobody hurt her,” Zoe replied. “She’s fine.”
Aric focused his gaze on his wife. “Did anybody hurt you?”
“Nobody was hurt,” I reassured him. “We found footprints at the house on the hill. We followed them into the woods and found ... new friends. Apparently, they’ve been having trouble with the vampires, too. We’re hopeful that we can come to a compromise and share information.”
Aric didn’t look convinced. “If nobody hurt Sami, why is she so upset?”
“She got bear crap on her shoe,” Zoe replied. “She’s fine.”
Sami solemnly shook her head. “My life is over, Daddy. I can’t ever wear these shoes again.”
I found the girl’s tone wheedling but Aric was clearly amused.
“I guess that means you need new shoes.” Aric’s smile was so wide it threatened to engulf his entire face. “That’s kind of interesting. You were just asking for new shoes two weeks ago and your mother shot you down because she said these shoes were brand new and barely worn.”
“It’s not my fault.” Sami appeared to be a master at playing her father. “She made me go into the woods.”
Zoe jabbed a finger in Sami’s direction. “Knock that off. Your father is far too smart to fall for that con.”
Sami jutted out her lower lip. “I’m not running a con. And no, he isn’t.”
Rather than be offended, Aric’s smile only grew. “She’s right. I’m not. She can have new shoes.”
“Whatever.” Zoe was likely picking her battles because she let it go. “Our new friends said they couldn’t tell us what they were doing in the woods because it was pack business. Sami showed them what she could do but they didn’t change their tune. I figure it’s now up to you guys to change their minds.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Jasmine said. “I know Gunner from a long time ago. He’s technically not pack, but he’s not an enemy either. I didn’t realize he was part of your group.”
“I believe I mentioned that,” I said.
“You didn’t say his name,” Jasmine shot back. “You were purposely vague.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Rooster interjected, taking control of the conversation. “What matters is the information you have to share. I’m still in the dark as to exactly what’s going on so why don’t we both share information and see where we get.”
Jasmine nodded stiffly. “That’s fair.”
“We’ll go first,” Rooster said, his gaze landing on me. “Tell us what happened last night.”
I launched into the tale, leaving nothing out. I glossed over some of the things I considered private, including the fact that Rafael was a vampire who could walk in the sun. I’d yet to grill Zoe on that development and didn’t feel it should be open to public consumption. When I was finished, I turned to Jasmine. “Your turn.”
She nodded and dragged a hand through her long hair. “Female shifters are going missing. A lot of them. We’re down twenty from our pack alone.”
Zoe stirred. “Twenty?” She slid her gaze to Aric. “How can that be?”
“I don’t know,” he said, “but we got the same information from our meeting with pack leadership. The females are either being killed or taken. They don’t know which.”
“That doesn’t explain what you were doing in the woods,” I said to Jasmine. “Were you taken? Did you escape?”
Jasmine shook her head. “Word has been spreading fast. We don’t know what is happening to our females. We’re afraid, and we decided to take things into our own hands. We thought we would be safer serving as each other’s backup and hiding away from the action until things calmed down. Apparently, that’s not going to be an option going forward.”
“You were at the bluff house,” I pointed out. “You must’ve had a reason for going up there.”
“We heard stories about vampires,” Creole marked, speaking for the first time. She seemed shy and reserved, although fierce at the same time. “We knew the house had been burned but we thought perhaps you guys missed something when you eradicated the nest.”
“Did you go into the basement?” I asked, a cold chill running over me at the thought. “Did you go that far in?”
Creole nodded. “There’s nothing there. All the doors exploded outward on that wall of vaults. That indicates to me that the vampires within died and blew the doors out as they were being dragged to Hell. It’s what makes the most sense.”
I nodded in agreement. “That does make the most sense. We assumed the vampires had been eradicated. Given what happened last night, though ...” I studied Zoe’s unreadable profile, “…maybe the infestation was bigger than we realized.”
“But why go after shifter females?” Gunner asked. “What could they possibly gain by doing that?”
I had no explanation for that. “I don’t know. We’d better figure it out, though. I have a feeling this is only the start to whatever they have planned.”
“On that we can agree,” Rooster said. “We need t
o lay this all out in intricate detail, get a timeline going. After that, we’ll start formulating a plan. I don’t know what else we can do.”
Eight
Talks went on for hours and we got nowhere. Ultimately, Jasmine and the other shifters opted to return to their hiding spot in the woods. They felt vulnerable out in the open, and even though I was convinced they were making the wrong decision, I didn’t put up a fight when they announced their imminent departure. They had to do what was right for them.
When Sami announced she was about to die of hunger, I suggested we take a break at Mable’s Country Table, a local diner.
“This looks good, huh?” Aric smiled at Sami as she settled into a chair between him and Gunner.
Sami’s smile was clearly designed to charm her father because she batted her eyelashes when she angled her neck to gaze at him adoringly. “It’s fine. I don’t want to be a burden, though. I’ll eat anything.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “Knock it off. Whatever you’re planning, it’s not going to work.”
“I’m not doing anything,” Sami said in an accusatory tone.
“That’s good, because it’s not going to work.” Zoe leaned back in her chair and focused on me. “What do you think?”
“I think we need more information. I don’t think we can make any assumptions on this one. I mean ... it’s weird. We have an overload of vampires and missing shifters. I’m not sure we can just assume that the vampires are responsible for the disappearances, though.”
“What else?” Zoe looked legitimately conflicted. “I’m not big on coincidences. What are the odds it’s some other creature or threat?”
“You would be surprised in this area,” Gunner replied dryly. “There are a couple sources we can tap for information, but I think it’s best if Scout and I approach them first, just to be on the safe side.” He offered up a rueful smile. “No offense.”
“We’re not offended,” Sami said, aiming a dreamy smile in his direction. “We’re fine.”
Cut to the Crone (A Spell's Angels Cozy Mystery Book 4) Page 8
