“Do you mind? I could bleed to death before you get yourself under control.”
Biting her upper and lower lips between her teeth, she put herself right to the task of my swollen and bleeding head. I closed my eyes and let her do her work. I could feel the wound pinching, but the pain was only minor. I thought she was probably just going to put a tight bandage on it, but once she had me cleaned up she handed me a mirror with a proud smile.
There was a neat row of strange little balls with two hooks holding the skin together. I counted eight of the funny objects, and after a moment my jaw dropped in horror. “Are those bugs?”
“Ants.” She nodded enthusiastically.
“You put ants on my head? You want me to walk around with bugs holding me together?” My words were fairly calm for all the shock I was feeling.
Rhiannon cocked her head to the side to give me an incredulous glare. “I’m going to put a bandage on it. These surgeon ants are the most effective way to hold together a wound like that— short of stitches— and I didn’t think you’d want me running a needle and thread through your head.”
She was right. I would likely have passed out if she’d tried to stitch me up. I pursed my lips and allowed her to finish her doctoring. I had a lot of work to do before the kids got out of school at 3:00 that afternoon and daylight was burning.
The guy who posted the bounty on Tig’s “dark witch” was a human by the name of Chic Valdez. He managed a club in Chicago and on the side made a little extra as a clearinghouse for bounties. Most MAUCs didn’t want their names closely connected with the unsavory business. Even in paranormal circles, placing a bounty was considered a last resort.
Although I knew Chic from other dealings, I had a hard time getting him to give me the name of the person who placed the bounty. I could understand his concern. After all, if word got out that he was in the habit of leaking that sort of information, he’d lose his side-line business—and possibly piss off a dangerous MAUC in the process.
In the end, I gave him my word that I would wipe the client’s mind clean with my magic in order to protect him. Oh, and the couple hundred bucks I slipped him didn’t hurt either.
When I had my information, I orbed back to my house and programmed my new destination into the grotto: a cabin in the Granite Mountains of Wyoming. I’m not always certain where my orb will drop me when I go to a new place, so I had my wand in hand just in case.
The first thing I noticed was that it was cold. Bitterly cold. I conjured a heavy coat as I eyed my surroundings. I was in the trees and there’d been a recent light dusting of snow. The skies looked heavy and gray with moisture and I figured more of the white stuff was on the way soon.
My eyes followed a billowy dark plume of smoke along the skyline until I found a cabin nestled atop a little rise to my left. I started that way. It was a quaint little place if you liked isolation. The house was small and simple with probably only two or three bedrooms and a narrow wraparound porch. I heard some noise coming from the back of the building so I hiked that way.
A big dirty-blond fellow was chopping wood just behind the house. He had his shirt off and I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said the guy was a rippling mass of muscle. His abs were perfectly sculpted and his arms bulged as he swung the ax high and dropped it down with what seemed only a minimal amount of exertion. Steam rose off his body in little wisps and swirls.
“Can I help you?” he asked without looking at me. I jumped, startled, and then reached up to check whether I was drooling or not. Of course he would have heard me approach. Possibly smelled me too since he was a werecat.
“I’m looking for the Dodds—Peter and Donna.”
He rubbed at a drop of sweat on the tip of his nose before turning his blue-gray eyes to me. I felt all gooey inside when he looked at me.
“My mom’s inside. Just knock on the front door”
My gooiness turned sickening when I realized this was the Dodd’s son, Peter. He wasn’t exactly a child, but I wasn’t exactly a young adult either. Werecats matured quickly.
“Thanks,” I muttered, spinning around as fast as I could.
Donna Dodd met me at the door, probably having heard the talking outside the cabin. She looked quite the matronly housewife, wiping her hands on her apron as she stepped out onto the porch. Her blond hair was cropped short, though she had a headband holding back her bangs.
“How can I help you?” she asked, glancing at the bandage on my head. I covered it with my hand, wishing she hadn’t reminded me of it. Every time I thought about it I was sure I could feel the damned ants wiggling around under there.
I gave her a slight smile and held out my hand. “Mrs. Dodd, I’m Lynlee Lincoln. I’m a Neutralizer and I believe you may have put out a bounty—for a witch by the name of Susan Abernathy.”
Her expression betrayed her surprise, flinching and then looking over her shoulder in the direction of her son. She dropped her apron and motioned me inside. The house was open, with the kitchen, dining room, and living area all in one. A small bar separated the kitchen from the rest of the room, and she motioned me to sit at one of the stools there.
“We aren’t breaking any rules by hiring a bounty hunter,” she told me, pouring herself a cup of coffee. She made a gesture with her head to offer me one as well, but I shook my head.
“No you aren’t. I’m not here to stop the bounty.”
“Are you here to offer to bring her to us? We didn’t want to be directly involved in this part of the process. There’s a reason we hired a broker.”
“I understand. I’m not here for that either. I have an associate who is familiar with this particular witch. He’s concerned about her activities; specifically that she might be practicing dark magic.”
Donna’s face pinched in disapproval. “I wouldn’t be surprised. She’s apparently not very good at magic though.”
“What was it you hired her to do?” I folded my hands in front of me and waited for her to speak. She hesitated, holding her mug of coffee in both hands near her lips. “Maybe I can help with this. I assure you I can be trusted.”
“The tribe leaders wouldn’t be happy about me talking to you. It was my idea to hire the witch in the first place and they were none too pleased.” She sipped the steaming drink and eyed me, assessing me with a keen look.
“I understand. What can I do to convince you?”
“You don’t have to convince me, do you? You’re a witch. You can use your magic to make me tell you, can’t you?”
I wanted to laugh but I could tell she wouldn’t appreciate that. Instead, I looked down at my hands and back up into her eyes. It was a gesture intended to show her that I was being open, forthcoming. “Mrs. Dodd, I can’t make you tell me. I don’t have that sort of power. That is, in fact, a dark power. And that’s why I need you to tell me what happened with Susan Abernathy.”
When she set her cup down onto the bar, I could see her hand tremble just a bit. She stepped around me and into her living room, removing a 5x7 photograph from the coffee table. “This is our daughter, Penelope.”
I took the offered photograph and studied the girl’s face. She was breathtaking, with luxurious mahogany colored hair that shimmered with sunlight. Her eyes were big and blue against the most exquisite tan complexion I’d ever seen. “She’s quite lovely.”
Mrs. Dodd took the photo back and looked at her daughter’s visage a moment before placing it on the bar. “Yes, she is. Are you familiar with werecats, Miss Lincoln? We’re a struggling species.”
I knew some about them. They were similar to werewolves, having tight-knit packs. Werecats were different in that they followed matrilineal descent. That meant the females in the pack had more say in the management of things and also more hereditary benefits. They weren’t managed by a single female, but a group of them. Usually the number was three, but in larger packs it could rise to five or seven – always an odd number. There weren’t many large packs left.
“A lot of the p
acks are breaking apart. Families are choosing to go out on their own instead of remaining with the collective,” I told her, nodded, and tried to look empathetic about the problem.
“I’m one of the tribe leaders. Penelope is stationed to follow in my footsteps. It’s her duty.”
Ah, now we’re getting some where.
“Her mate has been selected, and next year she and Colton are to complete their ceremony to begin their marriage. Within two years she could have a child and begin her training as a tribe leader.”
“I see. She isn’t happy with the mating? I thought your species allowed women to choose their mates.”
Mrs. Dodd sighed and looked off to her right a moment before returning her gaze to me. “Penelope did choose her mate. She made the decision to marry Colton and it is a good match. The tribe and the pack were very pleased when she made her choice last summer.”
“Then?” I glanced at my watch and mentally groaned. It was after one o’clock and I had to get out of here by 2:30 so I could pick Beck’s kids up.
“Then the cupid showed up.”
Oh, no. I groaned internally again. Not a cupid.
“And she’s in love with someone else now? There are ways to reverse a cupid arrow, you know…”
“I’ve tried that. I used Chic to track down the cupid’s superior but he insists it isn’t a ‘cupid arrow affair.’” The way she said the word “cupid” was in a snarled tone, as if it were a foul word.
“Then what does the cupid have to do with it?”
“He’s the one. She’s in love with the cupid! They want to get married.”
Now that’s not something you hear every day. Cupids loved love, but they rarely fell into it themselves. They were more observers than doers, so to speak.
“So where are Penelope and the cupid now?”
She looked like she wanted to cry but refused to allow herself. Instead she sucked in a breath and raised her chin in a defiant look. “They’re in hiding. Together. That dark witch put a spell on the cupid’s arrow.”
“What kind of spell?”
“It was supposed to break the two of them apart so that Penelope would be free, but the stupid witch did something wrong. The two of them are more inseparable now than ever and my daughter gets physically ill if they’re not within a few feet of each other. And instead of making people love each other, the cupid’s arrow now makes random people want to kill each other. It nearly caused a riot a few towns over when Penelope and Fredward went to dinner together.”
Fredward? That couldn’t seriously be his name. Fredward the Cupid? I wanted to laugh.
“You should have hired a Neutralizer for that,” I scolded her. That was just the type of job we were known to handle.
“I don’t care about the cupid’s arrows. I care about my daughter’s life. I refused to pay the witch and she’s vowed to kill Penelope. I want her found before she can find my daughter.”
I looked at my watch again. I needed to get going. I handed Mrs. Dodd my information and asked her to give me the location of her daughter. I promised I would do what I could to help her. Although I’d promised to erase her mind for Chic, circumstances had changed. She assured me she would not blame Chic for this mess as long as I could help her. I agreed.
Just as I was about to leave, a thought occurred to me and I turned back to her. “Mrs. Dodd, what was the payment?”
She pursed her lips, and for a moment I thought she was going to refuse to tell me. Finally, she crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. “My blood, Miss Lincoln. I was to give her two pints of my blood while in my werecat form.”
Rhiannon once told me something about shifter blood. She said it was different when a werewolf was in their animal shape. I didn’t know what different meant, but I was going to find out.
I thanked Mrs. Dodd again. As I orbed back to my home it occurred to me that family matters were a tangled mess of trouble.
By some miracle I showed up at the school early to pick up Justin. Jilly was at an afterschool daycare for pre-kindergarten kids just across the street. Beck said she could be picked up at any time, but I wanted to ensure I wasn’t late for Justin so I decided to head there first.
While I waited, I used my smart phone to send Tig the status of things and to ask him if he wanted me to try to track down the witch. Once done with that, I tapped out a text to Rhiannon and asked her to have lunch with me tomorrow, my treat. It didn’t take 2 minutes before my phone chimed and I looked down to see her response.
am i in trouble again? ur treat means my choice, right?
I responded, not in trouble. i need some help. yes ur choice
Justin came trudging out of the school about that time, dragging his backpack behind him. He was missing the pep he normally had when I saw him. I groaned. I guess staying up way past your bedtime will do that.
“Hey there. Tough day?” I asked, shifting around in my seat to offer him a weak smile.
He hefted his bag into the backseat and shrugged as he crawled in. “It was okay.”
My phone dinged again and I glanced at it before starting up the vehicle.
new chinese place on elm. how's ur head?
I refused to touch the bandage, holding back the urge to scratch at the dead bugs holding my skin together. We headed off to get Jilly and I glanced at Justin through the rearview mirror. He yawned and peered out the window. I racked my mind for what one was supposed to say to a kid after you picked them up from school.
“Did you learn anything today?”
He looked up at me and frowned. Yeah, I know. That sounded lame to me too, I thought.
“Your dad called a little while ago. He’ll be home about an hour after we get there. We’re all going to go out for pizza.”
Conversation was light, so I focused on driving instead of chitchat. By the time I got Jilly and headed to Beck’s house, I was wishing for some aspirin for my throbbing head. It seemed a long night, a full day of investigating, and orbing weren’t conducive to making a gash in one’s head feel better.
I was surprised when I pulled in and saw Beck’s truck already in the driveway. I glanced at my watch, hoping I wasn’t the one late. The kids squealed and ran to their father, practically knocking him off the porch when he came out to greet them. I gave them all some privacy, circling around and heading into the house.
I found the aspirin in Beck’s bathroom and I was just knocking back the pills when I felt his arms around me from behind. He nuzzled my neck and I grinned, putting my hands atop his.
“My kids were so rough on you, you needed aspirin?”
I turned to face him and his eyes widened when he saw my head. I opened my mouth to speak but he reached his hands up to cup my cheeks and the gesture was so sweet I lost all sensible thought.
“Are you all right? What the hell happened?”
“It’s not as bad as it looks. I fell and hit my head. Rhia fixed me all up…” But apparently he had to see for himself. Even though I tried to swat his hands away—he loosened the bandage to look.
“Geez, Lynlee,” he gasped.
I rolled my eyes, thinking men certainly were given to exaggeration, but when I turned and looked in the mirror, I too gasped. I no longer had just a simple gash in my head, but a black and blue bruise to go along with it. Basically, I looked like crap.
“What are the little black things?”
I ignored the question for the moment and gingerly touched the swollen knob above my eyebrow. This was not the way any woman wanted to look when greeting her boyfriend when he got back into town. With a sigh, I forced a smile and looked at Beck again. The expression in his brown eyes, the frown lines on his forehead, showed his concern.
“The black things are ants. You know Rhia has some strange techniques. But it seems to be working… as long as I can stop letting my imagination tell me the stupid bugs are moving.” I shivered. “Also, there’s something else I need to tell you.”
I stepped around him and out of the bat
hroom, hearing his footsteps close behind me.
“It can’t be much worse than that. Please tell me the kids didn’t do that.”
I chuckled. “No, the kids didn’t. I forgot where I was when I woke up this morning…” I related the story as I showed him the burned spot against the bedroom wall. Just before we left for school I’d dragged a potted plant across the floor to cover it until I could explain it to him.
Beck smiled at me, the look in his eyes warming me to my bones. “Lynlee, that can be fixed. As long as you’re all right. Maybe we should stay in tonight instead of going out to the pizza place.”
“No, no,” I insisted, stepping into his arms and embracing him. “I’ve already told the kids we were going. I’m fine, really. The aspirin will kick in any moment and I want to hear all about the interview. Okay?”
Dinner with Beck, Justin, and Jilly was the perfect ending to a crazy day. The kids had a great time playing games; Justin perking up the moment a stack of coins was placed into his little palm. They were warned there would be no more games after dinner, but as soon as they finished their pizza, I dug out another handful of quarters from the bottom of my bag and passed them out to the two of them.
“You’ll spoil them,” Beck warned, but the grin on his face was proof enough that he wasn’t really unhappy. I decided he was probably as glad as I was to have some more us time.
“So you feel good about it, then?” I asked, returning to our prior conversation and picking at a cheese-covered pepperoni.
His head bobbed up and down in the affirmative while leaning his crossed arms on the table to inch closer to me. “Yeah, I think I feel really good about it. I mean, they may not call me until next week but it’s the first solid job lead I’ve had in a long time.”
He stopped speaking and stared at me. I took my napkin from my lap and wiped at my mouth, thinking I must have sauce on my face. He kept looking at me with an intensity in his eyes that made my legs feel all tingly. I was pretty sure if I tried to stand I’d fall on my face. “What?” I asked, a rough edge to my voice.
A Bundle of Trouble (The Lynlee Lincoln Sets Book 1) Page 10
