by Faith Hunter
Vamp-Fang and Werewolf-Bite Scars: Examining the riverbank next to the campsite where the attack occurred, Jane scents a fishy smell, and she and Beast agree—grindylow. Fearing that the presence of the grindy may be partially her fault, Jane continues to study the area, and the photos of the injured couple, and tells the cop, Emmett, her witch friend, Molly, and the two river guides, Mike and Dave, that werewolves are responsible for the attack. She explains to them that the grindy enforces the were-law against biting humans, which explains its presence at the site. Scenting paw prints brings Jane an unwelcome conclusion: the two werewolves are the only ones left of the pack she destroyed in New Orleans—they were in jail at the time of the battle. Jane knows the werewolves are here as a personal challenge to her, especially so close to Stirling Mountain. Jane says she will look into getting a Mercy Blade to heal the young couple attacked. Jane makes a deal with guides Dave and Mike to have people send in the locations of all the places they have seen the distinctive grindy claw marks, as Jane feels she may be able to figure out the area the werewolves are staying. As Jane and Molly are leaving, they discuss breakfast plans, but Jane notes to herself that she does not get an invitation to Molly’s home, which she knows is due to Big Evan worrying about Molly’s safety when she’s with Jane.
You Fight Dirty: After texting a request to Leo and Bruiser for a healer for the injured couple, Jane heads up Stirling Mountain, knowing she needs to talk to Rick. On her way to the spot she remembers, Jane scents the grindy, and big cat. When she arrives at the campsite where Rick and Kemnebi, the wereleopard she forced to become her beta and take care of Rick, are staying, she finds Kemnebi drunk and Rick off fishing. Kemnebi makes no secret of his hatred for Rick, the man his former mate, Safia, had bitten in order to turn him, which resulted in her death by the grindylow. Kemnebi tells Jane that the grindy has been by to see him. When Rick returns, it becomes obvious to Jane that Kemnebi is treating him like a slave, which does not sit well with her. Jane takes Kemnebi down and tells him about the werewolves, and that she will expect him to help her when she calls. As she is leaving, Rick catches her and says the grindy smells funny, and since he has the rest of the day off, he asks her if she would like to go to lunch.
If the Vamp-Poo Became Airborne: After they eat six sandwiches between them, Rick asks Jane if they are going to talk. Though Jane has been expecting this, and knows the conversation needs to happen, she still dreads it. Rick starts by saying that he cheated on her with the female werewolf, and that even though they weren’t “going steady,” he feels guilty about it. Rick surprises Jane when he tells her that he and Safia never had sex—that she had bitten him only. Jane feels as though Rick was raped by the female werewolf, Magnolia Sweets, and that it wasn’t cheating at all. Then Rick asks Jane what she is, and when she finally gets herself together enough to talk about it, Jane tells him, explaining that as a skinwalker she was born, not made, and that she cannot infect others. Jane also confirms that it was indeed her that saved him from the saber-tooth lion, the form the rogue skinwalker had taken and tried to kill Rick. When they are saying good-bye, they end up saying it in a very hot and heavy kiss that gets interrupted by someone. Back at the hotel, Jane gets ready for the evening duty of security for the vamp parley. Derek warns Jane that the sheriff released her name in a press conference, and the antivamp protesters are saying she lied to protect the vampires, but everything seems to be under control.
Two Cups and You’re Done: During the evening’s vamp tastings, which Jane finds icky, comical, and kind of intriguing all at once, she allows her mind to wander, thinking about her conversation with Rick. When she zeroes back in the discussion in the room, Grégoire and Lincoln are talking about the faster “curing” process that Lincoln’s young experience. Jane once again gets distracted, this time by Beast showing her mental images of what she considers a good time, and when her attention returns to the meeting, she realizes she has missed something. Thankfully Beast fills her in, but the news is not good—Grégoire has requested to see the place where Lincoln houses his young, tonight. This visit was not planned until later in the week, and Jane’s team has not been able to scout the location yet, so she is very disturbed. All parties get in the car and make the trip, Jane and her team uncomfortable the whole time. Their arrival at the very nice clan home goes smoothly, though Jane and Beast are not happy about what they see in regard to how the scions are kept.
Leo Pellissier’s Right-Hand Meal: Despite not sleeping in two days, Jane wants to get away from the vamps and blood-servants for a while, and Leo wants her to track down the werewolves responsible for the assaults. Jane learns that more campers were attacked overnight. Not helping her mood, a local news station is running a story about the newest incident, also mentioning Jane and showing the amateur video footage from a year ago when she and Molly hunted down the rogue vamps who killed Paul Braxton. The video clearly shows the scar on Jane’s neck, which by now is pretty much gone. When she stops by Derek’s room to ask for transportation, he questions her about the scar while he has the safety off on his gun. This exchange reminds Jane what their relationship really is.
When Jane arrives at the crime scene, she talks with the sheriff and his deputy about the fact that werewolves, not vamps, are responsible, and tells them that a Mercy Blade from Charlotte is on her way to try to heal anyone attacked by the werewolves. Jane recommends silver shot to the local law enforcement officers, and gets permission to examine the crime scene.
Vigilante Law’s Got No Place in My County: Jane looks over the campsite, and knows three people were killed and three others chased into the woods—the three left alive being women, Jane tells the deputy. When he asks how she knows that, since they kept the information out of the papers, Jane says that the werewolves are trying to turn mates, since their females don’t typically live, and that those who do go insane. Jane points out that in a way, all werewolves are slightly crazed and sick from the curse. Something else Jane also notices that she doesn’t share: the first woman attacked is a witch, and one of these at this site was also. Jane assumes the werewolves are trying their luck with witch women. Looking carefully around the scene, Jane finds a piece of metal in the ground—Rick’s old key chain, the one he lost when held captive by the werewolves, meaning they are trying to frame him, too. Jane assures Sheriff Grizzard that vampires did not do this, that it was werewolves, for sure.
You Chasing the Big Doggies? Jane leaves the crime scene, going down to look for more signs of the grindy, hoping to catch up with him and discuss joining forces to hunt the werewolves. After finding signs that he was recently there, Jane heads back up the mountain and stops by to see Mike and Dave, the kayak tour guides. When figuring out the area the grindy is marking out and covering using the coordinates supplied by paddlers, Jane realizes that Molly’s home lies within that area. Horror-struck, Jane calls Molly’s house, but Angelina answers the phone. When Jane asks her if she has seen any big dogs lately, Angie replies that she has, at her window, but that she scared them off. Jane tells Molly what she believes the werewolves are up to, trying to turn witches. Back at her hotel, Jane gets some sorely needed sleep, but wakens when she senses someone in her room—no one she knows, but she can smell unknown vamp on him. With her weapons all a few feet away, Jane waits and listens. When the intruder gets close enough, Jane clocks him with a statue, then grabs one of her guns. Hitting the guy messes up the aim of his gun, his bullets falling short and soundlessly because of a suppressor. Jane gets off a few shots of her own.
Wrong Century, White Boy: Hauled into the police station for questioning since she shot a man, Jane repeats countless times that she does not know the man, or why he was sent to her room. Eventually Jane gets released, at the same time her lawyer arrives—Brandon, one of Grégoire’s blood-servant twins, along with an elegant woman, blood-servant to Lincoln, Adelaide Mooney. In a Volkswagen limo with some very cool firearms inside, the three go to Lincoln’s barbecue restaurant for an early dinner. Adelaid
e seems to be particularly interested in what Jane “is,” and Brandon chimes in that no one knows. Jane makes it clear that it’s no one’s business. Derek and Wrassler join the trio at the restaurant, and Jane explains clearly what is going on with the werewolves, and lets the others know that Kemnebi is in the area too. Jane states that man who attacked her is a blood-servant that Brandon and Adelaide say they don’t know, which means another vampire may be interested in the parley. Saying she needs to be away for a time, Jane confirms with her team that they can handle security without her during that time. When Jane excuses herself to use the restroom, Adelaide follows her.
I Sleep With Vamps for a Living: While the two women are washing their hands, they have a conversation that leads to discussing friendship, and the difficulties of being tall women who feel as though they are isolated by how they look and what they do. Jane realizes that Adelaide is actually making overtures of friendship, and decides to accept. Adelaide gives Jane the number of her transportation service, telling her she can use it whenever she likes, but cautioning that since they report to her every location they visit, if it’s somewhere Jane wishes to keep private, she will want to make other arrangements.
Returning the hotel, Jane learns that the man she shot died from his wounds. This news shocks Jane, as she has never killed a human before. As she tries to process the information, she also finds out that her new room is once again adjacent to the blood twins. When getting ready to leave, Jane finds Brian outside her door. At first she is thinking he means to keep her inside, but he tells her that he just wants her to listen to what he has to say. Brian relates the story of how many years ago he killed a man in defense of Grégoire, despite the vampire’s edict against killing humans. He tells Jane that what she did was in self-defense, and he thanks her for giving a little piece of her soul in defense of Grégoire too, as well as Brian and Brandon. Jane then visits a church.
Streams Talking Softly in Mountain-Water Tongue: Jane goes to church, and thinks about the two parts of her, how to bring them together and meld them into one, but realizes that she can’t do it now. Afterward, Jane goes into the woods to shift into Beast, and the big cat finds another werewolf kill site, and one place where a man was bitten but got away, now presenting a danger to others. When she comes back to herself, on a boulder out in the river, thanks to Beast, Jane goes to the police department to report the deaths she discovered, also realizing too late that her tracks as Beast will likely be visible. Sheriff Grizzard is pleased that it sounds as though the new sites are in a different county.
Who? Bit? You? Sheriff Scoggins and her men find the site Jane described, and Jane says she will look into having the vamps supply the money needed for silver shot for law enforcement. Despite wishing to avoid running into Evangelina, Molly’s sister who put a spell on Brusier in New Orleans, Jane goes to Seven Sassy Sisters Herb Shop and Café for breakfast, and immediately gets engulfed with hugs. All goes well until Evangelina arrives, looking considerably slimmer and many years younger, and Beast reacts as though in defense. Evangelina spells everyone, including her own sisters, but with Beast’s help Jane fights off the effects, and as it turns out, Little Evan is also immune to his aunt’s machinations. When Jane gets up close to Evangelina again, she sees two puncture marks on the witch’s neck, and she admits that Lincoln Shaddock has bitten her. Evangelina leaves, but even after she goes, effects of the spell remain. Jane keeps the scarf and a few hairs she pulled from Evangelina in the struggle. The door to the café opens, and Rick comes in.
Tag Team Sex? That’s the Best You Could Come Up With? In spite of the attentions of Molly’s sisters, Jane and Rick manage to have a conversation, in which he says that he misses the company of human females, sober people, and mostly Jane. Rick also shares that he has received some phone calls in the last twenty-four hours, which is odd since no one had his number. Jane realizes that Leo was able to trace Rick through her call history. Rick tells Jane one of the calls was from a man who identified himself as Smith Jones, saying he had a job for Rick—to get close to Jane so she could get him in with the vamps, but Rick refused. Rick and Jane both think the man is PsyLED, though he claimed to be part of an organization that doesn’t exist yet. Rick also wonders why Evangelina just disappeared from the vampire/witch restitution talks without any explanation. Jane, feeling pretty sure that Evangelina may have followed either her or Grégoire back to Asheville and the talks, and then found out from Rick that rather than Grégoire, Leo was supposed to come himself. Jane also learns that a copy of Magnolia Sweets’ diary was delivered anonymously to NOPD. Bruiser also called Rick, asking him if he and Jane are still involved, because he wants to court her. Jane leaves before finding out what Rick answered.
Back at the hotel, Jane does some research on spells and the grindy’s whereabouts, then takes part in a sparring match with Brandon and Brian. At the end of the session, Derek Lee is there observing, and Jane knows he is very suspicious of her. Later the Mercy Blade, Gertruda, arrives. When Lincoln Shaddock is half an hour late for the evening’s meeting, Jane gets worried and calls Adelaide, who calls her back with Lincoln’s location. Jane and some of her team head over to the barbecue joint.
You’ll Be True-Dead: When arriving at the restaurant, Jane and her team see Lincoln and Evangelina dancing, and Jane sees them both covered by the rosy glow of a spell. When she notices a red mote come from Evangelina and go into Lincoln, Jane calls Bruiser to ask him to look for something in a box at her house in New Orleans. While waiting for Bruiser to call back, Dacy, Lincoln’s heir, and another vamp come in, asking if Jane and her team plan to mess with Lincoln. When Jane tells them about the spell, the two leave her to her plans. When Bruiser calls back, Jane’s suspicions are confirmed: Evangelina took the blood diamond, the one that uses blood-magic powered by the deaths of countless witch children, which also siphons the power of other witches. Making plans with Derek and the men, Jane propels herself in between Lincoln and Evangelina, staking the vamp in the stomach to immobilize him yet making it obvious she is not trying to kill him. While Derek and the others stay with Lincoln, Jane lands on top of Evangelina, keeping her down, demanding that she release Lincoln from the spell. Jane then identifies herself to those in the room as Leo’s Enforcer, and that she expects to be obeyed, and they all stand down. Evie tells Jane that her “ends justify the means,” and says she will kill Jane. After Jane releases her, Evie runs out, and Jane commands Lincoln to go and beg forgiveness of Grégoire, and warns him that she will not be so understanding next time. Lincoln agrees, though he doesn’t seem to know what he did, and does go make his apologies to Grégoire. Jane is disturbed by Grégoire’s demand that after the talks are over she bring him the witch responsible. Jane does call Reach to have him look into Evangelina’s financial information.
Rather than getting some much-needed sleep, Jane turns on the television for a weather update, but instead sees a report from some hikers about a campsite they stumbled upon that seemed to be the scene of a massacre. Jane calls Grizzard, gets permission to join in the search, and finds the site that law enforcement is hunting for. With a little help from Beast, Jane puts together the sequence of events: this site was the first place the werewolves killed when they arrived, in a mad frenzy, followed by the others, which were the more recent after the werewolves gained control. Jane asks Sheriff Grizzard if he likes cats.
Be Polite to the Nice Pussycat: Kind of surprised by Grizzard allowing Kemnebi in big-cat form to come and work the scene, Jane takes a nap in her SUV while awaiting his arrival. Rick drives up with Kemnebi already in leopard form, but he will not permit anyone to put the collar on him that the sheriff insisted upon. After he is done looking over the scene, Kem-cat answers questions for Rick, and then agrees to show Rick and Jane the older trail the werewolves took. Grizzard says that PsyLED called him about Rick. After tramping around in the woods in the drenching rain for hours, the trio ends up back at the vehicles. When Kemnebi resumes human form, he tells Jane and Rick that
the grindylow is behaving differently than usual, resting a lot, may perhaps be sick—a proposition that seems to please Kemnebi, grieving the loss of Safia. When he says that the grindy never rests when humans are in danger, Jane realizes that the reason it didn’t get to Rick sooner when the werewolves had him was that Kemnebi caged the grindy in his room at the hotel. When Jane says this, Kemnebi’s hands change into clawed paws, and Jane’s do the same, with Beast taking control and latching on to Kemnebi’s neck.
Is This a Proposal or Something? Kemnebi submits to Jane/Beast, and Beast relinquishes control to Jane. Though surprised that Beast can do a partial shift, Jane is very pleased when she sees her hands and mouth are back to her human form. Jane tells Rick to let Kemnebi know that if he tries to kill Rick, she will kill him, because he belongs to Beast. When she arrives back at the hotel, Jane is shaky, soaked, and laughing uncontrollably until she eats more.
After warming up and calming down, Jane heads over to Molly’s house, not sure of the reception she will receive. Molly’s husband, Evan, resents Jane for placing his children and his wife in danger with the vamp-witches in New Orleans. When Jane arrives, Angelina rushes out the door to meet her, but Evan bars her way. Jane hands Evan the scarf she took from Evangelina, and tells him that if what he smells is important, they all need to talk. Evan replies that he smells Evangelina and blood-magic. Jane shares the information about the spells Evangelina has been casting, and the fact that she stole the blood diamond from Jane and has been using it. Evan faults Jane for not destroying the diamond, but she asks how was she supposed to do so, and when Evan says he doesn’t want her there, Jane starts to go, telling him that he can figure out what to do on his own. Evan calls her back, admitting her has seen the changes in Evangelina too, realizing that they can’t be real. When Jane and Evan try to talk to Molly about her sister, she refuses to listen and keeps repeating the same phrase over and over again, and makes mention of vampires having taken Evangelina’s family, something Jane and Evan had never heard before. Evan tries to break the spell on Molly, but is unable to, saying he will have to look into how to do so. Angie has a bad dream, which she says was about a green frog eating a deer, and Evan says she has been having those a lot lately. Jane leaves.
