My grandma sniffed after a few seconds of silence. “I was merely curious.”
I shushed her and we glared at each other. Make no mistake, I loved her to death, but holy cow she could be a total pain in the...
“Spines,” Tonya muttered before stuffing a chunk of pancake into her mouth. All three men snickered. Mom was smiling.
God, what a way to start a Sunday.
“They’re staying here?” I tried to keep my voice down. “Why?”
“Betty’s parents and her sister’s family are staying there for Christmas. I’m not going to have family staying in a hotel during the holidays.” Mom glanced over her shoulder. I was helping her wash dishes. “They can have my room. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Aw, Mom. I’ll be waking you up all the time, coming in late. This case might take a while.”
“That’s all right.”
At the table, Grandma asked one of the guys, “Do your people have sex in both shapes?”
“Holy frickin’ hell, Mom, make her stop.”
“She’s curious, and neither of them seem to mind her questions.”
I scowled and put a little extra elbow grease into drying the plate I held. Once the guys were gone, my grandmother would bombard me with questions. Oh, but wait...I had a new house. “Mom.”
“What?”
“It’s too crowded here and Grandma doesn’t like my Pit Crew. I’m going to stay at my place.”
“The weather’s too bad for moving.”
“I’ll camp out there then. There’s a fireplace.”
Mom sighed. “All right, if you’re set on it.”
She had no idea how set I was on it. “Yes.”
My attempts to apologize were waved aside by Dane and Logan. Apparently, they’d found the entire situation hilarious, including my horrified interjections.
On the other hand, my request for a lift out to my new place became something much more. By Monday evening, a combination of them, Logan’s truck, Tonya’s help packing my stuff at Mom’s, and my teleportation ability saw me moved into the new house, though not fully unpacked.
Weather be damned. The guys had handled the stuff in storage, and once everything was present, I realized I didn’t have enough furniture for a house.
Since Dreamland wasn’t open on Sundays and Mondays, we’d been at loose ends anyway. I’d considered trying to collect items belonging to the other missing people, but finally decided against it. When we found Rico Guerra, we’d find them. I didn’t believe in coincidences enough to think otherwise, not with the Dreamland connection.
I’d been alone in my new house a few times during the moving process. Enough to realize how far from town it was, and how quiet. Ginger’s habit of jumping out of closets, rooms, or from around corners hadn’t helped. She’d earned a few screams from me, mainly because she’d grown less translucent and looked far more real.
I’d invited Logan and Dane to stay, and after a little discussion, they’d agreed to until Logan’s vacation time was up.
Dane was upstairs in the guest room, inflating the two airbeds I’d bought. Logan built a fire while I made hot chocolate.
Glancing out the kitchen window, I said, “It looks like Narnia out there. All I need is a lamp post.”
“I don’t remember them seeing a house when they came out of the wardrobe.”
“Well, no, but snow and trees? Those I have in spades.”
He finished his fire building and moved to the couch. “Right.”
“It occurs to me that Narnia could be real.”
“How’s that?”
“Think about it: A different world behind a magic entrance. That sounds like a pocket realm to me.”
“You have a point,” Logan agreed, propping his feet up on the coffee table and stretching his besocked toes toward the fire. He turned his head. “Do you need any help?”
“Nope.”
I picked up the mugs and went to join him, stepping over sleeping dogs to hand him one before sitting down. “Aslan could be a god or maybe an elf transformed into a lion.”
“Maybe. And the Snow Queen?”
“Ooh, I have it. She’s his wife, and cursed him into a lion because he consorted with one too many nymphs.”
Logan sipped his hot chocolate. “Is this a remix? Because that sounds like a Zeus and Hera sort of relationship.”
“Remixes are fun.” I leaned back, and propped up my feet, too. “Of course, no one noticed the kids were missing because time ran differently in Narnia from the real world.”
“True.” He petted Speck, who lay tucked between us.
Dane thumped downstairs. “Don’t you two look cozy. Is that hot chocolate?”
“Yes.” I left the couch to fix him a mug, and we spent the rest of the evening speculating on the potential of a real Narnia.
TWELVE
I yawned my way downstairs, following the big dogs, with Squishy cautioning Speck as the Chihuahuas navigated the steps in my wake. Downstairs, Logan was on his phone. I let the dogs out the front door, promising the Chihuahuas I’d buy them coats soon.
“Discord,” Logan said, holding his phone out where I could see it had been muted, as Dane thumped down the stairs.
“Cordi. I was supposed to let everyone know she’d prefer for us to call her Cordi.”
“Oh. Cordi, we have another missing person. The Rex’s youngest son.”
Great. “He’s our ally, right? Tell him,” I paused. The only lion shifter I knew was Teague. Being part of the clan made me the lions’ ally too, and them, mine. It would probably be a good idea to meet more of them. “Scratch that. See if he wants to meet, and invite him here.”
From the quick smile Logan tossed me, I’d made the correct call on the matter. I let the Chihuahuas in and dried their tiny paws and legs.
“They’ll be here in about an hour,” Logan said after ending the call. “The Rex’s name is James O’Meara.”
“King James.” I chuckled, walking into the kitchen to start coffee. “How long has the son been missing?”
“Since Saturday.”
Dane cleared his throat. “I didn’t see one, but I’m pretty sure I smelled lion on a couple of women at Dreamland Saturday night.”
I fought a scowl. “So we were right there, again, when someone was nabbed.”
“Looks that way.” Logan leaned on the breakfast bar. “Is this going to be a problem with Mr. Whitehaven?”
“Nope.” After the adoption ceremony and returning to work, I’d had a talk with the boss. My contract specified no freelancing, and that specification was there for a reason: to protect me.
Well, to provide what protection being in Mr. Whitehaven’s employ could offer. Now that I had supe friends and was part of the tigers’ clan, I had responsibilities to them. That meant using my abilities, as I had in the past to help Logan stop the attempts to kidnap Terra.
It also meant using them to help the clan’s allies, when and if necessary. Mr. Whitehaven confirmed that, so while I’d update him, I didn’t need his permission to act. He’d basically told me that it was my call, because anything I chose to do outside of official cases would affect my new “political standing” in the supe community.
Helping my clan’s allies put a shine on my reputation. Not helping would tarnish not only my reputation, but the clan’s too.
I wasn’t willing to risk that, but it was nice that the first time a clan ally needed help, it tied into an official case. Two official cases, I amended while pouring coffee for everyone. Thorandryll was a client now too.
“Anything I need to know about O’Meara before he gets here?”
“He’s tough, but fair. A good leader, and nice enough, unless there’s a threat to his Pride.”
“Pride as in his group, and not his “pride” pride, right?” I went to the fridge for breakfast makings, having gone to the store the evening before. None of the restaurants delivered out this far.
“Right.”
“I’m no
t supposed to bow or anything, am I?”
“No, only his people do that sort of thing. Just,” Logan shrugged. “Treat him like a client.”
“Okay. Dane, would you let the big dogs in?” I needed to feed everyone and clean up before the Rex arrived.
James O’Meara, Rex of the Santo Trueno Pride, wasn’t an imposing figure. He was my height and in good shape, but rather slender for a shifter. I knew right away that he was worried about his missing son, because the skin under his bright blue eyes looked faintly bruised. His hair was bright too, a coppery red that bordered on orange.
O’Meara hadn’t come alone. The man with him was younger, taller, and looked as though he’d spent his entire life lifting weights. Though his skin was darker, that gorgeous clear brown some mixed-race children are blessed with, he had the same bright blue eyes as O’Meara, and his close-cropped, tight curls were a darkish red.
“James, this is Discord Jones, our newest queen,” Logan said while leading them into the living room. I didn’t have furniture for my office yet.
“Pleased to meet you, Miss Jones. Thank you for seeing us so quickly.” O’Meara had a nice smile. “This is my eldest son, Tanner.”
His son merely nodded, crossing his arms as he stood next to the chair his father chose. The arm crossing looked awkward, because Tanner’s arms were huge, and his chest was broad and bulky with muscle.
“You’re welcome, and I’m pleased to meet you both.” I was on the couch, Leglin lying at my feet, Bone and Diablo snoozing on either side of me, and had the Chihuahuas dozing in my lap. I’d had a talk with the dogs about their barking habits over breakfast.
Logan rested his hands on the back of the couch, evidently preferring to stand. Dane was sitting on the hearth.
“What’s your other son’s name?”
“Connor. He didn’t return from his night out. We found his car in the parking lot of...”
“A club called Dreamland.” When O’Meara nodded, his gaze sharpening, I said, “We’ve been there. Other people have gone missing from there over the past couple of weeks.”
“I see.”
“Prince Thorandryll hired us to look into the matter, and so did the mother of one of the missing men. We’re already on it.”
Tanner frowned. “Then why have us come here?”
I looked at his father, who reached into the pocket of his dark blue suit jacket. “For that.”
Logan had remembered to ask the Rex to bring something belonging to his son. O’Meara leaned forward to place a gold chain with a small, black stone dangling from it on the coffee table.
“To bring that? Why?”
“Miss Jones is a psychic.” O’Meara straightened, and for a second, his composure slipped, his calm expression tightening. He was prepared to hear the worst. “Please, if you would.”
Speck’s thin legs wind-milled when I moved him off my lap and next to Diablo. Squishy grumbled, but quickly curled up next to Bone and returned to sleep. I scooted forward to reach for the necklace. “I have to warn you that this doesn’t always work immediately.”
“I understand.” The Rex’s gaze tracked my hand when I picked up the necklace. From the corner of my eye, I saw Ginger gliding down the visible portion of the stairs. Diablo let loose a loud snore. I fought a giggle, closing my other hand around the lower half of the necklace and the stone.
Loud music, steamy heat, and a pretty brunette’s smile. Shouting and a pissed-looking Tanner. Ripping into a deer, blood and meat hot as it slid down his throat.
Eww. I replaced the necklace on the coffee table, creating a new mental folder to tuck Connor’s golden shimmer into. “He’s alive, but that’s all I can tell you right now.”
The wave of relief O’Meara felt would’ve knocked me down if I hadn’t been sitting. His voice gave no hint of it though. “That’s enough to know for now. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I scooted back, trying to pretend I couldn’t see Ginger prowling around Tanner. Her ashy gray hands trailed over the big shifter’s body, and I mean, all over it. “We’re going back to the club tonight, to see if we can’t figure out how this is happening. One of us will keep you informed.”
Tanner dropped his arms, his mouth opening, but his father stood. “Of course. I sincerely appreciate your assistance with this.”
“We’re allies. We’ll do our best to bring him home,” I promised. “Be careful driving.”
Logan showed them out, and I caught a hard, thin-lipped glare from Tanner before he walked out the front door. I petted Squishy, who’d crawled back into my lap, and waited for the front door to shut. “He’s really controlled.”
“He has to be. Lions aren’t like us. A Rex doesn’t stay king if he’s careless. It’s not a position that passes down in a particular family,” Dane said.
“It will be if James has his way.” Logan dropped into the chair the Rex had used. “And I’m not looking forward to Tanner taking his place.”
“Why not?”
“Tanner doesn’t like allying with anyone he thinks isn’t as strong as the Pride.”
“Oh.” I gently rubbed Squishy’s belly. She still had the soft, pink skin of a puppy, but the vet had estimated her age to be two. “He thinks the clan’s weak?”
“Going by numbers, we are compared to the Pride.”
“I could take him.” Dane’s confident declaration put a grin on my face. “He thinks being big is what matters. It helps, but it’s not the only thing that counts.”
“I think I made him mad.”
“Don’t worry about it. You didn’t offend James. He wants Connor home. Tanner, on the other hand,” Logan waggled his hand.
“Yeah, I got a flash of them arguing. Tanner and Connor, I mean. Connor’s the baby of the family, huh?”
Logan nodded. “Spoiled rotten, but he’s a good kid in spite of it.”
“Cool.” I checked the time, which was four-seventeen. Late nights were becoming a habit. “Dreamland opens at seven. I’m going to do some more unpacking upstairs.”
“Okay. Need any help?”
“Nah. I’ll start dinner in a couple of hours. You guys do whatever.”
Ginger followed me upstairs. Eventually, I’d have to figure out what to do about her.
When we arrived at Dreamland, Angel Elf notified Merlandon, who wasn’t happy to hear someone else had gone missing. “I’m going to be relegated to cleaning the stables,” he moaned, wringing his hands as he led us to the break room. “Prince Thorandryll does not look kindly upon failure.”
That’s the punishment he was so afraid of? Having to clean horse poop? My earlier sympathy for him took a healthy nosedive. “I’d be more worried about what’s happening to the missing people.”
Merlandon had the grace to look embarrassed. “Oh, I do worry, Miss Jones. I hope they’re not injured. The guests here are my responsibility, after all.”
Uh-huh. “We’ll be circulating, keeping an eye out. Mind if we use a locker again?”
“Of course not. Help yourself.” He hurried away, the tips of his ears bright pink.
“Okay, he’s kind of a jerk,” I said, shrugging out of my coat.
“He’s an elf.” Dane opened a locker. “Did you really expect different?”
“Cut him some slack. I wouldn’t be looking forward to centuries of cleaning stalls either.” Logan hung his leather jacket on one of the hooks inside the locker. I handed him my coat and purse. I’d switched to the one I thought of as my “case” purse, a largish, black messenger-style bag.
“Whatever. Okay, troops, eyes and ears open. Let’s see if we can’t manage to catch a clue tonight.”
A clue wasn’t in the cards right away. Instead, I caught a mild case of panic upon spotting Nick out on the dance floor half an hour into the evening.
There’s nothing quite like seeing an ex when you aren’t remotely expecting to. Nick was dancing with a tall blonde, and he certainly didn’t look mopey.
Fortunately, I was alone w
hen I saw him, and he didn’t see me. I ducked out of sight behind one of the columns surrounding the dance floor. The club’s décor had changed to some freaky version of Dante’s Inferno, all black and red, with flames flickering on the walls. There was even a fiery waterfall. Or firefall. Whatever.
My attempt to quell the instinct to get the hell out of Dodge wasn’t completely successful. I wanted to be gone before he saw me. Particularly before he might see me with Logan.
Not that leaving was an actual option, since we were working on a case. People were missing. That was far more important than a potential scene between Nick and me.
My stomach disagreed, flip-flopping violently, and Ginger chose that moment to materialize in front of me. I closed my eyes to block out her grisly grin, and flinched as I heard a familiar voice.
“What a coincidence. Psychic Girl at the very club I finally manage to drag my little brother out of the house to.”
I opened my eyes in time to watch Patrick walk right through Ginger, and for a second, seriously considered throwing up on him. That would be certain to wipe the smug look off his damn face.
Instead, I hissed, “What the hell, dude?”
“You tell me. You’re the psychic.”
Gah. “I’m working.”
“Sure.” Patrick’s grin widened. “You just happen to have a case that’s resulted in your showing up at the college I attend, and the club I brought Nick, the guy who loves you, to.”
Had I thought something earlier about not believing in coincidences? I was beginning to, and they could kiss my butt. “Yes, that’s exactly what’s going on. I can’t leave, so you have to.”
He laughed. “No way. I think maybe Fate’s taken a hand in this. Maybe the old hag thinks you two belong together.”
“Dude, I swear...”
“Cordi?”
Oh, damn. I turned around. “Hi, Nick.”
His face lit up, a big smile following. “Hi. What are you...?”
And of course, that’s when Logan walked up to join us. Nick looked at him, his smile gone, and his eyes narrowing. “Oh, you’re on a date.”
“No, we’re on a case,” Logan said. “I’m helping out.”
Frost & Bothered (Discord Jones Book 4) Page 10
